KLM: How Kavanah Turns the Seder into a Spiritual Experience with Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit

your Museum [Music] genuine moments or lifetime accomplishments I repeat genuine moments are lifetime accomplishments the Zohar says as follows on leil seder Hashem brings his Pamelia Somalia in other words he convenes hosts of malaching of angels hosts of them though I I sense they're in a very special position and they report to Shem about our seder about the Seder you're going to be uh doing in a in a week they're reporting ashrayam Chicago what a people look at that look how they're praising you Hashem that's what is reported in the Zohar now we want this to happen this year we want the malaching to say Hashem we've been there every year we've been to Armando's seder and parrots and Steve and everybody we've been to all there's something different happened they have Havana extra Cabana that's what we want the uh the malachin to report to Hashem and with that in mind I want to welcome the listeners of yibene and everyone who else who is joining us this evening in other words we want to know how can we do a Seder that the Milwaukee map new things to report because they see we're really really into it that's the goal of tonight's cheer with that in mind I want to explain that opening statement a little this idea that genuine minutes or a lifetime accomplishment okay to do that um I first want to uh do a math lesson with you and if you're not good at math we are have something in common so this is not going to be a daunting math presentation okay but you might want to take this down here's the KLM equation mitzvos minus cavana equal rituals in the negative sense of that word I repeat mitzvah's minus cavana equal rituals mitzvos Plus cavana equal spiritual experience okay so if I've laid out two equations the first one is a negative right but now let's go to this positive equation again mitzvos luas kavana equals spiritual experience now let's take that equation and apply it to lail Seder Leo Seder we we have the following spiritual connection Plus no wait a minute give me a second I'm just checking checking my math spiritual equation uh spiritual experience during Seder equals a fulfillment of in other words successfully relating the story to your children to the Next Generation into yourself okay you hear that if you have a spiritual experience this idea um I heard this idea from my rebbies Rabbi Goldstein and it always struck me and that was as follows he said if you want someone to have a spiritual experience have a spiritual experience in front of them okay that is a magical equation okay if you want them to have a spiritual experience have one in their presence okay now beautiful thoughts on it it was amazing you know he was one of the first rabbis when there was a return of people of secular people to Tori was a leader of the movement Rabbi Goldstein said Saul so I thought wow what a deep observation of current times you know what I found out with a little research that is exactly how some explain the obligation we have on little Seder on Leo seder you you all of you me Etc were all obligated to see ourselves as leaving as if we left Egypt okay now when the Haggadah presents that it brings us approved a proof Source it brings a pasok and which is that right it says you shall relate to your children on that day and then it says what Hashem did Lee to me right that that Hashem took me out of Egypt so in the Mitzvah of conveying this transferring this experience right um that we have to feel and exude as if we left that is embedded in the Mitzvah of passing it on to your kids transmission okay so and like I said transmission to yourself if you're not in that situation okay good so we want to know how to uh how to have a spiritual experience experience during seder because that'll lead to the misfit so of course you know I'm gonna tell you the secret is cavana which Cabana okay what do you mean which Cabana Cabana you have to have cavana as we've been teaching lately it's important to know there's not just one kavana there are two cavanas okay let's re let's remind ourselves the cup famous kavana is what everyone talks about when they're dominating I had good Cabana God forbid I didn't have good cavana Etc vacavan is called kavana Saleh cavana of the heart which really means Focus was I focused was I engaged Etc that's Cabana so late what we're publicizing is the the the the the poorest stepsister kavana Le mitzvos right cavana doesn't mean focus and engagement there it means conscious intention so both Cabanas um are what we want to offer Hashem okay you know it's a famous it's a famous gamara I like to mention all the time it says Rahman Alibaba boy Hashem wants our heart so I've always thought well that's a very deep point and it's all about you know being sincere but I didn't know exactly how do you give Hashem Your Heart Right the way you give your Hashem your heart you know I'm gonna say kavana intention plus engagement and focus both you