Seder Night 5786: Pour Thy Wrath on the Nations with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz

[music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing] >> Welcome everyone. Tonight we'll explore the question as we approach the Seder night within coming up in a couple of days and we turn and focus on the home stretch preparing for Pesach. The question is how is this Seder right, different than every other Seder? In other words, Mah Nishtanah Ha Seder Ha Zeh Mi Kol Ha Sederim. This is an unusual year. How and why this Seder should be made into something that I would call unforgettable. And I use the number four cuz we're going to explore some of the great great teachings and lessons about which include the four exiles and the real and deeper meaning of what the Seder's all about and what what does it mean uh for our destiny right now as a Jewish people both past and present. So let's begin. What What How could this Seder be extremely different, special, unusual? Why is it? I'm going to answer that question. And second, I'm going to explore the mysteries of four. There are so many fours that are identified with the with the observance of Pesach that if you'll sketch them all out and make a overview of them, it will yield an incredible message that I think is exceedingly pertinent for this particular year. A Ba'al Aliyah Le Tovah. A year of miracles, a year of war and Et Milchamah and hopefully an Et Shalom. So let's begin. First of all, what is a Seder? People have different associations with a Seder means to them. For some it's if they eat gefilte fish or their mother's kneidlach. For some it's opening the door for Eliyahu. For some it's the questions, the children asking the questions or singing certain songs. Every every family develops a sort of ritual, a sort of flavor to their own Seder. But please remember that in order to fulfill our mitzvah and really hit the point it may not be any of the above. And it's in this year, I believe of all years, it's imperative that we hit the nail on the head. What is the Seder really asking us to do? And how can we fulfill the mitzvah in the way it was intended to? Which we Although we've been doing it, Kulanu Chachamim, we've doing it for so many years, but have we been doing it correctly? And how can we make it so correct this year that it becomes a Seder that as I said is unforgettable? I'll make a brachah on the screen. Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam Shehakol Nihyeh Bidvaro. Now you might be asking what is this incredible background that I have? No, I'm not on the moon. I am here in a lot of picture image. But this signifies a new light dawning that think of it as Va Yehi Ba'Chatzi Ha'Laylah, in the darkest middle of the night a light shined forth for the Jewish people. It's been shining ever since. We're going to understand what that's all about as we explore those secret worlds of four. But let's begin with the Brisker Rav with a piece from classic Brisker Torah. The Brisker Rav analyzed the Rambam, Maimonides on the precise definitions. If we don't have definitions, Rabbi Nachman Weinberg was want to say, then we really don't even exist. We The first part of thinking is to be able to define things. So what is the definition of a Seder? So to that, I'd like to share with you the integral points that compromise a Seder according to the Rambam. Now the the first element of that is that we have to recognize the difference between the daily mitzvah that we have to remember the Exodus, which we recite Shema night time and day time. Once at Shacharit, once at Ma'ariv, again by bedtime. Um but that mitzvah is called Zechirah, remembering Egypt, remembering that we came out, remembering the story of the Jewish people. So what is exactly this unique night different? And he identified the following ideas. He said, based on the Rambam the special incorporated elements are one you can have to have one other person at least ideally included. In other words, you're not remembering, remembering is a private experience. What you're really doing is telling a story. And in order to tell a story, there has to be someone listening. So you are on this night not someone praying privately confirming for yourself your purpose, your ideas, your convictions, but you are an entertainer, you're a teacher, you're theatric, you're using props. And that means that you're communicating to another person a story. Think of a creating a a movie or a novel or a narration, whatever it might be. The truth is that you must you must have at least an some other involved for this to be the mitzvah of Sipur Yetziat Mitzrayim, which means telling the story. That's That's article number one, the Brisker Rav says. The second thing is that we have to make it dramatic. There has to be a beginning which is problematic. The Jewish people had humble origins. Abraham Avram emerges from some of the most evil people in the entire world. Students of the wicked despot known as Nimrod a cursed individual who compelled the entire world to follow him and worship him as they built a tower of Babel in defiance of Hashem, in defiance of God. Key point here is uh just like we have some millions of people, millions of people coming out and marching here Erev Pesach all across America, primarily I guess to the theme of no kings. No kings. This is their What are they trying to say? I think it's a quite simple. This is a very old sort of demonstration. It started with the generation of the flood but continues in the generation