חג המצות Rav Yitzchak Eliyahu Landau of Vilna asks: Why do we refer to Pesach in our prayers

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1 בס"ד David Jay Derovan Beit Shemesh Collected for Pesach 5776 חג המצות Rav Yitzchak Eliyahu Landau of Vilna asks: Why do we refer to Pesach in our prayers?חג הפסח as opposed to ח ג ה מ צו ת and in Kiddush as He answers that the Korban Pesach was offered before the festival began, on the 14 th of Nisan, Erev Pesach. Matzah, however, is eaten throughout all seven days of the holiday. So.ח ג ה מ צו ת we refer to Pesach as (Geonay Litah p. 36) Reclining - Hasibah From a Haggadah based on the teachings of Harav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik collected and semi-edited by Rabbi Ari Kahn Chazal introduced the concept of Hasibah, reclining, as the symbol of freedom. Reclining on the left side is a physical attitude of complete relaxation that manifests abatement from tension or anxiety. One who is anxious cannot relax physically; conversely, physical relaxation leads to emotional relaxation. Reclining is also symbolic of throwing off the mental yoke that deprives man of freedom of movement. It is the reverse of the stiff and direct posture that demonstrates obedience. A soldier standing erect at attention symbolizes obedience. Reclining, on the other hand, is indicative of disobedience, of a courageous rejection of the authority of man, an emphatic statement of one s freedom to relax and act as one chooses. On Pesach night, the Halachah requires that we have a relaxed posture that transmits disrespect for those who would dominate us. We are no longer slaves, and the reclining posture is that of the fearless man who is unhindered by any external forces. To appreciate the fact that Chazal viewed this posture as one of disrespect, we should note that elsewhere they enjoined the student sitting before his teacher from reclining because it is a disrespectful posture. The respect one must have for a teacher is compared to the respect we owe God. Chazal chose this posture as the symbol of freedom specifically because it indicates a subordinate s disrespect towards his superior. It demonstrates how the poor Jew in Egypt behaved towards his former master on the night of the Exodus.

2 The Book, the Writer and the Story (Sefat Emet) In the holy books we read that the world was created with the book, the writer and the story Sefer, Sofer VeSippur (sounds much better in Hebrew). Since one of the purposes of Creation is to bear witness to God s existence and His goodness, we can think of the world itself as the book. We look out into the world, says Rambam, and we learn about God. The heavens speak of the glory of God (Tehilim 19:2). You and I are the writers. Each of us is a Sofer, writing our own version of how we perceive the Almighty and experience His revelation through every blade of grass, through every buzz of the bee. And finally, we are given the grand opportunity to tell our story, our Sippur, when the Matzah and the Maror sits in front of us at the Seder table. This is when the time is ripe to tell read from the Sefer that is our world and to write our own Sippur of the glories of God. Freedom of Speech from the Tiferet Shlomo by Reb Shlomo of Radomsk וגם הדיבור של אדם הוא בגלות, שלא נוכל להוציא הדיבור בקדושה מכח אל הפועל כפי מחשבתו. והנה בכולם הוא הנס של יציאת מצרים. וזהו מצוות הסיפור של יציאת מצרים בלילה הזה, שגם הדיבור שלו יצא מהגלות. וזהו המצווה של "והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר." And a person s speech is also in exile so we cannot say something in a holy manner, activating the potential according to our thoughts. Actually, the miracle of the exodus occurred in all of them. And this is the Mitzvah of telling the story of the exodus on this night, for speech was also in exile. And this is the Mitzvah of you shall tell you child on this day, saying... Asking Questions at the Seder (Modzitzer Rebbe) The Modzitzer Rebbe takes us to a deeper level of understanding: In Egypt, on the night before we left, God elevated us to the 50th level of purity. The fiftieth level is called, Binah. This level is described as the level of,מי the Hebrew word, who, used to begin a question. The Gematria (numerical equivalent) of the word מי is 50. What is the point? First of all, the concept of Binah is to understand an idea by deducing it from another idea. The shortest path to a new idea is by asking questions. So, to reach the level of Binah, you have to ask questions. And second, on the Seder night, we have an opportunity to do more than just tell the tale. We can actually relive the experience. No, we do not paint the door jambs with sacrificial blood and we do not sacrifice the Korban Pesach. However, we can still rise through 50 levels of purity if we use the power of,מי of the question. Ask questions. There is no shame in asking a question because you do not know something. Ask earnestly. Ask sincerely. Listen carefully to the answers. Ascend to Binah. 2

