09 Apr LISTEN TO YOUR MESSAGES

Pesach. A night of recalling the miracles of
our past, and recognizing the miracles in our
lives today.
The words “b’chol dor vodor, in every
generation and generation” appear twice in
the Haggadah, reminding us that while we
may be experiencing times of darkness, the
miracles continue. HaShem is with us.
“B’chol dor vodor, In every generation and
generation, “omdim aleinu l’chaloseinu,
they rise against us to annihilate us,
v’HaKodosh Boruch Hu matzileinu
me’yadam, HaShem rescues us from their
hands.”
Later in the Haggadah, we are also told to
feel as if we, ourselves left Mitzrayim,
“B’chol dor vodor chayav odom lir’os ess
atzmo k’ilu hu yotzo me’Mitzrayim”.
Miracles past and present, merge into one.
Each one of us, in our own way, has a
Mitzrayim. A challenge, a difficulty. But
know that HaShem is there, helping us, then
and now.
Seder night is a night of sharing our
miraculous, magical history. “V’higgadeta

l’vincha, And you shall tell it to your
children.” A time for family to sit around the
table. It is a night to cherish the children. A
night when parent and child together share
stories, divrei Torah, and the melodious
songs of the Haggadah. A night to continue
the chain, link by link.
The very name of the yom tov, “Pesach”,
alludes to that. Peh, meaning mouth, sach,
meaning to speak. Pesach is about finding
our mouth, our voice and learning how to
truly speak about our nation’s history. To
transmit the story of our people from Egypt
to Sinai, from cruel slavery to sweet freedom,
culminating with HaShem’s gift of our
eternal Torah.
The Seder table has room for the Arba
Banim, the Four Sons. Each one different,
yet, each one has his own place, each one has
his own question, and each one is given an
answer. In this spirit, I think of the little ones
at the Seder, and the flavor they add to the
table. Songs they learned in pre-school…
“Frogs here, frogs there, frogs jumping
everywhere.” Another favorite is “Pharaoh
in pajamas in the middle of the night”. A
song depicting Pharaoh, running through the
streets of Mitzrayim, calling out “Moshe,

Moshe, you can go now”. Even while
Mitzrayim was suffering from the
makkos, Pharoah put on pajamas. He
got into bed. He went to sleep. Only
when the situation became intolerable,
did he get up and seek out Moshe,
“Vayokom Pharaoh lailah, and
Pharaoh rose in the middle of the
night.” (Shemos 12:30). Rashi
comments “me’mitoso, from his bed”.
We may ask, from where else does
one rise in the middle of the might?
Rashi is bringing out an important
point. Pharaoh had no qualms about going to
sleep as his country was burning. As the
pasuk tells us, “Ain bayis asher ain shom
meis, there was not a house that was free
from death.”
I think of the Chofetz Chaim, who during
World War II did not rest in his bed. I think
of my own grandmother, my father’s mother,
Chaya Sora HY”D, after whom I am named.
When her son, Yosef Dov HY”D, was forced
into the Hungarian army, she wouldn’t get
into her bed, but would sit on her chair, night
after night, reciting Tehillim and crying over
the devastation befalling Am Yisroel at that
time. My father would plead with her to go
sleep, but to no avail. She would say, “How
can I sleep, how can I get into a bed, when
my Yosef Dov is not here.”
Today, we must ask ourselves that very
same question. How can we rest, how can
we go to sleep, when the Jewish world is

on fire. A war in Eretz Yisroel, Anti-
Semitic attacks all around us, threats to

our physical existence that we have not
seen since the Holocaust.
Unlike Pharaoh, we are not a nation that
gets comfortable in bed, while our brothers
and sisters are in pain. Everyone, each one
of us, in our own way, is in “miluim”,
reserves. Each one of us is doing what we
can. From those on the frontlines, to those
taking on extra Torah learning, increased
concentration in tefilla, being more
meticulous in the observance of mitzvos,
doing more chesed and giving more
tzedaka. All for the sake of Am Yisroel.
Each of the plagues came with a message
to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Messages
they chose to ignore.
Dom – blood. The Egyptians shed the
blood of Bnei Yisroel… the Egyptians’
water turned to blood.
Tz’fardaya – frogs. The Egyptian
taskmasters croaked orders to Bnei
Yisroel… now, they heard frogs croaking.
Kinim – lice. Bnei Yisroel were subjected
to deplorable living conditions, bringing
on lice, vermin, etc…. the Egyptians were

treated to a lice infestation of their own.
Orov – wild beasts. Bnei Yisroel were forced
to collect wild animals for the Egyptian
circuses… now wild animals filled the
streets, roaming and attacking Egyptians at
will.
Dever – pestilence. Egyptians stole sheep
and cattle from Bnei Yisroel… now, their
cattle became ill and perished.
Sh’chin – boils. Bnei Yisroel were forced to
collect and heat water for Egyptian
bathhouses… the Egyptians became covered
with boils, wounds that made it painful to
bathe.
Borod – hailstones. Egyptians threw stones
at the Jewish people… now, hailstones
rained down upon them.
Arbeh – locusts. Bnei Yisroel were forced to
scrounge for their own food in the field… a
swarm of locusts attacked the Egyptian
fields.
Choshech – darkness. As slaves, Bnei
Yisroel were confined, deprived of the
liberty to move about as they pleased…
during the plague of darkness, the Egyptians
were locked in place.
Makas B’choros – plague of the firstborn.
Pharaoh ordered all newborn baby boys to
be cast into the river… now a plague causing
the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt.
Defying all logic, Pharaoh chose time and
time again to ignore these messages. Not
only when he was warned, but even when
they actually happened. Today, let’s look at
messages HaShem is sending us. Just think,
a war that started on Shabbos, perhaps a
message to elevate our Shabbos, to
appreciate this special gift from HaShem. A
tragedy that occurred on Simchas Torah.
Perhaps a message to increase our Torah
study, to find fulfillment in observance of
mitzvos.
In that z’chus, may it be this year, when we
open the door for Eliyahu Hanavi, we should
hear news of the geula, the final redemption.
May we see the realization of L’Shana
Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim, Next Year in
Yerushalayim.