Dr. Yitzchak Belizon
The final ritual before we partake of the Seder meal is Korech, whereby the Matzah and Marror are joined as a sandwich. We follow this act with a statement tracing the origin of Korech to the great sage, Hillel, who performed this practice during the time of the second Beit HaMikdash.
However, much about this custom is still perplexing.
Whereas all other steps during the Seder-- Kiddush), washing of hands and telling the story), for example - do not state the reason for their performance, the Haggadah clearly links Korech to Hillel, "who took Matzah and Marror and ate them together."
Even more perplexing is the adoption of Hillel's practice, since the Halacha is not in accordance with his opinion. Hillel's contemporaries did not wrap the Matzah together with Marror and Korban Pesach (Pascal lamb); rather, they ate them separately. This latter practice is accepted by the Rambam (Hil Korban Pesach 8:2). Why, then, do we perform an act in commemoration of the Beit HaMikdash which was not accepted by the majority of the contemporary poskim then and which will not be observed, bimheirah byameinu when the Beit HaMikdash will be rebuilt ?
Furthermore, Hillel's source for the practice (Numbers 9:11)-- "they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs" -- appears to be taken out of context. The pasuk he uses refers to those participating in Pesach Sheini (individuals who could not take part in Pesach Rishon ). It seems quite strange that Hillel's source for Korech which is eaten on Pesach Rishon is based on a pasuk dealing with Pesach Sheini.
To answer these questions, we will employ a novel and innovative approach to explore the meaning of Korech and thereby (also) shed light on the entire Seder message.
Though our mood at the Seder table is one of celebration, our sense of elation is tempered by our realization that without our holy Temple, we are unable to perform the festival's central mitzvah of Korban Pesach. Hence, we place a burnt egg on the Seder plate as a symbol of mourning. The Avudraham, in his comparison of Pesach and Tisha B'Av, notes that the latter always falls on the same day of the week as the Seder. As the Seder finally approaches its climax, Shulchan Orech, we remind ourselves of our collective void - the fallen Beit HaMikdash.
There is a fascinating Medrash Raba (Emor 30:14) linking the Arba Minim (the four species) of Succos with the three main elements of the Pesach Seder -- Pesach, Matzah, and Marror. We know that on Succos the various Minim, bound together, represent the different types of Jews, united as one. "The same is true on Pesach," writes the great Chassidic Rebbe, Rav Meyer Yehuda Leibish of Turka (Poland) in his commentary on the Haggadah, Beit HaYayin:
"The Korban Pesach represents the accomplished Tzadikim (righteous ones). Marror represents the symbol of evil, as its gematria (numerical value) is equivalent to 446, or the Hebrew letters (mem, vav, taf, spelling mavet, or death), as rishayim even while they are alive, are valueless as if they were dead.' Matzah, the antithesis of chametz, represents the middle class, the beinonim, who succeed in abstaining from evil and aspire to accomplish good." |
Based on the Medrash Rabbah and the interpretation of the Beit HaYayin, it would appear that by wrapping the Matzah and Maror together (and, according to some customs, dipping it into the sweet charoset), we are cementing a bond amongst Klal Yisrael.
Care and love for one another is the essence of the whole Torah. The Gemara teaches that the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam (unwarranted hatred). Only Ahavat Chinam can bring about its return. Hillel not only personified this philosophy, but enacted it in practice by wrapping together the Pesach, Matzah, and Marror.
We therefore follow the act of Korech with its unprecedented qualifier as a reason to draw Hillel into the Seder.
Only by introducing Hillel -- a proponent of Achdut (unity) who said, "What is disliked by you, do not do unto others" -- can we appreciate the missing element that stands between Am Yisrael and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. Only when we fully understand the concept of unity as the lynch pin of the Torah, as Hillel did, will the Beit HaMikdash be rebuilt. Only then will be able to reestablish Pesach Sheini and partake in the mitzvah of Pesach Sheini the following month. And thus we quote the statement from the Torah regarding Pesach Sheini in conjunction with Hillel's statement, to demonstrate our genuine longing for unity that will lead to restoration of the Beit HaMikdash.
One of the most important yet most difficult requirements during the Seder is "In every generation, man is obligated to look at himself as if he left Egypt". How might this exhortation manifest itself in each successive generation?
The Sefat Emet explains that Yetziat Mitzrayim is not a single historic event, but a continuous one. Jews must relive the message and the lesson of Yetziat Mitzrayim as experienced by their ancestors, uniting ultimately at Har Sinai as one body and one soul.
May we all be privileged to realize a true sense of unity among our people that will bring about the return of the Beit HaMikdash, bimheirah byameinu.