Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved

Rabbi Dovid A. Gross 3718 Shannon Rd. Cleveland Hts., OH 44118 [email protected] www.rabbidovidagross.com

Editor & Proofreader: Mrs. Sheila Nashofer Book & Cover Design: Mrs. Leah Perel Tohn, LP Design Dedication Dedicated in honor of our beloved and esteemed parents Binyomin & Esther Leah Greenberger Emil & Sarah Braun

May the learning of this sefer be a zechus for many years of health, happiness and nachas from their children and grandchildren.

With Love, Dovie and Ranya

Dedication Th is sefer was printed in honor of our son Chaim on the occasion of his bar mitzvah.

We daven that Hashem should give you siyata d'shmaya to continue to grow in Torah, midos and maasim tovim and continue to be a source of nachas.

Dovid and Chani Gross

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people who were instrumental in the success of this sefer: My parents, Dr. Jeff rey and Barbara Gross. My in-laws, Rabbi Dov and Leah Kreiswirth. My Rebbe and Morah, Rabbi Moshe Tuvia and Morah Beyla Lieff . Mrs. Sheila Nashofer for her editing skills. Rabbi Reuven Gerson, a constant source of support. Mrs. Leah Perel Tohn, who through her unique talents as a graphics artist has once again produced a masterpiece. Our dear friends Dovid and Ranya Greenberger, who are always there for our family and have graciously undertaken the dedication of this sefer in honor of their parents. My bar mitzvah bochur, Chaim who told me “Ta, of course you’re going to write a sefer for my bar mitzvah, right!?” My wife, Chani, for her constant dedication, support, and pride in all my endeavors.

Dovid Aaron Gross

Introduction

Due to the complexity and enormity of the laws of Pesach, Shulchan Aruch (429:1) rules that thirty days prior to the holiday one must begin discussing the laws of Pesach. Th us the day one begins study- ing is the day of Purim. Is this connection just technical, or is there something more signifi cant connecting Purim and Pesach? Th e Gemara in Megilla (6b) cites an argument between two sages if the Megilla is read during a leap year in the fi rst Adar or in the second Adar. One opinion is that its read in the fi rst Adar due to the concept that states that a mitzvah that comes to one’s hand should not be delayed. Th e second opinion, with which the halacha follows, is to read the Megilla in the second Adar, in order place the redemp- tion of Purim near the redemption of Pesach. Rav Shlomo Brevda zt”l posed the following question. Th e Ge- mara in Rosh Hashana (32b) discusses whether the shofar should be blown during shacharis or during mussaf. Th e rationale to blow dur- ing shacharis would follow the rule that states that zealous individu- als perform mitzvos as soon as they can. Th e reasoning to blow dur- ing mussaf would follow the concept of berov am hadras Melech, that the glory of the King is increased with more people. Since there are more individuals present during mussaf, the shofar should be blown then. Th e conclusion of the Gemara is that the shofar should be blown during shacharis. Seemingly the rule of performing the mitz- vah sooner trumps the concept of b’rov am. (See the Gemara for the reason why we blow the shofar during mussaf.) Rav Brevda explained that when a zariz, a zealous person per- forms a mitzvah immediately, he’s aff ected by his attitude to the mitzvah and is strengthened in his mitzvah observance. With b’rov am, however, Hashem may be greatly honored by the masses but the individuals in those masses are not necessarily aff ected. Th e Gemara is teaching that individual growth outweighs larger honors for Hash- em.

30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / 11 With this understanding we can question the Gemara in Megilla. Why do we celebrate Purim in the second Adar? Should we not fol- low the rule of performing mitzvos immediately, which aff ect the growth of a person and read the Megilla in the fi rst Adar? Th e conclusion must be, answered Rav Brevda, that the placement of the redemption of Purim near the redemption of Pesach is actually an even greater opportunity for an individual’s spiritual growth. Cel- ebrating and experiencing the miracles of Purim and Pesach thirty days from each other will produce results that cannot be matched if the two holidays were sixty days apart with Purim in the fi rst Adar as a zariz. Th e successful outcome of any spiritual endeavor depends on the amount of preparation that one puts in to it. To truly appreciate and grow from the Pesach Seder one must prepare properly. Begin- ning to prepare on Purim, has the additional factor of connecting the two holidays. Th e lessons of the miracles that were the Purim redemption will fl ow directly into the lessons that are learned from the Pesach redemption. Th is will result maximize the individual's growth potential from these two holidays. Over the coming thirty days you will learn halachos of the Pesach Seder as well as divrei Torah that will enable you to approach the Pesach Seder suffi ciently prepared to make the most of this most opportune time for growth.

12 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER 30 Days to the Pesach Seder DAY 1   Seder Preparations

Wine 1. Wine used for the Seder should preferably be red. Th ere are two reasons given for this: Red wine has more distinction than white wine, based on the verse in Mishlei (23) that refers to wine as red. Sec- ond, red symbolizes the blood of the Jewish children killed by Pharoh. (Orach Chaim 472:11, Mishna Berurah 38)1

2. Th ere is an additional preference that the wine not be mevushal (cooked) nor have sugar added. (ibid. M.B. 39)

3. Th ere are some opinions that in order to fulfi ll the experience of cheirus, freedom, when drinking the four cups, the wine must contain enough alcohol to get one drunk.2 Others disagree, saying that one may fulfi ll their obligation with either low-alcohol wine or grape juice.

1. If one prefers white wine, one may mix a little red wine into the white and thereby fulfi ll the second reason for red wine. Th is should prefer- ably be done before Yom Tov. (See Shloshim Yom Kodem Hachag pg. 83 fn 1) 2. Rav Moshe Heinemann opines that the wine must contain 4% alcohol. Others say that the alcohol content depends on the eff ect on each in- dividual (Rav Boruch Hirschfeld.)

14 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER D have consecratedas hashata hacha this home, should bein pora willberelocated to When When come andeat. are notahindrance, that anyone declare andwe may can equivalent holiness. In theseplacesspaceandfoodamounts we declare, AttheoutsetofSeder are limitless. and holinessspacesize satisfy him, hewould besated. Intherealm ofspirituality which undernormalcircumstances would betoosmallto kohein limitationsandboundaries.all physical For example, ifa Th ampleroom. spaceandthusthere isalways physical placesare totheconceptof notrestricted explains thatholy did. Howare thesephenomenon explained? for theseareas tocontaintheamountofpeoplethatthey space toprostrate themselves. itseemsimpossible Physically shoulder, andyet whenbowingeachhadfourcubitsofopen praise homes. Justasa for usandstrengthen ourbeliefin when we assembletopraise Chasam So food forthem?Isthere enoughspaceinourhomesforthem? invite allpeopletocomeandeat?Have we prepared enough v’yeichol in the is phenomenon applies not only tospace, isphenomenonappliesnotonly butalsoto would eat a bean-sized pieceofthe would eatabean-sized uring the uring on the relatively small city of on therelatively smallcity Hashem Beis (all who are hungry may come and eat.) How can we maycomeandeat.)Howcan (allwhoare hungry

Hamikdash Moshiach -thisyear we are here inourhomesthatwe isholy, sotooourhomesare infusedwithan fer continues that on the night of the Seder fer continuesthatonthenightofSeder shalsoh regalim beis hakenesses comes, the batei kenisyos areasstandingshoulderto described Eretz Yisroel Eretz Yisroel Hashem multitudes of Jews converged multitudes ofJews where we gathertoprayand 30 batei knesiyos DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / - Hashem Yerushalayim forallthatHehasdone . . We therefore, proclaim l’shana haba l’shana we consecrateour lechem kol d’chfi intheDias- Chasam Sofer . Th , nextyear, e crowds

hapanim n yesei n ,

15 Holy Homes DAY 2   Charoses

1. Charoses should preferably be prepared before Yom Tov. Preparing it on Yom Tov may entail the forbid- den act of tochen (chopping into small pieces.) Th is would necessitate a shinui (a change in process) in its preparation.

2. Some people pour the wine into the charoses imme- diately prior to the Seder so that it will be fresh. If Pesach falls on Shabbos one should make sure to pour the wine in before Shabbos so as not to encounter the forbidden act of losh (kneading.) If one forgot one must make a very watery mixture, put the wine in fi rst and then the other ingredients, and mix it with a fi nger and not a spoon. (See M.B. 321:68)

16 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER C the bitter and helpingus. Th charoses broughtthatdecree. tohelpusduring miraculously Th However, thecinnamonreminds usofthestrawthat Th fortheJews. ited theminEgypt ofstrawfrom bundles that carried until theenslavement ended. Th that theyhadbeenproducing. Th their ownstrawandstillproduce thesamenumberofbricks mortar. decreedwould Pharoh have thattheJews tocollect tomakethe provided thestrawnecessary the Egyptians Moshe’s leave Egypt. demandtolettheJews Untilthatday us oftheharshdecree enacted by inresponse Pharoh to months? Th where thendidtheygetstrawfortheremainder ofthesix Hachaim them ofbeingthieves, hitthem, andbroke theirbones. lookingfor strawtheyaccused sawtheJews the Egyptians sweetened by the more, why isthebitter ing food. thenisitsweetened withcinnamon?Further- Why think that Th e e cinnamon sticks inthe ecinnamonsticks that the Jews used to make bricks inEgypt. usedtomakebricks that theJews Onewould haroses teaches that even inthe bitterness teachesthateven charoses surmises that this only happenedforoneday. surmisesthatthisonly Ifso, maror e charoses is a thick mixture isathick thatreminds usofthemortar Midrash reminds usofthemortar, thebitterslavery. . efeeling of charoses shouldbeabitteroratleastblandtast- answers that maror ? commemorating the slavery commemoratingtheslavery 30 e Hashem isdecree lastedsixmonths charoses Midrash DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Eretz Yisroel Hashem ’s assistancesweetens specifi teachesthatwhen Hashem brought awind cally remind cally anddepos- isguiding Hashem us the Ohr

