Simchas Yom Tov – Genuine Happiness
The Rambam in Hilchos Yom Tov states that a person and his family must be happy on Yom Tov, as it says, V’smachta b’chagecha – And you shall rejoice in your Festival… There is a special mandate to be happy on Yom Tov and do things that make us rejoice. Although it can be quite a stressful time it’s a time of incredible happiness.
One year before Pesach, countless people were approaching Rav Shach for help. As he dealt with one person after the other, Rav Shach paused for a moment, then asked one of his assistants to go the home to the home of a specific woman and ask her to come see him. He said that it was very important and that he needed to ask her for a favor. This woman lost her husband a few years earlier and had only one young son and no other family. She could not imagine how she could help the great Rav Shach.
She rushed to his home as soon as she was asked to. She arrived nervous about having been called to the home of the great Rosh Yeshiva, but she was determined to help Rav Shach in whichever way she could. Rav Shach gave her an envelope and asked her if she could do him a favor. He asked her to buy herself a new dress for Yom Tov. Shocked, the young lady smiled as she fought back the tears that came to her eyes and thanked the Rosh Yeshiva for his thoughtfulness and incredible kindness. When she left, Rav Shach quietly said, “She doesn’t have her husband to buy her jewelry and clothing. She just needed someone to remind her that she deserves to have it. (Touched by the Seder)
Special Matzos
Pesach is a time when many people have different chumras – extra stringencies that they take upon themselves. One must remember that getting angry or upset can be worse than being extra stringent. Rav Meshlam Igra was extremely cautious with the prohibition of chametz. Each year he would bake matzos alone by himself. Those Matzos were the only ones he ate throughout Pesach.
One Erev Pesach Rav Meshulem’s kids were hungry, and the maid was looking for something to give them to eat. The chametz was already burnt so that wasn’t an option. After looking all around the house, she eventually found some Matzah. Not knowing it was the Rebbe’s special Matzos she gave it to the children to eat.
When the rebbitzin discovered that her husband’s precious Matzahs were gone she left the house only coming back right in time for the seder. She didn’t want to see her husband’s reaction when he noticed that his precious matzos were gone. She knew how upset he would be. When she nervously came home, she dared to look at her husband.
However, when she saw her husband, she was surprised – he was in happy spirits! She figured that he probably didn’t realize what happened yet. With tears in her eyes, she told her husband that the Matzos were mistakenly given to the kids. He said, “What’s the problem? We have other matzos in the house. I’ll use those.” Rav Meshulem realized that his stringencies were a Chumra while becoming angry, insulting others, and getting angry are against the Torah.
The Kernel in the Soup
A chasan, just a couple of weeks after his wedding, found a wheat kernel in the soup his mother-in-law served at the seder. The embarrassed mother-in-law immediately apologized and said that she cleaned the whole home, and she wasn’t sure how this could’ve happened. The son-in-law felt that he couldn’t eat in this home anymore. He stood up, took his mortified wife with him, and went straight to the house of his Rebbe to tell him what happened. He was certain that the Rebbe would agree that he did the right thing.
When the young man arrived, the Rebbe took the Shtreimel off the man’s head and shook it vigorously. One by one, kernels started falling out. The custom was to throw kernels at the chasan after he gets called up to the Torah on Shabbos before the wedding (at his Aufruf). The wheat kernels that were stuck in the Shtreimel fell into the soup. The mother-in-law wasn’t at fault. The guilty one was the son-in-law for not cleaning his Shtreimel. In his zeal, he didn’t consider the shame and humiliation he was causing his in-laws and his new wife.
Matzah – Healing Bread
The Roshei Teivos (letters) of Matzah – מצה is Mem, Tzadik, Hei. I saw from Rav Meilech Biderman shlita that those letters spell out מכל צרה הצילני – save me from all my troubles. The Zohar refers to Matzah as healing bread.
Rav Tzvi Kintzlicher was experiencing severe stomach pains. The doctors told him that he required emergency surgery. The Rav told the doctors that he wanted to be home for Pesach. He decided that he would return right after Pesach for the operation. The doctors agreed on the condition that he does not eat anything difficult to digest. He was only allowed to eat light foods – he certainly wasn’t permitted to eat Matzah.
The Rav was planning on following these orders but at the seder, he decided to have Matzah soaked in milk. While eating the Matzah, Rav Tzvi felt some healing in his stomach. He had the same feeling when he eat Matzah on the second night of Pesach. By the time he finished eating the Matzah his stomach pains went away! When Rav Tzvi returned to the doctors, they were shocked. They asked him which professor he went to. The illness was gone! Rav Tzvi told the doctors that he was cured through the mitzvah of eating matzah because matza is the healing food.
I was thinking that perhaps we can say that the whole seder can also be a time for healing. The Arugas Habosem writes that the Zohar states that Hashem Himself is present in every Jewish home, listening directly to our prayers without any need for intermediary angles.
