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

Through honoring the three festivals properly with food, drink, and nice clothing according to one’s means, and with holiness and purity of the mind, and with joy and a good mood, as well as honoring other aspects of holiness and joy of Yom Tov, one merits to know Hashem and to draw wisdom into their heart…   —   Likutei Eitzos, Holidays, Three Festivals, 7

Pesach is the anniversary between Hashem and the Jewish people. The time when Hashem made us into nation, as His children. As the verse states, “You [the Jewish people] are children to Hashem your G-d.” (Devarim 14:1)

It’s a time to reflect on the difficulties and struggles of the past, and the countless times Hashem has saved us from distress.

We refer to the festival as Chas Hapesach, whereas the Torah calls it Chag Hamatzos. Rabbi Twersky quotes Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev who interprets these different names as signs of affection. He notes that our tefillin contain a verse referring to the Oneness of Hashem. The Talmud says that Hashem also has tefillin, but Hashem’s tefillin contain the verse, “Who is like Your people, Israel, a unique nation on earth.” Thus, we praise Hashem, and Hashem praises us.

Pesach (literally, “passing over”) refers to Hashem’s mercy in passing over the dwellings of the Jewish people when He smote the first-born of the Egyptians; while the matzah refers to the haste in which the Jewish people left Egypt, heading into the barren desert without any provisions, because of their faith that Hashem would provide for them. Therefore, we refer to the festival as Chag Hapesach, in praise of Hashem’s mercy; but Hashem refers to it as Chag Hamatzos, in praise of the Jewish people’s faith.

Throughout the year, we may stumble, but Pesach is the opportune time to renew our trust and commitment to Hashem. When the Bobover Rebbe was in Frankfurt, a wealthy man took him to his “Pesach house” and said proudly, “This house is not lived in all year round, except for Pesach. It is absolutely chametz free.” The Bobover Rebbe replied, “Your intentions are good, but you’re missing the point. Angels are totally free of the evil inclination. We humans have an evil inclination, and we are supposed to subdue it. Chametz is like the evil inclination. We have it and we must rid ourselves of it. To have a house in which there was never any chametz misses the point.”

The Seder begins with kadesh (making kiddush) followed by u’rechatz (washing the hands). The Chassidic Rebbeim asked: Kadesh mean holy, and it is necessary to cleanse oneself of one’s sins to be holy, so shouldn’t rechatz proceed kadesh? They answer that although in Mitzrayim, the Jewish people had fallen to the depths of sin, still they merited to be saved on Pesach evening. This shows that on Pesach night, we can achieve holiness before we have cleansed ourselves of our sins.

Rebbe Nachman teaches, “It is necessary to have knowledge together with faith. One who has only faith is likely to fall from his level. He must combine his faith with knowledge.” (Lekutey Moharan I, 255) In the lesson above, Rebbe Nachman teaches that by honoring the festivals, we merit to gain knowledge and understanding. This wisdom strengthens our faith.  

As Rabbi Moshe Kormornick writes, “Pesach is the night where we develop and increase our faith and trust in Hashem as we recall the miracles He performed for our ancestors and the ones He will do for us to bring our ultimate redemption. Since the Seder night is the pinnacle night to develop our trust in Hashem, it is strange that it involves so many questions (e.g. the Mah Nishtana must be asked in question form). Surely it would be more appropriate not to ask a single question and certainly not to encourage them?!”

“Unlike other religions, our faith in Hashem is not a “blind faith.” The Torah commands us to “know” there is a G-d, not to merely “believe” in His existence. The Rambam considers this the “foundation of foundations and the pillar of wisdom.” For this reason, questions are absolutely essential to facilitate any honest quest for knowledge, and Pesach – the night we enrich ourselves with deeper faith and understanding – is therefore the perfect time to ask them. However, we can still ask: If the foundation of foundations is “knowing” Hashem, what role does “faith” play?”

“With all the research in the world, no one can possibly understand Hashem. However, if we take a parable of a father and son, we will see that a child is confident to jump into his father’s arms because he has faith that his father will catch him. The child does not understand the complexities of his father, yet he knows enough to be sure that his father is someone who is capable of catching him and who has the desire to do so. Trust, based on the understanding he has of his father, allows him to jump, confident that he will be caught.”

“The same is true of our relationship with Hashem. Through the miracles of Pesach, when Hashem chose us to become His Nation, we gained enough understanding to know that He is capable and committed to save us. Based on this knowledge, we have full faith, confidence, and trust in Hashem. This is the role of our Pesach Seder. Through recounting everything that Hashem did for us then, as well as the countless times Hashem has spared us during our lifetime, we widen our knowledge and reinforce our faith, leading to a deeper relationship with the Creator of the World.”

Similarly, commenting on the telling over of the Exodus, the Ramban says, “From the great miracles, a person will ultimately acknowledge the hidden miracles of everyday life.”

Lastly, we shouldn’t be discouraged if the Seder doesn’t unfold as expected. Considering the late hour and all the work leading up to Pesach evening, it’s natural to be exhausted by the end of the Seder. Knowing that the Seder has the potential to be a steppingstone towards great spiritual advancements, the evil inclination tries to convince us that we have accomplished nothing. But we should know that the tzadikim describe a great light that descends on Pesach and touches each soul. It’s very common to go through the festival without noticing any changes. We must remind ourselves that the light is there, whether we recognize it or not.

Rabbi Twersky zt’l tells over the following story. The Chozeh of Lublin had a follower, Reb Shmuel of Karov, who lived in abject poverty and had no means with which to buy provisions for Pesach. The Chozeh arranged to have the all the necessities sent to Reb Shmuel for the festival. Reb Shmuel was thrilled and conducted the first Seder with all the kabbalistic trimmings. He felt he was soaring in heaven in the company of the angels. The next afternoon, Reb Shmuel took a nap and overslept; when he awoke it was already dark outside. He started the second Seder but was forced to rush through the Haggadah so that he can eat the afikomen before midnight. He said the words but had no time for deep meaning and intentions. He was heartbroken at the missed opportunity. After Pesach, he visited the Chozeh. “Reb Shmuel” the Chozeh told him, “Soaring in Heaven in the company of angels is not a great sacrifice. But your second Seder? Now, that was something special.”

The final step of the Seder is Nirtzah, which stems from the word Ratzon (will). By following the steps of the Seder, we should feel confident that we have pleased Hashem by fulfilling His will, a truly great accomplishment.

As Reb Noson writes, “Our thorough search for chametz should call our attention to the reality that every drop of spiritual effort we make is truly cherished and embraced by Hashem.”

It may feel as we’re simply going through the motions, but in truth, we are initiating heavenly praises. Perek Shirah lists how every creation – animal, vegetable, and mineral – expresses praise of Hashem. Reb Shabsi of Rashkov explained that Hashem has assigned a guardian angel for everything in creation. The Talmud says that the angels may not sing the praises of Hashem in heaven until the Jewish people first sing His praises on earth. We may not realize it, but every blessing we make, every paragraph we read, causes the angels in heaven to sing Hashem’s praises.

The Zohar states that when Hashem hears His children retelling the story of the Exodus, He gathers all the heavenly bodies and tells them, “Go and listen to My children praising Me and delighting in the story of how I redeemed them!” The Zohar therefore concludes, one who relates the story of Exodus of Mitzrayim with joy and delight is sure to delight with the Shechina in the World to Come.

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