17 Sweetened Bitterness DAY 3  Zeroa and Beitza

1. Th e zeroa (shank bone) and beitza (egg) are roasted1 and placed on the ke’arah (seder plate.) Preferably they should be prepared before Yom Tov. If they had not been prepared, they may be cooked and roasted on Yom Tov as long as they are eaten on that day of Yom Tov. Th e custom is not to eat roasted meat at the seder (see page _ ), therefore the zeroa must be eaten the next day, while the beitza can be eaten at any time. (473:4)

2. Th e zeroa is a remembrance of the korban Pesach. Although any meat may be used, it is preferable to use meat from the foreleg of an animal or the wing of a bird. Th is represents the “outstretched arm” that Hashem used to redeem the Jews from Egypt. (ibid. M.B. 27)

3. Th e roasted egg represents the korban Chagiga that was eaten before the korban Pesach. Although the Chagiga was meat, an egg is used. In Aramaic the word be’ah, egg, can also mean to want. Th e egg re- minds us that Hashem wants to redeem us from our present exile. (ibid. 23)

1. Customarily the egg is fi rst cooked and then roasted a bit over a fi re.

18 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER H accomplish hisgoal. ef- theirbestandmakes every tries onehonestly tomove forward,fort When hewillreceive assistanceto heavenly arm of arm of Th korban and astrong desire tobecomebetter. the With mitzvos took themoutwithastrong hand. Th rity, oblivionand offallingintospiritual on thebrink Th task. fort, andreach him.hand totry exhaustingallherownef- After saythatshedidherbest;honestly stretched shehadeven her child. Ifshe would beaccusedofnothelpingshecould ever possibletosave the ed toshowthatshehaddoneeverything why want- attempttostretch didsheeven outherhand?She 60 cubits. wasatsuchalongdistancefrom her, Ifthecraft it. occurred andherarmextendedtothelengthof Amiracle that was carrying that wascarrying When elessonofthe Hashem e Jewish Nation was on the forty-ninth level ofimpu- level Nation wasontheforty-ninth eJewish with Hisoutstretched arm. ashem

Hashem Pesach Bisya to merit thismiracle, tomerit buttheyhadawilltochange Bisya is described as redeeming the Jews from Egypt from asredeeming Egypt theJews isdescribed . performed a miracle tohelpheraccomplish amiracle performed and istheproduct ofthelessonoutstretched the daughter of Pharoh sawthelittleboat thedaughterofPharoh Moshe bris mila bris zeroa and the miracle oftheoutstretched andthemiracle , shestretched outherarmtoreach theyshowed theircommitment. 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / eydidnothave many mitzvos Hashem of

19 Will and Effort DAY 4  Salt Water

Salt water should preferably be prepared before Yom Tov. If it wasn’t, it may be prepared on Yom Tov in a normal fashion. However, if Pesach falls on Shabbos and the salt water had not been prepared before Shab- bos, then one may only make a small amount of salt water, the amount necessary for the Seder. One must also be careful that it should not be too strong (less than 2/3 salt to 1/3 water.) (ibid. M.B. 21)

Th e Seder table should be set before Yom Tov so that the Seder can begin immediately. (472:1)

One should try to use their best and nicest dishes at the Seder table to demonstrate cheirus, a state of freedom. (ibid. 2)

20 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER our desire toberedeemed. salvation,order tomerit we must fi Th our desire aroused, thus enablingtheredemption tooccur. with reminds usofhowtheredemption tookplaceinEgypt Eatingthedipped tite forthemaincoursewhenitisnotyet beingserved. Th redeemreturn them. andactually longing forredemption intensifi their tion wasignitedandwithhisimmediatedeparture Moshe spirituality. Th were ofanydesire forholinessor despondentandlacking Th redemption. sixmonthslaterfortheactual reappearing Egypt then left of theirupcomingredemption. Th fi Th tions. duced. Th eaten withoutbread andlongbefore any a person’s appetiteforthemaincourse. Yet, thisvegetable is towhet bread foodsorasanappetizer either accompanying derstanding intoboththepastandfuture. When I rst returned from e same will hold true withtheultimateredemption. esamewillholdtrue In etable isdippedinsaltwater. Vegetables eaten are usually n order topiquethechildren’s curiosity, the e Jews had fallen to such a low spiritual level thatthey level hadfallentosuchalowspiritual eJews is specifi initially came, initially Na- thespark ofholinessintheJewish is irregularity willinspire thechildren isirregularity toaskques- us, theydidnotyearn forredemption. When off c aberrationintheSeder Midyan karpas , People heinformedtheJewish vegetable stimulates theappe- 30 ed. thenwasheableto Only e DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / rst awakenandstimulate Midrash ersadeeperun- matzah says that says karpas isintro- Moshe Moshe veg- is

21 Yearning for Redemption DAY 5  Four Cups of Wine

Th ere is a rabbinic obligation to drink four cups of wine in a leaning position to the left side, at specifi c junctures throughout the Seder. Th e cups must be at least a reviis. According to Rav Moshe Feinstein this is 2.9 oz and ac- cording to the Chazon Ish 5.1 oz. When the Seder is Fri- day night, according to Rav Moshe Feinstein, the fi rst cup1 must be at least 4.5 oz. How much must one drink? 1. Preferably the entire cup should be drunk, even if it contains more than a reviis. 2. If this is a hardship then one may drink either a ma- jority of the cup or an entire reviis, whichever is more. 3. Bedieved at least a majority of a reviis must be drunk.2 Le’chatchila one should drink the reviis at one time (with- out removing the cup from his mouth.) If he cannot do this, he may drink it in two swallows with a short pause between the two. Bedieved, as long as he drank the pre- scribed amount in under two minutes, he has fulfi lled his obligation. (472:9, M.B. 27-34) A new brocha is recited on each cup, since each cup is an individual mitzvah. (474:1 Rema)

Th ere is a fi fth cup that is poured but not drunk.3

1. Since kiddush on Shabbos is a biblical obligation, one must be stringent to drink a larger amount as opposed to the rest of the cups (that are only a rabbinical obligation) where one can be more lenient. 2. Except for the last cup, where in order to recite the after-blessing of al hagefen one must drink a full reviis. 3. Some rishonim maintain that this fi fth cup can be drunk on a voluntary basis.

22 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER T ebrating thoseyears. Th obligated to drink itincelebration. obligated todrink to andunderstand. Th However, relate personcan thatnotevery level thisisalofty tobecome tics necessary dreadful timeofenslavement, we thecharacteris- achieved gratitude forthesuff of timethatwe were enslaved. actually We must express our relate personcan topraising since every years.sents anothereighty-six Th Topressed, we celebratethefour-fi must fourcupsofwine. drink Eachcuprepre- enslaved usforthatlengthoftime. years.thirty asiftheyhad punishedtheEgyptians Heeven ered itasifwe hadbeenenslaved forthefullfourhundred hundred thirty. Th ofthoseyears. eighty-six only isone-fi Eighty-six actual oppressive enslavement oftheJews, however, wasfor the not theirs, years.” forfourhundred thirty Th bris beinbris ha’besarim he Torah thatthe says edict decreed inalandthatwas uponthemof “being us, ering, aswell. We thatin realize erefore, we pourthecupbutare not Hashem andendedat e fi Am YisroelAm fths ofthetimewe were fths notop- cup represents theone-fi fth Bnai Yisroel had mercy onus, hadmercy andconsid- 30 esecupsare anobligation, DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / and receive the Torah. yetzias Mitzrayim fulfi iscountbeganat lled the heavenly lled theheavenly Hashem fth offour fth andcel- . Th fth fth e

23 Gratitude DAY 6  Leaning

To demonstrate cheirus (freedom) one is obligated to eat and drink at the Seder in a leaning position. Th is is accomplished by leaning one’s left side, head and body, against something solid.

According to the letter of the law one who ate any of the obligatory foods of the evening, i.e. matzah, four cups of wine, without leaning would need to eat them again while leaning.

Ravya is of the opinion that nowadays since people do not eat in this position, there is no obligation to lean. Th e halacha does not follow the Ravya, yet his position still has the following ramifi cations: • If one did not lean while eating the afi komen he would not need1 to eat a second time. • If one did not lean while drinking the fi rst cup (and did not have in mind to drink more2), or third and fourth cups, he may not drink them again. • Many women do not lean at all, relying on the Ra- vya’s position.

If one did not lean eating matzah or while drinking the second cup of wine, he must eat the matzah or drink the wine again.

1. See M.B. that he may not even be allowed to eat a second afi komen. 2. See pg 26 in regards to drinking in between cups.

24 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER C best ofhisability. world,cal serve andwiththisfreedom hecan be brought tohim. Heisfree ofthephysi- from theshackles strates thatheismore prominent thanthefoodanditmust from thetabletowards himself. Inthismanner, hedemon- food. However, when leaning apersonmustthefood bring toit.prominence andhemust comeclose Heisaslave tohis lowers himselftowards hisfood, heshowsthatthefoodhas important. Ifapersonsitsstraightandbendsdown eating,ally However, we do soinamannerthatshowswhatistruly thisisnotsuffi in order His toperform redeemed usfrom Egypt the evening ison the evening we needtodemonstrateourpriorities. Mostofthefocus Him, notin order toeatand drink. Th ner. Th lel Hashem eating inthismanner? andmessy.uncomfortable thendowe needtocontinue Why manner prominent people. However inourtimes, itisquite , man- andrushed inahurried whiletheeatingisusually drinking during theSeder. during drinking Intimesofoldthiswasthe hazal iswaywe that demonstrateourrealization institutedthatonemust leanwhileeatingand took the Jews out of Egypt in order to serve inorder toserve outofEgypt tooktheJews maggid , talkingwords of cient. Even whenwe are actu- 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / erefore, onthisnight Torah Hashem mitzvos and Hashem tothe hal- .

25 Priorities DAY 7  Drinking Between the Four Cups

Th e custom is not to drink wine or any intoxicating drinks between the fi rst two cups of wine, lest one be- come drunk and not able to read the haggada. Addi- tionally, one may not drink extra wine so that it should not appear as if he is adding an extra cup to the obliga- tory four cups. Th is only poses a problem if he recites a new brocha on the extra cup, like he does with the four cups. Th is is not only problematic with wine. It would apply to any chamar medina (important drinks) that one may use for the four cups such as coff ee or tea. Th us, if one wishes to drink these beverages, he should have in mind at kiddush that the borei pri hagafen covers all additional beverages. In this way he would not need a shehakol on the coff ee and may drink it.

