A Shabbos HaGadol 5765 sermon, Kfar Chabad

00:00 Speaker 1 Not to dwell on these things, but on the contrary, to put them out of mind. And how do we do that? Through the light of Chassidus, of the inner dimension of Torah. There is power in Chassidus and in the inner dimension of Torah. Just as people say there are all kinds of other remedies, such as talking things through and the like, we have our own ways of addressing it. The point is the power of Chassidus, the power of the inner dimension of Torah, to illuminate the mind of a child or a young person. The letters of Torah have that power. I once heard about a young man in yechidus who asked the Rebbe about several matters of this kind, and the Rebbe told him to review the letters of Torah and impress them on his mind—whether the words of Tanya, Mishnayos, or any words of holiness. That is the power of fear of Hashem; that is the power of the light of holiness to purify and cleanse. Just as we clean our home and rid it of chametz, so too we must cleanse the Jewish mind and the Jewish heart of anything that does not belong there. And so, when we make ever greater efforts to bring holiness and purity into the home, especially now, on the eve of Pesach, when matzah is, as explained in the holy Zohar and at length in the Rebbe’s holy sichos, both “food of faith” and “food of healing”—healing also for all undesirable things—then bringing in faith, Chassidus, mitzvos, Torah and mitzvos is the tried-and-true way to emerge with redoubled strength. Regarding Pesach: this year is unusual, since Shabbos falls on Erev Pesach. The search for chametz therefore takes place the night before, on the night of the 13th. Now, although someone who searches his home on the night of the 13th would not ordinarily recite a blessing, as he would in a regular year, this year the Sages moved the time for the search for chametz

02:43 Speaker 1 from the night of the 14th to the night of the 13th. So when we search for chametz on Thursday night, the night of the 13th, we search as usual, with ten pieces of chametz, and recite the blessing over the search. I want to mention again, as I do every year, that those who travel away from home for the whole of Pesach, lock up their home, and have no one staying there would, it seems, forgo the search for chametz if they relied on the sale alone. It is therefore advisable and proper for them at least to clean one room where chametz is brought in and search it by candlelight on the night before they leave home. They should place the ten pieces there and search that room by candlelight. Then they should take the chametz they find to the place they are traveling to and burn it on Friday. Another thing I want to mention again concerns those who have cars: don’t forget them if you will be using them during Pesach. A car is a place where chametz is brought in, and chametz gets into every spot and corner. It must be searched just like one of the rooms of the house. The only difference is that if someone finds it difficult to search at night, he can search the car by daylight, since it has windows and we can rely on the rule that a covered porch may be searched by its own light. But the car must be searched. Someone searching it by daylight can also do so on Friday morning if he did not manage to search it on Thursday, so that he can then use it during Pesach. Regarding this year and the search for chametz—and also the burning of chametz—we do not do things quite as we do every year on Erev Pesach morning. This year, the time when eating chametz becomes forbidden

04:59 Speaker 1 is around ten-thirty. The time for disposing of chametz is eleven-thirty. So every year we burn the chametz we found during the search and also say Kol Chamira afterward, on Erev Pesach, by ten-thirty or eleven-thirty, the end of the fifth hour. But this year the steps are separated, so as not to depart from other years. The Sages therefore established that the disposal of chametz—the burning of chametz—takes place as usual on Friday. In fact, the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch makes a novel point here, which the later authorities also note. Some halachic authorities, looking at the source in the Chok Yaakov and the Magen Avraham, wanted to treat it as though the text needed correcting. But the Alter Rebbe writes explicitly that we try this year not to depart from other years. Why? Because if we change things, someone may make a mistake the following year and say, “Last year we didn’t do it that way,” and then follow that practice in other years, when it should not be followed. So we try not to depart this year from the usual practice. But every year we dispose of chametz at the end of the fifth hour. Why? Because the Sages added an extra hour. Strictly speaking, the Torah’s requirement to “remove leaven from your homes” begins at midday, at the end of the sixth hour. But the Sages moved it an hour earlier because, as the Gemara discusses in Pesachim, a person might make a mistake about the time. So they added another hour, and we dispose of and nullify the chametz at the end of the fifth hour—that is, at eleven-thirty. But in fact, the Alter Rebbe writes something novel this year. In section 444, his words appear to indicate that the chametz is disposed of before midday—not at the end of the fifth hour, but before midday. The later authorities discuss the reason why

