The Gemara (Berachot 35b) says: The later generations are not like the earlier generations. The earlier generations, desiring to fulfill Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s Mitzvot, would bring their produce from the field into their homes through the main entrance, through the gates of the courtyard and house, to obligate it in Ma’aserot (tithes). But the later generations bring their produce into their homes through rooftops, courtyards, and open spaces next to the house, and do not bring it through the gates of the courtyard and house, in order to exempt it from tithes! The people hired “Avi’s Cranes,” and brought all the goods in through the roof, just so they’d not be obligated in tithes! Thus, Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to them, “Why are you stealing from Me? Why don’t you bring tithes?” And their answer? “Ribbono Shel Olam, open the Rambam Hilchot Terumot U’Ma’asrot, open the Gemara to Berachot 35b – it’s clearly written there that if you bring the produce through the roof, it’s not obligated in tithes! What do You want from us?! We’re doing exactly what’s written! But Hakadosh Baruch Hu responds to them, “You are thieves!”
לֹהִים וּמַה בֶּצַע כִּי שׁ ָמַרְ נוּ מִשְׁמַרְ תּוֹ -אֲמַרְ תֶּם שׁ ָוְא עֲבֹד אֱ – What else were they accused of? They said, “It is vain to serve Hashem, and what profit is it that we have kept His charge? This is heresy! The Brisker Rav says, they didn’t speak literal words of heresy. They only said, “Ribbono Shel Olam, we want to serve You, but serving You is expensive!” It costs too much money to keep the Torah; an etrog costs 400 shekel, tzitzit costs 150 shekel, handmade matzot cost 190 shekel, the holiday of Pesach costs 5000 shekel or more – they claimed, “It’s very hard for us to serve You; it costs us a lot of money!” And so, Hakadosh Baruch Hu replied to them:
וְשׁ ַבְתֶּם וּרְ אִיתֶם בֵּין צַדִּ יק לְרָ שׁ ָע בֵּין עֹבֵד אֱ -לֹהִים לַאֲשׁ ֶר לֹא עֲבָדוֹ׃ Two people can be G-d fearing and complete, fulfilling the entire Shulchan Aruch; one is called "one who serves Hashem," and the other is called "one who does not serve Him." The one who brings the produce through the roof to gain exemption form tithes – he is not serving Hashem!
The Gemara (Menachot 41a) relates: A certain angel found Rav Katina wearing a linen sheet that had no thread of techelet, and it would seem he was exempt from tzitzit. The angel said to him, "Katina, Katina! A sheet in the summer and a cloak in the winter – what will become of the Mitzvah of tzitzit with techelet?" Rav Katina replied to the angel, "Do you (the heavenly court) punish for not fulfilling a positive commandment like tzitzit?" The angel said to him, "In a time when there is anger before Hakadosh Baruch Hu, indeed we punish for not fulfilling a positive commandment like tzitzit." The debate as to whether tzitzit is a commandment on the individual or on the garment can change the understanding of this Gemara and of each party’s statement. But even if we say the individual is not obligated when the conditions for tzitzit are not present – i.e. a four-corned garment being worn – what the angel was really saying to Rav Katina is: "Is it proper to seek ways to exempt yourself from the Mitzvah of tzitzit?" For this, they punish in a time of anger.
The Brisker Rav says: This is the meaning of what’s written in our Haftarah:
וֹם בָּא בֹּעֵר כַּתַּנּוּר וְהָיוּ כׇל־זֵדִ ים וְכׇל־עֹשֵׂה רִ שְׁעָה קַשׁ כִּי־הִנֵּה הַי וֹם הַ בָּא אָ מַ ר וְ לִ הַ ט אֹתָ ם הַ יה ' צְ בָ קוֹת אֲשׁ ֶר לֹא־יַעֲזֹב לָהֶם שׁ ֹרֶ שׁ וְעָנָף׃ For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the coming day will set them ablaze, says Hashem of Hosts, leaving them neither stock nor boughs.