of Nimrod who said, "Nimrod, boat, let us rebel against the king Hashem, Melech Malchei Ha'Melachim. We're going to build a tower that will serve as a stabilizing force to prevent God from interfering with our worldly affairs." In other words, when a human being collects other human beings and says, "We will unite in defiance." What you're really saying is no kings. I don't want any authority. And I like the word kings cuz it's plural and they're 100% right. There are no kings. There's one king, Melech Malchei Ha'Melachim, as we declare in our Shema. Shema Yisrael, Hashem Eloheinu, our our master, our lord, our king Echad. And then when we progress to the greatest days of the year Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we say the phrase that confirms that, Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Le'Olam Va'Ed. Blessed be the name of his kingdom. Malchuto, his kingdom, Le'Olam Va'Ed. So when anybody says no kings, just know that it's an old old story. It goes all the way back to the beginning of civilizations. And when people said, "We don't want God. We want our own will to be imposed. We don't want somebody who's telling us this is good and this is evil. We will decide what we want to do regarding good and evil. If we want to be evil, we'll be evil. What we decide is good is good and what we decide is evil is evil and we won't have to take guidance from any mentors, any instructors. We won't look to any lessons from previous history. We will not look at the story of mankind in the book of books, which is the Torah itself. We will ignore all of that and come up with our own reality." The Nazis did that. The Mongols did that. The crusad- well, we can go on and on. People wish to impose their will on the world and say no kings. So so therefore, in order to really understand, we have to be able to incorporate into our Seder the methodology that the Torah requires us, the Chazal ask us to do. So number one is that you are a storyteller. So be prepared to be interesting. Be prepared to have anecdotes, stories. Be prepared to have interesting and intriguing questions. There are some haggadahs that actually come with up to 400 questions. Questions are intriguing, the Socratic method. You are a teacher. The question that I asked is, "What is unique about this seder that never in history has happened before and is happening now?" Okay? That's my question. What's unique about the seder 2026 of 5786? Okay? That's That's number one. Second number number two is that it has to be very dramatic. You got to go back to a problem, to a suffering, to to being enslaved, to being in exile. Every person and every nation has a great story, but it's an even more intriguing story if they emerged from bitter suffering and found triumph. This is really the growth that is what excites people, what inspires people, the ability to overcome adversity, the ability to uh stand strong when you have been weak or victimized. And notice, people the the idea of being victimized in and complaining, "I'm a victim. I'm a victim. Be nice to me." is is a very pervasive story today. Give me money cuz I'm a victim. Give me money cuz it's not fair. Give me accolades. Give me awards that I don't earn and that I don't deserve just because we have to be diverse and equal. That is a no king's model because the true king Melech Malchei Hamlachim Hakadosh Baruch Hu exce- expects us to meet challenges, grow, emerge stronger. How do we know? Look at the very first Jew, Avraham Avinu. Received 10 very difficult tests that rent his emotions asunder. In with moral questions, standing up to authority, risking his own life. But especially the hardest one, the Akedat Yitzchak, the confounding question of offering one's own son, who is the whole story of his entire life and his crowning achievement up to Hashem because Hashem says that's what's important. And Avraham being willing to surrender everything for Hashem, against his own logic, against his own interest, against everything that a person would would think is logical. This is the test. And I would say our all mankind's greatest tests are not only holding yourself back from temptation, although we'll get to that, or mis- misdeeds, but rather having the clarity that times of stress, crisis, and pressure are not a time just to say, "Give me a pill. I want to get rid of this headache." But actually to face and to grow without fear and knowing that Hashem has put these challenges in our path. Like this year, where we may very likely, although I don't think it will happen. I'm hoping it won't happen. We might end up eating matzah in where? In a secure room. Will we get sirens on seder night? Or will it be indeed, as it as we understand it to be, a layl shmurim, a night of unique and special protection? I don't know. Some people will use that reason that if there is an alarm not to go to the main office. Well, it's a night of protection. I ask your local Orthodox rabbi or government official if that's what is recommended. I have no comment on that. But um except today's except err on the side of safety. So, we the the concept is number one, you need an audience. And you need to be a teacher and or an actor or an artist of some kind. That's what we're required to do. We have it within us. We have to pull out those unique skills once a year on a seder night. When you go to a great play or if there was a movie. I remember back in America, they used to play Cecil B. DeMille's 10 Commandments. Every year would come out during