07:14 Speaker 1 the Alter Rebbe, specifically this year, seems to delay disposing of the chametz by another hour. But that is what it says there: we dispose of the chametz before midday, not at the end of the fifth hour but at the end of the sixth hour. In practice, we follow the Alter Rebbe’s rulings, and he writes that the chametz is to be disposed of by midday. Some argue that this would be a decree added to another decree, and so on. We will not go into the whole discussion right now, but that is what it says there: by midday. Until when do we say the Yehi Ratzon? I have not managed to establish what the Chabad custom is. Some say it should be said twice: both on Shabbos morning, when nullifying the chametz, and when burning it on Friday. In any case, the chametz is burned on Friday. We burn the chametz found during the search on Friday, but every year we also nullify the chametz. This year we do not nullify it yet. Why? Because the chametz has not yet been nullified; we still use chametz until Shabbos morning. As for Shabbos, the Shulchan Aruch says that a person should keep only enough food for two meals—the amount he needs for Friday night and Shabbos morning. He must fulfill the mitzvah of eating the Shabbos meals with bread, so he should keep enough for those two meals. The Shulchan Aruch discusses—there is a great deal of discussion about—how to fulfill the third meal. But in any case, that is easier for us, since we do not have the third meal in the usual way. We are, however, obligated to have the first and second meals. So the solution is that we have to eat chametz. Some halachic authorities do say that one may eat matzah ashirah on Friday night and Shabbos morning, because this is a kind of matzah with which one cannot fulfill the obligation on Seder night, and therefore one may eat it. But it seems that our custom has not been to eat matzah ashirah. In other words, someone who can eat chametz and finish it should do so. Of course, in cases involving institutions and the like, which have asked about this because they would not be able to dispose of all the chametz afterward on Shabbos, there are grounds for permitting matzah ashirah. But ordinarily it is preferable to use chametz specifically. And when you look at the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, section 443, it appears that there is a mitzvah to eat chametz on Erev Pesach morning. So that is preferable. What is the source for this mitzvah? I have not yet found it. But in any case, it appears from there that there is an obligation to eat chametz on Shabbos morning. So we fulfill the Shabbos meal with chametz. But we must try to leave only what we need for the meal. Why? Because disposing of the chametz afterward on Shabbos morning, especially here in Kfar Chabad, will be somewhat problematic. Every year we throw any remaining chametz into the garbage bin, and then a garbage truck comes and takes it away. This year, if we throw the chametz into the bin, there will be a problem: the chametz will still be in our possession on Shabbos when the time for removing it arrives, at midday. It will remain there afterward, into the night, when the prohibitions against chametz being seen or found in our possession already apply, and the chametz will still be in our possession. Even if someone throws it into a garbage bin outside his home, that bin is still considered his property. And even if he throws it into the building’s shared garbage bin, there is an extensive discussion in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, section 445, about whether a shared courtyard is still considered