Preferably, all drinks should be drunk before the second cup of wine is poured and the maggid has commenced. If necessary, one may drink water during maggid.

One may not drink any intoxicating drinks or any chamar medina in between the third and fourth cups.1

1. See Shaar Tzion 472:32 who explains why having in mind will not help in this situation.

26 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER K only anationwiththe only ve’lakachti future generationswiththekno Chazal expressions ofredemption? ve’lakachti redemption from Egypt. However, expression thefourth you out, save you andredeem you -were fulfi later withthegivingof to thefi third and fourth cups.third andfourth well asbetween thesecondandthird, butnotbetween the To otherliquidsbetween thefi may drink enforce thislesson, further the out theacceptanceof redemption, demption expressed by Th will raiseacup?” and gratitudeforourredemption, astheverse indicates, “I of wine. wasitnotsuffi Why Based onthisverse efourcupscorrespond tothefourexpressions ofre- cup ofsalvation, outinthenameof andcall os yeshuos esah, u’veshem Hashem ekra rst three expressions. isintegraltotheredemption. Th fulfi -Iwilltakeyou asanation-wasonly enacted the drinking of fourcupstoensure enactedthedrinking all ve’hotzeisi Chazal , Ve’lakachti Hashem Torah ve’hitzalti Torah enacted the drinking offourcups enactedthedrinking Torah cient to drink onecupaspraise cient todrink . Freedom from bondagewith- 30 . Th wledge thattheexpression of isnotfreedom. must always beconnected must always . then, Why isitoneofthe e fi DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / , and rst three expressions of rst andsecondcupsas halacha ve’galti e Jewish nationis eJewish , willraisea “I statesthatone lled withthe -Iwilltake Hashem lled .” 27 Freedom with Torah DAY 8  Kadesh and Urchatz

Kadesh One should announce to the participants of the Seder to have in mind all the mitzvos of the night during the recitation of the brocha of shehechayanu (Siddur Yavetz, Kaf Hachayim 473:6)

One should also have in mind (or say before beginning kiddush) that he is fulfi lling the mitzvah of drinking the fi rst of the four cups of wine. (M.B. 473:1)

Urchatz Since a wet vegetable will be eaten, one must wash their hands. A brocha is not recited because there are opinions that in our times we need not wash for wet vegetables or because one need not wash for eating less than a kzayis. (473:6, Biur Halacha)

Although during the rest of the year we are not nec- essarily careful to wash for wet vegetables, on Pesach night we want the children to ask questions and there- fore we do things that are out of the ordinary. (S.H. 69)

If one mistakenly recited a brocha he should eat a kzayis of the wet vegetable. However, he should still wash again1 with a brocha for the matzah. (Kaf Hachayim 473:107)

1. Preferably he should touch his shoes or scratch his head before wash- ing the second time, in order to defi nitely be obligated to wash.

28 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER O vos Jews asseen byJews theirrefusal tocommit immoralacts. “And Iwilltakeyou out,” whichrefers totheholiness ofthe andtimes, tosanctifyholidays ity corresponds totheexpression wine at andtimesofjoy.are abletoenactholidays Th isintact,the Jews toconsecratetime. theyhave theability Th ensures People. theholinessofJewish theholinessof When Th that wasEgypt. andthusextractthelatterfrom thefi andtheJews Egyptians pression ofredemption hasa ofa theperformance during one isdrunk another; rathereach oneafter immediately cups are notdrunk Th sion alsocorresponds tooneofthesemerits. forefathers were redeemed from Egypt. Eachcupandexpres- ditionally, offour thingsour oursagesstatethatinthemerit relationships. Th oranyotherforbidden woman) didnotcommitactsofadultery Egypt, Nation asawhole (withtheexceptionofone theJewish the adulterous behavioroftheEgyptians. Inalltheiryears in remained distinctinoneregard. Th Th was referring towhenHeusedtheterm willtakeyou“I out.” if theywere onebody, motherandchild. Th andculture thatitwasas idolatry entrenched intheEgyptian who removes achildfrom itsmother’s womb. Th out.” Th Rabbeinu sions ofredemption that ough they were so ensconced in Egyptian culture, oughtheywere soensconcedinEgyptian theystill , andthuseachexpression corresponds toaspecifi is type ofbehaviorexhibitedby theJews, istype safeguards and e fi e ing thePesach corresponding tothefourexpres- Seder offourcupswinedur- ur sagesinstitutedthedrinking kiddush - rst expression is “ Midrash ve’hotzeisi is enabled , abil- andcelebratestheJewish whichdescribes describes describes , ve’hitzalti Hashem Hashem Hashem Ve’hotzeisi connection withoneofthe 30 , usedwhentalkingto e Jews were eJews notaff ve’galti DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / todiff redeeming the Jews asone redeeming theJews ”- “And Iwilltakeyou erentiate between the , ve’lakachti iswhat us, thefi mitzvah e Jews were eJews so c cup. Ad- . Eachex- . Th rst cupof ected by Hashem e four Moshe mitz- ey lth

29 A Holy Nation DAY 9  Karpas and Yachatz

Karpas One should have in mind that the brocha of borei pri ha’admah should include the maror that will be coming later in the meal. (ibid. M.B. 55)

One should eat less than a kzayis so that he will surely not need to recite a brocha acharona. If he ate a kzay- is, although there are opinions that he needs a brocha acharona, he should not recite one. (473:6, M.B. 56)

Some people have the custom to eat the karpas in a leaning position.

Yachatz Th e middle matzah is broken in two by hand. Th e smaller piece is returned to the ke’arah. Th e reason for this is that matzah is called lechem oni, poor man’s bread. A poor man breaks his bread with his hand and not a knife. A poor man also only eats a piece of bread, not a whole loaf. (ibid 7, M.B. 57, Pri Megadim 20)

Th e larger piece is wrapped in a cloth and put away for the afi koman. It is wrapped in a cloth as a remem- brance of the leftover matzah that was wrapped up by the Jews, placed on their shoulders, and carried out of Egypt. (M.B. 59)

30 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER M the redemption. b’shvach reciting the When blessing. mind. and the manifestation ofthethoughtsandfeelingsinourheart tion isgratitude. Th mitzvah recite ablessingonfulfi appreciation. nightis themesoftheSeder One oftheprimary freedom.it portrays ditionally, fashion thatwethe hurried were redeemed from Egypt. Ad- Haggada by ourforefathers asslaves in we referSeder tothe raculously redeemed.raculously of theevening; andwere we were mi- attheepitomeofslavery redemption. Using thefeelingsandemotions itwe capsulate bothofthese ideasinone.bolizes and Itrepresents bothslavery Matzah tion we were inandhow those thatrelate tofreedom. Th Th reliveeven thesituationhewasinanditsresolution. the heart. To onemust express relate appreciation and properly pre-determined script; itmust from beexpressed individually ing withhisownwords andexpressions. Appreciation isnota aswell astheredemption, abouttheslavery tensively expound- mitzrayim usattheSeder, aswell as we dothingsthat relate toslavery Mitzvos atzah resentation seemscontradictory. Attheoutsetof , we beginwiththelowstatewe were inandendwith , one of themaincommandmentsevening, sym- of reciting the story ofourenslavement andredemp- ofreciting thestory we declare thatwe we eatthe declare is because itisnotanaction isbecause matzah is one of the focal pointsoftheSeder. isoneofthefocal Yet itsrep- Maharal that are primarily in the heart donotrequire intheheart a thatare primarily Rambam is eaten in a state of leaning indicating that iseateninastateofleaningindicating e verbal expression everbal ofappreciation isonly haggada writes thatthereason thatwe donot writes lling thecommandmentof matzah Hashem explainsthatoneshouldspeakex- we are Mitzrayim aspoorman’s bread consumed ishelpsusrefl 30 saved us. DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / matzah maschil b’genus u’mesayem mitzvah . However, laterinthe tocommemorate ect onthesitua- . Th hakaras ecore ofthe sipur yetzias

hatov ,

31 Appreciation DAY 10  Maggid

One should have in mind that he is fulfi lling the mitz- vah of sippur yetzias mitzrayim, retelling the story of the Jews leaving Egypt. (M.B. 473:1) When reciting Ha Lachma Anya one should lift the matzah. (473:6) After Ha Lacham Anya, the ke’arah is either removed from the table or placed at the far end of the table. Th is is to prompt the children to ask why, and to answer them that we may not eat until we have talked about yetzias Mitzrayim. (ibid.)1

1. Some do not have this custom. See Piskei Teshuvos 473:28

32 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER T layim returningmerit to in with thisprayer? Itwould seemthatitsproper placewould be statement “ “hurriedly.” land ofEgypt. Yet, atthelastmoment of noreturn. given leavingthe Manyhadeven uponever -almostreaching thepoint sunk tothedepthsofimpurity from thisexileaswell. thingslookedhopelessaswe InEgypt forstrengthening ourbeliefthat lyst ourenslavement andredemptionRemembering isthecata- Th tical, timely, message. anduplifting learn thisevening, toaprac- memory from amere historical redeemed. Th vants ofothernations, we thatnextyear believe we willbe withtheprayer thatalthoughthisyearSeder we are stillser- in ourredemption willbestrengthened. Th Yet ifwe learnthelessonof Th rush.” nirtzah lachma anya, he lastphrase, " isstatementsetsthetoneandthemeofevening. eexilewe maylookhopeless. are enduring presently where the willbeabletobring where we ask be’vihilu yatzanum’Mitzrayim Rambam isstatementchannels thelessonsthatwe will isaprayer thatwe should andsupplication Eretz Yisroel actually beginsthe actually Le'shana habahb'arah d'yisroel... Hashem 30 Yetzias . dowe begintheSeder Why to bring us back to usback tobring DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / korban Pesach. Hashem

Mitzrayim Hashem , ina Egypt we left Haggada us, we beginthe willredeem us redeemed us , ourbelief withthe Yerusha- " in ha

