Close To Torah

 The Ins and Outs of Mechiras Chometz 

By Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff

 As we all know, a Jew may not own chometz on Pesach, which is included in the Torah’s double prohibition, bal yira’eh and bal yimatzei. Furthermore, the Torah commanded us with a mitzvas aseh, a positive mitzvah, to destroy any chometz left in our possession after midday on Erev Pesach.

 According to most poskim, these prohibitions apply both to chometz gamur (pure chometz) and to ta’aroves chometz (chometz mixed into another product). Furthermore, the Torah prohibited benefiting from chometz from midday on Erev Pesach regardless whether a Jew or a gentile owns it. Chazal prohibited benefiting from chometz an hour earlier. In addition, Chazal instituted a penalty whereby chometz owned by a Jew during Pesach may never be used. They also required us to search our homes and property the night before Pesach for chometz that we may have forgotten.

 Although a Jew may not own chometz on Pesach, there is nothing wrong with his selling his chometz to a gentile before it becomes prohibited. The Mishnah (21a) states explicitly that one may sell chometz to a gentile before Pesach, although this meant that the gentile took the chometz home with him (see Terumas HaDeshen #120). Today when we sell our chometz, we leave it in our homes and we know that the gentile does not intend to use our chometz. Does this sale present us with any halachic issues to resolve?

 REASONS TO ARRANGE MECHIRAS CHOMETZ

Before addressing these issues, we should note that there are several valid reasons to arrange a mechiras chometz even if one has no chometz of any value:

 1. One is required to rid one’s house and all one’s possessions of chometz. However, some items, such as toasters, mixers, wooden kneading bowls, and flour bins are difficult, if not impossible, to clean. Shulchan Aruch and Rama (442:11) recommend giving wooden kneading bowls and flour bins and the chometz they contain as a gift to a non-Jew before Pesach, with the understanding that the gentile will return them after the holiday.

 However, if one does not have such a relationship with a gentile, or it is inconvenient for the gentile to store these items in his house, one needs to modify the solution so that one does not possess chometz on Pesach. Thus, one can include this chometz and these appliances in the sale of chometz.

 One should not sell items that require tevilas keilim (immersing vessels in a mikveh), such as metal or glass appliances, but rent them out instead, since otherwise one will have to immerse them again according to many poskim (Pischei Teshuvah, Yoreh Deah 120:13). Alternatively, one can simply sell the chometz that is attached or inside them, but not the appliances themselves.

 2. Someone who owns stocks either directly or through mutual funds and/or retirement programs has another reason to arrange selling his chometz. Although some poskim contend that one may own stocks in a chometz business over Pesach (Rav Moshe Feinstein), most poskim prohibit owning shares on Pesach of a company that owns chometz. They contend that owning part of a corporation that owns chometz is considered as if I own chometz myself (Shu’t Minchas Yitzchok 3:1). Thus, in their opinion, even if someone’s house is completely chometz-free, he should arrange a mechiras chometz to include that which he owns as part of his shares.

 3. The Mishnah Berurah mentions an additional reason to sell one’s chometz — to avoid searching for chometz (bedikas chometz) in areas that are difficult to check (433:23) or where one plans to store non-Pesach items (436:32). Many poskim contend that when using the sale to preempt bedikah, it should take affect prior to the time of bedikas chometz. This way, when the mitzvah of bedikah takes affect, these areas and their chometz are already under the control and ownership of the gentile.

 4. Modern manufacturing creates an additional reason why one should arrange mechiras chometz, since it is difficult to ascertain whether medicines, vitamins, and cosmetic items such as colognes and mouthwashes contain chometz. For this reason, many people perform a standard mechiras chometz even if they destroy all their known chometz and search all the areas they own for chometz.

 SOURCES FOR MECHIRAS CHOMETZ

The Mishnah (Pesachim 21a) and Gemara (Pesachim 13a) discuss selling chometz before Pesach in cases that one does not expect to receive the chometz back. In these instances, the sale is fairly easy to arrange: The gentile pays for the chometz (or receives it as a gift) and takes it home with him.