3 Mah Nishtanah the 4 Questions (Sefat Emet) The four questions of Mah Nishtanah parallel the four sons: The question about Matzah is that of the wise son, for it reflects his knowledge of Halacha. The question about the Maror is asked by the evil son who cannot tolerate the bitterness of the exile. The question about leaning while eating belongs to the Tam, because all he can see is the physical change in what goes on at the Seder. The question concerning the dipping refers to the child who does not ask. This indeed is the purpose of the dipping: To get the least knowledgeable, youngest child to ask about what is going on at the Seder. Bnei Brak (Rav Kook) The Gemara in Ketubot (111b): Rami bar Yechezkel came to Bnei Brak. He saw the goats eating figs off of the trees. The honey from the figs dripped onto the ground where it mixed with the milk dripping from the goats. He said, This is a land flowing in milk and honey! When they (the sages) were in Bnei Brak they had a heightened awareness of the high level of Eretz Yisra el, so they spoke more and more about God s goodness about the goodness they now recognized as God s providence that is beyond human understanding. (p. 73) מ ע ש ה ב ר ב י א ל יע ז ר ו ר ב י י הו ש ע ו ר ב י א ל ע ז ר ב ן ע ז ר י ה ו ר ב י ע ק יב א ו ר ב י ט ר פו ן Rav Ya akov Kaniefsky reminds us that there is a disagreement between Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria and Rabbi Akiva regarding the Mitzvot of Seder night. According to Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria, we must complete all the Mitzvot of the Seder by the middle of the night. Rabbi Akiva rules that we can do them any time until dawn. So why did Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria sit with Rabbi Akiva and the other Rabbis until dawn? The answer is that everyone was gathered in Bnei Brak, which was where Rabbi Akiva lived. Therefore, out of deference to his good friend Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria did as Rabbi Akiva did. Thus, he, too, stayed up all night telling the story of the Exodus. (Geonay Litah p. 51) On That Day (Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Chaver) You shall tell your child on that day, saying: For this, God did this for me as I exited Egypt (Shemot 13:8). The authors of the Haggadah derive from this verse that the telling of the story of the Exodus must be accomplished at night, when the piece of the Pesach sacrifice is eaten with Matzah and Maror. While this is indeed the halacha, the Torah describes the Seder night as daytime: on that day! Our tradition differentiates between night and day. Night is a time of trouble and danger. Daytime is the opposite. The redemption from Egypt began in the very middle of 3

4 the night, when God killed all the first-born Egyptians. Therefore, the Seder night is a time of extreme goodness and redemption. As such, it qualifies to be described as day and not night. What is this? You will say to him, With a mighty hand, God took us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery (Shemot 13:14) (Rav Kook) The question of the simple son along with the answer appears in an unusual context in the Chumash. The context is the laws of a first born animal. If it is the firstborn of a Kosher animal, then it is sacrificed. If it is the firstborn of a donkey, then it is beheaded in a special ceremony. When your son asks tomorrow, saying What is this? You will say to him, With a mighty hand, God took us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery (Shemot 13:14). In context, says Rav Kook, the question is a very good one. Why is it necessary to extend the laws of the firstborn to animals? The answer is that the mighty hand that God used to extricate us from the degenerate, morally disgusting land of Egypt, where we descended to the 49 th level of impurity, continues to pull us away from an animal existence and to lead us to a life filled with purity and dedication to God. Rav Kook continues: The mighty hand of God worked a special miracle on that special night in Egypt. In a single moment s time it wrenched us out of a state of slavery and made us free people. In one fell swoop, every string pulling us deeper into the morass of impurity was severed. And to this very day, we are free. (p. 82) (Reb Yisra el of Modzitz) Reb Yisra el offers us a beautiful parable: שאינו יודע לשאול A father holds out an apple to his young son. Say the Berachah and I will give you the apple, he says. But daddy, I can t say the Berachah by myself. You must help me! cries the little boy. So, the father helps him with Berachah and then gives him the apple. God holds out an apple or anything else we might desire and says, Just Daven. Just talk to Me and you can have the apple. It says in Tehilim, The people of Israel will speak נא ישראל יאמר and as a result, His Chesed will be forever לעולם חסדו כי (Tehilim 118:2). If only we pray in earnest, then God showers us with His Chesed forever. So what is the problem? Reb Yisra el says that we have all become the son who cannot ask a question. We are dumbfounded and cannot get the words out properly. So, we should pray to God, Help us say the words. Teach us to say the Berachah. God is willing, and the result will be endless, unlimited good from God, Himself. It will be: Before they call Me, I will answer (Yesha yahu 65:24). 4

5 ב ר ו ך שו מ ר ה ב ט ח תו ל י ש ר א ל... ו אח ר י כ ן י צ א ו ב ר כ ש ג דו ל Rav Me ir Simcha of Dvinsk, author of the Meshech Chochmah, quotes the Gemara in Sanhedrin (91a) where the Egyptians sue the Jews in the court of Alexander the Great. The Egyptians accused the Jews of stealing all of their gold and silver and wealth before leaving in the time of Moshe. The Jews answered that first they must pay us for the 600,000 of us who were slaves for 210 years! What kind of answer is this? The Jews were Pharaoh s slaves. They were not slaves to the Egyptians. Yet they took the wealth from the Egyptians and not from Pharaoh. Rav Me ir Simcha answers that we must remember that in Yosef s time, Pharaoh literally bought the entire Egyptian nation (except the priests) and paid them with grain. Therefore, everything the Egyptians owned actually belonged to Pharaoh. So the wealth we took from the people was really payment from Pharaoh for all the years of slavery! (Geonay Litah p. 71) 210 Years Instead of 400 Years Rav Ya akov Moshe Charlop explains why God took us out of Egypt after only 210 years of slavery: The Egyptians were confident that the slavery would last at least 400 years, just as God promised Avraham. However, God had to break the hold that the Egyptians had on the Jews. Thus, He saved us after only 210 years, freeing us from the clutches of the Egyptians. 430 Years 400 Years 210 Years How long was the exile in Egypt supposed to last? How long did it last? The Torah says that the exile lasted 430 years (Shemot 12:40). Avraham was promised that it would last 400 years. Ya akov says to his sons, go down Redo to Egypt (Berayshit 42:2). The Gematria of Redo is 210. Thus, there is a number associated with each of the Avot: Avraham Yitzchak the 400 years began with the birth of Yitzchak Ya akov What s the point? The merit of our Avot helped to save us and take us out of Egypt. An Exodus Every Day Vehi She Amdah speaks of God saving us in every generation. Reb Menachem Mendel of Riminov goes further. Each and every day beginning with Avraham Avinu there is an Exodus from Egypt. Every day, somewhere, God saves a Jew or Jews from that which enslaves them. 5

6 And in doing so, He gives us greater strength to study Torah, to observe His Mitzvot and to do good deeds. Today s experience of the Exodus might not be one that we personally witness or experience. Nevertheless, God is constantly protecting and saving His people. That is why we mention the Exodus every day in our prayers. God Heard Our Voices (Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Chaver) We called out to God, the Lord of our fathers; God heard our voices; He saw our suffering and our torturous work and our oppression. Why does it say that God heard our voices? The world is filled with every possible kind of negative spiritual force. In addition to everything else, they actively impede any and all attempts to connect and communicate with God. As God s people, we are particularly blessed with a voice. And when we raise our voices in prayer, they become a weapon that destroys all impediments, blockages and hurdles set in the path of our prayers in the attempt to prevent them from ascending to God. Thus, when a Jew sincerely raises his or her voice in prayer, God hears the voice. ו י ר א א ת ע נ י נ ו, זו פ ר י ש ות ד ר ך א ר ץ Rav Avraham of Chechnov explains that ו י ר א א ת ע נ י נ ו means that God saw we were poor. We were poor in Mitzvot. Indeed, the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 1:35) says that God saved us even though we were poor, without Mitzvot. But how could the Jews in Egypt have been rich in Mitzvot? This was before the giving of the Torah. They didn t know about Mitzvot yet. The answer is פ ר י ש ות ד ר ך א ר ץ.זו We are taught that ר ך א ר ץ,ד being nice and doing good deeds for others, comes before Torah. The Jews should have had at least those kinds of good deeds. But we were poor even in that department. פ ר י ש ות ד ר ך א ר ץ.זו We didn t even have good deeds. Nevertheless, God saved us! (Noam Si ach p. 104) וב נ ה ל נ ו א ת ב ית ה ב ח יר ה ל כ פ ר ע ל כל ע ו נו ת ינ ו The Rebbe Yismach Yisra el of Alexander explains: When a person walks at night in the dark and does not see a big hole in the ground and falls in, then everyone runs to help him. If he is walking during the day and it s sunny outside and he falls into a big hole, then everyone laughs at him. God took us out of Egypt, brought us to Eretz Yisra el, built the Bayt HaMikdash, which fills the world with light, and we still fall into the big holes in the ground called sin. Does God laugh at us? No. He helps us atone for our sins! (Noam Si ach p. 131) 6