want kavana Saleh and kavana the Heart both of them is part of the Mitzvah of serving Hashem with all your heart according to the Run Bond okay so let me just review before we get into the details of seder tonight we want to um determine what can we do to have a spiritual experience on seder because it's contagious and the the that is indeed what the rabbis were thinking when they said you have to see yourself as leaving okay that's our goal we're saying we're going to get there by um focusing on the two cavanas the mitzism okay now I'm about to just present you with a ton of possibilities okay and now I refer back to my opening words genuine moments or lifetime accomplishments in spiritual terms okay that's the thing you know when I'm studying my my Approach in Torah is usually not kabbalistic and it's uh I I don't go in that direction so much and I was studying a lot about um the idea of humates and why hummits is such a big deal that you could get spiritual decision excision from a car race so anyhow I am going to employ a more kind of kabbalistic understanding one of the Maharaja because it it helps explain something I was I've been been puzzled about a long time uh during teaching come on the Mitzvahs is when a person realizes that the opportunities to be conscious of what you're doing and have that thought before you act the opportunities are endless now that can be intimidating that can make a person feel like oh no I mean all of this what am I gonna do right it can be overwhelming intimidating Etc that's one thing I've noticed right and the other thing um I I've noticed some people react that way also is people underestimate what they're accomplishing with just the simple thought okay like right now just in case have in mind we're doing have conscious intention that we're learning Torah and that we're preparing for seder which is part of learn uh the laws of pesach 30 days before the hog speaks uh starts I apologize let me just take care of this okay this is what um okay let me let me bring this out I said we are I want to deal with you know when you're I'm about to hit you with a lot of spiritual opportunities and I don't want you to feel well how am I going to do all that you even if you don't do all that you have to realize how much single genuine moments um um have embedded in them so let me explain this concept of hummus with the maharl okay the maharram uh his explanation with hamades about the 18 minutes and the contrast with bread Rising he basically said something he says that be spiritual things are not time-bound okay so the production of this uh lechem Ani is meant to be in a way that there's as little time as possible to achieve the event because you're in a different Zone when you're in the spiritual Zone you know to to to have a look back on a life and say what accomplishments I achieved it's usually years and years and years of real hard work and effort but that's not the same spiritually I'll give you an example the huffa time in the safer he said this in the safer of the time I believe in the introduction or he was he made this comment he said and that was quite a work it was very involved lots of halacha lots of Musser Etc very big book he said as follows it was worth it for me to write this safer if one person before they whip out some negative slander they hesitate or or they do and obviously if they don't speak he goes it was worth the whole effort right so what does he understand he must understand that even one little refraining when you'd love to express your anger and say something negative that's in spiritual world that's incredible okay it's a lifetime accomplishment and he knew that if one person did that held back he has achieved a lifetime accomplishment okay so that's what we need to reframe okay you have what I want you to do is be thrilled and thirsty for Havana opportunities Mitzvah opportunities in every second but also not to be like oh well you know I forgot that kavana I forgot this you know etc etc okay I hope I've made my point now my goal is to just hit you with a ton of possibilities for little seder okay that's what we're up to so we will now move into um the mixes of seder and having kavana etc etc so um first of all we again I repeat there's two types of Cabana there's focusing on what you're doing that's kavana stage two okay let stage one cavana is having intention for what you're doing in other words before you act you you have a what we call a sacred pause you pause you think what am I doing right now what Mitzvah am I doing I'm listening to Torah right so you have that so you have my Hashem I'm listening to Torah as you command me to another step these These are General steps for the whole seder just ask yourself what am I doing now and fortunately the haggadas um outline the the each and every step so uh whenever you see you're up to step at you know now we're about to do this and you announce it have in mind I have in mind the Mitzvah moral or eating more I have the mine uh the Mitzvah of Yachts Etc just