We are getting closer to the great, holy night of the seder, which is in less than two weeks. As we know, the source for our entire Emuna for the whole year comes from the night of Pesach. That is the night that we became a nation. That is the night that God revealed Himself, with great signs. It was the revelation of the Shechina, and every year it repeats itself on the night of the seder, when we have a revelation that our souls can feel.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to prepare ourselves for that great night. When a person has an important meeting with a client or a buyer, and his entire year depends on that, he puts some time into it. He doesn’t just wing it. He doesn’t just figure it out once he gets on the plane. He has a game plan. He prepares his notes and spends time on it.
We have to do the same with Maggid. We have to spend time on this and realize how important the night is.
There is an email attached, with a Haggadah with Maggid broken down in an easy to understand way, as well as a class I gave based on this Haggadah.
Hopefully it will enlighten us on the structure of the Haggadah.
The main point of the Haggadah is to tell the story of the night. So we have to know where (in the Haggadah)the story is told, and how to tell the story, the way the Rabbis would like us to.
You have to feel like you were there. You have to give over the story in a firsthand approach. The Chafetz Chaim gives a great mashal for the concept based on the laws of Shabbat: We can’t cook on Shabbat. In other words, we can’t add a piece of raw meat to a pot of boiling water.
But we know that some things are cooked more easily and they can be cooked in what is calLed a kli Sheni -water from the fire that has been poured into one cup and then another. And then there’s the third cup, called the kli shelishi, which can’t cook anything. Therefore, you can put your tea bag into that third cup on Shabbat without a worry.
The Chafetz Chaim says that in order for us to transmit the feelings and emunah of Yetziat Mitzrayim to our families, we must a kli Al ha’esh , we need to be on the fire. We have to bubbling. We should feel like we just got out of Mitzrayim. If I feel like that, then I am bubbling and then I can cook somebody else. But if you aren’t bubbling, because you got it from another source, such as your father, and you don’t really feel it firsthand, and if his father got it from his father, at a certain point you become a third vessel which can’t cook anything. Therefore, we have to be on the fire. You have to prepare the Haggadah on your own, not secondhand, and get it into your blood and bones. That way you can give it over to your family like you were there. That is the importance of preparing and giving it over.
Finally,a story to motivate us:
As we have mentioned before, Rabbi Akiva was together with many other rabbis in Bnei B’rak. It’s one of the first things mentioned. Many rabbis question how all these rabbis were together in one spot. One of the commentaries explains that there is a Gemarah at the end of Masechet Makot where Rabbi Akiva was walking with these similar rabbis, great Tenaim, and they saw shocking, despairing, depressing events: the Romans, the destroyers of the Bet HaMikdash, were cheering and partying. The rabbis all began to cry, except for Rabbi Akiva, who was laughing. They asked him why he was laughing, and he explained that if this is what happens to those who desecrate God, just imagine what is waiting for us?!
In another event, they were walking and saw a fox coming out of the Holy of Holies. Again, Rabbi Akiva laughed while they cried. When they asked each other why, Rabbi Akiva said that since the prophecy of doom came forth, the. the prophecy is redemption will come forth as well. And they said Rabbi Akiva you have comforted us, which means he had given them a different way of looking at things. He reframed it for them. So they asked Rabbi Akiva where he got such strength andEmunah. From where did he get such an outlook? And he answered that he got it from the night of the Seder. From Yetziat Mitzrayim. That’s what gave him his strength. And they decided that if that was the case, they wanted to go to his seder. Not all Seders are created equal. It’s up to the one that gives it over, to give it over properly.
That is our job. So take out some time, lock your door and try your best. You have a great presentation to make, in a little less than two weeks. Have a wonderful day.
Maggid review: