16 Apr PESACH: THE TWO DIPPINGS

The third of the four
questions in the Mah
Nishtana, which the
child asks at the seder,
has to do with the two
“dippings.” The child
observes that normally, no foods are
dipped into liquids, whereas at the
seder, we dip twice – we dip the karpas
in salt water or vinegar, and we dip the
marror in the haroset.
The Skulener Rebbe noted that the
seder is not, in fact, the only time when
we dip twice. We also dip on the night
of Rosh Hashanah – first we dip our
challah in honey, and then we dip apple
in honey. Why doesn’t the child ask
about those dippings on Rosh
Hashanah, and is bothered only by the
two dippings at the seder?
The Rebbe answered that there is a
basic difference between these two sets
of dippings: on Rosh Hashanah, we dip
in sweet honey, whereas at the seder,
we dip first in salt water or vinegar,

which is sour, and then in the haroset,
which symbolizes the bricks that Beneh
Yisrael had to make in Egypt,
symbolizing the pain of slavery.
Nobody ever asks questions about our
“dipping” in “honey,” when we enjoy
an abundance of sweetness. When
things are going well, nobody asks,
“Why me? Why is Hashem doing this
to me?” But when we repeatedly are
“dipped” in “vinegar” and “haroset,”
when we go through hard times, when
things are difficult – this is when we
start asking questions… And so no
questions are asked about the dippings
on Rosh Hashanah, but they are asked
concerning the dippings at the seder.
This beautiful insight reminds us that
when we find ourselves struggling with
some problem, we must not forget all
the “sweetness” that we enjoy. It is so
important to step back once and a while
to appreciate all that is right in our
lives, all the remarkable blessings that
we have, rather than only complain

about the problems that
we deal with.
But there is also
another lesson to take
away from the Skulener
Rebbe’s symbolic
understanding of the
“dippings.”
The dippings we do
on Pesach night are part
of the seder – which
literally means
“order.” We must
firmly believe that even
the “sour” aspects of
life, the hardships that we deal with, are
part of Hashem’s “order,” part of His
plan for us. Often, it might seem like
things happen without any reason,
randomly. We need to believe that even
life’s struggles are part of the “seder,”
that somehow, they are for our benefit,
and they help us maximize our potential
and become the great people that we
are supposed to become.

On this night, which is all about
emunah, our belief that Hashem is
always watching us, protecting us, and
caring for us, we must remind ourselves
that even the “sour” elements of our
lives are part of Hashem’s plan, and
that He is always helping us, even in
life’s challenging moments.