סימני הסדר
בנין המשכן
The Keli Yakar writes that most meforshim learn that there were fifteen donations. There are fifteen parts to the Seder; a number which carries considerable significance. There were fifteen steps in the Beis Hamikdash where the Leviyim sang daily before Hashem. There are fifteen chapters of Tehillim that begin with the words: “שיר המעלות". Every month, 15 days are required until the moon grows full, into a full moon. There are 15 generations from משה רבנו to מלך שלמה and the building of the בית המקדש. The number 15 will appear again in the Seder, in the פיוט דיינו.
These Simanim of the Seder are to be viewed not merely as a variety of rituals, but rather as guided steps that are built up, based upon each other, each upon the previous. These steps are the rungs in a ladder that are intended to move us toward a spiritual ascent as we follow the Simanim throughout the Seder. The word סימנים is gematria 210 which corresponds to the 210 years that the Yidden were in galus Mitzrayim and their geulah from it.
The word סימנים also is gematriah לפנים which means inner as we find לפני ולפנים, the לפני is the קדש and the לפנים refers to the inner sanctuary the קדש הקדשים. In the number 15 which corresponds to ,י"ה the letter ה is the לפני and the letter י is the לפנים which parallels the passuk כי ביה ה' צור עולמים, that with the letter הHashem created עולם הזה and with the letter י He created עולם הבא. When we reach the final step at the end of the night, Nirtzah which is יה the 15th, we are no longer called upon to follow a ritual or take a particular action. The word Nirtzah, which is in the passive form, suggests that we have attained a feeling of freedom, holiness and a closeness to Hashem מעין עוה"ב. It is as if we reached Olam Habah where there are no more mitzvos or rituals to fulfill, only to bask in the Shechinah's presence.
The 15 steps are meant to guide us so that we may grow spiritually from the Seder experience. To say more succinctly, the Seder is our ascent to build a Mishkan through 15 rungs on the ladder and bring the Shechinah down into our midst.
In the Tolna Haggadah page 22 he writes I merited to hear from my grandfather that he heard from his fathers that if one merits to say in the Haggadah "עד שנגלה עליהם הקב"ה מלך מלכי המלכים" that at Yetzias Mitzrayim Am Yisrael had a vision of Hashem, it conveys on Pesach every Yid is possible to receive a revelation of the awesome Shechinah similar to the Shechinah which was present during Yetzias Mitzrayim.
The Rebbe Ahron from Belz would say about the Seder "Tonight all the gates are open. A shefa of kedusha flows down to Yisrael directly from Hashem בכבודו ובעצמו without any in between". The Nesivos Shalom writes in the name of Rebbe Levi Yitzchak from Berditchev that the Torah compares Yetzias Mitzrayim to ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים . An eagle when it gets old removes its feathers and new ones grow. The eagle displays the power of rejuvenation תתחדש כנשר נעורייכי (Tehillim 103,5). So too, Am Yisrael when they left Mitzrayim they were like new by letting go and removing all the "pollution" that they acquired in the galus.
In the last Siman of the Seder, Nirtza, when we have already ascended the fourteen rungs on the ladder of the Seder, we sing אדיר הוא יבנה ביתו בקרוב קל בנה קל בנה בנה ביתך בקרוב. We beseech Hashem to finally build the Beis Hamikdash. We feel confident to ask such a request because after having the appropriate avodah during the Seder we for sure achieved to bring down the Shechina. Therefore we can now ask Hashem to build the Midkash immediately and set finally a fixed place for the Shechina to reside in.
סימני הסדר ט"ו
ישראל כלתו של הקב"ה
Another reason why there are 15 Simanim. The Zohar refers to matzah as a כלה who is preserved and שמורה watched for her husband הקב"ה. In Nachlas Yaakov he writes that the gematriah of מצות with its inner letters מ"מ צד"י וי"ו תי"ו add up to איש ואשה. In fact the Vilna Gaon counts "שבע "ברכות that are recited before revealing and having a union with the כלה the "matzah". Therefore the Yerushalmi says that if one eats matzah Erev Pesach it is tantamount to having relations with the kallah, because Sheva Berachos were not yet said.
From all of the above we see that the night of the Seder is a like a marriage between Yisrael and Hashem. We venture to say that the yichud between the Chassan and Kallah takes place after the Sheva Brachos when we eat the matzah. As we mentioned Hashem sends us an intimate part of Himself a nefesh elyon in the form of a matzah. This is when we can be deeply attached to our chassan.
That is why that there are 15 Simanim because this number corresponds for a איש and אשה as they share the same letters of aleph and shin. The only difference is that the man has the letter yud and the woman has the letter ה and this is the reason why the first Siman קדש is symbolizes Kiddushin.
In Shmos Rabba (23, 5) Chazal bring the passuk אתי מלבנון כלה אתי מלבנון תבואי the word לבנון is from the word לבנים which means bricks. Hashem says to Yisrael I took you away from the mud and bricks in Mitzrayim and made you my kallah. The Zohar continues, Hashem went and picked up each Yid and kissed him and gave a beracha עשיתיך כלה I made you a kallah.
The Darkei Noam explains תשס"ז פסח)) The greatest memory in Klal Yisrael is when Hashem made us a kallah. No other event in Jewish History do we find that Hashem took each Yid, pick them up and kiss them. זכרתי לך חסד נעוריך but אהבת כלולתיך the time you became a kallah to Me will never be repeated. The creation of Yisrael leaving Mitzrayim was a time of "וערבה לו" the sweetest binding together that can ever be.
Therefore the passuk says למען תזכור את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך The passuk does not merely say Remember your exodus from Mitzrayim all the days of your life, but rather remember "the day" of leaving Mitzrayim. It's not just about the leaving alone that you must remember but also what else happened during that same day. You became a kallah and Hashem demonstrated to you a love and an embrace of cherishment that will never happen again חד פעמי ממש. This memory and image should last כל ימי חייך all the days of your life.
The night of the Seder is called ליל שמורים . Because what ever happened that night in Mitzrayim also happens every Seder night when Hashem picks us up and kisses us. More than we keep and preserve the Seder Night, it is the Seder Night that keeps and preserves us through our history of trials and tribulations, pogroms and persecutions, inquisitions and holocausts.
Blood Libels against Am Yisrael was a prosecution against the Yom Tov of Pesach not any other Yom Tov. There is a reason for that. Pesach is the Yom tov in which we first became a nation. Pesach is the moment in History when Hashem made us his Kallah His soul our mate. If our enemies can destroy the ראשית of Yisrael which starts at the Seder, they can destroy everything else.
והיא שעמדה לאבותינו ולנו שלא אחד בלבד עמד עלינו לכלותינו.
The letters of the word והיא refers to Pesach which is Seven days (letters (וא during which we became Hashem's Kallah איש ואשה (letters יה) preserved us through centuries of mud and bricks. Our enemies שלא" " seek to destroy and annihilate from existence, the "אחד בלבד" the חד פעמי of our creation, our marriage with Hashem. The goyim are obsessed with a driven evil to ensure that there should no more Seder Night. Why? לכלותינו they are eradicating it because it symbolizes the pinnacle of expressed love from Hashem to us by becoming His כלה .
The minhag is to wear a kittel on the night of the Seder. Some learn because it connects to Yom Kippur in many ways. According to the Chazal we can add that we must remember our physical and spiritual state at the time that Hashem plucked us out of Mitzrayim. אתי מלבנון כלה . The avodas perech of the mud and bricks broke our spirits and yet because of the suffering that we experienced Hashem saw the purification of our פנימיות even though we could not see it in ourselves. Hashem took us from this mud and לבנים bricks and made us his Queen. The Charoses which symbolizes the mud and mortar, also corresponds to Hashem's "taking us" for His .כלה
Tonight we must try to bond with our Chasan Hashem and start being an עזר כנגדו in bringing His potential into the world.
קדש
חג המצות הזה
We will bring the opinion of the Ran Pesachim 28 in the Rif, and the Seforno explained by the Sefer שם דרך. Yisrael prepared dough to bake in the morning. However they were being chased out by the Mitzriyim and there was no time to deal with the dough process to make bread. Had they had time they would have made bread or allowed their dough to rise and become chametz. Even though the first day of Pesach in Mitzrayim was prohibited to eat chametz, the איסור של בל יראה וימצא did not apply. Yet we see that the dough that they made in the morning of the 15th remained in a state of non chametz which Yisrael did not want. This shows that the geulah from Mitzrayim happened in חפזון very quickly.
Another time where we see this middah of alacrity connected with that dough is from the passuk ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים ואביא אתכם אלי Rashi says there that the Yidden traveled miraculously from Ramses to Succos which is a 120 mile journey in mere seconds. This simply means that millions of people men, woman, children, with their animals and possessions, were transported in a second to a destination 120 miles away. The dough that they took out of Mitzrayim was baked in Succos as we see from the passuk above that they travelled 120 miles from Ramses Mitzrayim until Succos which is located outside Mitzrayim and the same dough was still not yet chametz. This was an obvious miracle once again to demonstrate that they left Mitzrayim with a speediness.
There is a third episode in the geulah of Mitzrayim where there was also a miraculous exhibition of the supernatural. Rashi writes (Shmos 19,4) the very day that Yisrael was to leave Mitzrayim all of them gathered together from Goshen and met at Raamses which was a miracle of supernatural speed (again with all their families and possessions).
So now we have three episodes of the geulah where we find a חפזון in the geulah 1) all dwellers from Goshen supernaturally arrived together at Ramses to leave Mitzrayim. 2) the Mitzriyim chased them out from Mitzrayim and the proof was that there was no time to let their dough rise enough to make bread. 3) with that same dough they miraculously appeared at Succos and the dough still had not yet risen.
What was the purpose of all this miraculous rushing? The Seforno writes because Hashem loved Yisrael so much He couldn't wait and hold back to appear to them. Mitzrayim was full of avodah zarah and not the place to reveal Himself. Succos however was outside of Mitzrayim's border and Hashem appeared to them in the pillar of fire and a cloud to lead them in their journey to Har Sinai. With these two Pillars Hashem appeared to them in Succos. The Seforno explains why did Yisrael make in Succos only matzos and not bread as they planned to do originally since there is no issur of בל יראה ובל ימצא ? He answers that if you are standing in front of the Melech who finally manifests Himself with the Amud Anan and Aish it would be very inappropriate to occupy yourself with the process of baking bread.
Now we can clearly understand the explanation of Rabban Gamliel in the Haggadah that the reason we eat matzah at the night of the Seder
שלא הספיק בצקם של אבותינו להחמיץ עד שנגלה עליהם מלך מלכי המלכים הקב"ה וגאלם
We eat matzah to commemorate the חפזון that Hashem demonstrated in our geulah from Mitzrayim conveying His yearning love pangs to reveal Himself to us. This includes the miracle of travelling 120 miles in a second which is proven by the dough not rising all that travelling distance. As Rabban Gamliel says עד שנגלה עליהם מלך מלכי המלכים until Hashem revealed himself to us through the two Amudim in Succos. That is considered "וגאלם"He brought them the geulah as they were now completely out of Mitzrayim's borders, plus they had the revelation of Hashem. קול דודי הנה זה בא מדלג על ההרים מקפץ על הגבעות
Matzah represents the hurriedness of the geulah because of Hashem's love for Bnei Yisrael. This hurriedness happened in three episodes. Therefore it is symbolized by three matzos for the matzah is the symbol of quickness with no time to bake the dough properly. The opinion of two matzos is because the matzah dough was the proof of Hashem's swiftness to redeem Yisrael, manifested by the Mitzriyim chasing Yisrael out leaving a dough that did not rise לא הספיק בצקם , and the על כנפי נשרים where after a 120 mile journey the matzah dough still did not become chametz. However the first חפזון of travelling from Goshen to Ramses in a second, we do not find any mention of the matza dough in the pessukim or Chazal that associates it with matzah. Therefore it is not demonstrated with the other two matzos where the proof of חפזון came from the dough itself that did not turn into a chametz dough.
