Pesach=Peh-Sach

Some people homiletically interpret the word Pesach as Peh (mouth) Sach (talks). On Passover night we have the very special mitzvah of "vehigadta lebincha", of telling the children all about the exodus. One who speaks at length about all the miracles that the Almighty wrought for us during the Exodus is praiseworthy.

Unfortunately all too often the discussions around the Passover table will be about other matters: politics, food ("I love the gefilte fish. What spices did you put in it to make it taste so good?"), the latest community gossip ("Did you see the way Feigie's daughter dresses? Such a shonde!"), etc. Instead of talking about Moses and the children of Israel we talk about Ariel Sharon and Shimon Peres. These kinds of discussions can often end up as nasty shouting matches.

If this happens, we have really missed the boat. We have wasted this once a year opportunity to keep the tradition of passing on the story of yetziat mitzrayim from generation to generation! We have traded it in for worthless gibberish and have often said the kind of things that we ask forgiveness for on Yom Kippur.

When we sit down at the Seder table Motzei Shabbos let's remember what the Seder is all about. Let's pay attention to the children and make it interesting for them. Let's not give in to the yetzer hara that wants us to talk about anything and everything except yetziat mitzrayim.