09:20 Speaker 1 on Seder night, and therefore one may eat matzah ashirah. But in practice, it seems we do not have a custom of eating matzah ashirah. In other words, someone who can eat chametz and finish it should do so. Of course, there were institutions and the like that asked about this because they would not be able to dispose of all their chametz afterward on Shabbos. In such cases, there are grounds to permit eating matzah ashirah. But ordinarily, it is preferable to use chametz specifically. And when you look in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, section 443, it seems that there is a mitzvah to eat chametz on Erev Pesach in the morning. So it is preferable specifically—yes, what is the source for this mitzvah? I still haven’t found it, but in any case, it seems from there that there is an obligation to eat chametz on Shabbos morning. So the Shabbos meal is held with chametz. But what? You should try to leave only what you need for the meal. Why? Because disposing of the chametz afterward on Shabbos morning, especially here in Kfar Chabad, will be a bit of a problem. Why? Every year, we throw the leftover chametz into the garbage bin. Then a truck comes, collects the garbage, and takes it away. This year, if we throw the chametz into the bin, there will be a problem, because the chametz will still be in our possession when the time to dispose of it arrives on Shabbos—at midday. And the chametz will remain there afterward, even at night, when the prohibitions of bal yeira’eh and bal yimatzei already apply, while it is still in our possession. Even if someone throws it into a garbage bin outside their home, that bin is still considered their property. And even if they throw it into the garbage bin shared by the whole building, there is a lengthy discussion in the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, section 445, as to whether a shared courtyard is still considered

11:13 Speaker 1 Whether it is in his possession or not, it is still considered in his possession. So it is best to leave only as much chametz as is needed for the meal. Of course, when there are children, may they be well, who are also eating, one must be very careful that they do not scatter or crumble chametz around the house. The house has already been searched for chametz, and if, G-d forbid, any crumbs get around, the house has to be searched again. In any case, if chametz remains on Shabbos morning, and as we said, it cannot be thrown into the garbage, there are two options. One is to put it down the drain, but in previous years people complained that doing so clogged their drains. So if that is a concern, gather the chametz into a bag and pour bleach or something similar over it. That makes it unfit even for a dog to eat, and it can then be thrown into the garbage. Chametz that is unfit for a dog to eat is no longer subject to the prohibitions of having chametz seen or found in one’s possession. People with dentures usually kasher them on Erev Pesach morning. This year, too, they should kasher them, since they eat hot chametz with those dentures during the year. But there is a problem: they will continue eating chametz on Shabbos. So they should try to kasher their dentures on Friday. They can do so until late afternoon, since that is still within the usual time. Afterward, on Shabbos, they should eat only the bread they need to eat. First of all, they should be careful not to eat hot chametz with those dentures, and when eating the bread they need to eat—

13:27 Speaker 1 Then, on Shabbos morning, after they finish eating chametz, they can take a toothbrush and brush their dentures with cold water. They were already kashered before Shabbos, and no hot chametz was eaten with them afterward. The only concern is actual chametz remaining on the dentures. So they can clean the dentures on Shabbos morning with a toothbrush, cleaning them thoroughly if there is any concern that chametz remains. After all, although one may not ordinarily wash pots on Shabbos after a meal when they could also be washed after Shabbos, the Shulchan Aruch says that in this situation it is permitted to clean and scrub the pots. Why? Because of the concern about the prohibitions of having chametz seen or found in one’s possession, and the obligation to eliminate it. The cleaning is therefore for the needs of Shabbos, not for after Shabbos, and is permitted. Regarding Shabbos itself, I wanted to first mention that we do sell the chametz. This year, as every year, the sale is arranged at midday, but we stipulate with the non-Jew that it takes effect in the late afternoon. That means that if a person acquires new chametz on Shabbos that was not included in the sale at all, he cannot put it on Shabbos into the cabinet containing the sold chametz. Why? Because it was not in his possession when the sale took effect in the late afternoon. We do not sell the non-Jew chametz that will come into our possession on Shabbos. Why? Because the halachic authorities discuss whether a person may make a sale on Friday that will take effect on Shabbos. This is a question on any Shabbos, not specifically Erev Pesach.