מגיד
חייב אדם לראות את עצמו
One of the most challenging mitzvos at the night of the Seder is חייב אדם . לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים (Pesachim 116b) Each individual is obligated to feel the experience as if he went out of Mitzrayim this night, now. It all has to do with a mind set and the middah of Bitachon. Rav Yerucham ztl the Mashgiach from the Mir Yeshivah explained (Daas Chachmah Umussar חלק ג, עמוד ד). Hashem's hanhagah with Yisrael is that first we must have emunah and bitachon as if it already happened, and only then Hashem will actually make it happen. Yisrael had to first act as if they are already בני חורין as the Torah describes. They took the avodah zarah of Mitzrayim shechted and barbecued it without any fear of repercussions from the Mitzriyim as if they were already free men. They were to eat it תמתניכם חגורים נעליכם ברגליכם ומקלכם בידכם their loins tied, shoes on their feet and their staffs in their hands. This was not a dress rehearsal for a coming trip. They were in jail and they trusted in Hashem and his promise and viewed their situation as a done deal and they are already on the way (Seforno).
There is a story about two Chassidim who were childless and they went together to their Rebbe to receive a beracha for a child. The Rebbe gave both of them the beracha they sought. Nine months later one of them had a child and the other one not. As time passed, the childless Chossid went to the Rebbe and asked him why did his chaver's beracha become fulfilled and his not. Did the Rebbe give a better beracha to him? The Rebbe answered I would not do such a thing. But I will tell you that when your friend came home from visiting me he went out and bought a crib.
We say in davening .בעבור אבותינו שבטחו בך ותלמדם חוקי חיים Only because Yisrael believed and trusted in Hashem and said נעשה before נשמע Hashem gave to Am Yisrael the Torah. When Yidden in Mitzrayim heard from Moshe Rabbeinu on Rosh Chodesh Nissan of making the Pesach Seder, and all the details of the Korban Pesach, the passuk says on them וילכו ויעשו (Shmos 12,28) and Rashi writes
שכיון שקבלו עליהם מעלה עליהם הכתוב כאילו עשו
This is the power ofבטחון in Hashem. The Yidden in Mitzrayim felt as if it was already done. This was a demonstration of a קפיצת הדרך in time going forwards into the future ten days as if they did it now. Since Yisrael possessed this power of Bitachon, Hashem also gave them a קפיצת הדרך and brought them from Raamses to Succos, a 120 mile journey, in the time that it takes a blink of the eye (Shmos Rashi 12,37). This קפיצת זמן which came from Bitachon also could be the reason why Yisrael only fulfilled 210 years of bondage עינוי to Mitzrayim out of the 430 years from the time of the decree at Bris Bein Habasarim. The passuk says (Shmos 12,40)
ומושב בני ישראל אושר ישבו במצרים שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה
The Rashbam interprets the passuk from two different time lines as the word שנה is repeated twice. The four hundred years were counted from Yitzchak's birth. The thirty years are added if one counts from the Bris Bein Habasarim a"k. Nevertheless the meforshim find this passuk difficult to understand since the time line of servitude to Mitzrayim in the Bris Bein Habasarim was at least that 400 of the 430 years an era of ועינו אותם affliction and bondage which it wasn't?
We suggest that the answer to this is in the passuk .ויסעו מרעמסס The gematriah of רעמסס is gematriah 430 which was the city of slave labor for Yidden for 210 years. But as we said above, from Ramses Am Yisrael had a קפיצת הדרך in space and time and what was considered a natural long time and a very challenging and treacherous hike to Succos, it became miraculously shortened for them. Likewise the 430 years from the decree of Bris Bain Habasarim, which 400 of them was עינוי, was achieved in 210 years. This is what is hinted in this passuk according to Rashi's explanation. They travelled miraculously to סכת which is the plural of .סוכה Two times סוכה is 182 and including the 8 letters we arrive at 190 the missing 190 years missing from the 210.
If Yetzias Mitzrayim meant that millions of people can skip forward in time and place, surely one can go back in time with memory. Yetzias Mitzrayim is embedded into everyone's memory of his soul because the sefarim tell us all souls were there in Mitzrayim and Kabbalas Hatorah. Tonight there is a special siyata dishmaya to experience חירות in all its forms. This night we too can skip over boundaries and limitations just as Hashem helped Yidden to achieve during their Yetzias Mitzrayim.
מגיד
למען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך
One of the major highlights of the Chinuch Mesorah of Klal Yisrael takes place at the Seder. The focus is on the children as the passuk says למען תספר באזני בנך ובן בנך. This night of the Seder there is a mitzvah on the father to teach his son the details of Am Yisrael's galus in Mitzrayim and the geulah from it. וכל המרבה לספר ביציאת מצרים הרי זה משובח .
The Baal Haggadah made it easier for us to facilitate the fulfillment of this mitzvah by authoring the basic Haggadah which has become part and parcel of everyone's Seder Night. He gave us Simanim that announces each part of the Seder which is about to take place. There are different opinions as to how many Simanim there are. Most meforshim count 15. The Maharal for instance counts 14 leaving out the last one נרצהwhich is the state that one has to attain at the end of the Haggadah but it is not part of the process.
One might ask in how many of the Simanim must a father strive to involve his son in. Of course it depends upon the age, maturity, patience, how much rest he had before the Seder, how exciting the parent makes the Seder etc. I want to bring a remez in the opinion of the Maharal of 14 Simanim that a father should strive to involve his children in every Siman up until נרצה. The allusion to this is in the gematriah of the acronym of the 14 Simanim. קוכימרמממכשעצבה which adds up to the same total of the passuk (בראשית לז,ל) וישב אל אחיו ויאמר הילד איננו ואני אנה אני בא. That Reuven returned to his brothers after not finding Yosef in the pit and exclaimed and said the boy is not here where can I go to escape my father's anguish. My father ע"ה would interpret this homiletically: when our children go astray from the mesorah we lament How can I go to my father in heaven when my son is not with me. From here we see that we should not settle for a partial Seder with our children if we could really do and stretch ourselves even more. It needs planning and one must know his child and how to make it geshmak.
The Baal Haggadah sees Four Sons each with his own character sitting at the Seder. The Four cups of wine parallel the Four terms of geulah and also the Four Sons. The Meshech Chachmah writes ויקרא)) that the Navi Hosheia says
כענבים במדבר, מצאתי ישראל כבכורה בתאנה בראשיתה ראיתי אבותיכם
Grapes are not to be placed on the Mizbaiach for honey which is sweet is prohibited which includes many fruits. However, the "children" of the grapes which is the wine that comes out from them is a mitzvah to bring on the Mizbaiach together with the korbonos in the form of wine libations. In this respect the children are greater than the parents (grapes). The תאנה fig is not fit for the Mizbaiach however it is brought as part of the mitzvah of Bikkurim. But in this instance the "children" the honey that comes out from the figs are not even able to be part of the Bikkurim. Here we find that the "fathers" the figs are greater than the "children". Hashem is saying when I took Yisrael as my nation I was hoping that I am taking ענבים grapes. Even if the parents do not succeed in their growth in Torah and Yiddishkeit at least their children will be better than them and closer to Me. Unfortunately the parents were rather like תאנים figs which can be brought as Bikkurim but not their honey "children". Their children were far away from Me and from their parents and did not follow in their footsteps and their Mesorah.
The Shemen Rosh writes that as we sit at the Seder Table and relate to our children Yetzias Mitzrayim we are inspired to transmit the mesorah of Am Yisrael in the best way possible wishing that our children should grow up to be like wine which is a mitzvah to pour on the Mizbaiach with the korbonos. We are shooting for the stars to bring out in our children the best of their potential to become the greatest Torah Yid that he can become. When we drink the Four cups of wine we must remember that they represent four different children whose separate beracha is recited by separate parts of the Haggadah. Yet we desire that all of them should be better than you and not have your shortcomings.
Yehudah said the same message as Reuven when due to circumstance he would not be able to fulfill his promise to his father to bring back Binyamin. .כי איך אעלה אל אבי והנער איננו אתי it's a tremendous responsibility that our children should be products of grapes not figs. If you are an individual who is a wine connoisseur and all the time you seek out the deluxe wines that are on the higher end, just make sure that the chinuch for the children of the grapes also get a deluxe chinuch which starts from you.
The mitzvah of Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim to one's children is located at the beginning of parshas Bo. At the start of Parshas Bo we have the makka of Arbeh Locusts. What is the connection between the two? Unique to this makka is that Hashem did not communicate with Moshe what makke he was supposed to smite Mitzrayim with. It was left to Moshe to figure out what is the ratzon of Hashem. מה נשתנה המכה הזאת מכל המכות?
Bais Yaakov Ishbitz answers with a passuk in (Mishlei 30,27) מלך אין לארבה ויצא חוצץ כולו when the locusts move from place to place there is no leader like other species but yet there is an achdus between them and they are a tight group nevertheless. It was left up to Moshe to decide. Moshe although an individual, was equal to all of Yisrael. He embodied them all. Therefore a plague that would be many but still in achdus like Moshe can only be locusts who shares this characteristic.
The Rosh answers that Moshe made a gezairah shava from the lashon of the word ספר that was mentioned here ,תספר לבנך and in Yoel 1,3 where they also had a plague of locusts and it states there also עליה לבניכם ספרו ובניהם לבניהם.
Rav Shimshon Ostropoli says Hashem told Moshe בא אל פרעה place the letters of בא in the word פרעה making it פרעהבא, then change the lettersפע with the interchangeable letters of אב and you get the word ארבה . This is hinted in the words of the passukלמען שיתי אותותי אלה בקרבו in order to place these letters in him (the name פרעה). That is how Moshe Rabbeinu knew that Hashem wanted him to smite with the makah of Arbeh. Three different answers are brought to explain how Moshe knew to bring upon Mitzrayim this particular plague without being told so. The answer of Rav Shimshon Ostropoli represents the חכם for one must be a חכם to answer so. The answer of the Rosh corresponds to the תם the simple son. He learns and remembers. He see the ספור in parshas Bo and sees the same lashon in Iyuv with the same plague. Simple logic to connect both ספור. The Bais Yaakov pshat describes the Rasha son, just like the locusts have no melech over them he doesn't have a melech or authority over himself either. He is running after physical pleasures and therefore always saying ארבה I want more because he can never be satiated.
Three different sons with three different type of answers. It is from this Makkah that we learn the mitzvah of סיפור יציאת מצרים to your children and grandchildren. It has to be delivered to each child according to his level of understanding, age, nature, and middos. חנוך לנער לפי דרכו. Even the Rasha one must address since he nevertheless came to the Seder. Something penimiyus is driving him. One must try to tap into that if possible.
According to Targum Yonasan, Hashem the night of the Seder miraculously brought Yisrael to the location of the Beis Hamikdash and returned them back to Mitzrayim. What purpose did this miracle serve in relationship to Yetzias Mitzrayim.
We can answer this with the insight of the Leshem who explains what really happened the night of Makas Bechoros. Since the Yidden in galus Mitzrayiim did not yet have the Torah and Mitzvos, eternal geula could not happen. Hashem had to devise an alternate route in order to free them from galus. Hashem had to turn the clock back and bring the creation back to its very beginnings of the Three great lights. The first light was Hashem's chesed to be a מטיב a benefactor המחדש בטובו and עולם חסד יבנה. The second light is אור קדושתו which corresponds to the אור הגנוז that the entire universe will be filled with kedushas Hashem, the yichud of His name which is creation's purpose. The third light is human bechirah through which the first two lights will be revealed. For this bechira to happen Hashem created evil in the world thereby allowing for reward and punishment.
At Yetzias Mitzrayim Hashem revealed these three lights as they were at the beginning of creation. Hashem at this time brought about his chesed by making for Yisrael the miracles and wonders that happened in Mitzrayim. He brought about His kedusha as the passuk says ובמורא גדול זו גילוי שכינה, and ראתה שפחה על הים מה שלא ראה יחזקאל בן בוזי . Also in the Haggadah we say .עד שנגלה עליהם מלך מלכי המלכים הקב"הAs far as the third light, Hashem then gave an extra boost of power to evil to allow for bechirah in the world so it wouldn't become nullified with the newness of the first two lights and this would allow in bechiras Yisrael themselves the ability to bring the geulah.
Mitzrayim was the center of all the Kelipos in the capacity of .כתר Hashem himself alone without a malach brought about Makas Bechoros in order to destroy that kelipah of Mitzrayim and to demonstrate to Yisrael their direct relationship with Hashem. But by revealing His light during Makas Bechoros, the evil in the world was in jeopardy of being exterminated completely and bechira with the yetzer harah would also vanish with it. That is the reason why Mitzrayim and the leftover kelipah chased Am Yisrael from Mitzrayim for the Ohr Haganuz which was revealed through them would annihilate all the kelipos in the world which Kelipas Mitzrayim was their source. They had to leave in a hurry in order that there should remain some level of tumah and kelipah in order to keep evil in existence. This is what the Mitzriyim meant when they said כולנו מתים we are all about to perish.