have those in mind that's one way okay the first thing is just think what am I doing the second like generic this applies all the time implies in this second too is step two of General Cabana is who am I doing this who's here who am I doing this in front of and for and that's Hashem right so just have in mind uh I mean the most important guest at the Seder is Hashem okay so just when you realize that that's a Mitzvah and that's a Mitzvah Cabana for having mine uh shavichi Hashem I'm placing Hashem before me or Yaris Hashem you hear have I have the Mitzvah of being aware of your presence okay even so again are you good will you remember before every single mid according to rev Hammond there's like 140 Mitzvahs on seder night okay are you gonna remember before each one probably not but remember genuine moments or lifetime accomplishments so anyone you pick off is no is a diamond okay that's number one and also are you gonna be able to remember your uh about your special guest all the time I hope so but probably not right genuine moment if right now you realize you're in the presence of Hashem and you're doing the midst of a listening to Torah in the presence of shen that's a lifetime accomplishment okay all right that's the general approach to the Seder one more General approach and you'll find this on our WhatsApp group we're gonna be releasing a video about this and that's what I've called those who uh are familiar with KLM covenantations okay meaning we express our feelings to Hashem about what we're doing right so again but I also encourage you again we'll have we have these materials are going to be posted but I also encourage you to maybe take a note or two okay because I'm hitting the essentials okay so we have uh trying to think whatever Misfit you identify say sham I'm doing this because you commanded me to right remember you're in the presence of Hashem and thirdly I boiled down what I call these Jewels these emotions we express to the Shen I'm gonna boil them to the to the three main ones in my humble opinion okay here's this and by the way the good thing about what what I'm talking about right now about what um expressing your feelings to Hashem before the Seder starts you can you can express it at the beginning of the Seder if you continue lovely but even if you don't you set the Seder in the right place and you fulfilled three devices three Torah Commandments okay here here's the ones obvious Hashem right so make a note to yourself that sometime ideally before the Sayer starts you you just say to yourself you can say it in your heart you don't have to express it out loud it's powerful if you express hello but it's not necessary so you say in your heart Hashem I'm performing the mixes of Lil seder because I love you and I want to bring you nachas that's a lifetime accomplishment I assure you okay that's number one love okay to era reverence so the second is Hashem I this is cavana misses II it's is cavana misses and the Heart right so he said my intended filaments of avishin I'm doing this there because I love you I want to bring in Knox that's your assist him okay which is I want to I'm going to approach the Seder with the reverence it deserves reverence that's a form of yours Hashem derisa okay so we have love and fear and the Zora says uh every Mitzvah done with uh Avis Hashem those are the wings that brings it bring the Mitzvah to very high places in heaven okay highly recommended the last one is it's a Torah commandment right and boy oh boy it's the way to do the Seder okay so have in mind the Mitzvah of so again the the three seder feelings are love reverence and joy joy is just you know intent I intended to uh do this with with joy okay I go on and on about that but just in the put a smile on your face feel happy and you're you know there's someone by the way again I want to stress if you had a little Joy it's a lifetime accomplishment okay because you guess what's gonna probably happen probably people will be ignoring you during your door Torah or fighting or yelling or you know perhaps if you have children you know sorry to speak that about children little Ellis is little Ellis okay you know why you know why you probably won't uh yeah I again I give everybody including myself I'll call you as well bracha to do the wholesale but if it doesn't happen guess why remember we said there's a special guest the special guest of special guest cottage for who is going to be at your seder but also the Yates are hurray okay don't think he's not coming to your seder he doesn't care if you invite him or not he will be there so this I'm trying to inoculate you and fortify you right now that guess what things are coming down the pipeline and that's what you have to remember just snatch a genuine moment here and there and there amazing okay all right good so that's what I call the pre- uh the preseder um caducea warm-up and by the way if you want to contact me I have lists and lists of Mitzvahs I told you rev commoner is over 140. that's because the men hogging