Bnei Yisroel’s Good Sense Of Humor When Bnei Yisroel was pinned between the raging waters of the Yam Suf and the bloodthirsty army of Mitzrayim seeking revenge, they did not expect to survive the ordeal. They turned to Moshe and asked (Bishalach 14:11) “HaMibli Ein Kevarim B’Mitzrayim” why did you take us out of Mitzrayim, was there a shortage of burial plots that you took us to the desert to die?
Rav Shamshon Rephael Hirsch says as follows. There was sharp irony in their words. Even at the moment of fear and total unsurpassable despair, the Torah points out Bnei Yisroel’s positive character trait of being able to sustain a good sense of humor. This, says Rav Hirsch, is a trademark of the children of Yaakov who at even the darkest moment, can retain their clear thinking and intellectual capability.
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A Vegetarian Pesach in Kotzk? Someone once asked the Kotzker Rebbe, if the Torah is so machmir on even one drop of Chometz, why eat matza at all. One mistake in the bakery and you can end up eating Chometz. Why not just eat vegetables for the entire Pesach and staying as far away from Chometz altogether. Similarly the Shir Maon asks, why do we make matza only out of a kind of grain that could become Chometz. Let’s eat matza from rice, which has no possibility of becoming Chometz.
They answer is that our avodah is to vanquish the Yetzer Hara. Battling him and winning is our purpose in life. A person is not created like a Malach without a Yetzer Hara. The yetzer hara is called Chometz (Si’or SheB’isah) as he spoils our purity. We cannot avoid him. We need to live with his constant threats but we are responsible to still keep ourselves one hundred percent kosher without a drop of Chometz.
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Staying Awake All Pesach Night Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik zt”l, The Brisker Rov, always wondered why people are so particular to stay awake the entire night of Shavuos which is a Minhag, while on Pesach night where there is a Halacha Mifureshes to talk about Sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim the entire night until you fall asleep, people are not as diligent.
In fact in Brisk they were not Makpid to stay awake the entire night of Shavuos. They reasoned that Shavuos was no different than every other night, as Torah is a year round activity. Moreover learning Shavuos at night is not more important than learning Shavuos by day, unlike Sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim where the mitzva is the night of the Seder. (Uvdos V’Hanhogos L’Bais Brisk vol. 2 p. 79)
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Freedom On The First Day, Freedom On The Last Day Yetzias Mitzrayim and Zman Cheiruseinu are on the first day of Pesach. On the seventh day of Pesach our oppressors met their final fate. Which is the real day that we were freed? The Maharal says that the number seven represents the earthly world. It was created in seven days and the world goes in cycles of seven, Shabbos, Shmitah, among others. On the seventh the world is complete. The eighth is beyond this world. It is the world of Ruchniyos. It is where man rises above this world. Mila is the first mitzva a person does and we do it on the eighth day.
On the first day of Pesach we were freed from Mitzrayim to explore the world. We learned that it is not all that we dreamed it would be. Even as free people in the world enemies will still pursue us. We don’t understand the things that happen to us from a natural point of view. On the seventh day the geula was complete. We saw Hashem with our own eyes and understood everything. We understood that there is something beyond this world, far greater than the smallness of the universe and the events that unfold in it.
On the first day we are freed in this world but on the seventh day we were freed from this world. We are empowered to put civilization behind us and enter a barren wasteland abandoned by the civilized world and prepare to enter the real world, the world of the Torah.
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The Glorious Maror Takes Center Stage The items on the Ki’ara (seder plate) represent the middos of Hashem. The Z’roa and Beitza represent Hashem’s kindness and strength. The Maror situated smack in middle of the Ki’ara represents the Midda of Tiferes, elaborate and glorious. Maror is bitter. Maror has the same gematria as Maves, death. What is so glorious about bitterness and death? Why is it in the center spot?
Rav Shimshon Pincus explains that Hashem’s abundant kindness may be more desirable to us, yet it may not be the best thing for us. If we have everything and need nothing then we will not realize that we are dependent on Him. Since our relationship with Hashem is our lifeline and our reason to exist, overwhelming kindness can be fatal. It can cause the severing of our bond with Him and terminate our existence. The same would result if we lived forever. One of the things that keeps us connected to Hashem no matter what, is the fact that one day, life will end and we will need to stand before Him and give an accounting of all our lifetime actions.
When a father gives his child a new bike because he wants his child to be happy, we call that kindness. This kindness can result in a happier more loyal child and it can also be the source of great tragedy. When a father gives his child a punishment for crossing the street without looking, he saves his life. That is glorious beauty. Hashem’s Chesed starts off
the Ki’ara because that is a fantastic way to start. But the Maror is the glue in the middle. It holds us together.

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