hagada

THOUGHTS

on the HAGGADAH

By Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum

הרב אליהו טייטילבויםהרב אליהו טייטילבוים

בס״דבס״ד

THOUGHTS on the HAGGADAHTHOUGHTS on the HAGGADAH

הגדה של פסח

By Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum

© Copyright 2007

By

Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum

Credits:

Special Thanks to Rabbi Chaim Leiser

and Rabbi Mendel Falik for checking the

manuscript.Special

Thanks to Rabbi Aryeh Shechter for

helping set up this Haggada.

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Table of ContentsPreface .........................................................................................................7

Introduction ניסן ........................................................................................ 9

The Time of Our Freedom .........................12 חג המצות-זמן חרותינו

Just One Speck ......................................................13 בדיקת וביעור חמץ

The Plate ................................................................................................. 17

....................... This is The Bread of Our Affliction הא לחמא עניא 27

Don't Be Afraid To Ask ........................................................................ 30

Chometz and Matza - It's Just a Matter of Time! ............................ 33

We Were Slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt ................................................ 37

38............................... וכל המרבה לספר ביציאת מצרים הרי זה משבח

There Was a Story ...................................................................................40

42.............................................................................. ברוך המקום ברוך הוא

47.................................................................................. חכם מה הוא אומר

54.................................................................................... חכם מה הוא אומר

Answering the Rosho ..........................................55 רשע מה הוא אומר

The Fifth Son ......................................................................................... 56

57................................................ בשעה שיש מצה ומרור מונחים לפניך

מתחלה עובדי עבודה זרה היו אבותינו, ועכשיו קרבנו המקום

לעבודתו

In the Beginning Our Fathers Were Idol Worshippers ................... 58

Worshiping Power, Might and Strength .................................................63

The Egyptian Avodah Zorah Was it the River or the Sheep? ............66

כי גר יהיה זרעך בארץ לא להם ועבדום וענו אתם ארבע מאות שנה

Golus Mitzrayim, How Many Years 210, 400, or 430? ...

74

78..................................................................... ואחרי כן יצאו ברכוש גדול

And After That They will Leave with Great Wealth ..78

79.................................................. שלא אחד בלבד עמד עלינו לכלותינו

And G-d Saves Us From Their Hands ........................ 82

ולבן בקש לעקור את הכל

"And Lavan Tried to Destroy Us All" ............................ 84

86........................ צא ולמד מה ביקש לבן הארמי לעשות ליעקב אבינו

93................................................................................ בדמיך חיי בדמיך חיי

ונצעק אל ה' אלקי אבותינו

And We Cried Out To G-d .............................................95

And We Cried Out to Hashem ......................................96

.............................................. !It is I and No Other אני הוא ולא אחר 98

Signs and Wonders ...........................................101 באותות ובמופתים

102................................................................................. ובאתות, זה המטה

A Stick that Turns into a Snake! .................................102

Egypt, the Magical Capital of the Ancient World ....106

112..................................................... דם ואש ותמרות עשן

Blood, Fire, and Pillars of Smoke! .....................................................112

Miracles Refers to Blood ....................................................................115

With A Powerful Hand and an Outstretched Arm ......................116

The Ten Makos ....................................................................................121

Magic and Witchcraft ...............................................................123 שחין

G-d's Myriads of Messengers ............................................................125

128..................... רבי יהודה היה נותן בהם סמנים דצ"ך עד"ש באח"ב

Set 133................................................................................................ דצ"ך

Now let's continue on to the second set of 134.......................... עד"ש

Set three באח"ב ............................................................... 135

A Look into Tehillim Perek 105 .......................................................137

Possible Solution ..................................................................................138

144........................................................ כמה מעלות טובות למקום עלינו

Showing Our Gratitude and Appreciation ................146

וככה תאכלו אותו, מתניכם חגרים, נעליכם ברגליכם

What's the Big Rush? ...................................................................... 148

קרבן פסח

We Must Eat it Together ...................................................................151

צרים אלו הוא יצא ממ כל דור ודור חיב אדם לראות את עצמו כ ב

In Each Generation We Must Perceive As If We, Too,

Were Taken Out of Egypt ............................................154

ה ומרור סח מצ 159..................................................................................... פ

Pesach, Matza and Moror .............................................159

The Egg on the Seder Plate ..........................................160

שלח את עמי ויעבדני

Let My People Go So they Can Serve Me! ...............161

Some Points To Ponder ......................................................................163

The Belief in Miracles .........................................................................164

Some Food for Thought .....................................................................168

The $100 ChallengeThe Hand and the Stick .................................169

ויחזק ה' את לבו

"And Hashem Hardened His Heart" ..........................170

Beware the False Prophet ...................................................................174

The Secret Password

177...................................................................... פקוד פקדתי

קול רנה וישועה באהלי צדיקים

Why The Repertition? ..................................................190

And When Moshiach Comes ...........................................................196

197.................................................... והיה ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול

ויהי בחצי הלילה

Angels of Destruction ...................................................201

ובכן ואמרתם זבח פסח

A Symbol of Unity 202..................................... קרבן פסח

The Belief in G-d .................................................................................204

Warning! ...............................................................................................205

Don't Go Back to Mitzrayim ............................................. 206

Changing Matza into Chometz? .......................................................206

And G-d Hardened His Heart .........................................................207

Our Long Dark Golus ........................................................................209

מים ובארץ ש ב 216.......... אחד מי יודע. אחד אני יודע. אחד אלהינו ש

The Purpose of Creation ....................................................................216

PrefacePesach is that extraordinary Yom Tov upon which all the others are based.

Pesach night is that unique time when we discus the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim, our redemption from Egypt, which ultimately led to the birth of our nationhood. We try our utmost to elicit questions from all the participants in the hope of stimulating within them a desire to comprehend the meaning and significurnce of Yetzias Mitzrayim in its every detail. It’s the one special night when we strive to clarify and explain to our children and students the very essence of our faith and the great miraculous ways in which Hashem took us out of Egypt and made us into his nation.

Actually, the word Pesach itself also means opening. For this is the night on which we must open our children’s minds to the point where there are no more doubts as to the basic tenents of our belief in Hashem. Even the Ten Commandments start with the fact that “I am G-d your G-d who took you out of Egypt,” rather than the fact that He is the creator of the world. This shows us the very importance of Yetzias Mitzrayim.

The purpose of the questions is meant to shed light and clarity to a very difficult subject.

Over the many years of teaching I realize that I owe the greatest debt of thanks to my many dear and treasured students who never failed to keep me on my toes with their wise and clever questions. There is nothing more enjoyable than having students who ask to the point. Many times it is their difficult questions that stimulate and help clarify issues even to the rebbi himself. This is the meaning of “And from my students I learned even more than from my rebbis.” It’s their wonderful questions that propelled me into taking pen in hand and putting down some of the answers that came to mind. Many of them came to me during the interesting discussions we shared in class. Unfortunetly, I never kept records and therefore don’t remember the names of the students who asked many of

the seemingly simplistic but brilliant questions. I thank them all the same. It was their thought-provoking questions that stimulated me to think of an answer. I must admit, however, that many of their questions have stumped me, and I was not ashamed to say that I do not know.

One must realize that many of their questions can probably be found in the meforshim and a veriety of answers can be found in all four fifferent parts of Torah, be it in pshat, remez, drush, or sod. However, I’ve tried my best to answer them in the most simplistic manner possible, “Al pi pshuto shel mikra,” in order to show them that their questions can also be answered even on the vey simplistic basic level.

I will greatly appreciate my reader’s comments and look forward to hear your answers to these questions. You can e-mail them to me at [email protected] or write to me at 1618 43 Street Brookly N.Y. 11204.

הגדה של פסח11

Introduction

ניסןThe Month of Great Miracles

The Gemara in Mesechta B'rochos (57) says that if one sees "Chanina, Chananyah or Yochanan" in his dreams, one should expect miracles upon

miracles to be performed for him. That's because these words are spelled with two "Nuns" which stands for "nisei nissim," meaning very great miracles.

The gemarah says that Nisan was the month in which Hashem took us out from Mitzrayim and this will be the month of our final redemption in which Hashem will show us even far greater miracles than He had done in Mitzrayim. May we merit seeing them soon in our days.

While the letter "Nun" seems to stand for nissim, which means miracles, we find that it is also the most rejected letter in the entire Alef Bais, since Dovid Ha'melech refused to use it in his prayer of Ashrei. This is the first letter in a posuk that says "nofal v'lo tosf kum." which means that we will chas v'shalom fall and not be able to stand up. Dovid wanted no part in such a catastrophic prediction and therefore left out the Nun from Ashrei.

Yet, one finds this strange indeed. Certainly Dovid could have come up with plenty of pesukim which start with a nun and have good things to say about Klal Yisroel. Why discriminate against this letter just because of this one posuk in which it is the leading letter? Besides, a letter within itself is neutral and not bad or good. It's only when it's put together in a sentence with other words that it can say something good or bad. Therefore one wonders why the Nun is being picked on and discriminated against? What about all the rest of the letters in the sentence? And what about all the times it is used to begin a good sentence?

A look into the Torah will show us that the Nun is a strange letter indeed. According to Rashi, we actually have a reversed Nun written in the Torah at the end of Parshas Lech L'cho in the word "Choron." Also in the Sedra of B'haalosecha we

HAGADAH SHEL PESACH12

have reverse Nuns written between one bad episode and another. Why is it that the Nun is the letter chosen to be reversed and not a different letter? We also find these same strange reversed or upside down Nuns in Te'hillim (107). What does it signify? Why this particular letter and no other?

Perhaps the answer is that the Nun stands for the terrible Nochosh - the snake - that caused man's terrible downfall. Even now, thousands of years later, we still suffer death on account of the evil snake. In fact, anytime something bad happens, it is all because we listened to the snake that also represents the Yetzer Horah. It is he that constantly convinces man to sin and gets us into all our troubles. It may also very well be that the nun, which is the numerical equal of 50, is the lowest level of tumah to which one can sink. Once someone has reached this very lowest level he was beyond all help and remained in Egypt, dying during the plague of darkness.

It's well known that יצאת�מצרים is mentioned a total of 50 times in the Torah. This may allude to the fifty levels of tumah from which we were freed.

The reversing of this letter, says Rashi, symbolizes the reversing of Hashem's anger. Only through doing Teshuva can we reverse Hashem's anger at us. Only by not listening to the Nochosh can we put an end to the horrid tragedies happening in our midst. This is why it is the letter Nun that is reversed between one tragedy and another. It symbolizes that we must reverse our behavior as well.

Unfortunately we have no prophet in our midst that can pinpoint the reason for the terrible catastrophes we unfortunately see happening both here and in Eretz Yisroel. All we know is that the Nochosh surrounds us from all sides. He constantly entices us to eat from the forbidden fruit. While in Gan Eden there was only one forbidden tree and just one snake, nowadays, however, there are thousands of forbidden sites with thousands of snakes beckoning us to take just a quick peek at the forbidden.

A snake is a very strange creature that is always shedding its skin and camouflaging himself so that we can't recognize him. That's exactly what Amolek tried doing to the Yidden when they traveled through the desert. They dressed up like the K'na'ani so that the Jews would not be able to identify them. Sometimes he dresses up like a policeman so that he can fool us. He's just like his grandfather Esav who was a master at deception. It was "ki tzayid b'fiv." He was a master con artist and canniver. He always played the Tzadik with his religious sounding questions. In fact, from the moment he was born, he was already covered with hair. There is no better way than


hair to hide one's true identity. Just imagine what a long flowing white beard and a big hairy Shtriemel would do for Eisav's public image. He'd certainly be able to con plenty of people as the many false messiahs have done throughout history.

The Nochosh is always masquerading and comaflarging himself in a different uniform and has unfortunately defrauded billions of people with his clever deception. We've all fallen for him at one time or another.

Scientists have found that a snake can detect us even before we can see him. That's because he can detect the infrared heat coming from a person's body. He hides between the rocks and strikes at us when we least expect him. We are totally unprepared. This is why the Torah in reference to Amolek says "asher korcho ba'derech". Amolek comes at us like a snake - suddenly, without us being ready or aware of his attack. We must never be off guard and always watch out for him at our every step.

Pharaoh represented the largest of all snakes called the "Tanin." That's because he used his poisonous tongue to defy Hashem and also to deceive the Jews into working for him. At first he paid them an excellent salary and only over time did he enslave them. This is the meaning of "B'ferach." He also falsely claimed that "li y'ori, v'ani osisini." (Yecheskel 29:3) - The Nile is mine for I made it. Since the Nile River would rise toward him as he approached it, he would claim that he too possessed godly powers. The name Pharaoh actually spells "peh ra" meaning a bad mouth.

Every con artist uses his mouth to entice people by promising them great riches for a small investment, but better watch out! Listen to him and you'll soon lose everything. And so it is with the Nochosh. Listen to him and we may not only lose this world but also our share in the World-to-Come.

The snake's great power as well as its downfall was his power of speech. This is something we must always be careful with. There is no excuse for careless words. Loshon Ho'rah – evil talk, and motzei shem rah – slander, can cause the greatest of tragedies, so we'd better be very careful with every word we say! Silence is the best medicine for the soul.

Pesach is the time we use our mouths to tell the story of G-d's great miracles. The word Pesach can be broken into the two words "peh soch" which means the mouth speaks. It also stands for both mercy and Passover. It was only because of Hashem's


great mercy that He passed over our homes. Let's pray that now too, He has mercy on us and passes over our homes as well.

One of the greatest tragedies in life is the birth of a Nefel - a child born dead. He wasn't even given a chance to live on this world and he's taken away. The word "Nofal" and "Nefel" have the very same letters.

In order to outwit the Nochosh we will need Hashem's constant great kindness. That's why we find a large Nun in the word "Notzer chesed..." The Gemarah says that if not for Hashem's constant help, we'd never be able to resist his enticements. We must constantly pray to Hashem that He have mercy and help us. If Hashem sees that we really mean it and try our very best, then He will surely come to our aid. "Just open up your heart like the little opening of a needle and I'll open it to the size of the door that leads one into the Holy Bais Ha'mikdosh," Hashem pleads with us.

If we truly want great miracles to happen this Nissan, then we must reverse the Nun and serve Hashem with both our hearts - with our Yetzer Tov and our Yetzer Horah. Let's use our enthusiasm and love for worldly pleasures, to love learning Torah and doing mitzvos instead. Only by reversing the Nun will we merit "nisei nissim" the greatest of miracles. May we witness them soon in our days!

חג המצות-זמן חרותינו

The Time of Our Freedom

Year after year and generation after generation, we spend the night of Pesach retelling the entire story of our exodus from Egypt in its every minute detail.

It is a night on which we try to instill into our children the foundations of our belief as we recount the great miracles and wonders Hashem did on our behalf.

For those living in a democracy, the true meaning of freedom is often taken for granted. Only those who have lived through the nightmarish Nazi concentration camp horror can truly appreciate what true freedom is all about.

Yet, on the night of Pesach, when we celebrate our freedom from Egyptian bondage and oppression, we must remember that the ultimate purpose of our


redemption was קבלת התורה. It was at Mount Sinai that we were transformed from being the slaves of Pharaoh to becoming the servants of Hashem. And so while we may once again find ourselves enslaved to the modern Pharaohs of the world, we now have the Torah which is the antidote that can free us from both our spiritual slavery as well as our physical slavery.

It is on this night of Pesach, when we reaffirm and strengthen our faith and trust in Hashem, and reinforce our commitment to keep His Torah, that each of us must perceive himself as having become free from Egyptian bondage and pledge our allegiance to remain Hashem's loyal servants. As long as we study the Torah and keep the mitzvos properly, we are assured that no power on earth can enslave us.

בדיקת וביעור חמץ

Just One Speck

The process whereby a piece of dough turns into chometz requires only one microscopic yeast cell. When this one little yeast cell flying around in the air

lands on a piece of dough, it begins to duplicate itself very quickly. One cell turns to two, two into four, four into eight, etc. It takes only a short time for one cell to turn into billions of cells. These cells start a chemical process whereby they break down the dough and release carbon dioxide, which in turn causes the dough to rise and turn into chometz. It all starts with only one microscopic cell. The warmer it is, the quicker it will happen.

Scientists have discovered the great danger of viruses and bacteria. All it takes is for one dangerous virus to enter a cell. Once it gets inside, it takes full control of the cell's mechanism and begins to duplicate itself. In a short time there are billions of them. These new viruses each begin to attack the other cells and destroy them as well. Bacteria, too, grow at a very rapid rate. They can double


every twenty minutes. Just take a calculator and see what happens when you keep doubling a number thirty times.

An aveirah – a sin - operates in the very same manner. One small sin quickly leads to many more. The Yidden in Mitzrayim had to be very careful not to become contaminated by Egyptian morals and their perverted ways. Even the slightest contact with Egyptian culture had to be avoided. Those who were not very careful soon became totally assimilated and unfortunately died during the plague of Choshech - Darkness.

The Torah clearly warns us of the dangers of even eating or drinking kosher food with them. What starts out as a casual friendly meal may ultimately end up with a romantic relationship which often ends in marriage. The Torah constantly warns us of the dangers of following in their ways and warns us to keep a distance . Once we begin imitating their foreign culture we will soon become just like them.

The most difficult part of our slavery in Mitzrayim was to remain completely segregated and isolated from Egyptian culture and morals. Yidden kept their Hebrew names and didn't change their style of clothes or even their language so as to remain easily identifiable and remain completely apart. Just look at what happened to the many Jewish families that have lived on American soil far less than 210 years. Once they lost their distinctiveness and began to imitate their ways, they became unidentifiable. Intermarriage has unfortunetly taken a terrible toll with millions of Jews no longer knowing what Torah and mitzvos are all about.

Hashem in His great mercy took us out of Mitzrayim on the condition that we follow His mitzvos. Chometz alludes to the irreversible change caused by even the slightest impurity. Allow the yetzer horah to enter through the eye of a needle and soon he will become a permanent resident and take over the entire operation of the house. Our chachomim compared him to "The yeast within the dough." Just let an immoral picture enter the human brain and it replicates itself very quickly causing life-long damage.

The Gemorah in Mesechta Sukkah tells us that when Mashiach will arrive and the yetzer harah will be killed, the r'shaim will perceive the yetzer harah as a tiny speck. They obviously don't realize the great danger of the yetzer harah and therefore failed to keep their distance. The tzadikim, however, will perceive the yetzer harah as a large mountain. They clearly understand that this tiny speck will eventually turn into


a large mountain and therefore kept their distance.

As the "Tree of knowledge" – The Eitz Ha'daas - grows larger and expands, we are faced with ever-increasing dangers. Along with all the great benefits it has brought in its wake, it has also enabled the worst of the world's mores to make their way into our homes through metal rods and disks perched on our rooftops and through wires snaking their way out of the ground. Many have tragically allowed this perversion to enter their living rooms and contaminate their homes. Some have even connected their phones to sites that the Torah clearly forbids.

As in Mitzrayim, if we want to make sure that the Angels of Destruction don't enter our home, we must make sure that the entrance has a kosher mezuzah. The Rambam explains that the mezuzah serves as a constant reminder of Hashem's presence in our lives and homes. "Every time a person enters or leaves his house and encounters the unity of the Divine Holy Name, Blessed Be He, he will recall his love for Hashem, and will be aroused from his slumber and errant involvement in the vanities of everyday life and recognize that nothing lasts for eternity except for the knowledge of the World's Creator. This will immediately bring the person back to reality and get him to walk in the path of the upright." ( Rambam –Hilchos Mezuzah, perek 6:13). �חייב�אדם�להזהר�במזוזה�מפני�שהיא�חובת�הכל�תמיד�וכל�זמן�שיכנס�ויצא�יפגע�ביחוד�השם�שמו�של�הקדוש�ב"ה�ויזכור�אהבתו�ויעור�משנתו�ושגיותיו�בהבלי�הזמן�וידע�שאיןלדעתו חוזר� הוא� ומיד� העולם� צור� ידיעת� אלא� עולמים� ולעולמי� לעולם� העומד� �דבר��והולך�בדרכי�מישרים�אמרו�חכמים�הראשונים�כל�מי�שיש�לו�תפילין�בראשו�ובזרועו�וציצית�בבגדו�ומזוזה�בפתחו�מוחזק�הוא�שלא�יחטא�שהרי�יש�לו�מזכירין�רבים�והן�הם The המלאכים�שמצילין�אותו�מלחטוא�שנאמר�חונה�מלאך�יי'�סביב�ליראיו�ויחלצם.message of the mezuzah is that one's house and possessions are only fleeting, and the only real permanence is the awareness of Hakodosh Baruch Hu, the world's Creator.

In the merit of fulfilling this mitzvah, we are also assured of receiving Hashem's


c o n s t a n t protection. The Zohar hakodosh tells us that a mezuzah on one's doorpost is similar to the blood that the Yidden put on their doorposts when they were in Mitzrayim. Hashem's Name of Shin Daled Yud written on the outside also hints at Shomer Dalsos Yisroel – He protects the doors of the Jew. What greater protection can there be than having Hashem Himself guarding

and protecting us from all evil! Yet, what protection can a mezuzah provide when the yetzer horah is allowed entry through the roof or through the wires coming up from the ground.

Our redemption from Mitzrayim was not just a physical one but a spiritual one as well. Its ultimate purpose was Torah and mitzvos. When we search for the chometz, we do so using a candle which represents the neshamah, as the posuk says "Ki ner Hashem nishmas odom." Our holy seforim tell us that we must at the same time also carefully search our own home and ourselves and make sure to remove all the non-holy contaminants from our possession. When we allow chometz which alludes to the yetzer harah to enter our homes even momentarily, he will soon become a permanent resident and even invite his friends into ones home to join in the "fun."


The Plate

ורחץ. קדש.

יחץ. כרפס.

רחצה. מגיד.

מרור. מוציא. מצה.

שלחן עורך. כורך.

ברך. צפון. נרצה: הלל.


וידיחנו, קדש הכוס ישטוף הקיטל, ילבש מביהכנ"ס כשבא מיד

ומוזגין לו הכוס ומקדש עליו:

הנני�מוכן�ומזומן�לקיים�מצות�קידוש�ומצות�כוס�ראשון�של�ארבע�כוסות,�לשם�יחוד�קודשא�ברי(�הוא�ושכינתיה�

על�ידי�ההוא�טמיר�ונעלם�בשם�כל�ישראל:

ויהי�נועם�אדני�א1הינו�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננה�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננהו

The Four Cups of Wine

Their Meaning and Significance

והוצאתי.והצלתי.וגאלתי.ולקחתי.


Even though there are many reasons brought down in the Gemara for the drinking of the four cups of wine, one of the many answers is that it represents the four different phrases or expressions of redemption mentioned in the Torah. They are: 1) V'hotzeisi 2) V'hitzalti 3) V'goalti 4) V'lokachti :

1)�והוצאתי�2)�והצלתי�3)�וגאלתי�4)�ולקחתיIn order to properly understand what these four different phrases are all about,

and why we drink a cup of wine for each one of them, let me tell you a short story that will help clarify it.

The notorious KGB in Russia arrested Meir Senderowitz for the terrible crime of teaching Torah to children. His punishment was five years in Siberia, a word that sent terror into the hearts of every Jew. He was placed in a unit whose job was to clear a forest and lay down railroad tracks. The first winter was an extremely harsh one. Temperatures dropped to lower than 40 degrees below zero. Strong winds made it feel even colder. Working under these conditions was frightful. Each day was a struggle with death. The food the prisoners received was no more that a starvation diet, just barely enough to survive. Meir's strength was slowly failing. He knew that he couldn't last much longer under these inhumane conditions.

And then a miracle took place. It happened on a particularly harsh winter day. After having worked in the frigid icy weather, he suddenly collapsed from exhaustion. His whole body was completely frozen and he was unable to lift himself off the ground. As he lay there helpless on the ground, he gave out a deep and anguished cry to Hashem. "Please, Hashem, help me," he cried out. The cry came from the very depth of his heart and reached the kisei hakovod – Heavenly Throne - itself. Moments passed, and then he suddenly felt two hands lifting him from behind and carrying him somewhere. He lost consciousness. When he awoke he realized he found himself laying in a bed covered with thick blankets. A doctor stood next to him feeling his pulse. "I found you just in the nick of time," said the doctor. "A short while later and you would have been dead."

He spent the next few days laying in bed and recuperating. The strange doctor, whom he had never before seen or met before, would be constantly at his side and giving him the best of care.

"Listen here," said the doctor to him one night when they were all alone. "Let me


tell you a secret which you must not reveal to anyone. I, too, am a Jew. I was brought up in a Christian house, and my friends think I am really one of them. I've just recently been assigned to this camp and I'll try helping you as much as I can. Perhaps one day I'll even get you out of here. In the meantime, I've given instructions that you're far too weak and sick to work on the outside. You will be reassigned to kitchen duty instead. I do hope that will make things much easier for you. Just remember not to reveal my secret to anyone."

Sure enough, Meir was now reassigned to kitchen work. The work was now comparably easy. It was nice and warm inside. Being in the kitchen also gave him easy access to the food. He no longer was starving. His work was far easier than before. At least now he found it bearable. At least it wasn't as tortuous as before. He felt forever indebted to his new friend the doctor, for what he had done for him. Of course he still missed his freedom. He was still locked up. He still had to work all day peeling potatoes, and cleaning the dishes. It was work, work, and more work, starting from early morning to late at night.

One evening, as he was walking back to his small bunker in which he slept, he once again met the doctor. He, of course, thanked the doctor greatly for all he had done for him. The doctor then told him that he had a plan to get him out of this prison camp. He had worked out a very clever plan, whereby he could escape. Yet there was a slight risk involved. There was always the possibility that he would get caught. Was he ready to take the risk, the doctor asked? Meir was at once filled with great excitement. Yes, he was more than willing to give it a try. The doctor immediately gave him all the details.

The following morning he would be driving into the nearby village in order to pick up some medicine. The wagon would be stacked full of wood. He was to climb under the wood very early the next morning. Hopefully, the guard wouldn't bother unloading the wood. He would then let him off near the woods from where he could make his escape. In fact, he even gave him a map of the woods and told him where he could best hide so he wouldn't be caught.

The plan worked exactly as they had hoped, and Meir now made his way into the forest, carefully following the map the doctor had made for him. When his disappearance from the camp was discovered, a great search was started in order to try to find him. Yet try as they may, he remained carefully hidden from their eyes. A few days later, when he was sure that they had given up the search for him, he came


out of hiding and continued on his way.

How great he now felt. He was no longer required to work day in and day out. He was free at last. He could do as he pleased. He looked around at the trees, the flowers, the beautiful houses and gardens. How wonderful he now felt. He was a new human being. He was like a man reborn. What great thanks he owed to his friend the doctor for all he had done for him. Yet he still had to be very careful. He would wander about all day long and sleep in the forest during the night. He knew that if he were caught, he'd be put right back into the prison camp. Whenever he saw police he would quickly run the other way. True, he didn't have to work anymore; yet he still felt like a stranger wherever he went. He still felt imprisoned.

One day, as he was making his way through a small village, a car suddenly stopped right by his side. It was none other than his good friend, the doctor. They embraced each other with great love. "I just can't thank you enough." said Meir, "for all that you've done for me."

"Never mind," said the doctor. "Hop right in. I'm really happy I've found you," he said to Meir as they now drove through the beautiful countryside. "I've been truly worried about you. I know they haven't given up searching for you. I've been hoping I'd meet you in order to be of further help. Truthfully, the best thing to do for you would be to smuggle you out of the country. Of course, that's not an easy matter at all. But I've got a very close friend who may be able to help. He lives close by to the nearby village. Maybe we ought to stop there and see what he can do."

"You've already done so much for me," said Meir. "How can I ask you to do anymore?

"Never mind," answered the doctor. "It's my greatest privilege to be able to help you. Please don't even mention it"

After driving on for more than two hours, they came to a little farm village. They stopped in front of an old dilapidated farmhouse. The doctor jumped


out of the car and knocked on the door. A heavyset woodsman opened the door. By the warm greeting they gave each other, one could see at once that they were very good friends. He invited them in, and they began a friendly chat. Soon the doctor explained why he had come. He needed someone who could smuggle Meir out of the country, and he was told that he had some experience at that.

"You came to the right place," said the woodsman, "but I must warn you that it has its risks. If they catch you, then you can be shot dead at once."

Meir had taken risks before. He was more than willing to take the chance again. "I'm ready to go anytime," he said.

The woodsman explained that he would need some money that would be used to bribe certain people. He would also need a few days time to arrange the false papers for Meir's new identity. In the meantime he was welcome to stay with him until the proper arrangements would be made. The doctor took out the money they agreed upon and handed it to the woodsman. They shook hands and the deal was made.

More than a week passed, and finally everything was ready. Meir now had a complete set of false papers giving him permission to leave the country. All the details were worked out, and soon Meir was on his way. Luckily everything went just as planned. A few weeks later, after traveling through strange countries, Meir had finally made it to Switzerland. He was a free man at last. What a great debt of thanks he owed to the doctor for all he had done for him. Finally he could do as he wished and walk where he wanted, without having to look behind him to see if he was being followed. He felt like a new person, like a person reborn. Only a person in prison can properly appreciate freedom. Still, he lacked a home of his own and a family he could say was his. He rented a small room in a small cottage and worked at odd jobs. He just managed to make enough money to earn a decent living.

One day, as he was standing in the marketplace buying some fruits and vegetables, suddenly he spotted a familiar face from the distance. Miracles of miracles! It was none other than his savior, the doctor himself.

He ran towards him as quickly as his feet could take him. He embraced him with all his strength. Nothing in the world could repay the doctor for all that he has done for him! It was a reunion beyond any description. The doctor was of course,


extremely happy to have found him, and they both sat down to talk about all that has happened since they last saw each other.

"Well," said the doctor as Meir finished his tale, "this must be a real heaven-sent miracle that I should bump into you by chance here in Switzerland. In fact, I just arrived here yesterday. I'm here on a visit to my family whom I haven't seen in many years. How about coming along and joining me at their house for dinner tonight? I'm sure they wouldn't mind at all. In fact, they are very religious people, and they would be pleased to meet you."

Meir gladly accepted the invitation, and soon a new friendship developed. The people had a daughter just two years younger than Meir. There was an immediate liking for each other. No more than seven weeks passed, and the two of them got married. As they both stood under the chupah, the doctor watched silently. Tears of joy ran down his face. His heart burst with happiness. It was a wedding like none other before. They danced and sang and clapped and ate. As the wedding was just beginning and the first course was being served, Meir lifted up a cup of wine and held it out to the doctor. It was a toast of joy from the bottom of his heart. "This cup of wine, doctor, I drink in thanks and gratitude for the time you found me half dead in the forest and rescued me from the cruel slavery I had once experienced in the Russian concentration Camp." He gulped the wine down and the singing continued.

Soon after he filled up a second cup of wine and called out once again to the doctor. "This cup of wine, doctor, I drink in thanks to you for removing my work load and making it possible for me to survive in the prison camp." The people all clapped loudly and the dancing and singing continued.

A little white later, Meir once again filled up a third cup of wine and called out merrily, "This is to you, doctor, for having brought me out from Russia and making me a free man. L'chaim!" The music continued playing and they danced round and round.

Finally, as the guests sat down at the table once more, Meir filled up a forth cup of wine and held it up high before him. "And this cup I drink to you, doctor, for having given me everything I have today. For bringing me into your home and giving me the greatest joy in my life, and that, of course, is my wife. For that I'll be forever indebted to you."


I'm sure that by now you recognize the similarity and understand what the whole story is meant to teach.

Each of the expressions of redemption (leshonos of geulah) represents another stage in our freedom. For each one of these four stages we must give praise to Hashem over another cup of wine.

Over the first cup of wine we thank Hashem for having removed us from the burden of slavery. No more hard and tortuous work. This was Hashem's first promise to us: V'hotzeisi eschem mi'tachas sivlos Mitzrayim- refers to the hard and tortuous work from which we were freed.

Over the second cup of wine we thank Hashem for releasing us from the state of servitude: "V'hitzalti eschem mei'avodosom"

The third cup we drink in thanks of our freedom, and that's "V'goalti eschem "

Over the fourth cup we thank Hashem for taking us as His very own nation. That's for "v'lochachti li l'om" Matan Torah is compared to marriage, as it says: "b'yom simchas libi, zu mattan Torah."

Hopefully, we will soon drink the fifth cup together with Moshiach Tzidkeinu, when we all will join together in Eretz Yisroel and it will be: "V'hevesi eschem el ho'oretz asher nishbati l'Avrohom"


כשחל�בשבת�מתחילין�כאן:

בלחש�ויהי�ערב�ויהי�בקר:

צבאם:�יום�הששי.� וכל� והארץ� השמים� ויכלו�ויכל�א1הים�ביום�השביעי�מלאכתו�אשר� מלאכתו� מכל� השביעי� ביום� וישבת� עשה� אשר�עשה:�ויבר(�א1הים�את�יום�השביעי�ויקדש�אתו�כי�בו�

שבת�מכל�מלאכתו�אשר�ברא�א1הים�לעשות:

כשחל�בחול�מתחילין�כאן:

סברי�מרנן�ורבנן�ורבותי

ברו(�אתה�יהוה�א1הינו�מל(�העולם,�בורא�פרי�הגפן:

אתה�יהוה�א1הינו�מל(�העולם�אשר�בחר�בנו�ברו��מכל�עם�ורוממנו�מכל�לשון�וקדשנו�במצותיו.�ותתן�לנו�יהוה�א1הינו�באהבה�(לשבת:�שבתות�למנוחה�ו)מועדים�לשמחה�חגים�וזמנים�לששון�(לשבת:�את�יום�השבת�הזה�ו)את�יום�חג�המצות�הזה�זמן�חרותנו�(לשבת:�באהבה)�מקרא�קדש�זכר�ליציאת�מצרים.�כי�בנו�בחרת�ואותנו�קדשת�מכל�העמים.�(לשבת:�ושבת)�ומועדי�קדש�B(לשבת:�באהבה�וברצון)�בשמחה�ובששון�

ו)ישראל� השבת� (לשבת:� מקדש� יהוה� אתה� ברו(� הנחלתנו.�והזמנים:

אתה�יהוה�א1הינו�מל(�העולם,�שהחינו�וקימנו�ברו��והגיענו�לזמן�הזה:


ושותה�בהסיבת�שמאל�ואינו�מברך�ברכה�אחרונה:כשחל�במוצאי�שבת�קודש�מקדשין�יקנה"ז�ראשי�תיבות�יין,�קידוש,�נר,�הבדלה,�זמן:

מאורי�ברו�� בורא� העולם� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�האש:�

בין�ברו�� המבדיל� העולם� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�קדש�לחל�בין�אור�לחש(�בין�ישראל�לעמים�בין�יום�השביעי�לששת�ימי�המעשה.�בין�קדשת�שבת�לקדשת�יום�טוב�הבדלת.�ואת�יום�השביעי�מששת�ימי�המעשה�קדשת.�הבדלת�וקדשת�את�עמ�Bישראל�בקדשתB:�ברו(�

אתה�יהוה�המבדיל�בין�קדש�לקדש:

נטילת ורחץ על מברך ואינו ידיו נוטל

ידים:

יקח הכרפס פחות מכזית כדי שלא כרפס

ויטבול אחרונה, בברכה יתחייב

במי מלח ומברך בורא פרי האדמה, ויכוין לפטור

את המרור, ויאכל בלא הסיבה:

פרי�ברו�� בורא� העולם,� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�האדמה


הקטנה יחץ וחציה השניה, המצה יחצה

הגדולה והחצי במקומה יניחנה

ישמור אותה לאפיקומן:

יש�אומרים�קודם�ההגדה�מאמר�הזהר�)זח"ב�מ�ע"ב(:�

בארעא�הא�לחמא�עניא� אבהתנא� אכלו� די�ייתי� דכפין� כל� דמצרים.�וייכול.�כל�דצרי(�ייתי�ויפסח.�השתא�הכא,�לשנה�הבאה�

בארעא�דישראל.�השתא�עבדי,�לשנה�הבאה�בני�חורין:

הא לחמא עניא

This is The Bread of Our Affliction

We begin our Seder with "This is the bread of our affliction that our fathers ate in the land of

Mitzrayim." Yet, we all know that the reason that we eat matzah is because Hashem took us out of Egypt in a very big hurry and we had no time to let our dough rise. We also know that we were required to eat matzah on the very last night of our stay in Egypt, even before we actually left. I f the reason for eating matzah is because we left Egypt in a big hurry, then what was the matzah on our last night in Egypt all about? How do we reconcile these two seemingly different reasons for the use of matzah?


The answer may be quite simple. On our last night in Egypt we were required to eat the Matzah in remembrance of the poor man's bread which we ate as slaves in Egypt. When we begin our story of our exodus from Egypt, we put this bread in front of us in order to recall our slavery there. The reason a slave eats matzah rather than bread is because he is very hungry and doesn't have the time to allow the dough to rise. His master is constantly on his back and driving him to work harder. He has no time for himself. He must prepare his food in a very big hurry. Matzah can be made very quickly while Chometz must be allowed to rise and this takes time. A slave has no time to wait until the dough rises. He is too busy working for his master.

On our last night in Egypt we were required to recall our slavery in Egypt and therefore we had to eat matzos. Yet, during the seder itself we are required to thank Hashem for having taken us out of Egypt in a big hurry and not delaying our stay in Egypt for even an extra minute. Every second counted. Once the moment of our redemption had arrived, Hashem didn't delay it for even an extra moment. An extra moment may have meant that some person would have reached the bottomless pit of tuma – the fiftieth stage - and therefore he would not have merited the redemption. In fact, we are told that only one in five merited to be taken out. Many died during the plague of Darkness.

We begin our story by pointing to the matzah which we ate in Mitzrayim. This matzah is a reminder of our slavery and great suffering which we went through


during our actual stay in Egypt. Perhaps we can compare it to a slave who lived in great poverty and pain. One day his master freed him and also paid him lots of money for his loyal service over the many years. Every year on this special lucky day he would make a big lavish party and invite all his friends and give praise to Hashem for his good fortune. He would start his party by putting on the old torn and tattered clothes he had once wore when he was still a poor hard-working slave and tell everyone how terrible his once was. Later on, during the meal he changed to his beautifull new suit and would take out his beautiful silver and gold dishes and thank Hashem for all he did for him.

We, too, start the Seder by telling how it once was and point to the poor man's bread we were forced to eat while still in Egypt. Later on, during the meal, we eat matzah in appreciation and gratitude of the great speed with which we were taken out of Mitzrayim. They are no contradiction at all!


מוזגין�כוס�שני�וכאן�הבן�שואל:

מה�נשתנה�הלילה�הזה�מכל�הלילות�

שבכל�הלילות�אנו�אוכלין�חמץ�ומצה,�הלילה�הזה�כלו�מצה:

שבכל�הלילות�אנו�אוכלין�שאר�ירקות,�הלילה�הזה�(כלו)�מרור

אחת,� פעם� אפילו� מטבילין� אנו� אין� הלילות� שבכל�הלילה�הזה�שתי�פעמים:

מסבין,� ובין� יושבין� בין� אוכלין� אנו� הלילות� שבכל�הלילה�הזה�כלנו�מסבין

�

Don't Be Afraid To AskThe entire Seder is built around the unique phenomenon that the child must

ask as it says "V'hayah ki yishalcha bincha mochor." Judaism doesn't shun questions but rather promotes them. We do everything possible to stimulate the

מה�נשתנהמה�נשתנה


child's mind and get him to question. We are not satisfied to have the child sit back and relax while we feed him the necessary information. We want him to ask for it. And so the Seder opens up with the מה�נשתנה.

A renowned thinker once said that he owes his great genius to his mother. Whenever he arrived home from school she would never ask him, "What did you learn in school today?" but rather, "What good question did you ask in school today?"

Questions breed greater thought. A child that doesn't ask questions may sometimes show apathy. It may show that he's not interested or concerned. It may mean that he couldn't care less. If someone is concerned and really wants to know then he will ask questions. Questions stimulate the mind toward greater knowledge.

In Torah, one can never know everything. The Torah represents G-d's wisdom that is infinite. One can never learn enough. Questions enhance a person's knowledge. It keeps him growing. It is the very many questions that fill the Talmud that help us uncover their true meanings and help us find proper answers.

Questions make us probe more deeply. Questions make us search for better answers. Yiddishkeit does not shun questions. It encourages them. We are never satisfied with what we already know. We want to know more. We want to understand it better. The search never ends. For the Torah is endless. One can never comprehend Hashem Himself. It is impossible! Yet our questions help make our knowledge of Him better and better, and bring us closer and closer. Isn't this the entire purpose of the great miracles He made in Mitzrayim וידע�כל�פעול�כי�אתה�פעלתו.

Our faith is built on questions. Yet, if we are to find the truth, we must learn to ask the proper questions. We must be careful to formulate the question as the chochom does! We must attempt to seek the meaning of the עדות חוקים and משפטים. For the more we understand them, the greater will be our fear and love of Hashem.

That's because as our knowledge increases, so does our appreciation of our Creator. The better we understand the miracles He has done for us in Mitzrayim, the more our appreciation grows. We must continually search deeper and deeper. This way our appreciation for Hashem and our love and fear of Him will grow greater and stronger

�וכל�המרבה�לספר�ביציאת�מצרים�הרי�זה�משובח


One of my students who seemed to know a little dikduk asked me the following simple question. Since the word לילה is feminine -נקבה- (as we say מכל�הלילות) shouldn't it have said הלילה�הזאת rather than הלילה�הזה? Actually, a look in Parshas Bo will show you that even the pesukim use the word הלילה הזה when referring to this night of Pesach and not הלילה�הזאת. Why?

Some answer that there are certain words such as לילה that are both נקבה- feminine and sometimes masculine -זכר- therefore one can say either הזה or הזאת.

�Perhaps one can suggest another answer. Since this night of Pesach is a very special night upon which it is said קרב�יום�אשר�הוא�לא�יום�ולא�לילה - "The day is approaching which is neither day or night and also תאיר�כאור�יום�חשכת�לילה - "The light of day will illuminate the darkness of the night" therefore on this special night of Pesach on which we expect the imminent arrival of Mashiach and it will be as light as day, we use the masculine since the word יום is זכר.

This will at the same time also answer another very difficult question which the meforshim ask. It says that the Jews in Mitzrayim were mal themselves on the night of Pesach. Yet, we know that milah is kosher to be done only during the day and not at night.

הלילה�הזה


ה, ילות אנו אוכלין חמץ ומצ כל הל ב שה: ילה הזה כלו מצ הל

Chometz and Matza - It's Just a Matter of Time!

It seems quite strange that the Torah is far stricter with chometz than with anything else. Not only are we not allowed to eat it, but we are also not even

allowed to keep the tiniest speck of it in our possession even under lock and key. What can be so terrible about a tiny speck of chometz that the Torah was tougher with the laws of chometz than with all other foods? There are many foods that we are not permitted to eat or even derive benefit from, yet, we are still permitted to keep them in the house. Why is chometz any different?