the practices the Traditions are Mitzvahs the rabbinics are Mitzvahs there are so many Mitzvahs that night listen to this Council of hominer if you start with Mara the evening service ready in the evening I'm not talking about the next day in the evening you will have made 32 brachas 32 blessings okay so have in mind the Mitzvah I'm giving you some more tips you can record them you can review but have in mind the Mitzvah of Mayor bracos every time you make it your your moving down the line of fulfilling a hundred barafas every rabbinic commandment is a Torah commandment right so you could say Hashem all the rabbinic Commandments I do on little seder I have in mind you that you command me to listen to the rabbis and not Rebel okay incredible you you all had so many lifetime accomplishments you know they'll have to make like this humongous Hall of Fame building just for you okay in all your lifetime accomplishments alrighty next okay next let's go into cavanus halave okay now kovan is a lathe here me I'm I'm mean reflection and engagement right and this is I'm going to move into spiritual experience right now okay there this night has so many cues physical cues emotional cues intellectual cues to become have a spiritual experience through the night is the obligation to see yourself as leaving leaving Egypt as the rambam says now now leaving now Egypt see yourself Show Yourself there's a lot of discussion but here here's the thing did the rabbis leave you alone with this did they just say okay good luck see yourself as leaving Egypt go for it and then leave you no they did not they gave us so much help the gorgeous silver right the silver that you put out that's Crystal the beautiful um we call it table spreads the the special matzah covers the designer um seder plates everything is aristocratic Royal the Miri says that when we left we had we were no longer we were no longer the slay you guys we were like their masters they gave us gold we were leading we walked out Beyond Rama I was thinking you know at the Olympics and they go like ah imagine winning the Olympics right all these beaten down uh uh slavey Jews are walking out like that right and we were what we we had it we became aristocrates see in moments okay so that's why there's this I it's called that's how the the they describe describe it the the way of Freedom it's very connected to aristocracy look at the same person he says you eat matzah like you're now a prince okay so the thing is this those are cues that they embedded in this area just look at that and connect to the aristocracy now here's another one physical right the rabbi say paseva right that is what is that meant to do that's meant to get your body involved and your body is is trying to express aristocracy and freedom so do it it's not just a it's not a ritual remember if you do it well let's go back to the math equation we have mitzvos plus kavana equals spiritual experience not rituals so don't just lean uh you have to keep in mind all the halachas and there's a lot Etc but you've most of you probably have done a Seder or two so now let's put some freedom in his aristocry interlean like this right that's Cabana Saleh be engaged in it and feel it you want to exude this spirituality to fulfill Hakata you really want to pass this on to the next generation and that's how you do it okay I mean that's one of the ways you do it okay let me show you another so ready reclining is a major way to get your body leaving Egypt right now let's get uh let's go to uh like just give me a second I'm just evaluating The Next Step here reclining [Music] let's go to the four cups okay again I'll bring you something from the Maharaja it says you know there's a Mitzvah derisa to eat matzah mitzvah derisa and there's a Mitzvah door abundant to eat Mara so eating is filled with kadusha and Holiness all right let's focus on the matzah for a second so says tomorrow why did the rabbis enact drinking four cups right that's now a Mitzvah it's a Mitzvah durability which we said is a derisa guess what we the rabbis knew why should only your eating be spiritual tonight your drinking too should be spiritual and that's why we drink as a Mitzvah okay but the Arabic the four cups besides being Mitzvah cups we all everyone everyone I don't know I asked one of my kids and um I said what's the symbolism of the four cuffs and he says he said I know there is I just don't remember okay now many of us maybe even know that it's it corresponds to the four um the four expressions of redemption that's amazing if you do but that's meant to impact your Seder you hear that each cup is meant to impact your seder and I love what the Eerie does and I'm just going to flash this to uh you know I'm gonna have parents flash it I'm gonna flash this to you but wait before not yet parrots um as follows each according to the meerie each cup represents a progressive stage of redemption and you can really if you have that in heart mind and heart and you speak about it let's say with each cup or may not be time