Today’s learning is dedicated to the refuah sheleima of Simcha Nosson ben Zissel.

One of the six questions put to a person by the Heavenly Court is: Did you hope for the Redemption? (Shabbat 31a). Reb Nachman of Tulchin said that this refers not only to the redemption of the Jewish people as a whole, but also to each individual’s personal redemption. “Did you hope for Hashem’s salvation to bring you out of your troubles? Or did you lose hope and give up?”   —   Aveneha Barzel, p. 80

When reading the Haggadah, it’s important to remember that we are doing more than simply retelling a story from the past. We are experiencing our very own Exodus. As we are taught, “In each and every generation a person must see himself as if he personally left Egypt.”

Rabbi Ozer Bergman explains, “The Pharaoh who rules us, the Mitzrayim (Egypt) that confines us, can be an emotion, an idea, or an experience.”

Throughout the year, we encounter countless stresses and worries. This is our Mitzrayim, our Maror. But Pesach is an opportunity to go free from our personal exile. As Reb Noson points out, as we read the Haggadah, we are telling of our Exodus from Mitzrayim (Egypt), as well as the Exodus from Meitzarim, the pangs of the struggles we face.

We each experience our own struggles, our own Mitzrayim. And proportionate to the experience of pain, is the experience of redemption.

The matzah represents freedom and salvation. But it’s also known as the poor man’s bread (in Aramaic, the word Matzutzah is defined as strife). One can only truly appreciate the light after experiencing the dark.

On Pesach we are liberated. But to truly experience this newly found freedom, we must put in the effort. During the Exodus from Mitzrayim, the Jews witnessed incredible miracles and wonders. Nowadays our vision is limited, and we must focus our eyes to see clearly.

The Rebbe Reb Aharon of Chernobyl cited the Midrash that at Sinai all the sick were healed, and all the lame could walk again. Furthermore, the Jewish people accumulated great wealth from the spoils of Egypt. At that point, Hashem personally revealed Himself to them, and they declared, “Naaseh v’nishma” (we will do, and we will listen). “Master of the world! Replicate those conditions,” Reb Aharon pleaded, “Heal all the sick and give everyone abundant wealth. Then reveal Yourself to them as You did at Sinai, and You will see how diligently Jews will observe Your Torah!”

But at the same time, we should know that because of this great concealment and distance, small moves in the right direction leave great impacts. (We have previously quoted Rebbe Nachman who compares this to the spokes of a wheel or to a ripple in the water, the further from the center point, the wider the spokes or ripples reach.)

The words matzah (מצה) and chametz (חמץ‎‎‎‎) share the same letters except for one small difference. Matzah has a heh and chametz has a ches. And the only difference between the letters heh and ches is a small line. Rabbi Elimelech Biderman quotes Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler zt’l who explains that this slight distinction indicates that small steps in the right direction can make a great impact and can be the difference between matzah and chametz, between holiness and impurity. “What seems minor, can generate incredible spiritual growth.” 

This point can be drawn from the wording of the Haggadah in which it states that the Jewish People expanded to a vast nation while confined in Egypt. The Haggadah refers to the people as “metzuyanim,” which the Chasam Sofer translates as “distinct” as it refers to the people’s commitment to remain steadfast in keeping their unique language and mode of dress. Rabbi Moshe Kormornick quotes Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky who notes an additional understanding of the word “metzuyanim” as “those who excel” (based on modern Hebrew). Accordingly, Rabbi Galinsky asks whether the Jewish nation at that time could genuinely be considered metzuyanim. For, despite being distinct from the Egyptians in certain ways, the Jewish nation were idol worshippers, they stopped performing circumcision, and overall, they had reached the lowest level of sin. Can they actually be considered “those who excel”? Rabbi Kormornick writes, “Perhaps we can simply answer, yes! Indeed, when someone is immersed in a difficult environment and surrounded by harmful influences, merely hanging onto a Jewish identity is enough to warrant great praise.”

“The same can be said today. Whether it is the access to technology, the breakdown of certain social structures, or a plethora of other challenges that threaten to harm our spiritual growth, the Jewish people are facing immense spiritual obstacles on many fronts, Of course, we must push ourselves against these spiritual dangers, but we should know that in these times, every positive step we take – however small – is treasured by Hashem.”

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