7 ש לא ה ס פ יק ב צ ק ם ש ל א בו ת ינ ו ל ה ח מ יץ ע ד ש נ ג ל ה ע ל יה ם מ ל ך מ ל כ י ה מ ל כ ים Chametz is a symbol for the Yetzer HaRa. Eating Matzah represents our triumph over the Yetzer HaRa. Thus, Rav Yitzchak Me ir of Gur, the Chiddushay HaRim, says that because the King of all kings revealed Himself to them, their dough did not become Chametz. (Noam Si ach p. 134) כ א ל ו ה וא י צ א מ מ צ ר ים How can a person achieve his own Exodus from his troubles, even in today s world? Rav Aharon Menachem Mendel of Radzimin says that the recitation of the Shema begins with the acceptance of the yoke of heaven. It ends by mentioning the Exodus. Therefore, if you begin by accepting God s sovereignty then the end result will be an exodus from your personal Egypt. (Noam Si ach p. 137) Matzah (Rav Kook) The advantage of silence that is connected to Ru ach HaKodesh results from the inner explosion that comes from the well of the soul. [It happens when the soul] demands to expand and to widen over a great area, without limits.... Then the soul determines its values and colors using its inner strength and [its] spiritual light. [Thus,] the beauty of life and its fundamental power continues to strengthen. Rav Kook begins with a description of a spiritual state when a person s soul is bursting within him or her. When the inner reaches of the soul burst forth in a way that changes the person, their values and their colors, meaning the way they experience and interact with the world around them. This experience is so personal, so inwardly intimate, that the result is a silence, which cuts the person off from everything and everyone around them. And the speech that comes at that time only interferes with its power to build using old materials, that which is out of focus and grey, limited and contracted, as it tries to impose itself on the flow from the wellsprings [of the soul] that strives for newness, innovation and freshness. Speech results from elements already embedded in our brains. Thus, speech uses old stuff. However, as the soul explodes with fresh colors and power, speech only gets in the way. Just as there is silence as opposed to speech, so is there silence without thought, which results from [connecting and achieving] Torah thoughts that are hidden, that are of ascendant beauty, [thoughts] that flow upwards from one level to another. Matzah silences the external din and noise. Every movement and strengthening of the systems of life [spiritually] make the external flow dumb and silent. 7

8 Eating Matzah is a Mitzvah. However, it is not a Mitzvah that is accomplished in a few, short seconds. The sages allow up to nine minutes (according to some) to chew the Mitzvah Matzah carefully and to swallow it. During that time, a Jew must concentrate on the Mitzvah and disconnect from everything that is going on around him or her. In a sense, this is a retreat into silence. This occurs in conjunction with a revelation of the Shechinah, of great awe, [stemming from] the great depths of silence. [However,] this is given expression with a powerful sound that is grabbed by the silence: A Kaza yit of [Korban] Pesach and the Hallel bursts through the roof! (Pesachim 85b). As we eat the Matzah in silence - twice! concentrating deeply on the act of Mitzvah, the wellsprings of our souls open and our soul explodes with light and freshness and beauty. What comes next is the Hallel, but not just any recitation of the Hallel. We sing the Hallel to give expression to our bursting souls. And this is what the Gemara means when it says, A Kaza yit of [Korban] Pesach which for us is the Afikomen - and the Hallel bursts through the roof! ש ל ח ן עו ר ך The author of the Imray Emet of Gur explains why we eat the Seder meal in the middle of the Hallel. When we do this then the entire meal becomes part of the Hallel, praise for God. (Noam Si ach p. 159) ה ז ן א ת ה עו ל ם כ לו ב ט ובו Reb Yehuda Aryeh Leib, the author of the Sefat Emet, says that each day God provides all the goodness that is necessary for every living being on earth. Then why do some go without enough? The idea is that all people must come together as one and share what they receive so that everyone will have what they need. (Noam Si ach p. 168) כ א ש ר ז כ ינ ו ל ס ד ר או תו כ ן נ ז כ ה ל ע שו ת ו The Yismach Yisra el of Alexander says that this night is called a Seder because we are inspired to improve ourselves and put our life in order, as they say. Therefore, at the very end of the Seder we say כ א ש ר ז כ ינ ו ל ס ד ר או תו כ ן נ ז כ ה ל ע שו ת ו. Just as we have decided to put things in order and improve our behavior, so, we should merit to do just that! (Noam Si ach p. 270) 8

