The Other Side of the Matza
At the Seder table, when we are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus to our children, when matza and maror lie before us on the Seder Plate, we have a lot to do and relatively little time in which to do it. That is why the editors/authors of the Hagada selected a 4-pasuk summary of the story, as it appears in Parshat Ki Tavo, the portion for the Bikurim-bringer to recite, to be the basis of the “telling” on Seder night.

But the command to remember the Exodus is not just for that special night. We are also commanded to remember it “all the days of our lives”. We fulfill that command with the twice-daily recitation of the Sh’ma. [In fact, when we say the third passage, we are supposed to have kavana to fulfill that mitzva of remembering the day of the Exodus daily.]

Remember, though, that it is not just a matter of remembering and telling. The complete mitzva includes the obligation to relive the experiences, to see it as if we ourselves had come out of Egypt. However we fulfill this aspect of the mitzva at the Seder, we have another opportunity for this fulfillment in a less- hurried manner. And that is happening right now - during the weeks that we are reading and reviewing the opening sedras of the book of Sh’mot.

Last week, we should have felt the whip of the Egyptian taskmaster as we were required to fulfill our daily quota of bricks without benefit of a ready supply of straw. We should have begun to get excited when Moshe and Aharon presented themselves to us and told us of G-d’s words and promises.

This week, our excitement should rise with the reading of the promises of Redemption and the hints of the events to follow it. We should drink water with the knowledge that the Egyptians are suffering the plague of Blood, and we should experience the calm of Goshen while the Egyptians are going through one plague after the other.

We should see - not just read about - the Hand of G-d as He turns the Nature which He created upside down for the benefit of His people, the descendants of the Avot and Imahot.

And over the next several weeks, we should be prepared to relive the Exodus itself, the passage through Yam Suf and the joyous song that celebrated it. And then the awesome experience of revelation at Sinai.

At the Seder table, even if we can stave off our fatigue from Pesach preparations, we will only have a short hour to do the job. Let’s take advantage of these weeks, present and coming, to really “remember” and appreciate.