In fact, in many Haggadahs, the words Kahn Habeen Sho’el – Here the son asks is found before Mah Nishtanah. What is the reason for this juxtaposition? The Bais Aharon says that there is a profound message in these words: Here – on the night of the Seder – it is an auspicious time for every Jewish son to ask his Father in Heaven for all his needs and requests and for Hashem’s blessings. Any problems we have we can ask Hashem to help us! Let’s storm the heavens and cry out to Hashem!
The Three Differences
I once heard from a Rebbi of mine that the Chida says that there are three differences between Chametz and matzah. The first one is that bread is sheker (false). If you take a loaf of bread and push it down, there is a lot of air in it taking up room. By matzah it is emes (truth) if you push it down it just cracks. The second difference is that bread rises, which is a sign of arrogance. Matzah is the opposite, it doesn’t rise. The third difference is that bread represents laziness. Bread takes its time, it slowly rises. In contrast, the process of making Matzah is done very fast and must be finished in under eighteen minutes.
The Chasam Sofer says that the Gematria of Chametz is 138 and the Gematria of Matzah is 135, when you subtract it, you get three which is the number of differences between Chametz and Matzah!
The Key to Happiness
Many people want to know how to achieve happiness – they want to be Jewish and Joyful. I would like to share with you an interesting relationship between happiness and matzah. I heard from my father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita that as part of Hebrew grammar, certain letters are understood to be interchangeable. One pair is that of Shin (ש) and Tzaddik (צ). In line with this, the word for being in a state of happiness – Samaich (שמח) can alternatively be read as Tzemach (צמח), the word for “growth.” What is the connection?
Happiness in life is achieved when there is growth. When one develops as a person in his relationship with Hashem, with others, and with himself, one feels a deep sense of fulfillment. On the other hand, when one remains stagnant and does not experience growth in any significant way, unhappiness often sets in.
Not coincidentally, the nature in which Chametz is formed is the mirror opposite of genuine growth. And indeed, this is reflected by their respective Hebrew words. Tzemach – צמח (growth), is spelled in the exact reverse order as Chametz – חמץ. As we said before, Chametz is formed by doing nothing to prevent and impede the leavening of flour and water. It is through lack of action that Chametz comes about.
The same dynamic is true of growth in life. Merely allowing life to occur and not expending due effort and energy – as occurs when allowing Chametz to form –will leave one stilted and stunted. Matzah, in contrast, is the result of constant activity. One must consistently work hard – as one does to matzah to achieve growth and fulfillment. It is only through remaining vigilant and on guard that the flour and water do not leaven and one is left with matzah.
Now we can appreciate the correlation between Matzah and happiness. Matzah, in contrast to Chametz, represents growth and meaningful work, which in turn leads to a genuine sense of happiness. It is through dedicatedly applying oneself that joy and satisfaction result and a life full of upward growth and purpose each and every day. Do it one step at a time – it takes work, but the outcome is tremendous!
Two Friends
During the seder, we remember the bris, the covenant between us and Hashem. On this night we celebrate that bris. By Yachatz, we break the middle matzah into two parts, one part is hidden away for the afikoman, and one is eaten now.
The commentaries compare this to two close friends, bound heart and soul, who are forced to part from one another. The separation will be painful, so before they leave one another, they make a pact. They take a picture together, then divide it into two halves, each claiming a part. They pledge that they will each hold onto their incomplete halves until the day when they are reunited again. Then, they promise that when they meet again, they will put the picture back together, whole as their relationship.
Rav Elimelech Biderman shlita explains: Tonight, at the Seder, we are making a similar pledge to Hashem. We know that during the year there will be times when we do not sense that same closeness and connection as we do by the Seder. Everyone has hard days. None of us are perfect. At times, we may feel distant and detached. That’s why we put away this piece of matzah for the afikoman. It will be saved for the long year ahead. This way, at moments when we need it most, we can grasp a crumb of that matzah and remember the bond we share and that really, we are united!
Part III: Maggid – The Rasha
Today more than ever there are sadly many people who are struggling to see the beauty in Yiddishkeit. These children need extra, love patience, and understanding. We must always be there for them. However, with that being said when we look at the Haggadah the response given for the Rasha is Ve’af atah hakshei es shinav – you must knock out his teeth. This is a very harsh approach! How can we explain this?
Another question: In the pesukim, which introduces us to the Rasha we find the word vehaya. The Gemara tells us that the word vehaya always signifies joy. What can be joyous about a Rasha? Some say that there is a reason to be joyous. Why? Because Rasha could have been anywhere tonight. As uncomfortable as it may be for him to sit among others who don’t think so highly of him, he is at the seder! He cares enough to ask a question in front of everyone!
Now back to our first question. How do we handle him? The Haggadah says, “You must knock out his teeth.” What does this mean? Some commentaries say that there is another meaning besides knocking out his teeth. When it says knock out his teeth it means dull his teeth and remove the sharp sarcasm and cynicism. Let him know that we love him and that he always has a place amongst us. He should know that no matter how bad of a situation he is in he is still an ambassador for the Jewish people!
