A Pesach Message
By Rabbi Dr. Richard Ehrlich
With Pesach just around the corner our thoughts naturally turn to the Seder and the Haggadah. We begin the Seder by breaking the matzah, and then we make a statement, and we extend an invitation, “this is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is in need, let him come and join in celebrating the Pesach festival.”
This proclamation-invitation is problematic for the following reasons:
1. How can we be inviting guests at this point, rather than a week, a day, – or at least an hour before the Seder commences? Understanding how we can extend an invitation at this late juncture becomes even more difficult when we consider that the Seder corresponds to the Paschal lamb eaten in the Temple times. At such times, it was forbidden to invite guests while the Paschal lamb was in progress, because the Seder could only be shared with the pre-arranged participants.So how can this statement be made?
I think the answer to this lies in our understanding of what is Matzah. We know that many different reasons are given in the Talmud for why matzah is called “lechem ohny” (bread of affliction). One reason is because it is the poor man’s bread, since only poor people do not have the luxury or the leisure to allow the dough to rise. Poverty, here, is not limited to one without money, but rather, also encompasses the Jew in exile without our Temple. With this explanation we can now turn to what the Talmud tells us was the cause for the destruction of our Temple and our subsequent exile. The Talmud relates that our present plight was brought about because of “sinas chinum” (baseless hatred of our fellow Jews). The antidote for this sin, which led to our exile, lies in counteracting this flaw. This can be accomplished by acts of kindness; as represented by our “invitation”.
In fact, this is exactly what the prophet Isiah (Chapter 1, Verse 27) says, “Zion will be redeemed through righteousness and its penitents through charity.” When we proclaim this “invitation” on the Seder night we don’t necessarily expect someone to walk in, rather we impress upon ourselves that our redemption can be hastened and realized through acts of kindness and charity. By proclaiming this we emphasize that our bread of affliction, our state of exile, can be rescinded and terminated if we will act with kindness and mercy towards our fellow Jews.
This concept, says Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903-1993), isn’t restricted or relegated to Pesach night alone. The Rambam (Maimonides) in Hilchot Yom Tov (Perek 6, Halacha 18) actually says this concept applies to all Holidays, “and when he eats and drinks, (on Yom-Tov) he is obligated to feed the convert, the orphans, and the widows along with all other needy people. But whoever closes his front door and eats and doesn’t feed the poor and the bitter souls, doesn’t fulfill his obligation of simcha (joy), only the joy of his stomach.” Rabbi Soloveitchik further says that this law actually is derived from a verse in the Torah, (Devarim 16:11) “And you shall rejoice before the L-rd your G-d, you, and your son and your daughter, your male servants, and your female servants, and the Levite that is within your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the orphans, and the widows that are in your midst…”
Thus viewed, this wasn’t a proclamation-invitation that was extended when the Paschal lamb was actually eaten at the time the Temple was standing. Rather, when disharmony and hatred resulted in the destruction of our Temple and our ensuing exile, then our Rabbis instituted this prelude to our Seder. Hopefully, we will take this message to heart and rectify our misdeeds; do acts of kindness, compassion, and tzedakah and thereby bring about an end to our long exile. Then we will no longer need to uncover the matzah, symbol of our plight, and proclaim, “this is the bread of affliction,” rather, then we will rejoice and say, “this was the bread of affliction that we once ate when we were in exile.” May this time speedily come so that we can all celebrate Pesach next year in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Dr. Richard Ehrlich
Principal, Judaic Studies
Laws, Timings, and helpful links
Friday April 15:
- Latest time for eating Chametz: 10:43 AM
- Chametz must be burned: 11:50
- Candlelighting: 7:17
- Earliest time to light candles Saturday night and prepare for second Seder: 8:20
Second Days:
- Candle Lighting Thursday Night April 21: 7:24
- Candle Lighting Friday Night April 22: 7:25
- Havdalah Saturday Night April 23: 8:28
Helpful link on preparing for Pesach:
https://oukosher.org/passover/articles/preparing-for-passover/
Helpful link on preparing for the Seder and making a Seder:
Helpful link to sell your Chametz:
https://www.torasemesonline.org/
SIHA Mock Seder
SIHA students enjoyed setting up a mock Seder with their Judaic teachers. Here is what they learned:
Rabbi Kuritsky
The boys
Set up their desks for the Seder nicely so that they could interact as though we were a family sitting around the table having a real Seder together. Boys contributed by setting the table nicely with kosot special cups for kidush and the 4 cups, napkins etc.
So boys practiced saying kidush, eating matza, eating maror, and dipping potatoes in salt water etc. We practiced leaning to the left while drinking and eating the matza and the carpas.
It was a beautiful, fun, enjoyable and educational experience.
Happy pesach
Rabbi Berelowitz
We started off with closing the lights and looking for Chametz to the light of a flashlight (not fire).
We set up the table for the beautiful Seder.
We sang together the steps of the Seder of “Kadesh Urchatz”.
Kadesh was said with the first Kos of wine.
We then went to wash for the second step of Urchatz.
The Karpas was distributed and dipped into Salt water.
A Student in the class was chosen to break the Matzo for Yachatz
We sang “Ha Lachma Avya, Ma Nishtanah and Avadim Hayinu.
We then sang Baruch Hamakom and a Student had a chance to explain each one of the four sons.
We went on to V’hei Sheomdah and the Makkos.
Of course we sang the famous Dayainu song.
We explained the 3 things we must say on Pesach, Pesach, Matzah, and Maror.
We drank a second Kos.
We went to wash for Rachtza and ate the Matzah, Maror and Koraich. The students really enjoyed the Matza and the Maror. One child said the Maror was very bitter.
We ate the meal with delicious cookies and soda.
Following that we Bentched and cleaned up.
We sang “Leshana Habba’ah Berushalayim.
Morah Perlstein (Miss Dershowitz)
Morah Ferber
Morah Spiegel
Morah Chavi