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu redeems Bnei Yisrael, David HaMelech says: כְּרַ חֵם אָב עַל בָּנִים – As a father has compassion on his children. Hakadosh Baruch Hu has compassion, like a father has compassion on his children. But here, within our Haftarah, something additional is written: כַּאֲשׁ ֶר יַחְמֹל אִישׁ עַל בְּנוֹ הָעֹבֵד אֹתוֹ – As a man will have compassion on his son who serves him. It doesn’t say "has compassion" – רִ חַ ם, but "will have compassion" – יַ חְ מֹל. Oh, how much compassion we will need on the day of redemption! And who will merit it? The son who serves the father!
The Meaning of Serving the Father
This begs the question: What does "the son who serves the father" mean? Chazal tell us: Hakadosh Baruch Hu grants a person children; every parent notices that each child has a different form, a different opinion, a different behavior – each child with his own uniqueness. There’s a child to whom you merely hint at something, and immediately the child jumps. “Daniel, I need something from Tel Aviv.” "Abba, I’m already in Tel Aviv! What do you need???" Even though Daniel is actually in Haifa, he jumps at the opportunity. The father just hinted that he needs something from Tel Aviv, and the child is already there! In contrast, there’s a child who hears "Tel Aviv" and pretends he didn’t hear it at all. Only after none of his siblings respond, and the father asks again, "Is anyone going to Tel Aviv?" then he remembers to answer, "Yes, but only in two weeks." The Navi says to us: Listen, there’s a son who serves his father, and there’s a son who doesn’t serve his father; this one is a son, and that one is also a son.
Hillel says to us in the Gemara there: Both are completely righteous; both are tzaddikim. But one tzaddik is called "one who serves Hashem," and one tzaddik is called "one who does not serve Him." One who fulfills all the Mitzvot but tries to evade them through all sorts of bypass roads that do not contravene Halacha, is called "a man who does not serve Him" – he is not serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu!
The Example of Moshe Rabbeinu
Chazal teach us a tremendous yesod based on the ending in our Haftarah: זִכְרוּ תּוֹרַת מֹשׁ ֶה עַבְדִּ י – Remember the Torah of Moshe My servant. Let’s have a look at who Moshe Rabbeinu is. The Gemara (Makkot 10a) expands on the Pasuk found in Kohelet: אֹהֵב כֶּסֶף לֹא יִשְׂבַּע כֶּסֶף וּמִי אֹהֵב בֶּהָמוֹן לֹא תְבוּאָה – He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and he who loves abundance will not have produce. "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver," or “he who loves Mitzvot will not be satisfied with Mitzvot,” refers to Moshe Rabbeinu, who knew that the three cities of refuge across the Yarden would not take effect until the three cities in the land of Canaan were designated, yet he said, "Nevertheless, a Mitzvah that comes to my hand, I will fulfill it." Therefore, he designated the cities of refuge across the Yarden, even though they did not yet take effect. This is Moshe Rabbeinu, a servant of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, always seeking what he can do for his Master!
Avraham Avinu: The Symbol of Servitude
Now, let’s have a look at Avraham Avinu. This Jew is lying down at the age of one hundred years old, on the third day after his circumcision, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu brings out the sun from its sheath – sixty degrees of heat! Avraham doesn’t seal himself off from the elements but instead sends his servant Eliezer to look for guests! He wanders for five hours and finds nothing, “Avraham, I wandered and didn’t find a living soul in the whole area. Even the birds in the sky are grounded because of the heatwave!" Not good enough for Avraham, who says to him, "Forget it. I’ll go out myself!" Seeing how distressed Avraham was from not finding anyone to host, Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent him three angels. The moment the angels arrived, Avraham said to Eliezer, "See, did I not tell you there are guests out there?!"
Rabbotai, why would this elderly man, in the state he was in, go out searching for guests in those conditions? Go to a doctor, get a three-month sick leave, rest up!