33 Message of Hope DAY 11  Mah Nishtana

Th e second cup is poured in order to prompt the chil- dren to ask why we are drinking another cup before the meal. (473:7)

Th ere are diff erent customs in regards to who asks the mah nishtana, the Four Questions. Some have the cus- tom that only one person asks them, while others have the custom that every person asks the questions.1

1. Rema implies that only one person asks, while Rambam’s comments indicate that everyone asks.

34 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER C ensuring our heritage tothenextgeneration. ourheritage ensuring our redemption from Egypt, we stress theunderstandingof at theSeder. Aswe celebrateourstatusof Th with youngsters andourelders,” celebrate are we abletoproperly too willwishtolive thatway. whenwe go Only our “with way ofspeechandtheirapproach toall prayer, theirexcitementandenthusiasmfor youngsters. children witnesstheirelders’ When attitudeto of tion ofservants personal experience. Ifwe wishthere tobeanextgenera- childrenexplained thatthebestwaytoeducate isthrough osity. Th actionsdonetopiquetheircuri- as aresponse tothevarious Pharoh couldnotunderstandwhy Pharoh thechildren are need- toserve are going tothedesert ed iftheJews themenmayleave. counteredPharoh thatonly youngsters andourelders, withoursonsanddaughters.” InhisnegotiationswithPharoh, the role ofthechildren. Hestated, willgowithour “we their diff isthereason thatthechildren have suchprominence the hildren play aprominent tableandin role atthe Seder Hashem e erent questions and the various answerserent toeach. questionsandthevarious haggada haggada , “ ki chag Hashem lanu . Attheoutsettheyrecite the then describes thediff thendescribes Hashem , we must begintheirtrainingas 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / .” Moshe Rabbeinu avodas Hashem erent types ofsons,erent types avdei Hashem Hashem mitzvos mahnishtana stressed . , their Moshe , they with

35 Children: Our Future DAY 12  Maggid cont'd

After the Mah Nishtana the ke’arah is returned to its place and the matzos are revealed in order to begin re- citing the haggada. Matzah is called lechem oni, which Chazal interpret to mean, bread over which we discuss many things. Th us, sippur yetzias Mitzrayim is said in view of the matzah. (ibid.)

One should not lean while saying the haggada, rather it should be said solemnly and with reverence. (Ibid. M.B. 71)

When one reaches vehi she’amda the matzah is covered and the cup of wine is raised. (ibid 73)1

1. Th e rule is that whenever we lift the cup the matzos are covered.

36 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER rose tothegreatest ofheights. encouragement ofhiswifeheovercame hishumiliationand barrassed tositwithchildren learning years old.he wasforty Althoughattheoutsethewasem- situation. Torah inhisestateheignoredstead ofbeinginvolved itandlearned of twenty-eight. could notread Th ations around andbecame Torah leaders. look atthefi around from thelowest ofthelowtohighesthigh, a hardturnedthemselves timeunderstandinghowtheJews when choosinga eighteen years old. would lookatsuchayoungster Who Th to circumstances hewaschosenas and sees how a person can transformtheirlife.and seeshowapersoncan Th accomplish this? em Not level, withstandingtheiralmosthopelessspiritual would have slippedtothefi to rise above hissituation andbethegreatestbe.to rise hecan orpoor,how rich young oroldoneis, apersonhastheability should drawlessonsforourownlifesituations. No matter cuss thehopelessnessandredemption from Egypt, we Mitzrayim of theywerecause inthestory abletoseethemselves ness withtheacceptanceof I purity. they Iftheyhadstayed anothermomentinEgypt n Egypt, redeemed themandtheyrose tothefi esagestalkedabout e e . Rebbi Yehoshua haggada haggada Rebbi Akiva anddrew Bnai Yisroel ve sageswho, againstallodds, turnedtheirsitu- shema isteachingusavaluablelesson. Ifyou have answers thisquestionlookingatfi Rebbi Tarfon Nasi chizuk orrecite lived in abject poverty overcoming lived his inabjectpoverty , theleaderofgeneration? Yet, due didnotsucceedinhisstudiesuntil were on the forty-ninth level ofim- level were ontheforty-ninth yetzias Mitzrayim totheirownlives. we dis- When level,ftieth ofnoreturn. alevel was fabulously wealthy wasfabulously andin- 30 birchas hamazon Rebbi Elozar ben Azarya Torah DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Nasi . Howdid . aleph-beis ftieth level ofholi- level ftieth extensively be- extensively untiltheage Rebbi Bnai Yisroel , withthe ve sages ve

Eliezer yetzias Hash- was

37 Becoming Great DAY 13  Maggid cont'd

When one reaches the words in the haggada of dam va’eish ve’simros ashan, the ten plagues and their ac- ronym detzach ba’adash be’acha, he pours a little wine from his cup. Th ere are various customs how to do this. Some use their index fi nger, others their ring fi nger and still others use their pinky. Some do not use their fi nger and use a spoon or just spill from the cup. (Rema 473:7, M.B. 74, S.H. 81, Aruch Hashulchan 473:24 )

Th e cup is either refi lled immediately or before le’fi choch.

38 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER C questioned thediff impurity, idols, served andreached thepointthatangels for redemption. Th When When forsalvation. the merit and em had the power to bring theredemption.had thepower tobring the world. Th every when timesare dark andfew with allitsdetails, proper intentionsandthoughts. However, mitzvah and multitudes are many ofJews performing pendent ontimeandcircumstance. timesare good When Chofetz in? situation theyhadfoundthemselves Chaim removal achieve from donetoperfection theterrible nearly demption withallofitsmiracles. Howdotwo the fulfi ofitsaroma and inturnwerecause circumcised. Andyet, for thesakeofmitzvah. Th Th they gave inandwere circumcised. he toldthemtheymust becircumcised. Fainting from desire smelledittheyranto Jews the roasting meatandspread throughout theland. the When Hashem fused. When thengave themtwo commandmentstofulfi korban Pesach us, thetwo ish Nation from Egypt, theydidnothave anymerits hazal mitzvah llment ofthesetwo commandments brought there- caused thefragranceof caused is scrutinized andmeasured toseeifitwasdone isscrutinized teach that when it came timetoredeem teachthatwhenitcame theJew- Moshe ese two Moshe , illuminates nomatterhowfarfrom perfection toldthe e Jews had sunk to the forty-ninth level of level hadsunktotheforty-ninth eJews . Th erence andEgyptian. between Jew answers thatthepower of mitzvos sacrifi ebloodofthesetwo mitzvos ced andprepared the thattheydidwere done noteven Bnai Yisroel Moshe , farfrom performed perfection, 30 eyatethe mitzvos Gan Eden beggingtoparticipate, but DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / tocircumcise theyre- are beingperformed, tobeattached korban Pesach mitzvos mitzvos korban Pesach mitzvos ll: mitzvos served as served bris are de-

Hash- , each milah not be- ,

39 Be'damayich Chayee DAY 14  Pesach, Matzah, Maror

When reciting Pesach zu, the leader of the Seder should not pick up the zeroa since it is not the korban Pesach, rather everyone should look at it as a remembrance.

When reciting matzah zu, the leader picks up the middle broken matzah. And when saying maror zeh he picks up the maror from the ke’arah. (473:7, M.B. 72)

40 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER R of the Seder night. of theSeder Th fi ity ofkeeping ity thathemustperson totherealization accepttheresponsibil- obligation. ofthenight musta Alloftheexperiences bring Gamliel them. Accordingly, wheneatingthe understand thereasons behindevery Rambam best waypossible. obligation, hemeansthathasnotdonethe tion. When does notknowthereasons, hestillhasfulfi exitfrom about ourhurried for the toconcentrateonthereasonsone shouldbeextracareful Gamliel Rabban not bring the story toitsconclusion, thestory not bring hehasnotfulfi who doesnottalkaboutthese recites the Hashem the intentionthattheywillbecome When gral tothisobligation? ing about matzah leaving obligation of slavery, theplagues, etc, butifhedoesnottalkabout lled hisobligation. e the three abban Gamliel and ’s statement. mitzvos Mitzrayim , accepting His Rishonim yetzias Hashem haggada maror arguesthat Rabban sipur yetzias Mitzrayim Hashem mitzvos of is stressing that on the night of the Seder isstressing thatonthenightofSeder

Mitzrayim disagree intheunderstandingof , hehasnot fulfi . spendhoursonthe Onecan Pesach took the Jews out of Egypt itwaswith outofEgypt tooktheJews talkingallaboutthemiracles, butdoes says thatonewhodoesnottalkabout says

Ran Gamliel ’s ’s

Pesach Torah mitzvos explains that preferably oneshould explainsthatpreferably , matzah Rabban Gamliel Rabban . are these Why Mitzrayim statedhehasnotfulfi andkeepingits , matzah 30 , beginningwiththe mitzvos and lled hisobligationoftalk- DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / avdei hashem matzah and , of relating thestory maror , etc. However, ifone hasnotfulfi mitzvah maror meansthatone heshouldthink lled hisobliga- mitzvos as he performs asheperforms mitzvos mitzvah haggada performed. hasnotful- , of servants sointe- lled his lled lled his lled lled his lled Rabban Rabban mitzvos . Ifone Pesach inthe , the ,

41 Hashem's Servants DAY 15  Second Cup and Rachtza

Before beginning lefi choch the matzah is covered and the cup of wine is raised and held until after the brocha of ga’al Yisroel. (473:7)

After concluding ga’al Yisroel, one should have in mind that they are fulfi lling the second cup of the four cups, recite borei pri hagafen and drink the cup in a leaning position.

