We continue discussing the four pesukim of the Haggadah that describe Yetziat Mitzrayim, which G-d mandated that we relay to our children on the night of the Seder.
We are up to the third pasuk, which discusses how when things became bad due to our distancing ourselves from G-d, we called out to G-d and He responded to us.
(we break this pasuk into five parts)
The first part-
וַנִּצְעַק אֶל־ה' אלקי אֲבֹתֵינוּ
We cried out to G-d, the G-d of our forefathers.
We aren’t just crying out to G-d because we are in trouble. We are connecting it back to our forefathers. The G-d of our forefathers is, “the God of the Jews.” What is bothering us is not just that we were suffering physically, but that we were suffering spiritually. As it says in the pasuk-
וַיְהִי בַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים הָהֵם וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם
After many years, the king of Mitzrayim died
Rashi tells us that this doesn’t mean he died. Rather, it means that he became a leper and was slaughtering Jewish babies to use their blood as a cure. The Midrash says that he was slaughtering first born babies, because the doctors told him that he needed the blood of first born babies in order to heal.
וַיֵּאָנְחוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִ־הָעֲבוֹדָה וַיִּזְעָקוּ
They groaned because of the Avodah/ Work
The Midrash says that they didn’t groan because of the workload, but they groaned because they were worried about who would do the avodah/service in the Bet HaMikdash.
If the firstborns were getting killed out, who would serve G-d?
וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם אֶל־הָאלקים מִן הָעֲבֹדָה
And G-d heard them, because they were crying about their Avodat Hashem/ serving of G-d. This is another way of reading pasuk, but it is a very important lesson: When we cry out to God for spirituality, that is an added reason to be answered. When a person calls out to G-d because he wants to come closer to Him, because he feels distanced from Him, that is a cause to get answered.
The Sefer Chasidim says that if a person cries out for a spiritual need, to get closer to Hashem, or overcome religious challenges, that has a stronger power to be answered.
That’s why it says אנכי ה׳ אלקיך
I am Hashem your G-d, who took you out of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fulfill it.”
The Gemarah says that, “Open your mouth wide,” refers to spiritual requests.
That is our first important lesson from this pasuk.
Our next lesson comes from the next part,
וַיִּשְׁמַע ה' אֶת קלֵנוּ
Hashem heard our voice,
As it says, וַיִּשְׁמַע אלקים אֶת־נַאֲקָתָם
Hashem heard them,
וַיִּזְכֹּר אלקים אֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ אֶת־אַבְרָהָם, אֶת־יִצְחָק וְאֶת־יַעֲקֹב
And Hashem remembered the deal of Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov.
Our powers always need Zechut Avot- the merits of our forefathers.
וַיַּרְא אֶת־עָנְיֵנוּ
He saw our suffering, which the Haggadah tells us means that
זוֹ פְּרִישׁוּת דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ
G-d saw that this was interfering with our private lives.
As it says, וַיַּרְא אלקים אֶת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּדַע אלקים
And G-d saw the Children of Israel and G-d
knew.
This is another important lesson:
There are some things that only G-d can know. When we are suffering in the privacy of our own homes, in our personal challenges, Hashem is aware, and he sees it.
וְאֶת־עֲמָלֵנוּ
And He saw our toil
אֵלּוּ הַבָּנִים
The sons
This is an interesting description.
Why does the word “Amal/toil” refer to our sons?
Some say that it refers to the toil of raising children.
But the Haggadah explains further-
“as it says,
כָּל־הַבֵּן הַיִּלּוֹד הַיְאֹרָה תַּשְׁלִיכֻהוּ
Throw the baby boys into the Nile”
The word “Amal,” means toil with no outcome. That is the list difficult toil.
When we put our work and effort into our children, it is worthwhile if we see the fruits of our labor. If, Lo Alenu, a person has a child and doesn’t get to see nachat from him, that is called, “Amal.”
G-d saw all the nuances of our suffering. He is fully aware of what we are going through.
And lastly, וְאֶת לַחָצֵנוּ
Our pressure
This refers to the mental pressure.
זֶו הַדְּחַק
They were put into very tight and cramped situations and they were not able to deal with it mentally and emotionally. And G-d saw that too. That means that when we cry out to G-d, it arouses G-d’s involvement in every facet of our life, and in every facet of our challenge. He is fully there, and fully aware of every nuance and detail. Nothing is hidden from Him, whether it is a challenge with a child, a sibling or a difficulty in business. Whatever it may be, the worry that we carry in our hearts, that we might not be able to share with anyone, G-d is fully aware of, and we can share it with Him.
And when we cry out, but add more cries because we aren’t able to serve G-d properly with this challenge or interference, that is a powerful prayer.
This is a lesson to us, in how we should pray, and how our prayers can be answered.
These are all Emunah and Bitachon lessons that we have learned from the Haggadah shel Pesach.