Each Son Has Potential
In the Torah, the questions and answers of the four sons do
not appear in the same order as they do in the
Haggodoh. In response to the question of the rosho
(Shemos 12:26), the posuk gives an answer that is
suited to the chochom. The she'eino yodei'a
lish'ol receives the answer that is given in the
Haggodoh to the rosho, (Shemos 13:8), while the
question of the chochom, (Devorim 6:20) gets an answer
that is suited for the tam.
The following is a possible explanation. The mitzvoh of
recounting the story of yetzias Mitzrayim has to take
a different form for each of the four types of sons, in
response to the way each of them phrases his question.
However, the Torah doesn't present the responses according to
the questions, because even if a child is endowed with the
gifts necessary to become a chochom, it is not certain
that he will follow this path all his life. He must battle
his yetzer hora and who can guarantee that he will be
victorious?
And on the other hand, though a child may be born with
tendencies that can lead him to become a rosho R'l,
one must never give up hope. He is still obligated to
serve Hashem and if he merits it, he can yet become a tam
or even a chochom.
According to this, we understand the relevance of the phrase
that precedes the discussion of the Four Sons in the
Haggodoh" "Blessed is [He] who gave Torah to His
people Yisroel. The Torah speaks about four sons . . . " The
Torah does not only address itself to the wise son but to the
wicked son as well. A person can be born with a difficult,
perverse nature, which in a gentile environment or in the
natural course of life, would lead him to no good and offer
no possibility of changing for the better. We however, bless
Hashem "who gave us the Torah," through which a person can
refine and elevate his nature and rectify his character
faults, to the point where it is within everybody's power to
become as righteous as Moshe Rabbenu, as the Rambam writes
(Hilchos Teshuvoh 5:2).
This is therefore the right place to offer thanks for our
receiving the Torah, wherein everybody can find the remedy to
rectify his shortcomings.
(Tziyunei Derech)
Starting with Shame and Ending with Worthiness
[It seems hard to understand the opinion that the "shame"
referred to is the Egyptian slavery, which we mention in
avodim hoyinu.] What shame is there in having
servitude forced upon us? The explanation could be, however,
that a person who believes in Hashem and His direct
Providence will not attribute any misfortune or suffering
that befalls him to a human or worldly cause. He knows that
Hashem yisborach "spoke and it came about"
(Tehillim 33:9). He knows that whoever is immediately
responsible for his suffering is no more than a stick being
wielded by the real Deliverer of the blows. It has no
independent power to do harm; all of its strength comes from
the one holding it.
Even if such a person is forced to be a servant, he will not
regard the one who controls him as a master and will thus
never lose his inner freedom. In his soul, he never becomes a
slave because he recognizes that "this came from Hashem"
(Tehillim 118:23). He regards his situation as
something temporary, whose purpose is to refine him and atone
for his sins.
This was not the case with Klal Yisroel in Egypt.
Their faith in Hashem and His direct Providence was
deficient. They thus lost their sense of inner freedom,
because they viewed themselves as servants of Pharaoh: "We
were servants to Pharaoh in Egypt . . . " [This then, is the
shame, for] there is no greater disgrace than there being a
flaw in the core of one's faith.
(HaRav Yosef Nechemia Kornitzer Zt'l of Cracow)
Servants to Pharaoh
When Hakodosh Boruch Hu instructed Moshe to go to
Pharaoh, He told him to say, "So says Hashem, `My firstborn
son Yisroel,' " (Shemos 4:22). Why is this particular
term used here when Moshe approached Pharaoh for the first
time?
The author of She'eris Yaakov explains that Pharaoh
thought that bnei Yisroel were [only] servants of
Hashem and that he was therefore justified in enslaving them,
since Hashem was displeased with them (as we find in the
parable which the wicked Turnusrufus put to Rabbi Akiva).
However, the posuk (Devorim 14:1) tells bnei
Yisroel that, "You are sons to Hashem . . . " on which
Chazal comment (Kiddushin 36), "When you behave in the
manner of sons, you are called "sons" (as Rabbi Akiva in fact
replied). The suffering which Pharaoh inflicted upon bnei
Yisroel was therefore unjustified and he and his people
deserved to be punished for it.
There is a well known question that is posed by the early
commentators: How could Hakodosh Boruch Hu, who is
referred to as a Cohen, enter the land of Egypt which
was full of idols and impurity? Even a Cohen though,
is allowed to become impure for his son — and we are
called Hashem's sons.
