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Anyone have any divrei torah to share for the sedorim ?
I’m at work, so I cannot look up the marei mekomos, but one of my favorites is:
The Wicked son gets a real curt reply, yet in the Chumash, his question is give a very elaborate, even loving, answer (If my memory is correct, it might even be the one that the Haggodoh give to the Wise son).
Why the change of tone? 2 reasons;
#1 – Becuase if after seeing all that has been going on in his house, he has the nerve to ask, “why all the fuss?”, he deserves to be put in his place
#2 – if he’s is still in “chumash” stage (meaning, he is still willing to learn, and wants to stay in the “koislei bais medrash”, we need to treat his questions differently
Each of us know (or have an element of) the wicked son in some form or another. Perhaps its even within our own attitudes. Lets deal with it while we are still on the same side of the obstacle.. its easier to deal with a partner than an opponent
The Korban Pesach was an earth shattering event!
Since Adam HaRishon, Korbonos were brought, but only Olahs.
To think that a human being could partake of an offering to Hashem was absolutely unthinkable and the extreme height of ridiculousness and absurdity.
Until Hashem made us His people, His children, an AM KODESH
This was the first time there was a people who even their bodies were Holy to the extent that they could eat of Hashem’s Korbon.
–very loosely paraphrased from R’ Avigdor Miller, tz’l–
Less then ONE week away!!! Guys, lets load this thread with Torah!
Our seder is too short (3, 4, 5 am…) I need some more Divrei Torah to say!!!
In the Hagaddah we read that Lavan was actually worse than Paraoh, because “Paraoh lo gazar eleh al hazicharim, v’Lavan bekaish la’akor
es hakol”. Lavan sought to totally uproot everyone…..
Virtually all the meforshim find it difficult to identify the source which indicates that Lavan wanted to eradicate everything. Rav Soloveitchik said that based on the pisukim quoted in Parshas Va’yetzei, perhaps we can identify a source.
Yaakov has noticed that his father-in-law, Lavan, is no longer pleased with him. HKB”H appears to him and tells him to return to the land of Canaan.
Packing up his entire family, Yaakov leaves suddenly without saying good bye to Lavan. Lavan overtakes Yaakov and complains that he did not even have the opportunity to bid farewell to his children and grandchildren.
The critical pisukim follow:
“V’atah lichah nichrasa bris ani v’atah”. “Let us make a covenant”. There are two types of covenants. One indicates that the two parties will pursue a common goal, a shared destiny and a pledge to help one another. There will be interaction between their respective cultures and there is
no hesitancy to intermarry with one another.
However, there is a different type of covenant where the two parties have no interest in pursuing a common path. The agreement consists exclusively in respecting each other’s independence, a non-aggression pact. “I will not attack you and you
will not attack me”. Yaakov agrees to establish a covenant with Lavan but the two men have opposing visions regarding what the covenant will
represent.
“Vayekach Yaakov ehven va’yireeme’ha ma’tzaiva” Yaakov takes a single stone which for him symbolizes a barrier between his family and Lavan’s
and establishes it as a monument.
“Vayomer Yaakov li’echav liktu avanim”. Yaakov tells the clan of Lavan to gather stones because he knows that for Lavan the symbol of the covenant is the gathering of many stones, of many cultures and values and merging them together.
In confirming his understanding of the covenant, Lavan states “Elohai Avraham vai’lohai Nachor yishpitu baynaynu”. Avraham, in his early age was
an idolator just as Nachor was. It is this god, whom the pagans worshipped that should serve as a witness to this covenant. But Yaakov…..
“Va’yishava Yaakov bifachad aviv Yitzchok”…does not include Avraham. His understanding of the covenant is to be confirmed exclusively by the God of Yitzchok, who served God all his life.
Finally, “Vayizbach Yaakov zevach bahar”…In preparing the feast Yaakov slaughters the animal in accordance with the laws of shechita (vi’zavachta ka’asher tziviseecha”). The laws of kashrut are destined to remind us that social interaction with idolators, expressed throughout the
world by food and drink, should not exist.
Had Lavan succeeded in convincing Yaakov that Lavan’s understanding of the covenant should dominate, this in effect would have been the end of kedushat Yisrael and the uniqueness of the Jewish people.
