And on this night, they shall eat the flesh, roasted over the fire, and Matza; with Marror they shall eat it. (Shemos 12:8)

The second Mishna in Pirkei Avos states, “The world stands on three things: Torah, Avoda, and kind deeds”. We learn this Mishna right after Pesach, so I wondered if there was any comparison between the three things in the Mishna with the three requirements to mention on Seder night: Pesach (Paschal offering), Matza, and Marror (bitter herbs).

Torah and Matza go together. The verse in this week’s parsha states “You shall guard the Matzos” (Shemos 12:17). Rashi comments that another way you can read the word Matzos is as Mitzvos (because there are no vowels in the Torah). Therefore, there is a relationship between the words Matzos and Mitzvos. The Mitzvos come from the Torah.

Avoda and Pesach go together. Avoda means Divine Service, specifically the offerings we used to bring in the Temple. Pesach is the Paschal offering we used to bring. Therefore, these two go together.

This leaves us with Kind Deeds and Bitter Herbs. Well, it sounded good until I came to this, but then I thought about it and this works also. You might think I am crazy, but let me explain. When we go through bitterness, it is a kindness from Hashem.

Think about a baby learning to walk. The baby is holding his mommy’s hands and everything is going well. Then, one day, mommy lets go of the little boy and takes a few steps away. The baby goes through a tremendous amount of bitterness at that moment. “How can my mommy do such a thing?” the baby thinks. But then the baby takes his first step. The baby is overjoyed that he can walk on his own. Imagine a mother who never wants to put her child through bitterness. The child would still be holding his mother’s hands when he is 18 years old. As he walks down the aisle at his high school graduation, he is holding his mother’s hand so he doesn’t fall.The baby went through bitterness so he could grow from the experience.

The same is with every bitterness we go through. Hashem puts us through the bitterness for a reason – it is so we can grow from the experience. Don’t complain and whine when bitterness comes. Realize it is a kindness from Hashem!

Good Shabbos!
-y.e.s.
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