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Blessed
Seder Preparations
By
Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman, the Piaseczno & Warsaw Ghetto Rebbe
[Translated
by Binyomin Adilman for Shabbat Hagadol, the Shabbat prior to Passover,
from a letter from Rebbe Kalonymus Kalman to his followers before Pesach
5699 (1939).]
MY DEAR ONES,
I am calling
to you and speaking to your souls. The holy days of Pesach are approaching.
The holiness of these days pervades us thoroughly, inside and out. Their
light fills us and encompasses us. Light is like a seedling...
Nevertheless,
it is stated, "Light is sown for the righteous, and there is joy
for the upright of heart" (Psalms 97:11). Light is like a seedling.
At the beginning it requires our nurturing and our efforts to foster its
growth. Like a field needs plowing and hoeing, weeding and watering, so
do we need to prepare ourselves before the festival. Without the preparation,
there can be no joy, no growth and no light. With all the preparations
needed for the festival, we must be careful not to divert our attention
from ourselves, not to forget to draw down the holiness of the season.
My joy is without bounds...
The main aspect of the festival is to be joyful - to praise and glorify
G d for all the miracles and all the goodness. This is actually the purpose
of the entire creation, and the essence of the relationship between the
earthly creation and the heavenly family above.
When the
time comes for the Pesach evening prayer, you should rejoice in your tremendous
fortune, in the great privilege you have, to be engaged in the divine
service of Pesach. You should say to yourself, "My joy is without
bounds that I have been granted the opportunity to achieve my purpose
in the world and to be elevated to the upper spheres. My only thought
is to praise and glorify His great name, and to draw down the Holy splendor
of G d's light...
"True,
I have my problems, both material and spiritual. But for now I discard
them; the entire world is no longer important to me. I even nullify my
own self, in order to stand in the company of angels, awaiting the presence
of G d. My only thought is to praise and glorify His great name, and to
draw down the holy splendor of G d's light into the world, into my own
soul and into the souls of my family."
Your joy
should be so exalted that you feel that you can barely hold yourself back
from breaking into an ecstatic dance, leaping from the earth to the heavens.
Afterwards,
when you sit at the Seder table, you imagine yourself sitting down to
a festive meal in the Garden of Eden itself, participating in the celebration
of the final redemption. All of the aspects of the Seder-eating the matzah
and maror, drinking the four cups of wine, and reciting the Haggadah,
Hallel and other songs of praise-comprise a holy service to G d. The angels
above are crowded around to hear our praises of G d. Even G d himself
rejoices in delight, as is known from the esoteric literature, as He receives
our praise and song. Love for your fellow Jew . . . is the hinge on which
all divine service revolves . . .
A Jew has the ability to feel G d's delight with each word that he utters
from the Haggadah. He is imbued with such holiness that he is replete
with sorrow when he finishes each word; if only he could go back and recite
the Hallel another 1000 times, he would do so. His whole being is at one
with his Creator as he recites words of incredible sweetness, the Haggadah
lying open in front of him. One must endeavor to provide sanctuary for
the holiness of this night, so that it will abide by him for the whole
year. . . .
Continue
to foster your love for your fellow Jew, for that is the hinge on which
all divine service revolves. . . .
I bless
you with . . . a kosher and joyous Pesach.
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Rabbi
Kalonymus Kalman, known as the Piaseczno
Rebbe (may G d avenge his death!), was murdered at the hands of the
Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto. His works include Aish Kodesh, Chovot haTalmidim
and Bnei Machshavah Tovah.
Rabbi Binyomin
Adilman is the head of Nishmas Chayim Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and also the
author of a very interesting, but sporadically published, weekly parsha
sheet, B'ohelei Tzadikim, from which this article was taken. Their
website has some back issues.
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