15:44 Speaker 1 There is a dispute about this among the later halachic authorities, between Rabbi [unclear] and [unclear]. In practice, we do not get into that question, because according to some later authorities, the principle that “if one did it, it is ineffective” applies, so the sale would not take effect. We therefore try to have all the chametz we are selling closed up in cabinets by Friday. What I leave for Shabbos is excluded from the sale. I either finish eating it or, if anything remains, dispose of it in the way we mentioned earlier. But I cannot put it back into the cabinet. All this concerns actual chametz. But if a person has chametz utensils that he had to use on Friday night or Shabbos, he may take them on Shabbos morning, wash them thoroughly, and put them into the cabinet with all the chametz utensils. Why? For two reasons. First, some say that the utensils are not sold at all. If they are not sold, we only need to close them in a cabinet so that we do not come to use them during Pesach. Even according to those who say the utensils are sold, there is room for leniency here. When I sold the chametz, I also sold the utensil itself. If I take actual chametz from a cabinet that I sold, I would need the non-Jew’s permission, because it is already his. The sale took effect in the late afternoon, so there is a question whether I may take it without permission. But regarding a utensil, [unclear] rules—and this is a novel ruling of [unclear]—

17:44 Speaker 1 that one may use a non-Jew’s utensil, and that doing so does not involve a prohibition of theft or misuse, and so on. He rules this way in several places, both in the laws of monetary matters and in the laws of Pesach themselves, in section [unclear]: one may use a non-Jew’s utensil because, with a non-Jew, what is prohibited is stealing from him, not using his utensil. This is a novel ruling that many have difficulty with. What is its source? In any case, that is his ruling: there is a prohibition against theft, but not against using a non-Jew’s utensil. Therefore, even if I sold the utensil, the pot, I may subsequently use it and return it to its place without even asking his permission. To sum up, utensils may be put into the cabinets, but one should try to finish eating actual chametz by Shabbos morning. As for how to conduct oneself this Shabbos, the preferable approach is what we mentioned in previous years when the calendar fell this way, and I think it was the best solution: make Kiddush and eat the amount of bread needed for the Shabbos meal—an olive-sized or egg-sized portion—for oneself and the members of the household. Afterward there are two possibilities, depending on where one is. One can recite Birkas Hamazon, rinse out one’s mouth, and then eat the rest of the Shabbos meal using Pesach utensils or disposables. No, I am talking about the utensils: the plates are disposable, but the pots are what the food was cooked in. Yes? Yes? It is for Pesach, fine, but do not use—fine. Yes, but do not transfer it. Do not transfer it. Even if a person cooks for Pesach in Pesach pots, of course, if he then uses chametz utensils—plates, forks or spoons—transferring the food afterward to a chametz utensil would create a problem for the Pesach utensil.

19:59 Speaker 1 It is therefore preferable to eat and finish the chametz, and afterward eat Pesach food with disposable utensils. The only question is when to recite Birkas Hamazon: before eating all that other food or afterward. That depends on where one is and where one eats. If one moves from room to room, or even from the house to the courtyard, in the circumstances of our homes this does not present a problem of interrupting the meal, especially when one intended from the outset to change locations and is doing so for a mitzvah, and so on. Thus, after finishing the chametz, one can move to another room, the Pesach room, and eat Pesach foods there. One then has two options: recite Birkas Hamazon there, or return to the place where one washed one’s hands and recited Hamotzi and recite Birkas Hamazon there. Alternatively, one can recite Birkas Hamazon, brush and clean one’s teeth, and then eat the Pesach foods. The same applies on Shabbos morning. Chametz may be eaten only until ten-thirty, but one may continue eating Pesach foods afterward, until midday or even after midday. But this seems to be the tried-and-tested solution. As for those who have their own teeth, thank G-d, they too may take a toothbrush after eating chametz on Shabbos morning and brush their teeth without toothpaste, as in any year, to make sure no crumbs remain. And again, for those eating chametz over a tablecloth, if crumbs remain on it, they must be very careful not to shake the crumbs into the wind, because that involves a prohibited Shabbos labor.