Some explain that chometz symbolizes haughtiness while matza symbolizes humility. Yet, the Gemara in Mesechta Sota tells us that while one is not permitted to be haughty, one must still possess an "eighth of an eighth" of it. This means that a small speck of chometz should be permitted. Yet, we all know, that even a speck of it is not permitted. Also, haughtiness is something that isn't permitted all year long, so why are we permitted to eat chometz during the rest of the year?

Some explain that chometz symbolizes the yetzer harah, the evil inclination that constantly preys on us and tries to get us to sin. Yet, this, too, is difficult to comprehend. The yetzer harah should be destroyed all year long and not just on Pesach. Why eliminate chometz only on the yom tov on which we celebrate our deliverance from Egyptian slavery? What's the connection?


In reality, the only difference between chometz and matza is the element of time. The ingredients are exactly the same. They may be just one second apart, yet, this one-second makes all the difference. Once matza has turned to chometz there is nothing that can be done to change it back. While we can make up for everything else, there is no way to make up for lost time. There is no way to make up for even a lost second. A second lost, remains lost for eternity. Time is irreplaceable and can never be repayed. It's gone forever. Stealing someone's objects or money can be repaid, but when we steal someone's time it can never be repaid. That's because every person has a limited time on this world. Once we have wasted even a single second, there is no way to make up for it.

Sometimes that extra second can mean the difference between life and death. The Gemarah tells us that because Nachum Ish Gam Zu was a little slow in unloading his donkey, a poor man died. Many times, just a second can make the difference between life and death. A person that missed being in the Twin Towers on 9/11 by only one second, lived. A person who misses his plane which was hijacked by just a moment is saved.

To a starving person, one second can make the difference between life and death. One reason that matza is called "The poor man's bread" is because a poor man may be starving and has no time to wait until his dough will rise! He puts it in the oven immediately without waiting to let it rise. To him, every second counts!

Another reason why matzah is called the poor man's bread is because a slave is so busy serving his master that he cannot find any time for himself. He must prepare his own food as fast as possible. He doesn't have the time to let the dough rise and turn into bread. Our slavery in Egypt was so overbearing that we didn't even have any time to pray to Hashem. It was only on Pharaoh's death that the Jews were finally given some free time to cry out for his death. The Yidden used this opportunity to cry out to Hashem instead. The worst part of our slavery in Egtpt was the tremendous loss of time we suffered constantly having to serve our opressors. This time we lost forever. This is why slavery is represented by matza.

When we left Mitzrayim, a place filled with the worst form of tuma, one extra second could have meant another casualty. Another person could have become assimilated into Egyptian society and may have fallen into the bottomless pit (which is stage number fifty of Tumah) from which there is absolutely no way out. In fact, only one out of five Jews made it out. The rest died during the mako of Darkness. Just


imagine what would have been if that person had been our own great-grandfather? Then we'd certainly not be sitting at the seder table today!

Today we live in a time where we have time saving machines and devices of every sort. We've got cars that can take us to places that once took days, yet now it takes only minutes. We've got planes that take us half way around the world in less than a day, something that used to take weeks and even months. We've got machines that can do a week's work in just a few hours. Yet, for some reason we seem to have less time than ever before. We just never seem to know where all our saved time went. Despite all the timesaving devices, we are always complaining that we can never find enough time to learn. We're always too busy. We've become enslaved to all our passions and desires for more and more luxuries and a higher standard of living. One would have thought that with all the new modern inventions, we'd have plenty of extra time that we could spend learning Torah. Yet, the very opposite is true. The more gadgets we have, the busier we always are and the less time we seem to have for Torah learning.

There have never been greater time consumers in history than radio, TV and the Internet. Aside from all the moral issues involved, they have siphoned off billions of hours that could have been spent learning Torah. The Yetzer Horah sure knows how to put all the gimmickry to good use so that we find less and less time to do what Hashem wants us to do. First we've got to listen to the news so that we know what happened in China. Then we've go to see the Super Bowl so that we can relax after a hard day's work. Then we've got to use up our 2,000 free minutes on our cell phone so that we should get our monies worth. We've got to go on the Internet to find out how our stocks did today and also to pick up our ever-increasing E-Mail messages. Then we must play with our "time out" games for only a few minutes that usually take up far more time than originally budgeted. By the time the day is over, we are so exhausted that we fall asleep with an open Gemarah. If we add up all the time wasted every single day, we'd soon realize we're in bad trouble. We, of course, make up our mind that from today on things will be different. We decide that from now on we are going to be very careful and not waste a single second. Yet, there is absolutely no way we can make up for even one wasted second of our lives that we have wasted. What a horrid tragedy! No wonder even the tiniest speck of chometz is not allowed on Pesach!

When a person is enslaved, his time is no longer his own but is controlled by his


master. A slave has no time to wait for his dough to rise and must bake it quickly. This is why matza symbolizes slavery. When we celebrate our freedom from enslavement we must make sure to release ourselves from all those things that enslave our valuable time. When one becomes enslaved to all the machines and gadgets that surround us, one remains enslaved even today. There is no greater enslavement then the enslavement of one's time. Sometimes we become so enslaved that we are unable to hear G-d's call because of "kotzer ruach and avodah kosho."

Let's just take one day in our lives and mark down a small dot for every minute we waste on that particular day. The time we spend on the bus or train or even walking down the street doing absolutely nothing useful. Time we could have better spent thinking in Torah. Today, through the use of a cell-phone we can even dial and listen to thousands of Torah lectures wherever we desire and wherever we may be. Instead we waste our time with all sorts of nonsense.

Pesach is the time we must sit down and figure out a way out of our slavery. "Ein loch ben chorin elah mi she'oseik b'Torah." The only person that is truly considered free is the one who is studying Torah. Pesach time is the time we must make this commitment. That's because the entire purpose of yetzias Mitzrayim was kabbolas haTorah. It's Torah that connects us to our Creator.

�Pesach night is the time we are required to free ourselves from our slavery as it says בכל�דור�ודור�חיב�אדם�לראות�את�עצמו�כאלו�הוא�יצא�ממצרים . Let's make sure that the taste and lesson of matza remains with us all year long.

במצרים,�עבדים� לפרעה� היינו�א1הינו� יהוה� ויוציאנו�משם�ביד�חזקה�ובזרע�נטויה.�ואלו�את� הוא� ברו(� הקדוש� הוציא� 1א�ובנינו� אנו� הרי� ממצרים,� אבותינו�לפרעה� היינו� משעבדים� בנינו� ובני�במצרים.�ואפילו�כלנו�חכמים�כלנו�נבונים�כלנו�זקנים�כלנו�יודעים�את�


התורה�מצוה�עלינו�לספר�ביציאת�מצרים.�וכל�המרבה�לספר�ביציאת�מצרים�הרי�זה�משבח:

We Were Slaves to Pharaoh in EgyptA person who is enslaved is constantly busy serving his master and has absolutely

no time for himself. As slaves in Mitzrayim we were kept so busy that we didn't even have the time to pray to Hashem. A slave must prepare his food in a very big hurry and therefore doesn't even have the time to allow his dough to rise. This is why we ate matzah while we were still in Mitzrayim. Even though the ingredients of chometz and matzah are the very same, a slave doesn't even have the few extra minutes to allow his dough to rise and turn into bread. A slave's time belongs to his master. Our slavery in Egypt was so overwhelming, that if Hashem hadn't taken us out, then even today, we would still have been enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.

Hashem took us out of Egyptian slavery in order to serve Him and not anyone else. True freedom is when we serve Hashem and don't allow ourselves to become enslaved to all our passions and desires. A rich man who is never satisfied with what he possesses is enslaved to his desire for more and more money and can never be considered a truly free man. He is a prisoner in his own magnificent mansion from where he cannot escape. On the night of Pesach we are required to free ourselves from our own slavery and make a true commitment to learn Torah and serve Hashem. This is what the Yom Tov of Pesach is all about.


ח ב יציאת מצרים הרי זה מש ר ב ה לספ רב וכל המThe purpose of recounting the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim in its every minute

detail is to instill within us true faith, belief, love, and awe for our Creator. The ten makos teach us that not only does Hashem see all and has full control of everything in the entire universe but that He punishes those who dare not listen to Him tit for tat - mida k'neged mida. This belief cannot be just an artificial or superficial one, but must be visible in the way we act and conduct our lives on a daily basis. While Avrohom was given ten tests to establish his great level of belief, we too are given far simpler tests almost every day. Sometimes Hashem tests us to see how we deal with others in business matters. What is the ethical and moral level we have reached in the way we conduct our business? Do we open a store directly across the street from another such store and take his customers away? While there are times that halacha may permit it, it may still not be ethically and morally correct. The gemara says that the posuk "Mi ya'ale b'har Hashem u'mi yokum bim'kom kodsho" refers to the person who did not infringe on another person's livelihood.

How honest are we with ourselves as well as with others? After a parent had given his son a lecture on how important it was to always tell the truth, he took his son for a bus ride. Before getting on the bus he told him to tell the driver that he was under 12. When the bus driver asked the child when he was going to turn 12, the boy quickly responded, "As soon as I get off the bus." Perhaps even more common is the father who asks his son to pick up the phone or answer the door and say that he is not home. While this may seem trivial, it leaves an indelible impression in a child's mind.

How careful are we with our speech? Do we berate other products so that they buy only ours? Are we careful not to play the "bait and switch game" with our customers? Are we careful to "zero the scale" when weighing merchandise? Do we keep our word when closing on a business deal? Are we as careful and concerned with the mitzvos bein odon l'chaveiro as we are with those that are bein odom la'mokom? We are all human and therefore have our failures but are we ready to admit and correct them?

A story is told of a tightrope walker that prepares to start walking down a tightrope. He begins by asking the crowd, "Who thinks that I'll make it?" The crowd thereupon starts cheering and shouts, "go, go, go!" After he walks across he now turns to the


crowd and asks them once again, "Who thinks that I can do it backwards?" Again the crowd cheers wildly as he proceeds to walk across backwards. Now he turns to the crowd and asks them, "Who thinks I can do it while riding a unicycle?" Once again there is great applause as he rides across on his unicycle. He now turns to his audience and asks, "Who thinks I can do it pushing a wheelbarrow?" Thereupon one old man calls out "Sure thing. I'm convinced you can." Hearing his answer the tightrope walker challenges the man by asking him, "If you truly believe that I can do it, how about getting inside the wheelbarrow while I take you across to the other side?" The old man turned down the offer with a resounding "No way!" Unfortunately that's where this man's belief stopped. While it seemed as if he fully believed in him, he wouldn't dare get into the wheelbarrow.

Unfortunately, sometimes our own belief stops there as well. We all believe that the more tzedaka we give, the more Hashem pays us back, yet you'd never know it by the amount of money we invest into stocks, CD's or other ventures. We all believe that Moshiach is about to come imminently but you'd never know it by the mansions we build for ourselves in the USA.

A story is told of the guy who was riding his motorcycle down a winding mountain road. He suddenly lost control and went flying down a steep cliff. As he went sailing through the thin air he shouts out: "God! Please save me!" Within moments his shirt gets caught in a protruding tree branch and he is left dangling hundreds of feet above the ground. Once again he shouts out to God to save him. "Do you trust Me?" calls a voice from heaven. "Yes, I certainly do" is his reply. "Okay, then," says the voice. "Let go of the branch and I'll catch you." The man thinks for a moment, looks around, and calls out: "Is there anyone else out there to catch me?"

Unfortunately our faith and trust in Hashem can use an upgrade. This in fact is the reason and purpose of recounting the story of yetzias Mitzrayim in its every detail. "And even if we are all wise and old and know the entire Torah," we can still upgrade our level of belief in Hashem. We must continuously ask ourselves (Tona D'bei Eliyahu Rabbah Perek 25:2) "mosai ya'giu ma'sai l'maasei avos'ai." - When will we reach the level of our great avos who would jump into a burning fire to prove their great level of belief and faith in Him? Perhaps if we set very high goals, then we will at least make it up the first few rungs of the high ladder that reaches into the heaven itself. No wonder it is


ח ב יציאת מצרים הרי זה מש ר ב ה לספ רב וכל המורבי�מעשה�ברבי�אליעזר� יהושע� ורבי�

עזריה� בן� אלעזר�והיו� ברק� בבני� מסבין� שהיו� טרפון� ורבי� עקיבא� ורבי�שבאו� עד� הלילה,� אותו� כל� מצרים� ביציאת� מספרים�זמן�קריאת�שמע� ואמרו�להם�רבותינו�הגיע� תלמידיהם�

של�שחרית:

There Was a StoryIn order to emphasize and stress how important our exodus from Egypt was and

that even the wisest of men are required to recount it in very great detail, we begin by relating a story about some of our greatest sages. These sages spent the entire night so deeply engrossed and absorbed in recounting the story that their students had to interrupt them by telling them that it was already time to read the Kriyas Shmah of the morning. Obviously, they had been so immersed in recounting the story that they had lost all track of time. This story also teaches us that no matter how well we think

we already understand all the many details of Yetzias Mitzrayim, there is always more we can learn. The Torah's depth is limitless. The more we search, the more we uncover.

The Haggada follows up on this story by telling us that remembering our exodus from Egypt is so important that we must make mention of it all year around, both during the day and even during the night. According to our sages, it will also be mentioned after the arrival of the Moshiach even though at that


time there will be many other great miracles to speak about.

�The story of our exodus from Egypt is the story of the birth of our Nation and therefore all of our festivals are directly linked to it as we always mention זכר� This only underscores its great importance. The Ramban explains. ליציאת�מצריםthat Hashem does not perform miracles for every generation and therefore parents are required to pass on these great signs and wonders from generation to generation in order that our belief in Hashem and His great might and power will forever remain etched in our heart and mind. The better we understand them, and the more we elaborate on it, the greater will be our awe, love, and appreciation for all Hashem does for us

רבי�אלעזר�בן�עזריה�הרי�אני�כבן�שבעים�שנה�אמר�ו1א�זכיתי�שתאמר�יציאת�מצרים�בלילות�עד��Bצאת יום� את� תזכור� למען� שנאמר,� זומא,� בן� שדרשה��Bהימים.�כל�ימי�חיי�Bימי�חיי�.Bמארץ�מצרים�כל�ימי�חייהלילות.�וחכמים�אומרים�ימי�חיי�Bהעולם�הזה.�כל�ימי�

חיי�Bלהביא�לימות�המשיח:�

ברו��המקום,�ברו��הוא,�ברו��שנתן�תורה�לעמו�ישראל:

רוך הוא קום, ב רוך המ בIt is quite rare to refer to Hashem with the word Mokom which means place.

While Hashem is called Mokom because He fills all of space; we rarely refer to Him by this Name. We find that when Avrohom was looking for the place upon which to sacrifice his son, the Torah says that he saw the "Place" from afar. Rashi says that he saw a cloud upon the mountain and realized that this was the place upon which he should sacrifice Yitzchok. The cloud was a sign of G-d's Presence. Yet we rarely find


Hashem referred to in this manner. One therefore wonders why in the Haggada do we find ourselves using this particular Name instead of the usual names of Hashem? For instance we say "kamo maalas tovos la'Mokom aleinu" or "al achas kamo v'kamo, tovoh u'mchupeles l'Mokom oleinu." Why don't we refer to Hashem the way we normally do? Why of all His many Names of Hashem, do we use the Name Mokom throughout the entire Haggadah, unless it's mentioned as part of a posuk?

One also wonders why when we comfort a mourner; we say "HaMokom yenachem eschem?"Why use the Name Mokom?

One also wonders why on the night of Pesach, a night when we encourage questions, we seem to leave out the most difficult question of them all. Why were we sent into the terrible bitter golus of Mitzrayim in the first place?

As we all know, we start the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim from the time our fathers served idols. "Mitchila ovdei avoda zarah hoyu avoseinu." is the way we begin the Haggada. Idol worship dates back to the time of Enosh who introduced it. The Rambam in Hilchos Avodah Zarah explains how it all started. People realized that it was impossible for the world not to have a Creator, so they searched and searched but couldn't find Him. He was nowhere to be seen. Since they were unable to find G-d Himself, they decided to serve and honor His servants. Some believed that they ought to serve the sun since the sun seemed to be the most important and mightiest power on Earth and the source of all growth without which the world could not exist. People started bowing down and worshipping the sun in the belief that the sun would thereby benefit them. Some began to make images of the sun and bow down to these images. The images probably helped them focus their prayers to the sun especially when it was hidden from view. Others believed that the mightiest and most essential power on earth was water since without it life couldn't exist. They therefore began to worship the mighty power of water. Pharaoh, if fact, claimed that he was also a god since he seemed to wield power and control over the Nile River which was Egypt's main and only source of water since it rarely rains in Egypt. Anytime he would approach it, it would flow in his direction. This, he claimed, proved that he had godly powers.

While at the very beginning people realized that these great and mighty powers were certainly not G-d but merely G-d's servants, people thought they could benefit man by praying and serving them. They didn't realize that the sun was no different then a very large light bulb. Praying to a light bulb that burns out is certainly not


going to repair it. The only one that can change the laws of nature is G-d Himself, and it is only to Him that one's prayers should be directed. Hashem wanted people to pray to Him Alone and not to any of His servants. Hashem's mighty servants are powerless to do a thing. They are nothing but robots that are activated by G-d Alone. It is Hashem who both made the laws of nature and fully controls them at all times. It is therefore to Him Alone that man must direct his prayers.

Yet many people actually were convinced that when they directed their prayers to the god of water and soon thereafter it began to rain, it proved that the god of rain had actually answered their prayers. Little did they realize that it was Hashem that had decided to bring down the rain and their prayers played no role in any of it. Imagine that there is a blackout and someone prays to the electric company to turn the electricity back on. Moments later when the electricity goes on, he deludes himself into thinking that it was his prayers to the electric company that did the trick. How foolish and absurd. The electric company certainly couldn't hear him, and the fixing of the electricity had absolutely nothing to do with his prayers. It's simply a delusion. Yet many people were fooled by the clever priests that fooled them into believing in this nonsense. It was a good business that brought in lots of money so why not scam the people if there was big money to be made. These evangelists and priests are still in business nowadays and making millions fooling the fools who believe in all this nonsense.

It was Avrohom Ovinu that began to realize on his very own that this entire practice of serving the sun or the stars was worthless and was only a delusion and that there had to exist a higher power who created and ran this marvelous universe. And while He couldn't be seen, He must certainly be here. In fact He must be everywhere.

While he had absolutely no knowledge as to Who this Creator was, or what He was all about, he refused to bow down to any force in nature no matter how important or powerful it seemed. To him the concept of G-d was that of "mokom" which means place. While one could not actually see G-d, he believed that He was here and in fact was all over. There was no place in the entire universe that He cannot be found. "Les asar ponui minei."

In order to properly understand this concept, it may be helpful to think of gravity (l'havdil elef havdolos). Gravity is found in all of space yet cannot be seen or blocked by matter of any sort. If we were able to find a material that could block gravity, then we would be able to fly.


Avrohom's belief in G-d began with the simple concept of Mokom. He was there. He was everywhere. His belief was so strong that even though Hashem had never revealed Himself to him and never spoken to him, he was willing to allow himself to be thrown into a fire rather then serve idols. His miraculous survival proved that he was right. His strong belief in Hashem was reconfirmed when Hashem Himself appeared to him and told him to go to some far off land which would be given to him. While it may have sounded strange that Hashem had not given him more precise directions, and didn't tell him exactly where he was to go, he nevertheless didn't ask any questions and went as he was told. That's because he knew that Hashem was with him at all times. If the tour guide comes along with you, then there is no need to ask for directions. When Hashem told him to take his son Yitzchok and offer him as a sacrifice in a place which he would show him, he asked no further questions or directions as to where he was to go. G-d was his tour guide and would surely direct him to the proper place. In fact he was ready to listen to whatever Hashem told him even if it made no sense at all. He knew that man cannot understand everything. He was even ready to sacrifice his own son Yitzchak despite the fact that it went against all logic and even contradicted what Hashem had promised him. Wasn't G-d a Merciful One that never allowed human sacrifices? Didn't Hashem promise him that his son Yitzchak would turn into a large nation? How could G-d contradict Himself? Avrohom realized that man couldn't understand any of Hashem's Middos (referred to as His attributes), and he must follow what he was being told despite the fact that it didn't seem to make sense. Hashem to him was on the level of ‘Mokom," He existed and was everywhere. While one couldn't see Him nor understand His ways, nevertheless he obeyed His every command even if it went against his logic.

The many Names of G-d refer to His many attributes, like the Name Yud-hey-vov -hey stands for Him being Past, Present, and Future all in one. The Name "Mokom," however means that He is here and all over the universe at all times. It doesn't describe Him as Merciful or with any of His other attributes. We have absolutely no understanding of Him whatsoever. All we know is that He exists and that He is everywhere and that we must do whatever He tells us even if we do not understand the reason for His commandments.

When Hashem revealed Himself to Avrohom Ovinu at the "Bris Bein Habsorim" and told him that the yidden would have to go into the bitter golus of Mitzrayim for four hundred years, Avrohom did not question Hashem by asking Him why they deserved this very harsh punishment? Hashem considered his silence as a great


righteousness on his part as it says "v'yachashveho lo l'zdaka."

And so too, when Hashem offered to give us the Torah we asked Him no questions as to what it demanded of us. We simply replied that "we were ready to do and to listen." We don't always have to know the reason why Hashem commands us to do certain things and we may never know the reason but we do it anyway. That's because we have full faith in Him and we know that He knows what's best for us and His commandments are in our best interest because He is our Father and loves us.

And so even when seemingly bad things happen to man and we don't understand why, we nevertheless accept G-d's judgment even if it is beyond our comprehension. Perhaps this is why when we comfort a mourner we use the expression of "Hamokom yenachem..." While we may not know the reason, we accept Hashem's judgment for He certainly knows what's best for us! When we pray for those in trouble we say "Hamokom yeracheim a'layhem, voyotziem..." We pray that Hashem Who is all over and with us at all times will come to the rescue.

The Name Mokom implies that G-d is not only in the heavens above, like many other religions view Him, but that He is everywhere. And while we are unable to see Him, He sees and is with us at every moment. It may be helpful for us to realize that there are many other forces in nature that we know are here yet we are unable to see them, such as magnetism, electromagnetic waves or other types of radiation.

We begin the Haggadah by thanking Hashem for appearing to our father Avrohom and letting him know that He was there even though He could not be seen. He was everywhere - "mokom". And so we begin with "boruch Ha'Mokom, boruch Hu" because we must realize that even though we are in exile G-d is still here with us.

Next, we thank Hashem for giving us the Torah. It was our exile in Egypt that ultimately led to our recieving the Torah which gave us a better understanding of what our purpose in life is and how we can properly serve our Creator. And so we continue by thanking Hashem for giving us the Torah. "Boruch shenosan Torah l'amo Yisroel."


ברו��הוא.כנגד�ארבעה�בנים�דברה�תורה

And so on the night of Pesach when we are commanded "v'hegadeta l'vincha" to tell our children the story of yetzias mitzrayim, the Torah tells us that we must do so on four different levels, each one in accordance to the questions the child may ask. Each child must be delt with differently. The answer we give them will depend on their questions.

The Torah tells us that all children fall into one of four categories. There is the smart son who tries to understand the specific purpose of all the different type of commandments. There unfortunately also exists the evil son that believes that it's not for him. He excludes himself and sees absolutely no purpose in all of it. Then we have the simple son referred to as the Tam who just wants a simplistic explanation and doesn't seem able to comprehend the many details. Then we have the son who knows nothing at all. He was brought up in a public school and the only thing he may have seen was a Christmas tree.

All children fall into one of these four categories and each one of them must be given his appropriate answer and dealt with on his own level. Each of them will only be able to comprehend the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim in accordance with his own intelligence.

The story of Yetzias Mitzrayim is the basic foundation of our belief and must be retold in its entirety each year at the Seder table. It must begin with the concept of "Mokom." We must believe in Hashem the way our father Avraham did. It must be on the level of "naase v'nishma" – first we do and then we try and understand the reason. We do it because this is G-d's command. There need be no other reason.

We show them how the makos proved that not only does Hashem have full control of all of matter but that there is no place that His presence is not felt. He supplies the constant energy that gives everything its existence. While most people in the world also believe in the existences of a G-d, their concept of G-d is very different then ours. When Hashem offered to give them the Torah they began asking questions. They wanted to know what was written in it. Would they be able to manage their


lives with it? A real G-d is One we must follow blindly as Avrohom had done. If we think we know better or that we may question Him, then our belief in G-d can't be worth much. We must follow his decrees blindly even if we can't grasp their reason. That's because G-d Who created heaven and earth certainly knows best!

And so, unfortunetly, whenever tragedy chas v'shalom strikes, we always use the Name Mokom, for despite the great suffering, we know that Hashem is always there with us. It is only our strong faith and trust in Hashem that gives us the strength to survive the dark and bitter golus. We always remember the words of the great Rabbi Akiva who said that "All Hashem does, is ultimately for our good."

אחד�חכם.�ואחד�רשע.�ואחד�תם.�ואחד�שאינו�יודע�לשאול:

מה�הוא�אומר.�מה�העדות�והחקים�והמשפטים�חכם�אשר�צוה�יהוה�א1הינו�אתכם.�ואף�אתה�אמור�

לו�כהלכות�הפסח�אין�מפטירין�אחר�הפסח�אפיקומן:

טים פ ש ים והמ חכם מה הוא אומר מה העדות והחק

Mitzvos That Seem To Defy Reason and Logic

The wise son knows that the 613 mitzvos are divided into three different categories. Some mitzvos fall into the category of "eidus." They stand as testimony to many of our beliefs. For example, Shabbos testifies to the fact that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Then we have another category of mitzvos that are called "mishpotim." These are laws that are logical and make sense. They include laws such as not killing or not stealing. Then, we have a third category of mitzvos called chukim that seem to defy all reason and logic. They include mitzvos such as Parah Adumah, shat'nez, basar b'cholov, etc. These are the mitzvos that the Yeitzer ho'rah and the soton, mock, scoff and ridicule.


While the wisest of all men, Shlomo Ha'Melech, was able to make sense out of most of them, he, too, was stumped by the laws of Parah Adumah which purified the impure, yet had the reverse effect upon the pure. Moshe Rabbeinu, as mentioned in Tanchumah, however, understood this paradox. Perhaps it's very much like taking a medication. It can cure the sick and at the same time sicken the healthy.

When we go to a doctor who gives us a medication, many times the doctor himself does not know why the medicine works; yet we take it anyway. We have confidence that the doctor knows best. While we have no idea as to how the ashes of a red cow are able to contaminate the pure yet at the same time purify the impure, we know that G-d Who created the world, surely knows how it all works and we must do as He tells us even if we don't know the reason.

When we tell a little child not to stick any metal into an outlet, we do not give him a reason. That's because he doesn't know, nor can he understand what electricity is all about. When scientists warn a person to stay away from radiation because it is very dangerous, the person must listen to the warning even if he doesn't see what's wrong with doing it. We know that the scientist knows what's best. Certainly, Hashem, Who created milk and meat, wool and linen, knows why they don't go together. Perhaps someday we will discover the reason. Yet, we have the full trust and confidence that Our Creator knows what's best for us. Modern science has taught us that there are lots of things that didn't make sense and were scoffed at in olden times, yet today we see the seemingly impossible became quite possible. Who would have believed that a craft weighing a ton or more could ever lift off the ground and fly? Who would ever have believed that one could talk and see people thousands of miles away by talking into a small piece of plastic? Who but an electronics engineer can understand the inside workings of a computer, or the many other electronic gadgets we use on a daily basis? Even the most learned scientists don't fully understand the workings of atoms, molecules, and the inner workings of the cells which life is made of. The more we learn, the more we stand in awe of the great complexity and depth of the Universe around us.

Perhaps the following story will help us better understand this concept.

Sam Lewis threw his backpack over his shoulder and took his shotgun in hand, as he set out to the dense forests of Zanzibar for his "vacation" safari. He enjoyed these hunting expeditions immensely, so he made them an annual experience. He enjoyed nature, the adventure and the love for the unknown.


After walking for more than two hours through the dense forest, he put his backpack next to a thick tree- stump and sat down in the tall green grass for a short rest. He put his hand into his backpack and pulled out his small portable pocket-size TV, slipped in the battery pack, pulled out the antennae, and he was instantly connected to the news happening thousands of miles away. A small space satellite hundreds of miles above beamed the latest happenings with brilliant clarity. What an amazing time to live in! How far man has come, he thought to himself. What an ingenious invention. It was absolutely mind-boggling! One could see what was happening thousands of miles away as if it was right in front of your eyes.

When the news was over, he slipped the battery back into his pocket and put his portable TV back into his backpack. Not wanting to carry his backpack any further he left it next to the tree stump and set off with his shotgun to do some hunting.

A short while after he had left, a small group of African tribesmen happened to pass through the forest and spotted the large backpack lying on the ground. After sorting through its contents they came across a strange rectangular black and silver box that looked quite suspicious. They had never seen the likes of it before. It had a sort of window on it, yet you couldn‘t see through it. They began turning its dials, pushing its buttons, pulling out its long metal rod - yet absolutely nothing happened. No matter what they did, they got nothing. They were so overcome with curiosity that they decided to take the strange little box back to their village and show it to the village elder. Perhaps he could figure out what this queer box was all about.

The chief elder beheld the strange box with great curiosity. From its sophisticated look, it most certainly must serve some very important purpose, he thought to himself. Yet, as much as he tried to twist and turn the dials, the results were all negative. Absolutely nothing whatsoever happened. After many hours of fruitless efforts he decided to give up and call the wise man. Perhaps with his great wisdom, he could discover what the purpose of this strange box was all about.

After many hours of twisting and turning the dials, the wise man finally decided that the only way to unravel the mystery was to open it up and look inside. Perhaps the contents would give him some clue as to its purpose. After much work he finally was able to get inside, and he began to study it very carefully. The more he studied it, the more it confused him. The mystery kept getting deeper and deeper. It was one big jumble of twisted wires going in all directions. And there were all sorts of oddly shaped pieces that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. It looked like one


big maze of nonsense connected to each other in a tangle of knots that had no possible explanation. He searched and pondered. He touched and he moved. Yet the whole thing made absolutely no sense to him. After many weeks of painstaking examination, the wise man was convinced that the entire box was nothing but the work of a madman and fool and served absolutely no worthwhile purpose. It was nothing but a twisted piece of junk that could do absolutely nothing, the wise man insisted. It was nothing but the work of an idiot, was his brilliant conclusion. All the tribesmen nodded in affirmation at the wise man's logical conclusion. And so, it was decided to return the box to where they had found it.

When they returned the box, they chanced to meet the white man walking through the forest. He had truly missed his most valuable TV and had been wondering where it had disappeared. He was delighted to have it returned and wondered why they had taken it in the first place since it certainly wouldn‘t work without the battery which he had in his pocket.

"Perhaps you can tell us," said the tribesmen, "why do you carry this worthless box with you."

"Worthless box?" Sam turned to them incredulously. "Why, this box is the most amazing box in the world! With it you can see what's happening thousands of miles away. It is the most brilliant invention that exists. How dare you call it worthless?"

"Sure, sure," they laughed and scoffed at his nonsensical words, the words of a fool.

"So, you don't believe it?" said Sam, realizing that they had never seen a television in their lives before. "Come here, and let me show you what it can do."

He slipped the battery out of his pocket and inserted it into the back of his TV. Suddenly the screen lit up and a picture, accompanied by sound, appeared. The tribesmen crowded around to look at the picture on the screen of the little black box. It was absolutely incredible! They just couldn‘t believe their eyes. Here they could see and hear what was happening thousands of miles away. It was astounding. They stood as if in a hypnotic trance, watching every move. They had never heard or seen such an amazing box in their lives. To them it was nothing less than magic. They stood with their eyes wide open, astounded, unable to take their eyes off the screen.


So this was the box they had all thought was the work of an idiot, they thought to themselves. How much further from the truth could they have been?

When they finally got over the initial shock, one of them turned to Sam and said, "Perhaps you could do us a big favor and accompany us back to our village so that everyone there will be able to see this marvelous box? We are afraid that if we come back and tell them what we've seen nobody will believe us. They‘ll say it was a dream, or suspect us of being a bunch of liars. Only if you come along with us and show it to them will they believe that the story is true."

Sam agreed to their proposal, and they set off together toward the village. That night all the villagers gathered together to see with their very own eyes what this box was all about. They sat there as if in a trance watching what was happening thousands of miles away. There wasn't a sound in the audience. When the demonstration was over, they all looked at their wise man with a great feeling of derision. Here he had convinced them all that the box was nothing but a nonsensical toy, the work of a madman or an idiot. Yet they were now convinced that whoever had put this thing together was a genius of the highest caliber. Certainly every single piece and every wire must have a good purpose. It would take a genius to understand what it was all for. It was certainly beyond their scope of comprehension to understand how it all worked. It was absolutely fantastic!

Yes, for thousands of years, man has been no different than this African tribe. He saw, but had no idea what he saw. He searched. He experimented. He examined. Yet, because of his very limited understanding, he couldn‘t make heads or tails out of what he saw. It simply made no sense. He thought it was just mumbo-jumbo. He thought that it was all a mish-mash of nonsense, without any visible pattern. People viewed the universe as some chance mutation caused by some big explosion referred to as the "big bang." They saw no logic and reason. Everything they looked at seemed to be in disarray. They thought that it came into being by chance mutation, random selection or just a big explosion. They scoffed and laughed at anyone that dared say there was rhyme, logic, and reason to it all.

Then suddenly a scientific revolution occurred. A very tiny window to Hashem's creation began to open. Brilliant discoveries emerged. The universe of confusion was goverened by laws and everything had meaning. Things began making sense. In what they had thought was mass confusion they began to see great reason and logic. Biologists began seeing the greatest order and precision in even the tiniest


of cells. A single cell was far more complex than the most sophisticated chemical plant in the world. The things they began to see happening inside each cell blew their mind. It was mind-boggling. Physicists began finding the greatest powers and precision in the core of the atom, and began to build atomic reactors that could supply the world's energy for thousands of years to come. Chemists began using their knowledge to build complex new structures and making new materials that had never existed previously. Doctors began finding that the body is made up of fascinating and brilliant organs working together like a billion -piece orchestra with unbelievable precision and coordination. Biologists soon began to unravel some of the deep secrets found inside living cells and learn of the great wonders it contained. They began to learn the great marvels contained in the chromosomes. They began to see the great precision in the DNA. They began to see the marvelous structure in each living cell. They even began to unravel the code of life. They saw the signs of integegent design everywhere they looked.

Man soon learned that an ordinary magnet, which seemed no more than a play-toy for children, contained the power to make electricity. He learned how to use it to make motors and dynamos and to light up cities. He learned to talk through metal wires and to broadcast through thin air and to send pictures through space.

Man's knowledge of Hashem's 92 elements of creation continues to expand - building electronic gadgets never imagined possible - building super computers that can do in only one nano-second the work that it would take a billion people a thousand years to do. It's all very frightening!

Yes, we are slowly beginning to realize that the world is made with great precision and is indeed very complex. It is only our limited understanding of the universe that must be faulted. Slowly scientists are beginning to understand that not one single speck in the universe was created for naught. Each has its reason; each has its purpose. We are only beginning to scratch the surface. We have seen no more than the tip of the iceberg. We're just a few stages ahead of the African tribesmen. Yet we know that the day will soon come when the wellsprings of wisdom will open up, and all the brilliant discoveries we've seen until now will make us look like we, too, lived in the Dark Ages. The time will come that every creature will realize that all the invisible forces of nature are the work of Hashem Himself. It is He Who makes the atoms spin. It is He Who holds them together. It is He who controls all the forces of nature. It is He who creates all matter and energy. We will all stand there in awe,


as the Melech Hamoshiach will expound the Torah and show us how all the secrets of the universe can be found within the Torah. We'll stand in disbelief at our own foolishness and stupidity. We'll stand there like those African tribesmen did when they saw the unbelievable wisdom contained in that small black box. We'll suddenly realize the great wisdom that fills the universe. There will be a sudden awakening of knowledge that will fill us with awe for Hashem and all He created, as the Rambam concludes with the posuk: "And the world will be full with the knowledge of G -d like the waters that cover the ocean." All mankind will clearly see that - ‘Hashem is One and His Name is One.'

Every computer comes with an instruction book which teaches us how to operate it and warns us not to do certain things that will make it crash or malfunction. Obviously the instruction booklet does not always give us a reason why certain things should not be done. After all, few people would understand it.

Hashem Who created heaven and earth, gave us an instruction booklet called the Torah that tells us what may and may not be done. Not everything can be understood by man's feeble mind and therefore not always is the explanation given. In fact there are certain questions that the Torah forbids us to even ask, such as what was before the earth was created or what is beyond the universe? That's because our brain simply is unable to understand such complex matters. Would one dare take out even a single piece from the insides of a computer in the belief that it served no purpose and that it was just put there for potluck? Only a fool would ever think so!

We are sure the day will come when science will finally discover the ultimate truth. It is then that all of mankind will come to the realization that the Torah laws, especially the chukim, represent the eternal truth. And so by observing these chukim, we are in essence reconfirming our belief that Hashem is the Creator and Master of the universe and that we have full confidence that His Torah contains His Eternal Truth!

All of mankind will ultimately see with perfect clarity, that all of creation -all the forces of nature -are nothing but a manifestation of Hashem Himself. He makes it. He moves it. And He reenergizes it every moment of the day. All scientists, biologists, chemists, and physicists, will come to the realization that without G-d the universe could not possibly exist. All their experiments and findings will reach the same conclusion. It is then that all scientists and humanity will proclaim: -"Hashem is the only G-d in the Heavens above and on the earth below - there is no other."


חכם מה הוא אומרAs we surely know, the chacham's question can be found in parshas Vo'es'chanan,

yet the answer we give the cacham is quite different than the answer the Torah tells us to give him. When the cacham in the Torah asks about the meaning of the eydus, chukim, and mishpatim, we are told to answer him "Avodim hoyinu..." Yet, when the cacham asks the very identical question at the Seder table we are told to explain him the laws of the Korban Pesach until the law which says that one is not permitted to eat any food after partaking from the Korban Pesach. Now if the Torah tells us the answer we are to give this child, why give him another one. It's hard to believe that anyone can do better than the Torah. Why don't we keep to the Torah's text? Why even bother looking for other answers? Do as we're told.

The answer may be that the wise son in the Torah is not asking the same question as the wise son sitting at the Seder table. The wise son, whom the Torah refers to, asks a very general question. He wants to know the reason that Hashem gave us a Torah filled with three different types of mitzvos - edus, chukim and mishpotim. He wants to understand every detail of every type of mitzvah. To him we must begin from the beginning and tell him that our ancestors were once slaves in Egypt and Hashem took us out on condition that we keep all his commandments and of course explain each one of them to him. However, the wise son sitting at the Seder table allready knows the story of our exodus from Egypt . He therefore directs his question to the particular mitzvah of korban Pesach which is the only mitzvah on this night that contains all three elements of edus, chukim and mishpotim. We therefore answer his question by going into all the details of this particular korban until the very last detail which has nothing to do with preparing or eating the korban itself but comes after we actually finish eating it.

And so while both the Torah and the Haggadah discusses the wise son's question, each one of them is asking a different question and therefore gets a different answer.

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ע מה הוא אומר. רש

Answering the Rosho

ם לא היה נגאל אלו היה שIt seems rather strange that the answer given to the rosho in the Haggadah is not

the same one given in the Torah. There the Torah tells us to answer him "v'amartem zevach Pesach hu l'Hashem..." The Torah proceeds to explain what this korban is all about and why it was slaughtered, yet we seem to ignore the Torah's simple answer and instead brush him aside by telling him "had he been there then he never would have been taken out". Why not take the time out and give him the same answer that the Torah gives him? Why insult him and brush him aside? Why disenfranchise him completely? Why not explain to him the reason for the Korban Pesach the way the Torah tells us to do? Why look for other answers?

While we must be very careful when answering a child's questions so that our answers don't turn them off the Torah path, there is a time when we must strongly rebuke the child for otherwise he may have a bad influence on the others. One moldy strawberry left in a box of all delicious ones can easily contaminate the entire basket. The damage one mocking child can do to others is very contagious and can undo all the good we try to do for the others. Perhaps on a one-to-one basis we can try to reason with him and set him straight, but when others are together with him, he must be put in his place so that others don't learn from his bad ways.

Schools, educators, and parents, have been struggling with this problem for a long time. How do we deal with bad friends who may have a negative influence on others? What is the school's policy regarding such students? How should the school deal with a student who exhibits the behavior of the rosho of the Haggadah? These are not easy questions and there is no one answer that fits all. We must first determine what the motives behind the child's questions are. Does he want to learn,


or is his intention to mock and ridicule? When he excludes himself, he obviously gives away his true intention. There is little you can do for a cynic who won't listen to reason especially when there are three other children sitting there. Sometimes he must simply be told that "If he would have been there, he never would have been redeemed.

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יהוה�לי�בצאתי�ממצרים:

The Fifth SonWhile the Haggada only mentions four children seated around the Seder table,

nowadays, we are unfortunately confronted by an additional one. With the collapse of Soviet Union, thousands of questionable Jews have immigrated to Israel causing a crisis of very grave proportions. Many of them have intermarried and the clear distinction between Jew and non-Jew has become blurred. Like the "erev rav" who joined the Jews on the way out of Egypt, they are becoming an increasing source of trouble for our Jewish brethren in the Holy Land. Their true loyalty is always in doubt and they remain a constant threat to our survival as a nation.

For many years we stood callously by as they registered full-fledged goyim as Jews and gave them full Israeli citizenship and rights. It's only now that we are beginning to see the grave danger they pose.

The central crisis facing Jewry today is not the Arab-Israeli conflict but rather the identity crisis within Jewry itself. While we Jews are already hemorrhaging from within due to assimilation and intermarriage, the addition of a fifth column only amplifies the problem of the secular-religious divide we already face.


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:Bאמרתי�אלא�בשעה�שיש�מצה�ומרור�מנחים�לפני

ה ומרור מנחים לפניך יש מצ עה ש ש בThe Torah tells us that we must recount the story of our exodus from Mitzrayim

only when we have the matzo and marror placed in front of us. The story is far more meaningful and of greater significance when it is combined with the practical observance of a mitzvah. It's only when we have the matzah and morror placed right in front of us that our story takes on greater meaning and significance. The visual reality of actually seeing the bitter herbs and matza makes it all seem more real and effective. While every single day of our lives we always mention our liberation from Egyptian slavery, on the night of Pesach we must not just recount it but be must try to relive it as well. This can only be done when one has the proper props on the table in front of him. Pictures make it come alive. Having a sample of the actual species in order to show us what it once looked like helps add realism to the story and help us experience it vicariously. That's why we begin the Hagadah with "Ho lachma anya." - This is the bread of our affliction. While the reason we eat the matzah is because Hashem took us out in a very big hurry as we explain later on, we begin the story of our exodus by pointing to the matzah that we ate during our slavery in order to remind us of what it was like being slaves in Mitzrayim.