The Tur writes: The festivals were established corresponding to the Avot: Pesach corresponds to Avraham (who instructed his wife to knead and make cakes – or matzot), Shavuot corresponds to Yitzchak, and Sukkot corresponds to Yaakov. Additionally, the twelve new moons of the year (Rosh Chodesh), which are also called festivals, correspond to the twelve tribes.
Avraham Avinu is the symbol of servitude! A servant doesn’t seek to be exempt from Mitzvot! How easy it would have been for Avraham to say, "Ribbono Shel Olam, I’m on the third day after my bris, I can’t move now... please give me a few days to recover. And can you lower the heat just a touch?" But no, Avraham is a servant of Hashem, and a servant always thinks, "What can I do for my Master!"
The Test of the Nations and the Festival of Pesach
After this introduction, B’ezrat Hashem, we can understand the words of the Gemara in Avodah Zarah (3a): In the future, the nations of the world will come before Hakadosh Baruch Hu and say to Him, "Master of the Universe, give us the Torah anew, and we will fulfill it." Hakadosh Baruch Hu will say to them, "Fools of the world! He who toiled to prepare food on Erev Shabbat will eat on Shabbat, but he who did not toil on Erev Shabbat, from where will he eat on Shabbat?! So too here: He who toiled and fulfilled Mitzvot in this world will receive reward in the World to Come, but he who did not toil to fulfill Mitzvot in this world, from where will he receive reward in Olam Haba? Nevertheless, I am ready to test you. I have a simple Mitzvah called Sukkah – go and do it!" Immediately, each one of the idolaters of these nations goes and makes a sukkah on his roof, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu causes the sun to blaze on them like it was the month of Tammuz in the height of summer, and each one kicks his sukkah and leaves it. The Gemara asks: Why does Hakadosh Baruch Hu cause the sun to blaze on them? Didn’t you say earlier that Hakadosh Baruch Hu does not come with complaints against His creations but rather, seeks to justify them?! The Gemara answers: Hakadosh Baruch Hu does this because Yisrael too sometimes has the season of Tammuz extend until the holiday of Sukkot, and it causes them distress from the heat of the sun, yet they do not act like these other nations. The Gemara then points out that surely, even they would be exempt from the sukkah if they were distressed by the heat like the idolaters – so what is the claim against the idolaters for leaving the sukkah? The Gemara answers: Granted, they are exempt – even Bnei Yisrael are exempt from the sukkah under such conditions – but do they kick it when they leave?! Certainly not! The claim against the idolaters is not that they left the sukkah but that they kicked it on the way out. Immediately, Hakadosh Baruch Hu sits and laughs at them, as it is said: יוֹשׁ ֵב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק.
The festival of Pesach is a festival of renewing servitude. The Ba’al Haggadah says to us: "In every generation, a person is obligated to show himself as if he himself has just now come out of the bondage of Egypt." We must know that the festival of Pesach is one of the greatest tests we have in serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
This week, I spoke with a certain avreich who poured out his heart to me. He said, "Listen, I remember Pesach at my parents’ house – what did we even eat?! Matzah, potatoes, and eggs. We drank water that had been boiled beforehand; we’d buy three new bottles and go fill them with soda for the Seder night – what was there to eat back then?! You’d come to Pesach and really feel what it means to be a servant! Two weeks before Pesach, people would sit on the side, in some corner – with a plastic bag so the crumbs wouldn’t fall. But today, we put an end to all chaos! We sit down at grand Shabbat HaGadol feasts at the best of hotels! What, in previous generations there wasn’t chaos?! Didn’t they raise twenty kids in a house? What happened to us?!"
Serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu is our test on Pesach! Hakadosh Baruch Hu tests us to see how much we are His servants! Shlomo HaMelech says to us: כִּ י לִ וְ יַת חֵ ן הֵ ם ל ְ ר ֹ א שׁ ֶ ך וַ עֲ נָ קִ י ם לְ ג ַ רְ ג ר ֹ תֶ ך For they are a graceful wreath upon your head, a necklace about your neck.
