Rabbi Shlomo Schiller - The Passover Haggadah - Part 5

somebody mentioned one a nice idea we have the four Sons right the wise right we spoke about the wise son a lot that his Carri he wants to know and we have a Mitzvah to teach him tell him not only specific about PES actually he's asking he's asking on Old the Mitzvah in generally right we have the wicked that is rebelling and saying a statement what's the purpose of all this why you have to do all this right what's this work and you have the simple he knows a bit not too much right and you have the one that doesn't know even to ask doesn't know how to ask uh somebody said that's the idea is you know Jewish people we travel from place to place in Exile right that's exactly if you look carefully it's actually very true this idea he says Jews travel from one place to another place what happens let's say in Europe right the first generation they were all observant Jews right they were observant Jews keeping Shabbat keeping koser many of them are rabbis right and what happens when they travel to a new place the older generation keeps the tradition what happens to the younger generation they have the pressure that they want to be like the local people like the local culture they rebel against the parents right people families right immigrate from Europe to America the older generation will sacrifice the life literally sacrifice theice if you took about in the in like 60 70 years ago wasn't easy to keep Shabbat you barely could find a job not to work on Saturday what are you talking about right so but there were people that literally sacrificed the the life and they did not work on Shabbat keeping kosher anything was a hustle wasn't easy what happens to the younger generation for the most they say father and mother you're from the oldfashioned right that was in Old Village you keep Shabbat and keep kosha now we're in America right you got to keep you got to fit yourself to that place right and if you look at history that's what happens right the younger generation Rebels against the ideals of the parents what will happen to the third generation so they they don't have what to Rebel right because already the parents rebell did the maximum that you could Rebel what happens is you'll have have a child right that he sees his father is not observing not keeping Shabbat not keeping mitas but he remembers his grandfather told him once oh about chabbat about kosha Passover such a holiday right so he knows a bit but not too much that's the simple what happens if that simple what could a simple give over to his child not too much right so already the fourth generation he doesn't know what they ask even and that's right for many many Jews in America right they're already holding in the fourth generation they know they're Jewish if they know they're Jewish but they don't know what that means they don't know what to ask even what it does it mean that I'm Jewish and this is the Mitzvah of P that we shouldn't give up on them even those that are still Jewish they're still sons and we have to care for them and we have to take the initiative to help them out but it shows you I think very nicely the idea of the order how things happen Okay you see it was a great Rabbi here in in he was teaching in his name was Sim waserman his father is one of the famous rabbis in Europe that died in a holocaust Vasan was a he had his Yesa in brovich and very interesting very powerful he told the people when they they're taking to kill them there a group of people with him and on the way when they're about to shoot them kill them he told them the following you see we are now they're about to kill us why they're killing us only because that we are Jewish we did no sin we're not guilty suffering right only because we're Jewish right that's why they're about to kill us we are now like offering right in this portion of the week guys we're going to learn different kinds of offerings right the first one is elevation something that goes up to God we are going to be now a right a means that everything goes it's burnt on altar nothing goes to theim everything goes to on the altar burnt we and now people were going to be a offering to Hashem and the rule is offering when the coin is serving in the temple okay when the coin is serving in the temple he's not allowed to have bad thoughts right he's because any bad thoughts will damage the offering for example he shouldn't think I'll do a different service I'll splash the blood instead of this corner I'll do it in a different corner or I'll delay the burning for the next day There are rules that you know how you do it so any bad thoughts or changing the order of the offering does damage in the offering he said we shouldn't have questions we don't know why this is happening we don't have a clearance of why this is happening for all Jewish people here in Europe This Disaster Mega disaster but we know that we're being killed only because we're Jewish and we're offering so let's we shouldn't damage the offering we shouldn't have doubts in Hashem and we should accept it as it is and that's how they walked and they said the tradition the some say that they're saying on the way and they killed yes um does bad thoughts include any thoughts not directly related to the co P service like if he's thinking did I leave the oven on today or something like that no no bad bad foot is just something that related to the offering okay bad bad foots I meant only something that's related to the offering that he wants to do it in a different order or something else that he shouldn't do okay so that was anyways this is his father was a it's a wellknown his son his only son made it survived and made it to Israel and he was teaching here twice a week in this holy place oh he told the students the following you know in America now they invented synthetic potato right you could make from it french fries you can make in it a lus Anda right whatever you want mashed potatoes everything right so what's the difference between a real potato the synthetic potato you don't say the blessing for a real potato and a synthetic potato you don't say a blessing you don't say the blessing that you okay say instead okay very good that's the perspective that's right okay what else so he said to them something very important guys he said the following you see if you'll plant this the synthetic potato something will come out could you plant it