Rachtza Th ere is a custom that the person leading the Seder has water brought to him to wash his hands as a sign of cheirus. (See Seder Ha’aruch, 75:68)

Preferably, one should not talk about unrelated topics until after korech. (475:1)

42 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER A Th a specifi Rabbeinu. sions ofredemption that thePesachduring Seder, corresponding tothefourexpres- 1. Note thatthethird expression corresponds tothesecondcupoffour cups. al restrictions thatthe al restrictions remain aslave, withthe “freedom” andmor- from themarital leased from bondage. sagessaythataslave would rather Our I willredeem.” refer Redemptioncan toaslave who isre- experienced. they nection totheirforefathers andthetravailsmiracles hallel therecitation ofthefi after the secondcupdrunk were worthy ofredemption. Th were. Th change theirnames, who theirforefathers sincetheyrealized up toandtherefore feelsnoresponsibility. Th does nothave Jewish.free andfully Th . Th ethird expression our sages instituted the drinking offourcupswine our sagesinstitutedthedrinking mentionedandexpoundedon(Day8),s previously c merit thatourforefathersc merit possessed. ey had something to live up to and consequently eyhadsomethingtolive uptoandconsequently is part of ispart Eachexpression corresponds toaspecifi yichus, hallel halachic lineage. Hehasnothingtolive isaresult ofthefactthataslave Torah 1 describes the Jewish People’s theJewish describes con- Hashem

Hashem placesonaJew, thanbecome 30 isexpression corresponds to usedwhentalkingto usedwas “ DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Ve’ga’alti e Jews didnot eJews rst halfof c cupand ”- “And Moshe

43 Yichus DAY 16  Motzi Matzah

Men and women are obligated in the mitzvah of eating matzah. It is worthy to note that eating matzah on the fi rst night of Pesach is a Biblical mitzvah. It is the only biblically obligated food mitzvah that we currently have and one should do their best to fulfi ll this mitzvah properly.

One should have in mind that they are fulfi lling the mitzvah of eating matzah.

44 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER "A 1. diff Th and theyalsodidnotprepare provisions forthemselves.” andtheycouldnotdelay, theywerecause chasedoutofEgypt 2. 3. 4. erent reasons why we eat One opinioninthe let the dough rise andinsteadbaked let thedoughrise they were outofthelandtheydidnothave timeto rushed fi chometz foronedayandtheywere permittedtoown observed only a chancetobakethe days.seven theywere Since forced outtheydid not have andtheywere days seven notallowed toown Another opinioninthe called called out doughandbakedthemeitherontheroad orinaplace than thetimethatittakesfordoughtobecome outofEgypt.that theycarried ( of tives ofHashemandtheirleaders, isaphenomenaldisplay entire nationwillingtoleave acountry, following thedirec- provisions andthe they didnothave timetopreparewere chasedout of Egypt and reached chometz Seforno Th etc.”, isnotreferring tothe posuk days.seven However, theyexplainthatthesecondhalfof Baalei Hatosfos Egypt. tion left fteenth of fteenth us the ere are tounderstandthisverse andthusfour fourways emuna as nd theybakedthedoughthatbrought outofEgypt beginningwiththewords theywere chased “because Sukkos understandsthewords, theywere not “because . Th ” Egypt Nation tomeanthattheentire left Jewish matzah in matzah us, theywere permitted tobake Hashem Nissan . Th Sukkos concurwiththeopinionthatPesach wasfor crackers, theywere because not us, the commemorates how quickly theentire na- commemorateshowquickly tobeeatenthenextday. However, since matzah . Th , where theybakedthe Gemara e matzah Gemara matzah matzah matzah was the only foodtheyhad. wastheonly An 30 isthatPesach was inEgypt athome, rathertheycarried matzah isthatPesach was inEgypt DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Ramban commemoratesthedough commemoratesthis . matzah . they because Rather ) . ( matzah chometz Ran chometz chometz , Pesachim chometz , inless onthe emuna , be- all ) . . 45 Matzah DAY 17  Motzi Matzah cont'd

Th e leader of the Seder picks up all three matzos from the ke’arah and recites the brocha of hamotzi. He then sets down the bottom matzah1 and recites the brocha of al achilas matzah on the top and middle/broken matzos. (475:1)

Since there is a doubt upon which matzah the brocha of al achilas matzah applies, the top or the middle, the leader should preferably eat a kzayis from each matzah Th e other people at the table who will receive a small piece from these matzos and supplement their kzayis with other matzah need not eat two kzeysim. (M.B. ibid. 9)2

Th e custom is not to dip the matzah into salt at the Seder. (Rema ibid.)

Th e matzah should be eaten in a leaning position in less than the time of ke’dei achilas pras. Th e opinions of ke’dei achilas pras range from two to fi ve minutes.

1. If he is using a matzah bag and is unable to set down the bottom matzah, he should reposition his hands to be holding only the top two matzos. 2. Since the largest shiur of kzayis is more than twice the size of the smallest shiur of kzayis, that is suffi cient for this preference of eating two kzaysim, one who eats the larger shiur is actually having two kzaysim.

46 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER " merit forredemption.merit Oneofthe Avrohom had comefor inEgypt? essary begin their involvement in this begin theirinvolvement the involvement ina the involvement from alltroubles andcalamities. we needed JustasinEgypt Th its preparation requires advanceandmeticulous involvement. though the thatare moreeven required stringencies tofulfi for thefi a merit foroursalvation. a merit matzah generations we need so thatitshouldnotturninto eff Similarly, andconditionedforredemption. that isprimed the ing ofthisoff culmination ofthispreparation would bethesacrifi Inorder toincrease theirmerits, was the inanysubsequent sary beforefour days it’s off ort andenergy.ort Itmust bewatchedandguarded meticulously Y enightofPesach isatimethatauspiciousforsalvation and its necessary preparation and involvement serves as preparation serves andinvolvement anditsnecessary Th ou shallwatchthe rst nightofPesach tofulfi korban Pesach to redeem the Jewish Nation. toredeem theJewish However, theylacked e mitzvah korban Pesach ering onthedaythat ering Hashem Rav Masyaben Cheresh Rav mitzvah is performed inthe eating ofthe isperformed mitzvos . mitzvah tofulfi ering. Th korbanos Pesach in of matzos to merit salvation. tomerit Th matzah Mitzrayim ll Hispromise toourpatriarch to merit redemption, tomerit sotoofor chometz isrequirement wasnotneces- 30 mitzvah ." ll the biblical obligationhas ll thebiblical DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Hashem mitzvos Hashem isonethatrequires much . thenwasthisnec- Why . Th explainedthatthetime hadtobedesignated e four days before. fourdays Th hadsetasideasone

matzah Hashem required thatthey ll itstask. Al- e thatisused ceandeat- gave them mitzvah matzah of e , 47 Increased Merits DAY 18  Maror

One should have in mind to fulfi ll the rabbinical com- mandment to eat maror.

One must eat a kzayis of maror. If he is eating two types of maror, i.e. lettuce and horseradish, the two types may be combined for the kzayis. (473:5)

Th e maror is dipped in the charoses and then the charoses is shaken off so as not to take away from the bitter taste of the maror. (475:1)

48 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER "A som emotionally. alsowishedtobreak Pharoh theJews be seenfrom thefollowingexamples: Hemadethembuild Th physically.wanted tobreak theJews duce atall. wasnotinterested Pharoh inproduction output; he his strength willgive outandhewillweaken, unabletopro- days, butnotforlongterm. Infactifheattempts tocontinue, at maximum strength forthefi quota.they hadproduced thatdayastheirdaily work Onecan put. Attheendofday, theyenslaved themwiththeamount oftheirout- kepttrack he couldonthatdayandtheEgyptians producing atmaximum strength. worked EachJew ashard as him attheoutset. Pharoh “sweetly” Heoff work for towillingly convincedtheJews work hardness.” thattheyworked themwithcrushing with the bricks andthenmoved themtothefi with thebricks gotowaste,continuously gocrazy. can themoff started Pharoh One whodoesnotgetsatisfactionfrom hiswork, watchingit When eatingthe When hardness.” of “crushing breaktasks tocontinuously theirspirit. mentally. obligatedthemtodomenialanddegrading Pharoh physically, smallloadstobreak them andstrong peoplecarry largeheavyloadstobreak them small andweak peoplecarry taxing.task oneisnotaccustomedtomentally made Pharoh women men’s perform jobsandviceversa, jobsalientoboth. A job tojob. Th be switchedtothefi hewould andbricks gettingusedtothemortar would start Jew shouldremain hard.his jobinorder thateverything Justasa tomed tothework. ne Pharoh joborendeavor ishardning ofanynew untilonegetsaccus- and mortar andbricks,mortar andallhard work inthefi nd theyembittered theirlives withhard work, with Ra’amses iswould break themmentally. Similarly, hemade , sunkintotheground. whichcontinuously eld. Inthefi maror ered themhighwagesforworking and we should recallthenumerous ways rst dayofaproject, afew oreven ver letanyone getaccustomed to 30 eld hewould alsogofrom DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / elds. Th eld, allthe e begin- is can Pi-

49 Maror DAY 19  Korech

Th e leader of the Seder takes the bottom matzah from the kearah to use for korech. A kzayis of matzah and of maror are used. (ibid.)

Some have a custom not to dip the maror for korech in charoses. Others do and shake it off like they did earlier with the maror. (ibid., M.B. 19)

Th e korech is eaten in a leaning position.

