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THE HOLIDAY OF PASSOVER
This year, the first Seder is Wednesday evening April 5th. May this joyous Yom Tov of freedom bring to us the ultimate redemption!
We do not merely commemorate the Exodus from Egypt, rather the entire Seder is designed for us to relive the experience. We begin with the Kiddush which mentions the Exodus, and we conclude with the Afikomen, the last taste of Matzah that remains with us.
All through the Seder, the theme of Pesach focuses on how Hashem liberated us from slavery and brought great miracles to our people. However, if we wish to praise Hashem, wouldn't it be more appropriate to refer to his creation of the world? After all, that event is even more remarkable than The Exodus, because Hashem created the world from nothingness. Why the emphasis on His liberating us from Egypt?
Granted, creation is the greater achievement, however, no one was around to see it! We can only imagine the incredible events that took place at the beginning of the universe. With regard to The Exodus, however, our ancestors were actually there. They witnessed the generations of slavery; they knew the despair. They must have wondered why life is so unfair and why their evil captors are having such a good life while they suffer.
In time, however, they came to realize that Hashem had a plan: He was multiplying Egypt's sins while building Israel's merits until the great moment of liberation was at hand.
Our ancestors saw: plagues, miracles, splitting of the Sea, destruction of the enemy and they told the story, in all its glory, to their children. These were public and spectacular miracles before a multitude of people. They passed it along, with the same excitement, to their children, all the way to our grandparents and to us.
Now we have the privilege and obligation to relive those great events this year so that our generation will understand and pass it along to the next generation. Perhaps, that is why the Seder revolves around the interests of the children with so much going on to hopefully keep them awake and involved most of the night.
At the end of the Seder, we eat the Afikomen and we savor that special taste. Thus, according to Jewish Law no food may be eaten after the Afikomen.
Interestingly, it is this Law of the Afikomen that the Haggadah advises us to teach the Chacham, the wise son. Perhaps, our sages, in their wisdom, want us to teach Torah to every child in a way that the sweet taste always remains with them.
Kol Tov! Our best to you...it's all good. Chag Kasher V'sameach Shabbat Shalom, CM
CHADISH FORUM - PLEASE TELL US
The Haggadah describes the four sons who are present at the Seder: wise, wicked, simple and the one who doesn't know enough to ask questions. There is, however, a fifth child - the one who does not attend at all. What can we do for number five?
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