What does it mean that Yaakov was considered the firstborn (bechor) if he was not born first? Why are firstborn (bechor) Jewish boys consecrated to Hashem? What does Shabbos have to do with the Exodus from Egypt? And how do all these questions relate to each other?
The Medrish Rabba (Shemos 19:7 or 8 in some editions) elaborates on a pasuk, “Sanctify to Me every bechor” (Shemos 13:2) in this week’s Torah portion of Bo and says, “Rebbe Nosson said, Hashem said to Moshe, just as I made Yaakov a bechor (the Etz Yosef says which means He gave him greatness and importance) as it says, ‘My son, My bechor, Yisrael’ (Shemos 4:22). So to I will make the King Moshiach a bechor (in terms of importance and greatness -Etz Yosef) as it says ‘I too will make him a firstborn’ (Tehillim 89:28). So to ‘Sanctify Me for Me every firstborn’ (Shemos 13:2). (The Etz Yosef points out that even though the sanctification of the firstborn were because Hashem saved them from Egypt one might still think that only applied to those that actually left Egypt but those of later generations are sanctified because they are comparable [in importance and greatness] to Yaakov Avinu.) And [G-D] warned the Jewish People that just as I created the world and I told the Jews to remember the Shabbos in order to remember the creation, as it says ‘Remember the day of Shabbos [to sanctify it]’ (Shemos 20:8), so to you should remember the miracles that I did for you in Egypt and remember the day that you went out from there, as it says, ‘Remember this day when you went out from Egypt’ (Shemos 13:3). Why? Because with a strong arm did Hashem take you out from Egypt and there should not be seen leavened bread by you for seven days. (The Etz Yosef explains that they should remember the day of the Exodus to Sanctify it every year and not forget it. This shall be a reason to remember the miracles that G-D performed, in the same vein as remembering the Shabbos to make it holy, for the mitzvah of remembering the Shabbos is in order to make it holy, and through the Shabbos we will remember The Creation that Shabbos came as a result of.) Just as in the beginning the world was created in seven days and just as Shabbos is once every seven days so to these seven days should be fulfilled every year, as it says, ‘You shall observe this decree at its designated time from year to year’ (Shemos 13:10). A parable this can be compared to is of a king who marries a woman from across the ocean a lot of troubles and travail came her way during her travels before arriving and marrying the king. He said to her, don’t remember all the trouble and travail that happened to you, rather remember the day you escaped from them, in order to remember me, and you should make a celebration every year. So to the Jews, Hashem revealed Himself to them to redeem them, and many troubles and travails they passed through and then He made for them a salvation, therefore he warned them that they should celebrate it every year, as it says ‘They should rejoice in Hashem and the righteous shall be gleeful’ (Tehillim 32:11).” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Maharz”u points out that the comparison between Pesach and Shabbos is that just as Shabbos [is a trigger for our belief] in G-D creating the world, so too the day of the Exodus from Egypt hints to the miracles and the signs that the world is all His. That is why it is called a statute; the only difference is that Shabbos is once a week and Pesach is only once a year for seven days. The Maharz”u then makes a very interesting inference when explaining the parable. He says that the king was telling his new queen, “‘You should not remember the troubles to mourn over them for it will belittle the greatness of the salvation but rather remember the troubles for the sake of rejoicing in the salvation and greatly intensify the miracle…’and so to in the lesson learnt by the application.”
The shortened Ibn Ezra commentary says that after there was a decree that every firstborn person and animal was to die in the tenth plague, then even the Jewish firstborns must have been deserving to die in the plague; but Hashem miraculously saved them (as the Bechor Shor and the Maharz”u here points out). So when the bechor of a Jew is redeemed, it is an atonement. But as the Maharz”u points out, maybe that was only for that generation that went out of Egypt, but for all other generations the bechor is sanctified because they represent an important status symbol, just like Yaakov Avinu.
Indeed, the entire Jewish People were uplifted and made important through the Exodus from Egypt, the seven days of traveling through the desert until they reached the sea, its splitting, crossing it, and ultimately receiving the Torah on Har Sinai. At that point Chaza”l say they reached a plane equivalent to that of Adam HaRishon before he sinned; and they would have stayed on that lofty level if not for the sin of the golden calf. In fact, we see a great parallel between the seven days of creation culminating with Shabbos and the seven days of the Exodus culminating with the splitting of the sea. The second being the climax of freedom from Egyptian bondage that ultimately led to their lofty status of being like Adam HaRishon before sin when accepting the Torah at Har Sinai. No wonder Shabbos and Pesach are connected with each other. They are both clear proofs of Hashem’s involvement in the world and support a belief system of His constant hand in existence. They are also a testimony to the heights a person can reach, gadlus ha’adam, the greatness of man, and the close relationship one can have with his or her Creator.
What is interesting to note is that when the Maharz”u explains the parable of the medrish as to the reason why and how we should celebrate Pesach each year, he says that the queen and us, in the application, must make mention of both the pain and suffering she and we went through along with the miracles and ultimate goal that came to fruition in the end (though the basic understanding of the medrish was that the king told her to forget her troubles). But then he said ‘don’t think of those hard times to mourn over them but as an impetus to be happy over the joyous anniversary of us coming together and forging a relationship with each other which resulted in such greatness and pristine importance.’ The Maharz”u even made it sound as if that if she mourned over her past woes, it would belittle the results. But how would that attitude make for a difference? If something is mentioned every year, remembering all the horrors, travails, and hardships of the journey, and then mentioning the results, the freedom, the royalty, the joy of finally coming together and living happily ever after – then why would it make a difference whether, when talking about the hardship, the attitude would be to mourn over it versus celebrating it? Because of the fabulous results at the end of the day, isn’t the same thing said either way?
However, it would seem that even if two people are saying the same thing, expressing both the bad and the good, but one does so with an attitude of bemoaning the bad and the other with an attitude of enhancing the miracle with the need to rejoice over the ultimate salvation they had, then the one bemoaning the bad will actually belittle the ultimate good that came out of it. And the one celebrating will enhance the celebration by mentioning the bad, because they will recognize it in contrast to how low and pathetic a situation they were in, to the lofty levels they reached, through some incredible miracles that took place, which is worth expressing an immense amount of joy over.
If this joyous ecstasy is what one realizes and feels when celebrating Pesach then he or she has truly observed it properly.