However, in instances where the Jew is expecting to receive the chometz back after Pesach, how does one guarantee that the chometz indeed becomes the property of the non-Jew? Does the Jew’s expectation that he will receive the chometz back undermine the sale? Also, does the gentile really intend to buy the chometz, or does he think that this is all make-believe and that he is not really purchasing it? This would, of course, undermine the purpose of the sale.

 The Tosefta provides us with background to these questions:

 A Jew is traveling by ship and has with him chometz that he needs to dispose of before Pesach. However, the Jew would like the chometz back after Pesach because there is a dearth of kosher food available. (Apparently, there was no hechsher on that particular ship.) The Jew may sell the chometz to the gentile before Pesach, and then purchase it back afterwards. Alternatively, the Jew may give the chometz to the gentile as a present, provided no conditions are attached. The gentile may then return the present after Pesach (Tosefta Pesachim 2:6). Thus we see that one may sell or give away chometz to a gentile and expect it back without violating any halachos provided the agreement does not require the gentile to give it back.

 REMOVING THE CHOMETZ TO THE GENTILE’S PROPERTY

Terumas HaDeshen (#120) also discusses whether you may give your chometz to a gentile as a present that he intends to return to you after Pesach. He permits this, although he stipulates that the gentile must remove the chometz from the Jew’s house (as explained by Bach, Orach Chayim 448).

 This condition presents us with a problem in arranging our mechiras chometz. The gentile is willing to cooperate and purchase our chometz, but he does not remove the chometz to his own house. Is there a way to alleviate this problem, or must we forgo selling chometz?

 This problem became common when Jews became extensively involved in the ownership of taverns, which was in many places one of the few forms of livelihood open to them. It became common practice to sell the whiskey to a gentile before Pesach even though it remained in the Jew’s tavern (Bach, Orach Chayim Chapter 448). This procedure seems to violate the Terumas HaDeshen’s instructions.

 Before we address this question, we must first analyze why the Terumas HaDeshen requires the removal of the chometz from the Jew’s premises.

 The poskim present different reasons for this stipulation, some suggesting that leaving the chometz on the Jew’s property implies that the Jew assumes responsibility for the chometz even though he no longer owns it (Magen Avraham 448:4). The halacha prohibits a Jew from being responsible for a gentile’s chometz during Pesach (Gemara Pesachim 5b; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 440:1).

 Others contend that the sold chometz should be removed from the Jew’s property out of concern that the Jew might eat it by mistake since it was once his (Shu’t Radbaz #240). The halacha is that if the Jew never owned the chometz, he may leave it on his property as long as he places a very noticeable barrier around it (Gemara Pesachim 6a).

 The poskim rule that transferring ownership of the area where the chometz is stored to the gentile satisfies both of these concerns (Bach 448). Thus, rather than moving the chometz onto the gentile’s property, we make the property holding the chometz into his property. Therefore, the contract selling the chometz also sells the area where the chometz is located.

 If the Jew does not own the area holding the chometz but is renting it, he should rent the area to the non-Jew for Pesach rather than sell it. (To simplify matters, many Rabbonim simply rent areas to begin with, and do not sell the areas to a gentile.) Similarly, in Eretz Yisroel, where the Torah prohibited selling land to a gentile, one should rent his property to a gentile rather than sell it.

 There is another approach to explain why the gentile should remove the chometz from the Jew’s property when he buys it. This opinion contends that in order to take possession of the chometz, the gentile must remove it into his property (Chok Yaakov, 448:14). This requires a bit of explanation.

 WHAT MAKES A TRANSACTION VALID?

 On a daily basis, we buy and sell items from merchants without paying attention when the item changes possession. – That is, at what point does the transaction become valid. Indeed for most of our daily activities, this question is not germane. I go to the supermarket to buy groceries. Does the item become mine when I pick it up to place it into my shopping cart, when I pay for it, or when I pick up the bag to leave the store? The vast majority of times it does not make a difference.