this week. And we would watch the story about Mosha and Aaron defeating Pharaoh. And we would cabal even though there were so many deviations from the scriptural reality of what really happened, but still it was a time of pride for the Jewish people. Everybody sat around and watched The 10 Commandments when Moses, Charlton Heston, said, "Behold his mighty hand, his yad ha'chazakah." And that's the idea. He was able to capture some excitement, some drama. That's number one. Number two, as we said, is that it has to be dramatic. The acute pain of slavery and then the redemption. The acute um poverty of spirit of being in idolatry and lost to God to being redeemed and being in a close relationship with a loving God who's teaching you and grow- and helping you reach your ultimate potential. Three, okay? It says we have to explain the mitzvahs that we're doing. For example, we say Pesach, matzah, maror. This is the Pesach sacrifice. This is the maror. This is the bitter herbs, right? And this is the bread of our affliction. And we have to explain them. We have to give them meaning. We have to take our mitzvah performance and make it meaningful. Explain it. Engage it. Get your imagination going. We need your imagination on the night of the seder. We need your your your ability to create stories and even even dreams and fantasies. Got to put that to work for the seder night. But you have to explain what we're doing. And those three things are what you can measure as a touchstone that you did your seder right. Quoting here from the Maimonides perek zayin, the second seventh chapter of laws of chametz and matzah. Mitzvah asay men atorah lesaper benisim veniflaot shenasu lavotenu beMitzrayim. We are obligated on this night of the year to saper, to tell the story of the miracles and the wonders that were given to our forefathers in the in Egypt on the night of the 15th of Nisan historically. And how do we know it's on the 15th night? Some say the seder we say well, maybe we should start at the beginning of the month of Nisan. Well, because it says bigadeti labincha bayom hahu. There is this day, the 15th day, that that night that was the fateful night, the midnight work of makat bechorot. That's when this mitzvah takes place. Again, to put it precisely on the mark of destiny. And and and exploit that drama and exploit the meaningfulness of that particular moment. Okay? So, this is what it is. It's not what you think it is. It's not getting together and reading reading uh vapid uh commentary and dreaming about how long it's going to be until we get to motzi matzah or how much you're enjoying the grape juice or anything like that. This is This is a creative assignment worthy of a seasoned educator, actor, singer, storyteller. That's what this is. Now, why would Hashem ask us to do all this? Why is this so important? What is the point of all this? Don't we know these things every day? Why review it once a year? Why bring together all these various uh psukim, various verses to read them and tell the story and thank thank Hashem for his miracles and sing his hallel? What are we getting at? What do we really want to do? So, the answer I believe, which is really the key, is in that number four. Four is the critical number of the seder. Number one, we have the four questions of the Mah Nishtanah. Of course, prior to that we have the four cups that we drink on the seder night. We have the four languages of redemption. Vehotzeiti, vehitzalti, vega'alti, velakachti. I took you out of Egypt. I saved you from further uh perils, right? Ga'alti, I redeemed you, so now you're on your own two feet. And velakachti, I took myself close to you. Notice a progression. The progression and by the way, it's the four mothers. Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah. And in addition to that, we had four parshios, four parshios that we read leading up to this night. Okay? We had parshat Zachor, remembering about our battles with Amalek, with Haman. We had prior to that Shekalim, the donating to the Mishkan. And that's really the key. Because then we move on from there to the parah adumah, cleansing ourselves and prepare from impurity and preparing ourselves to do what? To a chodesh hazeh lachem, to this month which will actually perform the Pesach sacrifice. The key is there is a four-part, four-step process by which we can make the connection from where we are in galut, whether that means collectively, physically, emotionally, spiritually, geographically, to that place. Where is that place? The Bet Hamikdash, the Temple in Yerushalayim. This is so imperative that at least once a year we bring out all of our kochos hanefesh and we demonstrate the purpose of the Jewish people is to go from point A to point A, like whole point A, or one A. We are transitioning. We see where we are in the step ladder of the geulah process and we actually imagine ourselves sitting in the future Bet Hamikdash, eating the korban Pesach, thinking about how the there was a korech that we used to fold, by the way, the matzos in the Bet Hamikdash were like Temani matzos, which were more like tiny laf, very thin lafa, okay, which you could fold over. We just learned that in the daf yomi Menachos. So, if you ask, why what is really the Seder all about? L'shana haba b'Yerushalayim. Now, that goes in a detailed process, which is way beyond the scope here. We can't break down If you break down the pieces of the Seder and what's incorporated in each of the four steps, but just know that they roughly