Yitzchak and the Seder

Yitzchak and the Seder

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

Yitzchak and Pesach

Our forefather Yitzchak personified the trait of Gevurah, strictness.[1] This is alluded to in the verse, “the fear of Yitzchak,”[2] since fear leads one to withdraw and is therefore connected to Gevurah.[3]

Yitzchak was born on Pesach[4] and gave the blessings to Yaakov on Pesach.[5]

Yitzchak blessed Yaakov with the blessing of dew,[6] which was fitting for the time of the year when he gave the blessing, for “On Pesach, the storehouses of dew are opened.”[7] This is also the reason that it is customary to begin asking Hashem for dew on Pesach (on the Musaf-prayer of the second day).

The Seder Held At Yitzchak’s Blessings

At the momentous occasion of this blessing, Yitzchak held a proto-Seder, which included the core components of the Seder as it was later commanded to the Jewish people after the Giving of the Torah:

·      Yaakov ate two goats, corresponding[8] to the two sacrifices brought on Pesach in the era of the Beis Hamikdash—the Chagigah sacrifice and the Pesach Sacrifice.

·      Rivka brought bread[9]—these were the matzos.

·      Yaakov brought wine[10]—these were the Four Cups of Wine.

·      Maror, which is related to merirus, bitterness, represents Gevurah. Thus, Yitzchak himself, who personified Gevurah, represented the Maror at this event.[11] Since Maror represents extreme Gevurah, had Yaakov brought actual Maror, the combination of the innate Gevurah of Yitzchak and the intense Gevurah of Maror would have meant excessive Gevurah, which could have led to a negative outcome.
Likewise, the Zohar[12] states that Yaakov added water, which represents Chessed, to the wine, which represents Gevurah (as explained below), in order to create a counterbalance, for otherwise Yitzchak could not have tolerated the intense Gevurah.

Yitzchak, who personifies Gevurah, ate and drank all the above.

Gevurah in the Seder

All the elements of the Seder are related to Gevurah:

The Pesach Sacrifice: The Pesach sacrifice must be roasted.[13] Roasting uses fire, which is connected to Gevurah.[14]  

In particular, the Pesach and Chagigah sacrifices that Yitzchak consumed were connected to Gevurah because they were offered from goats, which are connected to Gevurah.

The connection between goats and Gevurah can be inferred from the words of the Talmud:[15] “Why are the goats brought out before the sheep? [Because] in the beginning, there is darkness, and then there is light.” Goats, which are darker, are brought out before sheep, which are white. Since darkness is associated with Gevurah[16] (and light, with Chessed, kindness), and goats are dark, it follows that goats are connected to Gevurah.

Also, the word for goat, eiz, is etymologically related to oz, might and power, which is connected to Gevurah.[17]

Matzo:

1.              The word matzo can also mean conflict.[18] Matzo in its connotation of conflict is connected to the Rabbinic exhortation, “One should always excite the Good Inclination to anger against the Evil Inclination.”[19] Anger is connected to Gevurah.

2.              We eat three matzos at the Seder, corresponding to the three kinds of Jews—Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael,[20] who in turn correspond to the three traits of Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferes respectively.

From here it would seem that the matzo at the Seder is not specifically connected to Gevurah.

However, the main matzo of the Seder is the middle one, the Levi, and so the matzo at the Seder is specifically connected to Gevurah. We see this in the fact that it is with the middle matzo that we begin and end the Seder meal:

·      We recite the blessing “On the Eating of Matzo” specifically on the middle matzo—on the smaller half, the “Perusah.”

·      Then, at the end of the meal, we eat the Afikoman, which is also from the middle matzo, but from the larger half.

3.              We specifically break the middle matzo. This can be explained based on the idea that the three kinds of shofar blows (Tekia, Shevarim, and Teru’ah) correspond to the three forefathers. In particular, the Shevarim sound, which represents groaning, corresponds to Yitzchak, who is connected to Gevurah. Also, the word Shevarim comes from the word shevirah, breaking. Likewise, we break the middle matzo, and breaking, too, is connected to Gevurah.

Wine:

1.              The word for cup, kos, has the same numerical value as the divine name Elokim (כוס\אל-הים=86), which represents Gevurah.

2.              The Hebrew word for wine, yayin, has the numerical value of 70 (70יין=). This is also related to Elokim, because the nekudos of Elokim can be calculated according to the numerical value of the vowels. Here each dot is considered like a yud and thus has the numerical value of ten.

According to this calculation, it turns out that there are 7 dots in the name of Elokim—five in the chataf segol, one in the cholam, and one in the chirik. Seven times ten adds up to seventy. Thus, in this sense, wine has the same numerical value as Elokim, which represents Gevurah.

3.              Jewish law instructs that the wine for the Kiddush ceremony should preferably be red,[21] not white, and the color red represents Gevurah.

4.              Likewise, drinking wine influences one to enter a state of ratzo, a yearning to transcend the world, which is connected to Gevurah.[22]

Maror: Likewise, the maror, related to the word merirus, bitterness, represents Gevurah.

Indeed, if you calculate the numerical value of the three elements of the Pesach Sacrifice—Pesach, Matzo, and Maror—they have the same numerical value (פסח, מצה, מרור=729) as the acronym for the second line of the Ana Bechoach prayer (קרע שטן=729). Since the seven lines of this prayer correspond to the seven sefiros,[23] the second one corresponds to Gevurah. Also, the acronym is “k’ra Satan,” which translates as “tear the Satan,” and tearing represents destruction, which is associated with Gevurah.

Likewise, the numerical value of the acronym of Pesach, Matzo, Maror, and Kosos (cups—the four cups of wine) adds up to 180 (פ+מ+מ+כ), which represents Gevurah, because Yitzchak, who personified Gevurah, lived for 180 years.

Pesach and Chessed

However, Pesach itself represents Chessed, kindness. This is alluded to in the fact that Avraham, who personified Chessed, instructed Sarah to “knead and bake cakes”[24] (when they hosted the angels). These “cakes” were matzos,[25] a precursor to the matzos for Pesach. (Likewise, Shavuos is connected to Yitzchak and Gevurah, and Sukkos, to Yaakov and Tiferes.[26])

Likewise, Pesach is a time when Hashem revealed Himself from Above and came down to redeem the Jewish people despite their unworthiness, which represents Chessed.[27]

Thus, although the various elements of the Seder are associated with Gevurah,[28] we hold the Seder on Pesach, a time of divine Chessed, because the Seder represents the concept of hamtakas hagevuros bachasadim, the sweetening of Gevurah with Chessed.

To explain, Gevurah on its own can lead to a negative outcome.

However, when the harshness of Gevurah is balanced with Chessed, it enables Gevurah to affect the world constructively.

Based on Yalkut Levi Yitzchak, vol. 2, pp. 229-232.

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[1] Pardes Rimonim, Shaar Hakinuyim ch. 4.

[2] Bereishis 31:42.

[3] See Tanya, ch. 3, end, that Gevurah is an offshoot of fear.

[4] Medrash Rabba, Bereishis 53:6.

[5] On the first night; see Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 32.

[6] Bereishis 27:28.

[7] Pirkei Derabi Eliezer ibid.. Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel on Bereishis 27:1.

[8] See Zohar 1:142b.

[9] Bereishis 27:17.

[10] Ibid. 27:25.

[11] Likutei Levi Yitzchak, Haoros L’Zohar Bereishis, p. 97.

[12] 4:189a.

[13] Shemos 12:8.

[14] Zohar 2:24a. Fire rises upwards, and rising upwards (haalaah milmata lemaalah) is connected to Gevurah. Likewise, fire separates and destroys, which are qualities related to Gevurah.

[15] Shabbos 77b.

[16] Cf. Zohar 1:141b—“‘And the darkness, He called night’—this refers to Yitzchak.”

[17] Likutei Levi Yitzchak, Haoros L’Zohar Bereishis, p. 56.

[18] This is tied to the concept that matzo represents bitul, humility, because matzo represents “the great war to nullify the ego.” Likutei Torah, Shir Hashirim 14d.

[19] Berachos 5a. See Tanya, ch. 31, where the Alter Rebbe explains that although in general, the person should serve Hashem with joy, occasionally, when he feels heavy and unenthusiastic in his divine service, he should awaken within himself bitterness over his distance from Hashem. This meditation to evoke bitterness is explained in chapter 29. The Alter Rebbe also explains that the word “always” here is not literal; rather, it means whenever one sees within himself a strong need to do so.

[20] See Shulchan Aruch Admur Hazaken 473:26.

[21] Shulchan Aruch Admur Hazaken, Laws of Pesach 472:26.

[22] Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 25b.

[23] Eitz Chaim, Shaar Sheviras Hakeilim, ch. 2.

[24] Bereishis 18:6.

[25] Bereishis Rabba, 48:12.

[26] Cf. Tur, Orach Chaim, 417.

[27] Cf. Tanya ch. 46.

[28] Indeed, the very word seder means order, which is connected to Gevurah.