 However, sometimes it makes a difference at what point the item becomes mine. If the item accidentally breaks after I paid for it, but before I picked up the bag, is it already mine or not? If the item is indeed already mine, I have no right to ask the merchant to replace it. It makes no difference whether it broke while I was at the store or after I brought it home – in either instance it is incorrect for me to assume that the merchant is responsible to compensate me. Indeed, although the merchant may be willing to replace the item, it is unclear that I may ask him to do so. The merchant may replace the item because he does not want to lose a customer, not because he has any obligation. Thus, this may qualify as coercing someone to give a present that he does not want to, something that is halachically prohibited and morally objectionable.

 When selling chometz, it is of paramount importance to determine that the transaction has actually transpired. If the transaction has occurred, then the chometz now belongs to the gentile and there is no violation of bal yira’eh and bal yimatzei on Pesach. However, if the transaction has not taken affect, then the chometz still belongs to the Jew, who will violate bal yira’eh and bal yimatzei.

 HOW DOES THE CHOMETZ BECOME PROPERTY OF THE GENTILE?

 An item changes ownership when there is an agreement between the parties that is then followed by a maaseh kinyan, an act that transfers ownership. There are many types of maasei kinyan, each appropriate to some transactions and not to others.

 Here is an example of an attempt to make a maaseh kinyan that does not work. Reuven wants to purchase a candy, and he decides to draw up a contract for the sale. This written contract does not transfer ownership of the candy to Reuven since it is not a recognized maaseh kinyan for transacting movable items. (Real estate is an example of an item for which a written contract is a maaseh kinyan.) On the other hand, the candy becomes Reuven’s property when he picks it up (assuming that the seller has agreed to the transaction and the two parties have agreed to a price) because this is a maaseh kinyan for movable items.

 The poskim dispute what is the maaseh kinyan when purchasing movable items from a gentile, some contending that movable property becomes the buyer’s when he pays for it (Rashi, Bechoros 3b), others contending that it does not become his until he picks it up or takes physical possession in a similar way (Rabbeinu Tam, quoted by Tosafos, Avodah Zarah 71a). If it is a large or heavy item, then it becomes his when he pulls it or causes it to move it in some other way, or when it is delivered to his property. Thus the chometz will not become property of the gentile until he takes physical possession.

 This presents us with a practical problem. Since the gentile is not bringing the chometz home with him, nor is he picking it up, there is no maaseh kinyan taking place to transfer to him the ownership of the chometz according to Rabbeinu Tam.

 Several poskim suggest alternative methods of carrying out the transaction (see Mishnah Berurah 448:17). In some of these methods, one rents to the gentile the places where the chometz is stored.

 Since not all poskim accept this method of transacting chometz, we perform several such maasei kinyan in order to guarantee that the chometz indeed becomes the property of the gentile. This concern is one of the reasons why some people refrain from selling chometz gamur and only use the mechirah as a back-up measure. (See also Tevuos Shor, Pesachim 21a for another reason.)

 We see that conducting a proper mechiras chometz is a complicated procedure, and certainly beyond the halachic skills of the typical layman. Thus, it is inadvisable for a lay person to arrange his own mechiras chometz without a rav’s supervision and advice.

 A PRIVATELY ARRANGED SALE

 In one of my previous positions, I was the only rav in the vicinity who was arranging mechiras chometz. One member of my shul, an attorney, had not approached me to arrange for the sale of his chometz, which I assumed was an oversight on his part. Wishing to avoid a crisis, I approached him diplomatically to ask whether he had forgotten to take care of mechiras chometz. He replied that he had arranged his own sale with a non-Jewish acquaintance of his, and had indeed drawn up the deed-of-sale himself.

 The attorney did not consult with me before he arranged this sale. In all likelihood, the contract he drew up was valid according to civil law, and therefore would be considered a valid mechirah according to some poskim (Masas Binyamin quoted by Magen Avraham 448:4). However, according to many poskim this attempt to sell chometz did not follow the rules that govern mechiras chometz (see Magen Avraham and Machatzis HaShekel). Thus, the attorney had violated bal yira’eh and bal yimatzei according to many opinions.