headed, they have title headings. The four cups, hotzati, heetzalti, ga'alti, lakachti, they correspond to the four mothers. We're going to see how in a moment. They also correspond to these four parshios and there is a series of additional fours that we have the four questions, the Mah Nishtanah. We have What other fours do we have? We have even within the Seder itself Baruch Hamakom Baruch Hu. Right? Baruch she natan Torah l'am Yisrael Baruch Hu. We have these these repetitions of fours. So, if I would tell you that the primary number four that we're contending with is the four galuyot, the four places where the problem of being in Mitzrayim, being in those tight places and we were experiencing geographically, right? Of course, Mitzrayim is the mother of all exiles, but we had Babylonia, we had Persia, which we're contending with right now in such a deep and profound way. And then we had Greece, which is the Rome, which is the which is the what we call the modern West. Essentially, it was East-West, if you think about it. Essentially, it's the Ishmaelites, which is the, you know, Middle Easterners against the Westerners, which is represented by Europe and Rome. If you put it in other terms our rivals in the Islamic world and preceded by our rivals in the Christian world with Klal Yisrael in the middle being tossed and turned from pillar to post by one or the other until we can find our stability and balance. The nocham min hazvachim min hapsochim, we're going to be centered in Yerushalayim, in a stable Yerushalayim with a Bet Hamikdash, which will be the stabilizing force of the world. So, um there's there's no doubt in my mind that our rabbis rigged the Seder to get us to focus on getting back to reliving the korban Pesach in Yerushalayim. So, therefore, here's the premise. Anything that you notice in your life experience that seems to be moving us towards the the shana haba b'Yerushalayim in any concrete way is a key center point of the Seder. And that's why I would like to suggest that this war that we're currently engulfed in, which seems to be sadly unfortunately incorporating many, many more theaters of conflict as we go along. It's not just America and Israel against Iran. Now, it's Iran against Saudis against Emiratis against all the the Arabs themselves, Sunnis and Shias, as explained in last year, are at conflict. And of course, there's been the conflict of Russia and Ukraine within itself. And now, all of a sudden, the president of Uganda, did you hear this? The president of Uganda says, "We are going to enter the war on Israel's side." Do you believe this? Remember Idi Amin? He was one of the most evil people in the world, but we had that great miracle in Uganda known as Entebbe. And this current uh head of the um of the Ugandan army says, "We are Christians. We remember how the state of Israel helped us get on our feet, taught us how to make an army," which is by the way, why we knew how to invade Entebbe Airport and reclaim in that miraculous enterprise, which cost the life of our current prime minister's brother, Yoni Netanyahu, the Entebbe rescue. And I had the privilege of being in Eretz Yisrael two days after that rescue and the euphoria of that moment is unbeli- was unbelievable. It was mamesh hatzalos nefashos. So, all of a sudden comes today the head of Uganda military and says, "We also want to enter the war, but if we do, it's going to be on the side of Israel." And the Houthis say, "We're We have our finger on the trigger." But most importantly is Lebanon. If you don't see this, you're missing the point. Why? Cuz if my thesis is correct that the purpose of the Seder and being able to dramatically create what I would call the desire to return to Yerushalayim, not just to serve Hashem with Torah and mitzvos, that of course is our daily objective. And in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, no matter how open or how restricted, the obligations don't change ever. However, the excitement about the return to Yerushalayim, what brought us out of Mitzrayim to begin with to serve Hashem on the har, and the har is, as the Ramban says, was modeled after the future Mishkan and the future Yerushalaim Bet Hamikdash, that is that is the story. When the Jews left Mitzrayim on the seventh night of Pesach and they saw Kriat Yam Suf, the final blow to a very evil regime, and we don't know what the final blow will be to this regime of Iran, it's not so simple. Um something is going to be going to be needing something of Kriat Yam Suf like proportions, I I suspect. But they saw vision of the Bet Hamikdash. And and Chazal tell us that the simple person, a shifcha woman who who's entire world is is domestic, she was raised to a prophetic level that she could actually envision and be transported in a prophetic sense to the see the vision of the future, not the second Bet Hamikdash, not even the first Bet Hamikdash, but the third and final Bet Hamikdash was viewed by every single Jew. The neshama, the collective neshama of the Jewish people were imprinted forever with a vision of the future temple the minute they were cleared of Mitzrayim. In other [clears throat] words, that was the next step, but that was also the end step where we are headed. Any step forward towards the end step is what the Seder wants us to accomplish. That's why you need an audience because it's got to be a national story. That's why you have to speak about what's incomplete and what's mesayem b'shevach, how it's going forward into a way that's better than