22:06 Speaker 1 of winnowing or kindling a fire, which, according to the Alter Rebbe, may even carry a concern of liability for a sin offering. So if crumbs remain, don’t shake the tablecloth out into the wind. Instead, gather the crumbs on the tablecloth and pour a little bleach over them, making them unfit even for a dog to eat. But don’t shake them out. The same applies if crumbs remain in the house or somewhere else, or when sweeping. You may sweep the room where chametz was eaten, but don’t sweep it up and throw it to the wind. Collect it in a dustpan and make it unfit for a dog to eat. Regarding—regarding the sale of chametz: this year too, as usual, as we’ve discussed for many years, those who have actual chametz—and I see that there’s a lack of awareness about this, so I want to repeat it—those who have actual chametz need to distinguish between two things. There are utensils that are closed up in a cabinet. Clean utensils, whether they’re sold or not, are in any case not as serious a matter as actual chametz. Someone who has actual chametz should put it away in a secluded corner. Preferably it should be in a storage room, but if not, then at least in some corner of the house—not in a cabinet where half is being used for Pesach and the other half holds chametz. The same applies to a cabinet under the countertop: if chametz remains there while the countertop above is being used, that’s a problem. In practice, we don’t just sell the chametz; we also rent the non-Jew the place where the chametz is kept. So it turns out that the person is also using things that belong to the non-Jew. And although we said earlier that one may use a non-Jew’s utensils, it’s still not advisable to do so throughout Pesach. It makes

23:55 Speaker 1 something of a mockery of the sale. In practice, we are relying on a leniency here. Many, many halachic authorities write that selling chametz is only for a pressing situation or after the fact. So, in any year, not just this year, it’s preferable for a person who has chametz to try to finish it before Pesach. But the Alter Rebbe disagrees. He says that the sale, as he writes when he instituted the arrangement of an arev kablan, is a valid sale in accordance with halachah. So one may rely on the sale even from the outset—but the sale has to be done properly. That is why the Shulchan Aruch says that one should even shut the chametz in a room, put a seal on the door, and give the key to the non-Jew. The Rebbe writes that nowadays we do not customarily hand over the key. The chametz must be in a closed room or some other enclosed place. Again, I’m speaking only about actual chametz, not chametz utensils. As in every year, I also want to remind you again about using hot water: even if you have a separate Pesach kitchen, it’s not advisable to use hot water from the boiler used all year, because of the issue of hot water being poured from it, and so on. So it’s best to use only cold water. After Pesach, when you want to wash the utensils, you can use hot water to wash them for next year, but during Pesach it’s not advisable to use hot water. Regarding the water here, as we’ve been told, G-d willing, this year as in other years, the water here in Kfar Chabad will come only from Mekorot, from springs and wells. So those who want to be particular can use this water and don’t have to prepare a special supply of water for all of Pesach. In the morning, at ten-thirty or eleven-thirty, that’s

25:56 Speaker 1 the time for disposing of chametz. I learned about this in the Kfar Chabad newspaper, but I also saw chassidim do it many, many years ago, and I’ve seen that this is the practice. I don’t know what the Rebbe did. Even when Shabbos falls on Erev Pesach, we do, in practice, dispose of chametz. We burned the chametz on Friday morning; what remained, we ate. Afterward we say, “All leaven and chametz in my possession”—we say, “that I have destroyed and that I have not destroyed, that I have seen and that I have not seen, that I have observed and that I have not observed.” What does “that I have destroyed” mean? Seemingly, if I’ve destroyed it, what chametz am I nullifying when I say “that I have destroyed”? It seems to refer to the chametz that one burns every year. In any case, as far as our point is concerned—I didn’t want to go into lengthy discussions here—it’s advisable on Shabbos morning, before saying Kol Chamira, to leave a kezayis of chametz. When you dispose of it, meaning when you throw it down the drain or pour bleach on it and so on, say Kol Chamira. That way, you also fulfill the disposal of chametz through its nullification—“that I have destroyed”—and then say the entire Kol Chamira. Regarding this year, there’s another issue too. We mention every year that new utensils need to be kashered with boiling water, and if they were made abroad, they also need to be immersed in a mikveh. Nowadays there are all kinds of new appliances whose immersion is a problem because they’re connected to electricity. In any case, the best solution is to give the appliance to a Jewish electrician to take it apart and reconnect it internally; that resolves the problem. But if that’s impossible, each case has to be considered individually to see how to resolve the question of immersion. Regarding... regarding... And I also want to mention