 DIFFERENT TIME ZONES

 Shimon is looking forward to his visit with his children in Eretz Yisroel for Pesach. He must make sure to mention this to his rav who is arranging his mechiras chometz. Since the sixth hour of Erev Pesach will arrive for Shimon in Eretz Yisroel many hours before it arrives for his rav in New York, Shimon’s chometz must be sold before the sixth hour of Erev Pesach in Eretz Yisroel, many hours earlier than if he were in America. The rav will make sure that the sale on Shimon’s chometz takes affect earlier than everyone else’s.

 CAN I SELL CHOMETZ WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION?

 Yosef stored a case of whiskey in my garage and then left for a lengthy vacation. He told me he would be back by Purim. A few days before Pesach, I notice that the whiskey is still in my garage, and I have not heard from Yosef, nor do I know how to reach him. What do I do with his whiskey? Can I arrange mechiras chometz on it without his explicit authorization?

 Yehudah’s father, who lives in South Africa, is unfortunately no longer able to care for himself and suffers from dementia. Months ago, Yehudah moved his father into his own home in New York and closed up his father’s house for the time being. Now Yehudah realizes that he has no idea if his father owns any chometz in the house, or where it possibly might be. Can he authorize mechiras chometz on his father’s property without authorization?

 The Gemara tells a story that impacts on these shaylos. Someone placed a large sack of chometz with a man named Yochanan the Sofer for safekeeping. On the morning of Erev Pesach, Yochanan went to ask Rebbe whether he should sell the chometz before it becomes prohibited. Rebbe ruled that Yochanan should wait to take action since the owner might still claim his property.

 An hour later, Yochanan returned to ask the shaylah again and received the same reply. This happened hourly until the fifth hour, the last time at which he could sell the chometz, at which time Rebbe instructed him to sell the chometz to gentiles in the marketplace (Gemara Pesachim 13a).

 There is a question that this Gemara does not address. How could Yochanan sell the chometz, if the owner had not authorized him?

 The answer is that although the owner had not authorized Yochanan to sell the chometz, if it will become worthless, he should sell it as a favor for the owner. This is a form of hashavas aveidah, returning a lost object to its owner, since now he will receive some compensation for his chometz and otherwise it will become worthless (Mishnah Berurah 443:11). Similarly, both Yosef and Yehuda would be able to arrange mechiras chometz even though the owner had not authorized them (see Magen Avraham 443:4).

 According to Kabbalah, searching for chometz is symbolic of searching within ourselves to locate and remove our own arrogant selves. As we go through the mitzvos of cleaning the house, searching, burning, and selling the chometz, we should also try to focus on the spiritual side of this search and destroy mission.

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Copied with permission from http://www.rabbikaganoff.com.

Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff, a prolific Halacha writer, and former Rav and Dayan in Buffalo and Baltimore, currently serves as a Morah Hora’ah in Neve Yaakov in Yerushalayim. Rabbi Kaganoff, a renowned posek who answers shaylos from around the world, is the author of seven books on Rabbinic scholarship, both in English and Hebrew. He and his Rebbitzin are extraordinarily dedicated to the Jewish people, and work tirelessly to assist, support and teach. They have touched countless lives and earned the respect of thousands. He can be reached through his website www.rabbikaganoff.com.

Rabbi Kaganoff also runs a Tzedaka Organization – Nimla Tal. To learn more about it or to donate, please click here: http://rabbikaganoff.com/about-nimla-tal.

The Purim- Pesach Connection

By Rabbi Elchonon Feldman

Rabbi of Belmont United Synagogue, London, U.K.

Well, as the song goes: ‘Happy days are here again.’ We are approaching quite a jovial time in our calendar. On the horizon are some of the most popular Jewish festivals: Purim and Pesach. For most of us this period of time can be tricky. We have to strategize how to best give and receive the most MiShaloch Manot (friendship food parcels traditionally given on Purim day) and still have all the chametz in them consumed before Pesach arrives. Talk about difficulties!

