All the Jewish holidays hidden in one verse — and why Israel needed mitzvot if God already promised Avraham
Based on the teaching of Mr. Yéhouda Himi
One verse in Shir HaShirim conceals the entire cycle of Jewish holidays. And why exactly did Israel need to take the lamb and perform brit milah — when God had already promised Avraham that they would be redeemed? Everything leads to the great accusation at the splitting of the sea — and to the secret merit of Yitzchak Avinu.
1 Shir HaShirim — All the Holidays in One Verse
There is a verse in Shir HaShirim that summarizes in one stroke the entire process from the Exodus to Simchat Torah. Which verse?
Pesach — Exodus "Draw yourselves away from idol worship and take the lamb" — the pulling away from Egypt
Narutzah
Running after God — the Journey "They did not even prepare provisions" — Israel ran after God with complete faith
Hevi'ani HaMelech
Shavuot — Matan Torah The King's inner chambers = the hidden treasure = the Torah. Entering God's chambers = Sinai
Nagilah
Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur Joy with trembling — grateful for the chance to do teshuvah, yet in awe of Divine judgment
VeNismecha
Sukkot — "Rejoice in your holiday" The great holiday of joy
Bach (בָּךְ)
Simchat Torah — 22 letters By the כפבט cipher, בָּךְ = כ"ב = 22 = the 22 letters of the Torah. Simchat Torah — celebrating every letter of the Torah
⬥ One verse in Shir HaShirim — the entire cycle: Pesach → Exodus → Shavuot → Rosh Hashana / Yom Kippur → Sukkot → Simchat Torah. It was there all along, and our Sages opened the secret for us.
2 The Great Question — Why Mitzvot When There Was Already a Promise?
Why did God command Israel to take the lamb and perform brit milah before the Exodus? God had already promised Avraham at the Brit Bein HaBetarim that they would be redeemed!
At the Brit Bein HaBetarim, God told Avraham: "Your descendants will be strangers in a land not theirs... and afterwards they will leave with great wealth." No mention of taking a lamb. No mention of brit milah. Apparently they would have been redeemed regardless!
Another question: the Torah says Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years — but the Brit Bein HaBetarim mentions only 400 years. What are the extra 30? And why does the 400-year count begin specifically from Yitzchak — not Avraham, not Yaakov?
⬥ Three questions — one answer. We will reach it in section 5.
3 The Accusation at the Sea — Israel Also Worshipped Idols
When Israel stood at the shore of the Sea of Reeds, there was a great dispute in heaven. What was the accusation of the heavenly prosecutors?
The Heavenly Court was in session. The accusers declared: What is the difference between Egypt and Israel? The Egyptians worship idols — and so do the Israelites. Our Sages state this explicitly: Israel worshipped idols in Egypt. So on what merit do You split the sea for them?
"These worship idols and these worship idols!" As long as Yosef and his brothers were alive — everything was fine. After "Yosef died, and all that generation" — the people of Israel, through pressure and the surrounding culture, were influenced by Egyptian religious practices.
The accusation was genuine. Israel were not spiritually pristine. Therefore, pointing to "the promise to Avraham" was not sufficient on its own. Something was needed that Israel themselves brought — a personal act of self-sacrifice that would silence the accusers.
4 Two Acts of Self-Sacrifice — The Ace That Silenced the Accusers
So what did God do? He prepared the "card" in advance. What were the two acts of messiroute nefech that Israel brought of their own accord?
Mesirut Nefesh 1 — the Korban Pesach: Taking the Egyptian deity — the lamb — and tying it to the bedpost. When an Egyptian asked "What are you doing with it?" — Israel replied: "In four days I am slaughtering it." This was not without danger. The Egyptians could have revolted and killed them. Israel took a genuine, life-threatening risk.
Mesirut Nefesh 2 — Brit Milah: On Erev Pesach, all of Israel performed brit milah. An eight-day-old infant — fine, the father circumcises him. But a man of 50, 60, 70 years old — brit milah is life-threatening surgery. And yet they did it voluntarily, without anesthesia, for the sake of Heaven.
"Damayich" — in the plural. Two bloods: the blood of the Pesach offering + the blood of brit milah. The two bloods mingled. By virtue of these two acts of self-sacrifice — Israel received the seal of approval to leave Egypt.
⭐ Now God has His "ace card": when the accusers say "they also worship idols" — God produces the evidence: Look at what they did of their own free will! No one forced them — they took a real, life-threatening risk purely for the sake of Heaven. There is nothing left to argue against that.
5 Yitzchak Avinu — The Source of Mesirut Nefesh · And Therefore 430 Years
Now we can answer: why does the 400-year count begin from Yitzchak? And why does Shemot say 430 years?
Who taught the Jewish people this capacity for total self-sacrifice? Yitzchak Avinu — through the Akeidah.
Yitzchak was willing to be bound upon the altar like a lamb — to sanctify God's name. And the Midrash adds: they made two cuts and his soul departed. Just as in brit milah one cuts only partly — but Yitzchak was willing to be cut entirely.
The two acts of self-sacrifice Israel performed at the Exodus — the Pesach lamb and brit milah — flow directly from Yitzchak's self-sacrifice at the Akeidah. Therefore:
⬥ The count begins from Yitzchak: 30 years from Brit Bein HaBetarim until Yitzchak's birth + 400 years from Yitzchak = 430 years. We count from Yitzchak because he is the source of the messiroute nefech through which Israel earned redemption. The Exodus from Egypt was earned through the merit of the Akeidah.
6 Rashi: "They Had No Mitzvot" — "Leaping Over the Mountains"
Rashi captures the entire idea with remarkable precision. What does he say?
Rashi writes: "Matya ben Charash says: The time arrived for the Holy One, Blessed is He, to fulfill the oath He swore to Avraham to redeem his children — but they had no mitzvot with which to occupy themselves in order to be redeemed. So He gave them two mitzvot — the blood of the Pesach and the blood of brit milah... as it says 'wallowing in your bloods' — referring to two bloods."
Notice the precise language: "They had no mitzvot." Not a criticism — a description. The time for redemption had come — but what was the ticket? With what do you arrive at the gates of redemption? So God Himself prepared for them these two mitzvot — so that they would have something with which to be redeemed.
And this too is a verse in Shir HaShirim: "Behold, He comes, leaping over the mountains." Leaping — jumping. As if God says: I am not looking at the foolish things you have done, I am leaping over all of it — purely in order to redeem you, purely to bring you to the giving of the Torah at Sinai.
⭐ The secret of Shabbat HaGadol: The entire matter of the lamb, the four days, the brit milah — was not merely a "technical" mitzvah. It was the preparation of the "ace card" for the splitting of the sea. God prepared the remedy before the wound — so that the accusers would have nothing to say. And by virtue of these two acts of self-sacrifice — He redeemed them. And so He will redeem us. In Nissan they were redeemed — in Nissan we shall be redeemed.
📅 Weekly Plan — Parashat Tzav IV
Sunday
Read: "Draw me after You, let us run." Ask: what "inner chamber of the King" do you want to enter this year? What spiritual space are you yearning to reach?
Monday
Think: what merit do you bring to God on your own? Not the merit of Avraham — what have you done that silences the accusers on your behalf?
Tuesday
The Akeidah taught total self-sacrifice. What small act of messiroute nefech can you do this week — completely voluntarily, with no external pressure?
Wednesday
"They had no mitzvot" — and yet they were redeemed. Write three mitzvot you can take on before Pesach — small, realistic, truly your own.
Thursday
"Behold He comes, leaping over the mountains." God leaps over your failings to redeem you. Think of one thing that makes you feel distant from God — and know: He is leaping over it.
Friday
At the Seder, when you say "by your bloods, live" — pause. Two bloods. What blood do you shed for the sake of Heaven? What are you willing to give up?
Shabbat
On this Shabbat HaGadol — remember: Israel left Egypt not only through Avraham's merit, but through what they did themselves. This Pesach — what will you do on your own?
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