[Avodah] Thoughts for Pesach

[Shoshana L. Boublil]

As the yearly discussion on matza (soft/amount...) has already begun, I
would like to post a few words from Rabbi Tobiano on the subject of the
important points of Pesach and the Seder.

Approx. 70 years have passed since WWII and the Sho'ah and we all, in one
way or another, remember it; discuss it; review the horrors and promise not
to forget them. The Sho'ah lasted for no longer than 10 years (counting from
the elections, though some count "only" from 1941).

The horrors of the slavery in Egypt are documented in Midreshei Chazal.  The
Torah spends a limited number of psukim on the horror that included hard
labor, torture, murder etc. I'm sure you are all familiar with the various
midrashim on the topic.  The horrors in Egypt were no less, if not more
horrible than was suffered under the Nazi rule in Germany.  And they lasted
for over 80 years (depending on when the slavery started).

Yet on the night of the Seder, we spend more time arguing about the size of
the matza we eat and the amount of lettuce in the sandwich, then we spend on
understanding the horrors Hashem saved Am Yisrael from.

The Ge'ula from Mitzrayim by Hashem's hand was truly a wondrous miracle. It
was also a Nes Galui.

Rav Chaim David HaLevy writes that the point of Purim is to teach us that
sometimes Ge'ula does not come in an obvious manner, like in Yetzi'at
Mitzrayim.  Sometimes it looks to those who do not pay attention, as though
it "just happened that way". The Last Ge'ula will not come like Mitzrayim,
but like Purim. So that while our forefathers had Nevi'im who told them that
Koresh's words were Hashem's will (see Divrei HaYamim B), we don't have such
prophets to teach us that Balfour's Declaration was Hashem's will.

It is up to us to see Hashem's actions in this world and to understand
Hashem's gifts to us; that we did not have to suffer dozens of years under
Nazi rule before Hashem delivered us from those who hate Hashem and are
trying to prevent Hashem's rule of the world.

As Rav Aviner likes to say:  a kosher Purim and a Pesach Sameach!

Shoshana L. Boublil