“כל דכפין ייתי ויכול. כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח.” “All who are hungry let them come and eat; all who are in need, let them come and celebrate Pesach,” as it says in the Haggadah. At the start of the seder, why are we focused on this invitation? Pesach is the chag of inclusion- making sure to include others. We know there is a Mitzvah to count others into a single Korban Pesach - a Chabura. Even though one may bring and eat the Korban Pesach alone - one should do so with a group.
The Pesach story at its inception focuses on inclusion as well. What makes someone a leader? It is clear that in Judaism, a leader is chosen based on how he ensures that everyone is included and cared for. Moshe, the leader of the Pesach story, begins his path to greatness when Hashem witnessed how he cared for a lonely stray goat. The Midrash in Shemot Rabba 2:2 describes how when Moshe was a shepherd one sheep ran away.
וְאַף משֶׁה לֹא בְחָנוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶלָּא בַּצֹּאן, אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, כְּשֶׁהָיָה משֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם רוֹעֶה צֹאנוֹ שֶׁל יִתְרוֹ בַּמִּדְבָּר, בָּרַח מִמֶּנּוּ גְּדִי, וְרָץ אַחֲרָיו עַד שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לַחֲסִית, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לַחֲסִית, נִזְדַּמְּנָה לוֹ בְּרֵכָה שֶׁל מַיִם, וְעָמַד הַגְּדִי לִשְׁתּוֹת, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ משֶׁה אֶצְלוֹ, אָמַר אֲנִי לֹא הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁרָץ הָיִיתָ מִפְּנֵי צָמָא, עָיֵף אַתָּה, הִרְכִּיבוֹ עַל כְּתֵפוֹ וְהָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, יֵשׁ לְךָ רַחֲמִים לִנְהֹג צֹאנוֹ שֶׁל בָּשָׂר וָדָם כָּךְ חַיֶּיךָ אַתָּה תִרְעֶה צֹאנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֱוֵי: וּמשֶׁה הָיָה רוֹעֶה.
Moshe, too, the Holy One blessed be He tested him only with flocks. Our Rabbis say: When Moshe, may he rest in peace, was herding Yitro’s flock in the wilderness, a kid fled from him. He pursued it until it reached cover. Once it reached cover, it happened upon a pool of water, and the kid stopped to drink. When Moshe reached it, he said: ‘I didn’t know that you were running due to thirst. You are tired.’ He carried it on his shoulder and was walking. The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘You have the compassion to behave with the flocks belonging to flesh and blood in this manner; by your life, you will herd My flock, Israel.’ That is: “Moshe was herding.”
Since he cared for the lone goat with “רַחֲמִים,” making sure it was not alone, he will merit to lead the Jewish people.
And, we know that the שעבוד experience itself was that of feeling “unincluded” as it says in Shemot 22:20.
וְגֵר לֹא-תוֹנֶה, וְלֹא תִלְחָצֶנּוּ: כִּי-גֵרִים הֱיִיתֶם, בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.
And a stranger shall you not wrong, neither shall you oppress him; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
This concept is mentioned 36 times in the Torah- to treat the stranger well, and remember that we were strangers in Egypt. This pasuk lets us in on the secret- empathy. Imagine what it feels like to be a stranger- excluded and rejected. Some years ago I had heard this explained that in Egypt there was a clear caste system. There were the Egyptian elite and then the rejected Jews who were the slaves. There was no hope for the Jews to be included and respected. Every Jew has the obligation to recall that feeling of rejection before rejecting a person whom no one wants to accept.
And, at the seder, the ארבעה בנים is another example that we include everyone. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָנִים דִּבְּרָה תוֹרָה: אֶחָד חָכָם, וְאֶחָד רָשָׁע, וְאֶחָד תָּם, וְאֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל.
Why is the רשעֳ even included? And, if you notice, the רשעֳ comes right after the חכם, not at the end where you might imagine he would go. A Rabbi Jonathan Sacks notes:
Yet there is a message of hope in this family portrait. Though they disagree, they sit around the same table, telling the same story. Though they differ, they stay together. They are part of a single family. Even the rebel is there, although part of him does not want to be. This, too, is who we are.
The Jewish people is an extended family. We argue, we differ, there are times when we are deeply divided. Yet we are part of the same story. We share the same memories. At difficult times we can count on one another. We feel one another’s pain. Out of this multiplicity of voices comes something none of us could achieve alone. Sitting next to the wise child, the rebel is not fated to remain a rebel. Sitting next to the rebel, the wise child may share his wisdom rather than keep it to himself. The one who cannot ask will, in time, learn how. The simple child will learn complexity. The wise child will learn simplicity. Each draws strength from the others, as we all draw strength from belonging to a people.
Rabbi David Fohrman describes that the lack of community/brotherhood is what lead to Yoseph and then the brothers and Yaakov going down to Egypt, leading to the שעבוד מצרים. He first shows a number of parallels in the language of Korban Pesach the Yoseph story. (Rabbi Fohrman also discusses a fascinating connection between Korban Pesach, the Korban of the Metzora (who needs to leave the camp and be alone), and the Yoseph story. I will leave that piece out- but definitely look for it on his website!)
1) In Shemot 12:21 it describes the Korban Pesach:
מִֽשְׁכ֗וּ וּקְח֨וּ לָכֶ֥ם צֹ֛אן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶ֖ם וְשַׁחֲט֥וּ הַפָּֽסַח׃
"Draw forth or buy for yourselves sheep for your families and slaughter the Passover sacrifice.”