to speak about it okay but if you think it and feel it it's it's really big because e you can really see yourself leaving by the drinking and by the thinking okay parents please uh share this this will be posted on our WhatsApp group um towards the Seder it's a little gift for the Seder okay uh this is the old version I I changed it it says packing the four cups with meaning we we have a more elegant way filling the four cups with meaning okay so you'll get this is not the final uh version but I just want to just give you an overview of how you can again exude spiritual experience through the arbicosos by understanding their meaning okay not only does cleaning have meaning certainly drinking will have meaning so the first thing is not everyone is aware of the fact that after the first plague after the first plague we were no longer um in in uh harsh slavery we were not getting whipped and all that stuff it was over after the first plague so there was already a major Redemption that occurred after the first plague okay next galty right their Sesame Erie okay after they stop making us beating down slaves okay we're we're like the Egyptians right no we were they they had so much fear and trepidation of us uh they actually Desi we didn't have um the obligations of regular citizens they we were exempt from taxes government servants Etc before we left even says the May Erie the third one hit salty oh yeah wow uh don't take this poster seriously this is uh uh this is a little mixed up but the bottom line is the third step was that like as I mentioned we became so wealthy and so uh after the tenth plague we became in such a position that um we actually were like their masters okay and finally last but definitely not least the tutorial okay this is another thing again well how am I gonna remember all this okay I do recommend write it down or getting the post or whatever it is but even if you don't if you have one recollection if you have time for one seconds thought about any of this it will be amazing okay if you can take that down parrots all right so we've covered the little quick review you have the basic cavanas before you start the Seder as much as you can remember Hashem is present okay it'll affect your behavior be on guard because the Yates are horror is present okay and if you blow it and you you know blow your top or something like this you get upset you get stressed you're going oh it's not working okay so your guest made his presence no the yetzara don't get down that because that will really that's his real goal don't let him get you down okay tell us and you're doing this because you love him and do the and tell them you're gonna attempt to do this with the reverence it deserves and joy okay that was Crusader right once the Seder kicks in take every aspect of reality if that's a word the Regal nature your clothes you're leaning everything step into the part okay your nashumba will be activated by that okay so I'm saying all the physical instructions can get you there the wine can get you there if you drink the wine and the meaning of the wine can get you there okay now of course we have matzah we have hollow we have there's just so much here right but the thing is this to the degree we um then that my final and uh my final recommendation uh there's so much but my final recommendation uh in a kind of structural sense to um have that spiritual experience that will impart a spiritual experience my final instruction is um and Uhaul and I have discussed this a lot that you know if you think of an actor third good actors my revi said are never faking it okay that what they're doing is they're generating uh they're generating um authentic feelings in the moment the circumstance may may not be uh real it may be a fake circumstance but they're real in that moment now we're not in fake circumstance because we're in front of a sham we have the idea of the spiritual time there's a lot of reasons it's not fake but we're not technically in Egypt in Cairo right now that okay doesn't matter um you are being positioned to evoke real feelings so my my my recommendation about the hagadab is to treat it like a script as you read and express what's going on you know imagine you or yourself or before an audience if you will and expressing you are you're before the malachim okay and Hashem okay but but really you are call forth genuine feelings and genuine moments okay okay and then the last thing is you can't it one cannot discuss well seder or pessic without discussing gratitude right so this whole thing the whole thing of seeing yourself as a slave and leaving and the delay is to be able to say thank you Hashem thank you I'm overwhelmed with gratitude gratification and gratitude I'm overwhelmed and seeing it how well with intense enthusiasm imbued with gratitude and please God if you do any of this will bring so much nagas to Hashem as the malachim praiser Seder for having cavania saver and the final note is we also should do this with great humility okay hug kosher us [Music]