[thereisone] What’s the Most Important Thing?
- From: Gutman Locks <locks.gutman@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: thereisone@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2017 06:55:50 +0300
[image: Inline image 1]
What’s the Most Important Thing?
Although Passover is by far the most memorable and beloved holiday of
the entire Jewish calendar it also brings the greatest number of details
requirements and restrictions. Observing each of these elements is
essential during this week of preparation and especially for the Seder
itself. To list them all would (and does) fill an entire book.
There are the Torah commandments and there are the rabbinical
commandments. There are also the customs that, surprisingly, vary
tremendously between the Sephardim and Ashkenazim. There are the unique
customs that have developed around the diaspora. For example, Indian Jews
eat different foods on Passover than Temanni Jews, and some Jews will dip
their matzah in their soup, while others would be aghast at such a move!
Some will eat beans, and some would never do such a thing. There are strict
requirements as to the minimum amounts of matzah, bitter herb and wine that
must be consumed, and only within a specific period of time. And perhaps
most important of all are the amazingly strict requirements not to have any
leavening or related products in our possession for the entire week.
Confusing this even more is that some authorities say certain foods are
leavened while others swear that they are not.
On and on, the list of requirements that ensure a successful Seder can
certainly seem overwhelming. It is no wonder that the favorite question a
sharp student will ask his rebbe right before the Seder is, “What is the
most important thing that I must watch out for?”
Last Pesach, right before leaving the Kotel to rush home for the
Seder, a rabbi friend of mine asked me that very question. To his great
surprise, I immediately answered, “Make sure that the children have a good
time.” He looked at me as if I might be joking; his face was all twisted
up. He wanted to know some great Kabbalah about the four cups of wine, or
maybe how to lean to the side when drinking them. Or maybe I could give him
some great Chassidic teaching on how to do *teshuva* (repentance) while
trying to gulp down that impossibly hot horseradish. AAGHHHH! But, no, I
simply said, “Make sure that the children have a good time.”
The next afternoon, he came up to me, smiling. He’s a smart guy and he
took my words to heart. He said, “It was the best Seder ever. The kids were
great. Everyone was laughing. We all enjoyed ourselves tremendously. But
tell me, how can you really say that keeping the kids happy was the most
important thing to watch out for? After all, this is a very serious
holiday.”
I explained, “There is only one reason we have the Seder at all: to
remember the Exodus from Egypt. And there is only one reason why we must
remember the Exodus from Egypt: so we will remain Jews. If we forget our
past, there will be no reason to go on as a people. There is only one way
for us to remain Jews, and that is to raise Jewish families. Without the
children coming back next year, there won’t be any Jewish families. It’s
for the kids’ sake that we go through all this each year and, God willing,
we will get to do it for them again next year, too. And if they have a good
enough time, then surely someday we will even get to do it for their kids.”
Have a happy Pesach. It’s essential.
Passover-What's the Most Important Thing? <https://youtu.be/IR0n0l_SrjM>
https://youtu.be/IR0n0l_SrjM
(link)
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