Hence, Lavan beekaish la’akor es hakol. Lavan wanted to uproot everything we stand for.
This could explain why the Ba’al Hagaddah begins the paragrah with the words “Tzei u’limad”. “Go out and study”. When we are faced with a Paraoh, a Haman, a Hitler etc. who would like to eradicate us, it is easy to recognize their motive. When it comes to someone like Lavan, who tells us he would like to make a covenant, a peace treaty (i.e. Arafat) then we need to really go out and study the true motives of that person, because it is presented it a way which is much harder to detect. We need to study it again and again and be extremely wary!
Yanky55: Very nice! Keep em coming!
Thank You! I will write up some more IY”H…..
The most important Devar Toroh by far in conjunction with Pesach this year, is that this year is a Silver Jubilee, being exactly 33&1/4 centuries since Yetzi’as Mitzraim.
This same identical Devar Toroh shall also hold up this year by Shovu’os & Shivo Ossor b’Tammuz.
I still remember so vividly all the special excitment surrounding Pessach 1988, at which time it was exactly 33 centuries.
I despise most divrei Torah at the seder. It’s not the time for it. Save it for the afternoon seudah, the seder is for sipur yetzias mitzrayim and klerring chakirahs doesn’t fulfill that obligation.
truthsharer, you should never “Despise” divrei Torah, no matter when.
I am impressed by all the beautiful D”T. PLEASE keep ’em coming. I have many guests coming for the Sedarim, and one of them is a middle-aged secular Jew, a relative of our other guests (who although frum from birth, were not Yeshivah educated). What would be appropriate for him (an intelligent man), but not so “mild” or basic that the other guests will feel they have BTDT?
Some interesting ????????? – R’ Shimshon Astrapolier zt”l brings down an unbelievable ?????:
The ??? ????? were in ????? for 210 years. This was because a ???? swore at the ????? ???? not to tell ????, and the ????? was with the name of ????, which is 21. 21 X 10 = 210.
???? when he died (according to the ????? that he found out about ????? ????) brought in his sons, and ???? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ?????.
???? thought that there were only 9 people, forgetting about ?’. Therefore, he thought the ???? would be 189 years (9 X 21 = 189), and therefore wanted to reveal that they would go free in year 190 (?? = 190), but ??????? ???? ????? – he forgot about ? who was Number 10. (And he said ??? ?? ???? ????? so they answered ??? ????? ? ?????? ? ??? – you missed out 1 Hashem from your calculations)
??? made a different mistake. He knew that ‘? was included, but he thought the ????? was with ????, which is 26X10 = 260. So therefore ???? ?? ?? ?????, when Hashem saw that Moshe was looking at ?? = 260, He said ??? ???? ??? ????…
A beautiful Vort from the Heiliger Lubavitcher Rebbe;
The Lubavitcher Rebber poses this answer,
Beautiful thread! (cookie monster +1!!!!)
There is a beautiful dvar torah that Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach zt”l said over on the Hagaddah Shel Pesach.
Why do we respond to the Rasha son in the Hagaddah in such a harsh way (“Hakeh es shivov”….strike him in his teeth)? Isn’t it at least to his credit that he is here, sitting around the seder with his family, good enough? What does it mean, “Hakeh es Shinov”?
Reb Shlomo says, do what the Haggadah says to do to the Rasha, strike his Shin[av]
The Sfas Emes stresses the importance of Achdus. For without it we stand no chance against our enemies who pounce at the chance to destroy us.
Let us put aside our petty differences to truly embrace every Yid and finally becoming a nation K’Ish Echad B’Lev Echad once again.
A Stick that Turns into a Snake!
Isn’t that Elementary?
