The Gemara in Ta’anis says, “mi’shenichnas Adar marbim b’simcha.” Rashi explains: These are times of nisim (miracles), and this applies to both the months of Adar and Nisan, the times of Purim and Pesach. We learn from here that the simcha we have from the miracles in Adar extends through the month of Nisan as well!
It’s been almost a year since Iran’s first attack on Eretz Yisrael, with over 300 drones, cruise, and ballistic missiles. (The second attack was on erev Rosh HaShanah.) As I have the z’chus (merit) to live in Eretz Yisrael, I’ll share a little of my personal experience from that night. On Motzaei Shabbos, at about 10 p.m., we heard the news that Iran had launched drones at us, which were estimated to arrive somewhere between 2 to 4 a.m. What does one do while waiting for the drones to arrive? Panic, say Tehillim, and see how much Pesach cleaning can get done before they arrive? We decided to clean up from Shabbos, say Tehillim, and not panic. Then we heard that cruise missiles were also launched, which would also arrive around the same time as the drones. So, we had Melava Malka, cleaned some more, said some more Tehillim. I just couldn’t go to bed. Something about missiles approaching kept me up. I began to hear that drones and missiles were being shot down by the Americans, British, and Jordanians as they passed over Jordan. At about 1:30 a.m., I got a message that ballistic missiles were also launched, and all would reach us…soon. At about 1:40 a.m., there was a very loud boom, and all the windows rattled. Then the air-raid sirens began to wail. We quickly got all the kids into our safe room. After some more booms, the sirens ended and all was quiet. We returned the kids to bed, and I went to check the news. Baruch Hashem, no reports of injuries (one Arab girl was hurt), and almost no reports of damage. Thank you, Hashem! Crazy! And this was in Nisan, the month of nisim!
Getting back to the approaching Yom Tov, there is a lot of work to be done. Getting rid of all the chometz and preparing the Pesach kitchen, including all the shopping and cooking, includes a ton of activity and movement, hustle, and bustle! People compile to-do lists and to-buy lists, which keep getting longer until Pesach finally arrives. Now, let’s be honest. There are many people who dread the Pesach preparations. This is without spring-cleaning, organizing, and fixing-up the house, even though that somehow gets included. There is still a lot of work to be done!
There was even more to do in the times of the Beis HaMikdash. The korban Pesach involved a huge amount of rushing, a lot of jumping around. They could only begin to bring it after Mincha, closer to Yom Tov. There were millions of people trying to bring their korbanos, all at the same time! The first stop was the mikvah- careful, don’t lose your animal! Hurry up! Everybody would be standing with their lambs or goats by the gates of the Beis HaMikdash, waiting to enter. And those animals, goats especially, don’t stand calmly. It actually made more sense to carry your animal, versus risking it being lost or damaged - a nightmare! When the gates were opened, as many people with their animals as possible would squeeze inside. Then you’d need to wait for your turn to be processed by the Cohanim. As soon as your turn came, the Cohanim would rush to take care of it, and when done, rush you out. Things were flying! There were three groups/rounds like that. You then needed to rush home for the specific roasting method, you couldn’t just place it on the BBQ. With all the mitzvos of the seder to do (gotta hear every child ask the mah nishtana!), and to be finished eating by midnight, there was so much action, rushing, and jumping around!
Why is it this way by Pesach? Each Yom Tov needs preparation, but Pesach is unusual with the amount of preparation required, with most of it needing to be done within a limited time frame, rushing to meet the deadline? How can we view this positively?
When the first Pesach was brought in Mitzrayim, Bnei Yisrael brought a unique korban Pesach, different than all future ones. They were instructed to stay indoors the entire night, and to have the Pesach seder with the korban Pesach, matzah, and maror. They were also instructed to smear the blood of the korban on the doorpost, inside the home, not visible from the outside. By midnight, Hashem would see this sign, know that this was a Jewish home, and be pasach – pass over the Jewish homes and strike the Mitzri homes, killing their firstborns.
Why was it necessary for Hashem to make the nes happen this way, to “jump over”? And why is the entire Yom Tov called Pesach, highlighting that part of the miracle? Why not use the other names of the Yom Tov: chag hamatzos, chag ha’aviv… why Pesach?
When Bnei Yisrael first arrived in Mitzrayim, Yosef instructed them to live in Goshen. The Mitzriim would eventually sell and move away. Housing would eventually become a little tight, but all of Bnei Yisrael would live there, and they would not spread out among Mitzrayim and be negatively influenced. But they did not listen. They left Goshen, spread throughout the land, and were very successful- mitzuyanim! The Mitzriim were initially happy with Bnei Yisrael’s contributions. But all that changed. Feelings of distrust, suspicion, and eventually disgust developed. Bnei Yisrael were also heavily influenced by the Mitzri culture, and they dropped to the 49th level of tumah (impurity), the second-to-lowest level.
Rav Gedalia Schorr (Ohr Gedalyahu) says, had Bnei Yisrael stayed in Goshen, the golus would have been the complete 400 years, and it would have been a relatively easy golus. It would have included and fulfilled the obligations of every golus, and it would have been followed by the complete geulah! However, since Klal Yisrael spread throughout Mitzrayim, which caused them to be negatively influenced, Hashem needed to intervene, quickly speeding up the golus and take them out after only 210 years. (Counting the 400 years from the birth of Yitzchak was Hashem’s way to make it possible.) They had “bothered” Hashem and forced Him to “rush” and “change” His plans, which He would have preferred not to do. Despite it being their misbehavior that created a situation that needed Hashem’s intervention, He still made a huge nes and saved them! This explains why Hashem saved them with “Pesach”- passing over, to highlight that He still saved them, despite the problems that they had brought upon themselves.
Bearing this in mind, all the Pesach activities can take on a much greater meaning. Perhaps this is why it’s built into the mitzvos of Pesach that we need to be rushing and jumping around so much. By “bothering” ourselves and hurrying about, we are showing Hashem how much we appreciate and thank Him for being “bothered, troubled, and rushed” by us, yet He still saved us. We “bother” ourselves for His sake.
In His great kindness, mercy and love for Klal Yisrael, Hashem performs great nisim for us, even if we are not deserving. Thank you, Hashem! Let us try to be the best we can be, to truly be deserving. May we be zoche to continue to see more nisim, and bring the Korban Pesach this year!
