The Yom Tov of Eating

Pesach The Yom Tov of Eating As we begin Maggid, we come upon the section of the Arba Banim. We are told by many Meforshim on the Hagadah that each of these “sons” represents not only different types of children but also various general attitudes that people have toward Yiddishkeit. As we turn to the Rasha, his question is very brief: “Ma HaAvodah Hazos Lachem?” It is obvious from the response of the Ba’al Haggadah that this question is very offensive: “V’af Atah Hakeh es Shinav.” At first glance the main issue with his question is the usage of the word “Lachem” because by using that word the Rasha is excluding himself from the Avodah. But, as many point out, the Chacham also uses a word, Eschem, which would seem to exclude himself from the Klal. That being the case, what is about the question of the Rasha that is in fact so egregious? I heard the following explanation from R’ Avrohom Shor. The word “Lachem” has various connotations, and is used in Drashos to tell us different things. For example, when the Torah tells, with regard to Lulav, “U’lekachtem Lachem” Chazal tell us that we learn that in order to fulfill the Mitzvah, the Lulav must belong to you. With regard to Yom Tov however, we see another usage of the word Lachem: “Chatzei L’Hashem, Chatzei Lachem.” Each day of Yom Tov must contain a portion that is devoted to Hashem, but also a portion that is devoted to our physical enjoyment of the Yom Tov. That is the question that the Rasha is asking: “Mah HaAvodah HaZos Lachem? How can you be doing Avodah, fulfilling Mitzvos, in a Lachem manner, through eating and drinking?” If we think about it, the Rasha seems to have a good question: drinking four cups of wine does not seem like the most spiritual undertaking. Perhaps eating Matzah and Marror in our times is more easily done L’Shem Shamayim, but in the times of the Bais HaMikdash they were eaten along with the Korban Pesach, which was essentially roasted lamb, making the performance of these Mitzvos much more physically enjoyable. Why then is the Rasha’s question so terrible? Why does this rejection, or even questioning of the Lachem aspect of our Avodah, represent “Hotzei es Atzmo Min HaKlal?” If we look at the Yom Tov of Pesach itself, the question becomes a little stronger, but the perniciousness of his attitude on Seder night itself more obvious. Pesach is a unique Yom Tov for many reasons. In terms of changes to our normal everyday lives, it has a bigger impact than the other Regalim. The preparations for this Yom Tov are more arduous, and occupy the minds of some people as early as Tu B’shvat. There is one glaring, and overarching way in which Pesach differs from other Yomim Tovim, however: its Mitzvos. Every Yom Tov in our calendar has Mitzvos that come with it: on Sukkos we have the Sukkah and the Arba Minim, on Shavuos the Bikkurim. On Rosh HaShana we have the Mitzvah of Shofar and on Yom Kippur the Mitzvos of Innuy. Pesach is unique in that almost all the Mitzvos of the Yom Tov are related to eating: Matzah, Marror, Arba Kosos, even the Korban Pesach itself—these are all Mitzvos that can only be fulfilled through eating or drinking. Even the Issur of Chametz, which applies not only on Seder night but also throughout Pesach is related to food. This stands in contrast to most of the Mitzvos we mentioned above—such as Lulav, Sukkah and Shofar—which are in no way related to eating. In fact, while there are foods that we associate with the other Yomim Tovim—Milchigs on Shavuos, the Simanim on Rosh HaShana and others—those are mostly Minhagim, not Mitzvos D’oraysa. So on this night, one of Mitzvos that are certainly done in the Derech of Lachem, the Rasha’s question is indeed pressing: how can all of our Ruchnias on this night, which is so holy, be done in such a physical manner? In order to understand the answer to the Rasha’s question, and why it is so offensive, we must first understand why in fact the Avoda of Pesach seems to center around eating. I saw a fascinating idea from R’ Shimshon Pinkus zt”l (whose Yartzeit was marked this week) which I think may provide some insight. He explains that eating is a unique way to connect to Hashem, because the effect is immediate. If a person has not eaten, and is feeling weak, when he is finally able to have a bite, he feels stronger almost immediately. He had a need, and it was fulfilled through a gift from Hashem. In order to better understand this concept, we can contrast it with Tefillah. When a person is in a situation where he knows that he must rely on Hashem—a Parnassah difficulty for example—he will turn to Tifila as a means to connect with Hashem and ask for his need. While he can have Emunah that the request will be fulfilled, it may take days, weeks, or months for him to see the Bracha that he was asking for. Through eating we can connect to Hashem in a more intimate and immediate fashion. When our hunger is sated by the food that He provides, as we know he does, we have in a way experienced our own personal infusion of the Shefa of Hashem. In this way, the action of eating is a very real and impactful way to recognize the existence of Hashem in all our lives. Pesach is a Yom Tov that is all about this message: Hashem is present in each of our lives on every level and in every detail. The Nissim of the Ten Makkos showed Hashem’s control of the entire Briah. Insects, birds and fish, mammals and reptiles, the water and the weather: every aspect of the physical world was affected by Hashem’s wishes. The Nissim of Krias Yam Suf were similar: they also showed us the presence of Hashem in the physical world. Matzah is referred to by Chazal as “Nama D’heyminusa, the bread of Emunah” and Pesach is called the Yom Tov of Emunah because on Pesach, when we remember and relive these experiences it is a time to reaffirm our Emunah in Hashem and his Hashgacha. As we recall the Nissim of Yetzias Mitzrayim it is a time to reflect on the Nissim that we experience on an every day basis as a result of Hashem’s presence in our lives. Perhaps that is the reason that so much of our Avodah of Pesach is related to eating. On this Yom Tov when we celebrate Emunah, we do Mitzvos that are related to this most is the most immediate type of Hashgachas Hashem. Maybe that is why the question of the Rasha is so offensive specifically on Pesach. If he is asking how we can be Mikayem our Chiyuvim on Pesach through Mitzvos that emphasize Lachem, he clearly missed the message of the Yom Tov—that Hashem is present in every aspect of our lives, physical or spiritual. We can perhaps take this one step further: the Rasha removes himself from the Klal. Why? I think that the message of Lachem applies not only to Pesach, but also to our lives as Ovdei Hashem throughout the year. Yiddishkeit is unique among religions in that we do not require a separation from Gashmiyus in order to achieve levels of Ruchniyus. In fact, our goal is to use the mundane to elevate ourselves: “Kadesh Ametzcha b’Mutar Lach.” The struggle with this dichotomy is one of the central challenges that every Jew deals with throughout their lives. On Pesach, the anniversary of our birth as a nation, of “V’hiyisem Li Segulah”, we highlight this aspect of our Avodas Hahsem: that we can achieve greatness not only in spite of our connection to Gashmiyus but in fact because of it. The Rasha doesn’t understand this: he thinks that celebrating the Yom Tov and serving Hashem must be removed from Gashmiyus. In this way he not only misses the message of Pesach, but he shows that he is lacking in his understanding of the role of a Jew in the physical world. He removes himself not only from the Avoda of the Seder, but also from his rightful place in Klal Yisroel. As we approach this Yom tov we can take the lesson of Lachem to heart, and use the Avoda of the Seder to help find Hashem in our daily lives, through our connection to the physical world.