50 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER T Inthemorningstudentsnoticedfi Torah However, Hashem Torah One Friday inthedepthsofwinter, hall of family’s needsandhalftopaytheentrancefeeintostudy earnings asawoodchopper wasasmallcoin, halfgoingtohis andremain unknown.to live alifeofpoverty Hismeagerdaily inform anyone ofwhohewasandhisstature. Insteadhechose Yisroel lonia andwishedtolearn memorate andcelebratebothexperiences, why would Th thesunlight,blocking brought himinside, andrevived him. imagine only andlistenedtothe to theskylight the studyhalloncredit hewent uptotheroof placedhisear chop anywood andcouldnotearnanymoney. Unableto enter What was the catalyst for wasthecatalyst What Who themtogether? mix andwrap was the bite of that there isnosuchthingasabsolute Hillel greatness. themediumforhisascensionto that bitternesswasactually ofhislife,worst experience getmore thatitcannot bitter. Yet, the snowhecouldhave thoughtthathe isgoingthrough the the bittercoldandfreezing snowthatfellonhim. Lying under the came ey then realized thegreatness eythenrealized of matzah tion whilethe he . inthefreezing weather, atleastitshouldnotsnow. Yet , Shmaya Shamya maror brought aheavysnowthatcovered korban Pesach from his personal experiences understoodandtaught from hispersonal experiences Nasi Hillel , theredemption. is not only astepcloser, isnotonly butalsothecatalyst, for Hillel Hillel Hazaken of the Jewish People. oftheJewish and and didnotcomplainandcontinuedtolistenthe praying that after allofhiseff thatafter praying Avtalyon Avatalyon maror and Torah withbitterslavery. Th matzah . ? Hillel . Humbleas Hillel from thegreat scholarsof Hillel 30 are associatedwithredemp- Torah lived thislifecontently. Hillel DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / hadbeenaleaderinBaby- ’s togreatness? rise Itwas maror beingtaught. Onecan and eventually hebe- andeventually Hillel Hillel , bitterness. Every Hillel oughwe com- was, hedidnot gr of gure wasunableto orts tolearn orts completely. Eretz Hillel Hillel

51 Korech DAY 20  Shulchan Orech

Th ere are some who have a custom to eat eggs1 at the Seder. Th ere are various reasons for this custom: 1. It commemorates the korban Chagiga that was eaten as the main course of the Seder in the times of the beis hamikdash. According to this reason, one should eat the egg on the ke’arah. (Rema 476:2, M.B. 11) 2. Th e day of the week that corresponds to the fi rst night of Pesach will also be the same day of the week as tisha b’av. Th us an egg, which symbolizes mourning, is eaten. For this reason any egg may be eaten, but the custom is then limited to the fi rst Seder night. 3. Th e egg is a sign of mourning that we no longer have the korban Pesach. Th is would apply on both Seder nights. (M.B. ibid. 13)

Th e custom, based on the last two reasons, is to pour salt water over the eggs.2

1. Th ere is no need to eat a whole egg. 2. In order not to add a third “dipping” to the Seder night, the salt water is poured over the eggs as opposed to dipping the eggs in salt water. (She- loshim Yom Kodem Hachag, pg. 109, fn 138)

52 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER C the Jews aboutoff the Jews When When as anactofmourning. fulfi oppressed foratotaloffourhundred years. Th children would bestrangersinaforeign land, enslaved and celebration. We yearn forthetimewhen national mourningturnedintothedayofredemption and Eatingtheeggsoneshouldremember howthedayof eggs remained recallingtheday’s theme. original ing tocelebrationandholiday. Yet, thecustomofeating night ofthefi few hundred when few years earlier It wasthedaythat the fi thoseyears inEgypt.throughout theyears ofslavery During celebration aswell. ent dayofnationalmourning, istransformedintoadayof llment of that prophecy the Jews mournedandateeggs theJews llment ofthatprophecy fteenth of fteenth night ofthefi hasam Sofer Hashem fteenth, thedaychangedfrom oneofmourn- Nissan writes thatthecustomtoeateggson writes ering ering the sent fenh of fteenth was observed asadayofmourning. wasobserved bris beinbris habesarim Moshe korban Pesach on 30 Hashem Nissan DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Rosh Chodesh Nissan had been observed hadbeenobserved told andeatingitonthe tisha b’av hadtakenplacea us, the during Avrom , thepres- thathis totell

53 Mourning into Celebration DAY 21  Roasted Meat

Th e custom is not to eat any roasted meat at the Sed- er, so as not to confuse the meat with a korban Pesach. (476:1)

What constitutes roasting?

• Any meat or chicken that is cooked over an open fi re or broiled is considered roasted. Meat cooked in a pot without any liquids is also considered roasted for this custom.

• Some people only eat boiled chicken in order satisfy this custom, while other suffi ce with a sauce or spices on the chicken or meat. (See Piskei Teshuvos)

54 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER T have builtwithout ‘Th Aphilosopherasked accomplish withthiscustom? thiswasnotthecase,Since was whatexactly that you are off danger inimitatingsacrifi I would you excommunicate forthispractice. Th saying, notforthefactthatyou person,“If are animportant Shetach withthe it wasdoneinJerusalem would roastthe Jews alambonthenightofPesach as exactly InhispositioninRome, idence fi Th vetoes ourplans.” old manalways year andone plotsforyour we sitanddevise destruction Every losopher responded, swear thatwhatyou“I istrue. are saying saw clearly how saw clearly and schemestoharmdestroy People. theJewish Healso houses.Egyptian Th homesthatwereskipped over theJewish situatedbetween his actions. fi HekilledtheEgyptian When Nation and the Jewish ings. Th answered that for theJews. that appreciate theconstantmiracles thatoccurred inEgypt,the miracles and butalsotorecognize custom ofimitatingthe tion oftheseconstantsalvations. Hetherefore institutedthe ofrecognitionthat there andcelebra- neededtobesomesort eywillbuild andIwilldestroy.’ However, lookhowmuch we e instituted a custom among the Jews ofRome,instituted acustomamongtheJews inwhich udus e nations of the world will devise manyplotstodestroy willdevise enationsoftheworld , oneoftheleadersg rsthand. korban Pesach

Ish Romi, ering andeatingsacrifi ering Hashem Hashem e Jewish People eJewish saw Hashem a prominent andinfl teachesusthat isreferring toplotsratherthanbuild- thwarted theseconspiracies. thwarted Hashem ces, think forpeoplemaymistakenly korban Pesach Rebbi Eliezer destroying anything.” Tudus 30 willfoiltheirplans. Th eneration, senthimamessage was privy tothemanyplots wasprivy DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / korban Pesach ces outsidethe Temple.” Hashem , toremember notonly Hashem , “Your Hashem says, Hashem inRome uential Jew sons,rstborn He was performing wasperforming Tudus isexactinall ’s Divineprov- ere isagreat Rebbi Eliezer . Shimon ben trying to trying Tudus e phi- felt ,

55 Hashem's Hand DAY 22  Tzafun

After the meal is completed the matzah that had been set aside for the afi komen is eaten. Th e afi komen is a remembrance of the korban Pesach that was eaten after one had eaten their fi ll of the korban chagiga. (477:1)

Since the korban Pesach was eaten together with mat- zah, preferably one should eat two kzaysim for afi ko- men, one representing the korban Pesach and the other representing the matzah that had been eaten with it. (M.B. ibid. 1)

Th e matzah is eaten in a leaning position.

One may not eat anything after the afi komen to ensure that its taste remains in his mouth. (478:1)1

1. See page 72 in regards to drinking after the afi komen.

56 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER T fulfi Chasam Sofer lows night ofPesach isabout him thisanswer immediately. Young of stealingthe with enormouswealth as toleave Egypt thatenabledtheJews rate thisgreat miracle them quietandtheydidnotmakeasound. To commemo- theirmasters.should have barked toalert Yet, were justtaken. Th ables. thingswere Some given withpermissionwhileothers homesofalltheirvalu- emptiedtheEgyptian instructions son of understand therationale. Now thatyou have learnedtheles- following on thenightofPesach theJews inEgypt later, tinued withtheSeder. hours theycompletedtheSeder When for stealingthe years oldheaskedhisfather(at When lessoninregardsimportant tothePesach Seder. a novel understandingforthiscustom, accompanied by an ll thecustomofstealing children “stealing”the here isagreat debateaboutthepossiblesource forthe Hashem Chasam Sofer emuna Rav ShimonSofer Rav Shimon Sofer ’s commandwhetherheunderstandsitornot. continued, wantedto teachyou“I thatyou can , tellyou Ican thereason behindit.” afi afi komen komen e dogs in Egypt witnessingthis “robbery” edogsinEgypt answered thequestion. Heexplainedthat wasenacted. askedhisfatherwhy hedidn’t tell . Hisfatherdidnotanswer andcon- emuna Hashem afi , 30 Chasam Sofer komen Chasam Sofer . Emuna yachatz DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / hadpromised, thecustom afi komen . Chasam So dictatesthatonefol- ) whatthesource is even ifyou even don’t ’s son, wasseven replied thatthe Hashem fer off Hashem kept ered ’s ’s 57 Serving with Emuna DAY 23  Chatzos

Rebbi Elozar ben Azarya holds that the korban Pesach must be eaten before chatzos, midnight. Rebbi Akiva argues and allows it to be eaten the entire night. Most rishonim follow the opinion of Rebbi Elozar ben Az- arya.

Afi komen was instituted as a remembrance of the kor- ban Pesach and preferably follows the rules of the ko- rban. Th us one should be careful to eat the afi komen before chatzos.

If one sees that he will not be able to eat the afi komen before this time he may use the Avnei Nezer’s solution. He should eat matzah before chatzos and declare, “if the halacha is like Rebbi Elozar ben Azarya then this is the afi komen, and if the halacha is like Rebbi Akiva then the afi komen that I will eat later in the Seder will be the afi komen.” In this way, he may continue eating his meal after chatzos even if his fi rst afi komen was genuine. Since after chatzos is past the time for eating the afi ko- men there’s no longer any prohibition of eating after afi komen.1

When he reaches tzafun in the Seder, he eats a second afi komen.2

1. See page 72. 2. See Igros Moshe (5:38:8) who argues on the premise of the Avnei Nezer that after the time for eating afi komen has passed one may eat. Th ere were many Gedolim who praised the Avnei Nezer’s solution, while others held that it should only be relied on bedieved. (See Shloshim Yom Kodem Hachag pg 112, fn 153)

58 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER A At circumstances.under trying torestrain themselves demonstrate thattheyhadtheability refused toleave that tellingPharoh they would ultimately lead.they would ultimately Th appointed leaders. to understood thattheymust besubservient would harden, protested notoneJew thatby therisk themorninghisheart and there wasalways though nottoleave theirhomesuntilthemorning.the Jews Al- Moshe homewithcorpses. Egyptian ordered Pharoh ing every the goalofbecomingNation of soning. tobeallowed toleave For with inEgypt theJews sages, understandtheirrea- whenonemaynotfully even tothe words ofthe andsubservience structure Judaism isareligion thatdemandsextreme discipline, so. freedom requires Successful responsibility. arelaws andrestrictions theantithesisoffreedom, itisnot plined diligence. Althoughatfi ensures thatfreedom isusedtoitsfullestpotentialdisci- be heldaccountableforhisfailures. Th freedom? toac- Afree istrue manhastheability What complish, succeed, receive credit forallthathedoesandalso morning. untilthe leave thelandofEgypt but theydidnotactually is was one of their introductions to the type oflife iswasoneoftheirintroductions tothetype to take the Jewish Nation andleave totaketheJewish Egypt. Yet, the Jewish nationwasredeemed fromthe Jewish enslavement of ll agree thatatmidnightontheFifteenth chatzos Pharaoh , Hashem hadreneged on hisword countless times struck the Egyptian fi theEgyptian struck 30 rst glanceitmaysoundasif DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Hashem Hashem Moshe erequirement that hadcommanded Hashem ’s decision. Th , theyneededto rstborns leav- rstborns Torah andHis andits Nissan Moshe ey

59 Torah Dicipline DAY 24  Barech

Th e cup used for the wine should be washed out before fi lling it for birchas hamazon. (M.B. 479:1)

Th e custom is that the leader of the Seder recites the zimun (if there are three adult men present) and not a guest. However, if he wishes to give the honor to a guest he may. (ibid.)

