Archives: Shayas Stickles

Overcoming Challenges
This week’s Parsha, Parshas Naso, contains the laws regarding a Sotah- the woman suspected of adultery. It is interesting to note that a large discussion of the story about the exile and redemption from Egypt is included in Maseches Sotah. What is the connection between a Sotah and the exodus from Egypt?

I have heard quoted [I’m not sure what the source is], that the most painful rebuke that a person will experience after his/her lifetime, is when he/she is going to be shown what he/she could have accomplished in this world.

The Gemara tells us that the redemption from Egypt was in the merit of the special righteous women who were very courageous and displayed phenomenal Gevura.

Hence I’d like to suggest that perhaps the story is mentioned in Maseches Sotah as a profound lesson for the Sotah woman and anyone else seeking to follow in her immoral ways. The Torah is saying, “Look what you could have accomplished! The redemption for the entire Jewish people came about because of people who rose above their challenges and temptations, and look how low you have sunk, or how low you will fall if you continue to follow in her ways!”

Throughout life, we all have various challenges and temptations that the Yetzer Hara throws our way. One tool that can be helpful in overcoming the drives and urges of the Yetzer Hara, is to ponder BEFOREHAND the terrible effect that the sins will have on us if we cave in, and the special level we can be elevated to if we muster the strength to rise above them.

The Seforim bring that the Shalosh Regalim correspond to the Shloshah Avos, and Chag HaShavuos corresponds to Yitzchak Avinu. What is the connection between Shavuos and Yitzchak Avinu?

We know that Yitzchak corresponds to Avodah [prayer]. Yitzchak specialized in a direct and real relationship with Hashem.

In fact, the Torah describes Yitzchak’s avodah as “Vayeitzei Yitzchak lasuach bisada” [And Yitzchak went out to ‘talk’ to Hashem in the field]. The root of the word lasuach, is ‘seecha,’ which refers to speech, or in other terms, ”shmoozing’. The Pasuk is teaching us that Yitzchak’s shmoozing was with HASHEM! He had such a real and direct relationship with Him that even his regular shmoozing was with Hashem. This can explain why Rivka fell off the camel when she saw him in the field conversing with Hashem, as she was so in awe to see someone who had that awesome relationship with Hashem.

Perhaps this is one aspect of how Yitzchak corresponds to Shavuos. Matan Torah was the moment when there was the biggest revelation in all of history of G-d to EVERY single one of us. G-d actually talked to the entire Jewish people! Perhaps in the essence of this day, there lies the power to strengthen and develop our connection to Hashem.

May we all work during this Yom Tov on strengthening that relationship via learning Torah, davening, and doing Mitzvos. May we continue to climb in growing closer and closer to the goal of the marriage-like relationship between us and Hashem!

Big Things Start Small

In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Bamidbar, the Torah enumerates the number of men in Shevet Binyamin right next to the amount of men in Shevet Dan. As with everything in the Torah, this is significant, and has a profound lesson for all of us.

Dan only had one child, a son named Chushim, who was hard of hearing. Binyamin had ten healthy sons. An observer at the time might have said or thought to himself that not much will come of Dan’s Shevet. They will surely be very few, and certainly in comparison to Shevet Binyamin.

The Torah tells us that in actuality, it was just the contrary; through Binyamin’s ten sons, Binyamin’s descendants numbered 35,400 men, while Dan’s Shevet had almost double, a staggering 62,700! The lesson is clear; never give up on any child [and teenager or adult for that matter], as big things start small!

The above I heard in the name of the Chofetz Chaim.

‘Big things start small’ is an idea that can be applied not only in the physical world, but in the spiritual world as well.When one starts to improve oneself spiritually, even in small ways, if one is persistent and steady it can morph into big changes.

Being that Rosh Chodesh has just passed, this is the opportune time to get off to a fresh start in working to improve ourselves, and into being better and more special people.

May we all work slowly but surely, on improving our relationship to Hashem and in keeping the Mitzvos, and may those small changes transform into large improvements; as we head toward the Yom Tov of Shavuos where we will relive the special covenant between us and Hashem.

