This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you. (Shemos 12:2)

There is a famous story told about a Chassidishe Jew who was extremely poor. Everything that he tried to do turned sour. He came to a point of despair, sat down and thought about his lowly position. But then he suddenly jumped up to dance! “Reb Yid must have cracked!” said the people around him, as they shook their heads sadly. “Nothing could be farther from the truth!” he explained. “I was in the worst possible situation and that there is no way out. The wheels of fortune spun me at the very bottom. But then I realized that every wheel has a part which is on the bottom, and if the wheel is still turning then that lowest point must soon rise to become the highest point. Therefore, it is clear to me that my fortune will change, and I will rise to a status of being financially solvent.” In fact, that is actually what happened to this man.

We know the Jews in Egypt were at the 49th level of impurity and if they would have remained in Egypt even a moment longer there would have been no way to extricate them from their lowly impure state. We assume that this forced redemption happened because Hashem had, so to speak, no choice. However, I believe that there must be a deeper meaning as to why we were redeemed, specifically when we were at rock bottom.

The Jews are compared to the moon. Not only that, but the first commandment that the Jewish nation was given was to sanctify the lunar month. There is a story told in the Gemora in Chulin (60b) of why the moon waxes and wanes. At the time of Creation, the moon complained to Hashem that there is no difference between him and the sun, and one of the two had to be made smaller.  Hashem therefore told the moon to make himself smaller. When one looks at the Gemora it seems that the moon’s original statement was likened to a sin. Possibly, the significance of a new moon reappearing every month is to remind us that there is now an opportunity to start a new phase; a new page; a new beginning. We may have sinned in the past, but we can start fresh again.

Klal Yisrael was redeemed from Egypt not only from their physical bondage but from their attachment to the world of idol worship. As the angels asked, “What is the difference between the Jews and the Egyptians, as both serve idols!?” The answer is that we have the ability to change. We can grow out of the most negative environment to become a strong and vibrant Torah-observing nation. This capacity is not really found in other nations. Other nations may come and go. Sometimes they may appear years later, but with new definition.

The Jewish nation sometimes might be at the top and sometimes might be at the bottom, but we are here forever and thriving.

The first commandment given to the Jewish Nation is to sanctify the month of Nisan. Rebirth from a period in which the moon was totally obscured, with the potential to become vibrant and full on the fifteenth of the month – exactly the day that we left Egypt.

We must all believe in this cyclical idea: no matter how far away we have ventured, we can always repent and return and be liberated from our circumstances; Uva letzion go’al – we should have the ultimate liberation speedily.