Baderech Haggadah

The perspective of the rasha is that someone else's Seder, someone else's avodah is the real thing, "but not mine." Seder night is our time to experience Yiddishkeit in the most alive and vital way by celebrating the question of "What is this avodah to me?" It's a time to be our best and to connect from the vantage point of where we actually are in our own lives-However our Seder turns out, in the end, we all conclude with Nirtzah: we are ratzui, accepted, just as we are

In every aspect of life, exaggeration is seen as abnormal, and the same is true in the observance of mitzvos ~ Rav Yehuda Amital

There are ever-changing access points for the fulfillment of ratzon Hashem, and the access point for the deepest connectivity must be reevaluated all the time

Our custom of not pouring our own wine, but rather having someone else pour, is a symbol of royalty and freedom. We are invited to become vessels, to open ourselves and learn the art of kabbalah, “receiving.” The gift of redemption, expressed in the arbah kosos of Pesach, is not for us to take. Instead, we are invited to "cup our hands," to extend our empty glass and create a humble, open vessel to receive.

We eat me'at, "a little bit" of a vegetable by Karpas, internalizing the first steps of growth that sprout in the early stages of our path. With this act, we recognize that we ought not to expect immediate gratification and great achievements. Sustainable growth comes from appreciating and "blessing" even just a little bit of progress. Just as this small vegetable portion has emerged from the ground, we are beginning our path through the Seder with humility. With karpas, we trust the process and the gradual unfolding of our journey.

When we open the matzah cover, perform Yachatz, and put away some of the pieces for the afikoman to come, we are recognizing the importance of storing away "crumbs" of sustenance to hold us over for a long journey. While Pesach is a night of closeness and connection, we know that at different points during the year ahead, there will be times when we will feel distant and detached from the Ribbono shel Olam. It is as if we are breaking the matzah so that at moments when we need it most, we can reach back and remember the sweetness of our Seder and the special moments and bond we share with our Beloved

As Reb Shlomo Carlebach said: My dear friends, is there anything sweeter than the questions of children? Seder Night begins with children asking us the deepest questions. And we don't completely answer them; we just make the questions deeper. We are just telling children that we have the same questions all our lives. The most terrible thing is that we keep pretending to our children that we do know the answers. On Seder Night, we admit, "I don't know either." We might think that "Tishbi yitareitz kushiyos u'baayos-[Eliyahu Ha]Tishbi will answer all our questions." No, he will not answer all our questions; rather, in his holy presence, all our questions will disappear!

Once a year, there is a night set aside for Jewish parents to explain to their children the meaning of being a Jew. This night is pervaded by the spirit of indestructible Jewish vitality. There is the bitter sigh over our suffering and being surrounded by enemies, and there is the triumphant, eternal song of survival and faith. These are the praises of a nation close to God, embracing the paradox and dialect of being b'simchah, even in misfortune, with an unwavering certainty of its bright future

As author and essayist Chuck Klosterman once quipped, "In and of itself, nothing really matters...What matters is that nothing is ever in and of itself." Seder night invites us to consider the arc of our personal and spiritual narrative-where we are from and where we are headed.

Seder night shifts our focus away from victimhood and directs us toward the experience of triumph, perseverance, and salvation. Antisemitism serves as a reminder of who we are--that we are indeed different from all other nations. When we are singled out, we are stimulated to question what it is that sets us apart. And that gives us the opportunity to reassert our commitment to the spiritual and international obligations we carry. Tonight, we celebrate who we are.

In wrapping marror and matzah together during Korech, we will elevate and sweeten those experiences by including them in who we are. We don't "get over" the tragedies and hardships we have seen, but with faith in the Divine process, we can "get through" them: "Al matzos u'merorim yochluhu"

"Karvah el nafshi Geulah - Draw near to my soul; redeem it," means that “drawing close to myself is redemption."

Rav Asher Freund once said, "Many ask me for a berachah that they should merit to see Eliyahu Hanavi. I prefer to bless people to merit seeing themselves. You see, 'Chayav adam liros es atzmo-A person is obligated to see themselves,' and only then it says, 'k'ilu yatza miMitzrayim-it is as if he had left Mitzrayim."

Eliyahu Hanavi does not knock on doors. A lot of us are waiting to hear a knock at the door. Sometimes, one should wait to hear a knock. But, at great moments, you have to open the door first ~ Reb Shlomo Carlebach

There is so much evil in the world that has to be wiped out. Right now, we are so high, I don't want anything to do with fighting evil. So, you know what I'm saying to God? 'Shefoch chamascha el ha'goyim,' Master of the World, You do it!

As he sat at the completion of an elevated Seder, the Ahavas Yisrael of Vizhnitz kreditzed and sighed. "We ate copious amounts of matzah, murur, and kurpus according to the most stringent of shiurim. What is left? Now the mitzvah is for us to enjoy a heaping serving of Nitzah, a full kaayis of self-acceptance, pride in our mitzvos, and confidence in Hashem's love for us!"

The word sefirah alludes to sippur, our story." Through engaging in the avodas ha'middos during sefiras ha'omer, "counting" and accounting for our personal character traits, we add pages to our story, our "spiritual autobiography." This creates multiple inroads for deeper self-understanding and service of our Creator. All these roads lead inward toward redemption

"Freedom means knowing how to consume and spend within my means, to enjoy the blessings and bounty that Hashem has granted me, without looking over my shoulder at what others have or do. Am I free to enjoy another's successes, to have nachas in other's joy and satisfaction, or am I stuck in an unhealthy stance of comparison and competition?" ~ Rav Eyal Vered

Torah thought and law proliferate with different perspectives and opinions. “Eilu v’eilu divrei Elokim chayim-Both these and those are words of the living God." In other words, without at least two sides, there is not a "living God" but a "dead" one, chas v'shalom. "Ki Kel dei'os Hashem-For a God of [multiple] perspectives is Hashem."

What does the rasha say? "What is this avodah to you"-what is this burden that you are burdening us with every year? (Yerushalmi, Pesachim 10:4) This calls for a moment of self-reflection; if our children feel that the Pesach Seder is a burden, we ought to ask why. Have I, as a parent, ever imposed Yiddishkeit upon them as a heavy burden, perhaps a projection of my own struggle or feelings? Have I invested, to the best of my ability, enough prayer, preparation, and effort to make Torah and mitzvos meaningful, to make Yiddishkeit accessible, engaging, and inclusive for them, throughout the year?

Behold, I will send to you Eliya [hu] Hanavi...And he shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents (Malachi 3:23-24) At first, it may seem that Eliyahu is the wrong man to bring peace and forge reconciliation. Throughout Tanach, from the neviei Baal on Har Carmel to his consistent rebuke of the nation, Eliyahu is tough and uncompromising. Yet, real, lasting peace is unattainable without openness and honesty. Speaking in slogans of achdus, unity and love, without addressing underlying issues, superficially papering over the differences while avoiding potentially contentious differences, cannot lead to true achdus. Real peace can only come through the personal model of Eliyahu: resolute truth combined with openness, great love, and dedication to others