Lasting Impression

The fourth week of Sefira corresponds to Moshe’s Midda of Netzach. It is therefore appropriate to understand what this Midda is, how it epitomizes Moshe, and the lesson we can learn from it.
Although Moshe wasn’t allowed to enter Eretz Yisroel, he davened to at least be allowed to look at Eretz Yisroel, and his request was granted. Why wasn’t Moshe allowed into Eretz Yisroel, and what was the significance of Moshe’s LOOKING at Eretz Yisroel??

Moshe’s midda was Netzach [success for eternity]. Whatever actions Moshe performed continue to last for eternity. Moshe took us out of Egypt and we are still around today. [Which is a novelty for anyone who knows history concerning the rise and then fall of so many nations and cultures.] Moshe gave us the Torah and we still have the Torah.

Hashem foresaw that Klal Yisroel would sin in Eretz Yisroel to the point where they would be deserving of death, which would ultimately lead Hashem to do one of two options: Either actually destroy us and then rebuild the nation, or allow us to atone for our sins by exiling us and having us struggle with different challenges and tests among the other nations. Hashem, out of his love and compassion for us, chose the latter. This, the Meforshim explain, was the reason that Hashem didn’t allow Moshe into Eretz Yisroel. Had Moshe been allowed to come into Eretz Yisroel, Moshe’s Midda and personality would have created the need for an eternal stay in Eretz Yisroel, and then the only other option for Hashem would have been to actually destroy us.

The Ner Ooziel adds that perhaps this is the reason that Moshe asked and was granted permission to LOOK at Eretz Yisroel. It was to create Klal Yisroel’s longing and passion for Eretz Yisroel for eternity. [As it’s usually the EYE that sees that starts the process of longing and connection.] Thus, we see until this very day how all Yidden love and yearn to be in Eretz Yisroel!

With the aforementioned, we can appreciate Rav Simlai’s Drasha at the end of the first Perek of Sotah. He asks, rhetorically, “why did Moshe long to go into Eretz Yisroel? Was it to eat from its fruit and enjoy its goodness?” He answers that Moshe said that “Klal Yisroel was commanded to keep many Mitzvos only in Eretz Yisroel; let me enter so there can be a fulfillment [KIYUM] of all of the mitzvos through me.” Based on what we are saying, we can truly appreciate this statement; Moshe wasn’t merely davening that he wanted to keep all the Mitzvos, and without his entering Eretz Yisrael, there would be some mitzvos he could not fulfill. Moshe wanted there to be a KIYUM- an everlasting endurance- to the mitzvos via Klal Yisroel’s commitment to them, which he knew could only come about through his entering the land and fulfilling those Mitzvos. Unfortunately, we didn’t merit that, and thus, throughout history, we did not have an everlasting ability to keep those Mitzvos. May the day come soon where we will once again be able to keep every single one of those Mitzvos.

Based on this overview, I speculate that any exertion and toil to grow in Avodas Hashem in this week of Netzach has an extra special ability to have a more lasting effect on us for life.

May we all succeed in tapping into this rich potential for permanent growth, to reach and maintain great heights.

[Editor’s note: This was the last Dvar Torah that Shaya sent out before he was niftar. In this dvar Torah, Shaya teaches us about Moshe’s Midda of Netzach-success for eternity. Shaya has in fact left all of us his own legacy that will remain with all of us forever.]

Respecting Others

According to the opinion that the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died between Pesach and Shavuos had a brief respite on Lag Baomer, we can appreciate the relevance of a number of Torah thoughts regarding Lag Baomer.

The Gemara tells us that the students of Rabbi Akiva died because they didn’t show proper respect to one another.

Each week of Sefirah corresponds to a different Midah-attribute epitomized by one of the Ushpizin. This week is the Midah of Hod, epitomized by Aharon. The specific Midah for Lag Baomer is ‘hod shebi’hod’, i.e. completely Aharon’s midah. We know that Aharon was the quintessential ‘Oheiv Shalom Vi’rodeif Shalom’, the lover and pursuer of peace.

