Page 9 - HaMizrachi #8 Pesach

Rabbi Shalom Rosner
The

SECRET

of the
EGG

here is an beginnings of our י ִּ ת ְ ח ַ ק ָ ל ְ ו. The first three relate to different
ancient Seder nation, both physically stages of the Exodus, while the fourth
T custom of and spiritually, all the one, י ִּ ת ְ ח ַ ק ָ ל ְ ו, is a reference to Matan
eating an egg at the end way up to the ultimate Torah. The Netziv explains that between
of Maggid. The Rema moment, that fateful night the third and the fourth cup, which
(476:2) quotes one reason when Pharaoh urged us to symbolize the Exodus and Matan Torah,
for this as being a symbol of mourning. leave. With great excitement, we finally one cannot drink anything else. There
Just as a mourner upon returning from left behind our 210 years of servitude.
the cemetery eats a meal of bread We end our re-telling with a bracha cannot be a break, lest one think the
and eggs, so too we must partake of which acknowledges and thanks G-d for process is complete. We must remember
this at the Seder. Why? Aren’t we in a His redeeming us. Lest we think this is that the Exodus was stage one of birth
celebratory, festive mood? Yes, but we the end, the final stage of our national while Matan Torah was stage two.
still need a reminder, that though we birth, we quickly eat an egg, symbolizing Similarly, why don’t we make a
are celebrating in our respective homes, two stages of birth. The Exodus was shehechiyanu on the counting of the
we must realize that we still don’t have a amazing, but there is a second stage Omer? Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik
Beit HaMikdash. We are thus mandated to this process. This will occur in 49
to both feel as if we just left Egypt, but days from now, when we celebrate the explains that inherently, this mitzvah
also recognize that presently in exile, holiday of Shavuot, the day we received differs from all others, and thus makes
we still have much for which to mourn. the Torah. The Jewish people were shehechiyanu inappropriate. Shehechiyanu
The egg then is similar to the breaking of not completely “born” until after they is recited to thank G-d for bringing us to
the glass under a chuppah, or leaving an received the Torah, and had a blueprint a special moment. Counting means that
unfinished area in a new house. These as to how to live their lives. Pesach is we are not there yet. We are counting
are all ways of focusing on Jerusalem, the beginning, while Shavuot is the real towards something, towards a particular
even at the times when we are most climax. moment. The mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer
joyous. is to count towards the final stage of
The Netziv comments that a detail in the our natural birth, the day of Shavuot,
The Ishbitzer Rebbe had the following halachot of the four cups reflects this idea acknowledging that until that time, we
novel idea to explain the custom of the as well. Is one allowed to drink other
egg. Almost all creatures in the world liquids in between the drinking of the are not completely Am Yisrael. Thus,
experience one stage of birth. The four cups of wine? The Shulchan Aruch making a shehechiyanu at the start of the
mother gives birth to a living offspring, (473:3, 479:1) codifies that between the counting would be inappropriate.
and the process of procreation is first and second, as well as between the Yes, all it is is a little egg at the end
complete. But those creatures that lay second and third, one can drink other of Maggid, but maybe that egg holds
eggs experience two stages of birth. beverages. Between the third and fourth the secret to the entire Seder night,
First, the egg is laid, and only later cup though, no drinking is allowed. or indeed the entire Pesach- Shavuot
does the egg hatch. Maybe, suggests What is the symbolic reason behind this
the Ishbitzer, this is why we eat an egg halacha? The Netziv notes the famous season.
at the end of Maggid. We just spent Yerushalmi that parallels the four cups Rabbi Shalom Rosner is a Rebbe at
many hours focusing on the Exodus to the four words used to describe G-d’s Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh and Rabbi of
from Egypt, from the lowly, humble redeeming us: י ִּ ת ְ ל ַ א ָ ג ְ ו י ִּ ת ְ ל ַּ צ ִ ה ְ ו י ִ תא ֵ צ ֹוה ְ ו the Nofei HaShemesh community

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