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THE WEEKLY PARSHA

PESACH

[ Dvar Torah ] [ Passages on Prayer ]
[ Stories of the Sages ] [ Education ]

(Taken from a weekly publication of Hammaayan Institutes.
Translated by Rabbi Shabtai Teicher)

THE WEEKLY PARSHA
There is a well known teaching in the Talmud that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai blessed his disciples, saying, "May the fear of Heaven be upon you as the fear of flesh and blood."

His disciples were astonished, and they said, "That is all?"

He said to them, "Would it be so. Know that when a person commits a sin, he asks himself if anyone else will see it."

The reality might well be that when a person sins he asks himself if anyone else will see it. Nevertheless, we must still ask, "That is all?" It appears as if this teaching of the Talmud is equating fear of Heaven with fear of flesh and blood. Can it be said that this is the summit of our aspirations, and nothing more? Isn't this a low level to be our goal in life?

It seems that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai did not want to equate the fear of Heaven with the fear of flesh and blood. He only wanted to describe the type of fear which a person needs to aspire to. In other words, he should feel his fear of Heaven as something real and concrete, just as he feels that the things he sees through his sense of vision are real and concrete. Abstract, intellectual knowledge is not enough to prevent a person from sinning. He must feel with his emotions, and it must appear to him as if G-d is really standing in front of him, looking and overseeing his every movement, hearing and paying attention to the thoughts of his heart, and G-d's attention is not turned away for even a second.

The holiday of Pesach, and especially the night of the Seder, implant the root of faith in the heart of every Jew. He does not imbibe the lesson of faith through abstract, intellectual learning only. He learns through actions and practice. "In every generation, every person is obligated to see himself as if he went out of Egypt."

He sits on cushions and pillows like a prince. He speaks at length about how his fathers were, at first, idolators. Then he relives the pain of the persecution. He eats bitter herbs. He dips into the mortar (i.e., the charoset) until he sees with his mind's eye the punishment of his oppressors and how those that abused him receive plague upon plague and calamity upon calamity. All this serves to deepen and implant the lesson of faith into his mind and soul.

The rituals performed on this night expand a person's awareness of his Creator, of Divine Providence over every individual, over every step. Progress through the various activities of the night imbues within him knowledge of G-d. "You have known my sitting and my arising, You understand my mind's will from afar" (Psalms 139:2).

On this night the children of Israel speak at length about the liberation from Egypt. Over and over again they remind themselves that there is a Master to the palace. Even if a person would want to do the opposite of G-d's Will he would not be able, because "Where could I go from Your spirit, and where could I escape from Your face" (ibid., 7).

Moreover, all the limbs of his body are involved in this reliving and imbibing the lesson of faith. Starting with this night, for a whole week, he will only eat matzoh, what is called "the bread of faith."

The holiday of Pesach is the first holiday of the year. The progression of the seasons in the Jewish calendar begins with Pesach. Since it is the first, the beginning, it is the root, and it is proper that the root of all that follows should be faith. The prophet Chabakuk described all the mitzvot as standing upon one root, one foundation, when he said, "The righteous live by their faith" (Chabakuk 2:4). To the extent that a person is rooted in faith, to that same extent he can succeed in the goal expressed by the verse, "I have placed G-d before me always" (Psalms 16:8 ).

Accepting the yoke of Torah on Shevuot, blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the mitzvah of repentance on Yom Kippur, and all the mitzvot throughout the year are qualitative functions of what was put into the root during the holiday of Pesach. What will come out in the end will be what was planted in the beginning. Therefore, we must make sure that we are aware of the importance of Pesach, and especially the holy and awesome night of the Seder.

THE PRAYERS OF OUR MOUTH

TO GIVE THANKS AND TO PRAISE
It is emphasized in the Haggaddah that even sages and wise elders are commanded to tell the story of the liberation from Egypt. In his Kuntrass on the Haggaddah of Pesach, Rabbi Ehrlinger asks why this point needs to be emphasized? Are not all the mitzvot commanded equally to everyone?

It seems that it might have been thought that the mitzvah of speaking about the liberation from Egypt was commanded to inform those who have not yet heard about it. Therefore, the author of the Haggadah reveals that the mitzvah includes everyone, even those who already know the story in all its details, because the main aspect of the mitzvah is to give thanksgiving and to praise G-d for His miracles as it is explained in the Sefer Hamitzvot of the Rambam. Therefore, even if everyone already knows, there would still be a mitzvah to tell the story.