we could ever imagine cuz that's what future Yerushalayim is, the shana haba b'Yerushalayim. And the third premise is that we have to recognize that it always repeats the patterns of that fateful evening of Vayehi Bachatzi Halayla, the night that Achashverosh was stirred awake and turns on Haman. The night that so many miracles happened to the Jewish people and the Haggadah recounts it. Various salvations of the Jewish kings throughout the ages happened on this night. It's a moment of re- of touching and connecting, a spiritual nexus that has enormous power to overturn and destroy enemies and clear away roadblocks to the geulah, much as we did in the times of Purim. Now, I want to get to um we can't go into too deep. Let's just take a look at the arba imahos and the four questions, okay? So, many many of the Sifrei Hakodesh make the connection Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, Leah. How do they connect to the four languages of geulah? Sarah was in Egypt. She was a prisoner of Paroh. She was taken prisoner of Paroh. So, of course, um hotzati, getting her out of Paroh's grip is very associated to Sarah. Of course, she literally was in cap- captured by by Paroh, who tried to abuse her, and then there were many makos presaging what would be in the future, and she escapes. So, Sarah, by escaping Mitzrayim, kind of sets the tone for the Jewish people's future about leaving Mitzrayim. And she's the first cup. She is the hotza'ati. The hitzalti is Rivka. Rivka was saved. What was Rivka saved from? Well, she was saved from the house of Lavan. She came out of the grips of one of the most evil households of all time. She was able to uh come out of a of a situation which seemed doomed to be incorporated by evil sorcery, witchcraft, demonic possession of and control of Yaakov and his nascent and the nascent Jewish people, and we were able to break free. So, that's hitzalti, okay? Because she needed she needed a hatzalah. She needed something where she would be um free of a tormentor who is going to come after her wherever she was. Follow me? Hatzalah is a danger that's wherever you are. The first one, hotza'ati, means you're going out of a specific place. Hitzalti doesn't mean that. Hitzalti means that you're in a you're in a real danger that's con- constant, and you need protection from that danger. And that's what Yaakov Avinu needed from Lavan and, of course, later from Esav. So, that's what uh Rivka represented. Uh but then you have Rachel. Rachel would be connected the third cup, hotza'ati, hitzalti, ge'alti. She is ge'ulah wife. And because Yosef Hatzadik is the one who helps redeem the Jewish people, the tzaddikim, their whole goal, especially Yosef, is to bring the Jews back to Eretz Yisrael. Ge'ulah means coming back to the center, coming back to where you need to be. Yosef, who was exiled by his brothers, rises to prominence and has the power to return his father to be buried in Eretz Yisrael, and eventually himself and his brothers and the entire Jewish people by splitting the Yam Suf, which we sing about. Bones of Yosef are what caused the Yam Yam Suf to the the Yam Suf split when it saw Yosef of course fear and had the great respect of our enemies, and was able to lead the Jews back. So, that's ge'alti. Ge'alti is to go back to your place of destiny. And, of course, that is what Rachel's idea is, Rachel Mevaket Baneha. She she cries about her sons that they should return to their place of destiny. They should go from galut to ge'ulah. That's why she's the third cup. But then there's Leah. Hotza'ati, hitzalti, big'alti, vilakachti. Lakachti is she was the she was buried like her like her forebearers in Me'arat Hamachpelah underground next to Yaakov Avinu in the land of Chevron. And she is associated with Malchut Yisrael. And although Yosef is dominant in Chutz La'aretz, when he gets to Eretz Yisrael, the kings of Ephraim and so on were not the ultimate kings of redemption. David and were, who emerge out of Leah. Leah is laid to rest in Chevron. Chevron is where David HaMelech emerges as first as king, being born in Bethlehem, Yehudah, and then reigning in Chevron in Yehudah until he goes north to the nexus with the northern kingdom, which is Yerushalayim, the northernmost part of the kingdom of Yehudah. And but it starts there in in Bethlehem and in Chevron and eventually in Yerushalayim. She is the portal to Yerushalayim as all prayers pass through the Me'arat Hamachpelah to Mitzrayim and out of out having gone from wherever they are, Me'arat Hamachpelah and then on to Yerushalayim. So, Leah provides the king, the Melech HaMashiach, who will actually restore order to the world from Yerushalayim. So, you see how the four mothers correspond to the four cups. We don't have a lot of time to explore, but on your own you might think about how this represents the four sons and how this represents the four unique galuyot. So, um but I'm not going to I'm not going to dwell on that one now in in the interest [clears throat] of time. What I would like to explore, however, is four another four. And by the way, Rabbi Ginsburgh was a wonderful teacher um from the Chabad uh world, but has accomplished a great deal himself, says that there are four existential questions that a person should ask themselves on the Seder night, and that's what makes it special and unique. The first question is why was I created? And why did God create the world at all? Oh, what what does Hashem really want from us? The next question is why did God choose the