There’s a thought on the Hagada shel Pesach related to Ahavat Yisrael that I would like to share
(it’s never too early).
Magid starts off with,
Ha Lachma Anya, the bread of affliction, “that our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt.
Then we say, “Anybody who is hungry should come in and eat, Whoever is needy (regarding Pesach) should come and celebrate Pesach…
Then we say, “Now we are here, and next year we will be in the land of Eretz Yisrael; Now we are slaves, next year in the land of Yisrael, free men.”
It’s basically broken into three stanzas:
The first part introduces the bread of affliction that we ate in Mitzrayim,
Then we invite the guests in,
And then, the third section holds our hopes for the future.
The Chida is bothered- what exactly is the connection between these three statements?
He explains that we are currently in Galut. That is the Lachma Anya/ the bread of affliction.
Then, at the end, we say our hope and prayer is that we will no longer be in Galut.
What comes in between those two statements is inviting the guests in. He said that the way for us to get from point A (our Galut now) to point C ( going to Eretz Yisrael) is by bringing in guests. Since the Bet HaMikdash was destroyed over Sinat Hinam, the way to fix that sin is by inviting guests in. Therefore, we have this statement in between, because that’s the way we come out of Galut.
The Chida further proves this point from the terminology of Megilat Eicha, “Yehuda went into Galut because of Oni/poverty.” This can mean that were in an impoverished state, but alternatively, it can mean that they went into Galut because they did not treat the impoverished properly. That’s why we eat the bread of poverty until today- because we didn’t treat the poor properly.
It’s no coincidence that there are many so appeals for Maot Hitim and other other collections at this time of year.
It’s because, as the Chida tells us, the way to get from the beginning of Ha Lachma Anya (the impoverished state we are in) to the end of it (being in Yisrael), is with the middle statement - Whoever is hungry, come and eat, whoever is needy come in for Pesach.
And it starts now. We invite guests now. And this doesn’t just mean family members. Inviting guest means including people who need a place for the Seder.
Now is the time to talk about it, as there are three weeks to go. Start thinking about whether you know anyone that might need a place to go for the Seder.
They might not always be the easiest people, but if they need a place for the Seder, that is what we are supposed to be thinking about now.
Have a wonderful day.