Pesach and Shevi’I Shel Pesach – Rav Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

“A KEEPER OF A MITZVAH KNOWS NO EVIL (KOHELET 8:5)

THE MIDRASH (KOHELET PARASHAH 8) SAYS, “A KEEPER OF A MITZVAH KNOWS NO EVIL – THIS IS ESTHER WHO WAS BUSY WITH THE MITZVAH OF BIUR CHAMETZ (DESTROYING LEAVEN).”

MORDECHAI SCREAMED ABOUT THE DECREES AT THE TIME OF BIUR CHAMETZ

“Mordechai arrived at Esther’s home already after sundown.  The decree was on 13 Nisan.  All of 13 Nisan there were involved in the writing and signing of the decree until it already was to be carried out – this was already evening time.

“Mordechai  began to scream greatly and bitterly.  Walked throughout the whole city while Esther was involved in the mitzvah of biur chametz.”

ESTHER SAID THAT THROUGH BEING BUSY WITH MITZVOT, THEY WOULD BE SAVED UNTIL AFTER PESACH.

“Esther said to him, ‘Why are you screaming in the middle of biur chametz?  Right now I’m cleaning the hundred rooms of the palace.  A keeper of a mitzvah knows no evil.

“'We also will intend to destroy the chametz.  After this will be Seder night.  We’ll drink four cups, and that which stood for our forefathers… in every generation they rise against us to destroy us… We will wait until after Pesach.'”

WE WILL ELIMINATE HAMAN THROUGH THE TIKKUNIM (RECTIFICATIONS) OF SEDER NIGHT

“Esther in effect disputed Mordechai.  The Midrash says that Esther claimed that we have time to begin everything also after Pesach.  Now there will be the splitting of the Red Sea, the Song of the Sea – ‘Pharaoh’s chariots and soldiers were cast into the sea – we will intend at the splitting of the Sea of Shevi’i shel Pesach [the seventh and last day of Passover] to drown Pharaoh.

“We will eliminate Haman through the Tikkunim of Seder night.  We will intend in the Song of the Sea to drown Pharaoh.”

THE AFIKOMEN ALLUDES TO THE SPLITTING OF THE RED SEA

“The Midrash Rabbah says that here Mordechai understood more than Esther – ‘Mordechai left’ – Mordechai said to her, ‘This year there will be no Seder night, this year there will be no four cups, this year we won’t eat the Afikomen.

“Because the Afikomen really alludes to the matter of the splitting of the Red Sea, because the arrow [CheTz], that we break [ChoTzim] the Afikomen into two – numerical value [of CheTz is] 98, and two times Chetz is 196 – Yam Suf [the Sea of Reeds, traditionally thought to be the Red Sea].

“The Afikomen itself alludes to the splitting of the Red Sea, that at the time that there was the splitting of the Red Sea, then at that moment all the waters in the world were split, and the sound went from one end of the world to the other.”

MORDECHAI TOLD ESTHER TO WAIT – WE MUST IMMEDIATELY CANCEL THE DECREES

“Rabbi Natan explains that the whole miracle was through the submission which Esther had to Mordechai.

“Esther claimed that it was possible to begin with all the effort in another week – behold, the decree is in another eleven months.  And Mordechai claimed [that] there’s no such thing – it’s forbidden to wait a single second.  Not only won’t there be Seder night – there won’t be anything!  We need to cancel the decree now!

“No one should wait eleven months.  When Hitler rose to power, they started killing Jews.  When Hitler conquered Poland, they already killed Jews in Ukraine.  They didn’t wait for Hitler to come.  They saw a Jew, they killed him.  The Ukrainians themselves were entering and firing on Jews – the world is a free for all!

“Mordechai told her, ‘Listen.  This isn’t like you think.  The situation is catastrophic.  They’re starting to kill Jews in the streets.'  The Midrash says that they began to kill Jews in the streets.”

“THE MIRACLE WAS ONLY THROUGH NULLIFICATION TO THE TZADDIK”

“Rabbi Natan explains that Esther was a G-d-fearing woman who included all the women in the world, like Chava included all the righteous women until the end of all generations, and now she needs the miracle.

“The miracle could only be through Esther’s nullification to Mordechai – through her reaching such nullification to Mordechai, not just nullification ‘if I perish, I perish.’”