depends on how you make it I mean if you make it to be synthetic if you make it to be able to do that no no no it's synthetic chemicals it's not real potato right so no seeds right so you can plant it on Earth and you can produce right that's the idea real potato you put in the earth you put in the ground and it's producing it grows right he said a real Jew has to be real potato right you got to give it over to the next Generation you got to produce you can be synthetic that disappears and very important to know you see the and the r say what why we have so many mitzvas what's the idea of so many mitzvas the idea is that we believe that every Mitzvah that you do every positive Mitzvah that you do shapes you and and makes you you a better person we believe that the mitzah will give us to us not because was was boring you know let me give some people to do something and something should happen no it's for to make us better people and therefore it's good putting us in good shape the more good things you're doing you will be a better person you hear the idea and the the and the says like this if a person says you know what I believe in God and I get that idea that is one Creator and all that and I believe in the idea that chabas is a good thing but I don't want to I'm not up to practice it in you know in theory I hear the idea I like the idea but you know also kosher I could hear the idea we stay away from certain things right what what you say your person the idea is like this if his philosophy is his understanding doesn't apply an action it's going to disappear we as human being has to be we We Are Not Angels right we are physical people so the the MIT is giving us physical actions to do that our thoughts right should apply on something right the idea is you can't say I believe in a concept I like the idea if you do so you got to practice it you got to do it because if no it's going to disappear it has to apply on something that's the idea that's what the says that a person follows his actions that's why the more mitzah that we're giving it's making us better people is shaping us making us better people I don't remember if I mentioned this is a statement that wanted what's you know what's the word merit is Merit okay so wanted means to give us Merit but it's another understanding you could use also comes from the word to cleanse to clean something so the double meaning is that God wanted to give us Merit and he wanted to cleanse us that's the purpose of Mitzvah but it has to apply in something and that's one of the things that we learn in the major things that we learn in the SAT night that that's where we're teaching a son that's why we have the Mitzvah of the PES offering to Remember The Exodus of Egypt God skipped the postos of the Jews right we have the Mitzvah of matah we got to eat it you can't say well I like the idea the Jewish people left right wow in a rush right beautiful no you got to eat the matah to remember you got to experience that right physically you have to eat the matah right you got to eat the bitter herbs to remember the suffering all that we have to apply in real life to feel it and to experience it we as human being that's the idea the Torah is not given to angels angels are only spiritual F the Torah is giv to us we are physical also physical spiritual and physical we have to experience we have to cleanse right the physical and do the Mitzvah that's will do the right way this world okay guys let's go on we spoke about yesterday page 30 in the in the middle of the page bless you Hashem who kepts his pledge his promise right that knew how to calculate right exactly till when the Jewish people will be in the Exile so what was the calculate over here so I explain to you please give me one k this idea that the Jewish people will be in Exile and God will redeem them was told already to Abraham earlier so when God is making the Covenant with Abraham he tells them this right so if you please open page 68 this is the Covenant that God and Abraham are doing and Abraham falls asleep and he sees this prophecy right so in verse 13 right you should know your descendants will be in Exile in a different land doom and they'll put them to slavery they'll um afflict them they'll suffer 400 years now right and then after verse 14 God says when also that nation that put them to work I'll judge them and punish them then okay so we mentioned yesterday right that's what God had to calculate because in the end of the day what the Jewish people were there for 100 years no they were there only for 210 years is what happened how we switch from 400 to 2110 so I explained to you that you see this is a way that it's flexible we didn't say from when we start to count the 400 years God said it'll be 400 years but it's open to you could change it from when to start the count and because the suffering of the Jewish people is so much right and the pain was so much the 200 the 210 years was enough it was as if of 400 years and that's why God said okay you know what we'll start the count from the birth of Isaac not 400 years in Egypt 400 years of Exile and I could change it right and we could start to count it from the times of Isaac right it doesn't say here for example will be the Exon right it doesn't say when we start the count all of these are things that are open and it depends on the people later how we'll deal with it God is saying he the concept but the concept could change the the the layout right could change right I told you yesterday that what happens if a prophet comes and gives you prophecy guys if you don't do repentance if you don't do cha the whole town will be destroyed and bad thing is going to happen da da da and then something bad happened but not like he said so that means that he's a fals prophet no why no because um it could happen at any time or it may have been interpreted wrongly or it just didn't happen in the way that he said it happened that's the idea when God has giving you the that was bad idea but go way by the way guys that was the idea that was the purpose of a prophet well why we why we needed prophets the idea is that they'll communicate between God and the Jewish people and guide them warn them guys are doing well or bad so that was the job of the prophets hey guys be careful because I see according to this behavior I'm getting a message from God that you're going to get punished right and used to guide them advise them warn