And, in Shemot 37:28
וַיִּמְשְׁכוּ֙ וַיַּֽעֲל֤וּ אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִן־הַבּ֔וֹר
And they pulled and lifted Joseph from the pit
2)In Shemot 12:8 it says:
וּמַצּ֔וֹת עַל־מְרֹרִ֖ים יֹאכְלֻֽהוּ:
, and unleavened cakes; with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
And, the only other time it says מְרֹרִ֖ים with similar spelling in the Tanach is Bereishit 49:23, when Yaakov gives a “beracha” to Yoseph, speaking about the terrible way the brothers treated him:
וַיְמָֽרֲרֻ֖הוּ וָרֹ֑בּוּ וַיִּשְׂטְמֻ֖הוּ בַּֽעֲלֵ֥י חִצִּֽים
They heaped bitterness upon him and became quarrelsome; yea, archers despised him.
3) And, when it says about the Korban Pesach in Shemot 12:22 to dip the hyssop branch in blood:
לְקַחְתֶּ֞ם אֲגֻדַּ֣ת אֵז֗וֹב וּטְבַלְתֶּם֘ בַּדָּ֣ם
And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and immerse [it] in the blood
So too, the brothers dipped Yoseph’s coat in blood: (Bereishit 37:31):
וַיִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־כְּתֹ֣נֶת יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ֙ שְׂעִ֣יר עִזִּ֔ים וַיִּטְבְּל֥וּ אֶת־הַכֻּתֹּ֖נֶת בַּדָּֽם
And they took Joseph's coat, and they slaughtered a goat, and they dipped the coat in the blood.
What is the message that this connection between the Yoseph story and Korban Pesach is meant to relay?
The answer can be found in the fact that the איש (angel) who bumps into Yoseph asks him what he is looking for and he says in Shemot 37:16:
אֶת־אַחַ֖י אָֽנֹכִ֣י מְבַקֵּ֑שׁ- I am looking for my brothers. The angel answers him “נָֽסְע֣וּ מִזֶּ֔ה” “They have travelled away from here.”
Rashi there says: נָֽסְעוּ מִזֶּה. הִסִּיעוּ עַצְמָן מִן הָאַחְוָה - They have traveled away from here. They removed themselves from brotherhood.
Rabbi Fohrman eloquently, connects Mitzrayim and Yoseph:
As a result of that story of the lack of brotherhood that led a real brother to be sold as a slave, we were all slaves for many, many years. And when we were going to go out, Joseph says, I have one last plea for you. I know that eventually you will go out of here. וְהַֽעֲלִתֶ֥ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֖י מִזֶּֽה: Take my bones out of that with you (Genesis 50:25). Mizeh, out of that. It's the same language as the angel said to him many years before. How did we get in here? We got in here through lack of brotherhood. Take my bones out of that with you. When you take my bones with you, claim me as your brother. When we leave slavery, let's leave as brothers. How do we leave as brothers? With the Pesach offering when symbolically we replay it and we say, Joseph, you're coming with us. We're taking you out of the pit. We actually take your bones. We claim you as ours. And symbolically, on this night, we bring you along. We bring you back into the family … The first person who was an individual but cut off from the family unit, cut off from the community. We'll bring you back.
At the seder we pray “לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָלָיִם.” What will bring the redemption? We know that even the actual destruction of the Beit HaMikdash was the result of a story of exclusion; אַקַּמְצָא וּבַר קַמְצָא חֲרוּב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
“Yerushalayim was destroyed on account of Kamtza and bar Kamtza.”
The Gemara in Gittin 55b describes how a man made a party and accidentally invited Bar Kamtza- his enemy, instead of his friend Kamtza. When he saw Bar Kamtza he asked him to leave. And, even when Bar Kamtza begged to pay for his own food so he would not be embarrassed, he made him leave. The pain of being excluded led Bar Kamtza to go to the Romans and report on the Jews, which led to the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and the exile. Only true inclusion will bring the גאולה.
Studies indicate that one in six children reports feeling as if he/she is not included. These children are “hungry” and they are waiting to be invited to come and eat- literally and metaphorically. We need to make sure that all who are hungry can come and eat. Many children share that they have nowhere to sit during lunch or no one to play with at recess. This is not the Jewish way. As we sit at the seder it is a perfect time to discuss with our children and think about whether we are working at including others in school, on weekends and Shabbatot. Are we thinking about whom we can invite who often doesn’t have a place to go? Let us teach our children how to feel empathy for others, and point out the times that they felt alone and were unincluded. And, as parents, we model this behavior for them by inviting adults in our community who do not often get invitations, or greeting people in shul who seem to be alone. Children learn the midda of inclusion from their parents.
This year, as we call out “כל דכפין ייתי ויכול. כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח” let us remember those who are hungry for companionship and inclusion. As we do so, we will truly merit לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָלָיִם!
Advisory Update:
Sixth Grade: Students worked on organizing their lockers using the P.A.C.K. method
Seventh Grade: Students began a new unit in Advisory- Do Not Stand Idly By- focusing on the importance of being an upstander and not a bystander. This unit begins with an Israel Advocacy unit, this year focusing on the war in Iran and anti-Semitism.
Eighth Grade: As a follow-up to their Holocaust play, students debriefed the experience and began a discussion based on the video The Wave, discussing how just like during the Holocaust the non-Jews mostly did nothing or even became perpetrators, so too we experience that in our day to day.
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