Rabbi Moshe Weiner’s Passover Message for All Noahides
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Letter of Greetings and Blessings
from
Rabbi Moshe Weiner
Overseeing Rabbi of Ask Noah International
and author of
Sheva Mitzvot HaShem, The Divine Code, and Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge
Eve of Passover, 5775 / 20’15
I take this occasion to write to you in honor of the birthday on 11 Nissan of the spiritual leader of the generation, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He made our generation aware of the possibility and ability, and the great obligation, to spread to the Children of Noah the teachings of G-d’s Torah that was given through Moses. They should all accept upon themselves the Universal Commandments that were commanded to Adam and Noah and all humanity after them, and accept the yoke of the Kingship of Heaven completely.
A call to all mankind:
As his students, we call upon all people to believe in the One G-d, the only Creator of the universe, and to fulfill His commandments. [1] This should be done joyfully since they are the true correction for everyone, both as individuals and as societies.
The Festival of Passover has been celebrated by the People of Israel for more than 3300 years as the Festival of Freedom. During the original Passover, G-d came to redeem us from slavery and bondage and made us into a people. The purpose for this was to bequeath to us His Torah at Mount Sinai though Moses His servant.
From the Festival of Passover, everyone can learn the great faith and trust that is fitting for every person to have in G-d alone. He is the one Who redeems and saves, as the People of Israel have believed in the salvation of G-d for thousands of years.
It is also fitting for all people to believe and trust that the L-rd, G-d of heaven and earth, takes care of everyone and assigns to each person a role and purpose in the world. This role begins with a person coming to complete faith in G-d, accepting the yoke of His Kingship and observing His commandments, and doing these things with joy.
An additional and important point we learn from the Festival of Passover – according our Sages of blessed memory – is that just as our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt, likewise in the near future we will be redeemed by the true Messiah from the House of David. He will redeem the People of Israel from the exile, and bring us to the Land of Israel. And it is the Messiah who will build our holy and splendorous Temple.
The immanent Messianic Era
This is also part of the Festival of Freedom that we celebrate. It is not only our past freedom from Egypt, but also our belief and anticipation in our future freedom that G-d promised to us.
The future redemption through the Messiah will resemble the redemption of the People of Israel from Egypt through Moses our teacher. It will be great and wondrous, in a more wonderful form, compared to the miraculous redemption from slavery in Egypt that is recorded in the Book of Exodus.[2]
One of the wonders of the future redemption is the revelation of the Divine light that will shine onto the whole world, to all humanity.[3] From the power of this light, all people will recognize the true existence of the Master of the world. He fills the whole world, as stated by the prophet Isaiah (52:8-10): “With their own eyes they will see that G-d returns to Zion. Burst out, sing glad song in unison, O ruins of Jerusalem together, for G-d will have comforted His people; He will have redeemed Jerusalem. G-d has bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; all ends of the earth will see the salvation of our G-d.”
Moses our teacher at Mount Sinai began to repair the world, including all the Children of Noah by giving the Seven Commandments that were commanded to them. So too, the Messiah will teach and show the world (but in a more wondrous manner) the same recognition in the truth of the Creator of the universe which began to be revealed by Moses.
An opportunity to gain great merit
It is a great merit for each and every one of us to bring himself and his community to the faith and anticipation of this future freedom for the whole world. This will be freedom from evil and falsehood, and a redemption by which we will merit to go out from darkness to a great and true light.
How great are the words of Maimonides (Rambam) in Laws of Repentance, Chapter 3: “It is necessary for every person to view himself throughout the entire year as if he were equally balanced between merit and liability, and likewise the world as equally balanced between merit and liability … if he performs one mitzvah [good deed], he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to himself and others.”
Each and every one of us who accept this should add in deeds of goodness and kindness. This we will merit to have a part of this great light that is destined to shine in the world through the Messiah.
Closing with blessings,
Moshe Weiner
Our Holy City of Jerusalem
Israel our Holy Land [4]
Footnotes
[1] The 7 Universal (Noahide) Commandments for the Gentiles, and the Jewish Commandments for the Jews.
[2] As explained in Chassidic teachings on the verse Michah 7:15, “As in the days of your exodus from Egypt, I [G-d] will show you wonders.”
[3] Isaiah 60:3.
[4] See Rashi on Genesis 1:1.