ה עובדי עבודה זרה היו אבותינו, חל מת

קום לעבודתו. יו קרבנו המ ועכשIn the Beginning Our Fathers Were Idol Worshippers

We begin the Haggada from the time of Terach, Avrohom Ovinu's father, who was an idol worshipper. Idol worship dates back to the time of Enosh, who introduced


it. The Rambam in Hilchos Avodah Zarah explains how it all started. Certainly people must have realized that such a magnificent and complex world had to have a Creator. It was impossible for it to have come into being through some chance accident, mutation or an explosion (now called the Big Bang theory). That is like believing that a bottle of black ink exploded and splattered over some thousand pages and formed the words of the Encyclopedia Britannica, or that a computer came about spontaneously by shaking up the pieces for billions of years. Such a theory is so incredible that it doesn't even deserve a refutation. A human body is far more complex than even the world's best computer and therefore impossible to have been the result of billions of accidents or chance mutations. People were much smarter in those days and never would have bought such absurd nonsense. So they searched and searched but couldn't find the Creator of this amazing world. He was nowhere to be seen, yet His fingerprints are everywhere and the entire universe declares His existence and His great glory. "Hashomayim mesaprim k'vod kel, u'mahse yodov magid ho'rokiah."

Since they were unable to find G-d Himself, they decided instead to serve and honor His great servants. They thought that since G-d had created the sun and the stars and placed them into the heavens above, thereby giving them great honor, (since they constantly served Him and did His bidding) it would only be proper to praise them and honor them as well. They falsely believed that G-d wants us to honor His closest servants in the same way that a king wants his nation to honor his princes and attendants.

Some believed that they ought honor and serve the sun since the sun seemed to be the most important and mightiest power on Earth and the source of all growth without which the world could not exist. They therefore began to erect great temples in which they started bowing down and worshipping images of the sun in the belief that they would thereby be able to understand G-d's will. While they certainly didn't believe that these images were G-d, they were under the false impression that it was G-d's desire that they honor His mighty servants and by doing so they would actually be honoring Him. In time this concept was forgotten and people began to call these images in godly terms. "Oz huchal l'kros b'shem Hashem." They began to think that these images had godly powers.

False prophets began to tell the people that god had appeared to them and told them to serve a particular star, angel or a particular image. These supposed


prophecies were, of course, just a figment of their imagination. It certainly gave these priests lots of power, wealth and great honor, and was a great business to go into.

Some believed that the mightiest and most essential power on earth was water since without it life couldn't exist. They therefore began to honor and then later worship the mighty power of water. Pharaoh, in fact, claimed that he was also a god since he seemed to wield power and control over the Nile River, which was Egypt's main and only source of water since it rarely rains in Egypt. Anytime he would approach it, the water would flow in his direction. This, he claimed, proved that he had godly powers. (In truth this was actually on account of Yaakov's blessings to him.) The Egyptians may have chosen to worship a sheep because it supplied them with the important commodity of wool. Some believed that a consortium of gods created the world and that each person was free to worship the god he thought was the mightiest of them all.

While at the very beginning people realized that these great and mighty powers were certainly not G-d but merely G-d's servants, the priests convinced the people that they could benefit man by honoring, praying and serving them. Little did they realize that the sun was no different from a very large light bulb. Praying to a light bulb that burns out is certainly not going to repair it. The only one that can change the laws of nature is G-d Himself, and it is only to Him that one's prayers should be directed. Hashem wanted people to pray to Him Alone, and not to any of His servants. Hashem's mighty servants are powerless to do a thing. They are nothing but robots that are activated by G-d Alone. They didn't seem to realize that it is Hashem Alone who both made the laws of nature and fully controls them at all times. It is therefore to Him Alone that one must direct his prayers. Praying to the stars was no different from praying to a computer to solve a problem.

In time, people actually became convinced that when they directed their prayers to the god of water and soon thereafter it began to rain, that this proved that the god of rain had actually answered their prayers. Little did they realize that it was Hashem that had decided to bring down the rain, and their prayers played no role in it. Imagine that there is a blackout and someone prays to the electric company to turn the electricity back on! A moment later when the electricity goes on, he deludes himself into thinking that it was his prayers to the electric company that did the trick. How foolish and absurd! The electric company certainly couldn't hear him, and the fixing of the electricity had absolutely nothing to do with his prayers. It's simply a


delusion. Yet the clever priests that fooled them into believing in this nonsense fooled many other people. It was a good business that brought in lots of money, so why not scam the people if there was big money to be made? People would bring their sacrifices along with a delicious meal to these idols. The priest would lock the door and tell the person to come back tomorrow. The idols only eat their food in private. The gods don't like people staring into their faces while they are eating their meal. During the night the priests would of course go into the room through some trapdoor and enjoy a good meal of steak and some good tasting wine. The next day when the person would come back to see if his sacrifice was eaten, he was happy to discover that it was eaten to the very last drop. The priests made nonsensical healing claims of every sort with nobody being any the wiser. They used their clever conjuring skills to get people to believe that they can make the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and even cure every incurable disease. Millions fell for their scams. The priests were very good at convincing people that god actually spoke to them and told them to serve a particular star or planet. They also told them that by giving the Church a sizable donation, god would bless them and all their problems and illnesses would disappear.

In the time of Eliyahu Hanovi there were so many people that claimed that they were prophets and that god had spoken to them to worship certain stars or images that people were so mixed up that they found it hard to know whom to believe. Most religions were actually started by some charlatan who claimed that god had spoken to him and sometimes even performed some brilliant magical tricks to prove that his idol can actually heal people. There are always enough gullible people out there to fall for these clever charlatans. Magical tricks can be very convincing and can fool even scientists into believing that they are real. This is perhaps why the Torah doesn't permit magic. The Egyptians were masters of this art and used it to mislead their people. These evangelists and priests are still in business nowadays and making millions fooling the fools who believe in all this nonsense. Most recently there was a person by the name of Uri Geller who convinced people that he could make metal spoons and forks bend, or fix broken watches just by looking at them. He even fooled some prestigious scientists into believing that this could actually be done. If not for the fact that a very clever magician by the name of James Randy exposed him as a fraud, he'd still be pulling his clever psychic tricks nowadays, and there would be plenty of people who would swear that he was for real and throw lots of money at him.


Every generation has its share of phony prophets who mislead the people with their fraudulent claims. They tell stories of their amazing miracles that have only been witnessed by the demented and are part of a mythology that gives people false hopes. Even though these fake evangelistic healers have been exposed as frauds they continue drawing large crowds who fall for their miraculous nonsensical claims.

The Jewish religion is the only one where the entire nation, men, women and children witnessed for themselves as Hashem revealed Himself on Har Sini and gave us the Ten Commandments. It was then, that our belief in Moshe was verified for eternity.

When the Jews were in the midbor, the erev rav that had accompanied them threw in one of G-d's Holy Names into the fire and a live looking golden calf emerged. Lots of Jews unfortunately fell for this hocus-pocus. Years later Nevuchadnetzar built a huge golden statute and put one of G-d's Holy Names into its mouth and it proclaimed to all that "I am god your god." It was only after Daniel removed the piece of parchment from its mouth that it became silent. Yerovom ben Nevot built a golden calf and suspended it in mid air with the use of hidden magnets concealed in the ceiling thereby fooling lots of people into bowing down to it.

Yet, despite having a father who served idols and growing up in a society and culture were everyone served idols, Avrohom Ovinu realized on his very own that this entire practice of serving the sun, the stars or some other image was worthless and was only a delusion and that there had to exist a higher power that created and ran this marvelous universe and it was only Him that one must serve. And while He couldn't be seen, He must certainly be here. In fact He must be everywhere.

While Avrohom had absolutely no knowledge as to Who this Creator was, or what He was all about, he refused to bow down to any force in nature no matter how important or powerful it seemed to be. While one could not actually see G-d, he believed that He was here and in fact was all over. There was no place in the entire universe that He cannot be found. "Les asar ponui minei." To him the concept of G-d was that of "mokom" which means that He was every place.

Avrohom's belief in G-d was so strong and firm that even though Hashem had never revealed Himself to him and had never spoken to him, he was willing to allow himself to be thrown into a fire rather than serve idols. For this, he merited that Hashem came to his rescue. His miraculous survival in front of the eyes of thousands


of spectators proved to many people that he was right and they became his loyal followers. His strong belief in Hashem was reconfirmed when Hashem Himself appeared to him and told him to go away to some far of land which would be given to him. While it may have sounded strange that Hashem had not given him more precise directions, not telling him exactly where he was to go, he nevertheless didn't ask any questions and went as he was told. He was sure that G-d has His reasons for not giving him exact instructions and realized that it wasn't for man to question Him. In fact he was ready to listen to whatever Hashem told him even if it made no sense at all. He was even ready to sacrifice his own son Yitzchak despite the fact that it went against all logic. Wasn't G-d a Merciful One that never allowed human sacrifices? Didn't Hashem promise him that his son Yitzchak would turn into a large nation? How could G-d contradict Himself? Avrohom realized that it was impossible for a man to understand Hashem's reasoning and he must follow what he was being told despite the fact that it didn't seem to make sense. He obeyed His every command even if it went against his logic. What an important lesson for us to always remember. Even when we see a Holocaust chas v'shalom, we must not question G-d. Perhaps this is why when we comfort a mourner we say "h'mokom y'nachem ..." We don't know the reason for tragedy yet accept it anyway. That's because we know that G-d is certainly here and with us at all times and certainly knows what's best for us.

"No one can see Him and live" says the posuk." G-d is beyond all human comprehension. "Leis mach'shva tefisah Bei." "Leis asar ponei Minei." There is no place were He is not there. Certainly as Rabbi Akiva said even when his 24,000 students died out in a horrible plague, "everything that G-d does is for the good."

ה עובדי עבודה זרה היו אבותינו, חל מתקום לעבודתו. יו קרבנו המ ועכש

Worshiping Power, Might and StrengthIdol worship is based on serving the mighty and the strong. The greater strength

one displays, the more people would worship him. And so Nimrod who was a mighty hunter, claimed he had godly powers and demanded that everyone worship him.

Rashi (Berashis 10:9) explains that "Hu hoyo gibor tzayid"actually means that


he was a master at entrapping and deceiving others with his glib tongue. He was the one who convinced people into building the "Great Tower" and also used his great oratorical skills to fool people into worshiping avodah zarah and rebel against Hashem. Perhaps this is why they were punished and made to speak a different language. This made it much more difficult for people to fool others. We find that Esav also possessed this great skill of "ki tzayid b'fiv." A sharp conniving and deceitful tongue is a very powerful weapon and can be used to entrap and mislead millions. It is well known that Hitler y.s.v. was a master orator who was able to incite his crowd with great hatred for Jews. Many have followed in their footsteps as do all priests and evangelists who use their great oratorical skills to deceive millions into believing their fraudulent religious beliefs. This of course gives them great power and wealth. They would convince people to worship G-d's mighty angels in the false belief that these angels had the power to benefit and bless them. They charged a hefty fee for their supposed claims of miracle cures brought about with their holy waters and blessings that of course went straight into their own pockets.

Religion was always a good business to go into, since anyone with a glib tongue could easily scam others by claiming that god spoke to him and told him whatever he so desired. Go prove differently. If by chance his blessings came true, then he would claim that it proved that his god had performed the miracle and demanded a large donation for his church that he of course pocketed. If nothing happened, he could always place the blame on the subject's lack of faith. There are always enough gullible people that fall for their nonsensical claims. Their motive is simply a desire for money and the power to exploit others. The amount of money made by these evangelist preachers is enormous.

If one combines these promises with some very clever magical tricks, or convinces people of miraculous cures, then one could easily fool millions into believing just about anything. This may be why the Torah prohibits the use of all magic. Magic is an outright attempt by a magician at deceiving people into believing that G-d is not fully in control and that they can outwit Him. This is probably why the Rambam says that there is no such thing as magic and it is all just an illusion done through clever trickery and deception as is all magic nowadays.

The Egyptian priests were very good at this. After all, Egypt was the magical capital of the ancient world. A good magician with a very skillful mouthpiece always could find employment in the king's palace. People were great believers in the art


of magic and were easily fooled by a skillful magician. Magic is an attempt by man to control the laws Hashem has established as part of nature through the means of spells, incantations or rituals. Hundreds of different sects such as Buddhism have advertised healing as an attraction.

Pharaoh, who was also a master magician, demanded that people worship him since he held the power over the mighty waters of the Nile River and could get them to flow toward him. The very mighty and strong always claimed that they possessed godly powers and demanded that everyone bow down to them.

Little did people realize that their great might and power came from Hashem and was not of their own doing. It was Nimrod's coat that he had stolen from Noach that had originally been made by Hashem for Odom that gave him his great strength. Without the coat, he was no different than anyone else. It was Hashem's Name that gave the "golden calf" its lifelike power.

The word for might and strength is "el" as found in B'rashis 31:29 "yesh l'el yodi" which means that I have the power. We also find "eilei Moav" which refers to the powerful of Moav. We find that the word "elohim" is used for anyone that possesses great power like in the posuk "elohim l'Pharo' which means Moshe will have Power over Pharaoh. This is why a judge too, is called "elohim" as in "elohim lo t'kallel" - a judge you should not curse. Angels too are called "elohim" for Hashem too gives them great powers.

Yet the Torah warns us never to serve any other power and calls them "elohim a'cheirim." This is what is meant by "kol elohei ho'amim el'lilim "- the gods of all the nations are "e'lilim"- referring to the mighty angels that they served. The Ramban says that they knew which mighty angels Hashem had appointed over them. While they believed in G-d, their priests convinced them that by praying to G-d's mighty angels, the angels had the power to benefit them and so they called G-d "Eloko D'elohim. (See Ramban Shmos 20:)

And so while we all know that it is the sun that provides the power for plants to grow through a process known as photosynthesis, praying to the sun to shine stronger is like praying to a light bulb to shine brighter. Only G-d can make the sun shine brighter. All the stars and galaxies have been programmed by G-d and cannot deviate from their program any more then a computer can decide to deviate from the program that man has written for it. Even a computer that seems to show


artificial intelligence can only do what it has been programmed to do. While it may seem to possess intelligence of its own, it is really deceiving. While to the uneducated it seems as if the computer possesses intelligence of its own it is just a clever illusion. And so all those exhibiting superhuman strength or power who claimed to be gods were just exhibiting clever deception similar to a magical trick or an optical illusion that could easily fool people into believing the impossible is true.

The Egyptians served the Nile because it held the power over their food supply. Since it doesn't rain in Egypt, they needed the Nile to overflow and pour its waters into the many canals that brought the waters to their fields. Without the river overflowing its banks they could not live. As we know, the tides are strongest on the fifteenth day of each Jewish month. It's the moon that seems to control the tides. And so the Egyptian god seemed to show his greatest power on the fifteenth of Nisson. This is the very beginning of spring when things are just beginning to grow. It was then that Hashem showed them that their god was in His total power and could do nothing at all. All of creation receives its life and power from Hashem alone, and it is only He that we must serve. Serving G-d's mighty angels is considered avodah zarah.

A Jew must know that we are not permitted to bow down or worship any mighty power. A Jew must know that the world's seventy wolves cannot harm us as long as we put our faith and trust in Him Alone.

ועכשיו�מתחלה� אבותינו,� היו� זרה� עבודה� עובדי�קרבנו�המקום�לעבודתו.

אמר�שנאמר,� כה� העם� כל� אל� יהושע� ויאמר�ישבו� הנהר� בעבר� ישראל,� א1הי� יהוה�ויעבדו� נחור� ואבי� אברהם� אבי� תרח� מעולם� אבותיכם�

א1הים�אחרים:

ואול(�ואקח� הנהר� מעבר� אברהם� את� אביכם� את�אותו�בכל�ארץ�כנען�וארבה�את�זרעו�ואתן�לו�את�יצחק,�ואתן�ליצחק�את�יעקב�ואת�עשו,�ואתן�לעשו�


את�הר�שעיר�לרשת�אותו,�ויעקב�ובניו�ירדו�מצרים:�

שומר�הבטחתו�לישראל,�ברו(�הוא,�שהקדוש��ברו��ברו(�הוא�חשב�את�הקץ�לעשות.�כמה�שאמר�ויאמר� שנאמר,� הבתרים.� בין� בברית� אבינו� לאברהם�לאברם�ידע�תדע�כי�גר�יהיה�זרע�Bבארץ�1א�להם�ועבדום�וענו�אתם�ארבע�מאות�שנה.�וגם�את�הגוי�אשר�יעבדו�דן�

אנכי�ואחרי�כן�יצאו�ברכוש�גדול

ה עובדי עבודה זרה היו אבותינו חל מת

The Egyptian Avodah Zorah Was it the River or the Sheep?Interestingly enough, we find that the Egyptians had two different gods or possibly

even three, if you include Pharaoh himself. In one place we find them worshipping the Nile River, while we are also told that they served sheep. Let's begin to reflect.

1) Could it be that the Egyptians had two different gods?

2) Why, of all the animals available, did the Egyptians decide to worship a sheep? Why not choose the king of them all, such as the lion; or perhaps the biggest, the elephant; or the tallest of all animals the giraffe? Why pick such a meek little powerless animal as a sheep as their idol? Did they choose it just because it looked cute? That's absurd! Certainly they must have believed that it possessed a power that no other animal had! But what was it?

3) How could they choose a sheep as a god if they surely saw them die constantly? How could something that dies, or that you can easily slaughter or kill be a god?


4) A wonderful talmid Michael Feld added a beautiful question of his own. Why would Hashem tell us to eat something that's really an avodah zorah? Are we allowed to benefit from an avodah zorah?

This question caused a little debate in the class. Eli Kryksman said that there's really nothing wrong with it, because the Jews first slaughtered the sheep before they ate it. So if they slaughtered them, then it's not an avodah zorah anymore! Terrific answer!

Actually, here I already had to put in my own two cents, and showed them the Rambam in Perek 8 of Hilchos Avodah Zorah that states that if someone bows down to a live animal, the animal does not become forbidden to be eaten yet it is not permitted to be brought for a korbon. Yet this doesn't apply in this case since the Jews used their own sheep. (The Egyptians didn't have any left). So there goes Feld's kashe down the drain. But wait a minute!

5) This question has been asked many times already, but let's just repeat it once again. Why was the sheep only allowed to be roasted on an open fire? What's wrong with cooking the korbon? I know there are plenty of answers al pi drush but see if we can come up with פשוטו�של�מקרא

6) Why was it so important to put the blood on the door-post? Certainly Hashem did not need this blood. If he knew which Egyptian was a bechor, then he certainly knew which Jew brought a korbon Pesach. Hashem should just skip over the houses of those Jews that were makriv a korbon pesach. What was the blood on the doorpost all about? Anyone who kept the Mitzvah of eating the korbon should get saved? Why put the blood on the inside door-post?

7) Why of all places was the blood smeared on the inside door-post? Why is this spot better than any other spot in the entire house? Why was the blood put on both sides and on the top?

8) We are told that Hashem could not take us out of Mitzrayim unless we did a Mitzvah. Therefore, He gave us two Mitzvos�. One was דם�פסח and the other was ?Why two Mitzvos? Why wasn't one Mitzvah enough .דם�מילה

9)�Why do we need the Mitzvah of דם�פסח Isn't the Mitzvah of eating the korbon pesach מצות�אכילת�קרבן�פסח�.enough?


10) There were other Mitzvos such as Matzoh and moror. Why weren't these two mitzvos counted?

11) This next question was asked to me by my wonderful talmid Yossi Cukier. We all know that Pharaoh also made himself into a god. He asked people to worship him! Now how many gods did the Egyptians actually worship? The Nile? The sheep? Or was it Pharaoh? Or maybe they were given freedom of choice?

Now that we have concluded with our many questions let's take a little break and see if we can find some answers. And the best thing of all is if we can find one answer to all the kashes. If a piece in a puzzle fits perfectly in all of its sides, then surely it must be the right answer!

My first search of course was to check Rashi, but I didn't notice anything. I guess we'll just have to search more. My next stop was the Ramban. Boruch Hashem, he realized the problem and says the following, and I quote-טעם�המצוה�הזאת�בעבור�כי��מזל�טלה�בחדש�ניסן�בכחו�הגדול�כי�הוא�מזל�הצומח.�לכך�צוה�לשחוט�טלה�ולאכול

This mitzvah," explains the" שלא�בכח�מזל�יוציאנו�משם�אלא�בגזירת�עליון....וכו'.Ramban, "has to do with the mazal of the sheep in the month of Nissan, which is extremely powerful. Because it (the sheep) is the צומח�mazal of- growth." This, of course, in simple words means that the sheep - which is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac, represents the power of growth.

If we didn't have enough trouble before looking into the Ramban, now we're really asking for problems. What is the Ramban saying? The sheep represents growth? How? Isn't a sheep in the category of חי living, and not�-צמח�? growth?

Note: For those not so familiar with these terms, let's explain. We are all aware that all things in the universe are classified into four general categories:

I) The lowest form of creation is called דומם -which represents the 92 elements which are unable to move on their own.

2) The second catagory is called - growth, which represents all growingצומח�things such as trees, flowers, vegetables, etc.

3) The third catagorey is חי - life - the entire animal kingdom of fish, animals and birds;


4) The fourth and highest catagorey �is מדבר - speech- which refers to human beings.

Certainly if we want to represent the second level of growth צומח- then we must choose some kind of fruit, tree or vegetable to represent growth. How does a sheep fit the bill of growth? Don't Sheep belong in the category of חי? How does an animal which represents צמח, suddenly represent צמח - growth? I've asked this question to numerous people who study Ramban but received no Satisfactory answer.

Actually it's this one word in the Ramban that gave me the clue to solving the entire mysterious puzzle. It's just that we may not really be thinking properly. The answer stares us in the face! Just open your eyes and you can't fail to understand it! Let's explain!

The Ramban says that the Egyptians worshipped the power of growth. What does this mean? The answer is quite simple. The most important thing in life is the ability to grow and reproduce. If you put a seed into the ground, will it grow? Of course not! It needs water in order to grow. Only with water will it begin to grow and reproduce. All vegetation must have water to grow. Without water one can plant all the seeds in the world yet absolutely nothing will happen. This shows us the unbelievable power of water. It is the most important commodity in the universe. Can humanity (or animals) survive without things that grow? Of course not! Everything that grows must have water. No water - no growth!-no world! What unbelievable power water has.This is why the Mishnah in Mesechta Tannis refers to rain as "Gevuras g'shomim." Of course, we all know that one needs the power of the sun as well. True! But which is more important? Which is more powerful? Without water the plant would not even begin to sprout forth from the earth. Therefore the Egyptians felt that the most important and greatest power on earth was the god of water, which represented the god of growth. Without water there would be absolutely no vegetation. Without vegetation, life could not exist. Therefore, the god that has the greatest power of all other gods must be the god that makes things grow. Since it is water that makes things grow, then surely the god of water must be the All Powerful One. Egypt gets little rain and it was the Nile River that would always overflow and water their fields. That's why the Egyptians worshipped the the Nile River. They depended on their river for all growth. Without it they were lost. Life could not exist. And as we all know, it was when Yaakov Ovinu came to Mitzrayim and met Pharaoh, that he gave him the great blessing that whenever he would walk toward the banks


of the Nile River, it would rise toward him and overflow its banks. This gave Pharaoh enormous power. Whenever he wanted the waters to flood the fields, all he had to do was walk toward the river and it would automatically come toward him. He did not have to wait for the high tides to come and fill the cannals. Since he possessed this great power over the most important of Egypt's water supplies, it was no wonder that he therefore considered himself as having godly powers.

After all, we all know that Egypt owed its entire success to the seven years of plenty. This is how Egypt became the wealthiest country in the world. Every country depended on Egypt for its food during the severe famine. Egypt became rich and filled its coffers with gold and silver. And, of course,�this was all on account of the Nile River. As Rashi tells us already in the very beginning of Bereishis on the posuk: .שם�האחד�פישון�הוא�הסבב�את�כל�ארץ�החוילה�אשר�שם�הזהב�(פרק�ב,�פסוק�י"א)The River Pishon שם�הזהב refers to the Nile. Its waters are blessed and rise up and flood the land and in turn was responsible for Egypt's great wealth. this can possibly be interpreted as meaning that the river is responsible for the great growth of vegetation and flax [פשתן], which, in turn makes the country rich with gold.

No wonder they threw Yosef's body into the Nile River. They realized that it was he that had the great power over its flow. He had saved the country in the time of famine. In fact, a look into Rashi in Yecheskel where Pharaoh says "To me is the river, I made it", Rashi explains Pharaoh's boast as follows. I have the Nile River and therefore have no need to pray to G-d. It is I that made all of Egypt wealthy. Pharaoh wanted to give absolutely no credit to G-d for any of Egypt's wealth. He claimed that it was all of his own doing. After all, he controlled the tide of the Nile River and he could get it to overflow its banks anytime he felt like it.

Yet, if you will think carefully you will notice that things don't only grow out of the ground. Wool's hair grows from a sheep's body. Goat's hair grows from a goat. This hair is used to make clothes - a very important use that we have from sheep and goats even after the animal dies. The animal itself is classified in the category of growth since צומח the living. Yet the wool that is sheared off it is still classified as חיit grows on an animal's body.

שבחי צומח� �This form of growth is on a much higher level than the ordinary vegetation that grows from the ground. It doesn't need water or earth to grow. It doesn't have to be planted! It grows from an animal's body rather than from the ground. What unbelievable powers the god of sheep and goats has! The important


things like wool grow on their body! No need to plant seeds in the ground as is done to grow cotton or flax.

In fact, wool is so important that the bottom cover of the Mishkon was made out of wool and linen. Linen is derived from the flax plant that grows from the ground, which also grows in Egypt. The second cover of the mishkon was made out of goat's hair. Clothing was of great importance in Egypt's industry and was also responsible for the country's great wealth.

Since the Egyptians worshipped the god responsible for the power of growth (which in turn brought them their great wealth, then certainly the sheep and goat, which were the cause of this phenomenal growth, must also be worshipped. They may not have worshiped the sheep itself, but rather the heavenly power that was responsible for this growth. This is why they kept sheep sacred.

We can therefore now understand why it was the sheep that represented the god of growth in the heavenly zodiac. The sheep itself classified as a חיbut it represents the צומח�שבחיhighest form of growth - .Sure sheep die. Everybody knows that they don't live forever, and therefore can't be a god, but they were sacred because of the great heavenly power of growth that a sheep (or goat) represented�We now clearly understand what the Ramban means by saying that the sheep represented !מזל�צומח

How does this answer all our questions? Quite simply! Just like the source of plant life is water, the source of animal life is blood. Everybody knows that whatever we eat goes into the bloodstream and from there it goes to all parts of our bodies. In scientific terminology, we say that the blood brings all the food we eat and the oxygen to all the cells of our body. Therefore, it's the blood that brings the life to all animals. That is the meaning of the blood is in control of all life and it's in the blood that the nefesh resides. כי�הדם�הוא�הנפש

It follows, that blood is what is responsible for the growth of the sheep's (or goat's) hair. While water is responsible for the growth of a seed, blood is responsible for the growth of hair on the body. Actually, anyone that's studied elementary science knows this quite well. At the root of every single hair that grows, there must be a blood vessel. If no blood reaches the root of a hair, then the hair can't grow!

If blood is the key to the growth of a sheep's hair, naturally it gets the same


treatment as water, which is the key to the growth of a seed! I'm sure you notice quite clearly the similarity between the two. Both water and blood are responsible for growth

. Suddenly, it all makes sense! They worshipped the Nile god that was responsible for the growth of vegetation, who was the same god who controlled the growth of the sheep's hair! A different god? Of course not! He's one and the same. He's the god of growth! And since Pharaoh controlled the power of the waters of the Nile River, he too got in on the action and was considered to possess godly powers and demanded that he be worshipped as well.

This is the god that now must be totally destroyed. With the first makkoh Hashem destroyed the god of water. He simply changed it into blood! That took good care of him. He was totally demolished. It showed the Egyptians that the Jewish G-d had superior powers over the god of growth and over the waters and could change them at will.

Before the Yidden could go out of Mitzrayim they had to destroy the growth god of sheep's' hair. He had to be totally destroyed. This was quite easy! First you have to slaughter the sheep and roast it over an open flame. You can't cook it. It has to be roasted over the fire that's because fire hardens the blood and it can no longer flow. Its power of growth is completely destroyed.

It's interesting to note that even though the Torah forbids us from eating blood, this prohibition only refers to the blood that has flowed out of the body. The blood that has not flowed out of the vains is permitted to be eaten. It is only דם�שפריש that is forbidden. That is because it is flowing blood that causes the growth. When the fire hardens it, and it can no longer flow out of its source, then its power is destroyed. That's why we can roast a liver on an open fire and eat it even though it contains blood.

Now we get to the source of its power. We take the blood that flowed out during the slaughter and smear it on our door-post, a place that everyone has to pass in order to enter or exit his home. This way we degrade those who worship the god of blood. In fact we smear it on the doorpost using the lowest form of grass called esov-grass just to show that it has no power whatsoever. This symbolizes that blood on its own (without Hashem's power) is totally worthless and can cause us no harm. By wiping the blood on our doorpost we are totally mevatel the avodah zorah. We


thereby show Hashem that all the power of blood is really His. By putting the blood on the doorpost it protects all those who live in the house and not only the one who slaughtered the korban. When one lets blood by a bris milah the blood represents a treaty - bris - between us and Hashem. What greater demonstration of our total connection to Hashem can there be!

From where is the blood taken? It's taken from that part of the body that is responsible for the power of human growth, which represents the highest order of growth which is the planting of another human being. See the Ramban in Bereishis (perek17 posuk 9) and it will even give you a greater insight into this matter.

In order for Hashem to take us out of Mitzrayim, we first had to destroy the power of the Egyptian avodah zorah. That was represented by the blood of the sheep, which is the source of the growth of all hair, since it lies�at the root of every hair. It is also interesting to note that is the דםgematriyah = 44 אדם• by the way is 45. That's because א-דם has an aleph in front of it.

In Egypt, the month of Nissan is the month when the growth of all vegetation is at its peak. It is at its highest point of the year. One looks around at everything growing so beautifully and is overwhelmed by the power of growth. The 15th day of each month is always the high point of the month, as we see by the full moon. It's always on the 15th day of the Hebrew month that the tide is at the highest. That's when the Nile River overflows. That's when all growth is at its fullest. That's when the Egyptian avodah zorah stands at its prime. That's the night Hashem chose to clip its wings and show us that all powers of growth are in the total control of Hashem Alone.


ארץ לא להם ועבדום י גר יהיה זרעך ב כנה. ע מאות ש וענו אתם ארב

Golus Mitzrayim, How Many Years 210, 400, or 430?

"And the Jews Lived in Egypt for Four Hundred and Thirty Years"

It seems very strange that the posuk states clearly and distinctly that the Yidden were in Mitzrayim for 430 years when we all know that they were in Mitzrayim for only 210 years. Rashi's simple explanation is that we start counting from the time of theברית�בין�הבתרים�. This way we have exactly 430 years. All fine and well, but Rashi fails to explain why all those extra 220 years should be included in Golus Mitzrayim. How can these years be included in the golus, when we know for a fact that the Yidden didn't enter Mitzrayim until 220 years later? Even if we are to accept the premise that the golus actually started by the הבתרים בין� we certainly , ברית�can't call it Golus Mitzrayim. The posuk clearly states b'Mitzrayim.

Avrohom was told At the ברית�בין�הבתריםf-ועינו�אותם�ארבע�מאות�שנה�. This means that the golus would last only 400 years. When we start counting from Yitzchok's birth, we have exactly 400 years. Then, why does this posuk start counting from the ברית�בין�הבתרים�and give us a total of 430 years? Which is it, 400 or 430? From which date are we supposed to start counting? Why the apparent contradiction between 400 and 430?

On the other hand, how can all the years of Yitzchok be included in the Golus Mitzrayim, when we know very well that Yitychok never even stepped foot in Mitzrayim. He wasn't allowed to leave Eretz Yisroel. You may consider his life in Eretz Yisroel a golus because he suffered, fine and well. But you can't call it Golus Mitzrayim, because he was never there! Also, many of the years Yitzchok spent in Eretz Yisroel were quite peaceful and without much mishap. How can we call all these years as golus? Didn't the actual golus first start after Yosef and his brothers died?


Golus A State Of MindIn order to clarify all these apparent contradictions, let's give the following example.

Imagine a person has gone to trial in court and is awaiting the judge's verdict. The day of the verdict finally arrives, and the judge pronounces the sentence. The person is found guilty and must serve a 30-year jail sentence. The sentence will first begin in 30 days. Even though the person still has 30 days of freedom you can be sure that the moment the sentence was pronounced, the person will feel as if the prison term has already started. Not physically, but surely mentally. He already feels the terrible feeling of hopelessness, even though he's actually not behind bars yet. The mere fact that he knows for sure that in another 30 days he will be locked up is enough to give him a feeling of helplessness right now. Mentally and emotionally, his suffering has already started.

Let's take another example. A mother is examined by the doctor and is informed that she is pregnant but that the baby she is carrying does not look healthy and will develop a terrible, dedly disease in about twenty years. While the child may not be born for another few months; nevertheless, the mother will feel the terrible desperation immediately. Though the disease may not be forthcoming till years later, the woman's pain and suffering will be felt immediately.


So, too, it was with Avrohom Ovinu. Immediately upon being informed by Hashem that his children would be in golus for 400 years, Avrohom's golus started right then and there. Avrohom of course had absolutely no doubt in his mind that Hashem's words would come true to their very last detail. It was no mere prophesey that can sometimes be changed. It was a ברית�-there could not be any changes! And that's probably the reason why we don't find Avrohom davening to try to change the bad decree. He felt the terrible pain from the very first moment the tragic news hit him. His golus had started right then and there. Even though his child would not be born for another 30 years, his mind already anticipated the terrible fate that awaited him. His thoughts were filled with worry about the golus his children would suffer in Mitzrayim. How would his children be able to survive such a harsh and cruel golus?

Remember! Golus is also a state or frame of mind- a mental anguish. For all intents and purposes, a person can be completely free, yet if he mentally isolates himself from all those around him and doesn't speak to anyone, and is filled with fear, worry and depretion, then he is no different than the prisoner behind bars who is totally isolated from others by the bars in front of him. The only difference may be that the prisoner cannot easily escape from his prison, while the free person can mentally escape from his own imprisonment any time he makes the effort to do so.

Avrohom's whole life was centered on having children and teaching them to serve Hashem. To him such news must have been devastating. Just imagine his great concern and anguish. His children would have to spend 400 years as slaves in Mitzrayim! Would they be able to withstand the Egyptian culture? Could they survive the tumoh? Could they go through so much pain and suffering without losing their faith in Hashem? He knew that Mitzrayim was the worst tumoh possible, and he was frightened that not all his children would make it. The fact remains that from all the Yidden who were in Mitzrayim only 1/5 of them actually made it out. The other 4/5 were killed during the plague of Darkness. They couldn't be rescued. They had sunk too far.

Remember! 400 years is a very long time. It's only a little more than 200 years since the time of our first president, George Washington, yet it feels like an eternity. How would his descendants be able to withstand the temptations and lusts of the Egyptians for so long? The thought itself was frightful. 400 years was more than enough time for the Egyptians to totally assimilate the Jews into their culture.


In fact, the geulah had to be done in the greatest of haste and with quick speed, for even one more moment and many more of Klal Yisroel would have fallen into the lowest - the fiftieth - depth of tumoh, from where one cannot be extricated and rescued anymore! A frightful thought!

And so from the moment Avrohom had been informed of what the future foretold, his mind was already in Mitzrayim. He felt their concern. He felt their pain. His golus had already started. You can begin counting the 430 years from that very moment. To him, their fate was already sealed. It was as if the judge had pronounced the guilty verdict. As if the doctor had already foretold the mother of the fate of her unborn child. Hashem gave this nevuah to Avrohom in the form of a bris, and so there was no way out. In Avrohom's mind, the golus Mitzrayim had already begun, even though, practically speaking, he had no children yet, nor was anyone in Mitzrayim.

However, the prophecy clearly stated that his children would be in golus for 400 years. Practically speaking, Yitzchak had still not been born. As far as his children's golus starting, he'd have to wait for Yitzchak's birth. It was then, at Yitzchak's birth, that the full weight of the golus began to bear down on him. Therefore now started the 400 years of golus of his children. One can well imagine that even at this great moment of joy, Avrohom's heart was filled with worry for his future descendants. After all, there certainly wasn't a more loving father than Avrohom. And so, even now, thousands of years later, we still call him Ovinu - our father. It's not Avrohom HaTzaddik or Avrohom HaChossid or Avrohom HaKodosh, but Avrohom Ovinu. That's because he was like a true father, concerned and worried for the future welfare of his every child. There is no way in the world we could even try to describe his worry and concern over the foreboding golus that was to come. Two hundred and ten years may have been the Jews' practical and physical amount of time they had actually spent in Mitzrayim. but to Avrohom and Yitzchak, no matter how successful they actually were at the time, mentally the golus had already started the moment Hashem told him what would happen and therefore we have a total of 430 years. Yet, for all practical purposes his son was still not born untill 30 years later. The moment his son Yitzchok was born Avrohom's pain and concern started. And so for him we can begin counting the 400 years.

Postscript: The Baal Shem Tov is known to have said: that "wherever someone's thoughts are, there the person is actually found". What a fantastic insight! A boy


sitting in his classroom thinking about a baseball game is not really in the classroom. He's at the baseball game. Where he happens to be physically is not important at all. It's where his thoughts are that really count. If a person is playing baseball, but his mind is thinking about some gemorah he was learning in the morning, then he is really sitting in the bais hamedrash. It just seems as if he is playing baseball. We all know that when it comes to holy things like korbonos, even a bad thought can invalidate a korbon. If chas v'sholom a person's mind is filled with filth, the consequences are drastic. Never mind where he is. He can be sitting in the bais hamedrash. He can be standing in the kodesh hakodoshim yet it will do him absolutely no good. He is where his mind is.

רכוש גדול ואחרי כן יצאו ב

And After That They will Leave with Great Wealth

During the "Bris Bein Ha'bsorim" at which Hashem foretold Avrohom that the Yidden would go into exile, He promised him that they would leave with great wealth. And so when the Yidden were about to leave Mitzrayim, Hashem told Moshe to beg the Yidden to please borrow things from the Egyptians so that the great tzaddik would not be able to complain that Hashem only kept part of the deal, namely, that He took them out of Egypt but didn't give us great wealth.

Many meforshim raise a simple question: Why did Hashem tell them to borrow things in order that Avrohom shouldn't be able to complain? Didn't Hashem have to command them to take out great

wealth because He had made them this promise and therefore was required to keep it? Even if

Avrohom wouldn't complain, Hashem would still have to keep His word. Why tie this request to Avrohom's potential complaint? He should have simply told Moshe to ask the Yidden to take out great wealth so that His own promise


is kept!

Perhaps the answer is a simple one. We find that the Yidden collected far more riches from the dead Egyptians after they crossed the "Yam Suf" than they did when they actually left Mitzrayim. While this would certainly have satisfied Hashem's promise, it may still have raised questions on Avrohom's part when he saw them leave Mitzrayim empty handed. In order to avoid any questions even if they were only for a few days, Hashem asked Moshe to tell the Yidden to borrow the money as they were leaving and not wait for later.

מכסה�המצה�ומגביה�את�הכוס�בידו�ואומר:�

ש9א�והיא� ולנו.� לאבותינו� שעמדה�לכלותנו� עלינו� עמד� בלבד� אחד�אלא�שבכל�דור�ודור�עומדים�עלינו�לכלותנו,�

והקדוש�ברו��הוא�מצילנו�מידם

לבד עמד עלינו לכלותנו: לא אחד ב שOne of the greatest generals and kings we ever had was Dovid. Yet he learned

the hard way never to trust those who claimed to be his friends. When Dovid ran away from King Shaul with his entire family and took refuge with the king of Moab, he found on his return that they had killed out his entire family, except for one of his brothers who fled just in time.

Yet, today we still make the same mistake! We still trust those who have never spoken the truth in hope that this time they can be trusted. We still sign peace agreements that are broken before the ink has dried. We still allow ourselves to be fooled by those who have already fooled us more than a hundred times. The UN and US endorsement of a Palestinian State only proves that terrorism against Israel pays!

When Iraq sent its missiles and attacked Israel without any provocation, Israel


was pressured into remaining silent and not responding. When Israel destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor that was preparing atomic weapons to be used against Israel, the UN condemned Israel for its pre-emptive strike.

By now even the deaf and blind should realize that the calls for peace are meaningless and only allow our enemies time to regroup and renew their arsenals. They have absolutely no intention of making a peace agreement with Israel until they have pushed us into the sea. The only land that they will allow Israel to retain is the bottom of the Dead Sea! All hopes that a Palestinian State will solve the problem are purely a hallucination. All it will do is serve them with a legitimate site to hide their nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destruction from which to launch their continued war against Israel. Allowing a Palestinian state within Israel is no different than the US allowing Cuba to have nuclear weapons only for self-defense.

As the Israelis go into the Palestinian refugee camps and towns which have become terrorist sanctuaries and destroy their bomb-making factories and find the tunnels through which they smuggle in their weapons, capturing some of their suicide bombers, they are being condemned by the UN for their act of self-defense. Perhaps when these same terrorists try to blow up the UN building, the world will realize whom they are dealing with. The world knows what the US did when the Twin Towers were destroyed by terrorists. It refused to even negotiate with bin Laden and his terrorists. Yet they expect Israel to negotiate with yerrorists who makes a mockery of every peace pact they have ever signed. "Do as they do and not as they say" is a common piece of advice that Israel should heed. Let's remember that negotiating a pact with a suicide bomber is in itself suicide!

And so when the American President, who is a friend of Israel makes a statement saying "I certainly hope that Prime Minister Sharon is concerned about the loss of innocent life. We certainly – I certainly am. It breaks my heart, and I know it breaks the heart of a lot of people around the world to see young children lose their life as a result of violence," one wonders exactly what the President is alluding to. Does he in anyway believe that Sharon is less sensitive to the killing of innocent children than he is?

Is he trying to imply that by Israel targeting Palestinian terrorists hiding in their villages and thereby killing some innocent children that the Palestinians intentionally place in the line of fire, Sharon is not concerned with the killing of innocent children?


M a n y American Jews where quite shocked and surprised on hearing certain s t a t e m e n t s made by their pro- Israel friend, former P r e s i d e n t Nixon, on his tapes. They simply couldn't believe what he had said!

