16 Apr PESACH: REACHING THE LEVEL OF AHAVAS CHINAM

Rav Avraham Yitzchok
HaKohen Kook (1865-
1935), the first Chief
Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael
in modern times, was an
outstanding genius, but
he was a controversial
figure. Certain rabbinic personalities of the
“old yishuv” took issue with many of his ideas
and positions. Rav Kook was speaking
somewhere, and a zealot started yelling at him
in the middle of his drasha. The outburst did
not faze Rav Kook — he continued with his
drasha — but it was certainly a bizayon
(embarrassment) for this Torah giant.
Later that same year, Pesach time rolled
around. Rav Kook distributed maos chittim to
those with financial needs for the upcoming
holiday. He presented his gabbai [secretary]
with a list of the poor people to whom the
charity funds should be distributed. Lo and
behold, this very zealot who had so
inappropriately embarrassed the Chief Rabbi
earlier that year, was on the list to receive
maos chittim.
The secretary told Rav Kook, “I refuse to give
him the money! How could you give such a
person money after what he did to you?” Rav
Kook told his gabbai, “If you do not deliver
the money to him, I will!” The Chief Rabbi

explained his rationale for giving him the
money: Chazal say that the Beis HaMikdash
was destroyed because of sinas chinam
(unjustified hatred of one Jew for another).
There is a famous maxim that if the Beis
HaMikdash was destroyed because of sinas
chinam, the only way it will be rebuilt is with
ahavas chinam (unjustified love of one Jew for
another).
Rav Kook explained: Ahavas chinam means
that you like the person for no reason, just like
sinas chinam means that you hate the person
for no reason. But Rav Kook analyzed as
follows: When one Jew loves another Jew for
“no reason,” that is not really ahavas chinam,
because there is a mitzvah of vahavta l’reyacha
ka’mocha (love your fellow Jew like yourself).
I need to love every Jew according to Biblical
law. Thus, the fact that I love another Jew
cannot be called ahavas chinam — that is an
ahava for which we are bound by oath from
the time of Har Sinai! What then is ahavas
chinam, asked Rav Kook? It is when a person
insults you and embarrasses you, and you have
every justification in the world to put him on
your ‘enemies’ list and to totally ignore him,
and nevertheless you show him love and
compassion, and give him money when he is
in need. That is ahavas chinam.
Pesach is approaching. During Nisan, the

Jews were redeemed, and in Nisan we are
destined to be redeemed. This is the time to
practice “ahavas chinam.” This is conjecture
on my part, but perhaps this is why Rav Kook
waited until before Pesach to give him money.
He specifically wanted to do an act of ahavas
chinam for which we will merit the rebuilding
of the Beis HaMikdash — during the month in
which we are destined to be redeemed.
The Ben Ish Chai cites an insight on the
following question from the Mah Nishtana:
“On all other nights we do not dip even once;
tonight, we dip two times.” The Ben Ish Chai
explains that one dipping commemorates
“And they dipped the tunic in blood”
(Bereishis 37:31), and the other one
commemorates “You shall take a bundle of
hyssop and dip it into the blood…” (Shemos
12:22). At the Seder, we dip one time to
commemorate the brothers taking Yosef’s coat
and dipping it in blood and we dip a second
time to commemorate the bundle of hyssop
(agudas eizov) that we dipped in blood in
Egypt on the night prior to the Exodus. The
Ben Ish Chai comments: If we want to atone
for the sin of hatred between brothers, the way
to do it is to take an “agudas eizov,“ i.e., to
come together as an agudah achas (a unified
group) to do Hashem’s will with total
dedication.

Tisha B’Av is normally the time that we talk
about ahavas chinam. However, as we all
know, the truth of the matter is that there is a
tremendous connection between Tisha B’Av
and Pesach. The first day of Pesach always
falls on the same day of the week as the
coming Tisha B’Av. We know, likewise, that
we eat an egg by the Seder, to remind us of the
Destruction of the Bais Hamikdash, to remind
us of Tisha B’Av. There is thus a thematic
connection between Pesach and Tisha B’Av.
This is the connection, says the Ben Ish Chai:
If we want to achieve atonement for the sin of
dipping Yosef’s tunic in blood, if we want to
merit the promised redemption in Nisan, the
way to achieve that is “and you will take a
bundle of hyssop” – to forget some of our
petty differences, and to in fact come together
b’agudah achas, so that, Please G-d, “we will
eat there from the sacrifices and the Paschal
offerings” speedily in our days, Amen.