However this light could not be sustained for that would be the end of bechira. So after the first night of Pesach it disappeared. But the first night and day of Pesach Yisrael had no yetzer hara just like it will be after Moshiach comes. After the first day of Pesach their bechira returned, for the lights of the Ohr Haganuz was removed from Yisrael. Had they brought those lights by their own avodah in Torah and mitzvos which they did not have yet, these lights would have stayed forever and it would have been the final geulah like at the time of Moshiach where there will be no further yetzer harah and bechira. From now on it is upon Yisrael through their bechira to bring back this light and revelation of Hashem's Shechinah. Every year at the night of the Seder these original Lights reappear and influence Yidden in a grand way.
The Leshem basically disagrees with the opinion that if Yisrael did not hurry out of Mitzrayim they would have sunk into the 50th level. A Year had already passed where there was no slavery. Hashem began showing His chesed with miracles an entire year before. The night of the Seder Hashem revealed His Shechina to Am Yisrael. The rush to leave Mitzrayim was because the bechirah all the kelipos of Mitzrayim would have been exterminated and the bechira of Man would have come to a halt. Since Yisrael did not bring about the lights of Hashem through their actions, bechirah had to remain in the world the second day after Pesach and onwards.
With this we can understand what the Vilna Gaon said that the mitzvah of Pidyon Habein is hinted in the first word of the Torah בראשית which is the acronym בן ראשון אחר שלשים יום תפדה. According to the Leshem's interpretation the source of Pidyon Habain in the word בראשית is not merely because בכר and בראשית represent the first. It is because at Makas Bechoros Hashem restarted the world again from the very beginning with the original process of creation. This is what happened at Makas Bechoros and the revelation of Hashem's Shechina in Mitzrayim where the mitzvah of Pidyon Habein finds its source
Now we can understand why the night of Pesach the Yidden found themselves at the makom hamikdash. Hashem was giving them a crash course on the geulah from Mitzrayim. The Tachlis of the world is for man to utilize his bechirah conquer the evil and bring about Hashem's kedusha and light to fill the entire world. The Yidden when they experience this light should not think that the final geula has come. You will be on that madraiga without a yetzer harah only for one day. However your bechirah will be returned to you since the light of Hashem was not your doing but Hashem's.
The beis hamikdash is called בית הבחירה because it returns the bechira that one lost when he repeats an aveirah a few times, as it becomes second nature. By going to the Beis Hamikdash and bringing korbonos with teshuvah one can return to the point of bechira that he had before he sinned. In short, the Beis Hamikdash symbolized the mission of man which is to be in the maximize bechira mode constantly always raising the bar to higher levels. That is why Hashem resides in the Beis Hamikdash because this is the tachlis until one brings Moshaich.
The Haggadah relates all these Tanaim were staying up all night talking about Yetzias Mitzrayim. Their talmidim came in and said הגיע זמן ק"ש של שחרית . The meforshim ask that the word שחרית is superfluous. We can say that since the night of the Seder in Mitzrayim Hashem brought the world back to the beginning of the creation in three aspects, the ohr of chesed Hashem עולם חסד יבנה , the kedusha of Hashem which the Ohr Haganuz and revelation of Shechina, and the רע was strengthened in order to keep bechirah intact. Therefore one must speak this out at the Seder for without each middah and addition by bringing the world to a new beginning, the geulah couldn't have come and the world would have stopped existing.
All three השפעות are hinted in the word .שחרית The letter ש stands for ,שכינה the letter ח stands for חסד and the letter ר stands for רע the creation of evil. The parsha of remembering Yetzias Mitzrayim in this manner is a preparation to the שמע which is the acronym of עול מלכות שמים. This is hinted in the last letter two letters of שחריתwhich add up to שמע 410. Hashem took us out from being slaves in order to accept His malchus upon ourselves. Part of the malchus shamayim is that Hashem created the world from nothing. At Yetzias Mitzrayim we experienced these three purposes of creation as if they were experiencing it from the very beginning of creation. The talmidim were telling the Rabbeyim that you already fulfilled all three aspects of sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim hinted in the word ,שחר so now you are prepared to say the שמע of שחרית .
ארמי אבד אבי
מחשבה טובה נחשבת כמעשה
Rashi interprets this to mean that Lavan who is called Arami (wanted to) to destroy my father, Yaakov. Even though this desire never came to fruition Hashem considered as if it was executed since by goyim an evil though alone is deemed like a deed. What does this topic have to do with Yetzias Mitzrayim and the Seder night?
One comes to the Seder with high expectations and excitement. He already prepared some of the Torahs and stories that he will share with the rest of the mishpacha. However sometimes it does not actualize as good and as meaningful as he hoped for. For instance his cup of wine tipped over and spilled out on the new white tablecloth, the baby was crying, his younger brother was having a tantrum, and he only found two matzos shelaimos from one entire package, and someone forgot to place a cover on the newly grated chrain. With all this going on, one can become discouraged and fall into despair that this Seder is fastly going southwards. All that was happening tonight was nothing else but "out" of Seder.
One must then know that מחשבה טובה נחשבת כמעשה that if one has a good intention to do a mitzvah and it did not work out, Hashem nevertheless deems it a mitzvah. Unlike the goy whose bad thoughts count against him even though his intentions were not executed, this is in contrast to the Yid who's bad intentions alone don't count against him but his good ones do even though they did not come to fruition.
We can say that the reason we bring the passuk ארמי אבד אבי is to tell us this foundation. By a goy his evil intentions count even without fruition of the action. You who come to the Seder with high expectations of kedusha and geshmak which did come to fruition as you would have wanted, also count as a merit.
There are many stories of tzadikkim who at the night of the Seder would visit simple Yidden to see how they make their seder with simple holiness. There is a story told of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz with his shamashim who came across a simple Yid who did not have yet any children. They saw that after saying the berachah of גאל ישראל in the Haggadah he mistakenly started to daven Shemoneh Esrai as we do during Shacharis tefillah. The shamashim began to chukle. The Rebbe said to them that with this davening the Yid accomplished the merit to have a child born to him by next year.
The Spinka Rebbe would say every Seder the story of a simple Yid who's Haggadah was printed with a mistake in the instuctions to cover the matzah ויגביה את הפוס lift the foot instead of lift the הכוס. This simple Yid picked up his foot and said והיא שעמדה לאבותינו . Every year the Spinka Rebbe would relate Kabbalistic teachings based on the mistake of this Yid.
If one's intentions are pure even if it comes out wrong, Hashem counts the mistakes with love. As the Chazal say ודגלו עלי אהבה even your דלגו the skipping of words are upon me with love.
After these two stories we can add another pshat to .ארמי אבד אבי According to the Chizkuni and Ibn Ezra learn that the word ארמי is referring to Yaakov Avinu who when in Aram was אבד which means poor without money. A hint to this interpretation is in the gematria ארמי אבד with its seven letters equals the same as יעקב אבינו. What does this fact have to do with the Seder Night? The Chazal say that there are two types of poverty one physical and one intellectual .אין עני אלא בדעת if one is an עם הארץ not learned he is poor in Torah. One would think if he is a simple Yid what kind of Seder can he have? If one has the sincere intentions to praise sing and thank Hashem, then with his simplicity he can make an outstanding Seder. After all, the matzah which is called לחם עוני poor man's bread is the central food and focus from the Torah this night. Chazal say לחם עוני the matzah is the bread שעונים עליו הרבה שאלות it gives many answers to our questions at this Seder. Even an עני בדעת can play a major role in the Seder and give נחת רוח to the Ribbono Shel Olam.
ואחרי כן יצאו ברכוש גדול \ אברהם אבינו
In Shmos 11,2 the passuk says
דבר נא באזני העם וישאלו איש מאת רעהו ואשה מאת רעותה כלי כסף וכלי זהב
Rashi wrote that the word נא means please. Hashem is requesting to please warn them that the tzadik Avraham should not come and claim to me that from the Bris Bein Habasarim I fulfilled only a partial of it, the segment of being enslaved, but not the part of leaving with a great wealth.
Many commentators ask why Hashem had to come on to the reason that Avraham will become upset if Am Yisrael will leave Mitzrayim without a great wealth. What about Hashem Himself who promised it to Avraham why wouldn't this be enough of a reason that Moshe should ask Bnei Yisrael to collect for themselves the riches of the Egyptians? How good would Hashem look if He didn't keep His word even without Avraham in the persuasion?
In parshas ראה the passuk describes a mitzvah that a master over an Eved Ivri must fulfill at the time of his departure from servitude (Devarim 16 14-15) give him many severance gifts from you flock, your threshing floor and your wine, from whatever Hashem blessed you with.
העניק תעניק לו מצאנך ומגרנך ומיקבך אשר ברכך ה' אלקיך תתן לו וזכרת כי עבד היית בארץ מצרים ויפדך ה' אלקיך
. Rashi comments
והענקתי ושניתי לך מביזת מצרים וביזת הים אף אתה הענק ושנה לו.
When Am Yisrael left Mitzrayim Hashem gave us severance gifts not once but twice, the spoils of Mitzrayim and the spoils left at Yam Suf after the Mitzryiim drowned. You too should follow suit and give twice.
We see from this that Yisrael when they left Mitzrayim had a status of an Eved Ivri who when he leaves his master he is required to give him .הענקה This was the fulfillment of the promise ואחרי כן יצאו ברכוש גדול .
In the sefer משולחן רבי אליהו ברוך he brings an answer from his Rebbi Rav Nachum Perchovitz ztl to the question why Hashem asked Moshe to plead with Yisrael to ensure their taking the wealth of Mitzrayim, vessels of silver and gold etc. in order that Avraham will have no claims against Hashem.
In Avos D'Reb Nosson chapter 7 it says
גדולה הכנסת אורחים של אברהם יותר מאיוב שאיוב היה נותן לאורחים מה שהיו רגילים לאכול ואילו אברהם היה נותן להם אפילו מה שלא היו רגילים לאכול שאיש שאין רגיל לאכול בשר האכילהו בשר את שאין רגיל לשתות יין השקהו יין
That the Hachnasas Orchim of Avraham was greater than Iyuv's. Iyuv would give to his guests whatever they were accustomed to eat and drink. In contrast was Avraham Avinu where he would give his guests foods and drinks that they never experienced in order to heighten and enhance their pleasure. This was the nature of Avraham's chesed par excellence.
To continue with this thought in describing Avraham's divine middas hachesed, Chazal say that in the merit of Avraham's super gemilas chassadim in Hachnasas Orchim, Klal Yisrael received the manna from shamayim (Shmos Rabba 25,5)
א"ר יהודה הלוי ב"ר שלום בשם ר' יונה ואף ר' לוי בשם רבי חמא ב"ר חנינא אמר למ"ב מסעות ירד להם המן והיכן ירד באלוש ולמה באלוש בזכות שאמר אברהם (בראשית יח) לושי ועשי עוגות כך הקב"ה פרע לבניו שנא' הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן השמים:
What is the midah keneged midda? Chazal say that the manna had unlimited flavors and tastes. Whatever one's heart and taste buds desired, that is how the manna tasted. The meforshim ask what type of chesed could Yisrael fulfill in the desert when they were under the Clouds of Glory which took care of all their needs. One of the answers given is that the simple person who always ate simple food was told to think about foods and drinks that were not in their life's experiences in order that they should have more pleasure when they eat. This paralleled Avraham's chesed as he offered delicacies to guests who never ate or drank the like. This was the midah keneged midah.
The word הענק to load up with gifts is from the lashon ענק a giant. A giant requires much more "everything" than a regular person. He eats more, he sees further' his strength is beyond etc. In our eyes there seems to be no limits to his needs. The Baal Haturim (Devarim 15,8) in the mitzvah of הענקה writes אין לה שיעור there is no measurement. The Torah by using this lashon of הענקה for severance presents, is conveying that one must treat his Eved Ivri when he leaves as a giant בלי שיעור.
It takes a giant to recognize another giant. The passuk gives the title of ענק to Avraham Avinu האדם הגדול בענקים (Yehoshua 14,15 Rashi.
Peri Tzaddik Kedushas Shabbos 3
אלא שהוא נקרא האדם הגדול בענקים שהיה גדול מאדם הראשון וכמו שאמרו ז"ל שבא אחריו לתקנו. ועל כן לא נברא תחלה שאם יקלקל מי יתקן. היינו דגם הוא נקרא אדם הגדול ושהוא שורש לבריאת האדם בעולם. וכך אמרו על בהבראם אותיות באברהם ואדם הראשון נתקן ונצרף באבהן כדאיתא בזוהר הקדוש.
Chazal say that when Moshe ascended Har Sinai to receive the Torah the malachim put up a big fuss saying מה לילוד אשה בינינו and Hashem made Moshe's face like the features of Avraham Avinu and said to the malachim weren't you guests by this person who fed you? With this remark they acquiesced that the Torah can be given to mortal man. What exactly changed their minds just because they ate by Avraham?
Staying true with Avraham's "Giant Outlook" on his guests we can explain the above with the Tiferes Shlomo רמזי פסח
הנה ענין המצה היא נקי' בלי שום תערובות טוב ורע כלל ואיננה צריכה ברור כלל לכך נאמר בזוה"ק (ב קפג, ב) כי המצה היא מיכלא דאסוותא (רפואה) שהוא הטוב של הנפש והיא מיכלא דמהמנותא (אמונה) כי בהיות שאין בה תערובות טו"ר כלל הנה הוא באמת טובה להאוכל כי נכון ובטוח שלא יזיק לו כלל לנפשו והוא מיכלא דמהמנותא כנ"ל. והנה כי כן כאשר באו המלאכים אצל אברהם אבינו ע"ה ורצה להנות אותם מנכסיו ובא לתת לפניהם לאכול הנה לא הי' יכול לתת להם מאכלים שהם מתערובות הנ"ל כי לא להם התיקון זה כי הם כולם קדושים וטהורים ע"כ (וכמו שכתב האור חיים הק' על כפל לשון וירא שהבין שהם מלאכים) (יומא כח, ב) כאשר ידע וקיים אברהם אבינו אפי' עירובי תבשילין פי' עירוב המאכלים לברר אותם כנ"ל. לכן טרם נתן לפניהם לאכול נתן לפניהם רק בחי' הטוב ובירר כל התערובת של המאכלים האלו. וזהו (בבא מציעא פו, ב) קמא קמא דתיקן אמטי ואייתי קמייהו. כי הוא תיקן כל המאכלים להשאירם רק בחי' הטוב לבד ואז נתן לפניהם. וזהו (בראשית יח, ז) ויקח בן בקר רך וטוב סיפר לנו הכתוב כי הבן בקר הי' בלי שום תערובות הנ"ל והי' רך וטוב לבד בלי שום תערובות רע כלל. וזהו (שם יח, ח) והוא עומד עליהם תחת העץ ויאכלו כי אז היו נשענים תחת העץ החיים תיקון עץ הדעת ויאכלו והוא עץ החיים הידוע. אבל אצל לוט שלא הי' כוחו גדול כ"כ להעלות כל ברורי המאכלים טרם נתן לפניהם לכן נאמר (שם יט, ג) ומצות אפה ויאכלו לא יכלו לאכול מזבחו רק המצות להיותם בעצמם מבחי' הטוב לבד כמו שנתבאר:
They ate Avraham's food which was spiritual food in a physical form. Avraham realizing that they were malachim purified the food from the effect of the Aitz Hadaas bringing it back before the chait of Adam. This was food that no malach ever tasted until this very moment. It showed the madraiga of Avraham that his chesed was beyond nature above the physical, basically unlimited beyond three dimensions. A malach can never achieve such a feat only a descendant of Avaham Avinu to rectify the Aitz Hadaas and transform it into Aitz Hachayim the Torah. Therefore the Torah is only possible to be given to Am Yisrael. This is the avodah of Avraham who was an ענק even greater than Adam Harishon in Gan Eden with the malachim barbecuing for him meat. In Gan Eden the meat and wine were created pure with no mixture of rah. Avraham out of Gan Eden created that same reality with his avoda. Even with malachim Avraham fed them food they never experienced and they ate it.
Hashem in the Bris Bein Habasarim only promised that Yisrael will leave Mitzrayim with a general wealth unspecified. Being in slavery and bondage for so many years, receiving a generic wealth of הענקה would have been more than enough to satisfy them and leave them thrilled. Only because of Avraham's avodah of chesed who would give his guests foods to eat and beverages to drink way beyond their limited experiences as if they were giants, it was necessary to ask Yisrael to take from Mitzrayim the highest quality of wealth that they possessed, the vessels made of gold and silver, without which Avraham would have had a grievance against Hashem. How can you give giants midget gifts? (see a different opinion in the explanation of Ibn Ezra and Chizkuni Shmos 35,27).
Avraham who contained within himself all the neshamos of Am Yisrael looked at all its members as ענקים individuals as potential giants in avodas Hashem. Even as an embryo in its mother's womb he is able to see from one end of the world to the other side.
עשר מכות
שפיכת היין
By each makka one spills out some of his wine. Wine can distort ones vision of reality and it is dangerous. There is also a drunkenness that is not physical but rather a perversion from the truth שכרת ולא מיין (Yeshaya 51,21). The sefarim explain that the three levels of דצך עדש באחב was to show three clarifications in our Emunas Hashem: אני ה' , אני ה' בקרב הארץ and אין כמוני בכל הארץ. That Hashem exists, there is Hashgachas Hashem, and Hashem Is control of creation and can change nature to what He desires. These are the three emunahs that one must be committed and dedicated to. The Ten Makkos were administered to the Mitzriyim in order that they should sober up and come to the recognition of this reality. Every slight increase and deepening in emunah, removes another part of שטות and drunkenness from one's head and way of thinking.
The Degel Machanei Efrayim writes on the passuk וידעו מצרים כי אני ה' that it also refers to the Mitzrayim within the Yid. The Apikorses outside of the ד' אמות של הלכה is a tsunami of Kefirah. The night of the Seder is a refresher course in sobering up from all the accumulated distortions in our middos that stem from the lack of sobriety from alien infiltration. This is symbolized by removing wine from our cups with each mention of a Makkah. By understanding the incredible Hashgacha of Hashem through each Maakah, the Mitzri and galus that are within us is cleared away in order for us to bring in the Torah Mitzvos Tefillah and Tikkun Haadam which make us the true ambassadors of Hashem. This concept is capsulized with the interpretation of the words יציאת מצרים which literally means the going out of Mitzrayim. It should have rather stated יציאת ישראל ממצרים . This comes to show that the flow of spiritual lights gifted to us at the Seder is also for the purpose to sober up and remove as much as we can, the Mitzri galus culture that lies within is.
מכת דם
ממכת דם העשירו
שמות רבה ט י והדגה אשר ביאור מתה אמר ר' אבין הלוי ברבי ממכת דם העשירו ישראל כיצד המצרי וישראל בבית אחד והגיגית מלאה מים ומצרי הלך למלאות הקיתון מתוכה מוציאה מליאה דם וישראל שותה מים מתוך הגיגית והמצרי אומר לו תן לי בידך מעט מים ונותן לו ונעשו דם ואומר לו נשתה אני ואתה מן קערה אחת וישראל שותה מים והמצרי דם וכשהיה לוקח מישראל בדמים היה שותה מים מכאן העשירו ישראל:
The Chiddushei Harim said that the Ten Maakos correspond to the Ten Mamaros of Creation and to the Ten Dibros. What then is the relationship between the Dibbur לא תחמוד do not covet and the Makkah of ?דם
Rav Naftali Hertz Av Beis Din from Levov says an incredible novelty in this maaka of blood. That the water of the Nile remained clear water. What changed was whenever a Mitzri drew water it immediately turned into blood. Why did Hashem do the Makkah this way? The Chazal tells us that Yidden became rich from this Makkah by selling their water to the Mitzri who paid for it. If we are going to say that the Nile turned into blood and when the Yid would take water it miraculously turned back into water, if so from this water it would be prohibited to make profit since the benefit is being derived from a miracle. Secondly, why would the Torah write that the fish died? If the Nile turned to real blood of course the fish died out of water. Because of these two questions we are forced to say that the water stayed water and did not turn into blood in order the Yidden to make profit from the plague. The fact that the fish died also in water was another miracle to top it off.
Why does a person get jealous and envy the wealth and possesions of someone else? It is because he lacks the emunah that Hashem is the sole power that not only distributes life to each individual daily, but who also decides how much money a person shall earn and how much possessions he should own. If Hashem desires, he can immediately make one rich from a bag of simple flour. He is in charge of all circumstances.
There was a poor woman despite her poverty, she tried to help those less fortunate than her. Every day she baked four loaves of bread keeping one for herself and family and distributed the other three to the poor. One morning after distributing the three loaves, another poor person knocked at her door. She compassionately gave him the remaining loaf and said to herself she will bake another for her family. She took a bag of wheat kernals to the mill next to the sea shore and milled it into flour. She started carrying the bag of flour over her shoulders when suddenly a gust of wind came and thrust the bag into the ocean. The woman was devastated especially since she was moser nefesh to give her only loaf away to a poor person. Where is the justice? There was a yeshiva near rhe shore and she entered to relate to the Rosh Yeshiva her misfortune. He too said this doesn't seem right. While they were talking two merchants came in and put down on the table two bags of money as a donation. When the Rosh inquired what the special occasssion was? They replied to exprees our gratitude to Hashem for the miracle of saving our ship from sinking, after it hit a large boulder. We promised Hashem that if we will be saved we will donate a large sum of money to the first yeshivah we see. As soon as we made the promise a miracle happened and something plugged up the hole to stop the water from rushing in. What stuffed up the hole, asked the Rosh Yeshiva. They answered a sack of flour. The flour became dough in the sea and glued the bag onto the ship in the exact place to plug the hole and our lives were saved. The Rosh Yeshiva turned to her and said you were wondering why you deserved a punishement for your mesiras nefesh? Hashem was giving you a reward for you chesed with mesiras nefesh. You now merited to save the lives of all the people on the ship.
In this Makkah of Blood, Hashem made from what was free water from the Nile River into one of the most expensive items to be purchased. To boot, every Yid had a monopoly on it. If you don't have what someone else has, there is a reason for it and it is in your best interest not to own it, even though you might not understand why. Hashem can make you rich from plain water if He wanted to.
Now we can understand why the Makka of דם parallels the issur of לא תחמד for when one clearly understands that if Hashem wants to give you what your friend has of which you are jealous, He would give it to you if it was beneficial for you to possess. The gematria of לא תחמד with its two words equals the inner letters of הדם which are .ה לית מ they both equal שכינה. Before one gets jealous he should think about the power of the Shechinah.
Note that the inner letters of הדם are the same letters that spell תהלים which means praises. One has to thank and say daily praises and gratitude to Hashem for his life as the passuk says כי הדם הוא הנפש. One must praise Hashem daily for redeeming us from the bondage of Egypt and setting us free. This is also hinted in the word תהלים the letters תל are the 430 years in Mitzrayim and the lettersהים which hints to the miracle of crossing the Yam Suf which we say every day. עם זו יצרתי לי תהלתי יספרו. The nation I created for myself (in Mitzrayim) should sing my praises. Reciting Tehillim to Hashem will place within a person the proper perspective that he must depend upon Hashem for everything and that Hashem possesses the power to create the world anew every second giving to each individual his needs and fulfilling his lack, in order for man to complete his mission to cleave to Hashem.
חושך
אין קטרוג ביעקב
The Makkah of חושך preceded the Makkah of Makkas Bechoros. On the passuk בני בכרי ישראל (Shmos 4,24) Rashi writes that with this statement Chazal say Hashem sealed His agreement with Yaakov buying from Aisav his birthright. This message was to be given over to Pharaoh as a warning that He will kill all the Egyptian first borns. This was brought to Phararoh's attention in order to remove any non belief that Makas Bechoros cannot happen because there is a kitrug on Yaakov and his descendants for pushing Aisav into the sale by taking advantage of him. If so, then it would not be just for Hashem to kill Egyptian first borns of Mitzrayim and save the first born of Yisrael after what Yaakov wrongly did.
People tend to forget what they don't want to remember. חשך אותיות שכח. Hashem sent a reminder to Pharoah in order that he should remember that the בכר rights and priviledges of Aisav was a legal sale and therefore no kitrug will be able to stop the firstborn of Mitzrayim's deaths. The makka of חושך was Pharaoh's reminder that the sale was very just and Yaakov became the bechor of the two.