An interesting question which comes to mind based on this receive-consume dilemma is why exactly couldn’t there have been a healthier distance from Purim to Pesach? After all, there is only one month in between! Obviously, the straightforward approach is that we have no say in how any given epic period in our Jewish history will fall out. Therefore, wherever on our calendar these occasions occurred, will be commemorated as our Holiday and there is not much to do about it.

The truth is, there is very careful intent in what will happen and when, during our calendar year. We look at time as raw potential to be channelled. As we see in nature, there are seasons of growth and blossom as well as seasons of decline and wither. Similarly, throughout the year there are periods of positivity and emancipation as well as times of negativity and constraint. It seems that there must be some insight into why Purim and Pesach come one after the other. What exactly is there beneath the surface?

As with most aspects of Judaism, there is more than meets the eye. Let us take a brief glimpse into Purim. Besides being a great time for camaraderie and revelry, where friends and family get a chance to party in proper Jewish fashion, there is something special we are celebrating. The men and women of our nation were on the brink of annihilation. Haman had brought forth an edict which would have legalized our decimation. However, due to a string of ‘coincidental’ occurrences, the evil plans were thwarted and the very gallows which Haman built to hang our main protagonist Morderchai, were used for Haman instead. Yay, let’s celebrate!

We who have had the benefit of history can see things from such a rosy perspective. Back during the time of Purim though, it was relatively easy to say that all the events which were unravelling were happenstance, mere lucky circumstances which could have just happened. As they say with the New York Lotto ‘Hey you never know’.

Yet, we Jews decided to see things differently. We were looking for the hand of God and therefore we saw it. In fact, this is one of the reasons why there is a custom to drink intoxicating beverages on Purim. We need to see beyond our personal natural discomfort with anything paranormal existing in our world. So we drink until we can say ‘Yes, I am comfortable with a reality where God intervenes for me.’ (Each of us therefore requires a different inebriation to get us there.)

This sheds a whole new light on the purpose in placing Purim before Pesach. Sure, our exodus from Egypt was miraculous and God performed feats which may never be matched until the end of time. But, perhaps that type of intervention was unique to that time. Therefore, we need Pesach to come at the heels of Purim, where we ascertained for ourselves that God is always looking after us, even behind the scenes. Hence, we can now approach Pesach as a culmination of the expression of God’s love for us rather than just an exception.

May we all merit to see God in the small details in our own lives and may we always have positive opportunities to appreciate the ‘coincidences’ in the world we live in.

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Rabbi Elchonon Feldman has over 15 years experience at high level Yeshivos as both student and teacher where he gained the relevant Torah fundamentals and skills to lead and teach a congregation. This is complemented by a degree in Liberal Arts and a councellor’s license. He received semicha last year and recently completed a two year rabbinic training program at the Ohr Lagolah Leadership Institute.   He is a talmid of mine, as well as the newly appointed rabbi of  Belmont United Synagogue in London, U.K. He can be reached at  rebelchb@gmail.com.

On the seventh day of Pesach we celebrate the splitting of the Yam Suf which occurred seven days after leaving Egypt. What exactly was it that caused Pharaoh to make this foolish step of pursuing the Jews? Did he not realize that his whole country was in ruins and that he had no chance against the God of the Jews? Had he so quickly forgotten the ten plagues? Even more so, after seeing the miracle of the splitting of the sea why did he not turn back? What caused him to continue his pursuit in face of an open miracle?

