“You Shall take a bunch of Hyssop dip it in the blood in the basket and put it on the Doorpost”
(Shmot / Exodus 12:22)
This Weeks Torah Portion discusses the last of the ten plagues sent against Pharaoh so that the Jewish People could be saved from bondage. The commandment above was set in the context of the plague of the killing of the first born. The Israelites were to smear blood in this manner so that the Angel of Death would pass over their houses.
Why Hyssop ?
According to the description of the purity ritual used to resolve Zara’at (translated by the King James incorrectly as leprosy) hyssop was also used. According to Rashi (see just about every post that I’ve made before to find out who he is), Hyssop is the lowliest of plants. So Hyssop is both a symbol of lowliness and purity.
The merit with which the Israelites were saved
The Rabbis tell us that the Israelites were submerged in 49 levels of ritual impurity when they were saved from Egypt. They also tell us that it was in the merit of their forefathers that they were rescued from slavery. The hyssop warns the Israelites not to think that it is by their own merit that they are being saved but by that of their forefathers. Hyssop is also a symbol of the new status of purity which they will aquire.
Other News….
I have not written for a while because I became engaged.
The Torah taught in this post is for the Health of Zlata bat Sima