There is a custom to learn and work on one of the 48 ways to acquire Torah each day of Sefirah, and on the last day to review and incorporate all of them. The thirty-third one is Ahavas Habriyos-loving people.

In addition my friend Zecharya Michelson pointed out that the thirty-third travel spot of Klal Yisroel in the Midbar was Hor Hahor, the place where Aharon was buried!

So perhaps the reason that none of the Talmidim died on Lag Baomer was because they were able to overcome their issue of not showing proper respect for each other by tapping into the midah of the day; the midah of loving and respecting people and pursuing peace like Aharon!

This week’s Parsha discusses the Halachos of the Kohanim. The Kohanim are all descendants of Aharon, the Ohev Shalom and Rodeif Shalom. Yet on the other hand they [and all the Bnei Levi] are the ones who killed the sinners of the Golden Calf.

Is that a contradiction? Absolutely not. When it comes to wicked sinners and heretics we have no tolerance and acceptance. However when it comes to our fellow Jews who try to follow Hashem’s will, we must learn to appreciate each other for each person’s contributions to Klal Yisroel.

We are twelve Shvatim with twelve different personalities and approaches to Yiddishkeit. Each Shevet walked through the Yam Suf on its own path, but the water was transparent! The lesson is clear: we have different paths and approaches, but we must be able to ‘see’ and respect each other.

[Editor’s note: This idea of appreciating another Jew was something that Shaya lived by. There was no concept of ‘well, he doesn’t wear the same color hat or shirt as me’. It was always about finding a connection with another Jew and trying to infuse that person with true warmth. Shaya’s family really only understood how much Shaya epitomized this by his Levaya and Shivah. There were a lot of people from all different backgrounds that came to his levaya and shivah and told the family how much Shaya connected to them. In the words of one of his neighbors, “Shaya was an ordinary person. He knew how to talk to someone on their level.” Shaya was able to relate to others because he breathed this principle of respecting other people no matter what kind of background they may have had. May we all try to work on ourselves to have the abilty to look beyond the externals and see the inner beauty of the Jewish People.]

Positive Criticism & Self-Esteem

Parshas Acharei Mos:
The Medrash says that when Iyov heard that the two sons of Aharon died he became very worried. Why?

Chazal explain that Iyov was afflicted with suffering, because when he was an advisor to Pharoh, Iyov did not protest to Pharoh’s [following Bilaam’s advice] decision to throw the Jewish babies into the river.
Chazal also say that when Moshe & Aharon were walking, followed by Nadav and Aveehoo, Nadav turned to Aveehoo & asked ‘when will these two elders [Moshe & Aharon] die, and we will finally be able to take over as leaders of Klal Yisroel?’ For this statement, they were punished.
Of course there is a deep understanding for why Nadav said what he said and it wasn’t a petty lust for power, but either way, why was AVEEHOO punished? He didn’t say anything, he just kept quiet!?

We see from here that when something wrong is going on, being quiet isn’t good enough, you must protest. Since Aveehoo didn’t protest, he was killed.
So when Iyov heard that the two sons of Aharon died [not just Nadav but Aveehoo also], he realized this concept; silence is admission, and remaining quiet does not suffice. Therefore, he feared that he, too, would be punished because he also had just been quiet and hadn’t protested. And that is what came to be….

I am not citing this Dvar Torah to say that we should jump at every opportunity to protest, and attend every rally under the sun! We should all follow our Daas Torah when to attend rallies & protests and when not to. But, if we are in a situation where we know protesting a friend or colleague’s improper actions will be under the guidelines set by the Torah for when one should protest or give rebuke, let us gather the strength not to be quiet [and certainly not to laugh or encourage] but to speak out firmly for the sake of the glory of Hashem.

Parshas Kedoshim:
The Pasuk in this week’s Parsha tells us, when one rebukes his fellow Jew ‘ולא תשא עליו חטא’. The simple explanation is that you should be careful to give rebuke in a way where you will not sin, like by embarrassing him.
The Chavas Ya’eer & other commentators explain in a homiletic twist that ולא תשא עליו’ חטא’ means, don’t raise the sin over him. Don’t say ‘how could you do such a terrible thing, you are such a wicked person’. Rather, lift him up over the sin. Say ‘you are such a special person it’s not befitting for someone like you to do something like that’.