Jewish people above all nations? Okay? And the third and fourth questions go together. They can never be separated. The third and fourth cups can never be separated, as we explained, just like the third and fourth parshiot can never be read in non-consecutive weeks. Um that's the the uh reading for about the book about the cleansing of Parah Adumah and the book of Hachodesh. The the reading about Hachodesh is that about Rosh Chodesh Nisan. The third is the question of suffering and evil. And the fourth is is why has Mashiach not yet come? If you can explore at your Seder these four questions in a meaningful way, then you will have done a fabulous job at making this Seder. I'm going to repeat those four again. They're what Rabbi Ginsburgh points out um based on the traditions and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Is um is the first question is why did Hashem create the world? What's the purpose? Why did Hashem create me? All right? And that's that's our our uh first question. And the second question is why were the Jewish people chosen, and for what purpose? Third question is why is there suffering? And the fourth question is when will Mashiach come? Those are things but I'm going to I'm going to just close tonight by adding two things. We sing uh there's another important four. And that four appeared in this past week's Torah reading. Let me explain. That [snorts] four is the trop, the cantillation of the Torah note of shalshelet. Shalshelet appears only four times in the entire Torah. It sounds It looks like a squiggly chain top to bottom, and it has a triple cantillation. And for example, in this week's parshah it was Moshe who was about to slaughter the egel milu'im, the animal which was going to dedicate his brother Aaron as kohen gadol. And with some sort of shalshe- The shalshelet represents a hesitation, a question mark. And I would like to suggest even more uh what that means, but let's just first say that the note is sh- um vayishah my tooth. Okay? It's a chain. From three going to four. Four times in the Torah. Let me take you where they are where they are. Number one, in Lot. Lot, the erstwhile supposed the nephew of Avraham Avinu, who wanted to take over Avraham Avinu's tradition, but Hashem was not pleased with him because he eventually made his way to Sedom, the most corrupt and materialistic place. And even if he had altruistic motives, he wants to be mekarav people, he started Young Israel of Sedom, or Chabad of Sedom, whatever you want to call it, you know, he's reaching out, he's working with the people, and so on. But essentially, there was some there was something wrong. Lot felt too aligned with the goals of Sedom, which are personal aggrandizement and power. So, he was taken away from there to find his real destiny. He needed to You know, the Mishnah says, for example, in in in Bava Kamma, in uh in Sanhedrin, Lo yigdal adam kelev elem kem kayaya kashur b'shalshelet. You can't m- in Bava Bava Kamma, you can't have a dog unless it's chained. Now, why would you chain a dog? The word there is used shalshelet, the same as the cantillation. Well, if you put the dog on a chain, it's not going to get into trouble by injuring people or running off or attacking people. It's going to do its job. It's by being restrained, it actually puts it in its proper role, which is to defend the household, the homestead. He will scare away robbers. He will prevent nezek. That's his job. That's his purpose. That's his destiny. That's the best thing that he could do. Sometimes when you're chained, you are therefore restrained, and you find yourself in the right position. Whether you restrain yourself or whether Hashem restrains you is another question. Okay? But Lot was kind of restrained. He was pulled by that chain. He says, "Uh-uh, go up to the mountain, have those children, unfortunately, with your own daughters, and the spark of the soul of Mashiach is going to come out of you. But if you would stay in Sedom, that's not happening. It's just not happening unless Sedom is destroyed and you end up on the mountain you think there's nobody." All of that shalshelet of events. You understand? It also shows a certain how shall I say divine intervention and destiny. That's number one. Lot, he doesn't want to be in stone. He ends up being kind of pulled back to the right place. The second one is Eliezer, the servant of Abraham. He went to pick a wife for Yitzhak, Abraham's son, to carry on the great tradition and build the Jewish people. So, the truth is he had a daughter that he really wished would get that job. In other words, his daughter should marry Rivka. And and she should should be instead of Rivka the spouse of Yitzhak and he will be Eliezer ben the the the happy to make a nice happy. You know, he was a big guy. Some say he was a Bashan. Some say he was the son of Nimrod, different he was huge, huge, strong, powerful. He was carrying the mission of Abraham forward domestic Eliezer Damascus, which is by the way is a border border outside of Israel. Anything in Damascus, at least for now, is not in the land of Israel. And that's the poor the unfortunate point about Eliezer is that he's not the outs. He comes from the children of Ham from Africa, from the Nephilim, one of those which they cannot in their root fix the world. They need from the holy seed of Shem ben Noah Semites Jews that will emerge Semites. They will help restore the world. Eliezer, it's not your job, but it is your job to connect to and hold on to the Abraham