9 לך ולך, לך כי לך, לך אף לך, לך ה' המלוכה Yours and Yours; Yours, for it is Yours; Yours, even Yours; the Kingdom is Yours Rav Yitzchak Isaac Chaver quotes his father: The heavens belong to God. They are His realm. The earth was given to us. Nevertheless, God s presence fills the entire earth as well. With these three simple statements, we can now interpret the refrain of the song. Yours and Yours refers to the division between the heavens and the earth. Yours, for it is Yours is the heavens, which are God s exclusive realm. Yours, even Yours hints at the idea that even though the earth was given to us, it still belongs to God. Even the earth is Yours. In the end, the Kingdom is Yours. God reigns supreme over the heavens and the earth. One Last Note: Why the Children Steal the Afikoman When the person who leads the Seder hides the Afikoman, then he or she knows where it is, implying that the person knows when the redemption will come. However, when the children take the Afikoman and hide it, then the leader and all of the adults have no idea where it is. This is very significant, because it reflects the reality in which we live. We have no idea when or how the final redemption will take place. The impact of this lack of knowledge and awareness is very important. Despite not knowing where the Afikoman is located meaning that we do not know when the redemption is coming we continue to observe the Mitzvot and to sing praises to God. Not knowing when the redemption will be does not lessen our belief in the coming of the salvation. And it does not lessen our belief in and our dedication to God, in His Torah and Mitzvot. So, how do we get the Afikoman back? We have to bargain with the children. We have to cajole and sometimes plead. More often than not, we have to promise them prizes. This is called Hishtadlut, making a strong effort to achieve the goal. What can we do to hasten the coming of the Mashi ach and the redemption? We must do our part, our Hishtadlut. We must work hard at learning Torah, doing Mitzvot and good deeds. One last point: Where should we concentrate our Hishtadlut efforts? Our greatest efforts, the biggest challenge is with our children. They are the key to the future. We must make every possible effort to teach them Torah and Mitzvot and to enthuse them with Torah observance. And that is why we allow the children to steal the Afikoman. 9

10 And 2 Stories! A Chametz & Matzah Story Reb Henoch of Alexander told the following story: Reb Ya akov Aryreh of Vorki spent Pesach at his father-in-law s house. And who was the father-in-law, you ask? Why none other than Reb Ya akov Yitzchak of Pesheschah, known as the Yehudi HaKadosh. One morning during Chol HaMo ed, Reb Ya akov Aryreh was eating a bowl of borscht and a piece of Matzah fell into the borscht. Without thinking twice, he ate the piece of Matzah. Afterwards, he regretted doing so. Usually, he like many other Chassidim was careful not to eat Gebrochts (Matzah that has come in contact with liquid) on Pesach. So, he went to his father-in-law, the Yehudi HaKadosh, to ask how he can do Teshuvah for eating a piece of Matzah that fell into borscht. After putting the question to his Rebbe, Reb Ya akov Aryreh felt terrible because now his Rebbe knew of his great sin. The Yehudi HaKadosh sensed his son-in-law s despair and comforted him by saying, It is true that we are very, very strict even concerning the smallest speck of Chametz, but not with Matzah! Matzah is not Chametz! His Prayers Were Answered The town of Brisk (Brest Litovsk) in White Russia was known as a Chabad town. It was also home to the Soloveitchik family. Here is a Pesach story that I heard that is supposedly true. On Erev Pesach, the young Rav Moshe Soloveitchik (the father of the Rav, Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik) was returning home carrying the Matzah he had just baked for Pesach. On the way, he met his fiend, a young Chabad Rav, and they started talking. They compared notes as to what sources Gemaras, Rambam, Shulchan Aruch, etc they used to prepare for the holiday. Finally, the Chabad Rav said, And then I prayed to God that I should have a Kosher Pesach. Oy vey! exclaimed Rav Moshe, I forgot to do that! Seeing his friend in distress, the Chabad Rav said, Come, let s exchange Matzahs. You take mine and I ll take yours. And so they made the exchange and Rav Moshe returned home feeling much, much better. At home, he saw his father, Rav Chaim, and told him every detail of what happened, including the exchange of Matzahs. Well, said Rav Chaim, God certainly answered his prayers! 10