Perhaps we can take this theme one step further. Not only in regards to rebuking others do we have to be very careful to refrain from derogatory comments & only give positive reinforcement, but also in how we view ourselves. If a person views himself as a bad person who has sinned in the past, then when more tests come his way, the person might say ‘I’m such a bad person already so what difference does it make if I sin more’. Or, ‘I’m a not a holy person so my learning, davening, & Mitzvos aren’t valuable’.

That is a terrible mistake!
The right outlook is to say ‘I am a sincere good person, yes, I am not perfect, and yes, I may have my shortcomings, but I am seeking to grow and change for the better’. With that outlook, when one is tested with challenges one will be able to say ‘no I am not going to give in to the Yetzer Hara, the act that he wants me to do is not befitting someone of my caliber’!

Let us all take this lesson from the Parsha to heart. To always give positive, constructive criticism and for ourselves to always have a healthy self esteem. This will Iy”H help us overcome a lot of the tests & challenges that the Yetzer Hara sends our way.

Peace vs. Truth

This week’s Parsha discusses the purification process of a Metzora who has gotten leprosy, often as a result of speaking Loshon Hara. The first step in the process is to go to a Kohen and have him determine if it is leprosy. Even if the Kohen is not a Talmid Chachom there is still an obligation to go to him. Why?

One of the commentators [I believe it is the Sakachaver Rebbe] explains that often the rational of a Baal Lashon Hara is that the lashon hara is true and ‘for the sake of truth I have to expose him and tell people about him. In fact the sign of Hashem is emes [truth] so we see emes is very important.’

Therefore the Torah says, send him to the Kohen regardless of whether he is a Talmid Chachom, as all Kohanim are descendants of Aharon who loved and pursued peace even at the expense of emes. [Aharon at times would even alter the truth for the sake of peace.] Hence the lesson for the Baal Lashon Hara is, that there is something more important than Emes. Granted Emes is the sign of Hashem, but Shalom-peace which is the name of Hashem, is a much higher level.

May we all take this lesson to heart to realize that although saying the truth is very important, at times being at peace with people takes precedence.

Self-Expression

This week’s Parsha discusses the fatal mistake of Nadav and Aveeho in the service of the Mishkan, resulting in their untimely death. What was their mistake?

Chazal give many reasons for their punishment of death: paskening in front of Moshe and Aharon, serving Hashem in an intoxicated state, and not getting married, but these are merely reasons why their punishment was so severe.

The actual sin that the Torah states was that they brought a foreign fire of Ketores [incense] that they were not commanded to bring. Meaning they brought Ketores as a Nedava – a self initiated sacrifice. What was so bad about the fact that it was self initiated? Isn’t Nedava a wonderful thing? In fact Nedavos have a huge role in the Mishkan, so what was wrong with their Nedava?

The answer is that Nedava is fine for KORBANOS which are brought on the Mizbeiach Hachitzon[outer altar], outside the inner sanctum of the Mishkan. The Ketores however, is brought on the Mizbeiach Hapnimi in the inner sanctum of the Mishkan, which is not a place to bring a nedava. The reason for this is that when one is in the innermost sanctum relating to the Almighty Himself we can’t have nedava, as the focus has to be on what HE wants. This doesn’t mean that the service has to be cold and completely stunted but rather to be in touch with and muster up the emotions that He want us to express each in its proper time.

In the Haftorah we have a similar story where Uza had irreverence and lack of discipline towards the Aron and was killed, but Dovid danced ecstatically in front of the Aron in a way his wife thought was inappropriate but was in fact quite appropriate. Dovid had the discipline to have the proper balance of emotion, each in its proper time. So the the root of the sin of Nadav and Aveeho was not having the proper discipline to curb their emotions and channel them properly. In fact both of their names reflect this. Nadav is derived from the term nedava, self initiation and self desire, and Aveehu is derived from ‘he is my father’, which relates to Hashem ONLY as a father without the proper reverence one is required to give a king!

