In Idaho, I often am asked what my Jewish uniform means. Some have seen a yarmulke before, so I don’t get as many questions about that. But, my tzitzit are a more common source of curiosity. ‘What are those strings hanging out of your pants?!’
The response is actually at the end of this week’s parsha, Shelach. It is also the third paragraph of the Shema.
In talking about the tzitzit, the Torah states, “When you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the L-rd to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray. So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments and you shall be holy to your G-d. I am the L-rd, your G-d, Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your G-d; I am the L-rd, your G-d.”
So, I often reply, the tzitzit are doing their job! They are reminding myself – and others! – about Hashem’s commandments.
But, if that’s the reason for the tzitzit, why does Hashem add the reminder that He took us out of Egypt? What’s the connection between tzitzit and leaving Egypt?
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The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains it this way:
There are those who complain, "The way of Torah just doesn't work in the real world. The Torah demands that we observe the Sabbath and the holidays, but we have to compete with people who don't. The Torah demands that before going to work in the morning we pray and study a little bit. At lunch, we must only eat kosher food, often alone and at greater expense. At work, we have to be careful to stay away from dishonesty or illegal business practices. How can we possibly live with all these rules?"
The answer is at the very end of the Shema.
G-d reminds us that we were slaves for many, many years under a world superpower. Pharaoh was vicious. We did not stage an armed revolution. But, miraculously, He took us out of a place where no slave had escaped for decades.
In other words, G-d is telling us:
I am not bound by the restrictions of nature. If you fulfill all of My directives, disregarding the limits of reason and rational thought, I will reward you supernaturally and ensure that you have an abundance of everything that you need.
Indeed, it is the adherence to Torah and Mitzvot that has ensured that we Jews are still around after thousands of years of against-the-odds pressures and challenges.
That’s the real exodus. Not just from ancient Egypt, but from the Egypt around us and inside of us every day.
No wonder reciting the Shema twice daily is so central to Judaism!