After the recitation of birchas hamazon the third cup is drunk. One should have in mind that they are fulfi lling the mitzvah of drinking the third cup of wine.

A borei pri hagafen is recited and the cup is drunk in a leaning position. A brocha acharona is not recited.

60 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER A Him. for oursustenance, aswe are dependentonnothing elsebut Th a specifi Rabbeinu. sions ofredemption that thePesachduring Seder, corresponding tothefourexpres- 1. Note thatthesecondexpression corresponds tothethird cup. Meals, whichrefl der, the Graceafter corresponds after tothethird cupdrunk Th faith that the expenseofother. of behaviorstemsfrom alack Such ders another, itrefl the third cup, after drunk they lived inharmonywitheachother. Th slander eachother. Th em other. remained, andfriendship Aslongastheirunity were aslongtheJews not “chasing”the Egyptians each to destroy them. Yet, theJews whowere after running from theEgyptians Jews who isbeingpursuedandneedsrescuing. “And Iwillsave you.” Th erefore, thisexpression, theJews’ describing refusal toslan- couldsave themfrom theiroppressors. Th e secondexpression our sages instituted the drinking offourcupswine our sagesinstitutedthedrinking mentionedandexpoundedon(Day8),s previously c merit thatourforefathersc merit possessed. Hashem Eachexpression corresponds toaspecifi ects thesamethemeof can anddoesprovide can aperson’s need. every ectsasubconsciousdesire togetaheadat ere wasnodiscord amongthem, rather, Hashem Hashem e term “saving” refer can toone birchas hamazon 1

Hashem could only save the Jews from save theJews couldonly 30 usedwhentalkingto DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / usedwas “ Hashem iscorresponds to Hashem . oneslan- When e Jews didnot eJews Ve’hitzalti ’s providing c cupand saved the Moshe Hash- ”-

61 Birchas HaMazon DAY 25  Hallel

Th e fourth cup is poured. An additional cup is poured for kos shel Eliyahu. Th is is a demonstration of our be- lief that just as Hashem redeemed us from Egypt, so too He will send Eliyahu Hanavi to inform us of the fi nal Redemption. (Rema 480:1)

Th e door is opened and the verses beginning with she- foch chamoscha are recited. Th is demonstrates our be- lief that the Seder night is leil shimurim, a night when Hashem vigilantly guards the Jewish Nation.

Some have a custom to say boruch haba (to Eliyahu Hanavi.) (Aruch Hashulchan 480:1)

62 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER R ness thefuture redemption aswell. ontheEgyptians,how Hepoured Hiswrath we shouldwit- Hashem In fact, theyallstoodattheiropendoorsandwatchedhow lest theyalsobekilled, remained thedoorsthemselves open. oftheirhomethatnight manded nottoleave thedoorways killed thefi Th Him? onthenationswhodonotrecognize his wrath at theopendoortorecite verses asking emuna pray to tocommemorateit.evolved We standatouropendoorand such apivotal in event Th withhispeople.questing thatheleave Egypt to running came his servants enightofPesach wasthenightthat inEgypt e witnessing of this occurrence at the doorways was ewitnessingofthisoccurrence atthedoorways indicate thatitis indicate ema inthecomingof killed the Egyptian fi killedtheEgyptian Hashem writes that we open the door during this thatwe openthedoorduring writes rstborn Egyptians.rstborn were AlthoughtheJews com- thatjustaswe stoodatthedoorwatching leil shimurim, Mashiach yetzias Mitzrayim rstborns and how Pharoh and andhowPharoh rstborns Moshe 30 . thenisitthecustom Why DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / , bowingtohim, andre- and to Hashem thatthecustom

demonstrate our topourout tefi Hashem lla to

63 Seeing Salvation DAY 26  Hallel cont'd

Hallel is recited beginning from lo lanu. Hallel is re- cited sitting and not standing (as it is recited normally during davening.) One should not lean, rather sit in an upright position solemnly and with reverence. (M.B. 480:1, Be’er Heitiv 473:27 quoting Shela)

One should try to have three people present in order to say the verses of hodu and ana hashem responsively as is done in shul. Women and children may constitute this group of three. If one does not have a group, he should only recite hodu one time and continue with yomar na, yomru etc.

Th ere are diff erent customs with which brocha to com- plete hallel. Some conclude with the brocha recited at the conclusion of hallel and others conclude with the brocha at the end of yishtabach.

64 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER H Oneofthemainfoundations Torah afterwards. Th service of service well astheeatinginmiddle, onecontinuous are actually Hashem, atall. isnotinterrupted Th hallel vos, buttoeatthe like the into a to continueperform consumption.before andafter Eatinginorder tobe healthy sanctifi andconsecrateit. world that onelive inthephysical Th zah to serve to serve in pursuitsandendeavors likesinging spiritual understanding thatserving at Himthrough the serve Hashem our lives as servants of our lives asservants into perspective ourobligationsto able toserve is way we demonstrate that in actuality iswaywe demonstratethatinactuality Har Sinai hallel , maror not only toeatthe notonly doesnotobligateabstinence, rather allel and smaller portion isrecited beforeand smallerportion eatingthe es mundaneby eatinganddrinking reciting ablessing mitzvah . are Eatinganddrinking alsomediums withwhich matzah Hashem Hashem and during the Seder issplitintotwo parts. theSeder during Th redeemed the Jewish Nation from Egypt to Nation redeemed from theJewish Egypt . Th Hashem . Attimesthe fooditselfisa e shulchan orech andthe . To thislesson, internalize the we interrupt . mitzvos Yom Tov withallofhisactions. Hashem maror mitzvos Torah matzah of the Seder are intendedtoput oftheSeder Hashem mealof , whilethemain . thisinmind, With is theJew 30 and . Integralto thislessonisthe transformstheeatingitself and DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / is not restricted to purely isnotrestrictedtopurely Hashem e two parts of etwo parts avodas hashem mitzvos maror shulchan orech hallel , whichare mitz- , andhowtolive thatwere given Hashem Hashem mitzvah hallel , thepraiseof isthatthe isrecited ’s praises aswell. hallel desires e fi e Jew toeat mat- rst , as

65 Physically Holy DAY 27  Fourth Cup

After the completion of hallel the fourth cup is drunk. One should have in mind that they are fulfi lling the fourth and fi nal cup of the four cups.

Borei pri hagafen is recited and the cup is drunk in a leaning position.

One should drink a full reviis and then recite the brocha acharaona of al hegafen. Th is brocha covers the third cup of wine as well.

66 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER A their exileandoppression. Nation’sJewish statuswillchange, withtheredemption from brothers andotherstobeingtreated asroyalty. too, So the status changeofKingDovid. Hewent from rejection by his the G-dhasmade, letusrejoice andbe gladonit” the buildersdespisedhasbecome thecornerstone. Th Hashem, mewithexpansiveness. G-danswered Th Additionally, theverses le’osid lavo refers to refers of tothedays Th Nation.Jewish of to thelastcup, therecitation ofthesecondhalf after drunk their dream andtookthemforanation. Th for redemption. that Inturntheymerited did notchangetheirlanguage, sincetheyhopedandyearned “ a specifi Rabbeinu. sions ofredemption that thePesachduring Seder, corresponding tothefourexpres- hallel Ve’lakachti e our sages instituted the drinking offourcupswine our sagesinstitutedthedrinking mentionedandexpoundedon(Day8),s previously c merit thatourforefathersc merit possessed. . Th Midrash Gog U’magog Eachexpression corresponds toaspecifi . is part of ispart ”- “And Iwilltakeyou foranation.” Th teachesthatthechapterof hallel Moshiach ; andtheverse Hashem focuses on the future glory ofthe focusesonthefuture glory “From thestraits didIcallon 30 ; theverse usedwhentalkingto DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / Keli atah isru chag ba’avosimisru Hashem is corresponds ahavti istheday estone that isrefers to refer tothe c cupand in realized realized e Jews Moshe hallel

67 Future Glory DAY 28  Nirtzah

We ask Hashem to accept our “Seder,” and just as we merited this Seder, we should merit being in Yerush- alayim and bringing the korban Pesach for next year’s Seder.

Th ere are diff erent “songs” following in the haggada that are recited and sung praising Hashem.

Many have a custom to recite Shir Hashirim after the Seder.

