The central mitzvah of the Passover holiday, after which the festival is named, is the korban Pesach–the Paschal sacrifice. Brought during Temple times, the korban is both an individual offering, which every Jew is obligated to participate in, as well as a communal offering (be-kinufya), i.e., it is offered individually by the entire community together. This dual nature is symbolic to the essence of the Yom Tov.
Pesach is the time of our redemption. An individual Jew by himself is not guaranteed redemption, for the promise of redemption belongs only to Klal Yisrael as a whole, which will inevitably be redeemed. Hence, each individual’s redemption depends on his participation in the community; if he is part of the community, he too merits salvation and redemption.
This may explain, as well, the reason the korban Pesach is eaten in a chaburah (group)—a requirement not found regarding other sacrifices. It may be precisely so that individuals join together in fulfilling the requirement to bring the korban Pesach. Because the korban Pesach has a communal dimension, it is not fitting that one person alone bring it as a purely private offering.
The korban Pesach thus represents the redemptive power of the Jewish people standing together in unity. By joining together, individuals attach themselves to the redemption that is promised to the nation as a whole.
The OU is an organization through which the efforts of its devoted individual staff members contribute to the strength of the entire community. This year, once again, OU Kosher presents our widely-read Passover Guide, just one example of the herculean efforts of our dedicated staff to not just administer and supervise tens of thousands of factories around the globe, but also to provide resources and information for kosher consumers and enable the proper observance of Passover throughout Klal Yisrael. Wishing all a chag kasher vesame’ach, and next year in Jerusalem!