I am glad that this year Shmini came out after Purim because Purim was a time when we drank wine and brought out our innermost desires of self expression [hopefully in an uplifted way!] but doing Avoda intoxicated is forbidden for this very reason; it brings out SELF expression and when we are in the palace of the king we must have discipline to channel our emotions properly.
May we all take this lesson to heart to know when, where, and how to express each of our emotions properly, both relating to each other and to Hashem.

Based on a Shiur from Rav Yonah Sklare Shlita

Elevating Chometz

If Chometz represents the Yetzer Hara, why is it only forbidden on Pesach and not all year round?

The Gemara tells us that we should serve Hashem with both our Yetzer Tov and our Yetzer Hara. How does one serve Hashem with his Yetzer Hara??

I suggest that serving Hashem with one’s Yetzer Hara means that we shouldn’t stunt all of our animalistic drives and passions, rather we should elevate them and incorporate them into our Avodas Hashem. When we eat a delicious meal, instead of eating it solely because it tastes good, we should eat it to give ourselves the nutrients we need. When we play sports or exercise, instead of doing it solely because it’s enjoyable, we should do it to keep ourselves healthy physically. The same is true with all drives and passions.
To answer the first question let me begin by sharing a Torah thought based on a Shiur given by Rav Yonah Sklare.

Mitzrayim was a land that hid Hashem’s presence. Their sustenance was provided for them by the Nile River. They had no need to daven to Hashem for any rain whatsoever, as the Nile provided the irrigation for their crops to grow. Since Klal Yisroel had lived in that place for so long, they were exposed to and influenced by the false ideology that we are in control of our sustenance and it has nothing to do with G-d. The Rambam tells us that when one is struggling with a bad mida one should go to the opposite extreme for a while until he can get back to middle ground. Hence that is why when Hashem took them into the Midbar, He performed open miracles which proved without a doubt that there was a G-d in total control, which was the the exact opposite of Mitzrayim’s belief. But relying on open miracles wasn’t the ideal. The ideal was the middle ground: to go into Eretz Yisroel, a land of nature, work the land, and see Hashem there in the nature without any open miracles. They just needed that short period of time in the Midbar to go to that extreme in order to be able to get back to the golden middle path.

Hence I suggest that on Pesach when we are reliving Klal Yisroel’s experience when they were leaving Mitzrayim, we have to go to the extreme of refraining from all chometz, as chometz symbolizes the Yetzer Hara, and at this point we aren’t ready to incorporate the Yetzer Hara into Avodas Hashem. But after the holy Yom Tov of Pesach and eight days of going to the extreme of refraining from all chometz, we can now hopefully get back to the golden path of taking our animalistic drives and elevating them by incorporating them into our Avodas Hashem.

May we all succeed in elevating all of our passions and drives, and thus fulfill serving Hashem with both our Yetzer Tov and our Yetzer Hara.

Pesach 5777

[Editor’s note: As a memory of my beloved brother Shaya, I would like to continue sending out his pearls of wisdom that he has shared with all of you in the past. For some of you this may ring a bell and for others it may appear to be totally new. May the learning of Shaya’s Divrei Torah inspire us to change our ways and thereby give an Aliya to the neshama of our dear beloved Shaya whom we miss so much.]

Here are some Divrei Torah for the Seder night and Pesach in general:

Dvar Torah I

There is a passuk in davening that bothered me for a long time. The following is the translation of that passuk: “For forty years I was angry with the generation and I said they are an errant hearted people and they do not know my ways; therefore, I have sworn in My wrath that they shall not enter My land of contentment.” This passuk repeats what Hashem said to Klal Yisroel after they sinned many times in the Midbar, with the “breaking point” being the sin of the Meraglim. When would one imagine these words should be recited?

Probably the first time that would come to mind would be Tisha B’av, when we mourn the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, as well as our sins which prevent the redemption. But no, we say these words every Friday night in the Kabbalas Shabbos davening, moments before we usher in the Shabbos queen. At the onset of the happiest and holiest day of the week we mention one of the worst sins in the history of Klal Yisroel! What is the correlation between Shabbos and Klal Yisroel’s sins?