and everything will go well for you. Do you know that there's more written about Eliezer's journey? And he put out when he put out that sign, he says he said to himself, okay, God, this is the hardest thing in the world for me to do. I don't really want this to happen, but I'm going to do it anyway. Help me. Show me the girl so I don't make a mistake cuz I just want to erase my mind from all of this. You pick the girl. If she comes and offers me to drink and offers my camels to drink, she's the girl. This girl went overboard. She gave me to drink and I'm huge and then she gave 10 camels to drink and try to bring enough water for one camel and she's a six-year little girl with one pitcher on her shoulder. So, and the water came rose up to her. And Eliezer says, okay, okay, okay, this is it. I'll give I'll give a fine. I will strain myself. I will have the self-control. The will pull me back to who I really am, a servant of Abraham. And you know what his reward was? He got every single detail and word that he uttered in that is is enshrined in the Torah forever and ever. Not once, but twice. The story happened and then he retold the story to Rivka's family to induce them to let her go back with him. What a reward. Can you imagine if the Torah quoted you dozens and dozens of Is that not a great reward? To be a giver of Torah, creator of Torah. But Eliezer needed to be restrained and pulled back to his proper position. Similarly, Joseph the Zadik. Joseph the Zadik you know, by the way says he was delaying. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave. Delaying. But Joseph is he did not want to succumb to temptations. He had come to his house cuz I'll come back to the house on a day with Potiphar who was seducing him day and night night and day for years in a in an environment in which adultery was the de jure of the day and nobody shrugged about it. And and he said, no. How did he say no? And she was convincing him with all sorts of Torah. She says, I see you were destined to have children together. Great great people will come out of us. I'm really the chosen one. Forget those Jewish people. We're going to create, you know, the chosen ones of mankind. And he really was right there. He almost bought it. Right there until his father image intervenes. He sees his father and his father warns him. No, you have a destiny. You're part of Remember the holy breastplate. Your name's going to be on it. It's about your brothers. It's about the Jewish people. Don't opt out as much as you have every reason to hate, resent, and rebuke your brothers who have hated you, never abandon the Jewish people, your brethren. Never abandon them. And he was able to leave his shirt with her and run away. Was the greatest That's why he's called Joseph the Zadik. No one The mayor says there were others who had worse problems than Joseph the Zadik, but that was about as bad as it gets. The us more than just a restraining chain, but the the future, the implications for the future the unbroken chain of tradition. That's what means. And then there's the final one of our venue. He was really supposed to be the God and wrapped into one. He had to give it over to his brother. Why? Cuz he was critical at first of the Jewish people thinking they were irredeemable. And that was an unspeakable crime. And yet really wanted to redeem them and save them and be with them and be there go to God, but pulled him back and said something says he says you're a You're not really part of anymore. You've just gone beyond. When you went up for the second time and were willing to give your very life erase me from your book Hashem. But don't erase the Jewish people. You actually kind of forfeited your life in this world and you became an angel. Your face began to shine. You crossed the boundary between humankind and the celestial realms. So, you know, you can't be God. Cuz a has to be a human being of pure flesh and blood who is married. You have separated from your wife because you're an angel. You're no longer You can walk among men, but you can never act like a human being and create a family anymore. You're just pulled away from to your particular point of greatness that you were always destined to do, but not actually in the land of Israel and not actually in Jerusalem. That's going to be the children of Aaron, your brother, who revived the Jewish people in the times of Hanukkah and redeem their souls. That's going to be what That's what's going to be and each one of those four us I believe are associated with the languages of as well. These are also a four of the four step. First step being Lot separating himself from the from the really the world of Sodom, which is about one of the worst places you could possibly be. Begin to rise up. Get out of Egypt. Get out of that vile place. Pick yourself up. Clean yourself up. It's out there. The next one is Abraham. Abraham, he said, you know, the Jewish people are going to be the of the world. You can't. But you're still very great. Anybody who comes to the assistance of the Jewish people like that president from Uganda where you hail from, God bless him. And God bless you, Eliezer, for sticking with the right team even though you have every reason not to. Okay, but that's that's a for you and the Jewish people. And he says out there. Well, that's the story of Joseph who would never would never get out of had he committed that that sin. He would have been imprinted in in in the legacy of Egypt forever. And then, of course, who gave between and is