It’s a hard word to translate. And yet, if you spend any time in Israel, especially trying to get something done with the government, you most certainly know what protektzia means. You could wait seven months for a reply from a government office, but if you have the right connections, you could get a callback later today. Chazal teach us that protektzia, having a relationship with the right people, can help us reach Hashem. The connection we need to reach Hashem is not the right government official nor is it the right rosh yeshiva or rebbe, it is much closer to home.
About 3,500 years ago, the Jewish people built a Mishkan as an attempt to reconcile with Hashem after sinning with the Eigel HaZahav. They donated virtually everything they had to the Mishkan, spent months of hard labor constructing it according to the intricate Divine design, then spent a week preparing, and finally, vayehi bayom hashmini, it was the eighth day of preparation, inauguration day. Hashem had given them instructions which were followed down to the finest of details. And now they waited for a sign. Did Hashem accept their apology? Did He forgive them? Or did He move on? Because that’s what it seemed like.
They waited for a sign. Nothing.
They waited some more. Nothing.
People were davening with all their heart and soul. But eventually, people started murmuring that they should head back to Mitzrayim. People were losing patience.
Moshe and Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, all entered the Mishkan to daven. Moshe and Aharon entered the Mishkan and immediately turned around, exited, and went to give a bracha to the nation, to comfort them. Nadav and Avihu, in a frenzy of ecstatic tefillah, kept on going inwards and brought an offering to Hashem.
We all know what happened next. Nadav and Avihu were killed by a heavenly fire. And at the same moment, Hashem accepted the gesture of Moshe and Aharon and brought a heavenly fire onto the mizbe’ach letting the Jewish People know that Hashem had forgiven them.
These two incidents are juxtaposed for a reason. There is a profound lesson here. The way we access Hashem is not through the most soulful prayer, by going further and further away from the people. No. The way we access Hashem is by turning around and making sure His people are cared for. Nadav and Avihu were well-meaning and highly spiritual, but they ignored the people and paid the consequences. Moshe and Aharon held the people’s hands, cared for their needs, calmed their fears, and that was the protectzia needed to bring about Hashem’s compassion.
This story of looking out for others goes back even further to the days leading up to Yetzias Mitzrayim. The Jewish people were given two weeks’ notice about the upcoming Yom Tov of Pesach (imagine only having two weeks to prepare for Pesach!!). But they did not spend the weeks leading up to Pesach cleaning their homes; their homes in ancient Egypt were tiny. They did not spend the weeks leading up to Pesach packing to leave; they likely had almost no furniture. They had one thing to do. Prepare a lamb. Now how long does it take to find a lamb? Not very long. But it was not enough to find a lamb, they were instructed to consume the lamb on the night of Pesach. Do you know how many people it takes to eat a single lamb? A quick Google search will tell you that it takes 45 people! 45 people! No single family can finish one Korban Pesach on their own. It would seem that Klal Yisrael spent the weeks leading up to Pesach looking around their community and inviting guests. When Chazal tell us that the Korban Pesach was the catalyst for the geulah, perhaps it wasn’t the shechitah or the sprinkling of the blood. It was the fact that Klal Yisrael opened their doors to others.
We are living through exceptionally challenging times, and we need Hashem’s mercy now more than ever. The best way to reach Hashem is by making sure that His children are cared for. There is a little over two weeks left until Pesach. Can we take a moment to think about who may appreciate an invitation, whether it’s for the seder or for any of the many meals over Pesach? There are so many people around us carrying impossible burdens. There is so much pain and fear in the world. Can we open our doors and hearts to those around us who can use our loving embrace? Perhaps by opening our door, Hashem will open His.