28:18 Speaker 1 regarding the immersion of utensils, because I’ve seen that perhaps not everyone knows this: I’ve often seen at the mikveh that it’s not advisable to immerse Pesach utensils in the warm mikveh. There are all kinds of soaps, shampoos, and other things in the mikveh that might contain chametz. Taking a new utensil for Pesach and immersing it in warm water is not the best thing to do. So one should try to immerse it only in the mikveh designated for utensils, which has cold water. This year there is also the additional matter of disposing of tithes. The cycle of years for terumos and maasros is as follows: in the first year after Shemitah, there is maaser rishon and maaser sheini. In the second year, again, maaser rishon and maaser sheini. In the third year, there is maaser rishon and maaser ani. And in the fourth year, before Pesach—as the Alter Rebbe rules, on the eve of the seventh day of Pesach—a person must dispose of all the tithes in their home. So those who have, over the years, accumulated coins onto which they redeemed maaser sheini can take all those coins and redeem them onto one coin. The best thing is to deface that coin on the eve of the seventh day of Pesach and throw it down the drain. Damage it a little, strike it with a hammer, and throw it down the drain. Some people arrange to redeem that coin onto a piece of sugar or a piece of fruit. But as I once heard, the halachic authorities have differing opinions about whether it’s advisable to redeem maaser sheini onto food, onto fruit, or not. And nowadays, when the Beis Hamikdash is not

30:15 Speaker 1 standing, it is preferable to deface the coin. But there’s another issue here, and that’s what I wanted to point out about tithes. Those who make their own wine and have separated terumos and maasros from it: usually the wine is ready by Tammuz, Menachem Av, or Elul, and they’ve already drawn off the first wine. By now, in practice, they’ve already separated the tithes. The obligation to tithe wine takes effect after it has been drawn off and separated from the skins or the grape residue. If they’ve already separated the tithes, then in practice, last year’s tithe was maaser sheini—but the year before that was... Last year was maaser ani, but from Tu BiShvat this year it was already maaser sheini. In any case, we said that maaser sheini is redeemed onto a perutah and the perutah is disposed of. But there is also maaser rishon in the wine. Strictly speaking, maaser rishon should be given to a Levi. The custom is not to give it to a Levi because Ezra penalized the Levites. Still, with tithes there is a Torah-level obligation—terumos and maasros nowadays are rabbinic, but in principle there is maaser rishon in the wine. The obligation to dispose of tithes applies to maaser rishon as well. So someone who has wine from previous years, or who bought wine—wineries generally have an agreement with a Levi under which, when they separate terumos and maasros, they transfer ownership of the maaser rishon to him. But someone who makes wine himself has already separated terumos and maasros and still has maaser rishon in the wine. So it would be advisable for him to make an agreement with a Levi, find a Levi in the shul, and tell him to take

32:28 Speaker 1 Take a few coins from him and tell him that he is giving him... There is a well-known story about this: Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Yehoshua the Levite, and Rabbi Akiva were traveling on a ship. Rabban Gamliel remembered that he had tithes to distribute, and it was the eve of the deadline for clearing out the tithes, so he transferred ownership of them. There was a kohen there, and a Levite, and there was also the portion for the poor. Rabbi Akiva received the portion for the poor as well. He transferred to each of them ownership of the tithes he had at home. So that is what we do: transfer ownership of the first tithe to a Levite. But to do that, it is also worth telling him where the tithe is located. He takes a perutah from him, and with that perutah he tells him the location. As for those who baked matzos themselves, they should not forget to separate challah. And this year, when it is also Shabbos before Pesach, challah cannot be separated on Shabbos. Be careful to remember to separate challah on Friday. Those in groups that do not separate it at the bakery should not forget to separate challah from their matzos. What? The amount of challah separated, as practiced today, is a kezayis. Are you asking how many kilos are needed, or how much challah itself to separate?

33:49 Speaker 2 The challah itself.