Why is Israel being held to standards different than the rest of the world? Does President Bush have a better solution to stop the violence? Israel is the only democracy in the region surrounded on all sides by dictatorships. Why is Israel being condemned for reacting in the identical way that the US has responded in Afghanistan and Iraq? Military attacks in Afghanistan have resulted in far greater civilian casualties than in the West Bank. While Israel's action was described as "not helpful" by the US, one can only describe the UN's vilification of Israel as encouraging terrorism. Such blatant hypocrisy isn't new at the UN, which once equated Zionism with racism.

While one would need a prophet to know what's happening in the Oval Office, our Sages tell us that "Chacham odif mi'novi" – that a wise man is even greater than a prophet. We may not have any tapes of Clinton and therefore we may never find out what his personal views may be, yet, if we just open our ears and listen to what he said and learn to read between the lines, we will surely know his true intentions and discover who our true friends are! (Note: His recent book has revealed his true beliefs.) Our only glimmer of hope is our trust and faith that ultimately Hashem. - will surely come to our rescue והקדוש�ברוך�הוא�מצילנו�מידם


ילנו מידם רוך הוא מצ דוש ב והק

And G-d Saves Us From Their HandsAs anti-Semitism spreads around the world with devastating fury, we must

strengthen our faith and trust in Hashem and realize that it's a time for us to mend our ways and increase our prayers for His mercy. Throughout all ages our enemies have done all they could to destroy our nation, yet they have been unsuccessful.

From the Inquisition of Spain, to the gas ovens of Auschwitz, our enemies have done everything possible to wipe us out as a nation, but Hashem has always come to our rescue. While we have suffered a long dark bitter golus, we have emerged stronger than ever before. Who would have believed that just 60 years after we lost more than six million of our brothers in the Holocaust, Torah would be flourishing on American soil?

One of the things that we must surely improve is our brotherly love for every Jew, since it was this particular sin that caused the destruction of the Second Bais Hamikdosh. "Love others as much as you do yourself is the fundamental pillar of the entire Torah," says Rabbi Akiva, yet we still see far too much hatred amongst our own Jewish brothers. The 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died when they didn't heed his advice and they did not respect one another properly. Even when one disagrees with others, it must be done with respect. The halacha follows Bais Hillel because they always would explain the ruling of the Bais Shamai before their own.

While some schools do a magnificent job of teaching


their students proper middos and derech eretz, others barely touch the subject. We recognize, however, that if we want to correct some of the faults and failures of today's society, we must begin from the bottom up. Once a tree is fully grown, it is impossible to straighten it out. Only while it's still young and fresh can it easily be bent into shape.

We all complain when we are cut off in line or someone double-parks his car in front of ours, or when someone uses improper language, yet we must realize that if we want our children and students to be different, we must put as much emphasis on good middos as we do on scholastic achievement. Only then will we meet with success.

We must insist that our students display good manners in the way they walk and the way they talk, in the way they dress and the way they act. Being polite and greeting people with a friendly smile, a "Good morning" or a "Please" and "Thank you" doesn't cost a dime, but is worth its weight in gold.

The best text for teaching this is Pirkei Avos, whose principles were handed down to Moshe directly from Sinai. It contains all the basic middos one must know. Let's remember that Torah and Derech Eretz complement each other, as it says "Im ein derech eretz ein Torah," and "Im ein Torah ein derech eretz."

Let's also remember that developing good middos is not the exclusive obligation of the school, but must be strongly reinforced in the home. It's a two-way street! Only when our students see that the home and school have the very same goals will it leave an indelible impression on them. However, when they see inconsistencies and that what they learn in one place is contradicted by the other, then whatever one tries to teach them will be to no avail. If we want to make improvements, then the time to start is now!

מניח�הכוס�מידו�ויגלה�המצות:

ליעקב�צא�ולמד� לעשות� הארמי� לבן� בקש� מה�אבינו.�שפרעה�1א�גזר�אלא�על�הזכרים�

ולבן�בקש�לעקור�את�הכל.


ש לעקור את הכל. ק ולבן ב

"And Lavan Tried to Destroy Us All"We always speak about the physical destruction of the Jewish people, as we

should, but it's time we address a far greater danger to Jewish survival, and that is our spiritual destruction. We have survived pogroms and even the Holocaust, but the loss of Jews Through assimilation that is ongoing in our time is often barely noticed. While murdering a Jew is certainly a most horrific crime, the spiritual destruction of a Jewish soul can even be more devastating. That's because physical destruction is only in this world, while spiritual destruction can be everlasting and even affects us in the World-to-Come.

While the Egyptians aimed at destroying us physically, Chazal tell us that our blood brother Lavan aimed to destroy Yaakov spiritually. He tried to destroy Yaacov's faith and belief in the Creator. And so while we must always remember the physical destruction of Jews, both in Europe and in Israel, we must not forget the terrible spiritual destruction the Jewish people have suffered and are still suffering. Thousands of Jews have been led astray by "Jews for J' and other false movements that claim to represent authentic Judaism. Intermarriage has reached epidemic proportions and the basic beliefs of Judaism have been distorted and falsified.

The Israeli secular Supreme Court has blurred the distinction between Jew and Gentile and the sanctity of our Holy Shabbat. A rabbi has dared question the authenticity of our exile in Egypt, while others have questioned the authenticity of our holy Torah as being G-d given to Moshe Rabbeinu. At a time that we pray for Heavenly mercy, our very pillars of survival are being undermined from within by those who wish to falsify and distort authentic Judaism!

Chazal have told us that our greatest destroyers will come from our own people. And so today, when our enemies are out to destroy us physically, we are also under attack spiritually by our own Jewish brothers who spread lies and hatred toward those who dare follow the holy Torah without compromise. When we try to help them and show them how their so-called spiritual leaders are misleading them, they denounce us as Jew haters, in order to prevent their people from listening to our


message.

A father who lost his dearest and only child to the "Jews for J" movement, found that they had brainwashed his son by convincing him that his father actually hates him, in order to prevent the young man from speaking to his father. They used the age-old tactic of killing the messenger rather then the message. The tactic of many of our fellow Jews today is to stigmatize and spread hatred of hareidi Jews. That tactic will ultimately fail because "words coming from the heart penetrate the heart."

Let us realize that it isn't only venomous language that divides our people but it's the spreading of false beliefs that is the underlying cause of our division.

The message of love for all of our Jewish brethren will surely penetrate their clever smoke screen of false accusations. Yes! While we invite all four sons to join our Passover Seder, we must tell them that there were two requirements for us to be taken out of our Egyptian exile. Firstly, we had to destroy the Egyptian sheep that represented their god, and then we had to pledge our allegiance to G-d by


circumcising ourselves. And so while we invite the wicked son to our Seder we must tell him the truth, "If he had been there, he wouldn't have been redeemed!" That's because without these actions we were not worthy of being freed! G-d took us out of Egypt on condition that we keep the Torah and mitzvos. Abrogate its laws and we put all Jews in great danger since we are all brothers and responsible for one another!

י לעשות ליעקב אבינו ש לבן הארמ ק צא ולמד מה ב go out and learn our Chachomim tell us. Let's study the story of – ""צא�ולמד

our Egyptian exile. Let's find out who our enemies are and learn about their true intentions. "Pharaoh wanted to destroy only the males, while Lovon tried to destroy us all. "ארמי�אובד�אבי�-�וירד�מצרימה� And so the story of our Egyptian exile unfolds with a blood relative by the name of Lavan . "Arami is out to destroy my father-and so we went down to Egypt" is how the story of our nation began.

Yet one wonders. Why use the nickname of Arami? Why not call him Lovan that is far more familiar? Furthermore, the word is written in the present tense אובדwhen it should actually have been written in the past tense. After all, it's something that happened many years ago! Beside, was Lovan really such a bad guy as the Haggadah makes him out to be? He just seems to be very dishonest and a big cheater, but he didn't kill anyone. So why portray him as being worse then Pharoh who tried killing and drowning all our boys and was guilty of murder?

In order to understand what's happening, let's go back and carefully examine Yaakov's peace


pact with Lovon for it will reveal something very strange indeed. The Torah tells us that they erected a pile of stones that Lovon called "Yegar Sahadusah," while Yaakov called it "Gal'ed". Yegar Sahadusah is nothing but the Aramaic translation of Gal'ed, so why does the Torah have to tell us what Lovon called it? Just look up the Aramaic equivalent and you'll know what the word Gal'ed means in Aramaic. This should have best been left for Unkelus. It's highly unusual to have Aramaic words appear in the Torah, especially when there doesn't seem to be any reason for it.

As one continues studying the parsha, one is struck by many other strange things said by Lavan. For instance, Lavan makes mention of some deal he made with Yaacov at a place called Mitzpeh, yet nowhere earlier do we find mention of such a deal. The meforshim seem to have much difficulty trying to figure out to which deal Lavan is refering to, since we find no previous mention of it!

We also find what seems to be a very strange gemorah in Mesechta Shabbos (12:) that says that one should never ask for one's needs in Aramaic because the heavenly angels don't understand this particular language. This seems rather odd. Is the Aramaic language any more difficult to learn than any other, that the Malachim simply can't figure it out? If they comprehend all the other sixty-nine languages, then why can't they learn this one as well? Is it more difficult than Chinese or Japanese? And if indeed they don't know the language, why can't they go study it? After all, how long would it take an Angel to learn a new language? Or is it perhaps such a terrible language that they simply refuse to study it? Why?

One also wonders why there are certain tefillos such as Kaddish, Yekum Purkon and Akdomos that are written in Aramaic. Isn't this a no no?

Perhaps the answer is that Lovon was called Arami because he was a cheater, a fraud, and the master of deception. He spoke from two sides of his mouth. He said one thing but meant another. He made an agreement with Yaakov to give him "Rochel, his younger daughter", yet when it came to the actual wedding he substituted Leah instead. His word as well as his signature could never be trusted. He always interpreted the agreements of the contract differently. He always switched the language around and had another version with an answer for everything. His agreements weren't worth the paper they were written on!

Words have more than one meaning and it's certainly not too difficult for Lovon Ho'arami the master of deception and chicanery to use words in his agreement


that are vague or have a dual meaning. When we translate a word into another language we must be very careful. When we translate the word "because" into the Hebrew word "Ki," we must be very careful since the word "Ki" in Hebrew has three other translations. Someone reading the contract in the Hebrew version may later claim that he meant one of the other three meanings.

Yet Aramaic is not just a language in which a word can have more than one meaning. It is one it which the very same word can have two opposite meanings. Up can mean down and yes can also mean no. ( Note: those who study gemarah know that in Aramaic the word "in" can mean yes or no - two opposites. ) "Jihad" doesn't mean a holy war, claimed Arafat; it simply means a friendly peace pact. Politicians are masters at such deception. They use it all the time. Later, when they are caught with an outright lie, they always claim that it meant something else. When someone can later claim that "is" is not really "is" but is another is, then he's a real master of Arami's tactics!

Those who are familiar with the Camp David agreement signed by Egypt and Israel surely know that even though the Arabic and Hebrew versions are supposedly an accurate translation of the English version, the Israelis and Egyptians still can't agree on the exact meaning of many of its frases and clauses. The Hebrew version does not match the Arabic version; there are countless discrepancies. That's because the English version was worded very diplomatically. I t ' s written in the language of Lovon Ho'arami, a language of deceit, deception and double talk so that it will satisfy both sides. Each one can interpret it in his own way. This way both sides would agree to sign, each being able to interpret the language in the way they understood it. The better the politician and diplomat, the better he is in being able to use words that are both vague and have more then one connotation. Later when there is a question as to what it means, each side gives the words a different twist and meaning. This is the language of Lovon Ho'arami. Even when he clearly wrote "Rochel, my youngest daughter," he wiggled his way out of


it. He must have had a different version or explanation of the agreement or perhaps it was all a "misunderstanding" or "just an oversight". Just read some of the U.N. resolutions and you will get a sample of this type of language called diplomacy. Lovan's contract was probably no different then today's Oslo agreement which both sides interpret differently.

While Yaakov called the agreement Galed, Lovon gave it his own Aramaic name-Yigar Sahadusah. Lovon felt much more at home using his Aramaic deceitful lanquich. Yigar Sahadusah may be the translation of the word Gal'ed, yet as you may notice there is already a slight inaccuracy. While in the Hebrew it is written as one word, in Aramaic it is two words. There is a fine distinction that is not so readily apparent. (Yigar Sahadusah is the equivalent of Gal Ed and not Gal'ed). Take the words New York. As two words New York can be either a name of a city or can mean a new city by the name of York. However when written as one word "Newyork" then it must be a name. And so it is with the words "Yigar Sahadusa. When written as one word it is a name but when written as two words it can have an entirely different meaning. And so Lavan of course uses two words instead of one, this way he can always claim that it meant something else. Yaacov immediately translates it into one word "Galed" so that it be clearly understood that it is a name. Lovan thereupon follows by saying that this was his original intention. He had absolutely no intention of fooling him. His Aramaic version was already slightly different than the Hebrew version so he could always later claim that it meant something else. Leave it to Lovon who is a master diplomat and has an amazing talent and ability at deceiving others with words. After all, Lovon was the father and originator of all "Ramais"; he was the greatest cheater and deceiver of them all. He was the forerunner of today's politician. He was the master diplomat speaking a perfect Aramaic language of deceit and double talk. Angels have great difficulty understanding a languge whose words are vauge and have oposit meanings.

Angels simply can't relate to this kind of double talk called Aramaic-the deceitful language of Lovon and his politicians. After all, angels can't read a person's thoughts. So when the words have a double meaning and they are uncertain of what the words actually mean they want no part of them and they refuse to bring such deceitful words in front of the Heavenly Throne!

When our words are uttered in a language of deceit where the words can have a double meaning, the Angels cannot understand them. It's outright deception. It's


the language of Lovan Ho'arami-the master conniver and cheater. It's insincere and meaningless! They would be severely punished if they would repeat them in front of the King of Kings. This is why the Gemorah uses the terminology that the angels are not nizkak to this language. They don't seem to understand it because it's contradictory, deceitful and confusing, and not because it's difficult to learn.

It's obviously not the particular language of Aramaic that they don't understand but rather the way the words are used. This explains why the Gemorah, as well as Kaddish, Yekum Purkon and Akdomos were written in Aramaic. These words were carefully chosen to make sure that they cannot be missinterpreted.

And if you're wondering about the deal Lovan says he made with Yaakov at the place called Mitzpah, I'll let you in on a little secret. Do you know anything about the deal the Syrian President made with Rabin about giving back the Golan Heights? It seems as if noone does! That's because there probably never was such a deal. Leave it to a master cheater to make all sorts of preposterous claims that never took place. They learned it all from Lavan Ho'arami - Lovan the master scam artist who suddenly came up with a deal he claimed he made at a place called Mitzpah, yet no one ever heard of such a deal - and no wonder!

Arafat, as well as his protégé Muhamed Abas, Arami's prize student (and Israel's partner in peace!?) tells Israel that he is for peace and against all terrorism and then turns around and gives Hamas the green light to continue to attack her from someplace else so that he shouldn't get the blame. He accepts the peace prize while at the same time eulogizes mass murderers and terrorists such as the "engineer" as freedom fighters and promises them a place in heaven. He frees all the Hamas murderers from jail so that they can continue their murderous rampage, but still continues to claim that he is against all forms of terrorism! This is the language of Lovan Ho'arami. Anyone that has studied Lovan's tactics in Chumash along with the interpretation of Chazal, clearly understands the meaning of אבי� אובד� .ארמי�Arami's real intention is to destroy all that is sacred to Klal Yisroel. The Palestinians


do't want just Yerushalayim; thhe want the entire country; from east to west and from north to south! "Your daughters are my daughters, your sons are my sons, your sheep are my sheep, and everything you own is mine" is what they say. (Vayetzei 31). He claims that all of Israel is his!

Despite Lovon's promises of peace and claim of love for Yaakov, we know that he wants to destroy us completely -לבן�בקש�לעקר�את�הכל�, and will not stop until he has driven Israel into the sea! His hatred for Yaakov isאובד�ever present ( in the present tense). It continues on throughout all ages - עלינו עומדים� ודור� דור� �שבכל� He .וירד�מצרימה -He tries to drag us down into the tumah of Mitzrayim .לכלותנוknows that this is the best way to ,chas v'shalom, destroy us completely.

Klal Yisroel must realize that it has no true friend. Even those that shower us with gifts and kindness can never be fully trusted for they have their own agenda as the gemorah tells us on the first daf of Mesechta Avodah Zorah. While on the surface they seem to be our very best friend and want to give us millions of dollars in loans and guarantees, they have their own interests in mind-וחסד�לאומים�חטאת. -We've learned this bitter lesson over and over again throughout history. Our best friends have always turned their backs on us in time of need. Just listen to the Nixon tapes to get a clue of what he really thought of Israel; if only they could make it disappear-chas v'shalom. When we dare build housing on our very own land, we are condemned by the entire world, including our best friend. When we stood vulnerable and easy prey for an Egyption invasion in ‘67, the U.N. peacekeeping forces suddenly disappeared into the night. It was only והקב"ה�מצלינו�מידם. When Israel blew up Iraq's nuclear reactor in an act of self-defense, its action was denounced even by our best friends. Israel has no right to protect itself from atomic annihilation. And

so, when Israel closes its borders so that Palestinian terrorists can't blow up innocent men, women and children, there's a world uproar. Leave it to us, they said. "We'll �protect you from the scud missiles." Yet today we all know that the American Patriot missile was nothing but a mirage and that it was only !והקב"ה�מצלינו�מידם


It's time we put our trust in Hashem�rather than in the promises of politicians that speak to us in לשון�ארמי, Believing politicians in their false hopes of bringing peace only leads us deeper into the Egyptian exile. Their promises of "Land for peace" are no better than their promises to revoke their Charter calling for the total destruction of Israel!

Is it a wonder then, that Arami's Oslo Peace Pact or Road Map can't be trusted if even the angels themselves refuse to deal with such a language so full of deception?

שם�שנאמר� ויגר� מצרימה� וירד� אבי� אבד� ארמי�במתי�מעט,�ויהי�שם�לגוי�גדול�עצום�ורב:

שם,�וירד�מצרימה� ויגר� הדבור:� פי� על� אנוס�אבינו� יעקב� ירד� שFא� מלמד�אל� ויאמרו� שנאמר,� שם.� לגור� אלא� במצרים� להשתקע��Bפרעה�לגור�בארץ�באנו�כי�אין�מרעה�לצאן�אשר�לעבדיכי�כבד�הרעב�בארץ�כנען,�ועתה�ישבו�נא�עבדי�Bבארץ�

גשן:

ירדו�במתי�מעט,� נפש� בשבעים� שנאמר,� כמה�אבותי�Bמצרימה�ועתה�שמ�Bיהוה�

א1הי�Bככוכבי�השמים�לרוב:

מצינים�ויהי�שם�לגוי,� ישראל� שהיו� מלמד�שם:�גדול�עצום,�כמה�שנאמר,�ובני�ישראל�פרו�וישרצו�וירבו�ויעצמו�במאד�מאד�ותמלא�

הארץ�אתם:


כמה�שנאמר,�רבבה�כצמח�השדה�נתתי(�ותרבי�ורב,�ושער(� נכנו� שדים� עדיים� בעדי� ותבאי� ותגדלי�

צמח�ואת�ערם�ועריה:

וארא(�מתבוססת�בדמי(�ואמר�ל(�ואעבור� עלי(�בדמי(�חיי�ואמר�ל(�בדמי(�חיי�:

דמיך חיי דמיך חיי ב בWe are told that the blood of life refers to the dam

milah and dam pesach. It was in the merit of these two mitzvos that we merited to be taken out of Mitzrayim. This, of course, raises the following obvious question: The yidden already had other mitzvos such as eating the korbon pesach, matzoh and maror which they were commanded to eat that very night. Why did they need any more mitzvos?

Furthermore, Rashi explains that the blood was put on the inside of the doorway for their self-protection. Hashem certainly knew which houses to skip over. If He recognized which person was the first born, then He certainly new which person brought a korbon pesach and deserved to be rescued. Then why put blood on the doorpost? Shouldn't the other mitzvos suffice and give them the merit to be spared from the angels of destruction who also had the power to kill on that night?

Perhaps we can explain the answer with the Gemarah in Mesechta Sotah which tells us that the study of Torah has the power to protect us at all times, even while we are not engaged in actively studying it. Mitzvos, however, only protect us while we are engaged in doing them. This means that as long as someone was busy eating the korbon pesach matzoh and maror, it offered him protection. The moment he finished eating them he would be left unprotected. Putting the blood on the doorpost gave them protection for as long as the blood remained on the doorpost. It was like the mitzvah of mezuzah says the Zohar ha'kodosh. It gave them constant protection. Milah is something we have with us for life.


The message is quite clear. Down with the Egyptian avodah zorah.דם�פסח�All life comes from Hashem-מילה . It's בדמיך�חיי�בדמיך�חיי�

עבודה�וירעו� עלינו� ויתנו� ויענונו� המצרים� אתנו�קשה:�וירעו�אתנו�המצרים,�כמה�שנאמר,�הבה�נתחכמה�לו�פן�ירבה�והיה�כי�תקראנה�מלחמה�ונוסף�גם�

הוא�על�שונאינו�ונלחם�בנו�ועלה�מן�הארץ:

כמה�שנאמר,�וישימו�עליו�שרי�מסים�למען�ויענונו,�ענותו�בסבלותם�ויבן�ערי�מסכנות�לפרעה�

את�פתם�ואת�רעמסס:

ויעבדו�ויתנו� שנאמר,� כמה� קשה,� עבודה� עלינו�מצרים�את�בני�ישראל�בפר(:

אל�יהוה�א1הי�אבותינו,�וישמע�יהוה�את�קלנו�ונצעק�וירא�את�ענינו�ואת�עמלנו�ואת�לחצנו:

צעק אל ה' אלקי אבותינו ונ

And We Cried Out To G-dFor thousands of years, Jews always knew that in times of trouble, our only way

to salvation is to call out to G-d and put our faith and trust in Him Alone! Only when the Jews in Mitzrayim cried out to G-d to help them, were their prayers answered and Moshe Rabbeinu was sent to take them out.

Yet for some sad reason, while the US president concludes every address to the American people with "G-d bless America" and the Moslems always scream "Allah Akhbar," the Israeli prime minister cannot bring himself to mention G-d in any of his speeches. While the US was founded on the principles of separation of church and


state, the cornerstone of America rests on its belief in a Creator and every dollar bill reads "In G-d we trust." Yet Israel's "Hatikva," its National Anthem of hope, fails to even mention our faith in G-d but instead substitutes the word "Rock of Israel."

While President George Bush is not ashamed to call for G-d's help in winning the war against terrorism, our Israeli prime minister hasn't mentioned Hashem's Name even once. We've put our faith in might and power rather than in G-d! While, we are permitted to use might and power to defeat our enemies, we must know that it is G-d who makes our armies victorious. But when there is no mention of G-d and we put our full faith in the strength of our army alone, we�'re making a terrible mistake! A Jew must always know that אלה�ברכב�ואלה�בסוסים�ואנחנו�בשם�ה'�א'�נזכיר

A look throughout Jewish History should convince us that our deliverance and salvation comes only when we cry out to G-d for His help. This is what our Father Yaakov did when faced with Esav and his army of four hundred men. This is how Mordechai defeated Haman in ancient times. This is how King Chizkiyahu won the battle against the vast armies of Shancherev who besieged Yerushalayim. And this has been our secret weapon throughout the ages. If we would only use this powerful weapon, then no power on earth would be able to harm us!

צעק אל ה' אלקי אבותינו ונ

And We Cried Out to HashemAn enslaved person loses his most prized possession which is his TIME. Every

moment he must be ready to serve his master and he doesn't seem to have any time for himself.

The Jews in Mitzrayim couldn't even find the few seconds to pray to Hashem. Prayer takes concentration. It was only upon Pharaoh's death when they were finally given a few moments of freedom in order to weep for him, that they were finally able to catch their breath and cry out to Hashem as it says ונצעק�אל�ה'�אלקי�אבתינו.

Sometimes we are so enslaved in our struggle to earn a living and survive, that we don't seem to find the time to properly concentrate our hearts in prayer and cry out to G-d. Our thoughts are occupied with worldly requests rather than with


spiritual matters. The Baal Shem Tov would say that where ones thoughts are, that's where we are really found.

The longer we remained enslaved in Mitzrayim, which was the center of immorality and decadence of the ancient world, the greater the chance and danger that we become influenced by their culture and their way of life and begin to assimilate and become integrated into Egyptian society. Over time, the spiritual dangers to our morals and values were slowly compromised and one's life style slowly begins to change. It was only because some Jews didn't change their names, their dress, and their language, that they were able to remain apart. Just take a look at what's unfortunately happening here in the USA. Jews have only come to these shores a little more than one hundred years ago and assimilation has allredy reached epidemic proportions.

Chometz symbolizes slavery since it takes time for dough to rise and slavery steals a person's time. Matzah symbolizes speed which was so essential for our freedom. Every moment we spent as slaves in Egypt robbed us of our precious time which we could never make up.

Today, too, we are experiencing mass dropouts from Judaism. Even in Israel, we have lost thousands upon thousands who no longer believe in our exodus from Egypt and are ashamed of their religion. Our own brothers have become filled with hatred toward us and have discarded all semblance of Judaism. A reform Rabbi (?) in California is not ashamed to publicly deny our exodus from Egypt. The fifth son is busy watching a movie or going to the theater and cannot be found at the seder table. There is a total lack of communication. Thousands of Israeli children who attend Israeli schools know more about today's rock stars and football players than lhavdil about Moshe Rabbeinu. Instead of calling out to Hashem to help us defeat our enemies, they put their full faith in Israel's Defense Forces. Even upon Arafat's death they didn't seem to know whom to thank and to whom to pray.

אל�יהוה�א1הי�אבותינו,�כמה�שנאמר,�ויהי�ונצעק�בימים�הרבים�ההם�וימת�מל(�מצרים�ויאנחו�בני�ישראל�מן�העבדה�ויזעקו,�ותעל�שועתם�אל�הא1הים�

מן�העבדה:�


יהוה�את�קלנו,�כמה�שנאמר,�וישמע�א1הים�וישמע�את� בריתו� את� א1הים� ויזכר� נאקתם� את�

אברהם�את�יצחק�ואת�יעקב:

את�ענינו,�זו�פרישות�דר(�ארץ.�כמה�שנאמר,�וירא�וירא�א1הים�את�בני�ישראל�וידע�א1הים:

כל�ואת�עמלנו,� שנאמר,� כמה� הבנים.� אלו�הבן�הילוד�היארה�תשליכוהו�וכל�וגם� שנאמר,� כמה� הדחק.� זו� לחצנו,� ואת� תחיון:� הבת�

ראיתי�את�הלחץ�אשר�מצרים�לוחצים�אותם:

נטויה�ויוצאנו� ובזרע� חזקה� ביד� ממצרים� יהוה�ובמרא�גדול�ובאתות�ובמפתים:

יהוה�ממצרים,�1א�על�ידי�מלא(�ו1א�על�ידי�ויוצאנו�שרף�ו1א�על�ידי�שליח.�אלא�הקדוש�ברו(�ובעצמו.� בכבודו� הוא�בארץ� ועברתי� שנאמר,�הזה� בלילה� מצרים�בארץ� בכור� כל� והכיתי�ועד� מאדם� מצרים�א1הי� ובכל� בהמה�שפטים� אעשה� מצרים�

אני�יהוה:


בארץ�מצרים�בלילה�הזה,�אני�ו1א�מלא(.�ועברתי�ו1א� אני� מצרים� בארץ� בכור� כל� והכיתי�שרף.�ובכל�א1הי�מצרים�אעשה�שפטים�אני�ו1א�השליח.�

אני�יהוה,�אני�הוא�ו1א�אחר:

אני הוא ולא אחר

It is I and No Other!The classic question that many ask here is quite a simple one. If we have already

eliminated even the greatest of angels called "serofim" so isn't it redundant to now state "It is I and no other?" Who can we be eliminating if we have already eliminated all possibilities?

In order to get at the answer let's learn a little bit about malochim. Just as all of life derives its energy from Hashem, so too, do malochim. The greater the malach, the more energy he receives. This may be why the Gemara in Brochos says that different malochim travel at different speeds. While angels are generally categorized into four different classifications - m'lochim , serofim, ofanim and chayos hakodesh,- these four levels can be further subdivided into millions upon millions of different levels. There are "serofim" which are like fiery lightning bolts that serve Hashem with great power, speed and devotion and there are those malochim of lesser power.

The myriads of Names of Hashem serve as conduits through which all this energy is channeled. This of course belongs in the realm of Torah called Kaballa in which we have no knowledge and therefore we will only explain what can be found in Rashi or the Ramban, as well as other meforshim.

This power and energy that angels possess is contained within the angel's name, which usually has the suffix of the two letters "Alef Lamed." These two letters are the first two letters of Keil Shakai or Elokim and are the conduit through which they receive their power and energy.

The greatest malach of them all is known as malach "M'tat" spelled Mem -Tes-


Tes-Raish -Vov -Nun. (We abbreviate his name because we are very careful not to pronounce an angel's full name.) Rashi says that his name is identical to that of His Master. This is what is meant by "Ki Shmi b'kirboh" - because My Name is within him. (See Rashi Shmos 23:21 that says that his name is equivalent to the Name Keil Shaki.)

In order for us to better understand what this all means, let us use the metaphor of electricity. For a machine to work, it must be plugged into the electricity. Without the electricity to which it is connected, it cannot move. It is as if it were dead. So, too, every malach derives his energy from one of G-d's Names, which is added to his suffix. The malach "M'tat," however, does not get his energy by way of an external source, but rather contains his own internal batteries or is able to generate his own electricity, just like an electric eel. That's because Hashem's Name is contained within him. He needs no outside source to supply him with energy. This, however, can easily give one the false impression that there is chas v'shalom another entity besides Hashem. In truth we know that this is not so and is actually just an outward appearance. It only seems to be so. In reality, it is Hashem's Name that energizes him internally.

With this we can now better understand the Gemara in Mesechta Chagiga 14 which tells us that four great Sages entered into the Heavens and saw this great malach sitting and writing the merits of the Jews. This confused them and led them to believe that perhaps chas v'shalom there was more than one Heavenly Power. Little did they realize that it only seemed and appeared that way, but it wasn't really true. It was actually Hashem's Name that energized him internally. Those who observed him didn't seem to see the internal source of his energy and therefore were fooled into thinking that there was chas v'shalom another power in Heaven. It's like seeing an image of someone in a mirror or perhaps it's like playing chess with a computer. It seems as if the computer has its own brain, but in reality it can only do what a human has programmed it to do. So too, the malach M'tat's power comes from Hashem's Name which is hidden within him. Hashem is One and there is no other.

This, explains the Ramban, is why malach M'tat was the only angel Hashem sent to accompany the Jews through the desert. While Hashem had promised Moshe that He would not send any malach to lead them but rather accompany them Himself, the malach M'tat that contains Hashem's Name within him is considered as if Hashem Himself was there with them.

And this, explains the Ramban (in Shemos 12:12), is why it says "ani hu v'lo


acheir." This comes to specifically exclude the malach M'tat whose name is identical with His Master and in fact contains His Master's Name within his own. One would have thought that this one malach would have been able to go along with Hashem and help him kill the Egyptian first born just like he accompanied the Yidden in the desert. This is why we specifically exclude him by saying "ani Hu v'lo acheir." Not even this greatest malach helped Hashem along. It was He and no other!

זו�הדבר.�כמה�שנאמר,�הנה�יד�יהוה�ביד�חזקה,�בסוסים� בשדה� אשר� �Bבמקנ הויה�

בחמורים�בגמלים�בבקר�ובצאן�דבר�כבד�מאד:�

וחרבו�ובזרע�נטויה,� שנאמר,� כמה� החרב.� זו�שלופה�בידו�נטויה�על�ירושלים:

או�ובמורא� שנאמר,� כמה� שכינה.� גלוי� זו� גדול,�ה� ס נ הלו� לקחת� לבא� א1הים�במסות� גוי� מקרב� גוי�ובמופתים� באתת�חזקה� וביד� ובמלחמה�ובזרוע�נטויה�ובמוראים�גדולים�ככל�אשר�עשה�א1היכם� יהוה� לכם�

:Bבמצרים�לעיני

אתת ב


ובמופתים

Signs and WondersA sign which is referred to as an אות is any prediction that may be ordinary in

nature such as predicting an earthquake or a storm, or a prediction that may be miraculous in nature such as water turning to blood or a stick turning into a snake. As long as this prediction is given peforehand, it can be considered a sign that what one says is true.

Rashi in Parshas Ekev says that the reason that the stick was called a sign was because Hashem gave it to Moshe as a sign that he was acting as Hashem's messenger and not acting on his own.

This is why it says that "signs" refers to the stick even though when the stick actually changed to a snake, it was also considered a "wonder."

Many of the makos were considered "signs" and certain components were even miraculous in nature and therefore were also considered "wonders." For example, the mako of Hail was in part something that occurs in nature yet the mixture of fire within the center of the hailstones was miraculous in nature. This is why many of the makos are considered both "signs and wonders."

While all the makos represented nature running wild and were in part miraculous in nature, the only mako that was completely miraculous in nature was the makoדם� of - "Blood." This is why the Haggadah says ובמופתים�זה�הדם..

זה�המטה.�כמה�שנאמר,�ואת�המטה�הזה�ובאתות,�תקח�ביד�Bאשר�תעשה�בו�את�האתת:


ה ט ובאתות, זה המ

A Stick that Turns into a Snake! Isn't that Elementary?

Hashem send Moshe to Pharaoh with a stick, which he was to turn into a snake He is well aware that this little trick is such a simple one that any five-year-

old Egyptian child who graduated from the kindergarten of any local Egyptian magical academy is able to perform it. Moshe and Aaron are made to look like absolute

fools, untill suddenly the snake turns back into a stick and gobbles up all the other

snakes running around. Remarkable!

All Pharaoh's wizards and magicians stand in shock and awe of their great magical abilities. Moshe has a much better and updated version of their magical tricks. Magic tricks are certainly no proof of the existence of G-d! Wouldn't it have been far more effective if Moshe would pull off a miracle that nobody else could do? Turn the stick into an elephant or a lion or some other animal, which the Egyptian magicians probably were unable to do. But why turn it into a snake? This was the required thesis to graduate from kindergarten in any Egyptian magic school which any amaitur magician could easily do. Is it possible that the Egyptians were able to change their sticks into any animal they so desired? Then why not instead change the stick into gold, the alchemist's dream? One doubts that this trick could be done by even the best of Pharaoh's magicians. After all, he could have made himself a good bundle of money if he opened up a chain of department stores and sold golden sticks at discount prices. What could be the cost of manufacture? It's hard to believe that Pharaoh's magicians could have pulled off such a stunt!

Certainly, Hashem could have made the stick turn into anything he so desired. Why not pull off a good convincing one instead of the elementary version, for which he was met with such ridicule? In fact, we don't find the magician believing any other of Moshe's bag of tricks. It was only by the third mako of kinim – lice - that they finally were stumped and had to admit that it was "A finger of G-d." He finally pulled one


off against all the axioms of the magical rulebooks.

It is a well-known axiom that magic is ineffective against such tiny objects as lice. It suddenly dawns upon them that this may not be just simple black magic. There may be G-dly forces involved. Certainly Hashem could do anything He felt like. Why not show them from the very start Who's the real boss! Do something that they are powerless to imitate. Can you imagine a magician getting on stage at a New York magic show and doing a trick that everyone in the audience has seen dozens of times? The audience would boo him off the stage. Why couldn't Hashem convince them by changing the stick into something that none of Pharaoh's magicians could duplicate?

And now for another most obvious question! In fact, it is so blatant, that one wonders why every single child learning the Chumash for the very first time doesn't simply jump out of his seat with this question immediately. When Moshe came to Pharaoh for the very first time, he came completely unequipped. He does absolutely no tricks. Pharaoh simply refutes him altogether. "Never heard of such a G-d," he snorts. "Why don't you stop wasting the people's time with your nonsense?" Moshe takes all this hands down. He's on the defensive. But wait a minute! Moshe already had the stick in his hand. He knew how to do the tricks. He had already shown them to the z'kainim. What was he waiting for? Why didn't Hashem tell him to take it and throw it on the ground right there and then? Hashem doesn't tell him to throw it


down, so of course Moshe doesn't throw it down. Why? He knew the trick quite well. Why didn't Hashem tell him to do it now? Why was this first shown to Pharaoh on Moshe's second visit?

One also wonders why when the stick was thrown down in front of the z'kainim it's called a "snake", but when it's thrown down in front of Pharaoh it's called a "Tanim" which Rashi says is also a snake. If both words mean the same thing, then why confuse people? Call it "snake," and be done with it.

Perhaps we can answer these questions with the following Midrash in Shemos (perek 89) that says that "When Pharaoh saw the stick devour all the snakes, he became very frightened. If the stick has magical powers and could eat anything within its path, then what stops it from eating his throne? And what stops Moshe from pointing it at him and commanding the stick to eat him? The stick had frightening miraculous powers. Yes G-d or no G-d. It was the great power of Moshe's magical stick that he was afraid of. By the stick eating all the other snakes it was making a very strong point. It's not an ordinary stick. It is an amazing magical stick that has a phenomenal appetite and can devour anything in its path. Other snakes are only an entree. Imagine what it can eat for its main dish! Pharaoh stood in the greatest of awe before such an amazing magical stick. A magician never doubts the powers of other magicians. Moshe's stick was indeed a very dangerous weapon that could be used to swallow all his enemies. He couldn't dare grab or even touch it. He was even afraid to get close to it. The stick could go into action at the least provocation. He was not going to test its magical powers. He would take absolutely no chances.

Therefore, this stick put great fear into Pharaoh as well as his servants. As long as Moshe or Aaron held the stick they would have to keep their distance. Nobody dared get close to it. Nobody dared block Moshe's entrance into the palace. The stick gave him instant access to Pharaoh. No guard dared try getting in his way. They all were convinced that the stick could gobble them up instantly. They had either seen or heard of its fantastic magical powers. The Egyptians were great believers of magic. Word of the sticks' magical power spread very quickly.

This stick, therefore, afforded Moshe and Aaron great protection. As long as he held it in his hand, Pharaoh was absolutely powerless to touch him. He wouldn't dare grab it away. He wouldn't dare throw him into jail. If he would try to harm them, Moshe could simply release the stick and swallow Pharaoh alive. Pharaoh still wanted to live. No wonder Hashem had given Moshe a stick. He needed it to afford


him access into the palace. He needed it as protection against being imprisoned. Egyptian dungeons were not as comfortable as American jails.

The reason why Moshe didn't change the stick into a snake on his very first visit is quite simple! When Moshe came to see Pharaoh the very first time he made no threats at all. He simply asked Pharaoh very nicely to please let the Yidden out. He made no mention of what he would do if he didn't listen. Pharaoh, therefore, simply dismissed him, and told him to go his own merry way. He had no intention of letting the people go.

However, the second time Moshe came, he began making threats. Moshe was now (in Pharaoh's eyes) threatening to use his great magical powers to destroy Egypt's most important water supply. Any magician daring to cause such havoc should have been thrown into a dungeon at once. Now, of course, Moshe and Aaron needed some form of protection. They could have been thrown into a dungeon for their threats alone! Let alone for all the future troubles they were to cause. The stick put the fear into everybody. As long as they had it, they were untouchable. No policeman would dare arrest a person holding a stick that could swallow him up on command. Moshe and Aaron were well protected. They could come and go anywhere they wished. They had instant access into Pharaoh's presence. As soon as the guards saw the stick they instantly stepped aside. They dared not challenge its power. They may not have believed in G-d, but they sure believed in magical sticks. They didn't doubt its powers in the least.

When the stick was thrown down in front of the z'kainim it turned into an ordinary snake, which symbolizes the sin of loshon horah for which Moshe was being taken to task. When it was thrown down in front of Pharaoh it turned into a huge monstrous snake, called a "Tanin." This snake had the same characteristics as the fish named "Tanin" which was a very large fish that could gobble up all the rest of the fish. No wonder that Hashem had killed the female species. Had it remained alive they would have multiplied and finished off all the other fish. (Note: Birds, animals, or fish that share the same characteristics may have the same name. That's why we have a sheretz named "Tinshemes" and a bird the same name (See Rashi Parshas Shemini.) We also have a sea dog and a sea cat etc.)

Pharaoh, as we know was compared to a monstrous snake (See Yecheschel 29) Perhaps it was because he had swallowed up all the riches of the surrounding nations and was now trying to swallow up the Jews as well. The monstrous snake conveyed


an important message. Pharaoh would be punished tit for tat- "midah k'neged midda." Just like he had tried to swallow all the others, he himself would eventually be swallowed up. Better take heed Pharaoh, was the stick's subtle message. Do as you're told, or the stick will be used to smite you for your stubborn refusal. We (Moshe and Aaron) are just acting as Hashem's messengers, in the same way the snake, or for that matter any other animal or even an Angel acts as G-d's messenger. The King doesn't always make a personal appearance.

Egypt, the Magical Capital of the Ancient World

In ancient times, Egypt was known as the magic capital of the world and its magical powers are recorded in the Torah. The Egyptian magicians seemed to be able to turn water into blood and make frogs appear from nowhere. They only got stuck by lice, which they couldn't seem to produce because it was too small. Many more stories of their magical abilities can be found in the Gemara Shanhedrin. We also know that the Torah forbids the use of magic as well as the art of Ov and Yedoni. While it is common knowledge that nowadays all of magic is nothing but the clever art of deception and it is impossible to defy the laws of nature, most people believe that in ancient times there existed genuine magic or sorcery. These were secret incantations, a spell that witches used to wreak havoc on the laws of nature and make the impossible happen. They would change water to blood or make frogs; snakes or elephants appear or disappear at will. They claimed that they could talk to the dead or fly into the heavens simply by uttering some magical words. The Midrash tells us that Lovon possessed an idolatrous head that he claimed had magical powers. One wonders why this ancient art has been totally forgotten and none of these magical incantations are known today. Today, black magic is totally extinct!

This leads us to a very remarkable Rambam (Hilchos Avodah Zarah 11:16), who says that there never was such a thing as real magic or sorcery, and all of black magic is nothing but the clever art of deception and illusion.