Pharaoh obviously did not want to admit defeat. He held himself on a high level, claiming he was a god that created himself, and the form of Egypt’s sustenance, the Nile. For a human being to admit that he is wrong and that he has lost is by nature a very hard thing. With the pedestal that he had built for himself, it would be a high fall, one he was not about to take “lightly”. So he turned his head away, ignoring all that he had seen, refusing to see his error. He ascribed it all to chance, and that was his mistake. Moshe Rabeinu had originally asked Pharaoh in his request to allow the Jews a three day period in which they can serve Hashem in the wilderness.(Shemos 5:3) Pharaoh sent spies with Bnei Yisroel to see how thing will turn out, once he saw that they weren’t planning on coming back he chased after them (Rashi Shemos 14:5). Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky explains his rationalization was that they were trapped in the wilderness and the great Egyptian god Baal-zephon had prevailed over them. He refused to see the hand of God, and his heart became hardened once more. (Shemos 14:2-4). Upon arriving at the Yam Suf seeing that it had split, he continued forward still refusing to give up. After all there was a strong east wind the entire night before (Shemos 14:21) Hashem gave him the opportunity to attribute it all to nature, and that is exactly what he did. If it is a natural occurrence there is no reason why he should give up his chase. Seeing that he still refused to relent, and attribute it to the hand of God, Hashem caused the sea to collapse on the Egyptian army and not one of them was left (Shemos 14:28). Egypt had been completely crushed, their army leveled, and at this point it was known without any uncertainties that Hashem Echad U’shmo Echad.

There are many situations in our lives that a person can attribute to coincidence. It is very easy to take Hashem out of the equation, in there lies the test. If a person sees his life as being run by nature, then Hashem will step back and allow “nature to take its course.” However if we stand up to the plate, and say that whatever happens to me in my life is because Hashem is guiding me, watching out for my best interests, taking care of me with each step then he will see success in his life. With the knowledge that Hashem is holding his hand each step he takes, he cannot falter Hashem is with him.

I have always found it paradoxically amusing that the section in Shulchan Aruch (O”C 430) which describes Shabbos HaGadol (The Great Big Shabbos) is the shortest section in all of Halacha! What is this all about? Also, the Shabbos which is called “Big” falls out in what can be considered the busiest week of the year. Some people are so busy cleaning and preparing for Pesach that they may not even have time to read my explanation….

Hashem commanded the Jews to take Egypt’s god (the lamb) and slaughter it before them. It was miraculous that the Jews were able to make such a powerful statement and were not killed for it by the Egyptians. My question is: why is this event so stressed? Is not the Ten Makkos, the Exodus itself and the splitting of the Yam Suf far more important in earning our obligation to thank Hashem for?

The word “appreciate” has two definitions. 1- To be grateful for… (I appreciate…) 2- To go up in value (the gold appreciated). What is the connection? Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, an expert on positive psychology, points out scientifically that the way to happiness is through contemplating and recognizing the good which we have. When we think about the good that Hashem has bestowed upon us, the good becomes appreciated! When we savor the good, then we have connected with it. A Torah truth and masterpiece.

This I believe is the message here. We specifically take a minute detail of the Exodus and extrapolate upon it. When one thinks about all of the good which Hashem does for us, he is filled with happiness to see the great details, involvement and care that Hashem has for him.

Our job is to take a small Halacha, a busy Shabbos and easily neglected aspect of the Exodus and to make it BIG! That is Shabbos HaGadol! (By the way, I kept this thought short, but I feel that it is BIG!)

The Chacham seeks to understand Hashem “Himself” and His relationship to the universe as much as possible so we tell him “Boruch HaMakom”. The universe exists w/in Hashem and is maintained dynamically through His constant will that it be so.

The Rasha wishes to separate himself from his Creator as much as possible so we remind him “Boruch Hu”. He is a constant flow throughout all of creation and no existence, even the Rasha himself, is possible w/o Him.

The Tam has a simple faith in Hashem’s existence and merely desires to know how He relates to him and what is required of him so we tell him “Boruch shenasan Torah l’amo Yisroel. Hashem gave His entire plan for creation into the hands of His beloved children that they might, through it’s fulfilment, come as close as possible to true existence.

The Eino Yodeiah L’shol (one who knows not enough even to question) is unaware of Hashem’s existence entirely and must be introduced to the concept w/ “Boruch Hu”. Hashem is all around and through us and maintains all of us even when we are unaware of His existence for we all have a purpose and great potential. Question everything and seek the truth fearlessly with neither bias nor preconceived notions (no matter how deeply you may “feel” (or even “know”) them to be “right”, “just”, etc.) and you will reach true understanding.

Pesach is the time where we find the most interesting customs and stringencies. Pesach has two prohibitions given to it, and the great punishment of kares. Pesach is no more stringent than Shabbos…in fact it is less. Why is it that we treat Pesach with such meticulous care? So you may answer me right away that by Shabbos and Yom HaKippurim the shiur of issur is either a k’zayis or a grogeris…whereas by Pesach its even a ma’shehu. That is true! At the same time, Shabbos comes every seven days and Pesach once a year. It is obvious that the great excitement for Pesach enables us to keep up our best behavior whereas by Shabbos…we start slacking off.

The fact that Shabbos occurs every seven days and Pesach only once a year is because it was needed more often than Pesach. In other words, the affect of Pesach can last us a year and then we need a refresher. By Shabbos…we need it every week. The fact remains that if Shabbos is obligated every week that means that we need it every week. As it is well known from the Chazal, that a Shabbos kept “K’tikunah” would bring the g’eulah. That must mean that we don’t keep Shabbos the way it can be. I still think that means that we would be obligated to keep Shabbos every week, but it is clear that Shabbos has room for improvement.

Where am I going with all of this? I am bothered with the fact that the world goes upside down for Pesach but Shabbos is “just Shabbos”. I had written an article recently on Close To Torah, for Parshas Vayakhel where I made an interesting observation on the beginning pasukim. The Torah says that you should work for six days and the seventh you should rest. I noted that the rest cannot occur without the six days of work. That means that if you do “nothing” for the six days, the rest won’t seem very significant. It is the way that you approach your work during the week that gives more kedushah to Shabbos. What that means is, that when you work during the week with intention to work, and then on Shabbos we rest…that’s not good enough. You should work with intention to rest on Shabbos! What I mean to say is that Shabbos is the purpose of the Creation. That means that all was intended for the sake of Shabbos. In the same vein we should keep this in mind when we are totally involved in our weekly activities. I’m not talking about just doing things for the sake it, I’m talking about that the we should do our work in order so that we can do our rest on Shabbos. Resting on Shabbos isn’t the absence of work, it is an active rest.

The difference between Yomim Tovim and Shabbos, is that on Yom Tov we work…we like to work. We have a hard time resting. Resting!? I love to rest! No, I don’t just mean to sleep, or to lounge around. Rest means to rest from all of the existence of Olam HaZeh, to rest from the constant war of the Yetzer HaRa. To rest by completely involving oneself in a glimpse to the World to Come.

Now on Pesach, we should “work” so that we may rest on Shabbos. May Hashem Yisborach help us to keep all of the laws of Pesach. Not just the laws of Pesach, but the work of Pesach. Ah! The work in this case is the work of growing with the Yom Tov. Going through a Yitzias Mitzrayim, going through a Hallel. Feeling as though we were completely in the chains of our Yetzer HaRa and left in a world without purpose. On Pesach we work to grow in emunah and to extend our relationship with Hashem. On Shabbos we will then take that work and internalize it, to make ourselves fresh to work again. To rest from the work so that we may rest as we awaken to the day that Mashiach Tzidkaynu ends this bitter galus which is a constant reminder that we are not working or resting enough!

חכם מה הוא אומר… רשע מה הוא אומר… (הגדה של פסח)

“The wise son asks… the evil son asks…” (Haggadah Shel Pesach)

One of the most famous segments of the Seder is The Four Sons. What makes it so important? Is it just its early appearance or its emotionally stirring characters? I believe that it expresses a fundamental lesson which encapsulates the theme of the entire Seder.

The Rasha makes a very troubling remark, “what is this work that you are all doing?” He removes himself from participation by not stating, “us/we”. We punish his insolence. What is mind boggling here is that the Chacham, wise son, seems to use the very same speech style and yet we praise him?! He says, “what are all these testimonies and laws which Hashem Elokeinu has commanded you?!” He also seems to be excluding himself?! A famous question of the Vilna Goan.