Hashem sends Moshe to Pharaoh with a stick, which he is to turn into a snake. He is well aware that this little trick is such a simple one that any five-year-old Egyptian who graduated from the kindergarten of any local magic academy is able to perform . Moshe and Aaron are made to look like absolute fools. Then, 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 awe of their great magical abilities. Moshe has a much better and updated version of their magical tricks. 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 they were unable to do. But why a snake? This was the required thesis to graduate from kindergarten in any Egyptian magic school. Can we say that the Egyptians were able to change their sticks into any animal they wished? Then why not instead change the stick into gold, the alchemist’s dream? I certainly doubt 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 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 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 are 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 kasha. 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 this 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 trick shown first 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 im shemos perek 89 that says that “when Pharaoh saw the stick devour all the snakes, he became very frightened. If the stick had magical powers and could eat anything in it’s path, then what stops it from eating his throne? And what stops Moshe from commanding the stick to eat him? The stick had frightening 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 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 eat anything in it’s 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 it’s magical powers. He would take absolutely no chances. Therefore, this first trick put a 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 it’s fantastic magical powers. The Egyptians were great believers of magic. Word spread very quickly of the sticks’ magical power. 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. We now understand why Moshe didn’t change the stick into a snake on his very first visit. It’s all 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 would happen 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 his threats. Moshe was now (in Pharaoh’s eyes) using his great magical powers to destroy Egypt’s most important water supply. Any magician dareing to cause such havoc should have been thrown into jail 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 it’s power. They may not have believed in G-D, but they sure believed in magical sticks. They didn’t doubt it’s 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 “Sanin” This snake had the same characteristics as the fish named “sanin” 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’s 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 His messengers, in the same way the snake, or for that matter any other animal or even angel acts as G-D’s messenger. The King doesn’t always make a personal appearance.
As long as Moshe held the stick in his hand, Pharaoh was afraid to touch him or cause him any harm. He was fully aware of the stick’s great appetite, and he didn’t want to be it’s main course.
Learned from Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum
WOW, thanks guys! What inspiring words. I cannot wait to tell these over on yom tov.
To quote a very famous Rabbi i was privileged to hear expound said the following: Hakol Beseder. everything about yiddishkyte can be found in the seder of Pesach. It is all self contained.
??? ?? ??? ????-part of the answer to the rasha is ???? ?? ????(knock his teeth out) what does the teeth signify and what does it help to knock them out ?
here is one I posted on a different thread once.
The ??? ???? explains the ???? to steal the ??????? during the ??? based on the ???? that ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?????. The ???? ????? ??? says that ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? because ????? are ???? if there are no dogs.
So as a ??? to the Night That No Dogs Barked, we “steal”.
????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ??????? – On the word ?????, Rashi explains “?????”. There is a famous question asked – why is this act of ????s so clever?
The night of the ????? was ???. Therefore, the two goates were in place of the ???? ??? and ?????. Yackov fed Yitzchok the ???? ???, and therefore Yitzchok couldn’t eat from Eisav, because ??? ??????? ??? ???? ???????.
????? is the same ?????? as ???????. So this is the ???? for taking the ??????? ????? on seder night.
The ????? says that women are also ?????? in ???? ????? ????? ?????. The ???? ????? asks on him – all ????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ??????, so why should women be ?????? here?
???? the answer is based on ??? ??????? ?”? where the ???? brings a ???? to say that women are ???? from ????. Tosfos asks on that that it is a ???? ??? ????? ????? And ??? answers that ???? ???? ???? ???? ?????? – since there is no time when the ???? finishes, it isn’t called a “??? ????”.
?? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ????? – there is no ending time for the ???? of ?????. We see the ????? continued until it came the ??? ????? ??? – and ???? they would have carried on, but the ???? ????? of ????? ??? takes precedence. (And once you are ?????, the ???? could be finished). So ????? ????? ????? is not a ??? ????.
Mah Nishtanah on Sukkos
Why do we recite a Mah Nishtanah only on the night of Pesach? Why not pose these questions on the holiday of Sukkos? In reality, Sukkos is the time to ask the real big questions.
On all other nights of the year we sit in our warm and comfortable homes. Why on Sukkos when we leave our houses and seek refuge into a temporary structure, do we not question anything? Surely this is puzzling to any child. Yet, we do not raise such inquiries.
The answer is brought down in Chasidic Seforim;
However, on the night of Sukkos, we pack up and leave our homes. This is something our people have had to do throughout the ages. Countless times, Jews both currently and historically, have had to pack up at a moment’s notice and run for their lives to a different city, country or continent. Most times with nothing more than the shirts on their back. They had to escape because of attacks, pogroms and Anti-Semitism.
May we be Zoiche once more to be a people with a permanent residence in Jerusalem with our beautiful rebuilt Bais Hamikdash Amen!
Those were great springbok007, sam4321 and yekke2.