Here is the explanation I came up with [If anyone reading this Dvar Torah has another approach please share it with me].

The Seforim discuss that Shabbos is connected to Teshuva. The root of the word Shabbos is “Shav;” the same root as the word Teshuv, “return.” The six days of the week can blind us from performing our Avodas Hashem. Shabbos allows us to relax from the tension of the week, ascertain our level of Avodas Hashem, and determine which strategies we can implement to help us make the next week a more spiritual one. Hence, we specifically mention the worst sin in our history at the beginning of Shabbos to teach us that Teshuva exists even for the gravest of sins. Especially on Shabbos, we can tap into the essence of the day: doing Teshuva.

Pesach is referred to in the Torah as Shabbos; hence, I believe it has this special ability for Teshuva as well. In fact, one of the themes of Pesach is that we “begin with shame and end with praise.” No matter what one’s background or past may be, there is always opportunity and place for Teshuva.
May we all be able to improve during this shabbos-like Yom Tov. May we merit during this “Zeman Chayrusaynu” to true freedom from our bad habits that bog us down, and to be able to regenerate and invigorate our special relationship with our Creator.

Dvar Torah II

The Seforim explain that the Shalosh Regalim correspond to the Shlosha Avos, and Avraham Avinu signifies the regel of Pesach. What is the relationship between Avraham’s outstanding performance of the mida of Chesed and Klal Yisroel on Pesach?

I have previously sent out the following Dvar Torah, but I feel it will appropriately answer the above question.
The Pasuk uses the term “vichamushim” to describe Bnei Yisroel’s “appearance” as they left Egypt. There are a number of explanations for what ‘vichamushim’ means:
[1] Only one fifth of Klal Yisroel left Egypt. Four fifths of Klal Yisroel were killed during the plague of darkness, as they were not worthy of redemption.
[2] The Jews were armed with Mitzvos. A question on this explanation is that the Pasuk tells us that on their very last day in Egypt, the Jews were empty of Mitzvos. So what Mitzva did they have now when they left?
[3] Targum Yonasan explains “vichamushim” means each family had “5 tafla.” Tafla means children, so the simple understanding of the Targum is that each family had five kids. A glaring question on this explanation is that from EACH pregnancy the women had [at least] SIX kids. So what then does the Targum mean that they only had FIVE TAFLA??

The Baeir Yosef provides us with a beautiful approach that answers all these questions and ties all three explanations together. He explains that the four fifths of Klal Yisroel who died, were only the Jews twenty or older who were of age to be punished by the heavenly court. Their kids were certainly not deserving of punishment and were therefore not killed. Thus, there were many orphans who had no parents.The Baeir Yosef suggests that the remaining one fifth of Klal Yisroel adopted all the orphaned kids! That is what the Targum means when he says “5 Tafla,” i.e. five FAMILIES of kids. In addition to their own children, each family adopted four other families so that all the kids of the four fifths of Klal Yisroel who died would have surrogate parents! That was the big Mitzva that they were armed with when they left Egypt!
According to the aforementioned explanation, the Jews did indeed emulate Avraham’s mida of Chesed. Keep in mind that they had no provisions for their own families let alone for the hundreds [according to some calculations] of orphaned children they were adopting! So it was truly a magnanimous act of Chesed.

As Pesach dawns upon us, how can we emulate this noble Mida of Chesed of our ancestors?
We all know that throughout the recent generations there have been many Jews who have not remained committed to Yiddishkeit. They have produced many “orphans,” kids and even grownups, who don’t know anything about the beauty and depth of Yiddishkeit and what our purpose in life is. There are a number of organizations and special people out there to help fix this sad trend. All of the Gedolei Yisroel laud their work and encourage and ask all of us to do our share in this holy Mitzva. We can support these organizations [each person according to his/hers financial situation] AND do our share in bringing these “orphans” close to Yiddishkeit by inviting them to our Shabbos & Yom Tov tables, talking & acting respectably in the workplace.

In the merit of this crucial Mitzva which parallels the Mitzva that Klal Yisroel performed when they left Egypt, may we soon merit the final redemption, speedily in our days!

