Weekly Halacha Yomit: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch

As we begin to prepare ourselves for Pesach and specifically the Seder, our learning of the Kitzur reflects this preparation. As we prepare our finest tableware and food, we can get lost in the practical aspects and forget the spiritual aspect of the chag. I think the following story, as well as grounding us, puts the Seder into perspective (and could be a springboard for discussion at your Seder):

The Rabbi of Bluzhov sat at the head of the table. He was surrounded by a group of young children and a few adults. The rabbi began to recite the Haggadah from memory. He uncovered the matzot, lifted the ceremonial plate, and began to tell the story of the Exodus.

'This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungered - let them come and eat, all who are needy - let them come and celebrate Passover. Now we are here; next year may we be in the land of Israel! Now we are slaves; next year may we be free men!'

The youngest of the children asked the Four Questions, his sweet childish voice chanting the traditional melody: "Why is this night different from all other nights? For on all other nights we eat either bread or matzah, but tonight only matzah."

It was dark in the barracks. The moon's silvery, pale glow was reflected on the pale faces. It was as if the tears that silently streamed down their cheeks were flowing toward the legendary angel with the huge jug of tears, which when filled to its brim would signal the end of human suffering. As is customary, the rabbi began to explain the meaning of Passover in response to the Four Questions.

But on that Seder night in Bergen Belsen, the ancient questions of the Haggadah assumed a unique meaning. "Night," said the rabbi, "means exile, darkness, suffering. Morning means light, hope, redemption. Why is this night different from all other nights? Why is this suffering, the Holocaust, different from all the previous sufferings of the Jewish people?" No one attempted to respond to the rabbi's questions. Rabbi Israel Spira continued: "For on all others nights we eat either bread or matzah, but tonight only matzah. Bread is leavened; it has height. Matzah is unleavened and is totally flat. During all our previous sufferings, during all our previous nights in exile, we Jews had bread and matzah. We had moments of bread, of creativity, and light, and moments of matzah, of suffering and despair. But tonight, the night of the Holocaust, we experience our greatest suffering. We have reached the dephts of the abyss, the nadir of humiliation. Tonight we have only matzah, we have no moments of relief, not a moment of respite for our humiliated spirits... But do not despair, my young friends."

The rabbi continued in a forceful voice filled with faith. "For this is also the beginning of our redemption. We are slaves who served Pharaoh in Egypt. Slaves in Hebrew are avadim; the Hebrew letters of the word avadim form an acronym for the Hebrew phrase: David, the son of Jesse, your servant, your Messiah. Thus, even in our state of slavery we find intimations of our eventual freedom through the coming of the Messiah. We who are witnessing the darkest night in history, the lowest moment of civilization, will also witness the great light of redemption, for before the great light there will be a long night, as was promised by our Prophets: 'But it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light', and 'The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 'It was to us, my dear children, that our prophets have spoken, to us who dwell in the shadow of death, to us who will live to witness the great light of redemption."

The Seder concluded. Somewhere above, the silvery glow of the moon was dimmed by dark clouds. The Rabbi of Bluzhov kissed each child on the forehead and reassured them that the darkest night of mankind would be followed by the brightest of all days. As the children returned to their barracks, slaves of a modern Pharaoh amidst a desert of mankind, they were sure that the sounds of the Messiah's footsteps were echoing in the sounds of their own steps on the blood-soaked earth of Bergen Belsen.
[from Seder Night in Bergen Belsen, Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust, Yaffa Eliach]

If you have any comments or feedback, please email daniel@worldmizrachi.org .

• Kitzur Shulchan Aruch with English linear translation: http://www.geocities.com/yona_n.geo/index.html
• Hebrew Kitzur Shulchan Aruch with nekudot: http://www.kitzur.net
• Hebrew Kitzur Shulchan Aruch without nekudot: http://www.shofar.net/Content/Kitzur_Shulchan.htm?id=5417
• Kitzur Shulchan Aruch project, calendars and order books: http://www.kitzuryomi.org/
• Kitzur Shulchan Aruch with Misgeret HaShulchan: http://www.hebrewbooks.org/9214
• Kitzur Shulchan Aruch with She'arim Ha'Metzuyanim B'Halachah:
  • Part 1 - http://www.hebrewbooks.org/14621
  • Part 2 - http://www.hebrewbooks.org/14622
  • Part 3 - http://www.hebrewbooks.org/14619
  • Part 4 - http://www.hebrewbooks.org/14620
• Selected chapters grouped by theme: http://www.torah.org/learning/halacha/
• New Artscroll Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. Sample available at: http://www.artscroll.com/Books/ksa1.html