This is what we mean when we say, "We were slaves to Pharaoh
in Egypt." In Pharaoh's eyes, we were slaves and he felt that
this gave him license to enslave us. Hakodosh Boruch
Hu's coming Himself and taking us out however, showed us
that we are in fact His "sons."
"Yisroel are cherished, for they are called Hashem's sons",
(Ovos 3:14).
(HaRav Chaim Falagi)
And It Was Halfway Through the Night
The holy Zohar tells us that halfway through the night
that Klal Yisroel left Egypt, it became light as day.
Tosafos (Brochos 9, beginning Rabbi Elozor), raises a
difficulty in the opinion of Rabbi Elozor ben Azarya (who
holds that the Torah only allows the korbon Pesach to
be eaten during the first half of the night), from the
posuk (Shemos 12:10) which commands us not to leave
over any of the korbon "until morning." This implies
that the korbon may be eaten until then. According to
the Zohar the problem disappears, because this command
was addressed to the Jews who were about to leave Egypt and
on that night, it actually became light at midnight.
This also explains why Moshe Rabbenu told Pharaoh that the
plague would take place at "around midnight"
(kachatzos) and not "at midnight" (bachatzos)
— because that night, there was no midnight.
That night ended at the time that was midnight every other
night. Thus, it was accurate to say that the plague would
take place at an hour that was "like midnight"
(kachatzos) of every other night.
The Zohar can also be used to explain a puzzling
Mechilta which, on the posuk (Shemos 12:34),
"mish'arosom — their kneading troughs — tied
up in their clothes," comments that, "some say [that the word
comes from the root she'eir, remnant, and refers to]
the remains of the [korbon] Pesach, as it says, `And
do not leave any over until morning.' "
This opinion is extremely hard to understand. Having
specifically been commanded not to leave over any of the
korbon, how did the people have leftovers?
The people however, thought that even though it had already
grown light, since the usual time for daybreak had not yet
arrived they were allowed to leave some of the korbon
to be consumed until the normal hour of daybreak.
(Rav Yehoshua of Kutno zt'l)
Like Another Midnight
When Avrohom Ovinu and his companions gave chase to the four
kings, the posuk (Bereishis 14:15) tells us that, "the
night was divided for them." Chazal tell us that that night
was Pesach night. Besides the extraordinary victory, with one
man and the members of his household defeating four powerful
kings the news of which spread to all the nations, Chazal
tell us that with the demise of the four kings, their
idolatrous faiths also lapsed into oblivion.
This was what Moshe Rabbenu meant when he told Pharaoh, "So
says Hashem, `Like midnight . . . ' " `Like that well-known
midnight, when Avrohom was saved and was victorious, so is
this one going to be.'
(Or HaChaim)
A Rapid Change
The process of leaving Egypt — both the exodus from the
land's spiritual impurity and the actual departure from the
country — was wholly and entirely miraculous. The sharp
swing from being at the forty-ninth level of impurity, rising
to the heights of witnessing Hashem's revelation whereby, "a
maidservant at the sea saw more than [the novi]
Yechezkel ben Buzi [in his view of the Merkovoh]" was
opposed to the natural laws that usually operate in
creation.
When a person makes his way in darkness and is suddenly
brightly illuminated, it can damage his eyes. In His
kindness, Hashem therefore arranged that the light of day
would increase gradually, as the posuk (Mishlei
4:18) says, "growing [gradually] lighter until midday."
It is certainly the same in the spiritual realm and in the
human soul. [True change only comes gradually.]
Here though [in an instant], we were brought "from darkness
to light" — from the deepest darkness into a very
powerful light.
(HaRav Sho'ul Broch of Keschau)
On That Day
Why does the posuk (Shemos 13:8) specifically mention
that the time for fulfilling the mitzvoh of "Vehigadeto
levincho, and you shall tell your son," is bayom
hahu, "on that day" i.e. the anniversary of yetzias
Mitzrayim? Chazal deduce from the very next words,
"ba'avur zeh, because of this," that the recounting of
yetzias Mitzrayim should take place only "while
matzoh and morror are set down in front of
you," apparently rendering bayom hahu superfluous.
With the sweet mode of expression of the righteous, the
posuk is telling us that this night is called day, not
night. This is the meaning of the posuk, "And night
shall be bright like day" (Tehillim 139:12). The Torah
is not concerned with us making the mistake of thinking that
the time for the mitzvoh is during the actual day, because of
the continuation, "baavur zeh . . . when matzoh
and morror are set down in front of you."
