Combining Matzah and Maror – Freedom and Slavery

Passover insights from Rav Dov Begun

The Exodus narrative is a love story between the Jewish People and G–d. Insights on the spiritual meaning of Passover.

Rabbi Dov Begun

These insights are from his book, “Israel Redeemed.”

Combining Matzah and Maror – Freedom and Slavery (View #2)

“Thus did Hillel when the Temple stood: He would combine matzah and maror [bitter herbs] and eat them together to fulfill what it says, ‘They shall eat it with matzah and maror’ (Numbers9:11).” (Haggadah).

As is known, matzah recalls freedom while maror recalls slavery. Seemingly, the two are opposites. Even so, Hillel, whose identifying trait was that he “loved peace and would pursue peace, he loved his fellow men and would bring them close to the Torah” (Avot), would combine matzah and maror and eat them. Why?

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook (Olat Re’iyah 289) explains that we have to view slavery and freedom not as two distinct forces that do not influence each other, but as two forces which are linked together and which complete each other. Matzah, symbolizing freedom, alludes to Israel’s instinctive love of G–d, His Torah, His mitzvot and His creations. By contrast, maror, symbolizing slavery, teaches us that we have to bring that love from a potential to a reality through our being slaves to the will of G–d. This is exalted bondage, enslavement to the King of Glory, which is total freedom. Thus, the perfect form of freedom emerges when it is linked to slavery.

Today, we must learn from Hillel the Elder as we approach reclining on the Seder night as free men. As we celebrate the holiday of freedom, we must tell our children, and ourselves, the remarkable story of our people when they were first born in the darkness of Egypt. We must tell of the miracles and wonders which G–d performed by dint of His love for His firstborn son Israel. We must tell of Israel’s soul, which serves to bring light to the entire world despite the forces of darkness which rise up against us in every generation with the intent of snuffing out the light of the world – it will never be! We must remember that freedom truly demands enslavement, and we must combine the two together, as in the words of Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, “I seek only freedom from enslavement to man. I seek enslavement to One – to G–d, because enslavement to Him is freedom, and surrender to Him is the true glory” (Kuzari, 5:205).

The Exodus Narrative – a Love Story

Pesach (Passover) derives its name from G–d’s great love and compassion for the Jewish People, in His passing over their homes as He smote the Egyptian firstborn. As it says, “I will then pass over you and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to plague you. . . . When your children ask you, ‘What is this service of yours?’ You shall say, ‘It is the Pesach-offering to G–d, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and saved our homes.’ The people then bowed and prostrated themselves” (Exodus 12:23–27).

Rashi relates to the Israelites having bowed: “Why did they prostrate themselves and bow? It was in thankfulness for their being told that they would be redeemed, would come into the Land and would bear children.”

Their love, faith and trust in G–d’s love for them were so great that they thanked Him by bowing to Him while they were still slaves in Egypt before being redeemed. Such is the way of people who love one another. Their distress and suffering does not stop that love.

Indeed, the Exodus narrative is the story of the great love that abides between G–d and Israel, as in our daily prayers, where we bless G–d, who “has lovingly selected His people Israel.” We likewise recite in the Shema, “You shall love the Lord your G–d with all your heart, soul and might.” This is not merely a command; it is a promise. Indeed, we customarily complete the Seder Night by reciting “Song of Songs,” King Solomon’s marvelous, profound poem celebrating the love between G–d and the Jewish People. That story of the great love between G–d and Israel is retold in the Pesach Haggadah from generation to generation, father to son, as we recline as free men on the first night of the holiday. Historically we have faced unimaginably harsh conditions – when we were pursued to death by the Spanish Inquisition, or when Jews were being burned to death in the furnaces of Auschwitz.

However, even throughout those times, Jews never ceased to recite, in secret, that great love story. Reciting the Haggadah during our most difficult hours reveals our great love for G–d. As with all who truly love one another, we love G–d under all conditions and in all situations.

The Haggadah begins with the words, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt,” and it concludes, “Next year in rebuilt Jerusalem.” This is a story going back thousands of years, but it is replete with love.

“The children of Israel emerged [yotzim] triumphantly” (Exodus 14:8). Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, in his talks (Parshat Bo), would stress that the word yotzim is in the present tense, and he would say, “We have been continuously leaving Egypt from then until now. Throughout all the generations, we have been leaving Egypt in greater and greater triumph.”

We live in a remarkable period, in which G–d’s promise is being fulfilled: “I will bring you to the land regarding which I raised My hand, swearing that I would give it to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to you as an inheritance. I am the Lord” (Exodus 6:8). We have to view all of Jewish history as occurring between two places – Egypt and Jerusalem – and between two personalities – Moses and the Messianic king from the Davidic line – may he come speedily in our day. How fortunate we are and how good is our lot that in the long journey of thousands of years since the exodus from Egypt, we are near the end of the journey, in Jerusalem. We are not slaves to Egypt and the nations. Rather, we are in our own land, witnessing the rebuilding of Jerusalem with our own eyes.