Accordingly, it is understandable that anyone who increases the amount that he speaks about the liberation is to be praised. Even a person who thinks that by speaking about it he does not add any new ideas to himself -- he is still obligated to increase praise and thanksgiving.

These words that even sages and wise elders are obligated to speak about the liberation are recited immediately after the section "We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt, and G-d took us out from there...." In other words, we should not think that by reciting this first section we have fulfilled our obligation, but we must continue to tell the story because everyone is obligated to increase praises and this is praiseworthy.

Moreover, the Rambam adds, "All those who increase their praises of G-d, and praise Him constantly, are themselves praiseworthy."

STORIES OF OUR SAGES

The holy rabbi, Rebbe Yechezkiel of Kuzmir was very strict about all the laws of Pesach. He himself would sweep and clean the room where the necessities for Pesach were kept. Despite this, he would not allow any of these articles to be placed on the floor. Even if a bottle were placed on the floor he would not drink from it during the holiday. The wheat which was put aside for Pesach was wrapped in a sack, and the sack was placed inside a barrel. The barrel was also wrapped in a sack, and it was hung from the ceiling by a rope. When it was necessary to cut the rope in order to lower the barrel to take the wheat to be ground, the Rebbe said, "Hurry and bring a knife which is kosher for Pesach."

One of the Chasidim who was there was wondering about all this overly strict scrupulousness of the Rebbe. The Rebbe then turned to him with the following explanation.

We have learned that the most minute amount of chametz (leaven) mixed with other food on Pesach disqualifies its use: chametz bemashehu is prohibited. However, the Hebrew word "bemashehu" also means "according to who he is." In other words, the prohibition of chametz on Pesach applies to every individual according to who he is and according to his level.

His grandson, the holy Rebbe Yisrael of Modzitz added that this is like what we find in the laws of purity and impurity where various degrees of defilement render different things impure. Concerning non-sanctified food (chulin), only first degree defilement renders it impure. Concerning terumah (set aside for cohanim - priests), second degree defilement also renders it impure. Concerning kadashim (sacrifices), third degree defilement renders impure; and concerning chata'ot (sin offerings in the Temple) even fourth degree defilement renders it impure.

The holy Rebbe of Kotzk related to all this by asking, "If the Torah was so strict about the punishment for chametz on Pesach, and if it commanded us to go to such lengths to keep away from it, then it would have been better if it had commanded us not to eat wheat products at all on Pesach, not even matzah. Therefore, why did the Torah command us, and even encourage us to eat matzah?"

The Kotzker then answered, "It does not require any great wisdom to refrain from eating. The wisdom and discipline is to eat while guarding against prohibited foodstuffs...."

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

"TELL IT TO YOUR CHILDREN"
The Rebbe of Slonim in his sefer Netivot Shalom (Pt.2, p.247) has written that the holiday of Pesach is the holiday of faith. The night of the seder is the new year of faith. It influences the faith of every Jew throughout the year. Therefore, we are commanded to speak about the liberation from Egypt because the story has the power to implant faith within the heart.

Accordingly, it must be said that the mitzvah of "tell it to your children" (Exodus 13:8) contains some special, godly virtue for the inculcation of faith. A father tells the story of the liberation from Egypt to his son, transmitting to him all that he had heard from his father and from his rabbis. They, in turn, had transmitted all that they had heard from their fathers and rabbis. This chain of transmission goes all the way back to the generation who themselves were liberated from Egypt. This, in itself, is a special virtue for the inculcation of faith.

The best time for the transmission of faith is the time when matzoh and maror (bitter herbs) are laid before us. Even if the son is wiser than the father and the father cannot tell him anything new, and even if he has already told his son countless times the story of the liberation, it is nevertheless a mitzvah for the father to tell his son the story on this night. The virtue for implanting faith works specifically when it is heard from a person's father.

A similar explanation is given in the sefer Ohev Yisrael. He writes that on this night the light of true intellect and faith hovers over all the descendants of Yisrael. At that time, when a father tells the story of the liberation to his children, the father's words have a special virtue to enter into the hearts of the children, and they, with all their heart, believe him.

Therefore, we can understand the importance of speaking about the liberation from Egypt on this night. The Holy Zohar says that nothing gives greater joy to G-d than the telling of this story. The faith which was inculcated on this night influences the entire year, and therefore, the more a person tells the story, the more is he to be praised himself.

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