Page 39 - HaMizrachi #28 Pesach USA 2021

SECOND DAY PESACH READING

Rabbi Jeffrey Saks Rabbi Shaul Feldman

Hallel and Preparing for

Modern-Day Redemption

lthough Purim and Pesach don’t There are many ways in which we can We find an interesting argument in the
seem to have much in common, understand the correlation between Shulchan Aruch regarding saying Hallel
Awe can find many sources the two holidays. Hallel denotes rejoic- in shul on the first night of Pesach, the
throughout Chazal that weave together ing. On Purim, we read the Megillah. opening of the holiday. There is a dis-
an obvious correlation between the two. According to one opinion in the Gemara, agreement between Rav Yosef Karo in

In Masechet Megillah (6b), Rav the Megillah is the Hallel for Purim. On Eretz Yisrael, who says we say Hallel
Yochanan discusses the opinions regard- Pesach, we have the Haggadah, which with a bracha, versus the Rema, who
ing when to celebrate Purim in a leap includes Hallel. points out that in Chutz LaAretz we
year. The question is asked, in which Another similarity exists in a key omis- don’t say Hallel in shul as it’s said at the
Adar do we celebrate Purim? Rav Eliezer Seder. Minhag Eretz Yisrael even for
and Rav Yossi are of the opinion that we sion. Many struggle with the question of Ashkenazi Jews is to follow Rav Yosef
celebrate in the first Adar, adjacent to why G-d isn’t mentioned in the Megillah. Karo and we recite Hallel on Pesach
Shvat. However, leHalacha we follow Some explain that actually G-d’s name night in shul.
Rashbag’s opinion that the second is mentioned, but in a hidden way. The
ְ
month of Adar – the month adjacent to word ך ֶ ל ֶּ מ ַ ה with the ה ָ עי ִ דְּי ַ ה א" ֵ ה – defini- Hallel in shul, a holy place, is further
Nissan – is the “chosen one.” tive the – is referring to G-d, as it says in connecting the miracles to G-d, in turn
ְ
the Megillah: ך ֶ ל ֶּ מ ַ ה תַנ ׁ ְ ש ה ָ ד ְ דָנ אּוה ַ ה ה ָ לְי ַּ ל ַּ ב, setting up a deeper challenge in con-
The Gemara later explains the logic of “That night, sleep deserted the King.” necting it to human actions. We find this
Rashbag, in that juxtaposing the cele-
bration of one redemption, Purim, to The King, Chazal explain, is G-d, look- exact challenge in our modern redemp-
the celebration of another redemption, ing after Am Yisrael. tion: Medinat Yisrael. A large group in
Pesach, is preferable. Am Yisrael hold that it’s completely dis-
When it comes to Pesach, many struggle connected from G-d, because they only
It’s interesting to note that Pesach is our with a similar question: why isn’t Moshe believe in human power or, and at the
first holiday that is d’oraita and Purim mentioned in the Haggadah? other extreme, another group believe in
is our first holiday that is deRabanan. G-d’s power alone, and the State is too
As we know, Rabbinic mitzvot were put Perhaps we can view each holiday as man-made.
into place as a means to enhance the having a unique challenge for us to
mitzvot d’oraita. Our Rabbis enhanced overcome, and by doing so, we come Coming out from Adar and Nissan with
our calendar with Purim, perhaps, to closer to the full redemption. On Purim, the understanding that both human
bring us closer to the full redemption. one may assume from the story that G-d action – hishtadlut – and G-d’s Prov-
isn’t part of the equation. It can appear idence go hand in hand in bringing the
On Rav’s famous comment (Ta’anit 29), as a completely secular holiday, when
ה ָ ח ְ מ ִ ׂש ְּ ב ןי ִּ ב ְ ר ַ מ ר ָ ד ֲ א סַנ ְ כִּנ ֶ ׁ ּ ש ִ מ, Rashi simi- our salvation happened naturally or by ultimate redemption, allows us to enter
larly makes a connection between the chance. G-d is hidden in the recounting Iyar, the month of Yom HaAtzmaut and
holidays. Just as when Av begins one of the story, and our work on Purim is Yom Yerushalayim, in the right frame
decreases rejoicing, so too when Adar to connect the outcome to G-d. Pesach, of mind.
begins, one increases rejoicing. Rashi on the other hand, is a holiday of super-
explains why: ּוי ָ ה םי ִּ סִנ י ֵ מְי – ר ָ ד ֲ א סַנ ְ כִּנ ֶ ׁ ּ ש ִ מ natural powers. Miracles occurred that Rabbi Shaul Feldman is Executive Director
ח ַ ס ֶ פּו םי ִ רּו ּ פ :ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי ְ ל, “Whoever enters of Bnei Akiva of the US & Canada, an affil-
Adar – These were days of miracles for we may think have nothing to do with iated organization of the Orthodox Israel
the Jews: Purim and Pesach.” human work. In the same vein, Moshe Coalition.
is perhaps removed from the Haggadah,
This Rashi seems odd, because Pesach for us to work on connecting the mira- A member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau
is in Nissan! cles to our human actions. mizrachi.org/speakers

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