33:50 Speaker 1 The challah itself is a kezayis; the Rema says a kezayis. Never mind. But what is the minimum amount from which challah must be separated? Usually, at the bakery here, there is always a basket that combines everything, and there is always more than enough to meet the required amount. So the matzos have already become subject to the obligation of separating challah. Even someone who has a kilo and a quarter, a kilo and a half, or a kilo of matzos must separate challah from them. What? What? The same applies to all the preparations for Seder night—what? What? But challah, separating challah. Some also have the custom of saying, “This is challah,” when they separate it: “This, this is challah.” What? That is not relevant, even with half a kilo. If it comes from the bakery, it was combined in the basket. There, it already met the required amount, the amount for—what? What? I think so. What I am saying is that it depends whether the person objects to mixing those types. If he does not mind eating them together, he can separate from one for both, when the two matzos are in front of him. But if, for example, someone has [unclear] and regular matzos, and he is particular about the—then it is better to separate from each one individually. What? What? No, no, no, they do not have to. Together, the amount separated must be a kezayis. Each one does not have to be a kezayis. Now, regarding preparations for the Seder, this year too we must be careful to prepare everything needed for Seder night either before Shabbos or after Shabbos ends. During the day on Shabbos, though, nothing may be done for that night, because that would be preparing on Shabbos for Yom Tov. So if you need to set the table, or sort through the matzos, the maror, the charoses, and all those things—even things that are permitted on Shabbos—then

36:07 Speaker 1 do not do that on Shabbos itself either. Wait until after Shabbos, or prepare it before, before, before Shabbos. Regarding this year’s Motzaei Shabbos, once again we have something unusual: the order known as Yaknehaz—wine, Kiddush, the candle, Havdalah, and the blessing for the occasion. So do not forget to look in the siddur to see how to make Kiddush this year on Motzaei Shabbos, the first night of Pesach. If someone forgets and makes only Kiddush, forgetting that it is Motzaei Shabbos and that he must make Havdalah, and remembers afterward, all kinds of questions arise: when to drink, when to make Havdalah afterward, and when to drink the Havdalah cup—at the second cup, before the second cup, or after the second cup. It becomes a whole story. So look carefully in the siddur and see how Kiddush and Havdalah must be done this year. One thing I wanted to point out on this subject: in some homes—and I am not here to establish a custom—there is a practice concerning the Haggadah on Seder night. For the other three cups, the later ones, everyone says the text along with the head of the household: the women, the children, the sons. Each person says the blessing “Asher Ge’alanu,” Birkat Hamazon, and then “Yishtabach” along with the head of the household. But regarding Kiddush on the first night of Pesach, there are apparently differing customs even among Anash themselves. Some follow the year-round practice of listening to the head of the household recite Kiddush, after which each person drinks their cup. Others apparently say it along with the head of the household. He begins with “And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day; savri maranan,” and everyone says the blessings along with him, and then they all drink their cups.

38:15 Speaker 1 This year, saying it that way presents a problem. I do not know what other families have done or do, but I just wanted to point out that the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch implies that Kiddush on the first night of Pesach should be done as it is throughout the year. Although this is the first cup, and with the other cups each person says the text for themselves, apparently that was not the custom for Kiddush. Rather, as throughout the year, everyone listens to the father recite Kiddush and then each drinks their cup. This year there is another problem here. Why? Because Havdalah follows the Yaknehaz order: wine, Kiddush, the candle, Havdalah, and the blessing for the occasion. If a woman recites Kiddush for herself, without intending to fulfill her obligation through the head of the household, and then recites Havdalah as well, there is a dispute about whether women are obligated in Havdalah or exempt from it. Some therefore argue that her recitation of Havdalah constitutes an interruption between her Kiddush and her drinking. So there is a concern about an interruption here. The suggestion, then—the simple advice—is to do as it says in the Shulchan Aruch: listen. It is best to listen to the head of the household recite Kiddush, and then there is no problem of an interruption. What?

39:29 Speaker 3 Why say the blessing over the wine again?