כוכבים� עובדי� בהן� שהטעו� והם� הן� וכזב� שקר� דברי� כולן� האלו� ודברים� טז)�הקדמונים�לגויי�הארצות�כדי�שינהגו�אחריהן�ואין�ראוי�לישראל�שהם�חכמים�


מחוכמים�להמשך�בהבלים�אלו�ולא�להעלות�על�לב�שיש�תועלת�בהן�שנאמר�כי�לא�נחש�ביעקב�ולא�קסם�בישראל�ונאמר�כי�הגוים�האלה�אשר�אתה�יורש�אותם�אל�מעוננים�ואל�קוסמים�ישמעו�ואתה�לא�כן�וגו'�כל�המאמין�בדברים�האלו�וכיוצא�בהן�ומחשב�בלבו�שהן�אמת�ודבר�חכמה�אבל�התורה�אסרתן�אינן�אלא�אבל� שלימה� דעתן� שאין� והקטנים� הנשים� ובכלל� הדעת� ומחסרי� הסכלים� מן�בעלי�החכמה�ותמימי�הדעת�ידעו�בראיות�ברורות�שכל�אלו�הדברים�שאסרה�תורה�אינם�דברי�חכמה�אלא�תהו�והבל�שנמשכו�בהן�חסרי�הדעת�ונטשו�כל�דרכי�האמת�בגללן�ומפני�זה�אמרה�תורה�כשהזהירה�על�כל�אלו�ההבלים�תמים�

תהיה�עם�ה'�אלהיך:

According to the Rambam, (and there are others that agree with him) no one can defy the laws of nature with any magical incantations or spells, and those who seem to have done so have merely performed clever trickery. The meforshim find this Rambam extremely difficult to comprehend. How does the Rambam explain both the stories in the Torah as well as the many stories of magic found in Chazal?

Perhaps the answer is that the Rambam doesn't say that the episodes that are mentioned in the Torah or in Chazal never happened. Chas v'shalom! That would be heresy. All he is saying is that what people saw was just an illusion. It's like seeing yourself in the mirror. While it may look like it's you, you know that it's just a mirror image. Imagine someone watching a western movie and at the exact moment that the cowboy fires his gun, the person sitting next to him cries out that he has been shot. The police are called and see the person lying on the floor with a bullet hole through his chest. The man sitting next to him claims that it all happened at the very moment the cowboy in the picture pressed the trigger and therefore he must have done it. Certainly no sensible police officer would buy this story since everyone knows that it is impossible. The Rambam too, holds that it is impossible for anyone to change the laws of nature, and therefore all of the stories must be done by deception. Obviously someone holding a gun must have shot the man at the very same instant the cowboy in the picture pressed the trigger. There can be no other explanation.

The Gemara (Sanhedrin) in fact tells us, that Yerovom Ben Nevot suspended the two golden calves he had set up for people to worship, by using hidden magnets. Nevuchadnetzar was able to get his large golden idol to talk and the Jews were able to make a Golden Calf by evoking the powers of G-d's Sacred Name and not through any magic.

The Radak and others say that the witch who supposedly brought up Shmuel


from the dead actually deceived Shaul, as do all those who claim to possess this power nowadays. In fact all those who claim to have this power nowadays have been proven to be frauds. You may want to read a book entitled "The Psychic Mafia" by Lamar Keene, which reveals how as a priest, he and others used this trickery for many years. He conducted sיances in which his participants swore that they actually talked and even touched the dead. Yet in his book he reveals how every supposed miracle he performed was a fraud, a lie and trick played on his gullible victims. In his book he exposes the secrets of the sיance room and tells the tricks used by mediums to exploit believers. This classic work of a confessed charlatan gives us an incredible insight into the fraudulent world of spiritualism and black magic.

While there are still some spiritualists that make preposterous claims and use crystal balls to foresee the future or claim that they can bend metal spoons by using their great psychic powers, they have all been proven frauds and all their claims have been exposed as being nothing but clever tricks that any good magician can duplicate, (See book by James Randy on Uri Geller a psychic superstar who fooled millions into believing he could bend metal by using the power of his mind alone, and that he could see while blindfolded), Any good magician can easily "change" water to blood, "change" a stick into a snake, or "pull out" rabbits and frogs from an empty hat. Some great magicians like David Copperfield can make elephants appear and disappear right in front of the eyes of his spellbound audience. He can suspend people in midair or cut them into two and bring them back to life again. He, as well as the world famous Harry Houdini could perform the most amazing feats, but always made sure to tell their audience that it's all done through illusion, and that there is no such thing as real magic and that nobody possess any psychic abilities. (See such books as "The Right Way to Do wrong," "Miracle Mongers and their Methods" or "A Magician Among the Spirits.")

According to the Rambam, the Torah forbids the use of magic because it is a fraud and based on the art of deception. Magic can easily be used by charlatans to convince people that avoda zarah has real


powers when in fact it is all deception. This art can be very dangerous. Idol worship relied heavily on the use of fraudulent miracles and people's blind faith of the occult. Just imagine a priest healing a blind person and claiming that his idol has godly powers and therefore must be worshipped. In fact these tricks have been used by priests for decades and caused people to serve idols. Some Evangelists are still doing it to the present day.

There are many good books exposing their clever tricks. Peter Popoff, an evangelist minister has fooled thousands into believing that he can heal every imaginable sickness and that god reveled to him all hidden secrets was caught by James Randy using a hidden radio transmitter to fool his millions of spectators. Though a multitude of these quacks have been exposed, millions still believe in them. Joseph Smith who founded the Mormon Church, first worked as a conjuror in New York and was even charged and convicted in court with being an imposter. The famous Fox sisters (1848) who even fooled scientists with their clever seances publicly confessed before their death that it was all a trick and showed how it was done. This may be why the Rambam says that the Torah also forbids sleight of hand. After all, this too, is just another form of deception.

People are easily fooled by psychic claims or by supernatural powers. The great success of present day evangelists who claim all sorts of miracle cures only proves how dangerous this fake art can be. Lately a storybook based on magical spells has captured the imagination of millions and turned into a best seller. That's because people have always been fascinated by magic and believe that it can be used to make the impossible come true.

In 1891 a man named Osten claimed that his horse, called Clever Hans, knew math and could add, subtract, multiply and divide. People flocked to see him perform. The owner would ask him math questions such as how much is 2 plus 2, and the horse would stamp its foot four times. While he fooled thousands of spectators and even clever scientists, one person soon discovered the trick. When the owner would look


directly at the trained horse it would begin stamping its foot. When the owner turned his head slightly downward to look at its foot, the horse would stop stamping.

Every day people seek the help of psychic surgeons who claim that they can extract deadly tumors and other body parts by operating with their hands without even a trace of an incision on the body. Little do the people realize that the entire procedure is done through sleight of hand. It consists of secretly placing blood and other material upon the body and making believe that an operation is being performed. A good conjurer can put on a very realistic performance and fool lots of people. In fact this original Filipino scam has now spread worldwide. People just want to believe that magic is real, no matter how absurd and foolish it may sound.

According to the Rambam, all magic is nothing but virtual reality. It may indeed look very realistic but the moment one takes off his special 3D glasses one realizes it is all a fake. This is why the Rambam tells us that the Jews did not believe in Moshe based only on the miracles he performed but rather only after they themselves heard Hashem speak to them on Mount Sinai. Anyone who bases his belief only on miracles "yesh belibo dofi" - there is skepticism in his heart - says the Rambam. This is also why the Torah warns us not to listen to a prophet who speaks in the name of avoda zarah even if he performs signs and wonders to prove his point.

It should be quite obvious that the Ten Makkos were not done through magic and that Moshe's stick was not a magical stick but rather a "mate Elokim" - a G-dly stick, given to him by G-d that empowered him to perform miracles. All Moshe did was lift or stretch out Hashem's stick and Hashem's angels changed nature. Moshe was no different then a conductor who waves his flag and the train begins to move. Only a fool believes that the conductor's flag makes the train move. Any intelligent person knows that it is the train engineer that makes it move at the moment the conductor waves his flag.

In fact, from the Rambam's description of the workings of the magic called "ov" and "yidoni," it would seem to appear very similar to self-hypnosis that is based on the powerful use of the imagination. A good hypnotist can get his subject to actually feel hot or cold, feel pain or relieve pain. The power of hypnosis is so great that the hypnotist can get his subject to imagine anything he wants him to. He can get his subject to hear or see things that are non-existent. Under hypnosis one can easily convince someone that he is talking with the dead or that he is a reincarnation of someone from a previous generation.


The magician who claims his magic is real is in effect saying that he has the power to defy G-d's laws of nature or perhaps that there are other godly powers chas v'shalom, which he is able to evoke. Maybe this is why the Gemara says that when one declares "ein od milvado" all magic dissolves: When one truly believes there is nothing beside the laws with which Hashem created heaven and earth, he will realize that magic cannot exist. Any good magician nowadays can easily make a stick turn into a snake, make water turn into blood or pull out frogs from a hat. Most magicians can even do much better than that. The Malban in his commentary on Chumash actually tells us how he thinks Pharaoh's magicians pulled it off. To human eyes it may seem to defy the laws of nature, but it's only a clever illusion. The hand is quicker than the eye. It's like seeing a moving picture o n a screen. To the human eye it may seem to be moving, but in reality it is simply millions of tiny dots being refreshed at a very fast speed giving the appearance of movement.

Many machines that we have today would have been explained as magic had they existed thousands of years ago. Just imagine what they would have said about the telephone, radio, video machine or airplane.

There are many commentators, however, such as the Ramban (see Shoftim 18:9) who disagree with the Rambam and say that there are powers of tumah upon which black magic is based. Rashi as well as others say that the powers of tumah come from Hashem's Sacred Names as we see that it was His Name that was used to give life to the golden calf and to Nevuchadnetzar's idol.

Let's remember that there are certain things that remain beyond the realm of science. The existence of tumah and kedusha are only known because the Torah tells us of their existence. So far, we have no instrument that can detect them. Years ago, no one knew the existence of radiation or how to detect it. It was Bacquerel who first discovered that certain elements in nature give off radiation that can be very harmful. It was Geiger who invented the Geiger counter that could detect these invisible rays. Imagine a haunted house in which everyone who lives there dies very young. In ancient times, people may have said that it was bewitched or inhabited by demons


(shadim) spooks or ghosts. Nowadays scientists may find that it contains radioactive material. And so while we can't prove that black magic never really existed, neither can we ever prove that it did!

כשאומר�דם�ואש�וכו'�וכן�בעשר�מכות�ישפוך�מן�הכוס�מעט�יין:

מופתים�ובמופתים� ונתתי� שנאמר.� כמה� הדם.� זה�בשמים�ובארץ,:�דם,�ואש,�ותמרות�עשן:�

ן: ם, ואש, ותמרות עש ד

Blood, Fire, and Pillars of Smoke!As we read these words we are suddenly reminded of that frightful black pillar

of smoke and huge ball of fire that rose from the Twin Towers and the sight of the blood of those that jumped out of the building in hope that a miracle would take place and their lives would be spared. Our sense of safety and security suddenly evaporated into thin air. Our priorities in life quickly changed as the enormity of the great disaster slowly made themselves felt. "Our perception of the world and of life took on a dramatic shift.

It all happened just a few days before Rosh Hashana, a day that heralds in the Jewish New Year. As we sat in shul and recited the "U'nesane Tokef," tears streamed down our faces as we remembered the frightful fate of those caught inside the horrific inferno who unfortunately never made it out.

The deep hatred that caused such enormous devastation and destruction seemed beyond belief. For years we had looked on in silence as terror ran rampant throughout Israel, thinking it could never happen here. It was then that the danger of world terrorism hit home and we finally realized that terrorism isn't something that only exists thousands of miles away. The mightiest world power had now come under siege. We've learned that terrorism knows no bounds nor borders and the flames of hatred between man and his brother burns with destructive fury. The belief in G-d that teaches loving-kindness for all of humanity was perversely used to ignite the fires of fanatic hatred and to destroy and kill with horrid and ghastly brutality.


Americans reacted with a feeling of love and compassion. Rescue workers responded by showing their special concern for human life no matter what their race, color or religion. One felt the unity of spirit all across America. The nation suddenly realized that the fight against terrorism is not only an Israeli problem but also a global problem. It isn't enough to stop the terrorists but also the nations that harbor them.

Yet an event changes everything only if it actually alters the way we see ourselves and brings about positive improvements in our own lifestyle and the way we act toward both G-d and our fellow man. Certainly in these trying and turbulent times, when storm clouds loom above the horizon, and we are so dependent on Heavenly mercy, each one of us must begin by doing his utmost to sanctify G-d's Name with his every deed and action. Evil must be replaced with kindness and compassion. Greeting others with a friendly smile, showing our appreciation to all those that help maintain the quality of life, be it the bus driver, the mailman, the sanitation man, the policeman or the fireman, the rebbi and teacher - and surely our parents.

There are countless opportunities each day for us to show the world that a Torah Jew is easily recognized by his exemplary behavior and demeanor, and by his high standards of morals and ethics. Striving to go beyond the call of duty in all we do and creating a Kiddush Shem Shomayim with our every simple action should be our constant goal. Good middos must become second nature and proper derech eretz must manifest itself in our daily conduct. Being careful in the way we walk, and the way we talk, the way we drive, and the places we go; the way we conduct our simchas and share in each other's joys. By the way we conduct our worldly affairs and our businesses; the way we treat our boss and our workers, our associates and our clients; conducting our business with honesty and integrity, with humility and full faith that G-d sees and knows all.

We must think of ways to help those who are lonely or homebound or those who have lost a loved one. We must stretch out a lending hand to those who have lost their source of income, or who need a word of encouragement to brighten up their day. Let's rebuild those two mighty towers that once reached up into the sky with good deeds and actions that will shine around the globe and last for an eternity!

We must extinguish the flames of blind hatred that caused the destruction of the Second Bais Ha'mikdosh and replace them with blind love. Certainly, in these hard and difficult financial times, we must increase our contributions to charity, as it says "tzedakah tatzil mi'maves." Surely, with proper teshuvah, tefilla and tzedakah we will


merit Heavenly mercy and bring about the redemption.

The Gemara tells us that the only way to protect ourselves from the pain and suffering that will precede the arrival of the redemption (the chevlei Moshiach) is through Torah study and good deeds. What greater memorial can we erect for the memories of those fallen, than one standing on the pillars of "Torah, Avodah and Gemilas Chasodim." It may take just one righteous deed to weigh down the heavenly scale on the side of mercy and kindness and bring the Moshiach speedily in our times.

ם ובמופתים זה הד

Miracles Refers to

BloodThe only difference

between what we consider to be an ordinary event and what we describe as a miracle is the frequency of occurrence and whether they seem to conform to the laws of nature. Any event governed by the laws of nature or that is a common occurrence, is considered ordinary, while an event that seems to defy the laws of nature is called a miracle.

And so while the raining down of heavenly bread


called mon was at first perceived as a great miracle, after occurring six days a week for a period of forty years, it became as ordinary as rainfall.

This is why the Ramban at the end of parshas Bo explains that in truth one should view all the laws of nature as being nothing less than a miracle.

ועתה�אומר�לך�כלל�בטעם�מצות�רבות�-�הנה�מעת�היות�ע"ג�בעולם�מימי�אנוש�החלו�הדעות�להשתבש�באמונה,�מהם�כופרים�בעיקר�ואומרים�כי�העולם�קדמון,�כחשו�בה'�ויאמרו�לא�הוא,�ומהם�מכחישים�בידיעתו�הפרטית�ואמרו�איכה�ידע�אל�ויש�דעה�בעליון�(תהלים�עג�יא),�ומהם�שיודו�בידיעה�ומכחישים�בהשגחה�ויעשו�אדם�כדגי�הים�שלא�ישגיח�האל�בהם�ואין�עמהם�עונש�או�שכר,�יאמרו�עזב�ה'�את�הארץ�וכאשר�ירצה�האלהים�בעדה�או�ביחיד�ויעשה�עמהם�מופת�בשנוי�מנהגו�של�עולם�וטבעו,�יתברר�לכל�בטול�הדעות�האלה�כלם,�כי�המופת�הנפלא�מורה�שיש�לעולם�אלוה�מחדשו,�ויודע�ומשגיח�ויכול�וכאשר�יהיה�המופת�ההוא�נגזר�תחלה�מפי�נביא�יתברר�ממנו�עוד�אמתת�הנבואה,�כי�ידבר�האלהים�את�האדם�ויגלה�סודו�אל�עבדיו�הנביאים,�ותתקיים�עם�זה�התורה�כלה:

�ולכן�יאמר�הכתוב�במופתים�למען�תדע�כי�אני�ה'�בקרב�הארץ�(לעיל�ח�יח),�להורות�על�ההשגחה,�כי�לא�עזב�אותה�למקרים�כדעתם�ואמר�(שם�ט�כט)�למען�תדע�כי�לה'�הארץ,�להורות�על�החידוש,�כי�הם�שלו�שבראם�מאין�ואמר�(שם�ט�יד)�בעבור�תדע�כי�אין�כמוני�בכל�הארץ�להורות�על�היכולת,�שהוא�שליט�בכל,�אין�מעכב�בידו,�כי�בכל�עדים� הגדולים� והמופתים� האותות� כן� אם� מסתפקים� או� מכחישים� המצריים� היו� זה�

נאמנים�באמונת�הבורא�ובתורה�כלה:

יצוה� כופר,� או� רשע� כל� לעיני� דור� בכל� ומופת� אות� יעשה� לא� הקב"ה� כי� ובעבור�ובניהם� בנינו,� אל� הדבר� ונעתיק� עינינו,� ראו� לאשר� ואות� זכרון� תמיד� שנעשה� אותנו�לבניהם,�ובניהם�לדור�אחרון�והחמיר�מאד�בענין�הזה�כמו�שחייב�כרת�באכילת�חמץ�אלינו� שנראה� מה� כל� שנכתוב� והצריך� יג),� ט� (במדבר� הפסח� ובעזיבת� טו)� יב� (לעיל�באותות�ובמופתים�על�ידינו�ועל�בין�עינינו,�ולכתוב�אותו�עוד�על�פתחי�הבתים�במזוזות,�ושנזכיר�זה�בפינו�בבקר�ובערב,�כמו�שאמרו�(ברכות�כא)�אמת�ויציב�דאורייתא,�ממה�שכתוב�(דברים�טז�ג)�למען�תזכור�את�יום�צאתך�מארץ�מצרים�כל�ימי�חייך,�ושנעשה�

סכה�בכל�שנה:

וכן�כל�כיוצא�בהן�מצות�רבות�זכר�ליציאת�מצרים�-�והכל�להיות�לנו�בכל�הדורות�עדות�במופתים�שלא�ישתכחו,�ולא�יהיה�פתחון�פה�לכופר�להכחיש�אמונת�האלהים�העולם� בחדוש� הודה� כבר� בענינה� ונתכוון� בפתחו� וקבעה� אחד� בזוז� מזוזה� הקונה� כי�שהודה� מלבד� התורה,� פנות� בכל� והאמין� בנבואה,� וגם� והשגחתו,� הבורא� ובידיעת�שחסד�הבורא�גדול�מאד�על�עושי�רצונו,�שהוציאנו�מאותו�עבדות�לחירות�וכבוד�גדול�

לזכות�אבותיהם�החפצים�ביראת�שמו:

חמודות� שכולן� כבחמורה� קלה� במצוה� זהיר� הוי� מ"א)� פ"ב� (אבות� אמרו� ולפיכך�וחביבות�מאד,�שבכל�שעה�אדם�מודה�בהן�לאלהיו,�וכוונת�כל�המצות�שנאמין�באלהינו�ונודה�אליו�שהוא�בראנו,�והיא�כוונת�היצירה,�שאין�לנו�טעם�אחר�ביצירה�הראשונה,�ואין�אל�עליון�חפץ�בתחתונים�מלבד�שידע�האדם�ויודה�לאלהיו�שבראו,�וכוונת�רוממות�הקול�בתפלות�וכוונת�בתי�הכנסיות�וזכות�תפלת�הרבים,�זהו�שיהיה�לבני�אדם�מקום�וזו� אנחנו,� בריותיך� לפניו� ויאמרו� זה� ויפרסמו� והמציאם� שבראם� לאל� ויודו� יתקבצו�


כוונתם�במה�שאמרו�ז"ל�(ירושלמי�תענית�פ"ב�ה"א)�ויקראו�אל�אלהים�בחזקה�(יונה�ג�ח),�מכאן�אתה�למד�שתפלה�צריכה�קול,�חציפא�נצח�לבישה�(עי'�ערוך�ערך�חצף):

התורה� יסוד� שהם� הנסתרים� בנסים� מודה� אדם� המפורסמים� הגדולים� הנסים� ומן�שכלם� ומקרינו� דברינו� בכל� שנאמין� עד� רבינו� משה� בתורת� חלק� לאדם� שאין� כלה,�

אין� יעשה�נסים� אם� אלא� ביחיד,� בין� ברבים� בין� עולם,� של� ומנהגו� טבע� בהם�הכל� ענשו,� יכריתנו� עליהם� יעבור� ואם� שכרו,� יצליחנו� המצות�ב)� ו� ולעיל� א,� יז� (בראשית� כבר� הזכרתי� כאשר� עליון� בגזרת�ויתפרסמו�הנסים�הנסתרים�בענין�הרבים�כאשר�יבא�ביעודי�התורה�בענין�הברכות�והקללות,�כמו�שאמר�הכתוב�(דברים�כט�יג�כד)�ואמרו�כל�הגוים�על�מה�עשה�ה'�ככה�לארץ�אלהי� ה'� ברית� את� עזבו� אשר� על� ואמרו� הזאת,�האומות� לכל� הדבר� שיתפרסם� אבותם,�שהוא�מאת�ה'�בעונשם�ואמר�בקיום�וראו�כל�עמי�הארץ�כי�שם�ה'�נקרא�עליך�ויראו�ממך�ועוד�אפרש�זה�בעזרת�השם�(ויקרא�

כו�יא):

And so, as we study and unravel the brilliant workings of the DNA or the secrets of the atom, as well as the other mysterious forces all around us such as gravity, magnetism, and electromagnetic waves, one must learn to recognize, that they too, are no less of a miracle than the Ten Plagues or other miraculous events mentioned in the Torah. Just because they conform to the laws of nature doesn't make them any less of a miracle.

In fact, the Rambam (Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, chapter 2) says, that the better we comprehend the brilliant and fascinating workings of naturethe greater will be our sense of awe, fear, love, and praise for our Creator. This will eventually lead us to an unquenchable and irresistible desire to know His Holy Name as Dovid said צמאה"�

נפשי�לאלקים�לקל�חי".

And so while we sit at our Seder table and recount the great miracles that took place in Egypt, let's remember that our existence for thousands of years in the dark and bitter golus is nothing less than one big miracle for which we must thank Hashem at all times!


Perhaps this is what may be meant when it says that "A person is required to feel as if he himself went out of Mitzrayim."

ביד�חזקה�שתים.�ובזרע�נטויה�שתים.�דבר�אחר,�ובמרא�גדול�שתים.�ובאתות�שתים.�ובמופתים�שתים.�אלו�עשר�מכות�שהביא�הקדוש�ברו(�

הוא�על�המצרים�במצרים�

With A Powerful Hand and an Outstretched Arm

As we all know, there were ten plagues in all. While we all know that these plagues were both signs and wonders, and represented G-d's "Powerful Hand" and "Outstretched Arm," it seems from the above, that the ten plagues were divided into five different categories. Two of them were the result of G-d's Mighty Hand - Yad Cha'zoka. Another two were done with G-d's Outstretched Arm, -Z'roah Netuya, while two others represented G-d's frightening power -"Moreh Godol.". Two others were considered signs -"o'sos," while two others were considered wonders -"mofsim." This entire statement seems rather odd. Exactly what does this mean? Weren't all the plagues signs and wonders done with both G-d's Mighty Hand and Outstretched Arm? Were there any two makos in particular that were done with Hashem's Mighty Hand and two others which were done with his Outstretched Arm? If so, which ones are we referring to?

In order to figure it all out, we must first define what these five different terms mean. What exactly are we alluding to when we say that G-d has a "Mighty Hand" or an "Outstretched Arm"? It should be quite obvious that the words arm and hand are only a metaphor meaning an analogy or figure of speech. We all know that it is impossible to describe Hashem in any shape, form or manner. We have absolutely no understanding of G-d Himself. Even if we were to describe Him in the greatest of terms, it would be incorrect since He is way beyond all human comprehension, and has no physical properties whatsoever. ("Les machshovo tefisa bei.") We therefore must realize that all of our descriptions of G-d are nothing but a metaphor. So let's


begin my trying to understand what these words allude to.

1) "Yod Chazach" means a Strong Hand. This describes Hashem's great strength and power. One that can do anything at will and immobilize his enemy without any effort whatsoever will be perceived as having great power or strength. Perhaps this is why the Haggada previously says that it refers to "dever" a plague. A plague that killed all Pharaoh's animals without Hashem having to send out any of his messengers to do it, certainly shows Hashem's great power - His mighty Hand. There is no greater show of force than destroying the enemy without doing a thing.

2) "Zeroah Netuyah" means an Outstretched Arm. This explains the Haggadah is similar to the action of a sword. This describes some type of positive action that is being taken against one's opponent. This can mean sending out some weapon of destruction that will destroy an enemy. This can be the army, navy or air force or it can refer to G-d's mighty army of locusts or hail, which He sends out to destroy Egypt.

3) Next we have "Mora Godol" which is defined as great fright caused by the appearance of the Shchina. Sometimes we can defeat an enemy just by frightening him. The fright alone is enough to make him surrender. Not a single missile need be launched. Not a single finger need be lifted. The enemy is so frightened by what they see, that they surrender without a shot being fired.

4) "Os" means a sign. A sign is when we can make a perfect prediction of what is going to happen. This can refer to any event even if it is not wondrous in nature. It can be a prediction such as who will win the next lottery or when the next earthquake in Los Angeles will come. A sign can also predict a wondrous event such as that the sun will stand still.

5) "Mofsim" refers to wonders. This refers to any act that is truly wondrous in nature such as the sun standing still or water turning to blood. While certainly all the ten makos may have been a combination of signs and wonders, there were some, which were wondrous in part, while there were others that were a total miracle.

If we examine the makos very carefully we will notice that while all of them were wondrous, they didn't represent a complete change of the laws of nature. Most of them just seemed as if nature ran amok. There was no change of nature, but rather it was nature running out of control. Instead of there being a population of a million


frogs, they suddenly began to multiply into the trillions. Instead of the frogs remaining in the water, they now began jumping everywhere even entering through people's chimneys. Had a frog changed into a mouse it would then classify as a full-fledged miracle. The fact that they multiplied at an extraordinary rate was no different then the mice, roaches and rats that populate New York. While the invasion of rats can cause serious damage, it certainly does not classify as a miraculous event. The only one of the" Ten makos" that was miraculous in its entirety was that of "Dom" - Blood. That's because the change of water to blood is a complete change of the laws of nature. This is why when the Haggadah describes the word "Mofes" it says that this refers to "dom." While all the makos had certain components that were miraculous in nature, this mako was miraculous in its entirety. So we at least know that one of the two makos referred to as "mofes" is the mako of "Dom." That means that we have nine more to go.

Let's list all ten makos and see in which of these five categories they would best fit.

Blood - This one we have already classified as a "mofes" - a wonder -דם (1

Frogs - צפרדע (2

Lice - כנים (3

Wild animals - ערוב (4

Animals died out - דבר (5

Boils - שחין (6

Hail - ברד (7

Locust - ארבה (8

Darkness - חשך (9

.Killing of the firstborn -�מכת�בכורות (10

Perhaps you ought try working on it and see what you come up with. You'll find that it's not easy at all since some seem to fall into more than one category.

Now that you've had plenty of time to think about it, let's see what you've come up with.


Perhaps you've noticed a Rashi in Parshas Eikev that gives us a bit of a clue. Have a look in perek 7 posuk 19 . Here the posuk mentions four of our five categories. Rashi on this posuk starts by giving us an example of "os" sign. An "os," says Rashi, refers to the stick turning into a snake and the water turning into blood. We'll have to leave out the one of the stick turning into a snake since this is not included in the ten plagues and therefore is not the one we are looking for. Yet, this Rashi seems to contradict the Baal Hagadah who says that the blood was a wonder and not a sign? Actually this may not be a contradiction at all since as we've already said that a sign can also be a wonder. Rashi is not referring to the mako of "dam" but may be referring to the time that Moshe took some water and showed Pharaoh how he was able to change it into blood. He performed this miracle as a "sign" even though the sign happened to be a wondrous one. So let's go on to the next Rashi. Here Rashi says very clearly that "yad Chazaka" refers to "Dever" just as we find in the Haggadah. Perhaps this is because we don't find G-d sending out any army of animals or birds to kill the animals. They just died out on their very own. This certainly shows G-d's great power. Hashem killed out the Egyptian animals without the need of sending out his arsenal of weapons such as animals or hail etc. to do the job. What greater power can there be than this? No army, navy or air force needed!

So now we know two out of the ten. The next Rashi gives away another one. The "Outstretched Hand" refers to "Makos B'choros" says Rashi. Here Hashem Himself went into every Egyptian house and killed their firstborn. So now we've got three out of ten. Let's try and figure out the rest.

Perhaps darkness would fit into the category of "Great fear" since its main purpose was to put great fear into the Egyptians. Another mako that the Torah tells us caused great fear was Hail, since the noises of thunder and the accompanying lightening were very


frightening.

Perhaps Frogs fits into the category of "signs" since we find that Moshe tells Pharaoh that it will first be tomorrow that he will take them away. By giving him a definite time when it will go away, this wonder may also classify as a "sign."

A look into Sh'mos 8:19 which discusses the mako of wild animals says, "Tomorrow will be this sign,"

Perhaps Shchin should be classified as a "mighty Hand" since it wasn't caused by any outside force but done by Hashem Himself.

Perhaps locusts are classified as "outstretched hand" since they went out and ate up all the food causing starvation.

Perhaps lice classifies as "wonder" since the Egyptians were not able to duplicate it. While I'm not really sure if all the above are correct, it's the best I can do for now. I'll be glad to hear your opinion on the matter.

1) Dam - Blood - =Mofes - A wonder.

2) Tzfardeya -Frogs = Sign

3) Kinim - Lice = Wonder

4) Orov -Wild animals = Sign

5) Dever - Animals died out = Yad Chazaka.

6) Shchin - Boils = Yad Chazaka

7) Borod - Hail= Moreh Godol

8) Arbeh - Locust = Outstreched Hand

9) Choshech - Darkness= Moreh Godol

10) Makos Be'chros -.= Outstretched Hand

Wonders

1. Dam - Blood

1. Kinim - Lice


Signs

1. Tzfardeya -Frogs

2. Orov -Wild animals

Yad Chazaka

2. Dever - Animals died out

2. Shchin - Boils

Zeroah Netuya

1. Arbeh - Locust

2. Makos Be'cohros

Mora Godol

1. Choshech - Darkness

2. Borod – Hail

שחין.�ואלו�הן:� דבר.� ערוב.� כנים.� צפרדע.� דם.�ברד.�ארבה.�חש(.�מכת�בכורות

The Ten MakosIf we compare the ten makos we will notice certain differences in the way they

came about. By the first three makos it says that 'בזאת�תדע�כי�אני�ה

בזאת�תדע�כי�אני�ה' Blood – Warning – Done by Aaron – In front of pharaoh - Also done by דם�.1magicians – Lasts for seven days

Frogs – Warning – Done by Aaron – In front of Pharaoh – Also done by צפרדע�.2magicians למען תדע כי אין כה' א'– Moshe prays that they go away the next day.

אצבע אלקים היא Lice – No warning – Aaron –affected humans and animals כנים�.3

למען�תדע�כי�אני�ה'�בקרב�הארץ


Wild animals – warning – Hashem - not in Goshen – Pharoh begins to ערוב�.4negotiate – Moshe prays that it go away the next day.– Animals die –warning – Hashem – Does not kill Jewish owned animals דבר�.5 Boils – No warning - In front of Pharaoh –By Moshe and Aaron – uses soot שחין�.6– effects humans and animals.בעבור�תדע�כי�אין�כמני�בכל�הארץ�בעבור�הראתך�את�כחי�ולמען�ספר�

שמי�בכל�הארץ Hail –Warning – Moshe – Not in Goshen –Moshe prays for him outside of the ברד�.7city.ולמען�תספר�באזני�בנך�ובן�בנך�את�אשר�התעללתי�במצרים�ואת�אתתי�

אשר�שמתי�בם�וידעתם�כי�אני�ה'– Locusts – warning – Moshe – Moshe prays for him to stop the mako ארבה�.8Darkness – No warning – Moshe חושך�.9First Born – Warning - Hashem מכת�בכורות�.10

חין שIt seems quite strange that Moshe or Aaron always used their stick to bring about

the makoh. The only time they changed their procedure was for the plague of Shchin. Now they used soot! Why the sudden change of tactics? Why not use their stick as they had always done?

Perhaps the answer is that the ancient people didn't know anything about germs or viruses but they probably must have realized that many diseases spread by touch. They knew that if a person had leprosy than he had to be sent away from others or he may contaminate them. They probably were able to figure out that if a person has smallpox or boils and touches another person, then the touched person catches the disease. Had Moshe used the stick to bring about boils then they may have believed that the stick had somehow become contaminated and Moshe was spreading the disease through his contaminated stick. The only thing that destroys all germs is fire. Soot therefore is completely free of all diseases and never can cause any contamination. This may be why Moshe was commanded to bring about Boils by using soot rather than his stick. (P. S. please Note that I’m still trying To figure out a better answer but so far was unable to do so).

Magic and Witchcraft


Magic is usually divided into two different categories. There is the magic practiced by the great magicians of today and there is black-magic, witchcraft, or sorcery. The Torah forbids both types, yet, the punishments for them are different. For magic, the punishment is 39 lashes, while for practicing witchcraft, it is stoning. Members of the Sanhedrin were therefore required to know the difference between the two.

All of today's magicians will readily admit that they are only practicing the art of deceit and deception. Even the world's greatest magicians such as David Copperfield, or David Blain, who can make the Statute of Liberty disappear in front of your eyes or cut a person in half and put him back together again will readily admit that they are just fooling you and the stunt is based on some clever deception. However, black

magic claims that they can actually change or defy the laws of nature and can make the supernatural happen. They claim they can bend spoons just by looking at them, or speak to the dead, or have psychic powers to read people's minds and know their past and predict their future. Supernatural claims made by people like Uri Geller fall within the category of witchcraft. Yet, today, all those who have claimed to have supernatural powers have been proven to be con-artists. So far, all those who have claimed to be able to use incantations or other supernatural means to make the impossible happen, or to talk to the dead, have all been proven to be frauds. While we don't know what happened in ancient times, nowadays it's all been proven to be a hoax. Some say that these powers never really existed, while others claim they

were forgotten over time. The Randy Foundation offers over a million-dollar reward for anyone that can show any paranormal powers. So far, many have tried but there have still been no takers.

Historically, both magic and witchcraft trace their origin to the priests of avoda zorah- idol worship. The priests of various religions used their magical knowledge and abilities to convince their followers to worship their false gods. Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism and many other religions, are based on the supposed miraculous powers and miracles of their founders. Unfortunately, even Jews used its powers to convince the people to serve the Golden Calf in the desert and latter in Dan. Many


of their practices, especially some of their medical practices, are based on their false beliefs and therefore are prohibited to Jews

who are forbidden to use medical methods or practices that are or were based on idolatry. This is why rabbonim

must be familiar with them. For instance, the use of Chi, a type of energy healing system used even today,

has its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. One must be familiar with certain alternative medical

practices in order to make sure that they are not used, based, or rooted, in the worship of idolatry.

It's rather interesting to note that even the practice of saying pesukim over a wound in order that it should heal is forbidden in Shulchan Aruch.(See Rambam Hilchos Avoda Zara perek 11.) Certain illnesses are caused or are affected by anxiety and therefore saying soothing words over a wound is permitted even on the Shabbos, since it may have a placebo affect and

help calm a person down.

The Rambam (Hilchos Avoda Zara perek 11) as well as some others dismiss magic as nothing but clever trickery and deception and claim that there is no such thing and never was anything as true black magic. The Egyptians who were able to perform the first two plagues did it through clever trickery and even any amateur magician of today can easily change a stick into a snake, or turn water into blood, or make frogs jump out of an empty hat.

Actually it may very well be that black magic or sorcery was done by using Hashem's Holy Names. We find that the Golden Calf as well as the large golden idol put up by King Baalshetzar that was able to speak was made by putting Hashem's Holy Name into them. When one desecrates Hashem's Holy Name and uses it for idolatrous purposes, then the punishment is stoning. The Gemora Sanhedrin tells us that Rava created a man using the secret Names of Hashem found in the Sefer Yetzirah. This was only permitted for the purpose pf study.

Bilam's powers of sorcery seem to be fraudulent and were probably based on his powers of prophecy. The Gemora Brochos tells us that he was able to know the one moment each day when Hashem got angry. He used this moment to put a curse and kill his enemies, while making believe that he was doing it through his


magical skills. During all the time that he tried to put a curse on the Jews, he failed. That's because Hashem never became angry during those days, and therefore his supposed witchcraft didn't work.

G-d's Myriads of MessengersWhen Moshe came to Pharaoh and told him to let the yidden go, Pharaoh's most

obvious question to Moshe probably was "why did G-d send you? What need does a G-d have to sending messengers? He certainly knows my address and can speak for Himself. What need is there for a G-d to send a human messenger? Let Him deliver His message personally.

Moshe turned the stick into a snake thereby implying that The King of Kings has no reason to make house calls or a personal appearance. He has an infinite amount of messengers who can do His bidding. For people who speak loshon horah, slander and dare use their evil tongue to deny His existence or refuse to harken to His voice, Hashem sends them his trusted messenger the snake to deliver His message.

Scientists have found that a snake has infrared sensors that can detect and find a human even in total darkness. One cannot hide from a snake. So, too, one cannot hide from Hashem. Hashem has an infinite amount of messengers that stand ready to do his bidding. Hashem sent Pharaoh a small sampling of His mighty messengers that soon proved to him who is running the show. Not only did Hashem send them

out, but He also has full control of them at all times. The wild animals could only go up to where they were permitted. While the animals couldn't read the road signs, they didn't step even an inch into the land of Goshen. They did exactly as they were told. "'lo yomir es d'voro." (Thillim)

When the Yidden in the


midbor dared bad-mouth Hashem and His faithful servant Moshe, it was the snakes that came to his immediate defense and bit them. This taught them a lesson they would long remember.

Throughout history, G-d has sent out his messengers that do His bidding with deadly accuracy. No angel is given two jobs. That's because there is no limit to the amount of Angels at His command.

When the Roman General Titus dared challenge G-d's power and great might, Hashem sent out a small fly to do battle with him. It made him suffer in horrid agony for many years until it finally chewed away and destroyed his brain.

And so today too, Hashem sends out His messengers to every remote corner of the earth. Yet the smallest of all His messengers is probably the deadly virus. For thousands of years these deadly messengers were invisible. It was only in recent years that scientists have discovered them.

Every time we catch a cold or get some other sickness we hear someone saying that it's probably a virus, yet most of us know very little about what a virus is, how it spreads, and how we can get rid of it. While we may know that there are many sicknesses that are caused by some very small germs called bacteria, there are other illnesses caused by something far smaller and much more deadly called a virus. While bacteria are very small indeed, and can only be seen with the use of a microscope, viruses are far smaller and can only be seen by using a special microscope called an electron microscope that can enlarge things more than a billion times. If we'd put a virus next to a bacterium, the bacterium would look like a mountain in comparison. One can put a billion viruses on the tip of a needle and there would still be plenty of space between them. In fact, they are so small that they defy our imagination. Even the largest virus is billions of times smaller than a speck of dust.

The only thing we can do about a virus is to try and prevent it from harming our bodies before it actually attacks us. We do that by giving a person something we call a vaccine. This vaccine is able to arouse the body to make anti-virus chemicals that are able to recognize a virus when it dares enter the body, and will seek it out and kill it along with the cell in which it is hiding, before the virus does any irreparable damage.

Many times a virus can hide in the body cells without us knowing it is there. Only


much later does it come out of hiding and start causing lots of trouble. What makes it come out of its hiding place? Scientists still are not sure of the answer. Perhaps someday they will find out.

Yet, while scientists still haven't figured it out, Jews have known the answer for a very long time. The story of what happened in Mitzrayim gave us a clue. G-d has a powerful army, navy and air force that stands ready to do His bidding. Sometimes He sends frogs, lice, wild animals, locusts or even the angel of death. We must always realize that Hashem has myriads of messengers that stand ready to do His bidding. If we vaccinate the body against one type of virus, the virus can easily change into another type for which the shot will be ineffective. This is why there is no vaccine against the common cold. The only way we can truly get rid of them for good is by doing G-d's will. As long as we keep the Torah and do His mitzvos, the Torah assures us that all the sicknesses that Hashem brought upon the Egyptians will not come upon us. Only by listening to His voice will we be assured that the virus will remain dead and not come to life! May we all merit many years of good health.

רבי�יהודה�היה�נותן�בהם�סמנים:ישפוך�מן�הכוס�ג"פ:

דצ"��עד"ש�באח"ב

אח"ב צ"ך עד"ש ב נים ד הם סמ י יהודה היה נותן ב רבAt first sight, this entire statement seems quite strange. After all, what purpose

would Rabbi Yehudah have by giving us this simple abridgment of the Ten Makkos? Anyone who has the slightest problem remembering their order could have simply done the very same thing. What purpose does his simple abbreviation serve? Besides, who needs this abbreviation altogether? Any child can memorize them in a matter of minutes. What is this memory aid all about? One certainly doesn't need the aid of the great Rabbi Yehudah to teach us how to make contractions or memory aids!

Some meforshim answer that these were the letters inscribed on Moshe's stick. In fact, this can be found in the Medrash. Yet, this still fails to answer our original


question; it just raises another one. Why was it necessary to put these letters on the stick altogether? What purpose did they serve? Secondly, why does Rabbi Yehudah take the credit for giving this abbreviation? He should simply have stated that these abbreviations of the makkos were inscribed on Moshe's stick. Why does Rabbi Yehuda take all the credit for himself?

Some meforshim try to explain that Rabbi Yehudah is trying to make sure we know the proper order of the makkos. That's because in Tehillim we find the makkos arranged in an entirely different order. Rabbi Yehudah wants to make sure we make no mistake and therefore puts it in the correct order. This answer, too, just doesn't seem right at all. Firstly, the correct order was just given to us in the Haggadah. So why follow it with Rabbi Yehudah‘s abbreviation? Besides, anyone studying the Chumash knows without a doubt what the correct order is. It's the order found in Tehillim that needs an explanation! Certainly the correct order is clearly the one given in the Torah. Rabbi Yehudah has no need to tell us this!

However, if one takes a very close look at what's happening here, you will see at once that Rabbi Yehudah is not just giving us a simple memory aid. There's something far deeper happening here!

A quick glance into the Chumash should immediately alert you to the fact that the makkos seem to be classified into three distinct groups. That's because you'll notice at once that the first two makkos came only after Pharaoh was given a warning while the third makkoh came without any warning at all. This same scenario happened with the next three makkos. Makkos numbers four and five came after a proper warning, whereas mako number six came without any warning at all. Once again, we find that makos seven and eight did have a prior warning, whereas makkoh number nine had no warning at all. The last one did have a warning. This immediately leads us to believe that the makkos are arranged into three groups. Hashem gives Pharaoh two warnings and when he doesn't take heed, He gives him the third one without any warning whatsoever.

This indicates that the ten makkos are actually sub divided into three separate groups. Each of these three groups served a completely different purpose, as we will soon see in our upcoming explanation. Rabbi Yehudah is simply trying to tell us to break the makkos דצ"ך'�עד"ש'�באח"ב up into three different sets . He leaves it up to us to figure out what these three different groups are all about. Luckily, if we can't figure it out ourselves we have plenty of meforshim that give us a hand. There's the


Ramban, Kli Yokor, Alshich, Maharal, Malbim and many more that give various different reasons for this breakdown into three distinct sets.

For those who may find it too difficult to look them up, let me just give you a few of their most interesting explanations. A look into the various meforshim will reveal many other ones. Yet, in order to properly comprehend the difference of each individual set or group of makkos, let us first examine the purpose that the makkos served.

One purpose was of course, to punish the Egyptians for their great cruelty toward the yidden. The second purpose was to show that Hashem alone is the Creator and Master of the Universe and has full control at all times.

Let me begin by introducing you to a most important Ramban found at the end of Parshas Bo. This Ramban is a very basic one. I would actually advise you to learn it through in its entirety. For the purpose of this essay, I'll just take out a short part of it. To explain the entire Ramban needs a complete essay on its own. The Ramban says as follows. (Please note that I've elaborated on it so that you can better understand what the Ramban is saying.)

In the time of Enosh, people began going astray and stopped their worship of the true G-d. There were those atheists who denied the complete existence of a G-d. They probably believed in the nonsense that the world came about by a big explosion, as some still believe today. In fact, today it's given the name "big bang theory." Others began to serve various idols with the mistaken notion that many different gods created the world. After all how-could one and the same god have created such opposites as fire and water. Each tribe or nation would, of course choose the god that it deemed was either the most powerful god or the one they needed the most. Egypt, in fact, chose to serve the Nile River, because it was the most important for their economy. Egypt has very little rain and is therefore completely dependent on the Nile flooding its banks and pouring its waters into the many canals that irrigate their fields. Other tribes may have chosen to worship the sun since it was so important in making everything grow and bringing warmth and light to the world.

In fact, one should also look into the Rambam in hilchos Avodah Zoroh that explains how idol worship began. Being that Hashem Himself could not be seen, people mistakenly thought that it was permissible to serve one of G d's servants. They mistakenly thought that if they worship the sun or any of Hashem's other


servants in the sky or on earth then they will help them by giving them whatever they ask for. They thought that in this way they were giving him honor. This was their basic mistake. Hashem wants us to serve only Him alone and not any of His creations. Of course, as time went on, people soon forgot that the sun which they were worshipping was but one of Hashem's many servants. They now began thinking that the sun had its own godly powers. This is how they slowly slipped away from the proper service of Hashem.

Certainly, explains the Ramban, it is not necessary for Hashem to prove His greatness over and over again in every generation, or to every rosho who foolishly wishes to deny His existence or great power. He therefore made it unmistakably clear once and for all that He is the true Creator and Master of the entire Universe, and there is none other besides Him. This He did in the form of great signs and miracles culminating with Matan Torah, where every Jew heard and saw for himself the Ten Commandments.

In order not to have to give a repeat performance in every generation, Hashem commanded that it all be recorded in the Holy Torah for posterity and thereby be passed on to all future generations. It had to be passed on from father to son in an uninterrupted chain, until our present generation. Our belief is based on first-hand information given to us by our own father, who heard it from his father, going back all the way to Matan Torah And, as the Ramban adds אין�אדם�מוריש�שקר�לבניו- a father does not inherit falsehoods to his children. Furthermore, it was not just one single person testifying to the truth of what took place in Mitzrayim and at Matan Torah but rather the personal testimony of an entire nation.

This, by the way, is where our religion differs from all others. Theirs are all based on the belief in one individual who supposedly claimed that god told him something. If that individual is discredited then you are left with nothing! Our religion, however, is based on everyone being personal witnesses to all the makkos and later personally witnessing Matan Torah. Every single person in Klal Yisroel saw and heard everything on his very own. Nobody was required to take someone else's word for it. Six hundred thousand men over the age of 20, plus many more women and children, all heard it with their very own ears and saw it with their very own eyes.

Now let's go back to the makkos and see what each set came to prove.

We find that when Moshe first came to Paroh, Paroh immediately denied the


existence of Hashem, altogether. His immediate retort was: אשמע אשר� ה,� �מי�בקולו�לשלח�את�ישראל?�לא�ידעתי�את�ה.

He claimed he did not know Hashem. Therefore, the purpose of the first three Makos was to prove Hashem's existence and that it was He who created heaven and earth. In fact, by the first Makkoh�of דם the posuk says: וידע�כי�אני�ה. This indicates that the purpose of the first three Makos was to show that it was Hashem who created the world.

There were many however that claimed that after G-d had completed His creation He had no more interest in His handiwork and therefore abandoned the world and allowed it to run completely on its own. They falsely claimed that G-d has no knowledge of what's happening down here on earth, and that He has completely removed Himself from our lowly world, chas v'sholom. They say that we are governed only by the laws of nature. They seem to think that the world is like a computer that has been programmed to perform in a certain way, and therefore the original programer lacks control of what's happening. Therefore the second set of makkos came to show that not only did Hashem create the world, but that He also knows exactly what's happening at every moment, and that He also has total control of His creations every single second. These three makkos therefore came to disprove all these false claims, as we shall explain later. That is why by the Makkoh of in order that you will know - למען�תדע�כי�אני�ה,�בקרב�הארץ :the posuk says ,ערובthat I am Hashem in the midst of the land.

By the last set of Makos�-the posuk says: למען�תדע�כי�אין�כמוני�בכל�הארץ "in order that you will know that there is none like Me in the entire land." The Ramban says that the purpose of this set of makkos was to show that He rules over the entire universe, and that there is none other besides Him. As we proudly proclaim when we say "Hashem echod" - Hashem is one and there is no other. They clearly came to show that there was no other power like Hashem in the entire universe.

Also, there were those who falsely claimed that the world was a free-for-all, and one is free to do as he wishes. There is no reward or punishment for doing right or wrong. Hashem does not care what we do. These makkos would also prove that even though G-d gave man the freedom of choice, man is ultimately held responsible and accountable for his every deed and action. The world is far from a free-for-all!

Now that we've explained the purpose of each of the three sets of makkos, let's


examine them more carefully to see how they actually proved the above- mentioned points:

Set דצ"ך

1 This first makkoh of the water turning to blood was an open attack on the דםEgyptian god It was Hashem Who controlled the waters and not anyone

else. He had the complete power to change it at will to anything He so desired. The real G-d of Water was none other than Hashem Himself. His credentials were clearly proven with the very first Makkoh.

And if you have any doubts as to Hashem's control of His creations, the animals that dwell inside of the water, then the next makkoh would prove that as well.

2 The frog is a creature that starts its life as a water animal in the form צפרדעof a tadpole. At a later stage it turns into a frog , which lives in water as well

as on land. Perhaps the frog was chosen for this very reason, since by graduating from a water animal to one that can also live on earth shows its clear advantage and supremacy over others, like fish, that can only exist in water. Hashem makes them reproduce and multiply at an unbelievable rate and then sends them off as His army to invade the entire Egypt. Just to show us that He has never actually lost control of them, He shows us that He can kill them anytime He so wishes. This is a clear proof that He has full con trol of His creatures at all times. And so when Moshe tells Pharaoh that they will all die the very next day (except for the ones in the river) as Pharaoh had asked him to do, it is certain proof that Hashem has complete control, as the posuk says: למען�תדע�כי�אין�כה,�אלקינו, The word Elokim is used to designate nature. Hashem Elokim הטבעcomes to show that Hashem made the laws of nature and is in complete control of them (96 =אלוקים��).

3 this makkoh seems to have come to establish the fact that the two כניםprevious makkos were not the work of black magic as the magicians of

Pharoh tried to make him believe. Magic has no power on an object smaller than the size of a grain of barley. Therefore, the Egyptians had to finally admit that it was all the finger of G-d-אצבע�אלקים. Moshe's signs and wonders were now authenticated


as being G-d's work alone.

Perhaps this makkoh also sent another message. Even the tiny little louse, one of the smallest visible creatures of the entire creation, was in the complete control of Hashem.

Now let's continue on to the second set of עד"ש

4 Hashem sent out His army of wild animals and they invaded the entire ערובMitzrayim. Yet they had specific limitations. They could not overstep their

bounds by even a single step. They could go only up to the land of Goshen and not one inch more. A clear indication that even an animal cannot overstep its limits and bounds set by Hashem. Each can only do exactly what he has been given permission to do. By putting down a boundary, Hashem shows that He has total control over His creations. This then is the reason of והפלתי The animals had clearly defined limitations. They were far from being out of control and going wherever they pleased. They were in Hashem's control at all times.

5 Not only can Hashem give life, but He can put an end to it whenever דברHe so pleases. A clear distinction is made between an animal owned by an

Egyptian and one owned by a Jew. This is clear proof that death is not just random selection. It is under the exacting control of Hashem. Nothing happens by chance. It is not survival of the fittest! Hashem decides which animals survive.

One should also note that these two makkos were not done my Moshe or Ahron but by Hashem Himself. This explains the Alshich is because these two makkos had very specific boundaries. There had to be a very clear distinction between the Egyptions and the Yidden.

6 Once again, a clear distinction is made. Every Egyptian is stricken with שחיןboils from head to toe, yet not a single Jew is affected. The human too is

under Hashem's control. He can be held accountable for all his actions and can be


punished at will if he does not heed Hashem's command.

Many times we see people stricken with various diseases. We may perhaps get the impression that it strikes by chance and at random. That's only because we fail to see the clearly-defined street map. Yet, up in Heaven, there is a clear road map. Nothing is by random choice. Nothing just happens haphazardly. There's a clear distinction between the guilty and the innocent.

Now we come to the final set of four makkos. Let's examine them in closer detail:

Set three באח"ב

7 The average person thinks that the weather is controlled by the elements ברדof wind, sun, clouds, etc. It appears to lack any Divine control. It seems to

run in its own chaotic haphazard fashion. Yet this makkoh started at the very precise moment that Moshe had predicted. Exactly when the shadow of the sun came to the point on the wall to which Moshe had pointed, the hailstorm began. Perhaps one can also explain that it is the rain that was the source of the Nile River which the Egyptians served. With this makkoh, Hashem clearly showed that He was also in total control of its heavenly source. There was no other god in control. Hashem ruled both in heaven and earth

8 These flying insects destroyed the last bit of food left in Egypt. Perhaps ארבהthe message here was that even the birds that seem to fly free in the heavens

above, are in the control of Hashem. They come and go at His bidding.

9 The sun, the moon, the planets and stars; the entire universe is חשךcontrolled by none other than Hashem Himself. There is no place in the

universe that is beyond His control. His power reaches the farthest limits.

10 The human soul, which is by far the highest element of מכת בכורותcreation, is within Hashem's control at every moment. Life and death is

Hashem's decision. He can take it or give it at any moment He so desires. There is


no power that can stop Him from doing as He wishes.

With these makkos, Hashem has now shown His power and exacting control over the entire universe. Let me just add a most interesting explanation offered by the Maharal. He explains these three sets of makkos as follows:

The universe can be divided into three general parts. We have the earth, the heaven and the space in between.

The first set of three makkos represented objects that were part of the earth itself. Water is part of the earth. Frogs are born in the water. Lice come from the earth itself.

The second set of makkos represents objects on the earth's surface. Wild beasts, a plague of the animals, and boils are considered things that live on the earth's surface.

The last set of makkos represent objects in Heaven itself; hail, locusts, darkness are all considered part of the sky.

The last one aimed at a person's soul, whose source far transcends even the heavens above.

The makkos therefore were intended to show that Hashem rules over the entire universe. Each set was aimed to prove His power over a specific domain.

Actually, the Maharal continues his theory in much greater detail, as he tries to show how each of the three makkos which comprise a set were actually made up of the two opposite extremes and the middle. His explanation is very complicated and therefore I won't even attempt to explain it here. Let the reader search for himself if he is really curious to find out more.

I'm sure that there is much more that one can discover if one studies the makkos in more depth. As the Haggadah so eloquently puts it: ביציאת לספר� המרבה� �וכל�במצרים�הרי�זה�משובח


A Look into Tehillim Perek 105A look into kapital ק"ה will raise some very difficult problems.Here the order goes as follows:

בכורות�8)�ארבה�7)�ברד�6) כנים�5) ערב�4) צפרדע�3) דם�2) חושך (1

חומש

דםצפרדע

כנםערבדברשחיןברד

ארבהחשךבכרת

תהלים�ק"ה

חשךדם

צפרדעערבכנםברד

ארבהבכרת

Of course, one realizes at once that:חשך and כנים :�are missing. 2)�The following are out of orderשחין and דבר3) Why of all the makkos should חשך go first if it was next to the last mako?Let's start with some of the Meforshim:Please Note: You can skip the next part and go directly to the answer.

(1 The Ibn Ezra says that דבר andשחין� were not mentioned because we don't find Pharaoh asking Moshe to take away these two makkos.

Now that may be perfectly true, but neither do we find Pharaoh asking for חשך to be taken away. Yet דם is mentioned. (In fact, by כנים and חשך we don't find Pharaoh making any request that they be taken away either. They simply lasted for one week, and that was that.)

Furthermore, it was absolutely useless for Pharaoh to ask Moshe to take awa מצרים Every single animal was already dead .דבר מקנה� כל� as it says. He וימת�


had nothing more to lose! Why should this be a factor in not listing it as one of the makkos?

Anyway, the Ibn Ezra doesn't bother telling us the reason for the change in order of the other makkos. It must be too simple!

Now for a look into the Malbim.

(Posuk כ"ח): "The makkos are divided into three sets: is the last of set דצ"ך�עד"ש� ".number three, therefore it's the first one mentioned here חשךn- באח"ב

I) I simply fail to understand his reasoning. Because something is last it's put first! Why? Give me a good reason! Besides, it's not the last of the third set but rather next to last!

is because we don't find that כנים is after ערוב Next! "The reason why כנים (2 If כנים was actually ever taken away, therefore it was also around during !מכת�ערובyou follow this reasoning then כנים should have been around by all the rest of the makkos as well. So why not put after them all? Besides פשוטו�של�מקרא tells us that no makkoh started before the previous one ended. Each one lasted for one week only! Why was this mako any different?

because אבל�על�הדבר�לא�בקש�כי�הלא�במקרה and שחין Next! "He skips דבר (3Pharaoh did not ask Moshe to take these away from him." This is exactly what the Ibn Ezra said. The same questions we asked on the Ibn Ezra apply here as well! But, wait a minute! He makes the following statement. He says as follows The reason why he did not ask that דבר be taken away is because he thought that the entire makkoh was nothing but a coincidence. After all, there are always epidemics."

This reasoning is most difficult to understand. Every single animal is dead and Pharaoh doesn't ask Moshe to take the makkoh away because he thinks that it's all a "coincidence". What coincidence? There aren't any animals left so the makkoh comes to a complete halt on its very own! There's nothing left to save! There is nothing there to stop! What does this have to do with מקרה?

(I’d greatly appreciate if one of my readers could come up with a possible explanation to what’s going on)


בכור�השבי�אשר�בבית�הבור�עדWhen American bombs fell over Iraq and surely killed some innocent Iraqis

who certainly had nothing to do with the war, there was barely any public outcry. When the UN placed sanctions on Iraq and many innocent women and children suffer, nevertheless the sanctions continue. When the US went into Afghanistan and accidentally hit innocent people the government explained that was all part of the war and couldn't be helped.

Yet when Israel closes off the West Bank and doesn't allow any terrorists to infiltrate, there is widespread condemnation, anger, and a media outcry. Why must innocent Palestinians suffer? "What right does Israel have to put the territories under a state of siege," they ask?

The Torah tells us that during the plague of "makos b'choros" the killing of the firstborn - even those firstborn children of captured maids who were imprisoned in an Egyptian dungeon were killed by G-d. Rashi tells us that their crime was that they too were happy when the Jews suffered.

Everyone remembers quite well how when the Iraqi scud missiles came raining down on Israel, it was the Palestinians who stood on their rooftops and cheered. Everyone remembers how the Palestinians danced in the street when the Twin Towers came crashing down. Palestinians don't just cheer, but their towns and villages act as a haven for terrorists. The Palestinians use their own children as human shields, yet cry out when their children get killed in the crossfire.

One wonders at the media's duplicity. Why is it that Jewish blood can be spilled like water, but self-defense is seen as an act of murder?

The Torah teaches us that those who are happy when others suffer are just as guilty as those that take part in the cruelty itself. Even those in the Egyptian jails were punished for rejoicing at the suffering Jews.

אומר�רבי�יוסי�הגלילי� אתה� מנין� אומר,�במצרים� המצרים� שלקו�


עשר�מכות�ועל�הים�לקו�חמשים�מכות.�במצרים�מה�הוא�אומר,�ויאמרו�החרטמים�אל�פרעה�אצבע�א1הים�היא.�וירא�ישראל�את�היד�הגדולה� ועל�הים�מה�הוא�אומר,�אשר�עשה�יהוה�במצרים�וייראו�העם�את�יהוה�ויאמינו�ביהוה�ובמשה�עבדו.�כמה�לקו�באצבע�עשר�מכות.�אמור�חמשים� לקו� הים� ועל� מכות� עשר� לקו� במצרים� מעתה,�

מכות:

מנין�שכל�מכה�ומכה�רבי�אליעזר�אומר,�שהביא�הקדוש�ברו(�הוא�על�המצרים�במצרים�היתה�של�ארבע�מכות.�שנאמר,�מלאכי� משלחת� וצרה� וזעם� עברה� אפו� חרון� בם� ישלח�משלחת� ש1ש.� וצרה� שתים.� וזעם� אחת.� עברה� רעים.�מלאכי�רעים�ארבע.�אמור�מעתה,�במצרים�לקו�ארבעים�

מכות�ועל�הים�לקו�מאתים�מכות:

ומכה�רבי�עקיבא�אומר,� מכה� שכל� מנין�ברו(� הקדוש� שהביא�הוא�על�המצרים�במצרים�היתה�של�חמש�מכות.�שנאמר,�מלאכי� משלחת� וצרה� וזעם� עברה� אפו� חרון� בם� ישלח�וצרה� ש1ש.� וזעם� שתים.� עברה� אחת.� אפו� חרון� רעים.�ארבע.�משלחת�מלאכי�רעים�חמש.�אמור�מעתה�במצרים�

לקו�חמשים�מכות�ועל�הים�לקו�חמשים�ומאתים�מכותWhile there were ten plagues in all, each one of the plagues actually harmed the

Egyptians in four or five different ways. Let's take the plague of blood as an example.


Besides not being able to drink water, they were unable to bath or clean themselves. They had no water with which to cook. It also affected their food supply by killing the fish in the water. In addition it also contaminated the air by causing a foul smell throughout the land. So, too, each of the other plagues was really a combination of either four or five different plagues. They may have caused hunger, pain, bodily injury, destruction, loss of money, and fear, etc.

קום עלינו: ה מעלות טובות למ מ כ1.�אלו�הוציאנו�ממצרים,�וCא�עשה�בהם�שפטים�דינו:

2.�אלו�עשה�בהם�שפטים,�וCא�עשה�באCהיהם�דינו:

3.�אלו�עשה�באCהיהם,�וCא�הרג�את�בכוריהם�דינו:

4.�אלו�הרג�את�בכוריהם,�וCא�נתן�לנו�את�ממונם�דינו:

5.�אלו�נתן�לנו�את�ממונם,�וCא�קרע�לנו�את�הים�דינו:

6.�אלו�קרע�לנו�את�הים,�וCא�העבירנו�בתוכו�בחרבה�דינו:

7.�אלו�העבירנו�בתוכו�בחרבה,�וCא�שקע�צרינו�בתוכו�דינו:

8.�אלו�שקע�צרינו�בתוכו,�וCא�ספק�צרכנו�במדבר�ארבעים�שנה�דינו:

9.�אלו�ספק�צרכנו�במדבר�ארבעים�שנה,�וCא�האכילנו�את�המן�דינו:

10.�אלו�האכילנו�את�המן,�וCא�נתן�לנו�את�השבת�דינו:

11.�אלו�נתן�לנו�את�השבת,�וCא�קרבנו�לפני�הר�סיני�דינו:

12.�אלו�קרבנו�לפני�הר�סיני,�וCא�נתן�לנו�את�התורה�דינו: Here's a classic question that I've seen in many of the meforshim on the Haggadah:

What purpose could there have been in bringing us close to Har Sinai without giving us the Torah? After all, the entire purpose of bringing us to Har Sinai was matan


Torah! So what do we mean by saying that just going close to Har Sinai was enough? What would it have a c c o m p l i s h e d if we wouldn't have received the Torah?

I've seen various answers to this question. Some say that there was a spiritual experience just by being present at

Har Sinai, even without matan Torah. Just being at the site of the mountain would have elevated us to a higher spiritual level.

Yet, I would like to propose a much simpler and more obvious answer to this question. At Har Sinai we were given both the Aseres Ha'dibros - the Ten Commandments as well as the Torah. The Torah was later written down in segments and was first completed when Moshe passed away. Here we refer to being brought to Har Sinai and only receiving the Ten Commandments and not the entire Torah. This certainly would have been a great accomplishment in itself, even without having received the entire Torah with all its 613 commandments. Had we only received the Aseres Ha'dibros it certainly would have been Dayenu!

13.�אלו�קרבנו�לפני�הר�סיני,�וCא�נתן�לנו�את�התורה�דינו

14.�אלו�נתן�לנו�את�התורה,�וCא�הכניסנו�לארץ�ישראל�דינו:

15.�אלו�הכניסנו�לארץ�ישראל,�וCא�בנה�לנו�את�בית�הבחירה�דינו:�


למקום�על� ומכפלת� כפולה� טובה� וכמה� כמה� אחת�שפטים.� בהם� ועשה� ממצרים.� שהוציאנו� עלינו.�ועשה�בא1היהם.�והרג�את�בכוריהם.�ונתן�לנו�את�ממונם.�וקרע�לנו�את�הים.�והעבירנו�בתוכו�בחרבה.�ושקע�צרינו�בתוכו.�וספק�צרכנו�במדבר�ארבעים�שנה.�והאכילנו�את�המן.�ונתן�לנו�את�השבת.�וקרבנו�לפני�הר�סיני.�ונתן�לנו�ישראל.�ובנה�לנו�את�בית� והכניסנו�לארץ� את�התורה.�

הבחירה�לכפר�על�כל�עונותינו:

קום עלינו ה מעלות טובות למ מ כ

Showing Our Gratitude and Appreciation

From the moment a Jew rises in the morning until the moment we go to sleep in the evening we must constantly show our thankfulness, appreciation and gratitude to Hashem for all He does for us. On the night of Pesach, when we tell the story of our exodus from Egypt, it is not enough to just say thank you to Hashem for all He has done for us, but we must spell out our thanks in detail for ever single act of kindness shown toward us. Ha'koras hatov – recognizing and showing our appreciation for the kindness shown toward us is a basic requirement and duty of a human being. We must learn never to take things for granted and always thank those who do anything for us - especially our parents and rebbeiyim, even for the smallest thing they do on our behalf.

Imagine an American soldier discovering a young child in an Iraqi torture chamber. He frees the child, heals his wounds, gives him food and clothing, punishes his tormenters, gives him a home to live in, and even finds him a suitable girl to marry. Just saying thank you to the soldier would certainly not be enough. One would have


to show his appreciation and gratitude to the soldier for every single act of kindness shown toward him.

So, too, on the night we celebrate our anniversary of our exodus from Egypt, we don't just give a general broad Thank You to Hashem for His great mercy and kindness, but we spell out our appreciation and gratitude in very great detail. We list off a total of fifteen acts of kindness which we are grateful for. Hashem not only took us out of Egypt, but He also punished our oppressors and their gods. He killed their firstborn and gave us their money. He split the Sea, took us across on dry land, and drowned our enemies in it. He took care of all our needs in the desert for forty years and fed us the mon. He gave us the Shabbos as a day of rest and brought us to Har Sinai where He gave us the Torah. He brought us into Eretz Yisroel and even built us a Bais Hamikdash to forgive for our sins. How thankful and grateful we must be for Hashem's every single act of kindness bestowed toward us. We must not take anything for granted and show our appreciation for every act of kindness.

It is interesting to note that the number fifteen corresponds to the fifteen steps leading up to the entrance of the Temple, as well as the fifteen Shir Ha'malos found in Tehillim. It's also the number of days to reach a full moon and the day of the month we were taken out of Egypt.

גמליאל�היה�אומר,�כל�שFא�אמר�ש1שה�דברים�רבן�אלו�בפסח�1א�יצא�ידי�חובתו,�ואלו�הן:

פסח.�מצה.�ומרור:שהיו�אבותינו�אוכלים�בזמן�שבית�המקדש�היה�פסח�

קים�על�שום�מה.�על�שום�שפסח�הקדוש�ברו(�זבח� ואמרתם� שנאמר,� במצרים.� אבותינו� בתי� על� הוא�פסח�הוא�ליהוה�אשר�פסח�על�בתי�בני�ישראל�במצרים�

בנגפו�את�מצרים�ואת�בתינו�הציל�ויקד�העם�וישתחוו


"וככה תאכלו אותו, מתניכם חגרים, נעליכם ברגליכם, ומקלכם בידכם, ואכלתם אתו בחפזון פסח הוא לה,"

What's the Big Rush?Few people would feel comfortable eating a meal while holding a stick in one

hand, their belt fastened tightly, wearing shoes instead of house slippers and being told to finish eating the delicious grilled steak as quickly as possible. That's certainly not the way to enjoy a meal. Quite a strange requirement, isn't it?

Yet those were the orders given to the Bnei Yisroel on the night before they were to depart from Egypt. They would have to leave in a very big hurry and there would be little time to properly prepare for departure the next morning.

Yet, this commandment seems very strange indeed. We all know that the Yidden had to remain in their homes all night and weren't

permitted to leave until morning. How long does it actually take a person to grab his stick, put on his shoes and fasten his belt? Not more than a minute or two even if you're not an Olympic champion. Then why eat the korbon Pesach in

such an uncomfortable setting? Take it easy, relax, and eat the delicious roast slowly so that it gets digested properly. You've got all night to enjoy it

so why eat it so very quickly? What's the big hurry? What's the big rush? They had a long night ahead

o f them. They couldn't leave till the next morning anyway so they might as well enjoy the delicious meal of Pesach, M a t z o , and Moror before going on the long journey. Besides, it's not all that easy holding a stick in one hand and eating the Pesach-Matzoh-Maror in the other. Even when eating the korach sandwich of Matzo and Moror alone, we usually use both hands. At least that's the way I do it.

Certainly the requirement wasn't just a charade! It was a Mitzvah but why? What's the reason? What's the purpose?


Perhaps we can answer it with the following story: A prisoner that had spent his entire life languishing in a Russian prison located deep in Siberia was suddenly informed by the prison commander that he would soon be freed. One can just imagine the prisoner's great joy and elation on learning this fantastic news. He started making preparations and waited impatiently for the day that he would finally be let out from the dreadful prison. Just imagine his great letdown when after a month he was informed that it was all a mistake and that it had been decided that he would not be released. All his hopes were now dashed and he felt even worse than before. He had been riding on a high and now all his dreams were shattered.

A short time later he was again informed that the ruling had been overturned and it was decided that he would indeed be released very shortly. His joy and happiness knew no bounds as he waited impatiently for the great day of freedom to arrive. A few days passed by and to his great dismay he received word that it was all a mistake and under no circumstances would he be released from prison. All his hopes were shattered and he now felt worse than ever before. He fell into a terrible state of depression because of his great disenchantment.

Another month passed and once again he received word that things had suddenly changed for the better and he would in fact be freed very soon. His spirits soared as he hoped that this time it would be for real, and that nothing would change like the first two times.

Can you imagine his terrible letdown when he was notified a few days later that his release had been rescinded? His mood and spirits collapsed completely as all his great hopes lay crumbled before him.

Time and time again the above process was repeated until he realized that all the commander's promises were totally worthless and he simply refused to believe anything he was told. He realized that the promises were nothing but a hoax and no more then a balloon filled with lots of hot air. And so after having been lied to nine times he finally lost all hope of ever being freed. And so when the commander came along for the tenth time now and told him that he was to be released the very next day, he simply didn't even bother listening to what he had to say. He had gone through so many disappointments and false alarms that he refused to believe anything anymore. He was sure that this was only being done in order to torture him and make his life even more miserable.


The only way the prisoner was convinced that this time he was actually being released from prison was when they made him a big party and gave him a beautiful set of new clothes in exchange for his old prison clothes and told him that he has to eat the food real fast because any minute the wagon will come to pick him up. Only now was he convinced that this time it was all for real and that it wasn't another hoax.

The moshol is quite simple. Again and again Pharaoh had promised Moshe and Aaron that as soon as the mako would stop he would allow the yidden to leave. Yet his promises turned to naught. By the tenth time there were few people who actually believed him. They had suffered disappointment after disappointment and refused to believe that Pharaoh had now learned his lesson. Their spirits had gone up and down so many times that it was difficult for them to believe that this time it was for real.

It was only when they now roasted the Egyptian avodah zorah, a delicacy they had never dared roast before, eating it quickly with their belts fastened, a stick in their hand, and wearing their shoes, that they were convinced that now things were really going to happen. The Egyptian god was now totaly destroyed. This time they were truly going to be let out. This time they would finally get their promised freedom.

Yes! After spending 210 years in Mitzrayim with repeated broken promises, the Yidden's hopes of ever leaving were quite dim. They still could not accept their new reality with utmost conviction. They still had their well-deserved doubts. Maybe Pharaoh would still need a few more makos until he would be convinced to let them out. The first nine makos had left him stubborn as a mule. Maybe this mako would make him even more stubborn. In fact, he had become so outraged that he broke off all negotiations with Moshe completely. He didn't want to see him ever again!

And so even as the Yidden sat and ate their Pesach-Matzoh - Moror, some still may have had their doubts and reservations. Pharaoh shouted, "Get out! Get out! You are free! You are free!" But maybe by the next morning when things will have quieted and settled down a bit he'll have a change of mind as he usually had? He wasn't known for his great integrity. His promises weren't worth the paper they were written on. It could all turn out to be another false alarm!

Hashem therefore instructed them to eat the Korban in this very unusual manner so that they would actually already feel free that very night even though they were


still in Mitzrayim. Once a prisoner knows for sure that he can leave the prison anytime he wishes to, then for all practical purposes he no longer feels like he is in prison even though he may still be behind bars. Only by "tightening their belts, holding their sticks, wearing their shoes, and eating the meal very quickly" would they actually be put in the proper state and frame of mind and be fully convinced that their moment of freedom had finally arrived! They now felt fully confident that this time there would be no backing out. Their long bitter golus had finally ended! They were now free to leave anytime they wished! And so for all intents and purposes they were already free. Free in spirit and free in mind!

קרבן פסח

We Must Eat it Together There's an extremely strange requirement in conjunction with a korbon Pesach,

that we find by no other korbon, and that is that we must eat it בחבורה in a pre-assigned group. We can't just sit down and eat our delicious korbon with anyone we feel like. We must decide beforehand with whom we will shecht it and then eat it together in a group. One wonders then, why all this special fuss about eating it in a group? What difference could it make how we eat the korbon? בחבורה�-Why the great stress of eating it only in a group?

Perhaps the answer to this puzzling question lies in understanding the tremendous importance in not being an individual but rather being part of a group. A group carries within it great strength and power. There may be many times in a person's life that one can suddenly undergo personal tragedy in the family or in business, which may occasionally bring about periods of depression and if he's not very careful it may chas v'sholom cause him to fall in his personal adherence to Torah and Mitzvos. Of course, these must be seen as tests that Hashem is putting him through, and he must strengthen himself with all his power not to allow these worldly problems to chas v'sholom make him lose his faith and belief. However, sometimes, no matter how hard he tries, he is unable to pull himself free from his difficult plight.

This is the moment when we most desperately need to be part of a group. That's because


.�one can't extract oneself from prison-�אין�חבוש�מתיר�את�עצמו�מבית�האסוריםThe mere fact that he has friends and is not alone is of the greatest help. It is only their constant encouragement and the knowledge that he has someone around him that cares for him, that he is able to survive. It's very hard for a person all alone to rise out of depression, which in turn is the greatest danger to his avodas Hashem. This is when he needs to be part of a חבורה who will help sustain him until the dangers pass by.

The korbon Pesach represents the destruction of the Egyptian avodah zoroh. To many Jews, serving idols had become a very strong addiction. Not everyone had the courage, strength or ability to overcome their addiction on their own. Sometimes we need support groups such as Alcoholic Anonymous or Weight Watchers to encourage and enable us to fight an addiction. The Egyptian avodah zoroh wasn't easy to overcome. Without a חבורה, some people would be unable to extricate themselves from its powerful grip. Only by being part of a group could one hopefully overcome the strong and powerful addiction. One sometimes needs the helpful hands of others to support him and slowly drag him out. The unity of a group can do what no individual can do on his own. Only in the setting of a group can we feel secure that if we chas v'sholom should fail in our avodah, there will be someone there to grab hold of us and not let us fall.

Roasting the korban Pesach symbolized unity, says the Maharal. That's because roasting solidifies it. This may also be why it was not permitted to break a bone of the korban.

The Torah also teaches us that not only do we have an obligation to watch out for ourselves, but we must also be ready to care for others as well. We can't be loners. When extricating ourselves from the Egyptian avodah zoroh, we must learn to stand together. It's this achdus חבורה(togetherness) of a that gives us the strength we need to defeat our enemies and all the many forms that the Egyptian avodah zoroh represented and to survive this long and dark exile. Very few people can go it alone. Comradeship and solidarity, is the most important commodity a person can possess.

אוחז�המצה�בידו�ומראה�אותה�למסובין:�


על�מצה�זו אוכלים� שאנו� �שום� על� מה.� שום�אבותינו� של� בצקם� הספיק� שFא�מל(� עליהם� שנגלה� עד� להחמיץ�

הוא� ברו(� הקדוש� המלכים� מלכי�הבצק� את� ויאפו� שנאמר,� וגאלם.�

כי�גרשו� ממצרים�עגת�מצות�כי�1א�חמץ� אשר�הוציאו�ממצרים�ו1א�יכלו�להתמהמה�וגם�צדה�1א�עשו�להם:

אוחז�המרור�בידו�ומראה�אותו�למסובין:

על�מרור� מה.� שום� על� אוכלים� שאנו� זה�את� המצרים� שמררו� שום�

שנאמר,� במצרים.� אבותינו� חיי�קשה� בעבדה� חייהם� את� וימררו�בחמר�ובלבנים�ובכל�עבדה�בשדה�בהם� עבדו� אשר� עבדתם� כל� את�

בפר(:


In Teiman the minhag is to decorate the table with lettuce

דור�ודור�חיב�אדם�לראות�את�עצמו�כאלו�הוא�בכל�יצא�ממצרים.�שנאמר,�והגדת�לבנ�Bביום�ההוא�לאמר�בעבור�זה�עשה�יהוה�לי�בצאתי�ממצרים.�1א�את�אותנו� אף� אלא� הוא,� ברו(� הקדוש� גאל� בלבד� אבותינו�הביא� למען� משם� הוציא� ואותנו� שנאמר,� עמהם.� גאל�

אותנו�לתת�לנו�את�הארץ�אשר�נשבע�לאבותינו:

כל דור ודור חיב אדם לראות את בצרים. אלו הוא יצא ממ עצמו כ

In Each Generation We Must Perceive As If We, Too, Were Taken Out of EgyptIn order to understand how on the night of Pesach one can actually perceive

oneself as having been taken out of Egypt, let's give the following example. Imagine that as a young child our grandfather was enslaved in a Nazi concentration camp and was about to be shot. A great miracle occurred and he was saved from death and liberated from the camp. One now owes a twofold thanks to Hashem. Firstly, we must thank Hashem for having saved our grandfather. Secondly, we must realize that if Hashem had not saved and liberated him from the concentration camp, we would certainly not be around today. Our thanks to Hashem is therefore twofold.

One must realize that the slavery our fathers suffered in Egypt was so great that had Hashem not liberated us from there, it would have lasted to this present day, and therefore, even we, today, would still have been enslaved there. That's because our enslavement in Egypt was not only a physical one but also spiritual. Four fifths of the Jews became totally assimilated and integrated into Egyptian society and reached the


50th level of tumah from which there was no escape, and therefore died during the plague of darkness. This is why when the moment of our redemption finally came, Hashem took us out with such great speed and we didn't even have a chance to let the dough of our provision for the journey rise. Every moment may have meant the loss of another precious soul. This is why we must not only thank Hashem for what He did for our grandparents, but also at the same time feel that we owe Hashem a personal debt of gratitude for what He did for us as well! Had Hashem not taken us out just in the nick of time, we certainly wouldn't be around today.

Only by retelling and reliving the story of our exodus from Egypt in its every minute detail, and envisioning what a cruel tyrant and oppressor Pharaoh was and what a strong and powerful grip he held over his Jewish slaves, and the great spiritual danger Egyptian society posed, can we fully appreciate the great miracle that took place, and how we, too, were thereby liberated both physically and spiritually from his clutches!

In Each Generation We Must Perceive As If We, Too, Were Taken Out from Egypt

While most of us truly believe that we Americans are free men and can do as we wish, a careful analysis of our lifestyles may find this theory quite wanting. Many of us have unfortunately become enslaved to a lifestyle that demands more and more of our time. Our working hours have become longer in order for us to live a life of ever-increasing luxury. The more money we make the more our hearts desire. While we may not have Pharaoh's taskmasters standing over us and beating us when we don't complete the job, we've become our own cruel taskmasters. We have become enslaved to our ever increasing passions and desires. We are no longer happy with what we have today. We must always upgrade and try to keep up with the "Jones." Our simchas must compete with King Achashverosh's great feast even though we will have to take out a ten year mortgage to pay the caterer. We must work longer hours so that we can afford a nicer car and longer more exotic vacations. We come home so late from work that we sometimes can't even find a few minutes to talk or learn with our own children and instead have left them to be raised by maids and tutors.

On this night of Pesach when we recall our exodus from Egyptian slavery we must extract ourselves from our own life of slavery. While we may not be slaves of Pharaoh, we have become enslaved by our own passions and desires which robs us of our precious and valuable time which could better have been spent serving


Hashem. Let us remember that the only true free man is the one who is able to free one�self from all worldly obligations and immerse himself in the study of Torah as it says אין�לך�בן�חורין�אלא�מי�שעוסק�בתורה

יאחז�הכוס�בידו�ויכסה�המצות�ויאמר:�

לפאר�לפיכ�� לשבח� להלל� להודות� חיבים� אנחנו�לרומם�להדר�לבר(�לעלה�ולקלס�למי�שעשה�מעבדות� הוציאנו� האלו.� הנסים� כל� את� ולנו� לאבותינו�לחרות,�מיגון�לשמחה,�ומאבל�ליום�טוב,�ומאפלה�לאור�חדשה� שירה� לפניו� ונאמר� לגאלה,� ומשעבוד� גדול,�

הללויה:

יניח�הכוס�מידו�ויגלה�המצות:

יהוה:�הללויה� שם� את� הללו� יהוה.� עבדי� הללו�עולם:� ועד� מעתה� מבור(.� יהוה� שם� יהי�כל� על� רם� יהוה:� שם� מהלל� מבואו.� עד� שמש� ממזרח�גוים�יהוה.�על�השמים�כבודו:�מי�כיהוה�א1הינו�המגביהי�מעפר� מקימי� ובארץ:� בשמים� לראות� המשפילי� לשבת:�דל.�מאשפת�ירים�אביון:�להושיבי�עם�נדיבים.�עם�נדיבי�

עמו:�מושיבי�עקרת�הבית.�אם�הבנים�שמחה.�הללויה:

ישראל�ממצרים.�בית�יעקב�מעם�לועז:�היתה�בצאת�יהודה�לקדשו�ישראל�ממשלותיו:�הים�ראה�גבעות� כאילים.� רקדו� ההרים� לאחור:� יסב� הירדן� וינס.�לאחור:� תסב� הירדן� תנוס.� כי� הים� �Bל מה� צאן:� כבני�


אדון� מלפני� צאן:� כבני� גבעות� כאילים.� תרקדו� ההרים�מים.� אגם� הצור� ההפכי� יעקב:� אלוה� מלפני� ארץ.� חולי�

חלמיש�למעינו�מים:

יכסה�המצות�ויקח�הכוס�בידו�ויאמר:

גאלנו�ברו�� אשר� העולם,� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�הלילה� והגיענו� ממצרים,� אבותינו� את� וגאל�הזה�לאכל�בו�מצה�ומרור.�כן�יהוה�א1הינו�וא1הי�אבותינו�לקראתנו� הבאים� אחרים� ולרגלים� למועדים� יגיענו�ונאכל� �,Bבעבודת וששים� �,Bעיר בבנין� שמחים� לשלום,�שם�מן�הזבחים�ומן�הפסחים�(במוצ"ש�אומרים:�מן�הפסחים�ומן�הזבחים)�אשר�יגיע�דמם�על�קיר�מזבח�Bלרצון�ונודה�

אתה� ברו(� נפשנו:� פדות� ועל� גאלתנו� על� חדש� שיר� �Bליהוה�גאל�ישראל:

קודשא� יחוד� לשם� כוסות.� ארבע� של� שני� כוס� מצות� לקים� ומזומן� מוכן� הנני�נועם� ויהי� ישראל:� כל� בשם� ונעלם� טמיר� ההוא� ידי� על� ושכינתיה� הוא� ברי(�

אדני�א1הינו�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננה�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננהו:

ברו(�אתה�יהוה�א1הינו�מל(�העולם�בורא�פרי�הגפן:

ושותין�בהסבת�שמאל:

נוטל ידיו לסעודה ומברך:רחצה


קדשנו�ברו�� אשר� העולם� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�במצותיו�וצונו�על�נטילת�ידים:

מוציא�מצה�יקח�שלש�המצות�בידו�ויאמר:

הנני�מוכן�ומזומן�לקים�מצות�כוס�שני�של�ארבע�כוסות.�לשם�יחוד�קודשא�ברי(�הוא�ושכינתיה�על�ידי�ההוא�טמיר�ונעלם�בשם�כל�ישראל:�ויהי�נועם�


ויבצע�כזית�מן�המצה�העליונה�לשם�המוציא�וכזית�מהפרוסה�לשם�מצות�מצה,�ויאכלם�מיד�בלי�הפסק�בהסיבה.�ויזהר�שלא�ישיח�בין�הברכה�לאכילת�הכריכה:

אתה�יהוה�א1הינו�מל(�העולם�המוציא�לחם�ברו��מן�הארץ:

קדשנו�ברו�� אשר� העולם� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�במצותיו�וצונו�על�אכילת�מצה:

יקח כזית מרור ויטבול בחרוסת ויאכלנו בלא הסיבה:מרור



קדשנו�ברו�� אשר� העולם� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�במצותיו�וצונו�על�אכילת�מרור:

יקח כזית מן המצה השלישית וכזית חזרת עמה ויאכל שתיהן כורך

ביחד בהסיבה ובלא ברכה, ומקודם יאמר:


בזמן�זכר�למקדש�כהלל.� הלל.� עשה� כן�היה� המקדש� שבית�קים�היה�כור(�פסח�מצה�ומרור�ואוכל�ביחד�לקים�מה�

שנאמר�על�מצות�ומרורים�יאכלהו:

ה ומרור סח מצ פ

Pesach, Matza and Moror

While we eat the matzah as a symbol of our freedom from slavery,

it is also called the poor man's bread w h i c h w e ate during the many years of Egyptian slavery. A person who's

enslaved has no time for himself. He must eat his meal quickly and has no time to wait for his dough to rise and therefore puts it in the oven immediately.