Dvar Torah III
In Parshas Yisro, Hashem revealed Himself to us in an otherworldly way. Following immediately thereafter, Parshas Mishpatim enumerates the numerous laws pertaining to the daily life of a Yid. What is the correlation between these two parshiyos, where in Parshas Yisro we were elevated to an almost supernatural level, and then in Parshas Mishpatim, brought back down to the regular mundane life?

Rav Shraga Simmons explains that the 2 Parshiyos are two sides of the same coin; the spiritual high of Sinai is gratifying, but it doesn’t solve the problem of the world in which we live. Spirituality is not achieved by meditating alone on a mountaintop or by learning in an out-of-the-way monastery. Jewish spirituality comes through grappling with the ordinary, elevating the mundane.
Hence, we must learn and practice the halachos of everyday life in order to truly elevate everything we do as we interact in the real world.
What, then, was the purpose of the super high revelation at Mount Sinai?
The answer is that we all need a powerful and spiritual experience to boost ourselves. It gives us the knowledge and conviction that we are on the right path doing what Hashem wants us to do. The Rambam likens it to one trudging along in a dark and rainy storm, lost, unsure where to go and what to do. Then, there is a sudden flash of lightning-it doesn’t last long and doesn’t come often-but it illuminates the path on which he is traveling, showing him where to go. That was the purpose of the revelation at Mount Sinai. And now, once we have witnessed that “illuminating light” we must channel its inspiration into our daily lives, trying to elevate all the “mundane” things we do.
We find this theme on Pesach as well.
Why do we call the second phase of the Seder “Urchatz,” which literally means “AND washing,” instead of “Rachtzah [washing]”? The Author of the Hagada is teaching us that this washing immediately after Kadeish is very much connected to Kadeish. How so? We start off the night and the entire special Yom Tov of Pesach by sanctifying it with the Kiddush blessings over wine. This gives us the opportunity to tap into the very special holiness of Pesach and the ability to feel truly awesome and holy. To keep this holy atmosphere going, we must immediately afterwards continue to be exacting in our adherence to halacha. Hence, it’s called AND washing, to teach us that this halachik technicality is very much connected to the Kadeish that was right before it!
[The above Dvar Torah I heard from Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb but I don’t remember the source he was quoting.] Let us try to work on learning and practicing Halacha, even when we don’t always feel Hashem’s presence, and thus truly elevate our daily lives. May we soon merit the final redemption, where the awesomeness and holiness of Hashem and his Torah will be revealed and felt for all eternity.

Dvar Torah IV
I heard a nice vort from Rabbi Frand regarding the meaning of the song we sing at the end of the Seder “Echad mee yodayah, Shinayim mee yodayah…” If one were to say “Nine Eleven,” one would immediately associate that with September 11th, 2001, the day the World Trade Center (Twin Towers) were destroyed. If one were to say the date of your birthday, you would immediately say “that’s my birthday.” The same is true with your street address, phone number, and any other number that has much significance to you.
Hence, the explanation in this song is that after such an uplifting holy night of Kadeish, four kosos, Magid, Seudas Yom Tov, Hallel…., we should hopefully be on the level to immediately associate the regular numbers with spiritual topics & ideas. What does the number one mean to me? The only thing I associate with one is the Ribono Shel Olam. The only thing I associate the number two with is the luchos. The only thing I associate three with is the Avos…

Dvar Torah V
The Torah refers to Pesach as the “Chag Hamatzos,” whereas we call it “Pesach.”
Why the difference in language?
Rav Levi Yitzchok from Berditchev explains that we know that Matza symbolizes the fact that we were in a rush to leave Mitzrayim without waiting to let the dough rise and with no other provisions we followed Hashem into the Midbar, trusting that he would provide for us. So Hashem in the Torah lovingly refers to this Yom Tov as “Chag Hamatzos,” praising us for what WE did. Whereas “Pesach” represents that Hashem was pasach/passed-over the houses of our ancestors in Mitzrayim. So we refer to this Yom Tov as Pesach; lovingly praising and thanking Hashem for what HE did for us!