Pesach 5769-2009 - Ha Lachma Anya

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Aliyah Neshama: Rachamim ben Adina
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In a couple of days, we are going to be celebrating the holiday of Pesach. Holidays can get really hectic. An example is something we prepare for every week, Shabbos. I think it is amazing how no matter what time we start preparing for Shabbos, there’s always something else left to do. Whether Shabbos starts at five o’clock or eight, we always find ourselves needing a little more time.

My wife is a cook for a Yeshiva in Yerushalayim. Occasionally she goes in on Fridays to finish cooking for them. It’s dependant on how many guys (and Rabbis) are ‘in’ for that Shabbos. Sometimes, she gets back a couple hours before Shabbos, not giving us enough time to cook for our selves. We have very good friends, with whom we literally spend at least one meal together every Shabbos. They know that on ‘In-Shabbosim’ it’s hectic for us, and invite us out for a meal, sometimes two. I was going through a commentary on the haggada when I fell upon something I can really relate to.

We start off the section of Maggid (in our seder) with “Ha Lachma Anya – This is the bread of a poor person” while raising the Matza in our hands.

The Rabbis ask, “Why is Matza called ‘Lechem Ani – A poor man's bread’?”

The Orchos Chaim answers: When we say in Ha Lachma Anya, "Whoever wants to join us, come and eat." It means that since we were rushing to get out of Egypt and didn’t have time to make bread, we only made matzos because the process wasn't as time consuming. Alternatively, there might have been those who didn’t have time to bake at all, so in essence we are also saying, "If you didn’t have time to prepare for Pesach, and you don’t have anything, please join us for our meal!”

When I saw this Orchos Chaim, it reminded me of the good friends we have and how they are always there for us.

We live not far from the Yeshivah-Kollel I learn in. We are always having bochurim (students) for shabbos. I once asked a Rav in the neighborhood, “What is the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim (bringing guests into your home)? Are we doing hachnasas orchim by having these bochurim over for shabbos?” He answered, “If they do not have any food for shabbos and need a meal; then you have fulfilled the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim. If they have food in yeshiva and you just have them over as company then it’s a mitzvah but not the mitzah of hachnasas orchim.”

Perhaps we can see this Rav’s answer in Ha Lachma Anya. It translates in English as: This is the bread of the poor that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry (who don’t have food) may come and eat. All who are needy, come and celebrate the Pesach festival… This shows that the mitzvah goes to those who don’t have and are needy of it, otherwise it would have omitted the underlined statements above.

A lesson I learned from the opening paragraph of Ha Lachma Anya (in the very beginning of Maggid) is to open our house to those who need it. If we see someone who is hungry and we have food to spare, don’t throw it out. We can always find someone who can use it.

Chag Kosher vSameach,
Nisso