Our Exodus From Egypt

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas Hatorah (www.bircas.org)

In Pesachim (116b), the sages state that on the night of the Pesach seder, every Jew is “obligated to see himself as if he left Egypt.” The Torah has numerous commands that we remember important events in history, such as the mitzvah to remember what happened to Miriam (after she spoke against Moshe and was punished with leprosy) and to remember how we angered Hashem in the Desert, but we are not commanded to see ourselves as if this happened to us personally. Why, when it comes to the Exodus, are we supposed to imagine ourselves as slaves running away from our masters? And how can the sages say that this is an obligation? Can a Jew who grew up in 21st century America really see himself as if he were a slave in Egypt?

The Alter of Kelm answers that the Exodus teaches us the most critical elements of our emuna. It teaches that Hashem exists, and He oversees all the affairs of the world. He chose us as His people and He punishes those who defy His will. When it comes to the Exodus, believing that it happened is not enough. We have to feel that it happened, and the Alter of Kelm explains that feeling can only be accomplished by “doing external actions that bring this knowledge closer to our senses.” When the sages commanded us to see ourselves as if we left Egypt, their intent was that we do actions such as eating matzah and maror, in order to make the Exodus come alive. Indeed, when the Rambam brought the sages’ ruling in halacha, he stated that a Jew is “obligated to show himself as if he left Egypt” (Chametz Umatzah 7:6). By doing these actions, we bring the Exodus closer to our senses.

The minute detail of the Hagada turns the story of the Exodus from dry facts to a vivid experience. The more we talk about it, the more praiseworthy this is, says the Hagada, because we are bolstering our emuna, not just in our head but in our heart.

The Brisker Rav notes that every day and night, we are commanded to remember the Exodus, but on the seder night, the command is to recount it. This involves much more. We delve into important background events that led the Jews to descend to Egypt from Eretz Canaan, how the enslavement began, and each of the Ten Plagues that brought our servitude to an end. Moreover, our recounting goes into why we eat matzah and maror, and the korban Pesach during the times of the Mikdash. In addition, the recounting is done in the form of question and answer, which brings out more personal participation, and by nature, more feeling.

Rav Yerucham Levovitz would add that emuna has to lead to something. Hashem made all the miracles of the Exodus in order that through the emuna we would gain, we would become His servants (see Vayikra 25:55 and Rashi there). So too, the more emuna we have of the miracles of the Exodus, the more we should strengthen our service of Hashem. If we reach a level of feeling that this happened to us personally, then we certainly feel we owe Hashem more, and we will strengthen our avoda in kind.

Chovos Halevavos (Shaar Avodas Ha’Elokim 6) echoes this idea, stating that all the nations of the world are obligated to serve Hashem, but for Jews, the obligation is much greater, because one who receives more, owes more. Therefore, a Kohen owes more to Hashem than a Yisrael, and any individual who merited exceptional chassadim from Hashem owes Him a greater form of service, and we should all be feeling this on seder night.

Therefore, a Jew should resolve to become more meticulous in his mitzvah observance, and indeed, the Pesach seder is a good place to reaffirm one’s commitment to meticulous observance of halacha. On this night, people are particularly concerned with halacha, and therefore make sure to use shemura matzah and/or hand matzah, they pay close attention to shiurim (halachically prescribed quantities) of matzah and maror, and to eat them within the halachically prescribed time limit, to eat while reclining, or to eat the afikoman before midnight — all this attention to halacha should propel us to be meticulous in halacha throughout the year. A Jew should walk away from the seder with a greater sense of importance for the nuances of halacha, and of course with a deeper sense of emuna.

When the Torah commands, “And you shall tell your son on this day…” (Shmos 13:8), this is not only a command to tell children the story of the Exodus, but to tell it over in a way that they will feel the emuna, and in turn will want to become greater servants of Hashem. A father should put his heart and soul into the telling of the Hagada. When a child sees this, it makes a lasting impression. The Ohev Yisrael would note that on seder night, there is special power to get the message of emuna across. Even though a father can tell his son the story of the Exodus at any time of the year, on this night his words will penetrate deeper, taking root not only in his child’s mind, but in his heart.

R’ Yaakov Yosef Weiss, a Holocaust survivor, would recount every year on the Seder night: “When my father spoke at the Seder when I was a boy, I could see that he was living through what he was saying. You could feel how real it was to him. This instilled in me very deep emuna in Hashem. I believe that it was this emuna that enabled me to survive those horrific years of the Holocaust.

“For some of those years, I was together with a friend who lost his emuna, and I would always tell him: If  Hashem wants, He can redeem us right here, too.

“Once, we were being led to the gas chambers, and everyone knew that this would be the end. I continued to think to myself what the sages say (Brachos 10a), that ‘even if a sharp sword is on one’s neck, he must never despair of Hashem’s mercy.’ I was the last one to enter the chamber, which was so crowded that the Nazi, ym”sh, could not close the door. I was big, and I was by the door, so the Nazi began shouting at me to get out. I did, and I survived.”

May we relive the Exodus and transmit it to our children!

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Rabbi Krieger’s “Gedolei Yisroel on the Parashah & Yamim Tovim” is now available from the Yeshiva office, Jewish bookstores worldwide and can be ordered online at https://www.feldheim.com/gedolei-yisroel-on-Parashah-yamim-tovim-2.