68 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER O that everything that everything therefore, mannertohighlight recall theminasecondary andthe redemption. themiracles performed themselves We, thinkthatMosheandAharon that nooneshouldmistakenly Egypt. with theword valueof as thenumerical Th Hashem messenger of and Although not openly mentioned, Althoughnotopenly yetzias Mitzrayim of Egypt, onceinthenarrative isnotmentionedeven of nationout theplaguesandtookJewish who performed 1. See beitza that thetwo cookeditemsonthe Aharon Haggada KemotzehShololRav e numerical valueoftheword enumerical , represent of ofthe ne oftheconundrums . Moshe Rabbeinu are remembered inalessexplicitfashionisso Hashem nirtzah Moshe Moshe . who redeemed the Jewish nationfrom whoredeemed theJewish to pay tribute to topaytribute and and . Moshe, themessengerof pgs 163-167 for various explanations. pgs163-167forvarious Aharon Moshe Aharon 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / . We theSeder conclude didwasasmessengersof ke’arah . Th haggada nirtzah 1 ereason that

Moshe Chok Yaakov , the is345, the same istheomission

Rabbeinu zeroa andthe Hashem writes writes Moshe sipur , the

69 Moshe Rabbeinu DAY 29  After the Seder

A person is obligated to involve himself in the laws of Pesach and relating the miracles of yetzias Mitzrayim until sleep overcomes him. Many poskim say that this does not literally mean until he falls asleep. Rather he should stay up as long as one can. If one knows that staying up later will ruin his davening in the morning, one may go to sleep immediately. (481:2)

Since it is leil shimurim, a night of protection, one only recites shema and hamapil before going to sleep. Th e additional verses of protection that are usually recited as part of the bedtime shema are not necessary on the fi rst two nights of Pesach. (Rema ibid. M.B. 4)

70 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER done inEgypt. Th miracles ofthenightandexodusfrom Egypt.miracles and commemoratingthe is obligated to view himself as is if he left Egypt. himselfasis if heleft is obligatedtoview Th tion ofleavingEgypt. night, OntheSeder individual every of the night they performed the of thenighttheyperformed haddone.same mannerthattheJews Th great sagesunderstoodthistomeanthatone must actinthe rban Pesach bechoros of half ofthenighttheywere watchingthemiracle are performed, i.e. the night; thefi similar. hadremained awaketheentire theJews InEgypt Th Hashem Hashem Rebbi Akiva for generationsthenightissanctifi Nation forgenerations.the Jewish they were redeemed, beauniquenightfor andwillalways posuk a protection forallof night ofanticipationfor lecholmi’Mitzrayim….shimurim Bnai Yisroel ledorosam the Egypt left referring tothenightthatJews When itas posuk describes “ Pesach Seder. of ing themiracles I - n the Rebbi Eliezer ese two descriptions of the same evening are actually are ofthesameevening esetwo actually descriptions isstressing thatthisnightwasdistinctinwhen , deathofthe fi . hadexecuted, andexpressing praiseandgratitudeto haggada rst halfofthenighttheywere engagedinthe andthe and we relate the story ofthefi we relate thestory erest ofthenighttheyspentrelating the Rebbi Tarfon , Rebbi Yehoshua yetzias Mitzrayim mitzvos Bnai Yisroel rstborn, inanticipationandprepara- leil shimurim hu La’Hashem l’hotziam huLa’Hashemleil shimurim l’hotziam korban Pesach Hashem korban Pesach of -whoremained awakerelat- matzah 30 totakethemoutofEgypt… fortheirgenerations.” Th , DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / mitzvos ed withthe Rebbi Elozar ben Azarya , recalling the miracles theentire nightofthe Ramban and erefore, attheoutset , had justastheJews of maror ve great sages matzah explainsthat mitzvos . Th e second ese fi , makkas , itisa maror that ko- ve ve e ,

71 Demonstrating Freedom DAY 30  Eating & Drinking After the Seder 

One may not eat anything after the afi komen so that its taste remains in his mouth.

Other than the last two cups of wine, no additional wine may be drunk after the afi komen as well. Th ere are three reasons for this prohibition: 1. One should not become intoxicated and unable to fulfi ll the mitzvah of remaining awake discuss- ing yetzias Mitzrayim. Th is would only apply to intoxicating drinks. 2. It should not appear that one is adding cups to the four cups of wine. Th is would apply to wine and any chamar medina. 3. In order to keep the taste of the matzah in his mouth. Th is would apply to any drinks with a strong taste. Water and seltzer would be permit- ted.

Keeping in mind all of the above it is preferable that one should be stringent like all of the reasons and only drink water or lightly fl avored drinks after the Seder. If necessary (especially on the second night), one can drink fruit juices.

Th is prohibition begins after eating the afi komen and continues until the morning.1

1. Alos Hashachar (72 minutes before sunrise.)

72 / 30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER E energy into energy properly. Th quire tremendous toilanddetailtobeableperformed Both the continuing toinfl the the tasteremaining longafter mitzvah detail, every and perform asminuteitmightseem, ofa Th hecompletesitsperformance. remains inhismouthafter the sure andenthusiasmof in the Torah. wishestobeable Ifonetruly “taste” theplea- of the being.his very Inorder tocomprehend thedepthandbeauty ban Pesach tothecommandmentsof Although thelawappliesonly tothewiseson’s intheSeder response given earlier question. der thatitstasteremains inhismouth. Th mitzvos any dessert after the after any dessert acharin Maftirin HaPesach Afi is can beaccomplishedby iscan toilingtounderstand, learn mitzvah . Th and eyteachus thatwhenoneinvests hismindand e ; the mitzvos korban Pesach mitzvah onemust ensure thatthetasteof afi komen mitzvos uence andaff , their “taste” willremain. willthenbeexcitingand ‘tasty” with , itsmessageappliestoallthe mitzvos must become a part ofhislifeand must becomeapart korban Pesach and ect theperson. 30 , itisnotenoughtoperform matzah DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / mitzvah komen and are . Onemaynoteat ’s and performance is mitzvos afi halacha komen thatre- mitzvah mitzvos inor- isthe kor-

73 Taste of Mitzvos

Conclusion

Th e Seder night and its lesson are the culmination of weeks of prepara- tion. Yet, the next morning one may wonder what is the task here on? Th e students of the Volozhin Yeshiva had a motto that defi ned their approach to life. Th ey would say in Yiddish, “mir darf baken matzos, we must bake matzos.” What was the meaning of this dictum? During nirtzah of the second Seder, the liturgy entitled va’amartem zevach Pesach is recited. In describing the destruction of Sedom that oc- curred on Pesach, it states, “Sedom was evil and was destroyed with fi re, Lot was saved and he baked matzos at the end of Pesach.” Although we fi nd that Lot had baked and served matzos to the angels that had come to destroy Sedom, the liturgy states that Lot also baked matzos after the destruction of Sedom and his escape.1 At this point in time Lot and his daughters were under the impression that the world had been destroyed as it had been during the fl ood in Noach’s times. One can only imagine their despair and desperation as evidenced by Lot’s daughters’ plans for Lot to father their children. Yet, the liturgist teaches us that even as Sedom is smoldering and the world has been “destroyed”, Lot had only one task at hand; it was Pesach and he needed to bake matzos. In the Yeshiva of Volozhin they applied this lesson to their own lives. Th ere are times that there are fi res raging that threaten the destruction of the world at large or specifi cally the Torah world. Th ey may be the fl ames of communism, socialism or any other movement or agenda that exists. Yet, we have only one mission; “we need to bake matzos.” We need to continue to strengthen our Torah learning and mitzvah obser- vance without paying attention to what is occurring around us. Th is is the take home lesson of the Seder. All of the ideas and mes- sages that we learned and inculcated into our being, must be channeled into strengthening our Torah learning and mitzvos observance. Mir Darf Baken Matzos

1. See Haggada, Otzer Meforshei Haggada for other explanations.

30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / 75

Glossary avodas Hashem-Serving God avdei Hashem – God’s servants bedieved – as a second choice (literally, once it was done) beis hakenesses, batei kenisyos (plural) – synagogue(s) beis hamikdash – the Holy Temple bris bein habesarim – covenant between God and Avrohom brocha acharona –blessing recited after eating cheirus – freedom Chazal – the Sages kzayis – size of an olive, minimal amount to fulfi ll eating obligations korban – sacrifi ce lechatchila – ideally lechem haponim – loaves of breads on the table in the beis hamikdash reviis – minimal amount to fulfi ll drinking obligations melacha – forbidden action on Shabbos and holidays mussaf – additional prayer recited on Shabbos and festivals posuk - verse shacharis – morning prayer shalsoh regalim – the three festivals yetzias Mitzrayim – exodus from Egypt

30 DAYS TO THE PESACH SEDER / 77

Sources Introduction – Heard from Rav Brevda Day 1 – Derashos Chasam Sofer, Shabbos HaGadol pg 236 Day 2 – Haggada Doresh Tov pg 404-405 Day 3 – Haggada Doresh Tov pg 39-40 Day 4 – Haggada Talelei Oros 47-48 Day 5 – Divrei Yeshayahu, Rav Y. Cheshin, Derush l’bar mitzvah 22 Day 6 – Haggada Doresh Tov pg 93-94 quoting Rav Elyashiv Day 7 – Divrei Yirmiyahu, Shemos 6:9, Haggada Doresh Tov pg 52 Day 8 – Meshech Chochma, Shemos 6:7 Day 9 – Leil Shimurim (Rav Brevda ) pg 106-121 Day 10 – Haggada Shel Pesach, Rav Elyashiv pg 76 Day 11 – Ma’ayan Hashavua, Shemos pg 147 Day 12 – Haggada Doresh Tov pg 112-113 Day 13 – Sefer Ve’higadetta Shemos pg 227-228 Day 14 – Leil Shimurim 171-173 Day 15 – Meshech Chochma, Shemos 6:7 Day 16 – Haggada Sam Derech, Rav S.Z. Broide Day 17 – Ha’Emek Davar, Shemos 12:17 Day 18 – Leil Shimurim pg 153-155 Day 19 – Haggada Doresh Tov pg 456-457 Day 20 – Haggada Doresh Tov pg 460 Day 21 – Sefer Divrei Aggada pg 484 Day 22 – Haggada Doresh Tov pg 71-72 Day 23 – Meshech Chochma Shemos 12:3, Ramban 12:31 Day 24 – Meshech Chochma, Shemos 6:7 Day 25 – Divrei Yirmiyahu, Shemos 12:22 Day 26 – Haggada Talelei Oros pg 365, Haggada Kemotzeh Sholol Rov pg 318-321 Day 27 – Meshech Chochma, Shemos 6:7 Day 28 – Haggada Kemotzeh Sholol Rov pg 333-334 Day 29 – Haggada Talelei Oros pg 114-115 citing Abarbanel Day 30 – Pirkei Moed, Rav Gifter Conclusion – Rav Shmaryahu Shulman in the name of a student of the Volozhin Yeshiva

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