I believe that the answer is fundamental for the entire theme of Pesach. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

Both sons have a question, they want to know what is going on. However, the wise son asks respectfully and with interest, whereas the evil son talks with contempt.

The evil son mocks the Pesach Seder by stating that in his eyes the holy Seder, which represents the transmission of Torah to the next generation, is worthless. It is unenjoyable laborious work. “For you” and I don’t want a part of it. The Chacham on the other hand, asks respectfully. He feels distant from the celebration and is honest about his emotions. I feel that this is your holiday, and I feel unconnected, but in his voice and words is expressed a longing and a burning interest to be part of Hashem Elokeinu, Our God! That is the difference….

An integral part of the Seder is Hesaiba, leaning. Why is it so vital to the point that we must drink the wine or eat the Matza again if we neglected to lean?! I believe that this once again stresses the importance of body language. The unspoken expression of freedom inherent in the leaning are part of the Seder. We specifically use our nicest dishes and settings in order to build a powerful atmosphere of feeling the freedom.

Indeed, the symbolic message of the Afikomin being the last object ingested and the prohibition of eating anything after it that would undermine its taste in our mouth is in line with this theme. We strive to make the flavor of Pesach remain with us. This is why some people save the Afikomin in their home for all year long. This is why we allow the children to “steal it” and to interact with it. This is why in the answer that we give the Chacham we teach him exactly this. We are recommended to explain to him Afikomin. He has expressed positivity towards his rich heritage and we teach him more of it. It’s all about vibrant and healthy feelings.

Studies have shown that when people think back about memorable events, more than the actual event details there is one thing that they remember more powerfully. That is: their feelings of the event. How the situation or occurrence made them feel. Feelings are very real and touch the depth of our souls.

This is of vital importance on Pesach night. Our children need to experience the passion and realness of Yiddishkeit. They know what is in our hearts and they will remember the warm feelings that the Yom Tov left them with, more than the words they heard and Mitzvos they performed. Our children are experts in picking up our passions and interests. They detect what is worth more to us, Torah or a car, entertainment devise or pastime. They remember the good feelings which inspire them for life.

This focus expressed by the lesson of the Chacham and Rasha is the theme of Pesach.

May we merit to enjoy this most special Yom Tov and to instill in ourselves and families the beauty of being Hashem’s Nation.

Chazal tell us that Hashem specifically chose the time of spring for the Exodus. The reason being that He did not take them out in the winter as it would be too cold nor in the summer as it would have been too hot! (See Rashi Shemos 13:4)

This sounds so strange. They were slaves and would have been happy to go out in any weather!?

The answer is that of course there was an exact amount of time which Hashem intended them to be in Egypt for. However, The Master of The World ensured that every detail was worked out as well. He wanted to show His full love and care for the Jews and thus took them out during the most ideal weather possible!

This detail was meant to be noticed as it shows Hashem’s total love and devotion towards us. We strive to pay attention to details in our service of Hashem and to mutually return the love!

The Sefer Niflaos MiTorasecha points out an amazing find in the Torah. There is a verse which hints to the month of Nisson. (ורצון שכני סנה” (דברים לג:טז, with the favor of Hashem who dwelled in the burning bush.” The month Nisson is spelled in those words. The story of Moshe’s first call to prophesy by Hashem in the thorn bush is famous. I believe that there are two lessons to be derived from this regarding the goal of the month:

1- Hashem specifically dwelled in a painful thorn bush in order to show that He felt Klal Yisrael’s pain in Egypt. This recognition of Hashem’s sensitivity and care for us is the highlight of the month of Nisson. We strive to acknowledge all of the great things that Hashem has done for us historically and continues to do for us daily.

2- Moshe saw Hashem at the bush. The verse describes that only as Moshe turned to look, that is when Hashem appeared to him. This is to teach us that as we strive to search for Hashem in our lives, we will see Him more and more.

My we all merit to have a beautiful and meaningful month of Nisson, whose inspiration will carry us through the entire year!