B"H

Tuesday, Nissan 11, 5778 / March 27, 2018

At the beginning of the Seder we recite the following passage, “This is the poor bread which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt.  Let anyone who is hungry come in and eat.  Let anyone who is needy come in and make Pesach.  This year we are here; next year we will be in the Land of Israel.”

It is important to make sure that the one’s who are in need, should have the necessary supplies for every holiday. This is especially true for Pesach, when the prices for the necessities for the Seder and the week of Pesach are so much more expensive.

This is why every community has a special “Maot Chitim” fund, to raise funds to help those in need.  

The story is told of Rabbi Naftoli of Ropshitz that upon returning home after delivering his annual pre-Passover fund raising appeal (“Maot Chititm”) to the members of his congregation, to help the poor and needy, his wife asked him, "Was your appeal successful?"

"At this point I can only say that it was half successful," he answered.

"What do you mean 'half' successful?" his wife wondered.

"You see,” replied Rabbi Naftali, “In the mitzvah of charity there are two parties; the poor who receive and the wealthy who have to give.  I was successful with the first half -- in that the poor are willing to receive.  I’m still not sure about the other half -- whether the rich are willing to give!"

Q.  What do the shank bone and the hard boiled egg on the Seder Plate represent?

A.  At the time of the Holy Temple, Jews would offer two sacrifices in honor of the Passover holiday -- the Peasch sacrifice ("Korban Pesach") and the Chagigah sacrifice ("Korban Chagigah"). The bone recalls the Pesach sacrifice; the hard-boiled egg symbolizes the Chagigah sacrifice. 

Another reason: Our Sages tell us that at the time of our rejoicing, we must also remember the destruction of the Holy Temple.  Our happiness cannot be complete without the Temple.  Although we have gathered at the Seder table to rejoice and celebrate our freedom, at the same time, we also remember our Holy Temple and mourn its destruction.  This is symbolized by the egg which a mourner eats at the first meal when starting Shiva. The egg is round and symbolizes the cycle of life.

The night of the Seder is always the same night of the week as the 9th of Av ("Tisha B'Av"), when both Temples were destroyed. Thus, the egg is placed on the Seder Plate to remember the Temple. 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY