"Vhee Sheamda la'avoseinu v'lanu.../It is this that has stood by our fathers and us...." At this point in the Haggadah we cover the Matzos and lift up our cups of wine. Kos/cup is numerically 86. The Divine Name Elohim alludes to Malchus, the Divine Manifestation indicating emunah/faith, the source of the Jewish Nation. Elohim is also 86. We lift up the cup of wine, the Kos. We lift up the fallen Shechina, the Divine Manifestation of Malchut. We lift up our emunah, our faith. We uplift ourselves and declare: Many are the counterfources (miniyos)which obstruct the Jewish People from elevating humanity to its ultimate goal. Many are the hindering forces which manifest themselves in the physical and spiritual/emotional world of every individual Jew who seeks to come close to Hashem. Even greater, though, are the Wonders of Guidance (Hashgacha Pratis), the encouragement and support which Hashem provides for all of those who truly seek to come close to Him. It is the strength of emunah we derive from those Wonders which enables us to overcome all the adverse experiences we encounter in our path. (Lekutei Halachos, Basar Bchalav, 4:13-14)
A little later on we read how the sons of Yackov Avinu said to Pharaoh " we have come to live in this land temporarily, for there is no pasture for the flocks that belong to your servants, for the hunger is harsh in the land of Canaan; now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen." (Bereishis 47:4) In times of hunger, in times of any type of harshness, there is one way to get out, no matter where you may be. Dwell in the land of Goshen! Simple! Another gematria Goshen is 353 and so is Simcha/Joy! If you live in joy no matter what the circumstances may be you will come out on top in the end. But it's not easy. You many times have to force yourself to be joyful, but as long as you try, in the end you will succeed.
One last gem from the Haggadah for now!
"Vnitzak el Hahem Elohei avoseinu" cma shenemar "vayihee bayamim harabim hahem vyamas melech mitzrayim vyeianchu Bnei Yisroel..../"and we cried out to Hahsem, the God of our fathers" as it is written:"And it came to pass during that long period, that the king of Egypt died. The children of Israel moaned..."
Time is a dimension of our life experiences (Likutei Halachos, Gittin 3:12, 4:7) we cannot imagine a different existence nor envision an alternate reality. Yet, beyond our imagination there is a level of life above time, a plane of transcendent time. At that level, Shana, a year, is Shinuy, a change. Chodesh, a month, is chadash, a renewal. (Maggid Dvarav L'Yackov #116) Renewal is the essence of creation. Awareness of this ongoing process is what enables us to take part in it. Acting, and not just acted upon! We become partners with Hashem in the act of creation. Then we will have transcended time. On the other side of the coin, when we are trapped in earthly time, we stagnate. Time progresses and moves ahead, but we don’t . Time changes, but we don’t change with it, Feeling that we cant break out of its constrictive power, that we cannot transcend our limitations, and we become servants to our desires. We cannot see beyond the pleasure of the moment. (Likutei Halachos Milah 4:2)
This is the power of Pharaoh who is numerically equal to shana (355) He enslaves us under time, he constricts us to our personal Mitzrayim. He tells us that theere is time! We will live for generations. Lulled into the Mochin de'katnus/immature consciousness, we are like children who think of life as continuing forever. Many of us do not wake up until we can only look back and say "It was all like a dream." Yes, it was. These are the "yamim rabim/many days" the time illusion of Pharaoh. And his death denotes our awareness, in retrospect, of this delusion. Lets cry out to Hashem while there is still time. We dare not wait until the last minute. But even if we have, there is always hope. How long we live is not important. Eternity is earned by possessing true emunah, true faith, even if its only for a moment.
By Rabbi Lazer Brody (Taken from www.breslovworld.com)
"This night is protected from the forces of evil" (Rama, Shulchan Oruch, Orach Chaim 481:2).
The Torah describes Seder night as a "night of protection" (Shemot 12:42), when God personally took His beloved children of Israel out of Egypt. The Midrash interprets the original Hebrew lail shimorim two different ways: First, it is a "reserved" night, since God redeemed Israel from bondage on the night of the 15th of Nisan, he reserves this same night to redeem his children Israel in the future (Yalkut Shimoni, Bo, 210). Second, it's a "protected" night (ibid), since God's divine presence repels all mazikim, the dark-side forces of evil.
"Night of protection" is no mere homiletic catchphrase; it's anchored in religious law! The Abridged Code of Jewish Law (119:9), in explaining how to perform the latter part of the Seder, writes: "After grace following the meal, we pour the fourth cup. According to custom, we open the door in remembrance that tonight is a protected night and we fear nothing."
What's the secret of Seder night? Why is a person so protected that he or she doesn't even need to say Kriat Shema before going to sleep (ibid)? With God's grace, the following parable will explain why:
The King was furious at his servants. One spilled the King's best wine all over the monarch's new white velvet robe. A second served "sweetened" the King tea with three teaspoons of salt instead of sugar. A third left a straight pin in the King's new shirt that painfully pricked His Majesty in the arm. A cloud of premonition descended upon the palace. The servants trembled in apprehension of the King's wrath.
The trusty butler summoned the palace musicians. The King craved music, especially the delightful string-instrument arrangements of his beloved musicians. "Go into the King's chamber and begin playing – don't stop even if your fingers fall off! Only you can placate the King," said the butler with urgency.
All eyes were cast on the musicians: The violin laughed while the cello cried; the viola tiptoed on the upper octaves to the King's delight, while the bass fiddle maintained a steady and soothing tempo that relaxed the King's soul. Enchanted by the exquisite strains, the King put all other matters aside to fully enjoy the music. Gradually, a gratifying smile replaced the monarch's frown.
The musicians had saved the day. The King not only pardoned the servants, but declared a palace holiday in honor of his wonderful string quartet.
The string quartet is symbolic of the four sons. On Seder night, even the wicked, the simple, and the timid sons join their wise brother in singing God's praise and relating the story of our exodus from bondage in Egypt. Such "music", when all four sons join in, is indescribably gratifying to God, the King of all kings.
On Seder night, every Jew speaks to God. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov explains (Sichos HaRan, 70), "For when a Jew wishes to speak to God, God casts aside everything else. Evil decrees are even set aside at this time. God puts aside everything and only listens to the person seeking His presence."
In light of Rebbe Nachman's above teaching, it's easy to understand why Seder night is called a "night of protection", since all of Israel is busy at their Seder tables thanking God and singing His praise. All the heavenly hosts come to earth to hear the story of our exodus from Egypt. God bestows his divine presence on His beloved children, and listens to all the sweet words that are said around the Seder table. The evil elements
don't dare show their faces on a holy night like this.
A person can turn any night into a "night of protection" by simply pouring his or her heart out in personal prayer. Rebbe Nachman teaches that when a Jew desires to speak to God, God moves everything aside to listen. By virtue of our speaking to God, we hasten the day of the ingathering of the exiles and the final redemption of our people, amen.
A chag kasher v'sameach to one and all. And remember to try and enjoy!
peace & joy,
Etan
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