Going back to the sale of Yaakov he told Aisav מכרה כיום את בכרתך לי as Rashi explains that your sale to me should be as clear as day. However the meforshim ask how can one sell a birthright of bechor when he wasn't physical born first? The Skulener Rebbe ztl answers with a Medrash. The deeds of tzadikim are compared to light and day which is in contrast to the deeds of reshaiim which are compared to darkness and night. We see in Chumash that Hashem only places His name in reference to the light and day as the passuk says ויקרא אלקים לאור יום ולחשך קרא לילה Hashem called the light day and He called the darkness night. Chazal say that Hashem only placed His name by the light and the day and not by the darkness and night, even though the night and darkness were created first ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד. So too says the Rebbe, that Hashem places His name on the tzadikim and not the reshaiim even if they were born first in the process of creating of Am Yisrael.
Now we can understand why the Makkah of חושך preceded the makka of Makas bechoros. It was the proof that Hashem sealed His agreement on the sale of Aisav's bechora to Yaakov. The Chazal say that there was light to Yidden even while standing in the four amos of a Mitzri. This demonstrated that Hashem rests his name with light and virtuos people like Am Yisrael and not amongst the idlolater worhsippers.
This takes us back to Hashem's introduction given over to Moshe to say before Pharoah בני בכרי ישראל . The makkah of חושך was the last makkah that Moshe did before Pharaoh as a reminder of the 10th to come. The next makkah is by Hashem Himself as He called Yisrael His son. Hashem is light אור אין סוף and He favors the people who choose and spread the light of Hashem over any other nation.
ליל שמורים
נתבטלו כל השומרים
The night of the Pesach is called ליל שמרים (Shmos 12,42) the night of watchfulness. In order to understand the deeper meaning of this special night we will bring the words of the Bnei Yissaschar (מאמר ד ,א) to enlighten us. The Zohar calls matzah the food of emunah. Which emunah does the matzah give us? The matzos seem to play a major role in Yetzias Mitzayim as the passuk says (Smos 12,17)
ושמרתם את המצות כי בעצם היום הזה הוצאתי את צבאותיכם מארץ מצרים.
In what way can the matzos reshape our hearts and minds to increase our navigation towards avodas Hashem?
The difference between matzah and chometz is that chometz rises on its own without any manipulation and input from the one who kneaded the dough. It has physically changed in the process of being baked. This is unlike the matzah whose physical appearance and size has not changed in the baking process. The only difference is that it is now baked and edible.
The generation who was enslaved in Egyptian bondage believed in avoda zara especially to the lamb which was the chief of all eleven mazalos. Everything in life is watched and guided by the constellations. When it came to Yetzias Mitzrayim on the 15th of Nissan, the mazal lamb טלה was at its height of strength. Nevertheless Hashem overrode all of nature including the mazal טלה making it totally dysfunctional. It was then that the entire world realized and acknowleged (koheles 5,4) גבוה מעל גבוה שומר higher and beyond higher, שומר, Hashem is the watcher and controller of everything. The lashon higher and higher refers to the mazal טלה who is the highest mazal, on the 15th of Nissan when the mazal reigins at its peak, Hashem is still higher. Ak"d.
The night of the Seder is called .ליל שמורים הוא לה' Every individual has שומרים guardians throughout his life. When he is young his parents are his shomrim who watch over him and take care of his needs. A person owns a house and feels protected inside of it. Just to make sure, he installed the most expensive security and fire alarms connected to the police, a security service that drives on his block every 15 minutes, he tripled the bolts on all the doors. What could go wrong? Just look at all those recent people who suddenly lost their homes and their contents because a gigantic fire went rampant in California. All the alarms went off as planned, the police and fire engines finally came but there was absolutely nothing to save but yourselves.
A man has so much money and therefore spreads his money in different banks. In each of his banks he has his money insured with other insurances in case his bank suddenly goes bankrupt. Now he feels very secure with him money. One thing he doesn't realize is that even though according to the laws of nature this individual won't probably lose his money. However, Hashem has an alternative path even in nature and that is to remove him from his money ch"v. October was a month when we learned that you cannot trust the IDF to protect you since they are humans with flaws and they still can make horrific negligent deadly errors. שומר חייב בפשיעה
אל תבטחו בנדיבים בבן אדם שאין לא תשועה.
אם ה' לא יבנה בית שוא עמלו בוניו בו אם ה' לא ישמר עיר שוא שקד שומר
Every day in davening we have to remind ourselves that all physical shomrim are fallible for after all they are creations of Man even AI.
שומר ישראל שמור שארית ישראל שומר גוי אחד שמור שארית עם אחד שומר גוי קדוש שמר שארית עם קדוש
At the night of the Seder Klal Yisrael realizes that all our shomrim in nature cannot be fully trusted unless the main שומר behind all nature agrees with your hishtadlus because you find favor with your alleigance to Him.
שומר ה' את כל אוהביו
At the Seder night we must come to realize that we must be MP's matzah people and not chometz people. Matzah lives live with the understanding that Hashem is in control of everything of yours except for bechirah between good and evil. Nature and physical aspects of life such as parnassah do not normally change from the way the Master of the universe assings your role. You are not as free as you think to like chametz to expand and rise where ever your heart desires, if Hashem did not have this in mind for you. Tonight we conclude ליל שמורים הוא לה' that all our shomrim in our lives, even retirement funds, will not always go as we planned. Rather it must go with Hashem's plans in order for them to work. .גבוה מעל גבוה שומר
We must eat and learn the lesson of Matzah which is a segulah to acquire this emunah above. ושמרתם את המצות we must watch the matzos that they and us don't become chametz. Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim in the middle of this day the mazal טלה at its pinnacle where we were witness how no natural or human powers can override Hashem's will.
בני בכרי ישראל
מכרה כיום בכרתך לי
Hashem tells Moshe (Shmos 4,22) to go down to Pharoah and tell him that Yisrael is my bechor. Rashi comments that with this sentence Hashem conveyed that he agreed to Yaakov's buying from Aisev the birthright and all its ramifications. Why did Hashem wait until the geulah to reveal his pleasure with such a sale? We see from this that the selling of the birthright relates to Yetzias Mitzrayim specifically.
The Keli Yakar (Devarim 4,20) connects these two events together the sale of the bechorah and Yetzias Mitzrayim on the following passuk with a sort of גזירה שוה
ואתכם לקח ה' ויוצא אתכם מכור הברזל ממצרים להיות לו לעם נחלה "כיום" הזה
Hashem took you out from the iron furnace from Mitzrayim to be to Him a nation of inheritance like this day.
כיום הזה קאי על מה שנאמר ואתכם לקח מכור הברזל. המנקה הכסף מכל סיג ופסולת עד שיהיה נקי וזך ברה כחמה כך נזדכך חומר שלכם בעינוי מצרים עד שנעשה ברור כשמש, ע"ז אמר להיות לו לעם נחלה כיום הזה כגלגל היומי וכמ"ש ואוהביו כצאת השמש בגבורתו וכן מכרה כיום (בראשית כה לא) תרגומו כיום דלהן שהוא ברור בלא סיג ופסולת כך מכור לי מכירה ברורה ברה כחמה עכ"ד.
We see a connection between the Mechirah of the first born rights with Yetzias Mitzrayim in the words כיום. The sale of the birth right should be free from any unclarity like the sun. So too by Yisrael being in bondage to Mitzrayim it was comparable to entering an Iron Furnace to remove the impurities of gold until you came out totally refined like the light of the sun a"k. A hint to this connection is found in the word מכור to sell and מ(י)כור from the furnace conveying that they both brought out a product of clarity.
Let us revisit the actual sale in Chumash and Chazal and uncover an even deeper connection. The day that the sale occurred was on the day that Avraham Avinu died. Yaakov was in Aveilus and was making a seudas havraah for Yitzchak as the custom of Aveilim. He made נזיד עדשים a red soup of lentils which is the customary food which is round showing that death is part of the life cycle. Aisv comes to Yaakov and says that he is tired and famished. Chazal interpret the word עיף as describing an individual who just committed horrific aveiros.
אמר רבי יוחנן חמש עבירות עבר אותו רשע באותו היום בא על נערה מאורסה, והרג את הנפש, וכפר בעיקר, וכפר בתחיית המתים, ושט את הבכורה. בא על נערה מאורסה כתיב הכא ויבא עשו מן השדה וכתיב התם כי בשדה מצאה הרג את הנפש כתיב הכא עיף וכתיב התם אוי נא לי כי עיפה נפשי להורגים וכפר בעיקר כתיב הכא למה זה לי וכתיב התם זה אלי ואנוהו וכפר בתחיית המתים דכתיב הנה אנכי הולך למות ושט את הבכורה דכתיב ויבז עשו את הבכורה
Aisav until the day of his grandfather's death on the outside seemed ok. In fact he had a lot going for him. The sefarim tell us that he was supposed to split 12 Shevatim with Yaakov, each giving birth to six. He also was carrying two special neshamos of Klal Yisrael who were the basis of Torah Sh'be'al Peh Rabbe Akivah and Rabbe Meir. They were both descendants of geirim who came from Aisav. Nevertheless he gave it all up for the pursuit of physical interests and bodily cravings. On that day of Avraham's death his direction and purpose of life was unabashly publicly made.
Chazal said that it wasn't a coincidence that Aisav's declaration of perverted purpose occurred on the day Avraham died. In truth Avraham was to live another five years to 180 just like Yitzchak but Hashem took him from this world in order not have anguish seeing his grandson turn himself to be completely unaffiliated and distanced from Hashem. The five aveiros that Aisav transgressed that day paralleled the five years that were taken away from his life because of Aisav's wreckless descision to lead a life of hedonism. One aveirah for every year.
On this very same day, Yaakov removed from Aisav the bechorah and took upon himself and his descendants to be Hashem's ambassadors in the world. The bechorah was transferred from an individual of tumah to one who was full of Torah and kedusha. Without the transfer of bechorah who knows for sure if there would have been a Yetzias Mitzrayim. After all it was this fact of Hashem validating Yaakov's buying of the bechora from Aisav with which Moshe came before Pharoah and demanded that if you don't send out My bechor, you will suffer.
If it wasn't for this legitimized sale who knows if Moshiach would come. This sale had a big impact in Moshiach's coming since the gematria of עדשים is.משיח בן דוד In the tefillah of Nishmas we say about the world recognition of Hashem's presence in the future will be expressed with the words מי ידמה לך מי ישוה לך ומי יערך לך. The three verbs of praise have an acronym of עדש which hints to the lentil soup. The sale of the bechorah, was also executed by the לחם which also alludes to Moshiach as we say in Lecha Dodiעל יד בן ישי בית הלחמי because Dovid was born in .בית לחם
Before we continue with this thought there is another reason that Avraham died prematurely. When Rivka couldn't give birth Yitzchak davened for her with great strength until it caused Hashem פיוס appeasement and פיתוי seduction to answer his tefillah (Rashi). What was the issue that Yitzchak's tefillah had to appease and seduce Hashem? Rav Yosef Sonnenfeld ztl answered because by listening to Yitzchak's tefillah Aisav was born five years earlier which meant that Avraham would have to die five years prematurely in order not to see Aisav reject the mesorah of Avraham. That is why to answer Yitzchak's tefillos it needed Hashem to allow himself to be appeased and seduced. A phenomenal hint Rav Yosef gave to support this interpretation and that is the gematria of ויעתר לו ה' is the gematria of חמש שנים referring to the five years that Avraham would lose because Hashem answered Yitzchak's very strong tefillah now, as seen from the word ויעתר. When Rav Aron Kotler ztl was told this gematriah he excitedly remarked that this was said with ruach hakodesh.
So now we have two reasons for Avraham's loss of five years of his life. One cause was in order not to see Aisav go off the derech. Secondly Yitzchak's tefillah was so strong that Hashem answered his tefilla now and did not wait five years which would have allowed Avraham to have lived to a full 180 years just like Yitzchak. This premature death Hashem was appeased with.
מעשה אבות סימן לבנים whatever the Avos achieved, they left an impression for the future generations. The selling of the bechora paved the road for Yisrael to leave Mitzrayim prematurely. This is hinted in the words וחמשים עלו בני ישראל מארץ מצרים. Chazal interpret this word to mean multiples of 5 such as 1/5 1/50 1/500 of Am Yisrael left in the geulah while the remainder died in Maakas Choshech. We can now explain the word חמשים as the plural of a set of five ((חמש. It is referring to the two reasons mentioned above why Avraham died five years earlier specifically on that very day that Yaakov bought the bechora from Aisav who because of his evil actions that day, thereby forfeited it.
