08 Apr PESACH: LESSONS FROM CHAMETZ AND MATZAH

One of the halachos
of baking matzah
is (Shulchan Aruch
459:2), Don’t leave
the dough idle
without working it –
even for a moment.”
Working with the
dough prevents
it from becoming
chametz. The Satmar
Rebbe zt’l said that
this halacha hints
at the virtue of always being active in
avodas Hashem.
The Divrei Chaim of Tzanz zt’l would
say, “If you don’t have the strength to
learn Torah, say Tehillim; if you don’t
have the strength to say Tehillim, give
tzedakah…” But always be active and
do something in avodas Hashem.
The Gemara (Brachos 28.) tells us that
when Reb Zeira was fatigued from his
studies, he would sit at the doorway of
Reb Noson bar Tuvi’s beis medrash.
He said, “When the rabbanim pass, I
will stand up for them and will receive
reward.”
This is the concept we are referring to,
to always be active in avodas Hashem.
Don’t let time pass idly. When you need
to rest, do so in a way that will earn you
mitzvos.
Rebbe Zusha of Honipoli zt’l said that
we can learn three lessons from children:
(1) When a child wants something, he
cries until he gets it. (2) A child is happy
when he gets what he wants. [Adults
are not that way; When they get their
desires, they are soon unsatisfied again
because they want something else.] (3)
A child is always active. We, too, must
strive to always be engaged in Hashem’s
service.
The matzah teaches us several other
important lessons:
The letters matzah and chametz are
nearly identical; both have a mem and
a tzaddik. The only difference is that
matzah has a heh, while chametz has a
ches. The difference between the heh
and the ches is also minor. The difference
between them is that the heh’s right leg
is broken while the leg of the ches is
solid. Rebbe Shlomo Dovid of Slonim
zt’l pointed out that the broken heh hints
at a broken heart, humility. This is the
defining factor that makes one holy to
Hashem.

Additionally, the similarity of the
letters chametz and matzah tells us
that it is often difficult to differentiate
between kedushah and tumah. The Meor
Einayim (Tzav) writes, “Kedushah is
called matzah, and the kelipah is called
chametz. There’s barely a difference
between them, other than the small drop
that differentiates a ches from a heh.
The yetzer hara generally doesn’t tell
a person to do an aveirah because who
will listen to him? Instead, the yetzer
hara tries to convince his victims that an
aveirah is a mitzvah…” The difference
between good and sin is often slight and
difficult to distinguish, and therefore, it
is easy to err.
We can add that the small difference
between the ches and the heh indicates
that all it takes is a drop of improvement,
and one can reach very high levels
The following story illustrates this
principle:
Reb Eliyahu Dessler zt’l encouraged
his students to take on a small kabbalah
before Pesach. He assured them that
even a small kabbalah would elevate
them to very high levels.
One year, Reb Eliyahu Dessler zt’l asked
a bachur, “Which kabbalah tovah did
you accept on yourself as a preparation
for Pesach?”
The bachur replied that he didn’t take on
anything. He didn’t believe that a small
kabbalah could make a big difference.
Reb Dessler told him the following
mashal:
A person from a developing country came
to New York City and was astounded
by the tall skyscrapers he encountered.
In his hometown, the tallest buildings
were two stories high, and here he saw
buildings a hundred stories high, etc. He
stood outside a skyscraper and looked up
in amazement.
A passerby told him, “On the top floor,
there’s an observation deck; from there,
you can see the entire city of New York.”
“Amazing!” the man replied. “I would
love to go up there, but I don’t have the
strength to walk up all those steps!”
“You don’t have to take the stairs,” the
man replied. “You can use the elevator.”
The foreigner had never heard of an
elevator before, so the man explained to
him briefly that you go into a room, press
the button of the floor you want to get to,
and the elevator brings you there.”
The man entered the building and went

into the elevator but didn’t press any
buttons. The door closed, it turned
dark, and he was afraid that he would
be locked inside. Panicking, he started
pressing random buttons. As it turned
out, he hit the emergency button.
Emergency personnel rushed over and
freed him from the elevator. They asked
him, “Which floor did you want to go to,
and why didn’t you press the button?”
He replied that he couldn’t believe
something as simple as pushing a button
could get him so high up. Walking the
stairs would take hours; how could he
get there by simply pressing a button?
But, as we know, a push of a button could
raise a person to the highest heights.
Reb Dessler explained to the bachur
that people think tiny kabbalos are
insignificant, but they aren’t. With each
small kabbalah, one grows immensely.
The Satmar Rebbe zt’l compared it to
two people walking towards an escalator,
and one of them took one step more than
his fellow man. That one step made all
the difference because he got onto the
escalator and was brought to the next
floor, while his friend, who didn’t take
that step forward, remained below.
This is the uniqueness of a kabbalah
tovah. It is a small step that brings us
very high.
These ideas are alluded to by the small
difference between the heh and the ches.
It is the small things that make a big
difference.
The Mesilas Yesharim (ch.15) teaches
that people pursue the pleasures of this
world because they think those pleasures
are worthwhile and enjoyable. However,
the Mesilas Yesharim recommends that
we recognize (a) that the pleasures are
really nothing at all, (b) the pleasure only
lasts for a moment, and (c) the troubles
that can stem from them are longstanding
and severe.
He uses food as an example: The
pleasure isn’t so significant, lasting
only for a moment (until he swallows),
and the illnesses that can come from
unhealthy eating habits can be very
severe, chalilah.
When one thinks about these matters,
he won’t want to pursue the pleasures of
this world.
Reb Gad’l Eisner zt’l said something
similar regarding forbidden thoughts.
When one thinks that these thoughts
are pleasurable, it is a great challenge to
maintain pure thoughts. But when one

recognizes how much he suffers from
these thoughts, it is easy for him to push
these forbidden thoughts away.
Reb Gad’l shared the following parable:
A person was carrying expensive
diamonds, and from the corner of his
eyes, he noticed thieves following him.
He knows that if he runs, the thieves
will know that he is carrying something
precious, and they will certainly chase
after him. He, therefore, chose to walk
calmly as though he had nothing to hide,
and the thieves let him be.
The nimshal is how to overcome
forbidden thoughts. You can fight them
off and run away from them, but then
the yetzer hara will chase you and push
the forbidden thoughts on you. A wiser
approach is to decide in your heart that
you don’t want these temptations, and
then you will quickly and effortlessly
stop thinking about them.
This lesson is hinted at in the mitzvah of
bitul chametz, which means to annul the
chametz in your heart. Shulchan Aruch
(Orach Chaim 434:2) states, “At night,
immediately after bedikas chametz be
mevatel the chametz in your heart and
say, ‘All chametz that is in my possession
should be like the earth of the ground.”
This is called bitul chametz because,
in addition to finding and burning
the chametz, we annul the chametz
in our hearts and with our words. We
tell ourselves that we don’t want the
chametz; it is worthless and meaningless
to us.
We can overcome the yetzer hara using
the same tactic. We tell ourselves we
don’t want the temptations that the
yetzer hara is peddling, and that makes
it easy to overcome and pass the tests.
Chazal say, “Annul chametz in your
heart.” The Beis Aharon zt’l explains
that you should fill your heart with a
desire to do good and to serve Hashem
until all other temptations are batel and
annulled.