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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Think about and care for others, especially those with less, and be vigilant about protecting Jewish identity and pride, as illustrated by three Pesach stories. Rabbi Paysach Krohn presents three anecdotes about Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, the Skolener Rebbe, and a personal seder experience, each showing sensitivity to others and awareness of the dangers of assimilation.
Key Points
- Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach sent sealed envelopes with Gan Hachayot (Jerusalem biblical zoo) tickets and cash to families so their children could join holiday outings and avoid feeling left out.
- Rabbi Krohn cites the Rambam in Hilchot Megillah as teaching that making those who lack feel good on Yom Tov is paramount.
- In April 1945, in Czernowitz, Bukovina (then under Soviet control), the Skolener Rebbe (Rav Eliezer Zusha Portugal) had his shochet mill wheat into flour for matzah, which he gave out, three matzos each, to survivors returning from the war.
- The eight-year-old Moshe, son of Rav Shlomo Zalman Hager (later the Sanzer Rav of Haifa), received six matzos but his father sent him back with three, explaining his father wanted the Skolener Rebbe to have perfect matzos; the Rebbe was moved by this gesture.
- Rabbi Krohn was moved at the seder by "Vehi She'amdah," reflecting on persecution across generations, and found consolation in the Radziner Rebbe's reading: the danger is "not the sword, it's the smile," meaning assimilation.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: The video gives no step-by-step procedure, but actionable guidance includes: prepare holiday gifts or tickets for families who cannot afford outings so their children are not left out; when mixing with non-Jews in comfortable settings, be careful not to lose Jewish identity; show pride in Yiddishkeit, perform mitzvos, care for each other, and think about those with less.
- The first story is set in Jerusalem, where Yom Tov is observed for one day in Eretz Yisrael, so the envelopes were delivered on the first day of Yom Tov.
- The Radziner Rebbe, Rav David Moshe Friedman of Chortkov, is cited as the source of the "smile" interpretation of the Haggadah line.
- The speaker references the Siyum HaShas at MetLife Stadium, with over 90,000 attendees, as evidence of thriving Jewish life in America.
Bottom Line
Generosity toward those who lack and vigilance about assimilation are presented as the core lessons of Pesach, illustrated through the actions of tzaddikim and a personal reflection on the seder.
