One of the primary mitzvos of the Seder night is לבנך והגדת, to teach the children about yetzias Mitzrayim. However, if you ask young children what they consider the highlight of the night, they will likely say it’s the stealing of the afikomen. Why should this be the most important memory for them? It seems we are teaching the children to "steal" more than we are teaching them about yetzias Mitzrayim!
But it is known that the afikomen is taken from the middle matzah, the matzah that represents Shevet Levi. (The first matzah represents Kohen, the second matzah Levi, and the third matzah Yisrael.) The Rambam (end of Hilchos Shemitah v'Yovel) writes, ָרְתוֹׁלְש 'ה ְנֵילִפ ֲמֹדַעל ֵלִבָּדלְה ַדָּעוֹמ ֱבִינוֹוֶה אוֹתוֹ רוּחוֹ ָהנָדְב ֶרֲׁשא ָםָעוֹלה ֵיבָּא ִכָּלמ ִׁישוְא ִׁישא כָּל ֶלָּאא ַדבִּלְב ֵוִיל ֶטֵבׁש וְלֹא ִיםָמעוֹל ֵיוּלְעוֹלְמ ָםלְעוֹל ָתוֲֹלוְנַח ֶלְקוֹח 'ה ְיֶהוְיִה ִׁיםָשָדק ֶׁש קֹד ַׁדֵּשְקנִת זֶה ֵיֲרה ... ָבְדוֹוּלְע, "It isn't only the tribe of Levi, rather any person from the world who devotes himself... to serve Hashem... he becomes kodesh kadoshim..."
Torah and the Concept of Pickling
The halachah is that when something is immersed in liquid for 24 hours, it is called כבוש- pickling. Chazal say, כמבושל כבוש, pickling is like cooking. This means that when foods are cooked together, the tastes of the foods transfer from one to the next. Something similar occurs when food is placed in liquid for 24 hours. The tastes pass from one to the other.
Another halachah of כבוש is that if the item is removed from the liquid before 24 hours pass, the process ends, and it isn't compared to cooking. Even if the item is returned daily to the liquid, and accumulatively, it was in the liquid for more than 24 hours, it isn't considered pickled if it didn't have 24 hours straight, without interruption.
Based on these halachos, the Kedushas Yom Tov (and some say that it was first said by the Chasam Sofer zy'a) explains a phrase that we say on Succos, in the Hoshanos (חומה אני אום). We say, יראתך לומדת בגולה כבושה, "The Jewish people are captured in galus, and they study Your Torah." The Kedushas Yom Tov zy'a teaches that כבושה can be translated as כבוש, pickling. The phrase is saying, בגולה כבושה, what can a person do that he won't be considered pickled in galus? As we wrote, כבוש is compared to cooking, and the taste of the foods in the liquid merge. What can a person do not to be considered בגולה כבושה, pickled in galus, to the extent that he picks up the attitudes of galus, and the negative traits of the goyim who surround us? The solution is יראתך לומדת, to learn Torah. We shouldn't let 24 hours pass without Torah study, and then we won't be considered pickled in galus. As we wrote, pickling (כבוש) occurs solely when something is in liquid for 24 hours without interruption. Therefore, let us not allow 24 hours to pass without Torah, and this will save us from becoming בגולה כבושה, pickled in galus.
Sometimes a person is busy and he doesn't have much time, but that doesn't excuse him from finding time to study Torah, and to be לתורה עיתים קובע, set times for learning Torah. It is known that קובע can be translated as "stealing." As the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 26b) states פלניא קבען, "Ploni stole from me." Also, it states (Malachi 3:8) אלקים אדם היקבע, "Should a person steal from Hashem...?" Accordingly, לתורה עיתים קביעת means to steal time from one's busy schedule to find time for Torah study.
This Rambam is what people call a ם"רמב שווערע, a difficult Rambam. It isn't difficult to understand, but it is difficult to keep. People have families, obligations, how can they put everything aside and devote themselves entirely to studying Torah?
Therefore, at the Seder, at the time we perform the mitzvah of לבנך והגדת, we take the middle matzah, the one that represents the shevet Levi, and we teach them to steal and to snatch the matzah. In other words, parents are telling their children, "If you want to be like Shevet Levi, the people who devote themselves to studying Torah, you must 'steal' time to study Torah. Find time in your busy schedule and devote it to studying Torah."
When one does so, he might be working less, but he won't lose parnassah because of this, as Chazal (Avodah Zarah 19b) state, "Whoever studies Torah, he will enjoy success with his properties." The Maharasha explains that he will have success in all areas, even without hishtadlus. As the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 19a) states, כל חפציו לו עושה ה"הקב בתורה העוסק, "Whoever studies Torah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu does his will." Whatever he desires, חפציו, Hahem will grant it to him.
Indeed, this is also taught in the Rambam, who concludes with the words, ָהֶזָּכׁש כְּמוֹ לוֹ ִּיקְפַּסַמה ָרדָּב ַזֶּהה ָםבָּעוֹל לוֹ וְיִזְכֶּה ַלְוִיִּםל ֲנִיםַכֹּהל, "He will be granted his needs in Olam HaZeh, as was given to the Levi'im."
The Rambam (Hilchos Talmud Torah 1:9) writes, "Every Yisrael must study Torah, regardless of whether he is wealthy or poor, healthy or a baal yesurim..." Being busy isn't an excuse not to find time to study Torah.
The Skulener Rabbe zt'l discussed the mistake some bachurim make, those who don't set times to study Torah during בין הזמנים, vacation. He said, "Torah is our life, as it states חיינו הם כי. Would a person refrain from food for a month? How can a person stop learning for a month? How can he live without studying Torah?"
A mashal is said about someone who went to a doctor complaining that he always felt weak. The doctor asked him about his daily schedule, what he does for his health. The doctor discovered that he exercises daily but rarely eats. The doctor said to him, "It is excellent that you exercise, but exercise is second in importance to your health. Most imperative is that you eat. That gives you the vitamins and minerals you need for your health!"
The nimshal is that people occupy themselves with many parts of avodas Hashem, which are all good and important. But he shouldn't neglect the avodas Hashem that is most important for him – the food for his soul – and that is to study Torah.
When there was a sugyah that Reb Issar Zalman Meltzer zt'l didn't understand, he would wait to study it on Friday afternoon. He explained that there was less Torah in the world on Friday afternoons as everyone is busy preparing for Shabbos. When there is less Torah in the world, those who do study Torah at that time receive extra siyata dishmaya to succeed in and understand Torah.