The matzah we ate on our last evening in Mitzrayim was a reminder of the poor man's matzah we ate during our long slavery in Egypt. And so we begin the story of our Haggadah with "Ho Lachma Anya," recalling the matzah we ate during our slavery.

The matzah we eat during the seder is a symbol of the matzah we ate on the way out of Mitzrayim. Hashem, in His great mercy, took us out in a very great hurry in order that no Jew should be left behind. Every second was of extreme importance. An extra moment could have meant another Jew sinking to the 50th level of tumah from which he can no longer be rescued. This matzah is therefore symbolic of our redemption.

While matzah can be eaten by itself even without the Korban Pesach and moror, ( as the posuk says "bo'erev tochlu matzos," ) Hillel says that moror must be eaten along with the Korban Pesach and the matzah, as the posuk says "Al matzos u'm'rorim


yochluhu." This is why during the time of the Bais HaMikdash, we were required to eat the Korban Pesach, matzah and moror sandwiched together.

This is why, nowadays, when we no longer have a Korban Pesach, the requirement of eating moror is only rabbinical, while the requirement of eating matzah remains a Biblical commandment.

However, the "korach" sandwich of matzah and moror we eat nowadays is only a reminder of what Hillel did during the time of the Bais Hamikdash, since it is missing the Korban Pesach.

In addition, Rabbon Gamliel says that one must not only eat the Pesach, Matzah and Maror, but one is also required to explain the reason why we eat these foods. According to the Rambam ( Hilchos Chometz U'matzah Perek 7, Halach 5, ) this is an integral and essential part of telling the story of our exodus from Egypt.

יו"ט, שלחן עורך לכבוד צרכו כל ושותה אוכל

ונוהגין לאכול ביצה:

The Egg on the Seder Plate

Even while we celebrate our freedom from Egyptian bondage, we must still remember that our freedom is not complete as long as our Bais Hamikdosh remains destroyed. There is a requirement that a small unfinished unpainted space be at the entrance of every Jewish house in order to act as a constant reminder of the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh. The egg is a reminder of our mourning for the destruction. The night of Pesach is also the night upon which Tisha B'av falls. Instead of the korban Chagiga which we brought when the Bais Hamikdosh stood, we replace it with an egg which is a symbol of mourning for the loss of this holy korban.

Perhaps the reason why an egg is chosen as a sign of mourning is because usually


when something is boiled over a fire the object gets softer or turns into a liquid. An egg, however, gets hard when boiled. When we face a tragedy we must strengthen ourselves and not let the tragedy effect our belief in Hashem.

Some interesting discustions relating to Yetzias Mitzrayim

שלח את עמי ויעבדניLet My People Go So they Can Serve Me!While many people are under the erroneous assumption that when Moshe came

to Pharaoh he demanded that he let the Jews go free, this was actually not the case at all. Instead of sending Moshe to Pharaoh and asking him to liberate the Jews, Hashem told Moshe to demand that Jews be granted religious freedom to serve Him in the midbar. All they want to do is to go on a three-day journey into the dessert so that they can worship G-d is what Moshe told Pharaoh. Pharaoh correctly assumed that this is just a pretext for them to escape, and therefore finally told Moshe that he is willing to grant the Jews full religious freedom to serve G-d within Egypt itself. There is no reason to travel into the desert. They are free to practice their religion in Egypt. Moshe replied that the Jewish religion demands the slaughtering of the Egyptian god, which is the sheep. This, he explained, would put Jewish lives into great jeopardy and danger since the Egyptians would certainly never allow them to slaughter their god. They certainly would kill anyone who dares slaughter one of their sacred holy sheep. Finally, Pharaoh agreed to let all the Jews leave on condition that they leave their young children behind as hostages. This way Pharaoh will be assured that they will not decide to pull a fast one and escape. Pharaoh was no one's fool and realized that Moshe's intention was to escape and therefore demanded that the Jews leave their children behind as hostages. Of course, Moshe said "no dice!" Everyone's going out, even old men, women and children. In fact he even demanded that they be allowed to take along their sheep in order to slaughter them to G-d. Pharaoh, of course said, "No way." Only when Hashem smote their first-born did he finally agree to let them go. Pharaoh, in fact, sent along his spies so that he can keep tabs on them and make sure they don't escape.


Yet, all this seems rather strange and raises some difficult questions. Why did Hashem tell Moshe that he ask for just a short three day respite when his true intention was to take the Jews out of Egypt for good? Why didn't he just tell Pharaoh the full truth and demand that he "let my people go"? Hashem didn't have to play any "bait and switch" game with Pharaoh. Hashem knew that Pharaoh had no intention of letting the Jews out in either case. Even if Pharaoh would finally agree to let the Jews out, it would be impossible for him to do so. That's because Hashem now controlled his decision-making process and he couldn't say yes even if he wanted to. He had lost his freedom of choice and was now in Hashem's full control. Why lie rather than go with the truth?

We also find Hashem telling Moshe to tell the Jews to borrow gold and silver on their way out of Mitzrayim. Why not go with the truth? They owed it to them for all the work they had done for them. Why mislead them with false pretenses if it wasn't even nessessary?

Perhaps the answer can be found in Rashi in Parshas Yisro (18:12) (as well as the Gemarah in Sota), which explains, "One is cooked in the very same kettle in which one cooked." Hashem punishes people "Midah k'neged middah - tit for tat" This means that one who defrauds others, will himself be defrauded. Pharaoh tried to deceive the Jews and therefore he had to be given a taste of his own medicine. He had to be deceived in the very same way he deceived the Jews and be punished Midah k'neged middah. He drowned the Jewish children and therefore he would be fooled into chashing the Yidden and be drowned himself. This may also be the reason that Hashem made fierce winds blow all night before splitting the sea. The winds made Pharaoh believe that it was all some natural event and not a miracle so that he'd be fooled into chasing them into the sea.

Esav, too, led a life of deceit and fraud, always trying to fool and deceive everyone, including his own father, Yitzchak, with his glib and deceitful tongue, as well as


his many disguises, and therefore he was treated in the very same manner. He lost the blessings through the use of his own methods of trickery and chicanery which he had been using on others his entire life. The Torah describes Esav as "complete like a mantle of hair." Hair is used to disguise oneself. I would imagine that he might have looked like bin Laden wearing a large shtreimel posing as a venerable rosh yeshivah.

Rivka knew that her husband was a prophet and that Hashem could have spoken to him personally and told him to give the blessings to Yaakov instead of Esav. By Hashem not revealing this information to him but rather to her, she understood at once

that it was meant for Yaakov to receive the blessing by outsmarting his brother in the same way his brother had done to others. She therefore made sure not to mention it to Yitzchak. This also explains why the Jews were commanded to borrow the money from the Egyptians rather than tell them the truth. This should teach us a very important lesson in life. Those who think that they have succeeded in fooling or defrauding others will eventually be given a taste of their own medicine and be fooled themselves. The way we treat others is the way we too will be treated.

Some Points To PonderAs we sit around the Seder table and recite the story of our exodus from Mitzrayim,

perhaps we should take a more careful and deeper look at the great miracles and wonders that took place and see if we can shed some light on what happened. Let me present some questions we should consider.

1. Some plagues were brought about by Moshe while others were brought about by Aron. Yet, for some of the makos, Hashem did not use their services altogether. Why?

2. Why was the plague of Shchin brought about through the use of soot rather than using the stick as was done for all the other plagues?


3. Why was Pharaoh sometimes given a warning yet other times he was not given any warning?

4. Why did Hashem command Moshe to take his stick in his "hand?" Isn't this the normal way of holding a stick?

5. We find the makos mentioned in the 78th kapital of Tehillim, yet there they are not listed in the correct order and three of the makos (שחין כנים,� are (חשך,�missing. Why?

6. We also find the makos mentioned in kapital 105. There the makos are arranged in yet another order and the two makos of שחין and דבר are missing. Why?

7. Why did Hashem tell Moshe to fool Pharaoh and request that he let the Jews go out for only three days in order to serve Hashem in the desert when Hashem's real intention was to let them go free and never return? Why use bait and switch tactics?

8. Why is Moshe's name not mentioned in the entire Haggadah? (except as part of a posuk).

9. Why are the answers given to the four children mentioned in the Haggadah not the same as the ones given in the Torah?

The Belief in MiraclesThe Rambam (Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah chapter 8) tells us that despite all the

great miracles that took place in Egypt, it still did not serve as positive proof that Moshe was Hashem's chosen prophet. That would be authenticated, positively confirmed, and eternalized only at Mattan Torah – the Giving of the Torah - when all the Jews; men, women and children , would see and hear for themselves as Hashem spoke to Moshe.

That's because even the greatest miracles are not irrefutable proof. It is possible for miracles to be the work of magic or some other means of deception. Let's remember that even the Egyptian magicians were able to duplicate the first few plagues.


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לפיכך

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זה�שבא�להכחיש�נבואתו�של�משה�שראינו�וששמענו:

Since time immemorial, priests have fooled the masses into believing and serving idols. Miracles have always been part and parcel of all of the world's religious beliefs. Supernatural claims have always been the basis for those that served avodah zarah. Islam, Christianity, and other religions have all claimed miraculous events in order to prove that they are the true religion. Billions of intelligent people around the world have fallen prey to their supposed miraculous concoctions.

Even among Jews, many fraudulent Messiahs have been able to deceive their followers based on their supposed miracles.

This is why the Rambam says that our belief in Moshe and the many miracles he performed were confirmed only at Mattan Torah, at which the entire Jewish


Nation, men, women, and children, heard and saw with their own eyes and ears as Hashem gave us the Ten Commandments. Had this event not taken place, all the great miracles the Jews personally witnessed in Egypt would not have served as irrefutable evidence. This is why the Rambam says that someone whose belief is based on miracles, shows that his heart is filled with folly, doubt or skepticism – "Yesh b'libo dofi."

This, explains the Rambam, is why Moshe refused to go to Mitzrayim. He realized that the belief in such miracles would be of no value. It was only after Hashem assured him that it would all be authenticated at Mount Sinai that he agreed to go.

While the Jews believed in Hashem and His servant Moshe even before Mattan Torah, as the Torah says of the crossing of the Yam Suf, "Vayaaminu ba'Shem u'vMoshe avdo," this belief was the result of being elevated to the status of prophets, as Chazal say that even a maid-servant was able to see what even some great prophets were unable to see. At Mattan Torah, their belief was upgraded to a much higher level; one of knowing beyond the shadow of doubt that it was G-d Who took us out of Egypt and that Moshe was His true prophet.

The Torah tells us ( in Parshas R'eih ) that even if a prophet performs the greatest of miracles, if he does it in the name of avodah zarah, then one should not give him or his miracles any credence. Miracles cannot be accepted as proof since they can be very deceptive. A good magician can seem to make elephants disappear, change water into blood, turn a stick into a snake, pull out frogs from an empty hat, or make metal bend just by looking at it. A ventriloquist can seem to make a puppet or even a fish seem to talk.

And so, while the belief or disbelief in a talking fish seems to be of little consequence, we would do well to have a look into the eleventh chapter of the Rambam's Hilchos Avoda Zarah. After a long discussion about magic, superstitions, and many other pagan beliefs, he contends that all those who believe in these nonsensical things or think that there is some truth to them but the Torah prohibited them for some other reason, is reckoned among fools, idiots and unintelligent people. Intelligent people know that the reason the Torah forbids these Emori beliefs is because they are foolish and nonsensical and can easily mislead those who put faith in them. (he above is a free translation. I would strongly suggest that one study the chapter in its entirety.)


When the Torah forbids us to believe in superstitions such as that a black cat crossing one's path brings bad luck, or that certain times are bad or good (m'onein), it is done in order to distance us from nonsensical beliefs. The Jewish religion doesn't teach our children to believe in fictional figures such as Santa Claus, since lies undermine all else we have told them. The only miracles that are sacred to us are those that fill the pages of Tanach and Chazal . All others are not part of The Thirteen Principles of Faith!

Some Food for ThoughtPesach night is the time to put our brain into gear and try to understand the story

of ye'tizas mitzrayim to the best of our ability. So let me leave you with some food for thought.

Sometimes we find that Hashem tells Moshe to meet Pharaoh by the water while other times he is told to meet him in his palace. Why the change?

Sometimes Pharaoh is given a warning while other times there are no warnings. Why the change of tactics?

While all the makos were certainly done through Hashem's angels, (except for Makos B'choros which Hashem did Himself), two of them ( orov and dever ) are done without Moshe and Aaron's services at all. Why? Also why were these the particular makos which Hashem did not want Moshe or Aaron involved?

There are two perokim in T'hillim ( perek 78 and 105) where Dovid Hamelech mentions the makos, yet in each of them some of the makos are left out. Why? Also sometimes the makos are out of order. Why? (A possible answer to this question can be found in my book entitled Thoughts on the Haggadah.".

The $25 Challenge - What Happened to Moshe's Stick?

Here is a very simple question, yet it's not found in the meforshim of the Chumash. One can probably find it elsewhere. For all the makos, Moshe and Aron used a stick


except for the mako of Shchin. Why not use a stick for this mako as well?

Answers should be written and handed in after Pesach. Best answer receives $25.

The $100 ChallengeThe Hand and the Stick

If you examine the pesukim very carefully, you'll notice some very strange things happening. Just take a look and you'll surely see what I mean.

We constantly find interplay between the uses of the word "mateh" - stick, and the word "yodcha" - your hand. There doesn't seem to be any consistency. Some times Moshe is told to raise his stick with his hand while other times he's just told to stretch out his stick.

1) Dam. The posuk tells him "take your stick and stretch out your hand." It then continues by saying "And he lifted with his stick..."

2) Frogs. Moshe is told, "stretch out your hand with your stick." Thereupon it says "And Aaron stretched out his hand."

3) By kinim it says "Stretch out your stick..." It then says "Aaron stretched out his hand with his stick..."

4) Orov - This mako was done only by Hashem and therefore no stick was used.

5) Dever - This mako was done only by Hashem and therefore no stick was used.

6) Shchin - Here we find that soot is used. Why no stick?

7) Borod. Here he is told, "stretch out your hand." Then it says "and Moshe stretched out his stick."

8) Arbeh. Here Moshe is told to "stretch out his hand." It continues by saying that


"Moshe stretched out his hand." (Why doesn't it say with your stick?)

9) Choshech. Here Moshe is told to "stretch out his hand." It continues by saying the "Moshe stretched out his hand." (Why no mention of the stick?")

10) Makos B'choros. Done by Hashem and therefore no stick is used.

11) Yam Suf. It begins by telling Moshe to "lift his stick and stretch out his hand. It continues by saying that "Moshe stretched out his hand. Later on Moshe is told to "stretch out his hand," and then it says "Moshe stretched out his hand." (Why no mention of the stick?)

To ask, that's our task! Let's remember that despite the beautiful pesh'atim the rebbayim have given you on the Haggadah, the seder is the time for the children to ask the questions and for the father to give the answers. Let's not reverse the role. Try thinking of your own questions. You can always use the many pesh'atim you've learned, throughout the other days of Pesach. Just try to make sure that your questions follow the style of the Chocham who wants to understand all the different types of mitzvos that we were commanded

ויחזק ה' את לבו"And Hashem Hardened His Heart"

Sometimes we may wonder how it was possible for Pharaoh to see the Hand of G-d over and over again, yet fail to see a thing. How can one be so blind? It was first by the mako of "kinim" that he admitted that it was "a finger of G-d." Hashem smote him with makoafter mako; blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, pestilence, shchin etc., yet he was totally convinced that it was all nothing but nature running amok or, perhaps, all some magical spell. He just couldn't get himself to admit that it was G-d's doing. Perhaps it's time we too have a very good look, and try to understand what's happening all around us. We don't need a microscope or a telescope. All we need is a pair of Torah glasses. Just make sure that they are perfectly clear and don't have any scratched or colored lenses; otherwise you may get a distorted or warped picture.


The daily news keeps reporting that millions of people all over the world are dying each year from a terrible plague called Aids, which is spread by a very tiny virus that infects the human blood and destroys its ability to defend itself. It destroys the body's natural defense system that normally guards it against foreign invaders. Yet we fail to see who or why these viruses have been sent to attack us. We're no smarter than Pharaoh who refused to see the obvious. Every child knows how these killer viruses are transmitted yet we refuse to heed their warning! We're as obstinate as Pharaoh that refused to believe that it was Hashem Who made it all happen!

Only recently did the papers report that New York was infested with more rats than we can count. These rats seem to be and go everywhere and are considered dangerous. While the frogs entered through the chimney and even went into the fire, these rats live in our sewer system and can enter our homes through a million different ways. They have become totally resistant to all our poisonous sprays and are not afraid of being drowned by water or burned by fire. While they are known to spread diseases of all kinds, we still haven't found a way to get rid of them. Perhaps we should start praying before they go on a rampage. Others claim that the racket made by today's cell phone users and wedding music is far more damaging to the ears than was the noise made by the frogs in Egypt. Who knows?

While the Egyptians suffered from lice for only one week, our plague of lice we have in our schools today doesn't show any sign of leaving. Every few weeks it keeps reappearing elsewhere. Despite all our sprays, they always keep coming back. One wonders when we will be rid of them.

For wild animals (orov) we don't really have to look far. They are running loose all over Israel. These wild animals in fact carry deadly weapons and know how to shoot them with deadly accuracy. At one time they were locked up in prison but now they are running wild through every town and city. Yet, it's quite surprising that we still don't seem to know who let them loose!

The present horrid plague of dever, also known as the "foot and mouth disease,"


has already caused the death of millions of animals and there still seems to be no sign of it abating. This horrible widespread plague seems to be getting worse from day to day, and when or how it will end nobody knows.

While Sh'chin attacked only the surface of the human body, a large variety of cancer-causing illnesses are spreading throughout the entire body. Even modern day medicine men (the equivalent of Pharaoh's magicians) admit that it's being caused by something so small that even they have no control over it.)

The Hail, which contained fire, caused massive damage and destruction to Egyptian vegetation. So did the recent wind swept fires that spread through the States of Florida and California which are being attributed to fluky weather conditions. Are we as blind as Pharaoh?

While the locusts that invaded Egypt ate up every blade of grass, the mosquitoes that have made their way into the Northeastern United States carry a very dangerous virus appropriately called the West Nile Virus, that can cause death to those who it bites. So far, we have managed to control them by spraying them from the air with toxic chemicals. I wonder what we will do when they develop a resistance to our sprays? Perhaps then we will realize Who sent them and cry out to Him and ask that He take them away?

To experience darkness all we need do is remember what happened on 9/11 when suddenly in mid day, all of Manhattan was enveloped with a thick dark cloud such as has never been seen before. Our belief that the United States was strong and mighty and that nothing could happen to it was suddenly shattered. Everyone said it was the work of bin Laden and his gang of terrorists yet we failed to realize that no one could cause us any harm unless it was so decreed up Above. It seems that we weren't any wiser than Pharaoh!

What's coming next is too frightful to even contemplate. It's beyond our wildest dreams. As we all know, slowly but surely all contrys are now producing nuclear weapons and some are even threatening to use them on their enemies. Hopefully, Hashem will have mercy and pass over our homes as he did in days gone by and send us Moshiach, who will finally take us out of this long, dark and bitter golus with even greater signs and wonders than ever before. Perhaps he'll open up our eyes and show us how blind we've been over all these years. We were nearly as foolish as Pharaoh who saw it all happening in front of his eyes, yet failed to realize that it


was coming from Him! Perhaps one day we'll realize that whether it's snakes, lice, roaches or rats, viruses, locusts, mosquitoes or flies. Hail, hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes. They all come from the very same direction and all originate from the very same source. If we'd only know where they are coming from, then we'd surely be able to save ourselves much aggravation and pain. Let's just hope that our hearts have still not been hardened, as was Pharaoh's.

So let's sit back and eat the matzas just like the Jews ate while still in Mitzrayim. We need not tighten our belt nor put on our shoes. Neither must we hold our stick in our hand or put blood on our doorposts. That's because we have already spilled far more than enough blood throughout the past two thousand year old golus. The novi tells us that our final redemption will not be rushed like when we left mitzrayim. That's because Hashem will destroy all the tumah of golus as it says "v'es ruach ha'tumah avir min ho'oretz." If there is no tuma left, then there is no need to hurry out.

Certainly, in the merit of our great faith and trust in Him, despite fire, water, gas, and brimstone, and despite the Crusades and the Holocaust, the massacres and blood libels, we can be certain that it will be "b'domayich chai'yi, b'domayich chai'yi."

And Iyov Was SilentOne of the greatest philanthropists that ever lived was someone named Iyov. He

was a very wealthy, righteous and pious man who feared G-d and shunned evil. ( Bava Basra 15 b) He was also one of Pharaoh's three advisors. He helped support every good and worthy cause. He gave charity to all that needed his help. He was a wise and clever man who was always ready to help those in need. He was a man of great moral character who always distanced himself from anything that might lead to sin. (See Avos d'Rabbi Nosson 2:5) He was a multimillionaire that owned much real estate all over the world and was blessed with a large family and everything that one's heart desired. He was what we'd call "wealthy and wise." And then, all of a sudden he was struck by a horrendous tragedy. He lost everything he had. His entire family was wiped out. All his great wealth was taken away and his body became inflicted with the dreadful disease of leprosy. He was a stricken and broken man left in sorrow and pain - destitute. From great glory and honor he was now left with only three friends who tried to console him. He went from riches to rags, and from joy and happiness, to suffering, misery, agony, and pain. He became the historical icon of misfortune, tragedy, and sorrow.


Chazal (Sota 11) reveal the reason for this very severe punishment. "Iyov sh'shoshak, nidon b'yisurim"- Iyov who remained silent, was punished with suffering.

This particular incident took place at a special meeting called by Pharaoh to discuss the Jewish population explosion that Egypt was facing. The meeting was attended by Pharaoh's three brilliant personal advisors; Iyov, Bilam and Yisro. Bilam, of course, advised that the Jews be killed. Yisro spoke up in defense of the Jews even though this put his life in jeopardy. He thereupon fled for his life and was greatly rewarded. Iyov, who was afraid to speak up and defend the Jews, remained silent. One cannot remain silent when people's lives are in danger. One must cry out even when he knows that he may be endangering his own life or that his words will fall on deaf ears.

Today we all know what the world did when they heard what the Nazis were doing to the Jews during the Holocaust. Even our best friends stood by in total silence and refused to help. Even the "land of the free" closed its doors to those who tried to escape. One couldn't even hear a whisper of protest. Those that knew, remained as silent as the dead, and even tried to hide the information so that others could not act on it. There was total silence!

Today, once again, as Arab murderers spill innocent Jewish blood, the world stands by in total silence. While many nations parrot Bilam's call and will surely meet Bilam's end, others shrug their shoulders in silent apathy. They fear the Arab wrath if they voice their true opinion. Oil speaks louder than blood. Even those we thought were our best of friends have sympathized with our enemy. "Kol o'haveha bogdu voh, hoyu loh l'ovim." One wonders if the reason for the recent world economic crises, the destruction of all their cattle and the other terrible catastrophes that took place, were not in any way a result of their thundering silence. There is no novi around to answer this question. Historical precedent says that there may be a correlation. Only G-d knows the truth!

Beware the False ProphetJust imagine the following scenario. Peter Popoff, a well known evangelist,

announces on his weekly radio and television show which is heard by thousands


nationwide, that he had a vision in which J. told him that there would be a devastating earthquake in Los Angeles the following day. He warned all his listeners to evacuate the city at once in order to avoid disaster. His warning was rebroadcast on CNN as well as many other news channels. At first there

were very few people who took his warning seriously. -That's because the governor, the mayor as well as leading scientists calmed the population and even mocked his forecast. Leading scientists said that there was absolutely no scientific evidence that an earthquake was in the making.

Yet to the great astonishment and surprise of everyone, his prediction was right on target. The very next morning a powerful earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale hit the Los Angeles area. In full view of millions who watched it all on their television screens, one could see skyscrapers tumbling down and highways shattered into pieces of rubble. Popoff's previous prediction was now flashed around the world and his fame suddenly spread far and wide. He became an instant celebrity and was featured on nearly every TV talk show.

A few weeks go by and once again Popoff make the headlines with his prophetic prediction that severe thunderstorms would hit the state of Texas and cause great damage. While the weatherman scoffed at his prediction, reassuring the people that the forecast for the next day was nice and sunny weather with absolutely no storms expected, Peter Popoff once again scored a direct hit as devastating tornadoes ripped through the city causing billions of dollars in damage and killing more than a hundred people.

Now Peter Popoff's fame spread around the world as his


miraculous predictions become the talk of every newspaper, radio and TV program. He, of course, uses this opportunity to spread the words of the gospel, spreading his idolatrous beliefs to all his millions of admirers and followers. His fame spreads to every corner of the world converting millions to his faith. He preaches fire and brimstone against those who dare live an immoral life and warns of divine retribution. He warns the world that a deadly virus will kill anyone not heeding god's word. A few months' later scientists discover a deadly virus that they name the HIV virus that destroys the body's immune system and kills millions of people around the world.

By now most people proclaim Popoff a modern day prophet and every word he utters is flashed around the world.

A few months later, as Popoff is being interviewed on CNN, he makes another one of his prophetic predictions. This time he warns the people of New York City that exactly at 12 noon the very next day, a devastating earthquake will hit the city and advises everyone to flee for their lives. Just imagine the great panic this would create as millions of New Yorker's flee by any means possible. There is a mass exodus causing traffic jams of enormous proportions. Even the skeptics who do not believe in his religious message and are not of his faith are not willing to take any chances. While the mayor and other politicians as well as leading scientists, try to calm people's fears, their plea falls on deaf ears. There is total bedlam as people use every means to leave the city as quickly as possible. Even atheists that don't believe in any god whatsoever, hasten to pack their most valuable belongings and get out of New York as fast as their feet will take them. That's because there are no atheists in a foxhole.

Now let me ask my readers an interesting question. What would you do? What do you think most Jews would do? While I'm sure that a religious Jew would certainly not believe his claims to prophesy and may explain his powers as coming from something referred to as the kochos ha'tuma - powers coming from some evil source, is it permitted to get into the car and leave the city? After all, he's already scored three direct hits.

For those that believe that the above scenario is an impossibility I would advise them to have a look in parshas Ki Sovo that warns us not to listen to any prophet that speaks in the name of avoda zara no matter what great signs and wonders he may perform. And so our question is; while we aren't permitted to believe in him, are we at least permitted to leave town based on his past correct predictions?


In order to answer this question, let's take a look into the Rambam hilchos avoda zara (chapter 5 halacha 9.) in which he writes that "anyone who fears the words of a false prophet transgresses the prohibition of the Torah that says "do not fear him." (Note that in halacha 6 the Rambam describes a false prophet as one that prophesises in the name of an avodah zarah, telling one to do or not to do something, even if what he says conforms with halacha. We are not permitted to debate him nor ask him for a sign or miracle. And even if he performs a miracle it is meaningless and one should not even give it any thought. One who gives it any thought and thinks that perhaps it is true or perhaps not, transgresses the lav of "You must not listen to this prophet."

The Secret Password

פקוד פקדתיThese are the two special words that brought great smiles and joy to the Yidden.

They were the special code words that identified Moshe as the great savior sent by Hashem to take out His nation out of Mitzrayim.

Yosef had already apprised the Jews many years earlier that whoever utters these two special code words פקוד�פקדתי.would be the acknowledged savior of Klal Yisroel. Their savior had finally arrived. Moshe uttered these two words with great persuasion. They were convinced that he was their savior. After all, he had uttered the two special words

At first glance this seems quite strange! Everybody seems to be waiting for the man to come along and proclaim these two words loud and clear. These words certainly couldn't be much of a secret if everybody knew them. What prevents anybody from coming along and proclaiming פקוד�פקדתי. I'm sure there must have been plenty of impostors around in those days. History never lacked any of them. What prevented one of them from coming forth and placing his claim to fame! How could these words be accepted as the special password if everyone knew them? In fact, the Ramban as well as many others ask this question. I take absolutely no credit for it!

The Ramban's first answer is that Hashem assured us that no one would


ever lie to us and abuse these words. One wonders then, if we're so assured by Hakodosh Boruch Hu that there will be no impostors, then what's the purpose of any password altogether? Let him simply present his credentials. Why a password?

The Ramban's second answer is that Moshe was taken away from his father's house at the very young age of 12. Therefore, it would be very unlikely for Moshe to have known of this password from his own home. Thus, when he uttered it, he was immediately believed. After all, how could he have known it?

Yet this answer is very difficult to comprehend. Moshe's intelligence at 12 was far greater than ours at 100. He probably knew more at 3 than we at 93. He even knew the secret Shem Hameforash, which he used to kill the Egyptian. Doesn't he know these two very very important passwords? Everybody know them except for him? This is extremely difficult to comprehend!

The third answer the Ramban gives is that these words were a secret passed on from Yaakov to Yosef to Levi, etc. is also difficult to understand. If this was such a big secret, how would all the people know that he is telling the truth?

What special secret lies in the words פקדתי that these two words have פקוד�been chosen more than any other? Don't they just simply mean, "Remember, I have remembered."

Why use two passwords? Isn't one enough?

The entire conversation between Hashem and Moshe screams out for an explanation. Hashem tells Moshe to tell the Yidden פקוד�פקדתי, and assures him that this will convince them. They will definitely listen and believe him. No doubt about it. Yet Moshe answers back והן�לא�יאמינו�לי�ולא�ישמעו�בקולי "They will not listen to my voice. They will not believe me."

What's going on here? Who are we dealing with? This is none other than Moshe Rabbeinu! All of our emunah doesn't come to his toes. Hashem assures Moshe that they will listen as the posuk says ושמעו�לקלך Does Moshe have any doubts, chas v'shalom? This is preposterous True, we do find that Moshe is immediately punished for this statement. He had no right to beחושד�בכשרים�! and say loshon hora. But he committed a far greater crime. He expressed doubt and even challenged Hashem's words. How could Moshe even have the slightest doubt as to the truth of Hashem's assurance that they will listen?


Yet, strangely enough, instead of Hashem telling Moshe that he should stop doubting His words and have proper faith in what he is told, we find that Hashem doesn't even dispute Moshe's contention. והיה�אם�לא�יאמינו�לך...והאמינו�לקול�אות�והיה�אם�לא�יאמינו�גם�לשני�האותות�האלה Instead, he goes along with האחרון�’ Moshe's contention and decides to give him an entire bag of proofs that he is to show them- -. One proof doesn't seem to be enough. Maybe this will not convince them, so Hashem gives Moshe a total of three proofs. Moshe asks for one proof and Hashem gives him three. All of a sudden Hashem makes an about face and agrees to Moshe's proposition? He must give Moshe three proofs. After all, perhaps there will be lots of skeptics who will not believe the first or the second? What's going on! Hashem doesn't make any mistakes! Why give Moshe any proofs whatsoever?

There are many, many more questions one can ask, as the Ramban expresses himself in posuk הפסוק�הזה�אומר�לך�פרשני�-י"ג . The posuk actually begs for an explanation (also see the Ohr Ha'chaiyim Hakodosh). So let me put down my own possible thoughts on the matter.

We find the word פקדused in many different ways in the Torah. Here are a few examples.

1)�Remembered as in - פקד�את�שרה

2)�Appointed as in - ויפקד

3)�Count as in - אלה�פקודי�המשכן

4)�Missing (from the count) as in - ולא�נפקד�ממנו�איש

So we see that the word פקוד doesn't simply mean remembering; it also has some other meanings.

When Yaakov Ovinu gathered all his children together and wanted to reveal to them the קץ -the time when the golus will end- the shecinah suddenly left him. Neither could he tell them when the golus Mitzrayim would end nor could he reveal when the final redemption would arrive. When the Shechinah left him he realized that he should not be revealing this secret to them. Maybe it's because it would dash all hopes for those who would realize that the final end is still so many hundreds of years away and couldn't wait that long. The very thought that we don't know when Moshiach is coming gives us the courage to continue on. Maybe he'll be here today. Maybe he'll be here tomorrow! It's this hope that he can come on any day that's kept us going for so many years. Knowing the end date could be a very dangerous


thing for people living many years ago. Knowing it's so far off can make a person lose all hope.

The Medrash says that Yaakov passed this secret on only to Yosef. Yosef passed it on to Levi. Levi passed it on only to the greatest zekeinim (elders) of the next generation, and so this secret was known by very few. Only the greatest zekeinim knew the precise moment of the Egyptian redemption. Only the zekeinim knew that it would occur precisely at midnight of the 15th day of Nissan in the year 2448. This date was a carefully guarded secret. Nobody knew it except for the zekeinim. It probably was as well guarded as the coming of moshiach is nowadays. It's totally unknown to any of us. Those who know it don't say, and those who say don't know!

Any person that would present himself as the Jewish savior would immediately be put to the supreme test. He would have to come to the zekeinim and reveal to them the precise moment of the Geulah. If he would be off by as much as one single day or perhaps even by a minute, then they knew he was nothing but an imposter. When Shevet Ephraim instituted a rebellion thirty years earlier, Klal Yisroel refused to go along with them. The zekeinim told them that the time of the geulah had still not arrived. They had reckoned the 400 years incorrectly. They had started counting from the time of the "Bris bein hab'sorim." They were not given any credence! The dates and times didn't match the zekeinim's carefully guarded mesorah. The words don't mean that he would have to say those two words but rather that פקוד�פקדתיhe would have to give them the exact time on which Hashem would finally take the Yidden out of Eggypt. Only the zekeinim knew this carefully guarded secret.

Along came Moshe with the exact precise day, hour and minute. He gave them the exact information they required. Remember פקוד can mean appointed and also means count. He gave them the precise appointed moment when Hashem will take them out of Mitzrayim. This is what is actually meant by the words פקוד� It means that Moshe gave them the precise appointed time when Hashem .פקדתיhas counted them to finally be remembered. Knowing the two words פקוד�פקדתי�themselves meant nothing; one had to know the precise moment when the would occur. The zekeinim were of course absolutely convinced that he's the right man. After all, how could anybody have known this great secret unless Hashem had revealed it to him! This is what Hashem meant when he told Moshe that they would listen to him. If you look into the posuk you will see that He was referring only to the zekeinim to whom he was being sent. He had clearly instructed Moshe to go to


the zekeinim and tell them פקוד�פקדתי They needed absolutely no further proof was enough for them. After all, it matched the exact moment that Yosef פקוד�פקדתיhad told them it would occur.

However, Moshe correctly asked Hashem, what about everyone else? They don't know this secret. How will I convince them that I am telling the truth? If someone were to approach us today and tell us that he is Hashem's messenger and that the exact day when the geulah will take place is on XX/X/XX at precisely 12:00 A.M., you can bet there will be lots of skeptics even if he has the full endorsement of the Moetzes Gedolai HaTorah! We don't know the date so how are we supposed to know if he's telling the truth? Moshe was not talking about the zekeinim. They would easily be convinced, but how will he convince everybody else that the time of their geulah had finally arrived and that he was the true messenger of G-d?

Here, however, Moshe made a blunder. He said "they" wouldn't listen to me. With the word "they" he included everyone except the zekeinim. Here Moshe made a terrible mistake בכשרים He was There surely were some people who .!חושד�would believe Moshe on the zekeinim's say so alone. You can't accuse everybody of not believing in our elders. There were still many people who did have emunas chachomim and would not ask for any further proof. For them, the zekeinim's word would be enough. They needed no further proof. For this, Moshe was punished. Watch out when you use the adjective "they" or "everyone" as we do many a time. However, on his basic premise that some people would not believe him, Moshe was definitely on target. In fact, he was so right, that Hashem had to give him three proofs. One may not be enough for everyone. Some people would need two proofs to be convinced. For them the second proof was the last, as the posuk reads:

האות לקול� והאמינו� הראשון� האות� לקול� ישמעו� ולא� לך� יאמינו� לא� אם� �והיה� השני Why call the second proof the last one? It should have been called .אחרון- the second. But now the whole thing makes sense. For some people it was the last. They didn't need a third proof! However, there were still others who were far greater skeptics and would need even a third proof.

Moshe never doubted Hashem's word that the zekeinim would believe him. That would have been absurd. It was for those of Klall Yisroel that unfortunately had sunk into the deepest tumah of Mitzrayim that he asked Hashem to give him some further proof so that he could convince them as well. They unfortunately had lost all faith in the zekeinim and would certainly not listen to what anyone had to say. It was for these great skeptics that he said והן�לא-יאמינו�לי�ולא�ישמעו�בקלי.


יקח שני כזיתים ממצה ששמר לאפיקומן, זכר לפסח הנאכלת צפון

על השובע, ואוכלו בהסיבה, ומקודם יאמר:



מוזגין כוס שלישית ומברכין עליה ברכת המזון כדין ויאמר: ברך

ושבעת� ואכלת� שנאמר� המזון,� ברכת� של� עשה� מצות� לקים� ומזומן� מוכן� הנני�וברכת�את�יהוה�א1הי�Bעל�הארץ�הטובה�אשר�נתן�ל(,�לשם�יחוד�קודשא�ברי(�הוא�ושכינתיה�בדחילו�ורחימו�על�ידי�ההוא�טמיר�ונעלם�בשם�כל�ישראל:�ויהי�

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ברו��(בעשרה:�אCהינו)�שאכלנו�משלו�ובטובו�חיינו:


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כל� ואת� אותנו� להם.� אשר� כל� ואת� זרעם� ואת� ביתם� ואת� אותם�אשר�לנו.�כמו�שנתברכו�אבותינו�אברהם�יצחק�ויעקב�בכל�מכל�כל�

כן�יבר(�אותנו�כלנו�יחד�בברכה�שלמה.�ונאמר�אמן:

ילמדו�עליהם�ועלינו�זכות�שתהא�למשמרת�במרום�וצדקה� יהוה� מאת� ברכה� ונשא� שלום.�מא1הי�ישענו.�ונמצא�חן�ושכל�טוב�בעיני�א1הים�ואדם:

לשבת:

הרחמן�הוא�ינחילנו�ליום�שכלו�שבת�ומנוחה�לחיי�העולמים:

הרחמן�הוא�ינחילנו�ליום�שכלו�טוב.�ליום�שכלו�ארו�,�יום�שצדיקים�יושבים�ועטרותיהם�בראשיהם�

ונהנים�מזיו�השכינה�ויהי�חלקנו�עמהם:

העולם�הרחמן� ולחיי� המשיח� לימות� יזכנו� הוא�חסד� ועשה� מלכו� ישועות� מגדול� הבא:�למשיחו�לדוד�ולזרעו�עד�עולם:�עשה�שלום�במרומיו�הוא�

יעשה�שלום�עלינו�ועל�כל�ישראל�ואמרו�אמן:

את�יהוה�קדושיו�כי�אין�מחסור�ליראיו:�כפירים�יראו�רשו�ורעבו�ודורשי�יהוה�1א�יחסרו�כל�טוב:�הודו�ליהוה�כי�טוב�כי�לעולם�חסדו:�פותח�את�יד�Bומשביע�לכל�חי�רצון:�ברו(�הגבר�אשר�יבטח�ביהוה�והיה�יהוה�מבטחו:�נער�הייתי�גם�זקנתי�ו1א�ראיתי�צדיק�נעזב�וזרעו�מבקש�

לחם:�יהוה�עז�לעמו�יתן�יהוה�יבר(�את�עמו�בשלום:


הנני�מוכן�ומזומן�לקים�מצות�כוס�שלישי�מארבע�כוסות.�לשם�יחוד�קודשא�ברי(�הוא�ושכינתיה�בדחילו�ורחימו�על�ידי�ההוא�טמיר�ונעלם�בשם�כל�ישראל:�ויהי�

נועם�אדני�א1הינו�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננה�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננהו:

פרי�ברו�� בורא� העולם� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�הגפן:

ושותים�בהסיבה�ואינו�מברך�ברכה�אחרונה:

מוזגין�כוסו�של�אליהו�ופותחין�הדלת�ומתחיל�שפוך�חמתך:

חמת�Bאל�הגוים�אשר�1א�ידעו�Bועל�ממלכות�שפו��אשר�בשמ1�Bא�קראו:�כי�אכל�את�יעקב�ואת�נוהו�השמו:�שפ(�עליהם�זעמ�Bוחרון�אפ�Bישיגם:�תרדוף�

באף�ותשמידם�מתחת�שמי�יהוה:

מוזגין כוס רביעי וגומרין עליו את ההלל, ויש נוהגין למזוג כוס הלל

רביעי לפני שפוך חמתך:

יהוה�1א�לנו.�כי�לשמ�Bתן�כבוד.�על�חסד�Bעל�Cא�לנו�אמתB:�למה�יאמרו�הגוים.�איה�נא�א1היהם:�וא1הינו�בשמים.�כל�אשר�חפץ�עשה:�עצביהם�כסף�וזהב.�מעשה�ידי�אדם:�פה�להם�ו1א�ידברו.�עינים�להם�ו1א�יראו:�אזנים�להם�ו1א�ישמעו.�אף�להם�ו1א�יריחון:�ידיהם�ו1א�ימישון.�רגליהם�ו1א�יהלכו.�1א�יהגו�בגרונם:�כמוהם�יהיו�עזרם� ביהוה.� בטח� ישראל� בהם:� בטח� אשר� כל� עשיהם.�ומגנם�הוא:�בית�אהרן�בטחו�ביהוה.�עזרם�ומגנם�הוא:�יראי�

יהוה�בטחו�ביהוה.�עזרם�ומגנם�הוא:


זכרנו�יבר(.�יבר(�את�בית�ישראל.�יבר(�את�בית�יהוה�יראי�יהוה.�הקטנים�עם�הגדלים:� יבר(� אהרן:�יסף�יהוה�עליכם.�עליכם�ועל�בניכם:�ברוכים�אתם�ליהוה.�עשה�שמים�וארץ:�השמים�שמים�ליהוה.�והארץ�נתן�לבני�אדם:�1א�המתים�יהללו�יה.�ו1א�כל�יורדי�דומה:�ואנחנו�

נבר(�יה.�מעתה�ועד�עולם.�הללויה:

הטה�אהבתי� כי� תחנוני:� קולי� את� יהוה� ישמע� כי�מות.� חבלי� אפפוני� אקרא:� ובימי� לי.� אזנו�יהוה� ובשם� אמצא:� ויגון� צרה� מצאוני.� שאול� ומצרי�אקרא.�אנה�יהוה�מלטה�נפשי:�חנון�יהוה�וצדיק.�וא1הינו�מרחם:�שמר�פתאים�יהוה.�דלותי�ולי�יהושיע:�שובי�נפשי�ממות.� נפשי� חלצת� כי� עליכי:� גמל� יהוה� כי� למנוחיכי.�את�עיני�מן�דמעה.�את�רגלי�מדחי:�אתהל(�לפני�יהוה.�בארצות�החיים:�האמנתי�כי�אדבר.�אני�עניתי�מאד:�אני�

אמרתי�בחפזי.�כל�האדם�כזב:

ליהוה.�כל�תגמולוהי�עלי:�כוס�ישועות�מה�אשיב�אשא.�ובשם�יהוה�אקרא:�נדרי�ליהוה�המותה� יהוה.� בעיני� יקר� עמו:� לכל� נא� נגדה� אשלם.��Bאמת בן� �Bעבד אני� �.Bעבד אני� כי� יהוה� אנה� לחסידיו:�פתחת�למוסרי:�ל�Bאזבח�זבח�תודה.�ובשם�יהוה�אקרא:�נדרי�ליהוה�אשלם.�נגדה�נא�לכל�עמו:�בחצרות�בית�יהוה.�

בתוככי�ירושלים.�הללויה:


את�יהוה�כל�גוים.�שבחוהו�כל�האמים:�כי�גבר�הללו�עלינו�חסדו.�ואמת�יהוה�לעולם.�הללויה:�

הודו�ליהוה�כי�טוב.�כי�לעולם�חסדו:יאמר�נא�ישראל.�כי�לעולם�חסדו:

יאמרו�נא�בית�אהרן.�כי�לעולם�חסדו:יאמרו�נא�יראי�יהוה.�כי�לעולם�חסדו:�

לי�מן�המצר� יהוה� יה:� במרחב� ענני� יה.� קראתי�1א�אירא.�מה�יעשה�לי�אדם:�יהוה�לי�מבטח� ביהוה.� לחסות� טוב� בשנאי:� אראה� ואני� בעוזרי.�גוים� כל� בנדיבים:� מבטח� ביהוה.� לחסות� טוב� באדם:�סבבוני.�בשם�יהוה�כי�אמילם:�סבוני�גם�סבבוני.�בשם�יהוה�כי�אמילם:�סבוני�כדבורים.�דעכו�כאש�קוצים.�בשם�יהוה�וזמרת� עזי� עזרני:� ויהוה� לנפל.� דחיתני� כי�אמילם:�דחה�צדיקים.� באהלי� וישועה� רנה� קול� לישועה:� לי� ויהי� יה.�ימין�יהוה�עשה�חיל:�ימין�יהוה�רוממה.�ימין�יהוה�עשה�חיל:�1א�אמות�כי�אחיה.�ואספר�מעשי�יה:�יסור�יסרני�יה.�ולמות�1א�נתנני:�פתחו�לי�שערי�צדק.�אבא�בם�אודה�יה:�זה�השער�ליהוה.�צדיקים�יבאו�בו:�אוד�Bכי�עניתני.�ותהי�לי�לישועה.�אודך:�אבן�מאסו�הבונים.�היתה�לראש�פנה.�אבן:�מאת�יהוה�היתה�זאת.�היא�נפלאת�בעינינו.�מאת:�

זה�היום�עשה�יהוה.�נגילה�ונשמחה�בו:�זה:


קול רנה וישועה באהלי צדיקים' ימין ה' עשה חיל. ימין ה' רוממה' ימין ה' עשה חיל

Why The Repertition?For some reason, most of the vertlach and p' shotim are on the first half of the

Haggadah, and we seem to have little left to say or ask on the latter part of the Haggadah, so it would be only fair that we give this part of the Haggadah some attention as well

A good look into Hallel will show you something very odd taking place. An entire half of a posuk seems to be repeated without any reason whatsoever. In fact, we say it every Rosh Chodesh, yet many of us simply fail to take notice of this most obvious problem. Just read these two pesukim קול�רנה�וישועה�באהלי�צדיקים'�ימין�ה'�עשה� :and try to explain what's happening חיל.�ימין�ה'�רוממה'�ימין�ה'�עשה�חיל.