Avraham died not to see Aisav who possessed the potential of six shevatim and Torah Shbe'al Peh sink into the 50th level. This action programmed a similar future reaction to Avraham's descendants to hasten prematurely Yetzias Mitzrayim. For if not the premature geulah from Mitzrayim, Yisrael would have also sunk into the 50th level of tuma causing intense anguish to Avraham Avinu. This relationship of the the loss of five years from Avraham because of Yitzchak's tefillah and the premature exodus from Mitzrayim, is alluded to in the gematria of עתר with its three letters which equals בכרי ישראל which made possible Yetzias Mitzrayim before they sunk into fifty levels of tumah. The בני בכרי ישראל was an allusion to the solution and that is to leave prematurely because of מעשה אבות סימן לבנים .
מכת בכורת
כחצות הלילה
כה אמר ה' כחצות הלילה אני יוצא בתוך מצרים why did Moshe Rabbeinu say כחצות with the letter כ which translates as about midnight. Hashem smote the first born at exactly midnight? To understand this we have to first explain the matter of the Seven Planets according to Chazal. There are seven planets that have particular Mazalos besides the 12 constellations. Their names are .שבתאי צדק מאדים חמה נוגה כוכב לבנה They are hinted in the קל אדון that we say on Shabbos morning. The planets of שמש ולבנה are explicity mentioned in this payut because they can be seen in the sky. The remaining five are hinted to in the words שבח נותנים לו כל צבא מרום – שבתאי נוגה כוכב צדק מאדים. Each planet has a malach in charge of their energy flow. At midnight the mazal Maadim reigns. This mazal is represented by סמ-אל the head angel of Edom and Aisav who finds prosecution against Am Yisrael not only in Mitzrayim but in the Four Galiyos as well. Maadim had to be subdued and subjugated in order for Yisrael to have a geulah from Mitzrayim. However, by nullifying any kitrug from Mazal Maadim, Hashem also prepared for Yisrael the final geulah by removing the kitrug from the סמ-אל. Proof is from the Targum הוא הלילה הזה לה' שמורים לכל בני ישראל לדורותם which the Targum Yosnosan explains למיפרקהון מגלוותהון לדריהון to redeem them in all their galiyos.
However by this occurring at midnight, there is a flaw that Mitzrayim will defend themselves of not feeling guilty for the lack of recognizing Hashem for they would say that it was Mazal Maadim (which translates as blood and represents murder) which brought about the killing of their first born and not Hashem. Mitzrayim believed in mazalos and not in the supernatural powers over them. To uproot this false notion, Hashem prepared His appearing in Mitzrayim by revealing His Shechinah in Mazal Tzedek just before Mazal Maadim reigned. This mazal of Tzedek symbolizes טובה וחיים חמלה . Since the revelation of the Shechina for the purpose of killing the bechorim appeared in Mazal Tzedek it demonstrated that what happened in Maadim was a supernatural act of killing all the first borns from a Mazal of חיים וטוב. Hashem the omnipotent can change mazalos around to fit His desire. This also showed אין מזל לישראל that Hashem intervenes with His people above the law of nature and mazalos.
The truth is that Makas Bechoros occurred exactly at midnight as the passuk says. Moshe Rabbeinu told Pharaoh כחצות because he was talking about Hashem's preparation of bringing in His Shechina before chatzos in order to show Mitzrayim that Hashem is above all the mazalos and He intervenes to have rachmanus for His nation Yisrael. That is why we find the lashon (Shmos 12,12) ועברתי בארץ מצרים and אני יוצא. These lashonos are referring to the גילוי שכינה which occurred during Mazal Tzedek. However the actual killing of the Bechorim happened exactly at .חצות
With this we can understand the nusach we say in Maariv ויוצא את עמו ישראל מתוכם לחרות עולם. How can that be if we went through four galiyos after Mitzrayim? The answer is that חירות עולם is referring to being freed from the mazalos's influences because אין מזל לישראל happened during Yetzias Mitzrayim (Bnei Yissaschor mamar 4 derush 2 and 9).
This thought can be extended to interpret the pessukim which we recite when we put on Tefillin on our hand.
וארשתיך לי לעולם וארשתיך לי בצדק ובמשפט בחסד וברחמים וארשתיך לי באמונה וידעת את ה' (הושע ב כא).
We suggest that these pessukim can be talking about the night of the Yetzias Mitzrayim starting at the night of the Seder and ending with Kerias Yam Suf. The night of Makas Bechoros we became the kallah of Hashem (Shmos Rabba 23,5). וארשתיך לי לעולם is a lashon of אירוסין and kiddushin. When did this happen? וארשתיך לי בצדק ובמשפט ובחסד וברחמים. It occurred in the Mazal צדק which was Hashem's preparation of doing משפט judgment of the Mitzriyim. Simultaneously Hashem skipped over Yiddeshe houses which was חסד ורחמים as Rashi says פסח is a lashon of רחמים (Shmos 12,23). After Makas Bechoros וארשתיך לי באמונה וידעת את ה' which occurred at Kerias Yam Suf which was the end of Yetzias Mitzrayim it is written ויאמינו בה' ובמשה עבדו and זה קלי ואנוהו they pointed with their finger which is the bechinah of וידעת את ה'.
We do צדקה at the Seder by inviting needy people "Kol Dichfin". Why does the Seder begin with tzedaka? It is because we want to show also that it was with mazal צדק that Hashem did makas bechoros and saved bechorei Yisrael. That is the hachana preparation to our seder which parallels Hashem's preparation to Makas Bechoros when we became בני בכרי ישראל.
קריעת ים סוף
צורת השירה
Why is the shiras Hayam written with large spaces in between phrases? We can answer this with the interpretation of the Meshech Chachma Shmos 14,29. In the Shira it is written והמים להם חמה מימינם ומשמאלם . the second time this phrase is written it spells חמה(wall) without the letter vov and it can be read chaima (with anger). This lets us know that the waters were reluctant to split and remain so for Yisrael to pass over. After all the Yidden in Mitzrayim served idolatry just as the Egyptians. However they did teshuvah and believed in Hashem, circumcised their children etc. therefore we do not find any kitrug prosecution against Am Yisrael when they left Mitzraim and therefore Hashem gifted them with Amud of fire and the amud of the Cloud. Why wasn't the Mitzriyim treated the same? when at Kerias Yam Suf they said "I will flee from Yisrael because Hashem was fighting on their behalf in Mitzrayim". Wasn't this also teshuva to the point that this acknowlegement even merited them to get buried (Shmos 15,12 Rashi). What was the difference between their teshuvas that their fates were polarized with life and death?
The Meshech Chachmah explains the difference as follows. The Yidden worshiped avoda zarah from hard servitude which made them broken, weak spirited and unsettled. However their teshuva was not from any similar pressure because six months before the geulah, the bondage ceased and the Maakos to Mitzrayim took place. Their decision to do teshuvah was sincere for it came from seeing the emes by themselves without no outside pressure. They had plenty of room and space to think it out well before they committed themselves. Just the opposite was true by the Mitzriyim. Their avoda zarah was not from any pressure or weakening of spirit but rather they took full responsibility for their choice. However their teshuvah came from their fear of drowning in the Sea and it wasn't Lishmah עכת"ד.
Now we can answer the form of the shira why it was written with large spaces in between the phrases. The spaces of the shira belong to Am Yisrael who did their teshuvah for their avodah zara with sincerity and plenty of space to think it through. It came without pressure. The Mitzriyim's teshuvah came with no spaces but from the fear of dying and therefore it wasn't Lishma to be saved completely even though it was still enough to merit burial.
The deaths of the Mitzriyim are described in the words סוס ורכבו רמה בים . the רוכב is the rider the סוס is the outside power that ran wild as the driver lost complete control. This symbolizes that the Egyptians did teshuvah by a force not in their control – לא לשמה (ulterior motives). If one takes the gematriah of כי גאה גאה סוס ורכבו it is the same as בלא לשמה.
Shmos 4,5 Pharaoh said "מה זאת" עשינו כי שלחנו את ישראל מעבדנו . The Bnei Yisrael used the same expression when they saw the Mitzriyim approaching "מה זאת" עשית לנו להוציאנו ממצרים. The answer is כי גאה גאה סוס ורכבו ירה בים is the gematria of זאת. This is the same word we say when introducing Kerias Yam Suf in Shacharis in the bracha after Shma, על זאת שבחו אהובים וכול' מי כמוך . Our essential kavannah is not that we were saved but rather כי גאה גאה סוס ורכבו.Haashem's kovid and glory were uplifted.
דיינו
אילו קרבנו לפני הר סיני ולא נתן לנו את התורה דיינו
If you have brought us to Har Sinai and had not given us the Torah it would have been enough. How could that be if the entire purpose of the Yidden's enslavement was to prepare them to receive the Torah? The Magen Avraham asks how can we say on the 6th day of Sivan the Yom Tov of Shavuos זמן מתן תורתינו. We paskin like Rav Yossi that the Torah was given on the 7th day of Sivan since Moshe Rabbeinu added on an extra day of preparation three days instead of two? The Chidushei Harim answers that two Torahs were given to Yisrael at Sinai. One was on the seventh of Sivan which was the Written Law. However the Oral Law was given on the sixth day of Sivan. For by Hashem pushing off His own chosen date and instead gave the Torah to Yisrael on Moshe Rabbeinu's later date by his adding an extra day preparation, Hashem handed over the power to our Chachamim to develop and interpret the Torah Sbe'al Peh to which all Yisrael must adhere to.
Now we can understand the Baal Haggadah's statement that if Hashem brought us to Har Sinai and not give us the Torah דיינו . He means to say if Hashem would have given us the Written Torah elaborating all the many details that we would need to know to the end of time, and not empowred us by handing לנו the great privledge to continuously interpret the Written Torah, it would have been sufficient.
דיינו
אילו האכילנו את המן ולא נתן לנו את השבת
The lesson of the מן was that each one deserves what he gets without any surplus or deficiency. The manna was delivered to each individual according to his madraiga. The rasha had to to bother and schlepp to the field in order to collect his portion. The beinoni, the manna fell in front of his tent. The manna of the tzadik fell into his tent. Hashem was very exact with this present from heaven.
So too Hashem's gift of the neshama yesaira on Shabbos also depends on one's madraigah during the week. The greater the "struggle" victories that one had achieved for Hashem and His Torah, the greater the neshamah he receives. As we say in Zemiros שכרו הרבה מאד על פי פעלו the reward of the neshama yesairah one receives on Shabbos is dependent upon his avoda during the days leading up to the Shabbos. Once one learns this lesson of לפום צערא אגרא from the manna with the distribution of the heavenly bread, it would not be necessary for the Shabbos to teach us the same lesson with its heavenly gift of the neshama yesaira.
We can also explain this in the same fashion as before. Shabbos is the source of creation every week as the Ohr Chaim explains. How can we exist without the Shabbos. Yet there is a Shabbos that we ourselves make as the Torah says לעשות את השבת that we also make the Shabbos by the mitzvah of tosfos Shabbos to add on part of the weekday to the Shabbos. It would have been fine if Hashem did not include לנו us as His partner in the making of Shabbos with this mitzvah - דיינו.
מצה
Matzah is from the lashon of ימצה Parshas Vayikrah (5,9) which means to squeeze (out the blood). The Zohar calls matzah food of emunah. Every Yid is born with a built in emunah in Hashem אנחנו מאמינים בני מאמינים . The Yesod of Pesach is emuna. The matzah that we eat has the segulah to squeeze something that is embedded deep and won't come out on its own. The night of the Seder is the time to squeeze the emunah out onto the surface. Matzah makes this task easy.
A big deparment store in N.Y. advertised a new miraculous orange squeezer that it squeezes the last drop out of the orange. They even gave a public gurantee on it to the point that one day they advertised that everyone is invited tomorrow to come to the store and win the $1000 prize. All you have to do is to produce one drop of orange juice after the orange was processed by the magic machine. As expected there were lines of people determined to beat the magic squeezer but they all failed and couldn't produce a drop. An old Jew took his turn and low and behold he squeezed 20 drops. The people were so flabbergasted that the director came running out to meet the winner with the check in hand. He asked the Yid what did you to make a living. He answered I was a meshulech for an institution and my job was to squeeze each donator for money even though he claimed he had none to give.
We are all meshulachim of Hashem with a mission in life. Our task is to always squeeze ourselves a drop more and upgrade our avodas Hashem. Tonight the matzah you eat will help you bring out your potential in a strong way.