them rebuke them that was the job of a prophet however so that's the idea when he gave you the warning he was right but it could change if you do repentance so maybe God won't bring you that punishment that he wanted and it going to be a lower level of a punishment a different punishment and that's why ex that's what the rambam says that if we don't measure a false Pro Prophet based on that because that could change and that's what's happening over here God says there will be an exile 400 years but hold on we might play around and change from when we to count to 400 years okay now let me ask you a question why God does why does God punish the Egyptians they're fulfilling the mission of Hashem God said it to Abraham your descendants will be an exile they'll put them in slavery they'll suffer and if they'll take them out so why the Egyptians deserve a punishment over doing the job choosing to be the ones to do the job oh so interesting those are the two approaches what you the two guys are saying here one approach is the r the ram says well God didn't say who should do it this is a very general very open if you look carefully right very open like we said it doesn't say when we start the count where it's going to be who should do it right so the rambam says nobody told the Egyptians to do it they with their Free Will decided to do it and they chose evil so they're punish they're getting punished for that okay then says he says well that's not enough because if somebody's really fulfilling a will of a king he should get rewarded not punished and if that's what God wanted so they should get reward not punishment even though he didn't know but that's what the king wanted but in the end of the day that's what he did so then says I think what you said Scott the idea is that they added much more you see God said they'll suffer they'll be in slavery even Exile right could be decent good like you said in the beginning Ben right how you doing today right so even Exile could be decent good God didn't say to throw the boys to the river God didn't say to make the people work for day and night and switch the jobs of men and women right all of that the Egyptians chose with their free will to add much more from what God wanted and they being punished for that so that's the approach of the to answer why the Egyptians are being punished okay that makes sense because if in the text it doesn't say like I'll punish him says I'll judge so maybe judge according to exactly exactly judge according to what that's right exactly that's why this is if you look very carefully this is very open and very flexible is's telling them this is what's going to be but it is no detail here cuz let's see what happen let's see how the Jews will act let's see how the host in the Exile act act and we'll deal with it later right very good okay let's go on so right so that's the idea is that we bless Hashem that remember the promise and that promise stands for us for ever so if we go on guys you familiar with this song it's a very famous tune if you don't know it you should know it try to know it before P very famous all Jewish homes sing this song this is what standed to our fathers vanan and to us now what are we talking who stand what standing for our father and us what were we talking about this is what stand to a father and us let's read it a minute not only one stand on us to destroy us rather every generation that people that are standing on us to destroy us to kill us and who saves us so so what's going on here who what we're talking about who's standing who's the what is what do we mean we're talking about something something is standing for us and saving us it has to do with something that we just mentioned before with Abraham the promise very good the Covenant the promise of God and Abraham that the Covenant is forever you see and that that's why we say that stands for us and if you go through history right we talk about all if you go through the history all the Exiles and the and the suffering and the the people that are pursuing the Jewish people is unbelievable that we went through all that and we are still here we still survived you see in the we say me oer what's ozer helper MOS what's mosia the mosia probably means Savor umen the shield so you have three levels right we're saying this is the end of the last blessing Mel the king oer is the helper mosia is the Savor the shield which one of the three is the best Shield oh that's the idea guys in the times of Exile there are times that God is a helper helper means somebody fell into a pit he needs help to get out but he's functioning also so you helping him to go out but he's walking he's standing also and you know climbing out so you are helping him but he's helping himself also right so it's the two together that's what it means help sometimes God is helping us but you know we're limping there but he's helping us sometimes we are not functioning we're doing bad and God is a Savor Savor means that somebody fell into the pit and he broke his leg he cannot help himself who will take him out the pit the guide will come and save him he'll or bring a ladder and go down to the pit and carry him or bring a rope and time and get him out of it but you see is only the Savor functioning and taking the victim out from the pit right what shield shield is that somebody will build a fence around the pit that nobody should fall into the pit aha so which one is the best The Shield that will be the ultimate redemption in the Exile God will help us and he'll be a savior but the ultimate Redemption the Final Redemption he'll be a shield we won't have these these these these situations because we won't we're not going to fall into the pit because God will be our shield and this is very important you see the idea is that that's what it's telling us that this is the story of the Jewish people in the Exile till the ultimate right Final Redemption and whatever you do whatever you do right the the Jews in Exile they don't like us over there we come to Israel well they limiting it us what you could do here in Israel so where you want us to be we should fly we should all fly to the moon what we should do right so don't be surprised because it's meant to be and that's what's going to be till Mia will come and the good news is God will save us right that t s that it looks like we're doing pretty much okay right and right after this let me tell you something