The Secret of Chad Gadya of Passover and the Jealousy of the Tzaddik

“WHAT IS ‘CHAD GADYA… – ONE KID, ONE KID THAT ABA BOUGHT FOR TWO ZUZ’?” ASKS RAV OFER EREZ SHLIT”A IN HIS SHIUR AND ANSWERS, “ABA IS YAAKOV AVINU, WHO ONLY BOUGHT ONE KID, WHO IS MASHIACH BEN DAVID.”

Rav Ofer Erez mentions at the beginning of the shiur the statement of “Heichal HaBracha” of the Admor of Kamarna, which says that really, King David should have been born from Esav and Leah [if Esav had repented], and Yosef HaTzaddik was born from Yaakov and Rachel.  However, because Yaakov purchased the birthright from Esav, also King David was among his descendants.  Rav Ofer continues on this path in explaining the secret of “Chad Gadya” of the Passover Haggadah.

WHY IS IT WRITTEN “CHAD GADYA” TWICE IN THE SONG OF THE PASSOVER HAGGADAH?

“It is written another time ‘Chad Gadya’ because of the one kid which Yaakov purchased from Esav [the purchase of the soul of King David], and one kid he had for himself.  And from here, [we learn] that twice “Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya” is Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef, that Yaakov Avinu in the act of purchasing the birthright and the wedding with Leah, in effect bought the entire process of the two kids, the soul of Mashiach ben David.”

“AND THE CAT CAME AND ATE THE KID” – THE TEST OF NOT DISPUTING THE TZADDIK

“’And the cat came and ate the kid.’  The Gaon of Vilna says, according to the Mishnah, that the trait of the cat [shunra] is jealousy.  The “Chad Gadya – one kid” is the secret of the true Tzaddik, the secret of the Messiahs, and there is forever a test among the souls of Israel, and especially among the leading sages of Israel, of being jealous of this Tzaddik who is the aspect of Mashiach; this is a very big test.  The Gaon learns this from Tikkuney Zohar 70.  There it is written that from the dreams of Yosef, we learn that Yosef ruled over the upper and lower worlds.  The sun and the moon allude to the upper, spiritual worlds, and the sheaves in the dream allude to our world, where everyone nullifies themselves and receive bounty from the soul of Yosef HaTzaddik”

FROM THE JEALOUSY OF THE ANGELS, IT DEVOLVES THAT THE LEADING SAGES OF ISRAEL WILL BE JEALOUS OF THE TZADDIK

“The Holy Zohar adds, writing that the angels are jealous of this soul which everyone receives from, and from the jealousy of the angels, it devolves that Am Yisrael and even the leading sages of Israel will be jealous of this Tzaddik.  Therefore, we have such a great test to nullify ourselves to this Tzaddik, not to be jealous of him, and not to dispute him.  The Gra writes that this is secret meaning of ‘And the cat came and ate the kid,’ because the kid is the secret of the souls who are an aspect of Mashiach, and the cat which eats it is the jealousy which conceals the light of the Tzaddik in the world.”

THE TEST OF AM YISRAEL IS TO NOT DISPUTE OR TO BE JEALOUS OF THIS TZADDIK

“Rabbi Natan writes these words, although he doesn’t tie them to the meaning of ‘Chad Gadya,’ but he explains that the test of Am Yisrael is to not dispute or to be jealous of this Tzaddik.  Jealousy is written regarding two Tzaddikim: 1.  About Yosef HaTzaddik, it is written ‘And his brothers were jealous of him’ (Bereishit 37:11).  How could it be that the brothers, who were supremely holy, the soul roots of Israel, would be jealous of Yosef HaTzaddik, the foundation of the world?!  How could it be that they want to kill him, and in the end throw him into a pit and sell him as a slave?  Rather, this is the devolution of the jealousy of the angels!  ‘And the cat came and ate the kid’ – the light of the Tzaddik was concealed, and because of this, we descended to the Egyptian exile.”

SHAUL KNEW THAT DAVID WAS THE COMPLETE TZADDIK, AND IN SPITE OF THIS, HE WAS JEALOUS OF HIM

“2. ‘And it was that Shaul eyed David with suspicion from that day on’ (I Shmuel 18:9).  Regarding Shaul’s jealousy of David, it is said that it came because of the level of King David, because Shaul recognized in David that he was the complete Tzaddik.  King Shaul was a Tzaddik, foundation of the world, clean as the day he was born.  He had only one error, that he didn’t kill Agag, king of Amalek, and we see that even is such a tremendous Tzaddik there exists this jealousy, because this is an element embedded in creation – jealousy hides and conceals the light of the true Tzaddik.

“How much one needs to pray to be saved from this jealousy, which is concealed in a person’s soul!  If a person doesn’t ferret it out, complete Torahs against the Tzaddik are created by him.”

THIS SHIUR WAS VIDEOTAPED BY “BRESLOV NETZACH NETZACHIM”