This means, a person’s Mitzvot are like precious stones on a crown. Pendants are the Mitzvot, like a jewel around the neck! The Alsheich HaKadosh comes and offers a wonderful parable about this: There was a public figure who committed tax offenses, was judged, and sent to prison for a year. Not enough were all the humiliations he received as a public figure – when he arrives at the jail, they put heavy iron shackles on him. Every time he lifts his hand up, he lifts ten kilos of iron – “How can I survive a whole year like this?! Prison is prison, but this is pure torment!" The man decided to make connections with various people outside, at least to help him get the heavy iron off his body. The connected ones said, "There’s no such thing as removing the shackles; this prison has cameras – anyone who even tries to take them off is immediately seen in the control room. But if a mere few thousand dollars reach us, maybe it’ll be possible to at least replace the iron shackles with plastic ones." The incarcerated public figure said to them, "Fine, take the money, just free me from this!"
The question arises: What happens when a mother-in-law comes to her daughter-in-law and says, "Listen, Baruch Hashem my husband made a lot of money – he made a good business deal, and now he’s giving a nice gift to all the daughters-in-law! Go to the most expensive jewelry store and buy yourself some nice jewelry – as much as you want and whatever you want!" Would it ever occur to the daughter-in-law to go to the jewelry store and ask for the least expensive item? Certainly not! It’s more likely she’d ask the jeweler for the heaviest bracelet and necklace, taking her gift to the fullest! But here’s the question: Why take on something so heavy? It’ll be heavy on your hand and on your neck, and in the end, you’ll come out with lower back pain. Wouldn’t that be a shame? The Alsheich says: It’s very simple! From shackles, people seek to escape. But with jewelry, people want it to be heavy! Why? Because one is jewelry, and one is shackles!
There are people for whom Mitzvot are shackles. There are people you give Mitzvot to, and for them, it’s like 613 shackles – from every Mitzvah, they’ll try to escape! Try to solicit a donation from them – shackle number one! Give them the Mitzvah of tzitzit, they’ll cut the garment’s corners! Wherever they have a chance, they’ll look to escape, because for them, it’s 613 shackles! Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to us: וְשׁ ַבְתֶּם וּרְ אִיתֶם בֵּין צַדִּ יק לְרָ שׁ ָע בֵּין עֹבֵד אֱ -לֹהִים לַאֲשׁ ֶר לֹא עֲבָדוֹ׃ He says, "I want people who will be My servants – not people who fulfill Mitzvot, but people who serve Me with a whole heart!
A yid approached me after one of the shiurim and said, "Kevod HaRav, come, let me tell you a story I experienced firsthand. I went bankrupt and lost all my assets. In one year, I had to move from apartment to apartment three times! Not only did I go bankrupt, but I came out broken from all the moving!" While he’s continuing to tell me his story, his friend overhears him and jumps in – “What are you exaggerating about? Do you know how many apartments I moved this year?" "How many?" "A hundred!!!" "A hundred, and yet you look so young, bright, and fresh?! I moved three times and can barely breathe!" His friend then says to him, "I didn’t move apartments – I moved other people’s apartments!"
That yid then summed it up for me: "Do you know the difference between me and him?! I moved my apartment, out of necessity, and with great difficulty. But he moved others’ apartments easily because he got paid each time. He even enjoyed it!"
The moment a person takes upon himself the yoke of servitude and knows that everything he works for is his – it’s like jewelry for him! And this is what Shlomo HaMelech says to us. Every person who knows the virtue of fulfilling Mitzvot will run quickly to perform them!
The Navi says to us: This is the difference between “one who serves Hashem" and "one who does not serve Him – and this is what Pesach is all about!
May Hakadosh Baruch Hu grant us, with His help, to merit this year to be among the true servants of Hashem and to merit the complete Geula speedily in our days, amen and amen!