the will show you will deliver the us. You're the but I've also taken you for me to be with me in the heavenly realm. And and so there our story of four has expanded. In this year we have one more obligation, I believe. As we thank for all miracles past, we also have to thank for all miracles present. So, the dimension of of this that's different and unique from every other year is that we have a whole new We have a whole new opening the door for Elijah the prophet and saying we're not afraid. We ask to take vengeance on our true enemies while we yet open the door for others to join us and support us without fear at the same time. I'm going to give you a list. It's our own you. Okay, here we go. From February 20 from this past year Iranian leaders If you only killed Ayatollah Khamenei you. But you also killed Nasirzadeh, the defense minister but you also killed the chief of staff of Iran's forces and you also killed that cursed Soleimani on March 17th you. And that Ali Larijani who was a fearsome rival leader, the head of the supreme national security counselor Dying if you only killed Muhammad Pakpour, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, killed on February 28th, dying and if you only killed Ali Shak Mahani, close advisor to Khamenei and key figure in Iran's security and nuclear policy making, dying and and don't forget Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah, Fouad Shukr, Muhammad Nasser, Talib Sami Abdullah, Ibrahim Aqil, all these were the Hezbollah commanders that we already celebrated and the Gaza leaders starting with Ismail Haniyeh, the cursed Muhammad Deif. He's really deaf. Marwan Issa All these people killed in 24. And now we will say Oh, but we've still got a journey to go. Shvoch Hamalchut Hagoyim Asher Lo Yeduha. To the no kings, to the people who want to deny God. Asher Lo Yeduha, they don't have enough of YHWH. The Chinese billionaires who fund these communist um anti-Israel, anti-American rallies George Soros, nebach, from the Jewish the Jewish billionaire who spends money like anything to support all the those who wreak havoc mayhem and wish the destruction of Israel. Look, a few people need to turn. They should all turn their hearts towards Hashem and once they do, they will certainly turn their hearts towards the Jewish people. These people who refuse ki achlu et Yaakov, they're trying to devour us with their missiles and their terrorism and their destruction. But we've taken steps forward to the Geulah and here's the final point. This year is really not about Iran because Persia was always a prelude to Yerushalayim. In fact, the whole Purim story uh we celebrated by reading the Megillah on the on Shushan Purim, which is measured by the cities that Joshua came to conquer in land of Israel. What's the message? Duh. It's not about Persia, it's about Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim. Well, there is a war segment going on that you should pay your attention to and that's Lebanon. Lebanon is the name of the Beit Hamikdash. Hahar Hatov Hazeh V'ha Levanon. Lebanon, the white the beautiful, right? Is a reference to the Beit Hamikdash. It is from Lebanon that all the wood and quarry were taken by Hamelech to build the Beit Hamikdash. Lebanon is squarely within the boundaries of the Jewish people's God-given territory in Eretz Yisrael all the way up to city of Tripoli, moving eastward all the way towards towards Turkey and Syria. It's all ours and it's piece of the Beit Hamikdash. I can't explain how, but it's just so vital and now more and more territory is coming into our hands, more and more Gaza, we're getting back portions of our nachala. Although Gaza itself on the water, not, but the areas close to Gaza, yes. Um and in the future all of it. Hahar Hatov Hazeh V'ha Levanon. The Levanon on this Pesach should come completely under our control, never to be relinquished. And we should see Shvoch Hamalchut Hagoyim, a continuous destruction of those enemies who wish to achlu et Yaakov. We shall see what Pesach brings, but we are optimistic as we stand at the Seder to make part of our theatrical, passionate experience that we have steps that are happening. The Jewish people are back in Eretz Yisrael. We're here. We have grown into a mighty nation. Yes, we have flaws. Yes, we have work to do. Because Baruch Hashem favored us and makes miracles every day. How many people have been saved from mortal death despite this horrible barrage of rockets? We can always replace buildings. One of the ministers in Israel said correctly, you can never replace a Jew. Hashem should continue to protect the lives of the Jewish people here in Eretz Yisrael and we should have no more korbanos and the korbanos that were should be a kapara for all of us and the neshama should be placed in Gan Eden and may Hashem let's see further steps towards the Hahar Hatov Levanon opening, this is opening, banging on the door that the Beit Hamikdash, the circumstances that will be right for the Beit Hamikdash will happen and we should when you sing L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim, got to look at it differently and say this could really be the case. L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim and then you will have a Seder that is unforgettable. You're welcome. Yibaneh Yibaneh [music] Yibaneh >> [singing] >> Yibaneh Yibaneh Yibaneh >> [music] >> Yibaneh Yibaneh >> [singing] >> Yibaneh Yibaneh >> [music] [singing] >> Yibaneh Yibaneh >> [music] >> Yibaneh Yibaneh >> [singing] >> Yibaneh