“We therefore are obligated to thank, praise, laud, glorify, exalt, honor, bless, extol and adore Him who performed for our fathers and for us all of these wonders. . . . Therefore, let us recite a new song before Him” (Pesach Haggadah). In the Song Sung at the Sea, Left Becomes Right In the song sung by Moses at the Sea of Reeds, it says, “Your right hand, O Lord, is awesome in power. Your right hand, O Lord, crushes the foe” (Exodus 15:6). Rashi comments, “It says ‘Your right hand’ twice. When Israel perform G–d’s will, left becomes right.”

How can “left” become “right?” “Right” and “left” symbolize, respectively, G–d’s traits of kindness and strict justice. When Israel perform G–d’s will, they are exalted and they merit to see how the trait of kindness is hidden within the trait of strict justice and how kindness is the soul of strict justice, such that strict justice, the “left,” automatically becomes kindness, the “right.”

Indeed, “the deeds of the Mighty One are perfect, for all His ways are just. He is a faithful G–d, never unfair; righteous and moral is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). We must try to ascend and reach this exalted perspective, to understand that even all of the complications and difficulties conceal within them the trait of kindness. Even when G–d conducts Himself towards us with strict justice, concealing His countenance from us, His intention, desire and purpose is to show us benevolence, for “the Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalms 145:9).

This is especially so regarding the Jewish People, G–d’s beloved children. In Egypt, G–d conducted Himself towards them with strict justice, with the Egyptians pursuing and persecuting them. Now, at the splitting of the sea, Israel saw clearly how strict justice could be transformed into kindness: “Pharaoh’s chariots and army He cast in the sea. His very best officers were drowned in the Sea of Reeds. . . . You made Your wind blow; the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters” (Exodus 15:4, 10). Our sages comment, “The mighty enemies and obstacles that had seemed so unbeatable sank like lead, as if they had never existed.”

When Israel performs G–d’s will, we merit to see how within the very trait of strict justice is hidden the trait of kindness. At the splitting of the sea, G–d’s strict justice was transformed to kindness, that is, left was transformed to right. The Jewish People merited “the revelation of the sparkling primal light of the World of Divine Unity, where all is one and no evil abounds” (Rav Kook, Orot HaTeshuvah 12:5).

This principle can also be applied to understand the mitzvah of obeying the verdicts of the Great Rabbinical Court and not rebelling against its words. “You must keep the Torah as they interpret it for you, and follow the laws that they legislate for you. Do not stray to the right or left from the word that they declare to you” (Deuteronomy 17:11). Rashi comments, “Even if they say to you that right is left or that left is right, but certainly if they tell you that right is right and that left is left.” In other words, if the sages tell you that what seems to you to be Divine kindness is really strict justice, and what seems to you to be strict justice is really kindness, you must heed them, for their perceptions and vision are profound, penetrating further than a superficial glance bereft of wisdom and understanding.

When approaching the political and social divide in modern Israel, we see how the community is split into right and left – yet that too is clearly on a superficial level, viewed from the outside. Whoever takes a deeper look to understand the entire marvelous process of the generation of rebirth, of the ingathering of the exiles, and the beginning of the raising of Israel’s stature in their land, can understand that when “left” seemingly has the upper hand, when strict justice holds sway and G–d’s countenance is concealed, within these very traits, and from their very midst emerges “right”, kindness and goodness to Israel and to the entire world.

Each day when we recite the eternal Song of the Sea, and especially on the Seventh Day of Passover, the day the sea was split, we must appreciate how everything is turning out for the best – the mighty obstacles blocking our path can, with G–d’s help, disappear in a moment, while strict justice and G–d’s hiding His countenance from us conceal within them His kindness and benevolence. The day is not far off when G–d will show us miracles like the time when we left Egypt. Then, all the earth’s inhabitants will recognize and know that the G–d of Israel is King, and His sovereignty rules over all. “Then Moses and Israel [will] sing this song” – the song of faith and thanks that Israel sings in every generation, and in the future.

How fortunate we are and how good our lot that we are privileged to see the beginning of the fulfillment of the song, the Shira, which states, “O bring them and plant them on the mount You possess.

The place You dwell in is Your accomplishment, G–d.

The shrine of G–d Your Hands have founded.

G–d will reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:17–18).

Rashi comments, “The Temple will be built with two hands. And when will that occur? When G–d reigns forever and ever – in the future when all kingship is his. How fortunate we are, how good our portion, that we are privileged to belong to the nation who proclaim G–d’s Oneness. They are “believers and the sons of believers” (Shabbat 97a) that

“the Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalms 145:9).

Happy Pesach!

Translation by Rabbi Menachem Weinberg]

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*pics from https://www.toolazytowriteabook.com/2018/09/13/definitive-absolutely-correct-ranking-jewish-foods/

and https://www.jewishvoicesnj.org/articles/pesach-the-persian-way/