39:30 Speaker 1 At the second cup, one says Borei Pri Hagafen. Again, the Mateh Ephraim writes that some have the custom, even at Kiddush throughout the year, for those drinking to say Borei Pri Hagafen after Kiddush. But apparently that is not our custom. Rather, we listen to the head of the household say Borei Pri Hagafen, as also appears from the Shulchan Aruch. We have discussed several times that there is an issue here of [unclear], so it is better to hear the blessing over the wine from the head of the household and then for each person to drink their cup. Yes, it is also worth pointing out that before the women light candles, they must first daven—or, if they have not davened Maariv, then even if they want to begin preparing for the Seder before their husband gets home from shul, they must say, “Blessed is He Who distinguishes between one holy day and another.” They should not light candles before saying that. Anything else? Regarding—over the years, we have spoken several times about how to conduct the Seder with the members of the household, so that they are included. Because what happens is that the head of the household says Hamotzi and eats from the whole matzah and the broken matzah, and until he has eaten and swallowed, the family members have to wait for him to finish his two kezaysim. There is another issue as well: our matzos do not contain a kezayis—or two kezaysim—for every member of the household. So how should one proceed with the family? Should they be given some of the head of the household’s matzos, or not, and eat their own? On the one hand, it appears that the family members must also be included in the head of the household’s breaking of the matzah; he fulfills that obligation for them when he breaks it. But in practice, they do not eat two kezaysim from what he breaks off. So how do they—how do they proceed? What was the custom of the house

41:53 Speaker 1 Rabbi? I tried to investigate it thoroughly, but I couldn’t—because as I remember it, when the Rebbe conducted the Seder, people sat separately, and there was a connection between the men and the women. But in practice, what is done? Does one give the members of the household matzah from the Seder plate, or not? In any case, from the wording of the Alter Rebbe in section 473, it seems to me that if they hear the blessing—and I want to preface this: In a letter, the Rebbe writes about something that, as is well known, many have already discussed. As we mentioned earlier, at Kiddush the custom is to listen to the person making Kiddush recite the blessing over the wine. With lechem mishneh, the Rebbe writes that our custom throughout the year is for each person to recite HaMotzi for himself. That is, the Rebbe writes that one fulfills the obligation of lechem mishneh through the person breaking the bread, but afterward each person recites HaMotzi. The Rebbe also cites the Rogatchover there: Even if someone has not yet washed his hands—so he certainly has not washed—and he hears the head of the household recite HaMotzi, he can fulfill the obligation of lechem mishneh and eat afterward. He has already fulfilled that obligation if he intended to do so; it is as though the head of the household broke the bread on his behalf too. So it appears from the Rebbe’s words that throughout the year, the custom is for each person to recite HaMotzi for himself. But if he recites HaMotzi for himself, then it appears from the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, section 274, that he must also taste some of the lechem mishneh. If he does not taste it, how does he fulfill the obligation of lechem mishneh? Once he tastes it, he fulfills that obligation too. But section 473 does not seem to say that. There it appears that if a person does not fulfill the obligation of HaMotzi—if he fulfills the obligation of HaMotzi through the head of the household, and does not recite the blessing himself but fulfills the obligation of lechem mishneh through the head of the household,

44:07 Speaker 1 then he does not even need to taste the lechem mishneh. The very fact that the head of the household broke the lechem mishneh and included him in the blessing means that he has fulfilled the obligation of lechem mishneh, and he can afterward eat other bread that is not lechem mishneh. He fulfilled the obligation through the blessing recited over the lechem mishneh; he does not even need to taste it. So if, on Pesach night, they have in mind to fulfill the obligation of lechem mishneh through the head of the household, it is possible that they do not even need lechem mishneh themselves. They can take matzah for themselves and eat a kezayis of it. But if they have their own lechem mishneh, that is certainly good. There are many halachos connected with all this, but this is far from covering all the halachos and all the issues. May Hashem help you have a kosher and joyous Yom Tov, and may we merit to eat of the offerings and the Pesach offerings. May this be a year of Geulah and salvation.

45:12 Speaker 4 Amen.