16 Apr PESACH: ANGER

As the family
celebrated the
seder, a young
grandchild of
Rebbe Yochanan of
Tolna zt’l was
roaming around the
house and came
across the closet
where the items sold
for Pesach were
stored. The child
took out a beer bottle
and brought it into
the dining room. The family was
appalled. “Chametz in Pesach… At
the seder!”
The only one who remained calm
was the Rebbe. He told the young
child to put down the bottle, and the
Rebbe covered it with a pot. As
halachah states (Pesachim 6), “If one
finds chametz on Pesach, he should
cover it with a utensil,” Then, he put a
small tablecloth over the pot in honor
of Yom Tov.

He turned to the stunned grandson
and told him, “Thank you so much!
You enabled us to keep a halachah in
Shulchan Aruch. How often does one
have the opportunity to keep this
halachah? This halachah wasn’t given
to Goyim; it was written for Yidden,
and you helped us keep it.”
Others may have responded with
anger, but what would anger
accomplish? Would it increase love
for the Yom Tov? Would it build the
child’s self-esteem and his interest in
Yiddishkeit? Instead, Rebbe Yochanan
demonstrated the joy in keeping
halachah and the joy of Yiddishkeit.
The wicked son asks (Shemos
12:26): “What is this work for you.”
He considers the seder (and Torah and
mitzvos) a burden, work, something
he doesn’t want to do.
But why does he have that impression
of Yiddishkeit at the Seder night? We
could understand the rasha asking this
question on Yom Kippur because he
doesn’t want to fast, or if he asked his

question on Tisha
b’Av, when we fast
and mourn and sit on
the ground. But Pesach
is a happy time! We eat
a good meal together
with the family; we
recline and feel free
and wealthy. Why
should the rasha be
upset with this
ceremony?
It seems the rasha is
thinking about all the nervousness,
shouting and screaming that occurred
erev Pesach, during the days the house
was being cleaned for Pesach. He
witnessed the hysteria and tension in
the days leading up to Pesach, so he
asks, “Why do you need it for?”
Reb Nota Zehnworth zt’l once
announced in beis medresh, “When
there’s an Eis Tzarah, klal Yisrael
responds with calling for a Yom
Tefillah, a day of fasting and davening.
I think we should do the same, now.”

No one knew what he meant. They
asked, “What tzarah are you referring
to? Is there a problem?”
With a smile, he explained that with
Pesach approaching, people become
anxious and worried. They feel like it
is an Eis Tzarah. So, we should make
a Yom Tefillah, a day for fasting and
teshuvah.”
The lesson is that every aspect of
Yiddishkeit should be performed with
joy and calmness, Pesach cleaning,
too.