beforehand you're familiar with the story that Jacob ran away from his brother asov because he wanted to kill him he runs away he's spending 21 years in a house of his he gets married over there white right it builds his family and now his whole group want to come back to the land of Israel right Jacob wants to come back to the land of Israel to see his father but he's afraid asov is still his enemy he want he still wants to kill him so he sends Messengers to check out what's going on with asov they come back with a report oh be careful asov is also preparing to fight against you so the hatred is still there after 21 years right so what does Jacob do he splits his group his whole family slaves everything right he splits it to two and look what does he say so look please open in page 172 so look at verse 8 and nine right so I'll read in the Hebrew and yov was he was very afraid terrified right very much and he felt pressure he split the people with him right so he split it the the kettle right the animals the camels to two groups to two camps and look what does he say look carefully will come if ASA will come to one Camp he and H and he will hit one Camp the second camp that will survive to Survivor so what is Yakov doing here right he has a group of people and he's splitting it to two groups and he's saying if ASA will hit one right the second one will survive now who guarantees that the second one will survive also maybe ASA will hit both huh right maybe but that's the answer guys right you see right the answer is that even we have those that want destroyed us all but hold on will save us it's a guarantee you see what Yakov did here is not only a strategy this also in the army they do right you split your units in different directions right you come from this direction that direction you want to surprise the enemy right you want to have backups right this is what you do that's a strategy right but what Yakov is saying here is not only a strategy that's the right move to do it's actually a guaranteed thing that if ASA will hit one group one Camp the second one for sure will survive of course you can't kill everybody part will remain and that's the story of the Jewish people even all what we went through how many people we lost through the years were killed in different decreed and terrible times for the Jewish people but we will always be around okay and that's the idea that's the right that that's what's standing for us the promise The Pledge that God did with Abraham that he'll be with us forever God is making a covenant with Abraham that he's the Chosen and his Descendants on the chosen people and therefore that's what makes us that we will be around forever even all what we go through now right away in page 32 we say like this go out and learn what Lavan right would tried to do to Yakov and what far that far did decree only on the boys and love unwanted destroyed all so what's going on here what what first of all the language what do you mean go out and learn to go out and learn what are we talking about and what we trying to prove from the story of Lavan so the story of Lavan is the following like I just mentioned to you laan he's the father-in-law of Jacob Jacob spend their 20 1 years now it seems to be they they it went well not so bad I mean he lived there for 21 years and it was okay so it was exiled but decent was okay but you know what we find out later on when Jacob runs away and Lavan his father-in-law find out that Jacob ran away he's running after Jacob and what does he really want to do to Jacob uh AP I think no no no so if you go a minute to page 164 right look at verse 22 165 in the English the third day yov that Yakov ran away Yakov ran away without to tell his father-in-law he's leaving because he know that he'll never give him permission so he's running after him right look carefully God Appears to 11 in verse 24 and he tells him right be careful guard yourself speaking to yob from good and bad right so right he's giving him a warning don't cause trouble to Jacob look at verse 29 lean is speaking right to yov and he's saying to him right I really I really could I'm capable to do with you bad but God warned me that I shouldn't do it you see what he's saying look at you see verse 29 you okay right I really could hit you badly but who told me not to do it God God warned me not to do it so now this is very interesting you know why love will want to hit kill his own daughters grandchildren right why he want to do so but you see that's the idea that you see we never guaranteed even though that Yakov seems to be that he had a decent now he didn't have a great life over there by the father-in-law if you remember he really wanted to marry Rachel he's working Lavan for to serve he's serving him in order to marry Rachel he fools him he gives him the older daughter Le and then he's serving him for another seven years for two daughters and then he hangs around there for another seven years so in total he's there 21 years he didn't have excellent life but not miserable but in the end of the day we discover That Lovin is not his friend Lovin when he found out that Jacob ran away he was willing to even to kill him and that's what the is telling us you think that times in Exile you're pretty much okay but hold on you don't know what's behind the scenes you don't know what's cooking over there you don't know you never know what's really going on in the mind of the Gentile what he's really thinking on the Jews there are times in history that Jews are doing okay in Exile right but then some movement starts right you need all what you need is one man one party to start with a agenda and then slowly slowly you see many people are joining them what happened well one man one party what because you never know what's deep inside in the hearts and the thinking of the other people so that's what it's telling us that even in times that it looks okay you know we're doing okay what's what's so terrible but if it wasn't God that was helping us would it will be destroyed and that's why it tells us say go out and learn go out and learn means go check it out that even in the times that you think that you're okay oh man but if it wasn't for God you wouldn't be you wouldn't survive that okay and that's the idea that in Exile again guys we have decent miserable and even okay but it's like waves it's change but always what makes us to survive and to go through is Hashem