16 Mar PESACH

Maggid

Before saying Maggid, many read the following section from the Zohar: “Every person who tells the story of yetzias Mitzrayim, and he is happy with it, will be happy with the Shechinah in Olam HaBa, and that is the greatest joy of all. He is happy with his Master, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu is happy with the story [that he is telling]. At this time, Hakadosh Baruch Hu gathers all the angels in heaven and He says to them, ‘Go and listen to My praise that My children are telling; they are happy with My redemption.’ The malachim listen to the praises that Yidden are saying, and [see] that they are happy with the redemption… The angels praise Hakadosh Baruch Hu for the miracles and for His holy nation that He has on earth who are happy with His redemption… Yisrael, with this story, give strength (kiveyachol) to their Master, as when a king’s power increases when his subjects praise him and express their gratitude to him… Therefore, we must praise Hashem and tell this story… One should always discuss Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s miracles, and publicize the miracles He does. If a person will ask, why do we have this mitzvah? [The answer is] certainly one must tell all the miracles to Hashem because these words go up to heaven and all the angels gather and praise Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This brings honor to Hashem above and below. From speaking about yetzias Mitzrayim, we receive many brachos and yeshuous (blessings and salvations). The Darkei Moshe (the Rema) explains a reason for Urchatz. He writes, “We can explain that telling the story of yetzias Mitzrayim is like a tefillah, because we tell the praises of Hashem. Therefore we must wash our hands, as one washes his hands before he starts to daven.” Since Maggid is like tefillah, we can certainly receive all forms of salvations through it. When one tells the story of yetzias Mitzrayim, one is supposed to envision himself as though he is actually leaving Mitzrayim. The Sfas Emes writes, “According to the degree that one believes he is leaving Mitzrayim, so will it happen in his own life. He will leave his personal Mitzrayim (hardships and struggles). Everyone can leave his individual (limitations, hardships) through this mitzvah.” The Gemara (Pesachim 116.) says, “We begin telling the story of yetzias Mitzrayim from the hardships (we were once slaves) and conclude with the praise (of the redemption)”. The Yismach Yisrael zt’l explains that when we say Maggid, even those who are presently Bgenus, in a difficult life situation, will end Bshevach, with praise, because in the merit of sippur yetzias Mitzrayim each person will be redeemed from his personal tzaros.

Yeshuous

The Seder plate is round. This signifies that we simply go through the cycle of doing the customs and halachos of the Seder and subsequently we receive many brachos from Hashem. This can be better understood with a parable of a donkey tied to a mill. The donkey walks around and around the mill, without knowing what it is achieving but with every turn, he is milling more grains into flour. Similarly, we go about doing all the mitzvos of the Seder, and many brachos and salvations are drawn to us. The Apter Rav zy”a said, when one makes the brachah, “who redeemed us and who redeemed our forefathers…” (at the end of Maggid) and believes that Hashem continues to perform miracles for us, he can be saved from any kind of trouble.

The night of the Seder is a time of immense compassion and is an Eis Ratzon. Reb Eliyah Gutmacher zt’l explains that this is the reason Mordechai and Esther declared a fast during Pesach (see Rashi on They wanted the greatest Es Ratzon as an aid in annulling Haman’s decree. The compassion that pervades on this night is incomparable to any other time of the year. Their tefilos were answered. On the second day of Pesach Haman was hung. Reb Gutmacher describes the specialness of this night with a mashal: Imagine a person who is surrounded by four high walls, without any hope of escape. However, if there would be a tiny breach in one of the walls, he can hammer at this aperture and it will widen until he is able to escape. The Seder night provides us with this small opening. Everyone has “walls” that surround him. For some, it is the lack of parnassah, for others it is health issues. There are many other forms of tzaros too, rachmana litzlan. However, on Pesach there is a break in these walls. If we will pound on this gap (by taking advantage of these holy times) it can open wide, and things can change entirely. Even one’s mazal can change for the better, on this night.

Reb Eliyahu Gutmacher wrote down these ideas in a pamphlet and distributed it widely so people should know of the great opportunity that is available for them on Pesach.

A primary point for yeshuos, by the Seder, is when we say the passuk, “We shouted to Hashem the G-d of our fathers, and Hashem heard our voices…” Tzaddikim taught that this is a moment when everyone can shout to Hashem and Hashem will answer his prayers. There was a yid who rented an inn from a poritz, but he wasn’t able to pay the rent. The landowner warned him that if he doesn’t pay the rent soon, he would imprison him and his family. He traveled to Rebbe Chaim Meir Yechiel of Magulintza, zy”a for Shabbos HaGadol, and hoped to receive a bracha from this great tzaddik. Erev Shabbos, the gabai told him that the rebbe wasn’t accepting people, so he figured that he would go to the rebbe after Shabbos. Shabbos afternoon, by the Shabbos HaGadol drashah, the rebbe of Magulintza delivered a very deep halachic discourse; this yid didn’t understand anything. Then the rebbe began discussing the Haggadah, and the rebbe said, “When we reach the section of the Haggadah that states, ‘Vanitzak el Hashem, it is a very special moment for tefilah. If one needs parnassah, refuah, or if one works for a poritz and doesn’t have money to pay the rent, and he shouts and prays at this point for a salvation, Hashem will save him.” The yid was certain that the rebbe meant him. When Shabbos was over he didn’t wait to speak with the rebbe. He had already received the counsel he needed and he returned home. His wife asked him what the rebbe said, and he told her that she would soon find out.

When they reached Vanitzak at the seder, they both began to shout and pray to Hashem to be saved from the poritz, and to have abundant parnassah. Their shouts and cries continued for quite some time. Then they heard a knock at their door. It was a gentile they knew. He told them that he had just killed his wife and he needed to escape before the police arrested him. He had with him two barrels filled with gold coins. “I know that I can trust you, because you are yidden. I need that you watch the money for me, until I retrieve it from you. You can keep one barrel for yourself, and the other barrel, you will send me, when I send you information of my whereabouts.”

The yid and his family continued the Seder with joy. Hashem had already sent them the money they needed to pay the poritz. The gentile never returned, so they gained two barrels filled with gold, because of their Vanitzak. Similarly, there are many stories of people who were saved through their tefillos at this time.