Memento Mori and True Human Empathy at the Seder
One of the most underappreciated themes of Pesach - and one of the most universal ones - is subtly reflected in two minhagim, both of which involve reflections on mortality and what it means to live.
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Memento Mori and True Human Empathy at the Seder
If you’re ever in search of halachic trivia questions, here’s a fun one: “On which night do some Jews have the minhag to dress up as corpses?” The answer is: on Pesach, when many married men have the minhag to wear a kittel - the customary Jewish burial shroud. Of course, this interpretation of the minhag is not unanimous, but it is brought down by the Taz (OC 472:3): "It seems that the reason for the kittel is that a person's mind should not be unduly exacerbated by the simchah [joy of the holiday]; therefore, he should wear the garment of the dead.” The question is: Why is it appropriate to subdue one’s simchah on Pesach night by reflecting on one’s mortality?
This isn’t the only minhag of the seder night which prompts us to reflect on human mortality. There is also a widespread minhag to spill out wine when listing the plagues that struck the Egyptians. My favorite explanation is given by the Alter of Slabodka (Darchei Mussar p.316), summarized by the Mesivta Haggadah (p.590) as follows:
[The purpose of this minhag is] to show empathy for the suffering of the Egyptians, who were subjected to the plagues. Even though the Egyptians hated and tormented Israel, and the plagues were given as a punishment for their evil deeds, this is not an occasion for a complete joy, since the creations of Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu were punished and suffered. We find that when the Egyptians were drowned in the sea and the ministering angels wanted to sing a song of praise, Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu said to them, “The creations of My hands drowned in the sea, and you [want to] sing?!’” (Megilah 10b). Thus, we see that even the lowest of people are considered the handiwork of Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu, for they, too, were created b’tzelem (with a divine intellect).
Lest we feel tempted to retain an empathy-blocking “us versus them” mindset or cling to the belief that Jews are inherently superior to non-Jews (or think there’s a difference between Jewish and non-Jewish souls) remember that one of the main ideas of Pesach is that we were intrinsically no different than the Egyptians from whom we were saved. This is why Hashem commanded us to slaughter the korban Pesach, as Rashi (Shemos 12:6) explains:
The time came to fulfill the oath I made to Avraham to redeem his children, but they didn't have mitzvos to involve themselves with in order to be redeemed, as it is stated: "you were naked and bare" (Yechezkel 16:7). He gave them two mitzvos: the blood of Pesach and the blood of milah ... for they were steeped in avodah zarah; He told them: "draw forth" (Shemos 12:21) – [that is,] withdraw your hands from avodah zarah and take for yourselves a sheep for a mitzvah.
In other words, despite the fact that Hashem promised to redeem Avraham’s offspring, we were so steeped in avodah zarah that we were indistinguishable from the Egyptians, and no more worthy of salvation than they were, as the midrash states: “When Israel left Egypt, the angel Samael arose to prosecute them … he said before Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu: ‘Until now, these [Jews] were idolators, and now you part the sea for them?!’” (Shemos Rabbah 21:7). The only way we merited redemption was by asserting our identification with Avraham’s values by doing milah and rejecting avodah zarah through the slaughter of the korban Pesach. On this basis, Rashi explains:
The korban is called "Pesach" in reference to the skipping, because Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu skipped over the Israelite homes that were among the Egyptian homes; He skipped from Egyptian to Egyptian, and the Jew in between escaped … In old French, too, Pascua (the term for the Pesach festival) signifies “stepping over.” (Shemos 12:11)
Thus, the name “Passover” (or, more precisely, “skip-over”) reflects the idea that we Jews in Egypt deserved to die, and were only “skipped over” because we differentiated ourselves by actualizing our true humanity (i.e. our truth-seeking tzelem Elokim) by following the path paved by Avraham Avinu.
As we celebrate the salvation of the Jewish people on the night of Pesach, we mustn’t get carried away in a full expression of joy. We must remember the multitudes of our fellow mortals who, for one reason or another, have not yet actualized their true humanity. We must strive to feel true empathy, based on the recognition that we are all Hashem’s handiwork, created b’tzelem Elokim. Blessed is the One Who gave the Torah of life to His people, Israel.
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