I once wanted to suggest why we have “stealing” of the Afikomon on this holy and awesome night. How does such a “low” act as stealing fit in with Pesach Night’s Seder? A night that is filled with kedusha and so many mitzvos, a night where tradition, emunah, and jewish values are being passed on to the children.
So I wanted to answer with a teaching from the Besh”t. The Baal Shem Tov once remarked a fascinating teaching to his talmidim, that every single thing in this world can be used for good. Every object, every concept, every phenomenon, and every idea can somehow be used for Avodas Hashem in some way or another. So one talmud asked, “Even Apikorsus?”
He answered that yes, even the concept of apikorsus can somehow be used for good. And he demonstated: When someone finds his friend in a difficult situation, whether he lost a job, a relative, or his health etc. And his friend can obviously use a friend at that moment of tzar. Says the Baal Shem Tov, now is NOT the time to speak of Emunah and Bitochon! Speak like an Apikoress! DON’T say, you have to beleive it’s all for the best, we don’t understand but Hashem does things in mysterious ways, have emunah, have bitochon, except it be’ahava…etc, etc. NONE OF THAT STUFF. ” Ashrei Maskil el Dol” says the Besh”t, “Fortunate is the one who acts like a Maskil to the unfortunate one! At such moments you have to talk like the apikoress, “Oy, it’s terrible, it’s must be so hard, I feel so bad for you, Oy, terrible etc, etc.
So I wanted to say that here by the Seder, we have a night filled with Mitzvos D’Oraysas (Matza), D’Rabonons (4 kosos, moror,etc), Minhagim (egg in saltwater etc), Halachos meshunos (washing for karpas), and so much torah, and avodah. We also wanted to implement another area and concept into our seder night, that at first blush might seem foreign, and perhaps forbidden, but we nevertheless want to include as part of our avodas hashem. And that is, that normally stealing is forbidden, but if we can “borrow” this concept, and use this idea and bedafka use it for good. We want to make every aspect of life to be part of avodas Hashem. And even “stealing” the afikomon, is implemented for the good of keeping the kids up till the end of the seder in order to soak up their brains with kedusha and values and emunahs Hashem.
wow! that was a real nice vort, baalhabooze
Thanx, tzaddiq. Glad you enjoyed!
Why is it only on Leil HaSeder and Kol Nidrei Night the only 2 times we say, ” L’Shana Habah BiYerushalayim”?
One answer can be that on Pesach we find that although we have a night full of mitzvos, we nevertheless are missing THE MAIN mitzva of Yom Tov, namely the Korbon Pesach. Most of the mitzvas of Pesach revolve around the korbon pesach (i think the Gr”a made a cheshbon of 53 mitzvos, I think). Most of mesechta Pesachim deals with the Korbon Pesach.
By Yom Kippur, of course, the main part of Yom Tov is the Avodah of the Kohen Gadol going Lifnai V’lifnim, offering the Ketores in the Kodesh HaKedoshim. That was the highlight, and Main mitzvah of Yom Kippur.
By all other Yomim Tovim the main mitzah still is in effect.
Rosh hashana- we still have shofar (although the Korbon Mussaf is missing, we still have the main mitzva of Shofar)
Sukkos- we still have Suka and 4 minim.
Shavuos- we still have the torah.
So it’s really only these 2 times of the year, Pesach and Yom kippur, which the MAIN AVODAS HAYOM is missing because of the lack of the Bais Hamikdash. So it is specifically on these 2 occasions where we pray, “L’Shana Habah B’Yerushalayim” for the binyan Bais Hamikdash.
I saw a very cute vertel about ? ????? ?? ?????:
???”? wanted to darshen the ???? ????? ?? ??? ???? – the ?? to be ???? the nights. But when he grew his beard, he saw that another ???? of his wasn’t true – ?? ?’ ????? ????? ?????? ?????; the fact that he needed a beard showed that the ????? would not have respected him otherwise. Therefore we see that you cannot dashen the ??. So he had to wait until ?? ???? came along and dashened it from “??” rather than the “??”.
I want to thank everybody who posted a dvar torah on here. They enhanced my seder.
Ditto from me. The D”T that were posted went over very big at our Sedarim. Thanks to all who posted them.
BUMP
Last chance for this year! Any more divrei Torah to share?
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