Rabbi Mordechai Kraft - Pesach & Its Hidden Heros 3/20/2013

just like to share with everybody a fascinating thought that we can bring with us to the Seder and this is something which has interested me one of my favorite stories in K is the story of Yosef and I think it's very intriguing to see that ysep seems to be the unexpected guest at the Seder what do we mean by that there seem to be many references to yoseph almost seed into the story for example one of the reasons why we do carass is we dip and we think about it where is the first time that we dip something or something is dipped in the Torah the first time we see dipping is the dipping of yosef's coat in fact our sages say that it could could be the reason we dip the carpass we dip the potato or the celery into salt water is to remember the dipping of yosef's coat the brothers took his coat after they threw him into a pit and they dipped it in blood We Begin the Seder by dipping potato dipping celery dipping carpass in fact one of the names of yosef's coat is called carpass and we dip it to symbolize that where did the where did The Liberation really begin where did Redemption can really emerge it really emerged with ysep ysep was the reason why we came down to mitam the fact that the brother sold him the fact he was thrown into a pit the fact that his coat was dipped into blood We Begin the Seder with a memory of how it all began but it's interesting that's a memory of slavery and carpass is a symbol of Freedom dipping why during our symbol of Freedom do we go back to Yosef which is slavery secondly why do we drink four cups of wine so we're all familiar with the different words for Liberation those different words of of of Liberation however our sages give another reason very fascinating reason they say the reason we drink four Kos four cups of wine is because Co cup is mentioned four times in the story where ysep interprets the dream of the sashka of the butler we know that he had a dream when he came to yoseph and in that dialogue he told about cups of wine and there were four so our sages say we drink four cups of wine why to remember that yoseph when he was in prison he interpreted a dream of four cups interesting cups of wine are all about Freedom we know that if there's any statement of Freedom at the SAR it's the wine should be a rich wine it should be a red wine it should be an expensive wine something which which gives us s and joy only rich people people only three people drink wine yet according to this statement of our sages which is very interesting it's remembering an event that happened during the slavery of ysep the four cups that he listened to and interpreted when he was listening to the dream of the Butler and finally it's interesting that we have three matot first Mato represents the Mitzvah ofish that we have to eat bread in this case the second one we know has to do with mat special Mitzvah on the day of on the night of the Sedar to eat matah there a question do we eat them together and that's why we eat tuum if we're familiar with that but the question I want to look at is there's a third matah there it's the matah that's Underneath It All what's that third matah doing and again amongst the different reasons one is offered that says it represents a corbon TOA corbon TOA is the corbon which was brought specifically our sages say when a person is liberated and specifically liberated from what liberated from prison who was liberated from prison at the ter ysep ysep seems to be the missing character at the Seder not mentioned yet alluded to alluded to in the carass his coat being dipped alluded to in the four cups wine alluded to with the matah a corent TOA the carbon that we bring when we're liberated from prison what's he doing why why Yosef why is he there but why is he there so subtly why is he there in such a hidden way perhaps we might suggest the following it following answer the Seder is a night of jumping it's a night of of of total freedom a night Where We Go From Slavery to to the ultimate in in exaltation of Liberty liberation in one quick bound it's a night of jumping in fact the word means means to jump how interesting it is that the same three letters which mean jump also contain the hidden word p which means P letter P means mouth sock speaks the mouth speaks the two types of jumping that you can do you can jump physically or you could jump spiritually well jumping physically we know how to jump physically but how do we jump spiritually we jump with our mouth we jump when we speak we jump when we focus on how much we owem and what he did for us and what he does for us and and and the Miracles that he brought in order to take us out of Egypt we jump spiritually when we use our mouth it's a night of jumping it's a night of exaltation and we can jump and reach levels unimaginable at the night of sage our sages tell us but it's very interesting if we think about it where did this Liberation really begin it really be began in darkness it began in a place where we didn't know it was coming with whom with yoseph and when we look back at yoseph we have the benefit of looking at the end of the story and seeing that yeah oh yosef's travails and difficulties led to such a glorious end for him but he didn't know that as he was going through it from his point of view he was in a pit being sold by his brothers into slavery his coat being dipped into blood he gets incarcerated unjustly impr prisoned for many years why for the crime of refusing immorality and there he is in prison not knowing where it's going to end and he hears about four cups of wine and finally he's he's liberated and that's the corent TOA yosef's life is a life where as he's experiencing each event it's dark he doesn't know how it's going to end it's only when we look at at the end of the story do we realize it was all for such a glorious purpose perhaps the hidden lesson of the Seder that we have to take with us as we're being liberated as we're seeing the light as we're seeing the conclusion of the of the slavery as we're we reliving the plagues as we're reliving hashem's involvement and taking us out we have to remember that even at the time when there was darkness when Yosef was in a pit when Yosef was in prison that's where the Redemption was really being born and how important it is in our own lives to understand we don't see the end right now and there might be Darkness there might be difficulties but we have to realize that just like ysep who couldn't see the outcome but the outcome was So Glorious and the Seder is speaking to the point where we're taken out but even as you're being taken out remember how it all began began with ysf began in darkness began in a pit began in a prison but those points were just as much a part of the Redemptive process of Liberation as the ultimate Liberation would be let us learn that lesson let's take it home at the Seder let's understand that whatever is happening in life is all part of a much greater purpose part of a Redemptive process one day we will see that process we'll see the Glorious end and we'll understand why everything that happened to us in our lives to us as a nation is all part of such a beautiful future wishing everybody I wish you a beautiful Satan