Now, if it was Dovid Hamelech's intention to have these pesukim repeated, like we do the latter pesukim in Hallel which are repeated twice, then why not simply repeat the entire posuk twice? Why is only half the posuk repeated twice? We don't find this happening with any of the previous pesukim. Certainly Dovid Hamelech had plenty to say and didn't run out of praises for Hashem, so why say the very same thing twice? He surely could have thought of many other things to say without repeating himself! In fact, the question is so obvious that one wonders why none of the meforshim bother to ask the question. I've checked the main meforshim and haven't noticed them discussing this problem at all. I take this to mean, then, that the answer is so simple that it needs no explanation. So what could it be?

Actually, I think the answer is most obvious. It's right in front of our nose, and we say it every day. Yet, once again, we fail to take notice. We all know the posuk in Oz Yoshir, which reads: ימינך�ה'�נאדרי�בכח�ימינך�ה'�תרעץ�אויב, Here we also have the repetition of the word It says it twice, doesn't it! Fortunately, Rashi comes to the rescue and I quote: ימינך�ימינך�שני�פעמים.�כשישראל�עושין�רצוני�של�מקום�השמאל� When the Yidden do Hashem' s will then His left hand turns into the .נעשית�ימיןright. He now has two right hands. What an important rule to remember. The left hand, which represents weakness, suddenly gets the same power and strength that


the right hand possesses. There is no sign of weakness whatsoever. There is, however, one condition attached. If we want Hashem to swing His hands at our enemies with enormous force and power, then we must do Hashem's Will. We must keep His Torah and Mitzvos properly. It is only then that we are zoche to see Hashem perform the greatest of miracles. There will be no sign of weakness. He will destroy our enemies with both of His right hands. He will destroy them the way He destroyed Pharaoh and all the Egyptians. We must just keep our part of the bargain and Hashem will keep His part of the deal.

Throughout history we have seen that if we keep our part of the deal then we have absolutely nothing to fear from our enemies. When Amolek, chas v' sholom, gets the upper hand, it is our own fault. It's because we have weakened in our commitment to Torah and Mitzvos.

Yet, in the tents of the Tzaddikim, where there is the constant sound of Torah, there is no fear or worry. There, one constantly hears the sound of rejoicing and salvation. It's always קול�רנה�וישועה�באהלי�צדיקים.Therefore Hashem protects them with His two right hands. There is no left hand at all. There is no sign of weakness.

The first posuk, therefore, refers to the first one of Hashem's right hands, while the second posuk refers to the other one of Hashem's right hands. It's not a repeat at all. Quite simple, isn't it! That's of course if you learn Chumash with Rashi.

אנא�יהוה�הושיעה�נא:�אנא�יהוה�הושיעה�נא:אנא�יהוה�הצליחה�נא:�אנא�יהוה�הצליחה�נא:

יהוה:�ברו��הבא� מבית� ברכנוכם� יהוה.� בשם�ברכנוכם� יהוה.� בשם� הבא� ברו(�מבית�יהוה:�אל�יהוה�ויאר�לנו.�אסרו�חג�בעבותים.�עד�בעבותים.� חג� אסרו� לנו.� ויאר� יהוה� אל� המזבח:� קרנות�ארוממך:� א1הי� ואודך.� אתה� אלי� המזבח:� קרנות� עד�אלי�אתה�ואודך.�א1הי�ארוממך:�הודו�ליהוה�כי�טוב.�כי�

לעולם�חסדו:�הודו�ליהוה�כי�טוב.�כי�לעולם�חסדו:�


�כי�לעולם�חסדו: הודו�ליהוה�כי�טוב.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: הודו�לאCהי�האCהים.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: הודו�לאדני�האדנים.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: לעשה�נפלאות�גדלות�לבדו.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: לעשה�השמים�בתבונה.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: לרוקע�הארץ�על�המים.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: לעשה�אורים�גדלים.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: את�השמש�לממשלת�ביום.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: את�הירח�וכוכבים�לממשלות�בלילה.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: למכה�מצרים�בבכוריהם.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: ויוצא�ישראל�מתוכם.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: ביד�חזקה�ובזרוע�נטויה.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: לגזר�ים�סוף�לגזרים.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: והעביר�ישראל�בתוכו.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: ונער�פרעה�וחילו�בים�סוף.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: למולי��עמו�במדבר.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: למכה�מלכים�גדלים.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: ויהרג�מלכים�אדירים.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: לסיחון�מל��האמרי.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: ולעוג�מל��הבשן.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: ונתן�ארצם�לנחלה.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: נחלה�לישראל�עבדו.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: שבשפלנו�זכר�לנו.�


�כי�לעולם�חסדו: ויפרקנו�מצרינו.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: נותן�לחם�לכל�בשר.��כי�לעולם�חסדו: הודו�לאל�השמים.�

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:Bמשיח�Bעבד

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ויהי�נועם�אדני�א1הינו�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננה�עלינו�ומעשה�ידינו�כוננהו:

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תנובת�ברו�� ועל� הגפן� פרי� ועל� הגפן� על� העולם� מל(� א1הינו� יהוה� אתה�השדה�ועל�ארץ�חמדה�טובה�ורחבה�שרצית�והנחלת�לאבותינו�לאכול�ירושלים� ועל� �Bעמ ישראל� על� א1הינו� יהוה� נא� רחם� מטובה.� ולשבוע� מפריה�עיר�Bועל�ציון�משכן�כבוד�Bועל�מזבח�Bועל�היכלB.�ובנה�ירושלים�עיר�הקדש�מטובה� ונשבע� מפריה� ונאכל� בבנינה� ושמחנו� לתוכה� והעלנו� בימינו� במהרה�ונברכ�Bעליה�בקדשה�ובטהרה.�(בשבת:�ורצה�והחליצנו�ביום�השבת�הזה)�ושמחנו�ביום�חג�המצות�הזה.�כי�אתה�יהוה�טוב�ומטיב�לכל�ונודה�ל�Bעל�הארץ�ועל�פרי�הגפן:�

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אם עשה הכל כהסדר היא נרצה לה':נרצה

חסל�סדור�פסח�כהלכתו.�ככל�משפטו�וחקתו.�כאשר�זכינו�לסדר�אותו.�כן�נזכה�לעשותו.�ז��שוכן�מעונה.�קומם�קהל�עדת�מי�מנה.�בקרוב�

נהל�נטעי�כנה.�פדוים�לציון�ברנה:

�לשנה�הבאה�בירושלים�ג"פ:


And When Moshiach Comes והיה ביום ההוא יתקע בשופר גדול ובאו האבדים

בארץ אשור והנדחים בארץ מצרים והשתחוו לה' בהר הקדש בירושלים

There is a mad rush to grab every available airline seat as Eliyahu Ha'novi announces Moshiach's imminent arrival. The loud ear-piercing blast of the shofar can be heard around the globe as Jews from around the world excitedly rally to its cry. There is dancing and jubilation in the streets as the news media spread the enthralling news to all corners of the earth. Shock, excitement, joy and exhilaration fill the air as Jews of all types and shades join hands in celebration.

The evil desire – the Yetzer Horah - is finally killed and his coffin sealed shut for eternity. There is a huge funeral attended by great multitudes. Tzaddikim begin to cry hysterically while the evil doers weep along in great sorrow. (See Mesechta Succah. ) The long, dark, bitter golus has finally ended and Moshiach has arrived. The forces of evil and impurity are finally eradicated from the face of the earth, and


man recognizes that all that was created, discovered and invented must be used for the glory and honor of Hashemכל�מה�שברא�הקדוש�ברוך�הוא�בעולמו�לא�בראו�אלא� .לכבודו

Television and the Internet are now used only for Torah and mitzvos. Moshie sits glued to his high definition TV screen watching channel one, as Moshe Rabbeinu himself teaches us the Holy Torah. Kohanim are busy watching channel two as Aaron teaches them how to do the avodah. Music lovers tune in to channel three as Dovid Hamelech sings those beautiful verses of Tehillim accompanied by a 1,000 piece Levite orchestra. Young boys and girls enjoy channel four which features a beautiful play telling the story of Megillas Esther.

Ever since Moshiach arrived, the world has changed radically and dramatically. War is no more, and terrorism has been eradicated. All the nations have come to recognize and acknowledge the One and Only True G-d, as they all have destroyed their idols. They have now fully accepted the Seven Laws that were given to Noach millennia ago. All armies have been disbanded and all weapons of war are completely destroyed and banned forever, and nuclear plants have been redesigned to supply free power and energy to all.

The Melech HaMoshiach reigns supreme and the entire world accepts his judgment and acknowledges his great wisdom and intelligence. "All nations perceive his great righteousness and all kings his honor." (Yeshiyahu 62:2.) No nation dares make or hide any weapons as the Melech HaMoshiach is such a great prophet that he can immediately reveal their exact location. His great brilliance and understanding of science and all other areas of knowledge is truly awesome and breathtaking. Even the world's greatest scientists and professors stand in humble awe before him. He can reveal a man's hidden thoughts and can judge people by his sense of smell alone.

Advanced technology and man's marvelous discoveries and inventions are now harnessed for the benefit of mankind, rather than for its destruction. One can freely navigate the Internet without fear of forbidden sites, for it is used exclusively to "fill the world with the knowledge of G-d." The airwaves are filled with educational programming, as all violence and obscenity have been silenced forever.

Modern machinery, advanced computers, and equipment are now used for agriculture, for the construction of beautiful buildings and magnificent towers, and to do all man's many mundane chores at phenomenal speed and with great ease.


Fruits and vegetables grow to enormous size as they once grew in the Holy Land in Biblical times. They have even regained the juicy, tasty and delicious flavor they possessed in times gone by. Even ordinary non-fruit bearing trees suddenly begin to blossom and give forth a variety of exotic, scrumptious fruits never before seen or known. There is such a great food surplus that it is given away for free just for the asking. Even the poor are provided with the essential needs and services to live in peace and comfort.

The huge budgets once spent for war and security are now being spent to build free housing, yeshivos, schools, parks, communications and other community needs to enhance life with comforts and conveniences that even a king could never have imagined. Solar energy and the discovery of nuclear fission has made electricity free for everyone. Misery and suffering have ended as modern medicine eradicates disease and discovers the secrets contained within DNA, and is able to heal the sick, cure the lame, make the blind see, and the deaf hear. Man is now free to study the Torah and perform G-d's commandments.

Hatred between man and his brother are a thing of the past as harmony, love and peace fill the world. Wild animals have become playful pets and the wolf lies down with the sheep. Joy and laughter fill the air as happy and merry occasions are celebrated without fear of terrorism or violence. Locks are unnecessary. Police and security guards are a thing of the past, as crime is non-existent. People sit

under their luscious grapevines and shady fig trees, deeply engrossed in Torah study without any worries or concerns. Weather conditions have changed to what they were before the time of Noach's Deluge – always nice and mild without any storms, floods, or earthquakes. Life expectancy goes back to the way it was at the beginning of creation with people once again able to live hundreds of years.

However, our greatest joy comes on the day that all our loved and departed ones suddenly rise from their graves, their bones mysteriously joining together with a fresh new layer of flesh covering their bodies like the bones the prophet Yecheskel brought back to life in the Valley of Duro. Once again we are reunited with our


beloved relatives and friends that have left us ages ago. Man has finally learned the bitter, harsh lesson of golus and knows that sin brings horrid danger and tragedy. All of Jewry, as well as all the nations around the world, join together in the newly rebuilt majestic Bais HaMikdosh to praise Hashem and proclaim in unison that "הללו�את� Hashem ה'�כל�גוים�שבחוחו�כל�האמים�כי�גבר�עלינו�חסדו�ואמת�ה'�לעולם�הללויהis One and His Name is One!" On that day it will be . May we witness his coming speedily in our days!

P.S. Please note the Rambam in Hilchos Melochim who says that the only difference between life nowadays and life after the arrival of Mashiach is "shibud malchus," and that the prophetic descriptions of that time are actually metaphors and allegories. He also says that one must not only believe in the coming of Mashiach but must also constantly look forward and anticipate his arrival. And so, while no one knows exactly what it will be like, at least we can use our imagination.

והיה�באחרית�הימים�נכון�יהיה�הר�בית�ה'�על�ראש�ההרים�ונשא�מגבעות�הר�בית�ה'

ובכן�ויהי�בחצי�הלילה:�

אז�רוב�נסים�הפלאת�בלילה.�בראש�אשמורת�זה�הלילה.��ויהי�בחצי�הלילה: גר�צדק�נצחתו�כנחלק�לו�לילה.�

דנת�מל(�גרר�בחלום�הלילה.�הפחדת�ארמי�באמש�לילה.��ויהי�בחצי�הלילה: ו�ישר�ישראל�לאל�ויוכל�לו�לילה.�

זרע�בכורי�פתרוס�מחצת�בחצי�הלילה.�חילם�1א�מצאו�בקומם�בלילה.�טיסת�נגיד�חרושת�סלית�בכוכבי�לילה.��ויהי�בחצי�הלילה: �

יעץ�מחרף�לנופף�אווי�הובשת�פגריו�בלילה.�כרע�בל�ומצבו�� באישון�לילה.�לאיש�חמודות�נגלה�רז�חזות�לילה.�ויהי�בחצי�הלילה: �


אריות� מבור� נושע� בלילה.� נהרג�בו� קדש� בכלי� משתכר�ספרים� וכתב� אגגי� נטר� שנאה� לילה.� בעתותי� פותר�

ויהי�בחצי�הלילה: בלילה.��

עוררת�נצח�Bעליו�בנדד�שנת�לילה.�פורה�תדרו(�לשומר�� מה�מלילה.�צרח�כשומר�ושח�אתא�בקר�וגם�לילה.�ויהי�בחצי�הלילה: �

�Bכי�ל הודע� רם� לילה.� ו1א� יום� הוא�1א� אשר� יום� קרב�היום�אף�ל�Bהלילה.�שומרים�הפקד�לעיר�Bכל�היום�וכל�� הלילה.�תאיר�כאור�יום�חשכת�לילה.�ויהי�בחצי�הלילה: �

ילה חצי הל ויהי ב

Angels of DestructionChazal tell us that "Once the Angels of Destruction are granted permission to

destroy, they do not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.” And so on the night on which Hashem smote the Egyptian first born, the Jews were warned not to leave their homes so that they would not be harmed by the Angels of Destruction who were given free reign on that night. This leads us to a very basic question. How can these angels cause harm to an innocent man who has done nothing wrong to deserve being punished? Isn't everything predestined by Heavenly decree? How can the lot of the innocent be the same as the lot of the guilty?

In order to answer this difficult question we must realize that man was given the freedom of choice. This means that he can take a gun and chas vshalom kill himself anytime he so desires. A person cannot run across the street when the cars are coming or walk into a war zone and expect G-d to make a miracle and save


him. Rarely in history has G-d changed the laws of nature and made open miracles. Man is expected to take precautions and avoid putting himself into a dangerous situation. And so when a virus or other epidemic makes its rounds, man must do

all in his power to stay out of harm's way and not rely on miracles to save his life. This also explains why even a righteous person living in the evil city of Sedom puts his life into jeopardy and suffers the same fate as the rest of the people. One must be extremely righteous and must have the extraordinary merits of a Noach to be saved from a world of sin.

Many of the Jews had served idols and the prosecuting angels asked why they were being rescued. "They are no different than the others,” they argued. This is why Hashem commanded them to perform the two mitzvos of Korban Pesach

and Milah, and warned them to stay out of the path of the Angels of Destruction who were now unable to enter their house.

Leaving the house on Pesach night when the Angels of Destruction were out on the rampage was like running into oncoming traffic and expecting a miracle to take place!

בחו"ל�בליל�שני�אומרים:

ובכן�ואמרתם�זבח�פסח:�

סח ם זבח פ �ובכן ואמרת

�A Symbol of Unity קרבן�פסחThe korban Pesach is quite unique and very different from all other korbonos.

First of all it must be roasted over a fire. It must be eaten only by a group that has joined together beforehand. One is not permitted to break any bones in order to eat


the marrow within them.

All these special laws are a sign of togetherness or unity. Roasting solidifies a food while cooking breaks it apart. The only way to gain true freedom is to join together and become one. Labor unions have proven the power of solidarity. There is no greater power than when Jews are united as one people. This is the meaning of "vayhei b'yeshuron melech b'hisasef roshei om yachad shiftei Yisroel." Only when there is peace and unity amongst us does G-d reign over us, is how Rashi explains this posuk. (See Devorim 33:5) There is no greater strength than the power of togetherness. "Hinei matov u'mah noim sheves achim gam yo'chad." There is nothing as beautiful and enjoyable as achdus - togetherness. The Seder table includes all four sons, even the wicked one.

Unfortunately we suffer greatly because we have become so fragmentized. While the Baal Shem Tov's dream was to join all Jews together by showing great love for every Jew no matter who he was, from where he came, what color be his skin and no matter what his learning level was, his great dream has unfortunately remained unfulfilled.

We have been fragmentized into hundreds of parts and even broken each other's bones in struggles for power, money and other foolishness. The hatred and strife between different groups of Jews including chassidim has not improved much since the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh nearly two thousand years ago. The fires of sinos chinom are still raging everywhere without any sign of dying out. They reach from the low shrubs to the highest mountains.

How many more years of golus must we suffer before we get to our senses and realize that the basis of the entire Torah lies in "V'ohavta l'reiacha ko'mocha." - loving others as much as ourselves. Rabbi Akiva's students suffered a great tragedy when 24,000 of them died in a terrible plague sometime between Pesach and Sh'vuos. The Gemara tells us that it was because they failed to respect each other properly. We still mourn for them today by making a few external changes but do little to actually change internally. We must begin to realize that Jewish unity is the basis of our survival. The Gemara tells us that despite the Jews serving idols in the time of King Achov, his army was victorious in all their battles only on account of the great unity there existed among Klal Yisroel.

While we certainly must admonish the sinful, it must be done with great love


rather than in hate. Words of hate bounce right back at oneself while words of love enter another person's heart as chazal say "devorim ha'yotzim min ha'lev, nichnosim el ha'lvev." - words that come out from the heart enter into the heart. If we want our words to be listened to, let's try saying them with heart rather than with hate, with love rather than rage!

Only by joining together and holding each other's hand and living in peace and harmony with one another can we merit that Hashem extradite us from this long dark and bitter golus. May it be sooner rather than later.

We Hide the AfikomonThe Gemarah says that we hide the Afikoman in order to get the children to

question us and keep them awake searching for it. Yet, what do we answer our children when they question us as to the purpose of hiding this particular Matzah? If we want to keep them awake then we ought to hide any object at the Seder Table or perhaps hide a toy or candy. Why hide the Afikoman?

Perhaps the answer is that the Afikoman represents the Korban Pesach which we no longer have. We therefore tell our children that the reason we hide this particular matzah is to symbolize that this mitzvah is now hidden from us and all we can do is eat this matzah in its place as a reminder of the korban we ate in the time of the Bais Ha'mikdosh

The Belief in G-dThe belief in a G-d Who created heaven and earth is certainly not an exclusively

Jewish one. In fact, most people in the world except for atheists believe that the world had to have a Creator. This belief is based on simple logic. A world so complex and marvelous must be the result of a Supreme Being and couldn't be the result of any spontaneous or accidental Big Bang, chance mutation, and unintended twist of fate or evolutionary process. Can spilling ink in a haphazard fashion form an encyclopedia? Can a computer be the result of some chance mutation over billions of years? Most people find such theories illogical, irrational and absurd – and rightly so!


Yet the search for the Creator of this magnificent universe eluded people. And so when people were unable to see or find the Creator of this marvelous universe, they came up with many different theories. Some decided to worship some of the great powers that are important to life and without which the world could not exist. Some worshiped the sun while others worshiped water. Many believed that by man praying to them they would bring us blessings. Some people in fact believed in the existence of many gods. Others believed that since G-d had given man the power to rule over others, this meant that he too possessed godly powers. The more powerful the man and the greater strength he possessed, the more he demanded that others worship him. This is the concept of "el" which stands for strength and power. Pharaoh who possessed control over the waters of the Nile River (as a result of Yaakov's blessing) demanded that he too be worshiped. Nimrod who was the greatest of all hunters also made himself into a deity. Those who possessed power and might claimed that G-d had given them these powers so they could use them to rule the world and therefore turned themselves into deities.

It was our forefather Abraham that believed and spread the concept of only One G-d. He also believed that the sun was no different than a light bulb that has no power of its own and receives its energy from the power company. Praying to the sun is no different than praying to a light bulb to give off more light. When Nimrod tried to prove to Avrom that he had total control over his fate and could burn him in a blazing fire at will, G-d came to his rescue and reconfirmed Avrohom's belief in G-d. Thereafter, Avrahom received a prophesy directly from G-d telling him to leave his fathers house etc.

Yet even the concept of one G-d is defined and described differently by many religions. The Jewish definition of G-d can best be understood by carefully studying the two morning prayers of "Adone Olam" and "Yigdal."

Twice each day we Jews reaffirm our allegiance to our one and only G-d by reciting the Shema Yisroel. The second of the Ten Commandments also forbids us to worship any of G-d's creations whether it is the sun, an angel or man. It is to G-d alone that we must direct all our requests. The sun is no different than a large light bulb and has no power of its own to grant man's requests. This is part of the Ten Commandments which forbids serving any being or object is considered idol worship.


Warning!

Don't Go Back to MitzrayimWhile the Torah warns us not to go back to Mitzrayim, modern technology has

succeeded in bringing Mitzrayim right into our very own homes and offices, and even accompanies us as we stroll down the street. With TV, video, cell phones, and the Internet, all of Mitzrayim's culture and immorality has become easily and instantly accessible to all those who so desire at the mere push of a button. We no longer have to travel to Mitzrayim to see what's happening. We have instant access to all of the world's filth and culture through the marvels of the modern day "Tree of Knowledge." The ancient "snake" has given birth to many clones, constantly enticing us to partake from its various delicious poisonous fruits. While it certainly can be used to benefit mankind, for the most part it is used to contaminate the world with the morality of the ancient Canaanites and Egyptians. The Electro-magnetic waves that Hashem created to give us instant communication and bring the light of Torah to the darkest corners of the world are instead being used to spread the evils of darkness. Men have still not learned how to use this technology strictly for his benefit. Instead of using atomic power to light up our cities, they use it to make bombs of enormous power and threaten to destroy G-d's beautiful world along with themselves. It's rather frightful to remember what happened to mankind when he partook of the "Tree of Knowledge" and brought death to mankind. Let's hope we don't make the same mistake and learn to use it exclusively to spread the light of Torah for which it was surely intended.

Changing Matza into Chometz? In order for dough to rise and turn into chometz, it must have yeast. Yeast cells

are tiny microscopic cells that are in the air but are invisible and can only be seen with a microscope. When a tiny yeast cell lands on a piece of dough, it begins to multiply at a very fast speed and within a short time it turns into trillions of cells. These cells cause a chemical reaction that breaks down the dough and releases carbon dioxide. These bubbles of carbon dioxide are what make the dough so large and fluffy.


The yetzer horah works in the very same way as yeast cells. At first one can't see him but once you let him gain entry, then within a short period of time he multiplies and causes great destruction. Sometimes he works by getting us to watch something which is forbidden for only a short period of time which soon gets longer and longer. Before we know it, our time is up and our Torah and mitzvos have suffered.

Just before Moshiach is about to come, the yetzer horah has created some of the biggest time wasters in history. Even if TV and the Internet had no filth at all and was kosher, the amount of time it wastes is astronomical. We start off by thinking that we will watch only one short program, but soon it multiplies into hours, days, weeks, and months. Once the yeast cell has landed on the dough, there is no stopping it from turning the dough into chometz. Once we have lost time, it can never be made up. Time is irreplaceable. Chometz can never be changed back into matzah. Perhaps that's why the chachomim say that chometz sybolizes the yetzer ho'rah.

The problem with slavery is that it takes a person's time away, and instead of doing as we wish, one is forced to serve his master. Freedom is when we are not enslaved to things that waste our time and we can use our time to serve Hashem rather than others.

אין�בן�חורין�אלא�מי�שעוסק�בתורהMitzvas like matzos must be done quickly. Wasting time can mean the loss of a

mitzvah. Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim עבדי�הם�ולא�עבדים�לעבדים in order that we serve Him and not be enslaved to others as it says .

And G-d Hardened His HeartSome meforshim explain that it is possible for one to lose his power of choice on

account of his grave sins. Yet, this leaves us with a simple question. How can one be punished for the sins he did after he lost his power of choice since he now is no longer able to control himself?

Perhaps one can understand the meaning of hardening the heart as making it extremely difficult for one to control his actions. He becomes like a person who's addicted to drugs or cigarettes and finds it very difficult to stop. While he still has control, it will take enormous willpower for him to get off them.


By Hashem sending Moshe and asking him to let the Jews out for only a three day journey and not go completely free, Pharaoh was being deceived into believing that G-d was not in full control and needed his permission to let the Jews out. This deception only lifted his ego and hardened his heart into believing that he had the last word and that G-d could do nothing without his say so.

This was also the reason he chased after the Jews when they failed to return after three days. He had convinced himself that he too had godly powers despite all the miracles he witnessed. After all, the Egyptians were great believers in magic and he probably contributed all that happened to Moshe's superior magical abilities and was convinced that it was no proof of coming from G-d. After all, if G-d could really do as He pleases than why send Moshe to him for permission. Can't G-d simply do as He pleases? Little did he realize that G-d was doing it all in order to make a fool of him and punish him for his obstinacy and to show both him and the Jews His great powers.

"And a New King Arose Over Egypt Who Did Not Know Yosef"

Yosef's great fame and reputation was surely legendary and all his great accomplishments on behalf of Egypt were certainly well known. Yet, it wasn't many years after his death that all was completely forgotten and a change of policy occurred. Some say that a new king had taken over while others claim that it was the same old king who changed his policies toward the Jews.

Egyptian kings usually lasted far longer than American presidents who can rule for no longer than eight years. The promises of one president are not always binding on the newcomer. Even signed agreements are not always kept by a new administration. While Congress as well as the president has pledged to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem it still hasn't happened and neither will it ever happen.

For Israel to give up land in exchange for US assurances of peace with the Palestinians was a major blunder on Israel's part. Past experience has proven that assurances and peace agreements are short lived. When the US brokered a deal between Israel and Egypt that would not permit Egypt to move any missiles toward the Sinai border, it was broken by Egypt before the ink dried and eventually led to the Yom Kippur War. When the UN put its troops in the Sinai to act as a buffer between Israel and Egypt they were quickly removed the moment Egypt decided to go to war. The buffer was only an imaginary temporary one. Today's deals made



with Mahmoud Abbas have been broken over and over again yet Israel keeps making additional concessions. It will be a replay of Oslo except with far more drastic consequences.

Shortly, a new American president may be elected that "knows not Yosef." All Israel's dreams of peace will suddenly evaporate into thin air and Israel may chas v'shalom find itself with a Palestinian state right on its doorstep and with an Iran that has a nuclear capability. It doesn't take much of an imagination to foresee or predict what will happen next. The Palestinians are not smuggling roses through the tunnels that connect Gaza to Egypt. May Hashem have mercy and nullify all the evil decrees and bring Mashiach speedily in our days.

Our Long Dark GolusAs Moshe took his first tour of the Jewish section in Mitzrayim he was appalled at

the sight of an Egyptian taskmaster brutally hitting a Jewish worker. Moshe could not tolerate such inhumane behavior so he immediately uttered the Shem HaMeforash and the Egyptian fell dead at once.

Word spread swiftly. There was a young man by the name of Moshe who lived on Pharaoh's palace that killed an Egyptian taskmaster for having beaten a Jew. The story spread quickly. Imagine how proud the Jews must have felt that there was finally someone in the king's palace that did not tolerate the Egyptian brutality and came to the rescue of a Jew. He even had the power to kill with a word alone. What a deadly power he possessed. The amazing story soon spread far and wide. It was whispered and repeated everywhere. Certainly such gossip could cause no harm, or could it?

The next day when Moshe went out, he beheld a sight that was even more frightening. This time it was one Jew hitting another Jew. He immediately stepped up to the aggressor and said, "Rosho, why do you hit your friend?" Yet the answer he received was a shocker! "You think that you will kill me as you did that Egyptian yesterday?" was the man's reply.

The Medrash says that Moshe was completely taken aback by this answer. How could this person have known that he had killed an Egyptian unless some people were guilty of tale bearing? That people had dared repeat what he had done to the


Egyptian was absolutely astounding. Didn't they realize that his life was in grave danger if they would find out what he did? If Jews could be guilty of spreading gossip of such delicate nature, then he was extremely worried that they would chas v'sholom not be worthy of being redeemed from Mitzrayim. The entire redemption of the yidden was put into jeopardy because of those Jews who spread gossip.

From here one can see at once how dangerous it is to spread gossip. So much so, that it threatens the very redemption of the yidden.

Moshe had often wondered, says the Medrash (see Rashi ), why the Bnai Yisroel were being treated in such a harsh and unfair manner. Why were they being singled out from among all the rest of the nations? Why were they being tortured and mistreated? What had they done wrong to deserve this terrible Golus? When he heard this obnoxious answer, he finally understood the reason for everything. It suddenly became clear. They were guilty of spreading gossip. Gossip was rampant. He now realized that their suffering might be justified. He now understood why they had been singled out for so much pain. So much for the Medrash, which is also brought down by Rashi. Yet, it is very important that this very short Medrash be read over and over again until its meaning sinks into each and every one of us until we clearly comprehend the grave danger of simple gossip! Unfortunetly, we now have newspapers, faxes, radios, and the Internet, which have helped gossip explod to epidemic proportions and within seconds we know what's happening over the entire world. Even the Jewish media has become contaminated with news in the form of gossip. Had the incident with Moshe happened in our times you can be sure it would have filled the airwaves, blog sites, and every newspaper.

Certainly nobody thought there was anything wrong or disrespectful in repeating the fascinating story of Moshe killing the Egyptian. It certainly would have made the front pages of today's Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Press, or the 10 o'clock news. The Jews were proud of what Moshe had done. It must have been repeated with great joy and pride. A Jew had finally taught an Egyptian taskmaster a lesson he well deserved. Certainly nobody meant Moshe any harm. They were just reporting the news! Yet, just notice how it was now being used against him. It was being used to blackmail him. He would soon be denounced to the king and be accused of murder.

Little do we realize what a supposedly innocent word can lead to. Sometimes we may even think we are being helpful, yet it may turn out that we are causing the greatest harm. Modern technology has made the spreading of gossip so easy that


we have nearly forgotten its great danger. The newspapers, fax machines, radio, and telephones all generate business by spreading information lots of which is gossip and may be very harmful. Few bother asking a sheiloh before conveying any information. Will it be harmful? Is it allowed? Does it contain any loshon hora? Perhaps it's motzi shem ra? We've become so calloused to gossip that we don't even realize its deadly poison. We read articles in newspapers without even batting an eyelash, even though it may be filled from cover to cover with rechilus, loshon hora, and motzi shem ra! An article in the Jerusalem Post reporting that some rabbi burned a copy of the New Testament that one of his students brought to school is just an example of how a newspaper can pour fuel on a fire and spread hatred. A recent article in the Forwards was also guilty of spreading hatred against frum Jews. Not everything must be reported in the papers. It can be very damaging! Let the proper authorities deal with the matter discreetly.

When will we come to our senses and realize the great damage we are doing to ourselves? Isn't 1900 years in golus enough? Don't we realize as Moshe so clearly says that all out suffering and pain is on the account of gossip? Don't we realize that this sin is so deadly that it puts the very geuloh into jeopardy?

It may be true - learning to shut our mouth may not be easy. Learning to shut one's ears and eyes to what's happening all around us is certainly a most difficult task. Yet, let's just realize the terrible consequences of this type of talk. Let's learn from this short Medrash the great danger of spreading gossip. Next time we want to tell your friend something, we'd better think it over very carefully before we say it. Make sure we're not guilty of spreading gossip, loshon hora or rechilus.

One of the greatest reasons for the spreading of gossip is curiosity. We are curious to know everything that's happening. We must be kept abreast of the latest developments. In order to combat gossip we must stop being so curious. Sometimes, the less we know the better off we'll be. We have to learn to contain our curiosity. Let's train our ears not to listen to all foolish nonsense happening around us. Let's be extremely careful not to listen to any gossip. Only by controlling our curiosity can we hope to eliminate this very grave sin.

As the Yidden begin their long, dark and bitter golus in Mitzrayim, Hashem first counts them in order to show us that despite the great suffering they are about to experience, each and every one of them is important and precious to Him. While we may not know the reason for all the suffering, we must always realize whatever


Hashem does, He does for our own benefit despite our lack of comprehension.

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The Purpose of CreationA look into the Ramban in Parshas Bo 13:16 tells us that the ultimate purpose

of creation is that man should know and acknowledge that G-d is his Creator. The purpose of raising one's voice in prayer, and the purpose of places of prayer and the merit of praying together is so people should have a place where they can gather and acknowledge to G-d that He created them and caused them to be, and publicize and declare before Him that, "We are Your creations." It is worthwhile to see the entire Ramban inside.

This is the Rambanאמרו�(אבות�פ"ב�מ"א)�הוי�זהיר�במצוה�קלה�כבחמורה�שכולן�חמודות�וחביבות�מאד,�שבכל�שעה�אדם�מודה�בהן�לאלהיו,�וכוונת�כל�המצות�שנאמין�באלהינו�ונודה�אליו�שהוא�בראנו,�והיא�כוונת�היצירה,�שאין�לנו�טעם�אחר�ביצירה�הראשונה,�ואין�אל�עליון�חפץ�בתחתונים�מלבד�שידע�האדם�ויודה�לאלהיו�שבראו,�וכוונת�רוממות�הקול�בתפלות�וכוונת�בתי�הכנסיות�וזכות�תפלת�הרבים,�זהו�שיהיה�לבני�אדם�במה� כוונתם� וזו� אנחנו,� בריותיך� לפניו� ויאמרו� זה� ויפרסמו� והמציאם� שבראם� לאל� ויודו� יתקבצו� מקום�שאמרו�ז"ל�(ירושלמי�תענית�פ"ב�ה"א)�ויקראו�אל�אלהים�בחזקה�(יונה�ג�ח),�מכאן�אתה�למד�שתפלה�

צריכה�קול,�חציפא�נצח�לבישה�(עי'�ערוך�ערך�חצף): ומן�הנסים�הגדולים�המפורסמים�אדם�מודה�בנסים�הנסתרים�שהם�יסוד�התורה�כלה,�שאין�לאדם�חלק�בתורת�משה�רבינו�עד�שנאמין�בכל�דברינו�ומקרינו�שכלם�נסים�אין�בהם�טבע�ומנהגו�של�עולם,�בין�ברבים�בין�ביחיד,�אלא�אם�יעשה�המצות�יצליחנו�שכרו,�ואם�יעבור�עליהם�יכריתנו�ענשו,�הכל�בגזרת�עליון�כאשר�הזכרתי�כבר�(בראשית�יז�א,�ולעיל�ו�ב)�ויתפרסמו�הנסים�הנסתרים�בענין�הרבים�כאשר�יבא�ביעודי�התורה�בענין�הברכות�והקללות,�כמו�שאמר�הכתוב�(דברים�כט�יג�כד)�ואמרו�כל�הגוים�על�מה�עשה�ה'�ככה�לארץ�הזאת,�ואמרו�על�אשר�עזבו�את�ברית�ה'�אלהי�אבותם,�שיתפרסם�הדבר�לכל�האומות�


שהוא�מאת�ה'�בעונשם�ואמר�בקיום�וראו�כל�עמי�הארץ�כי�שם�ה'�נקרא�עליך�ויראו�ממך�ועוד�אפרש�זה�בעזרת�השם�(ויקרא�כו�יא):

חייב�לעסוק�בהלכות�פסח�וביציאת�מצרים�כל�הלילה�עד�שיחטפנו�שינה,�ורבים�נוהגים�לומר�שיר�השירים�אחר�הסדר.�ולא�יקרא�קריאת�שמע�על�מטתו�אלא�פרשה�ראשונה�של�שמע,�ולא�שאר�המזמורים�

שאומרים,�כי�ליל�שמורים�הוא�לה':

חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:דזבין�אבא�בתרי�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:

ואתא�שונרא,�ואכלה�לגדיא,�דזבין�אבא�בתרי�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:

ואתא�כלבא,�ונש(�לשונרא,�דאכלה�לגדיא,�דזבין�אבא�בתרי�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:

דזבין�אבא�בתרי� לגדיא,� דנש(�לשונרא,�דאכלה� לכלבא,� והכה� ואתא�חוטרא,�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:�

�ואתא�נורא,�ושרף�לחוטרא,�דהכה�לכלבא,�דנש(�לשונרא,�דאכלה�לגדיא,�דזבין�אבא�בתרי�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:

ואתא�מיא,�וכבה�לנורא,�דשרף�לחוטרא,�דהכה�לכלבא,�דנש(�לשונרא,�דאכלה�לגדיא,�דזבין�אבא�בתרי�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:

ואתא�תורא,�ושתה�למיא,�דכבה�לנורא,�דשרף�לחוטרא,�דהכה�לכלבא,�דנש(�לשונרא,�דאכלה�לגדיא,�דזבין�אבא�בתרי�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�

חד�גדיא:

דכבה� למיא,� דשתה� לתורא,� ושחט� השוחט,� ואתא�לנורא,�דשרף�לחוטרא,�דהכה�לכלבא,�דנש(�לשונרא,�חד� גדיא,� חד� זוזי.� בתרי� אבא� דזבין� לגדיא,� דאכלה�

גדיא:

ואתא�מלא(�המות,�ושחט�לשוחט,�דשחט�לתורא,�דשתה�למיא,�דכבה�לנורא,�דשרף�לחוטרא,�דהכה�לכלבא,�דנש(�לשונרא,�דאכלה�לגדיא,�דזבין�אבא�בתרי�

זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא:

ואתא�הקדוש�ברו(�הוא,�ושחט�למלא(�המות,�דשחט�לשוחט,�דשחט�לתורא,�לשונרא,� דנש(� לכלבא,� דהכה� לחוטרא,� דשרף� לנורא,� דכבה� למיא,� דשתה�

דאכלה�לגדיא,�דזבין�אבא�בתרי�זוזי.�חד�גדיא,�חד�גדיא

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