After the Children of Israel were commanded to bring the Pesach sacrifice, we are told that “they went and… did as commanded… and so they did” [1].
Why is it necessary to repeat that they “did” as commanded?
Amy had a blossoming career in the media: she had not only fame and excitement but also a seven figure salary.
But she felt empty and so decided to investigate her Jewish heritage. Inspired, she began lighting Shabbos candles and growing spiritually. Her family followed suit and slowly they all became fully observant.
Eventually Amy faced a dilemma: as a married lady she should be properly covering her hair, even (or perhaps especially) when appearing before her millions of viewers every evening. It was a difficult decision, but finally she decided to cover her hair despite her contract stipulating the importance of her appearance. She chose a wig most similar to her natural hair.
But nevertheless her producer noticed and confronted her. To cut a long story short he gave her an ultimatum: to sacrifice her wig or her seven figure salary.
But for Amy it was a choice between right and wrong: the wig prevailed.
She became not only a true daughter of Israel, but also inspired many others as a result of her ‘sacrifice’.
Why can we learn from the seeming repetition that the Children of Israel “did” as commanded? Perhaps it is not a repetition at all. Instead, it is informing us that in addition to doing the commandments, by doing them they also “did”, i.e. ‘made’, themselves into the Children of Israel.
Perhaps this approach also serves to resolve a different issue: if G-d told Moshe to “come” to Pharoah in order to demonstrate that He would be with him, why did He not say “come together with Me” which would have indicated that G-d would be with him all the way, rather than simply “come” which could imply that G-d was already there?
Rather, a person following G-d’s instruction is always considered to be ‘together’ with him.
In order to be ‘together’ with G-d, sometimes we must ‘go’ away from what were beforehand.
And by going together with G-d, we “do”, or ‘make’ ourselves into, and become ‘The Children of Israel’.
“Do” have a good Shabbos,
Dan.
Additional sources:
Story: Stories that Unite our Hearts, R’ Binyomin Pruzansky, p. 167
[1] Shemos 12:28
