PESAH 5767

At the Seder we commemorate the ritual during Temple times of eating the Pascal lamb replete with Matzah and Maror – bitter herbs, within the environs of Yerushalayim.

The Korban – offering, for Pesah had to be eaten in company as a meal of communion shared by all present, in the presence of the Divine Shechinah. The experience was holistic, every participant felt complete within the group as a whole.
The ideal is to emulate this holistic experience at the Seder table.

The offering of the Korban Pesah is a sacrifice. Sacrifice means surrender, giving something up. How can we be complete when we give up something of ourselves?

When a person gives up in surrender, he raises his arms and opens his hands. The opening of hands is an act of Hesed – loving kindness, and the Shnei Luhot Habrit teaches that the Pesah Festival exemplifies Hesed.

In opening ourselves up to everyone else in loving kindness, we surrender our ego. This enables us to become whole within the Community of Israel.

May the act of sharing Matzah as the bread of communion together with the wine and all the other items associated with the Seder table, inspire us to open our hearts with Hesed for Klal Yisrael, the Community of Israel in particular and our fellow men as a whole.


ZPesah Kasher V’SameahZ