Ongoing redemption – Sh’mini
Lev. 11:45 says, “I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt”.
Map of ancient Egypt
The verb is hama’aleh, present tense: literally, “I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt”.
Targum Onkelos renders the word in Aramaic as if it were past tense, which seems to be the original meaning.
But the Talmud (BM 61b) attaches an additional meaning to the word, suggesting that it refers to an ongoing experience of redemption.
A person can experience a personal elevation and redemption by living the right kind of life, beginning with the food they eat but extending beyond it to every commitment and activity.