The Belzer Rebbe says that if you take a look at the outside letters of the word Rasha (רשע) there is a Reish (ר) and Ayin (ע)which together mean Ra (רע) which means bad. But there is a little shin in the middle sandwiched in between them. Says the Belzer Rebbe, on the outside he (the shin) appears bad, but he is just crying for help. The shin has 3 crooked branches sprouting forth from the same root and perhaps this is teaching us that at the very core of this Rasha is a confused child who’s linked forever eternally to the root of Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov never to be detached. We can learn from this that we must infuse people like this with love. Be patient and don’t let them use their disenchantment as an excuse to remove themselves from his people. (Touched by the Seder)
Take a look at a $100 bill. I am pretty sure that if I offered you one hundred dollars you would gladly take it. How about if I crumple it? You will still take it. If I threw the crumpled bill on the floor and stepped on it, you would still want it. Why? Why do you want a filthy, dirty, and crumpled $100 bill? The obvious answer is: Even when crumpled or stepped on, a $100 bill is still worth one hundred dollars. You can straighten it out. You can wipe off the dust.
Perhaps the same can be said with a Yiddishe neshama. Even if it is crumpled, covered in mud, and trampled on. Even if it did or saw the worst things that no Torah Jew should ever see or do, you can wash it off and straighten it out. It remains a special holy neshama. All it needs is some purification. We all must work on teshuvah!
Living Through Yetzias Mitzrayim
There were heartbreaking working conditions in Mitzrayim. The Midrash HaGadol says that the Jews were forced to build structures that were located on soft and unstable ground causing the building to many times crumble and fall down to the ground making the Jews start all over again. Time after time, they were forced to build and build and build.
To explain this further to the Dubno Maggid shares a heart-rendering parable: There was a man who committed a heinous crime and was sentenced to 20 years of hard labor. The prisoner had a job which was to turn a wheel in a greenery every day. This man sat in one room and turned the wheel while the grain was ground in the adjacent room. Although it was quite a difficult task the perpetrator took satisfaction in knowing that his hard work was providing food for many families and different people.
The years passed and the man performed this task diligently. One day, the 20 years of his servitude were finally completed. As he was set to go free, he was asked if he would like to see what all those years of work accomplished. The man smiled. He knew that he had accomplished so much, and he was quite curious to see the piles of grain in the room next door. He was led into the room, and it was completely empty. The wheel he had been turning for 20 years had been attached to absolutely nothing. The poor man immediately broke down and became insane.
The Mitzryim wanted to do this to us. However, more than wanting to destroy us through back-breaking labor they wanted to destroy our spirit little did they know that it might be possible to crush the body of a Jew, but you can never crush his soul. The pintele – Yid the spark of a Jew continues to remain strong despite all that is going on. (Touched by the Seder)
As Jews, one of the things we are compared to is dust. Why are we compared to dust? I remember hearing from a Rebbi of mine that when one jumps on dust it rises, it goes higher and higher. It then goes and spreads all over the place. The same is true with us. As Jews, we are constantly being ‘stepped’ on. We have the ability to rise up! The world is trying to put us down? We are going to flourish! We are going to grow! We are going to get stronger!
If you look at history, you will notice that statistically the Jews ‘shouldn’t be here now.’ It looks like we shouldn’t have wouldn’t have made it through our exiles, our trials and tribulations. Look at the events of expulsion and eviction that we Jews have had for thousands of years – they all tried to get rid of us.
But we are Jews! We are holding up the world! We know who is going strong. We know who is surging forth, flourishing, and constantly growing – that is us the Jews! We are a miracle! We must never let go of our faith! The Egyptians tried to get rid of our spark, but they didn’t. We flourished and we kept on going and growing!
Even in Exile
Now with that, there may be a question bothering you. How can we tell the story of the way our nation was set free from slavery and redeemed from exile if we are still in exile? There was a story of a penniless man who worked hard just to have a little food to eat. He barely learned Torah because he was trying to earn bread for his family.
One day, he had a sudden change of fortune, and he became a wealthy man. He hired the best Torah scholar to open his mind to the beauty of the Torah. In turn, every year, he celebrated the anniversary of his newfound wealth. Years later, his fortune changed, and once again, the man was reduced to a penniless pauper. However, he continued to celebrate the anniversary of his wealth. Though his money was gone, the Torah merit he earned, and the Torah knowledge he picked up while he was wealthy would always remain.
The Divrie Shaul writes that although we are once again in exile, we can still celebrate the Torah we received upon our liberation from Mitzrayim. We bequeath this treasure – the Torah – to our children, and they do to their children. It brings us joy even in exile. The more the one talks about the exodus from Egypt, even during these dark days of exile, he is to be praised. He demonstrates his joy for the Torah we received from Hashem, even in times of darkness. (Seder Secrets)
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