The third of the four questions in the מה נשתנה, which the child asks at the seder, has to do with the two “dippings”:
שבכל הלילות אין אנו מטבילים אפילו פעם אחת, הלילה הזה שתי פעמים.
The child observes that normally, no foods are dipped into liquids, whereas at the seder, we dip twice – we dip the karpas in salt water or vinegar, and we dip the marror in the haroset.
The Skulener Rebbe noted that the seder is not, in fact, the only time when we dip twice. We also dip on the night of Rosh Hashanah – first we dip our challah in honey, and then we dip apple in honey. Why doesn’t the child ask about those dippings on Rosh Hashanah, and is bothered only by the two dippings at the seder?
The Rebbe answered that there is a basic difference between these two sets of dippings: on Rosh Hashanah, we dip in sweet honey, whereas at the seder, we dip first in salt water or vinegar, which is sour, and then in the haroset, which symbolizes the bricks that Beneh Yisrael had to make in Egypt, symbolizing the pain of slavery.
Nobody ever asks questions about our “dipping” in “honey,” when we enjoy an abundance of sweetness. When things are going well, nobody asks, “Why me? Why is Hashem doing this to me?” But when we repeatedly are “dipped” in “vinegar” and “haroset,” when we go through hard times, when things are difficult – this is when we start asking questions… And so no questions are asked about the dippings on Rosh Hashanah, but they are asked concerning the dippings at the seder.
This beautiful insight reminds us that when we find ourselves struggling with some problem, we must not forget all the “sweetness” that we enjoy. It is so important to step back once and a while to appreciate all that is right in our lives, all the remarkable blessings that we have, rather than only complain about the problems that we deal with.
But there is also another lesson to take away from the Skulener Rebbe’s symbolic understanding of the “dippings.”
The dippings we do on Pesach night are part of the seder – which literally means “order.” We must firmly believe that even the “sour” aspects of life, the hardships that we deal with, are part of Hashem’s “order,” part of His plan for us. Often, it might seem like things happen without any reason, randomly. We need to believe that even life’s struggles are part of the “seder,” that somehow, they are for our benefit, and they help us maximize our potential and become the great people that we are supposed to become.
On this night, which is all about emunah, our belief that Hashem is always watching us, protecting us, and caring for us, we must remind ourselves that even the “sour” elements of our lives are part of Hashem’s plan, and that He is always helping us, even in life’s challenging moments.