At the
Pesach Seder
, it is customary to set a beautiful table complete with silver vessels and other fine utensils. What is unusual is that the Jews are not an ostentatious people. At no other holiday do we make a point of displaying our riches on our tables. What is unique about the
Pesach Seder
?
Kos
(kiddush cup) numerically equally
Elokhim
, 86, God's aspect of judgment.
K
e
s
e
f
(silver) can be translated as love and desire (
Ni
ch[k
]
s
o
f
ni
chs[k
]a
f
ta lebeis avicha
/You longed for your father's house
Bereishit
31:30). By displaying our silver and other riches before we actually begin the
Seder
, we are setting the stage for unfolding the story we are about to embark on through the
Haggadah
.
While it is certainly true that setting our table opulently reminds us of the great wealth with which we left Egypt in fulfillment of Hashem's promise to Avraham, Rabbi Roberts offers a different take. Our Sages tell us that our ancestors were ultimately redeemed because of their deep faith in Hashem. Our ancestors understood that borrowing expensive utensils from their Egyptian taskmasters would be extremely dangerous. Their former taskmasters would undoubtedly regret their donation and pursue them to their death. Nevertheless, at Moshe's urging, the Jews put their lives in danger and asked for these utensils, maintaining their faith in Hashem's promise of protection. While one Medrash notes that the Sea split in deference to the remains of Yosef Hatzadik, Rabbi Roberts cites the Medrash that the Sea split upon seeing the great riches the Jews carried with them symbolizing their tremendous act of faith. We too should remember and try to emulate this as we observe the Seder ritual.
It is toward this end that the Torah says, "
Lema'an tesaper b'oznei bincha
/You should tell it into the ears of your children." It is the task of the parent to tailor the message in a way that the child will accept, whichever model of the four sons he may be. The
Seder
night is a most propitious night to embed faith in our children.
The three
matzot
of the
Seder
represent the intellectual approach of our Patriarchs, but at the
Seder
we also have the four cups of wine symbolizing the emotional approach to faith representative of our Matriarchs. As the wise King Solomon says, "Hear, my son, your father's instruction/
mussar
and do not forsake the
Torat/
teaching of your mother." It is the wine that has the ability to bring joy to the heart of mankind. Therefore, the wine is spread through the entire meal, to feel the emotional connection that should carry us throughout even difficult aspects of our lives. And the silver
kos
reflects that knowledge and emotion back to us so that we want to communicate with Hashem every day in every situation.
Rav Tzadok Hakohen asks why Hashem wanted us to take the gold and silver out of Egypt to begin with. He notes that everything in creation has some spark of sanctity within it. This sanctity was imprisoned in these objects in the hands of the depraved Egyptians. Hashem wanted
Bnei Yisroel
to transform the mundane and immoral
kesef
of physical silver into the holy and pure desire and love (
kesef
) for Hashem.
In spirituality, the night of the
Seder
and the night of Yom Kippur share many similarities. For example, they both have the word
kol
/all at the beginning- "
Kol Nidrei
/May all my vows be annulled," and
"Kol dichfin
/May all who are needy come and eat," and they both end in, "Next year in Jerusalem." But, notes the
Netivot Shalom
, while we approach Hashem in awe on Yom Kippur, we approach Hashem in love on Pesach. As Rav Meislish adds, we were once idol worshipers, but on Pesach Hashem has brought us close to Him, He has taken the broken matzah and joined it with the whole matzah, and now we must do the same with our lives and our relationship.
Rabbi Pincus z"l notes, one must ask oneself, "Would I have merited being among the twenty percent who were redeemed, or would I have been one of the eighty percent who perished in Egypt?" Only those who had an emotional connection and were drawn to follow Him were saved. Those who didn't desire a connection died in Egypt. The Seder should arouse in us the same desire, not remain an empty ritual. The purpose of our redemption, writes
Halekach Vehalebuv
, was for us to desire to become servants of Hashem. To this end, the round
matzoh
symbolizes the wedding ring that unites me with Hashem not only intellectually, but also with love, that wants to connect with Him and communicate with Him regularly, that wants to burst out in songs of praise and joy.
Rav Soloveitchik z"l explains that generally when a slave leaves his master he is still viewed derisively. But Hashem wanted
Bnei Yisroel
to leave with dignity, and so when they asked their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver vessels,
Bnei Yisroel
found favor in their eyes. This was the greater "wealth", the dignity and self - respect that Hashem had promised they would have at their departure. When we set the table with our finest utensils, we are exhibiting the royalty Hashem invested in us when He redeemed us.
In our Shabbat morning liturgy, we say, "Moshe rejoiced... that you called him a faithful servant. (Bamidbar 12:7)" Moshe found joy in being Hashem's servant. Mankind finds it hard to submit to another's will. One's ego always seems to get in the way. For this reason, we are to be thankful for the enslavement experience, for it taught us how to serve another which we could them transform into serving Hashem through love, writes the
Sichat Eliyahu
. That's why there is such stringency against having any
chametz
on Pesach, for the leavening that causes dough to rise is a metaphor for the ego which causes a person to become "puffed up," preventing him from submitting to the will of Hashem.
Eating the
matzah
should signal the search within oneself to find that pure part that wants to follow Hashem's agenda, writes the
Ohr Gedalyahu
. This is the core of the father's answer to the wicked son. If you're not ready to see the beauty in following Hashem, if you are unwilling to submit, then you would not have been redeemed. You would have broken down, just as a machine breaks when used improperly. The
Seder
helps us focus on accepting the "yoke of Heaven."
The Mahril notes, that one who is in possession of a surety owned by a non - Jew, on Pesach night would be permitted to make use of this vessel. Likewise, notes the Chatam Sofer, Rivka and Yaakov were permitted to use the clothing of Esav. Because of the blessings of Yitzchak, adds
Be'er Hchaim
, the night of Pesach is a fortuitous time to pray for
parnassah
/sustenance with dignity for all generations. The power of the Seder night extends far beyond just
parnassah
, continues Rabbi Schorr. Because Yaakov wore the clothes of that
rasha
externally while internally, he remained the pure
tzadik
, this night has the power to facilitate anyone's
teshuvah
, no matter how evil he seems externally. It is a night we give up hope on no one, no matter how cynical or anti - religious he may be. The scent
of Gan Eden
still adheres to every Jew as they adhered to Yaakov although he wore the garment of Esau. We retain that intimacy with Hashem. Perhaps it will not manifest itself in the current generation, but it is not lost. The connection will reemerge, sometimes generations later.
This is the night we connect the dry, intellectual matza with the sweet, emotional wine as we reaffirm our faith and trust in Hashem. We see our reflections in the shining silver on our table, and we burst out in song not only for all Hashem has done for us, but especially for the privilege of being His servants.