The Hagadah is a stimulating collection
of stories, drashos and songs, some of which we are more familiar with and some
less. The Hagadah in general has always been something that I enjoy working on.
Much of what we read in it is taken for granted but in reality has a lot of
depth for its’ position in the Hagadah as well as its’ own meaning.
One example is the paragraph found close
to the beginning of Magid. “מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי
יְהוֹשֻעַ וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה וְרַבְּי עֲקִיבָא וְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן
שֶהָיוּ מְסֻבִּין בִּבְנֵי בְרַק, וְהָיוּ מְסַפְּרִים בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם כָּל
אוֹתוֹ הַלַּיְלָה עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ תַלְמִידֵיהֶם וְאָמְרוּ לָהֶם: רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, הִגִּיעַ
זְמַן קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית”. Five of the greatest rabbis of the generation all spent the
Seder together in Bnei Brak, the hometown of Rabbi Akiva, one of the rabbis in
the story. The Leil Shimurim asks that since
Rabbi Akiva was not the greatest rabbi at this Seder, why did they all come to his
town as apposed to one of the other Rabbi’s cities? Furthermore, one of the
rabbis at the Seder, Rabbi Eliezer, was of the opinion that you had to spend
every holiday with your family in your own house so what was he doing in Bnei
Brak with Rabbi Akiva?
To answer, he brings the famous Gemarah
at the end of Maseches Makkos (24a-b) where Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben
Azariah, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Akiva were walking by the ruins of the Beis
Hamikdash when they saw a fox running out of the ruins. All the rabbis started
crying except for Rabbi Akiva who began to laugh. When asked to explain apparently
strange behavior, he replied that there was a prophecy which connected the
prophecies of Uriah HaKohen and Zechariah HaNavi. Seeing how these two men
lived in two completely different eras, what could be the connection between
them? Rabbi Akiva explained, “אלא תלה הכתוב נבואתו של זכריה בנבואתו
של אוריה באוריה כתיב (מיכה ג, יב) לכן בגללכם ציון שדה תחרש [וגו'] בזכריה כתיב (זכריה
ח, ד) עוד ישבו זקנים וזקנות ברחובות ירושלם עד שלא נתקיימה נבואתו של אוריה הייתי
מתיירא שלא תתקיים נבואתו של זכריה עכשיו שנתקיימה נבואתו של אוריה בידוע שנבואתו של
זכריה מתקיימת” “The pasuk is making the prophecy of Zechariah dependent on
the prophecy of Uriah. (Uriah’s prophecy has to do with the destruction of
the Beis Hamikdash while Zechariah’s has to do with the future redemption.) …Until
Uriah’s prophecy was fulfilled, I could not know for sure that Zechariah’s
would be as well. Now that I see that Uriah’s has been fulfilled, I know that
so will Zechariah’s.” (Makkos 24b). With this explanation, the other Rabbis
declared that they had been consoled over the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.
This was Rabbi Akiva’s
special middah, even in the darkest moments, he had the ability to see the
light of cheirus, freedom,
right around the corner. Even when the ruins of the Beis Hamikdash still sat
smoldering on the Temple Mount while wild animals ran amongst them, he was able
to visualize the future when the Beis Hamikdash would again stand tall in all
its’ glory. This same perspective was needed when Bnei Yisrael were in
Mitzrayim. No slave had ever escaped from Mitzrayim and by the time the Plagues
began, the entire nation had been enslaved for over 200 years; from every
logical standpoint, there was no way they could escape from Mitzrayim. Perhaps
we can say that this ability to see cheirus is the attribute of the
entire holiday of Pesach.
For this reason, explains the Leil
Shimurim, these great Rabbis all gathered by Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva’s words
by the ruins of the Beis Hamikdash had greatly consoled them over the
destruction. And in order to show him the proper appreciation, they came to
visit him in his city, on his holiday, the holiday which requires you to
see cheirus, Rabbi Akiva’s middah.
Let us take this to heart and
concentrate this Pesach on seeing the potential for our own personal cheirus,
whatever level it might be on or whatever issue it might be for, ultimately
culminating in cheirus from this galus and the rebuilding of the Beis
Hamikdash. Then we may truly understand and unleash what Pesach is all about.
May this be the chag that we achieve complete cheirus.
L’Shana Haba’a B’Yerushalayim!
Chag Kosher V’Sameach!
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