מצה
מצות צדקה
The Likutei Maharan 201 writes that the word מצת is the acronym צדקה תציל ממות (Mishlei 11,4). By giving tzedaka one can stop his spiritual fallings as we find in the acronym of פזר נתן לאביונים (Tehillim 112) is the word נפל. By giving out your money to the poor you stop the fall.
Let us extend this thought and see how it relates to Pesach and Yetzias Mitzrayim. Every letter of the Aleph Beis begins a passuk in Ashrei in alphabetical order with the exception of the letter nun. Chazal explain the reason for its omission. The letter nun possesses negative energy because it is the first letter of the passuk נפלה לא תוסיף קום בתולת ישראל . The virgin Yisrael fell and will never get up again. The obvious question is that there are other pessukim that begin with the letter nun that send positive messages as well. Likewise there are other letters in the Aleph Beis that begin with letters that send negative messages?
Rav Moshe Shapiro ztl explained the kavanah of Chazal to mean that if one would split the Aleph Beis into two parts, the middle letter would be the nun belonging to no side. Therefore the letter nun in its intrinsic nature is a letter נופל since it is not supported by either section of the Aleph Beis.
Yet Chazal say concerning this spiritual decline that it is also hinted in this same passuk just the opposite depending on placing the comma in a different spot נפלה לא תוסיף, קום בתולת ישראל "She fell but will not continue to fall. Get up the virgin of Yisrael". This is why that after the missing nun comes the letter samech with the words סומך ה' לכל הנופלים That Hashem supports those who fall. From where did our Chachamim know to place the comma there in order for the same passuk to have a positive and hopeful message? We can answer from the last word בתולה virgin.
The sefarim tell us that no matter what level a Yid finds himself he must be aware that there is within him an irrevocable and indestructible core that is called בתולה . Just as the word בתולה describes a woman who was never physically defiled and penetrated from an outside force, so too every Yid possesses a purity connection with Hashem that never changes no matter what the circumstances are. There is a spark of holiness whose fire never extinguishes. That is why בתולה with the word adds up to מקדש, a place where the Shechina dwells as it is written .ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם
The Chidushei Harim calls this inner core מגן אברהם the shield of Avraham. Being the first Yid, his avodas Hashem attained that this inner deveikus of unadulterated love with Hashem will always remain and never be lost. This avodah continued with Yitzchak and Yaakov. This is hinted in the word מאבת from the Fathers which is gematriah בתולה ) Shmos 4,5) Yaakov who excelled in the middah of אמת was the last of the Avos to build this irrevocable relationship with Hashem. This is alluded to in the gematriah of באמת which also equals בתולה .
Another name for his inner core of love and emunah is the word בנים which describes a relationship of a father and son. In contrast to a married or servant and master relationship, it is inseparable just as the DNA in one's body. The passuk says בנים אתם לה' אלקיכם that Am Yisrael has an exclusive relationship with Hashem shared by no other existence in creation. This is hinted in the word אתם which contain the letters of אמת . Our relationship with Hashem who is called the אלופו של עולם is eternal and overpowers the letters of מת – expiration making this father son relationship תם complete and never missing.
It is only when we fall spiritually one finds himself in a state of despair by thinking that this relationship with Hashem has been damaged and doesn't exist any more, which fosters a further decline and weakness in avodas Hashem. This is the ploy of Amalek to cool one off קרך from one's emunah and inner love of Hashem called בתולה which contain the letters לבת ו"ה the flame of the last two letters of Hashem's name. That is why Amalek attacked הנחשלים the weak ones who the Clouds of Glory spit out from the regular camp of Yisrael. The word הנחשלים equals ,בתולה those who were weak in their steadfast irremovable connection with Hashem.
This is hinted in the passuk בנים אתם לה' אלקיכם לא תתגדדו ולא תשימו קרחה בין עיניכם למת . The word תתגדדו has the root word גד which means to cut off and sever. As Chazal say that Gad was born without a foreskin as if he had a Bris Milah. Other meforshim learn that בגד is from the lashon of בגידהa rebellion which is a cut off of loyalty. The Torah is hinting that our relationship of Father and son with Hashem should foster our emunah no matter how much we fall from Hashem. We should not erroneously think that we are cut off from the Besulah within our depths. Don't look and view your life as ifלא תתגודדו there is a bald spot קרחה on which hair will never grow again. You are not severed from Hashem eternally. When do these thoughts enter one's heart and mind? When one feels that he is part of הנחשלים , that he is already severed from his relationship that is everlasting, and he lies in a coma state which is described as .מת
A third partner to בתולה ובנים is the mitzvah of .צדקה this is based on a gemarah Baba Basra 10 brought in the Beis Halevi derush 1
והנה במסכת בבא בתרא (דף י א) איתא טורנוסרופוס הרשע שאל את רבי עקיבא אם אלהיכם אוהב עניים מפני מה אינו מפרנסן אמר לו כדי שניצול אנו בהן מדינה של גיהנם, אמר לו אדרבה זו מחייבכם אמשול לך משל למה הדבר דומה למלך בשר ודם שכעס על עבדו וחבשו בבית האסורין וצוה עליו שלא להאכילו ושלא להשקותו, והלך אדם אחד והאכילו והשקהו כששמע המלך לא כועס עליו ואתם קרוין עבדים שנאמר כי לי בני ישראל עבדים. אמר לו רבי עקיבא אמשול לך משל למה הדבר דומה למלך שכעס על בנו וחבשו בבית האסורין וצוה עליו שלא להאכילו ושלא להשקותו, והלך אדם אחד והאכילו והשקהו, כששמע המלך לא דורון הוא משגר רצונו של מקום קרוין בנים וכשאין אתם עושין רצונו של מקום קרוין עבדים, ועכשיו אין אתם עושין רצונו של מקום, אמר לו הרי הוא אומר (ישעיה נח ז) הלא פרס לרעב לחמך. היוצא מכל זה דטעם מצות צדקה הוא משום דאנו קרוין בנים:
Turnusrafus the wicked, asked Rabbe Akiva if your g-d loves poor people then why doesn't he support them? He answered in order to save us from Gehenom by the merit of donating to them. Turnosrofos asked just the opposite is true. It is compared to a king that got angry by his servant and placed him in jail (galus) and commanded not to feed him or give him to drink. One individual went and fed him will not the king be angry at him for his forbidden deed? Being in galus Yisrael are compared to avadim.
Rabbe Akiva answered that your analogy is wrong. Rather we are compared to a son of a king who acted inappropriately for a prince, and was sent to jail by his father with the orders not to feed him or give him to drink. If an individual will come and secretly feeds the prince and gives him to drink do you think the king will be angry at his benefactor or will he be happy about his disobedience. Even in galus we are still called sons of Hashem.
What we learn from this gemarah is that giving tzedaka even during galus when Hashem is obviously disenchanted with us, nevertheless brings out the fact that our relationship with Hashem is one of בנים אתם . That even if Am Yisrael had a great fall into galus we know for sure that eventually we will be redeemed for our life line is tied to us securely by our inner core of בתולה ובנים.
Now we can explain the Likutei Moharan that מצת refers to tzedakah which saves one from death. The sefarim write that death can mean spiritual death and falling. The matzah of Pesach symbolizes humility and bittul the opposite of Chametz which rises and symbolizes haughtiness. Matzah represented the inner core of a Yid the besulah and בנים relationship that is irrevocable. בנים is gematriah אמונה which runs deeper that human logic. Here is Yisrael on the 49th level of tumah and they go into the desert without any food preparation only because Hashem said so. On such an act of self negation the Navi says in the name of Hashemזכרתי לך חסד נעוריך אהבת כלולותיך לכתך אחרי במדבר בארץ לא זרועה . The gematria of the acronym חסד אהבת כלולותיך לכתך אחרי במדבר בארץ לא זרועה עה"כ adds up to אמונה ובנים. No matter how far Yisrael falls, the Pintelleh Yid is alive and well. When it is time for its revelation we are ready to experience the geulah with a "kick start" from it.
The Zohar parshas בא that matzah is called food of emunah מיכלא דימהימנותא. That is why we find that מצה (with the word) equals אמונה בלב . also the word מצות עה"כ equals .אמונת On Pesach especially at the Seder, one can tap into the inner core of בתולה unadulterated emunah in Hashem, and the aspect of בנים
The sefarim write that the word צדקה in the gematriah of א"ת ב"ש ג"ר remains the word צדקה. For the letter צ has its counterpart the letter ה, the letter ד has the shidduch with the letter ק, the letter ק has the match with the letter ד and the letter ה meets with the letter צ. What this gematriah conveys to us is that with all the ups and downs, flung from one end of the Aleph Beis to the other, the word צדקה remains צדקה without changing. This is what the passuk alludes to וצדקתו עומדת לעד (Tehillim 111,3). That is why צדקה is the mitzvah that symbolizes בנים and בתולת ישראל our unalterable relationship with Hashem. If one takes the gematriah of בתולת with the kolel it will match the gematriah of צדקה with the hidden letters צדיק דלת קוף הי. The gematria בתולה אמונה (with the two words) equals חג מצות. Chag Hamatzos is the time to come in contact with a deeper faith and commitment in emunah called בתולה and בנים.
This inner core of a Yid is always in the mode of דביקות with Hashem even if it be unknowingly to us. The gematriah ofבתולת קום with the word equals ולדבקה (Devarim 30,20). Seforno writes that this deveikus means Lishma for the sake of Hashem and not a pursuit of self interest which is the key to Olam Habah and eternity (see Rambam peirush Mishnayus end of מכות).
נרצה
ואמרתם זבח פסח
(Revised Email of Shabbos)
In the last Siman of the Haggadah Nirtzah we say in the piyut ואמרתם זבח פסח in which we enumerate all the events that happened on Pesach in Jewish History. With these episodes that occurred on Pesach we overcame our enemies and we were saved. One of these events is the destruction of the city of Sodom mentioned in Parsha Vayeirah.
זוהמו סדומים ולוהטו באש, חלץ לוט מהם ומצות אפה בקץ
Sodom was destroyed and Lot was saved on Pesach. What is the significance and parallel between Pesach and the destruction of Sodom and Lot being saved?
Two events that seem to follow each other are Avraham's circumcision and the destruction of the city Sodom. The sefarim explain that when Avraham made the Bris with Hashem and removed his foreskin, it came the time to destroy Sodom which was described as the foreskin of Eretz Yisrael. To understand this concept we find the Maharal explaining the reason why the covenant between Hashem and Avraham was Bris Milah on the aiver of procreation. Until Avraham Avinu there existed a spiritual orlah covering and separating the heavens and the earth. Even if one agreed that Hashem created the world, he believed that from then onwards Hashem has no intervention in matters of earth and is not involved with Man. Avraham with his spreading of emunah to the world, removed this mechitza and brought the consciousness and belief of a sole creator and sustainer to Mankind.
Hashem's Bris to Avraham was middah keneged middah. That on the aiver of procreation one must remove the foreskin that covers it. By doing so he proclaims that the creator of all creations is Hashem and that Man's mission in life is to fulfill His will and sanctify His name.
The sefarim explain that just like there is a foreskin on man's physical body, and one that separates his mind from his heart (middos), and both of which are in the category of nefesh, so too there is a foreskin in makom – space on earth. This spiritual orlah is particularly a blemish in Eretz Yisrael which is the source of earth אבן שתיה. In Eretz Yisrael, the city of Sodom was the spiritual covering of tumah over Eretz Yisrael. The word ערלה which means foreskin contains the letter רע לה . It is evil and must be removed. After Avraham's removing from himself his orlah, it activated the necessary removal of Sodom a city which promoted evil which was the orlah of Eretz Yisrael.
Chazal say on Mitzrayim that it too was called ערלה in Shir Hashirim Rabba 2,29
הנצנים נראו בארץ הנצוחות נראו בארץ איזה זה זה משה ואהרן שנא' (שם י"ב) ויאמר ה' אל משה ואל אהרן בארץ מצרים לאמר עת הזמיר הגיע, הגיע זמנן של ישראל להגאל, הגיע זמנה של ערלה שתזמר, הגיע זמן של מצרים שיזמרו, הגיע זמן עבודת כוכבים שלהן שתעקר שנא' (שם) ובכל אלהי מצרים אעשה שפטים
"The time has come to cut off עת הזמיר, the time for Yisrael to be cut off from Mitzrayim, the time has come to cut off the ערלה , it is time for Mitzrayim to be cut off and their idols to be uprooted". We see that Mitzrayim was in itself an ערלה. A person who fathers a child, sees himself as a creator. But who is the creator that created him? As we keep going back to the first man one should ask who fathered him? Pharaoh said he is G-d who created the Nile. Yet every morning in private he would relieve himself in the Nile so it won't be discovered that he is an imposter.
