As part of the introductory section of Maggid – the main part of the seder, during which we talk about Yetziat Mitzrayim – the Haggadah teaches us, וכל המרבה לספר ביציאת מצרים הרי זה משובח. This means that anyone who prolongs his discussion of Yetziat Mitzrayim is “praiseworthy.”
The commentators take note of the fact that the Haggadah does not say that this practice is משובח, but rather that the person himself is משובח.
When a person delves into the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim, when he speaks at length about the miracles Hashem performed for our ancestors, he becomes משובח – he is uplifted and elevated; his life becomes enhanced.
Why?
Because in order to properly handle life, we need to believe in miracles.
In today’s world, there is so much anxiety, so much fear, so much negativity, and so much stress. People are worried about their livelihood, how they are going to pay their bills. People are worried about their children’s emotional, social, and educational development. People are worried about health issues. People are worried about when and whether their children will get married. People hear current events and are worried about the world.
There is so much worry, because all we talk about is the problems. We so rarely, if at all, talk about the miracles.
We have all experienced miracles firsthand. We have all had times when we were worried how something would work out, and somehow, it did. Whether it was a job, a business, an investment, a problem with a child, a child who needed a shidduch, a medical issue – we have all experienced miracles. Every single one of us, without any exception.
Yet, we still worry. We worry because we spend more time thinking and talking about the problems we face than we do about the problems which have been miraculously solved.
The experience of the seder is meant to remind us that miracles do happen. The more we talk about Yetziat Mitzrayim, of how Beneh Yisrael were in a hopeless, miserable situation and then suddenly emerged as a proud, free, wealthy nation – the more משובח we are, the happier and less anxious we will be, because we will live with the knowledge that miracles happen.
We spend a considerable amount of time in shul each morning reciting the daily Shaharit prayer. The prayer text we recite hardly makes any mention of problems. The berachot and Pesukeh De’zimra sections speak only about Hashem’s greatness and kindness, all the things He does for us and for the world. And even in the Amidah prayer, in which we ask for the things we need, we do not speak at length about our problems. Rather, we ask Hashem to help us because we know that He helps. We say things like, “You grant wisdom, so please grant us wisdom; You heal, so please heal the sick; You’re a redeemer, so please redeem us.” Our prayers our hopeful and optimistic, expressing confidence, not fear and anxiety.
This is the mindset with which we should live our lives, and this is the mindset that the Pesach seder is meant to inspire.
The Torah emphasizes that our ancestors left Egypt בחודש האביב, in the springtime, when the weather conditions are perfect, neither too cold nor too warm. During the long, dark, cold winter months, it is hard to recognize that spring will arrive, that the sun will again shine and it will be warm and pleasant. Yetziat Mitzrayim occurred during the springtime because this is the lesson it teaches us – that spring does come, that the winter does not last forever, that our difficult problems somehow get solved.
No matter what we’re going through, whatever problem it is that we face, let us remember that “spring” will arrive, that redemption will come, that miracles do happen. The more we talk about the miracles that our ancestors experienced, and the miracles we ourselves have experienced, instead of talking about the problems, the more משובח we will be, and we will live with greater joy and optimism, each and every day.