Perhaps the fact that the words bayom hahu directly
follow vehigadeto levincho, teaches us that this
miracle too, should be included in the mitzvoh of
Haggodoh.
(Or HaChaim)
And You Shall Tell Your Son
In the sefer, Minhagei HaChasam Sofer we find that on
the seder night, "He only spoke at length to the young
boys and girls. He translated every word in the
Haggodoh for them and explained the topic's [simple]
meaning without discoursing at length at all."
A Wondrous Allusion
After the Torah commands us "Vehigadeto, and you shall
tell," why add the word "leimor, saying?"
We might have thought that the mitzvoh only applies to
someone who has a son, but that someone who does not have a
child is exempt. The Torah therefore adds leimor, to
indicate that everybody must engage in this telling, even a
person who is on his own.
Since everyone is obligated to fulfill the mitzvoh whatever
their circumstances, why specify "to your son"? The words
vehigadeto levincho could be an allusion, telling us
that if a person engages in recounting the Haggodoh
that the Torah commands, Hashem will merit him with a son to
whom he will tell it [i.e. if vehigadeto, then
levincho].
(Or HaChaim)
Become Holy and Cleanse Yourself
Many of the earlier authorities explain the mnemonic for the
order of the seder, Kadeish uRechatz . . ., as an
allusion to the individual's path in serving Hashem.
In this context, the Noda Biyehudoh points out that the first
stage on the list, Kadeish, implies sanctifying
oneself — kedushoh being defined as separating
oneself even from what is permitted, as a means of
heightening one's holiness (see the comments of the Ramban on
the words "kedoshim tiheyu" [Vayikra 19:2] ).
Why then, does Kadeish come before uRechatz,
which implies an apparently more fundamental need to cleanse
oneself from one's sins? The correct order would be first to
distance oneself from doing anything that halochoh
forbids and only then to work on increasing one's
kedushoh by separating oneself from what is
permitted.
Chazal tell us however, that when a person sins and then
repeats the sin a second time, he starts to view the deed as
one that is permitted (Kiddushin 20). This happens
because the material influence of his yetzer hora
prevails over the spiritual influence of his mind. When a
person feels a pure inspiration to repent from his bad ways
and return to Hashem, this is akin to a voluntary act of
special piety, since through repeated sinning he has come to
view his conduct as permissible. In his eyes, he is
separating himself from what is allowed.
Once his heart begins to open and he breaks with his evil
ways, the influence of his mind upon him becomes stronger and
his eyes once again become opened to the true wretchedness of
his state, mired and soiled in the filth of sin. Only then
can he be told "uRechatz, truly cleanse yourself."
(Chiddushei HaTzlach)
The Kingdom Is Yours, Hashem!
An Explanation of the Refrain: Lecho uLecho
The three pairs of double expressions — Lecho
uLecho, Lecho ki Lecho, Lecho af Lecho — need to be
understood. The posuk (Tehillim 115:16) says, "The
heavens are the heavens for Hashem, while He has given the
earth to people." This means that while Hashem possesses
limitless spiritual worlds which are His alone, the earth is
still "entirely filled with His glory." However Hashem has
given the world to people as well. Thus, the earth belongs
both to Hashem and to His creatures.
The refrain of this song can therefore be explained as
follows:
Lecho uLecho, Yours and Yours — there are two
things that are Yours Hashem, and they differ in their
nature;
Lecho ki Lecho, Yours and only Yours — the upper
worlds, which are for Hashem alone;
Lecho af Lecho, Yours and even Yours — this
world, which is both for Hashem and for His creations. In His
kindness and goodness, Hashem contained the revelation of His
glory in this world, so that the lower, physical beings would
also be able to exist. Yet even so, there is no division, no
true diminishing of His glory, for there are two sides of
looking at things, from our viewpoint and from His
yisborach, (as the Nefesh HaChaim writes in 5:3), and
the truth is that still, "The world is entirely filled with
His glory."
Lecho Hashem Hamamelochoh! The kingdom, Hashem, is
Yours!
This idea is alluded to by mentioning the first six times
that the word lecho is mentioned, corresponding to the
six directions in the physical world, while the seventh
— lecho Hashem hamamelochoh — alludes to
the seventh, spiritual dimension, which upholds and sustains
all existence.
(HaRav Isaac Chover zt'l, in the name of his father,
HaRav Yaakov Chover zt'l)