We who recognize with absolute clarity that Hashem "fathered" the universe from nothingness, are willing to sacrifice our lives in order to upkeep this Bris.(Gittin 57b .(כי עליך הורגנו כל היום As we circumcise our own children removing the orlah covering, we are declaring beyond any shadow of a doubt, hat the force and ability to create the world the way we know is not an unknown or mere speculation. Rather it is revealed to us and that it is Hashem who brought all existence into being. This was not a fly by night bris but a strong lasting commitment of I believe, על בריתך שחתמת בבשרינו that is branded on our flesh.
However, those who remain with an orlah such as the gentiles, the remaining covering foreskin represents a never ending ignorance of the creator and world designer. Until today it still is a "hidden" mystery and unfortunately will always remain concealed, if one belongs to the convenient club of followers of science who trace creation back to thousands of millions years ago. These people live with a foreskin not only on their bodies but also with one that separates heaven from earth and blocks the bonding power of intellect to the heart which is the seat of the middos the call to action.
When Yosef knew that his family is coming down to Mitzrayim to live there he had all the Egyptians circumcised. He hoped that it might arouse a consciousness to recognize Hashem as the sole creator and purify the air in Mitzrayim as much that was possible. Yosef as Avraham strived to bring the message of ה' אחד to the inhabitants of Mitzrayim as the Rizhener Rabbe interpreted the passuk (Bereishis 45,9) שמני אלקים לאדון ,בכל ארץ מצרים it was I who placed Hashem as Elokim throughout the land of Mitzrayim.
We can reinforce this interpretation by the episode when the brothers fulfilled Yosef's request to tell their father the above message. The passuk says (45,26) עוד יוסף חי והוא מושל בכל ארץ מצרים . The word הוא is superfluous in this context for it would have been sufficient to say.עוד יוסף חי ומושל בארץ מצרים We can interpret the word הוא as Hashem who is hidden (third person). As Chazal say as long as Amalek is in existence Hashem is missing the letters of וה of His name and the א of His .כסא הכבוד as the passuk says כי יד על כס יה מלחמה ה' בעמלק. Yosef was sending to his father that due to his position of viceroy in Mitzrayim he placed הוא Hashem, who was hidden and unknown to the populace until now, as the world ruler in Mitzrayim. This is what we beseech Hashem for in the Kedusha of Mussaf והוא ישמיענו ברחמיו , Hashem let us hear the missing letters of הוא by bringing to us the geulah shelaima. That is why we find that Amalek detested the fact that Yidden removed their orlos (Devarim 25,18 Rashi). This is hinted in the word אשר קרך בדרך which means happenstance without a creator. Note that the word קר is gematriah .ערל
Pesach was the time that the Egyptian Empire with all its power and glory which was like an orlah in the world, was cut off and destroyed by Hashem who demonstrated "hands down" that He was the sole creator and sustainer of everything on earth. That is why an uncircumcised Yid was forbidden to eat the Korban Pesach. Pesach means to skip over the houses of Yisrael during Makas Bechoros. Both the killing of the first born of Mitzrayim and that of saving the first born of Yisrael demonstrated Hashem's all powerful abilities as the sole creator of the universe and only those who were circumcised could partake from it. This idea is hinted in the word ויקחו שה לבית שה לבית (Shmos 12,3-5) which is mentioned five times even though the passuk says explicitly one time מן הכבשים ומן העזים תקחו. Yet we find another passuk using the general term צאן as it is written Shmos 12,21 משכו וקחו לכם צאן ושחטו הפסח which includes עזים goats. Rashi seems to be bothered by the fact that the Torah's usage of the word שה is more than עז and therefore explains that עז is also called a .שה So why didn't the Torah use explicitly צאן which would include both without having to prove that an עז can also be included in the word שה and without prioritizing the usage of a שה? We can answer, that the word שה conveys in derech remez that the korban Pesach's ritual was for the purpose of one to rid oneself from the ערלה of Mitzrayim both physically and spiritually. This is alluded to in the gematriah that שה is the equals .ערלה Without this avodah and separation from Mitzrayim one had no relationship to the Korban Pesach.
This is the connection between the destruction of Sodom and Mitzrayim. They both were geographic orlos full of evil that covered over the belief that Hashem is the sole creator in the world. Both were destroyed on the Yom Tov of Pesach which removed the ערלה and revealed unto mankind the opposite of their idolatrous beliefs.
With the above we can answer the question in the passuk (shmos 6,13)
וידבר ה' אל משה ואל אהרן ויצוום אל בני ישראל ואל פרעה מלך מצרים להוציא את בני ישראל מארץ מצרים
How should one understand that Yisrael are commanded to send themselves from Mitzrayim? The answer according to this mamar is that through emunah they can remove the ערלה of Mitzrayim from themselves both physically and spiritually. Without emunah they would have died with the 4/5 of Yidden during Makas Choshech. As Chazal say (Mechilta Beshalach) שלא נגאלו ישראל ממצרים אלא בשכר האמנה שנא' (שמות ד) ויאמן העם.
A second connection between Pesach and Sodom is that Lot was saved from Sodom by Avraham his uncle. Chazal say that Lot and Avraham had the same facial features. The sefarim explain this to mean that in Lot was the seed of Moshiach as the Medrash says מצאתי דוד עבדי (Tehillim 89,21) Where did you find him? In Sodom. What is Dovid doing in Sodom? The sefarim tell us that the seed of Dovid was carried by Lot and was transmitted thorugh his daughter after they escaped from the destruction of Sodom. From this union came Moav and Rus who was the great grandmother of Dovid Hamelech. This is what Chazal mean that Lot looked like Avraham. It was not because of Lot but because of the nishmas Dovid that was being carried by Lot. Avraham was the beginning of Am Yisrael and Dovid will bring the geulah for the end of Am Yisrael. Some meforshim learn that Dovid had the neshama of Moshiach (תקנת השבין י) Full circle means, that the end and final geula touches the very beginning. Dovid and Avraham had to cross pathways at one time or another.
Avraham risked his life to save Lot who was captured by the Four Kings which the Medrash compares them to the Four Exiles. Avraham's intention in this encounter was to make war against the four future galiyos of Klal Yisrael מעשה אבות סימן לבניםand be victorious over them. He had to ensure that the neshamah of Dovid Hamelech would remain wholesome and protected and not get lost until Moshiach will come and bring the final geulah.
Just like Moshiach was in a Lot, in a city of evil destined to be destroyed, so too Am Yisrael were in Mitzrayim as an embryo in its mother's womb in a country also about to be destroyed. Avraham saved Lot and preserved the neshama of Dovid on Pesach as the piyut says. Also on Pesach, Hashem Himself took out and redeemed Am Yisrael who the Baal Shem Tov told us that each member possesses a spark of Moshiach in them. It is not a coincidence that Lot was baking matzos when Avraham came to save him and protect Dovid Hamelech. Chazal say בניסן נגאלו ובניסן עתידין ליגאל . It wasn't Lot's religiosity that we find him on Pesach eating matzos in the evil city about to be destroyed. Rather it was the neshama of Dovid Hamelech within him who was pushing to do so. Dovid was feeling the geula when it came to Pesach, for from him comes Moshiach who will play the major role in that time of עתידין ליגאל.
Dovid refers to himself as poor and needy (Tehillim 86),תהלה לדוד הטה ה' אזנך ענני כי עני ואביון אני . Dovid had a bittul to Hashem ולבי חלל בקרבי. Matzah as well is called לחם עוני poor man's bread. Dovid Hamelech will herald in the era לא רעב ללחם ולא צמא למים כי אם לשמוע את דברי ה'. At the end there will a unquenchable thirst to drink from the wisdom of Hashem. At that time we will all be like Dovid לחם עוני מצות even though Hashem's lights of chachma will not cease to flow. As Chazal say (Nedarim 41) .אין עני אלא בדעת
This year Motzaei Shabbos is the night of the Seder. It is also time for Melavah Malka. The Seudah of Melava Malka corresponds to Dovid Hamelech. The sefarim say סדם is the acronym סעודת דוד מלכא . In Shulchan Aruch siman תפ "we open up the door to recite שפוך חמתך על הגויים because tonight is ליל שמורים and with this merit of our emunah, Hashem will bring Mashiach". On Pesach night we also have the strong emunah that Aliyahu Hanavi comes to our house (besides .(כוס אליהו In the seuda of Melava Malka we also sing a piyut of Aliyahu Hanavi who is also the malach habris at every Milah. ברוך ה' at tonight's Seder we are super charged with extra revelations of geulah, of removing our ערלה and bringing out the Moshiach within us as we mentioned in this mamar . Take advantage of such a Seder and make sure that YOU are supercharged as well.
כי לך נאה \ אדיר הוא
אותיות התורה בגלות מצרים
They are said in the ascending order of the Aleph Beis. The Bnei Yissaschor writes מאמר ה,יג)) that the 27 letters of the Torah were also in Galus Mitzrayim (Yisrael and the Torah are one, each Yid possessing a letter in the Torah). When the Yidden went out the galus, the letters of the Torah also left the galus and it was then time for Matan Torah. That is why part of the Haggadah talks about Matan Torah right at the onset of Maggid ברוך המקום ברוך הוא שנתן תורה לעמו ישראל בקדושתו. This was Hashem's intention when He told Moshe Rabbeinu (Shmos 3,12) וזה לך האות בהוציאך this is the sign, but it could also mean this is the "letters" of the Torah which will also exit with Am Yisrael. Every letter of the Aleph Beis contains all the letters inside. Since there are 27 letters, we have in total 27x27 which equals פסח מצה מרור hinting that because of our exodus from Mitzrayim the letters of the Torah will also leave with them.
Rabban Gamliel in the Haggadah was strict in the fact that one has to pronounce all these words otherwise he did not fulfill his mitzvah of סיפור Yetzias Mitzrayim. By using the mouth we are showing that at the night of Seder the letters are also being freed from galus. That is the reason why when we learn Torah we must learn out loud חיים הם למוצאיהם to those who pronounce the letters (Eruvin 54).
Chazal relate that Moshe Rabbeinu instituted for the Yidden with Pharaoh's permission, to take off work on the day of Shabbos. Shabbos is the name of Hakodosh Baruch Hu (Zohar). The Bnei Yissaschor explains at the beginning of his commentary on Shabbos that there are 27 letters in the Aleph Beis. Each letters receives its life energy from the name of יהו' which is gematria 26. So we have 26x27 equals 702 which is gematriah שבת . We can learn from this that Moshe's intention for Yisrael to keep the Shabbos in galus was that by keeping the Shabbos we are safeguarding the 27 letters which were in galus with us.
The Rasha son in the Haggadah asks מה העבודה הזאת לכם and the Baal Haggadah writes that the father responds to his question with the passuk בעבור זה עשה ה' לי בצאתי ממצרים (Shmos 13,8). The father answers because of the fulfillment of פסח מצה מרור הללו I merited to leave Mitzrayim (Rashi). Why these three? Because their gematriah hints also to the redemption of the 27 letters of the Torah which was the tachlis of the galus in the first place as the Medrash at beginning of sefer Shmos says תורה נקנית ביסורים , Torah is only acquired through afflicition. If one mocks the mitzvos he is mocking the 27 letters which make up the entire Torah. The Rasha's letter is therefore missing. Chazal tell us on the passusk הנה אנכי הולך למות ולמה זה לי בכורה that in these words Aisav denied Techiyas Hamaisim and therefore he will not be resurrected. The sefarim explain that if he was to merit resurrection he wouldn't deny and mock it. The proof was ויבז once one mocks a precious holy thing it shows that it is no longer available for him to access. The father is hinting to his son that as you stand now your letter's existence is very questionable. If you were in Mitzrayim there would be no motivation to leave since your letter in galus became disassociated with you.
We end the Haggadah with נרצה we are wanted and desirable by Hashem. At the end we say the Aleph Beis in ascending order in both piyutim in order to demonstrate that we felt tonight that we left Mitzrayim with our letters in the Torah and therefore we can request from Hashem יבנה בית בקרוב for מציון תצא תורה from the Beis Hamikdash the Torah emanates from, and we ready that our glowing letters should be part of us.
חסל סידור פסח