An 11 Nissan farbrengen and Shabbos HaGadol sermon, 5766, Kfar Chabad

00:02 Speaker 1 Ladies and gentlemen, those standing at the side—there are places here at the tables; please come sit down. As Rabbi Rabinowitz put it, in ordinary years the 11 Nissan farbrengen, which is a matter of Chassidus, and the Rabbi’s address on the revealed dimension of Torah are held separately. There is a special day for the farbrengen and a special day for the Rabbi’s address. Today they come together: the revealed dimension of Torah and Chassidus together. The chassidic farbrengen and the Rabbi’s address ahead of Pesach come together. We will invite the Rabbi, the mara d’asra, to deliver the main address ahead of Pesach. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu grant that it truly be “Hashem passed over the houses of the Children of Israel,” and that we merit the true and complete Geulah. Rabbi Ashkenazi, please.

01:14 Speaker 2 A good week and gut Yom Tov. Why is today a special farbrengen? Because we are in the atmosphere of 11 Nissan, at an 11 Nissan farbrengen. Many times at a farbrengen, in connection with the second day of Yom Tov in the Diaspora, when it was a Simchas Torah farbrengen and there was a Jew from Eretz Yisroel there—back then, the practice had not yet been restricted for those who came from Eretz Yisroel. It is certainly good for them to observe two days, as it says in Shaar Hakollel concerning Jewish customs, but that was not the practice then. So the expression was, “It’s a problem either way.” And the Rebbe explained why we say it’s a problem either way: [unclear], and you’re taking both worlds together. So here, too, we have the 11 Nissan farbrengen together with words of halachah connected to Pesach. But actually, when we look at the new chapter of Tehillim that we are beginning to say, chapter 105, most of the chapter speaks about the Exodus from Egypt. It begins with how Yosef went down to Egypt and how he became a ruler, how he was afflicted, and how he and Yankel and the— It starts with the covenant between the parts, and afterward it lists all ten plagues that Hakadosh Boruch Hu brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt, which we also mention in the Haggadah. But there is something very interesting there. The Ibn Ezra says that as the chapter lists the plagues, it generally gives them in order: “He turned their waters to blood,” then frogs, then wild animals, locusts, and the plague of darkness. But how does it open the account of the ten plagues? “He sent darkness, and it grew dark.” “He sent darkness, and it grew dark.” So the Ibn Ezra asks: Why did he change the order and begin with the plague of darkness? After all, darkness was the ninth plague. And King David changed the order,

03:53 Speaker 2 but he gives an explanation there that I wasn’t able to understand. The Ibn Ezra’s words—his explanations—are very brief and profound, and much of the time it is difficult to grasp their depth. But now, as we are approaching Pesach, on 11 Nissan, the beginning of the mitzvah is telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt. “Here the son asks, ‘Mah Nishtanah?’” The Haggadah begins with the son asking, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” He is asking about the darkness, about this night: Why is it different, so that even amid the darkness, this darkness seems darker than all other nights? Now, as we are at an 11 Nissan farbrengen, this is one of the things we must do. The son asks his father—and the Father is Hakadosh Boruch Hu—and we are now sitting together at the 11 Nissan meal. All of us together, as one person with one heart, must cry out and ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu: Why is this night different from all other nights? Why has it been decreed upon us [unclear]? Of the entire night of exile, we are in its most terrible, overwhelming darkness. We want to see our King: “Your eyes shall behold the King in His beauty.” How can we sit at the Seder? How can we go about eating matzah, maror, and charoses, preparing for Seder night? We remove the chametz, but how can we sit in joy and gladness and feel that this is the season of our freedom when we are in this doubly deep darkness? Only Hakadosh Boruch Hu has the power to answer this Mah Nishtanah, to grant that we see the Rebbe—“Your eyes shall behold the King in His beauty”—here below, in a physical body. To see and rejoice, to feel the true freedom, to feel the true joy of Pesach through leaving behind this terrible exile and its doubly deep darkness. And with that, we must say l’chaim.

06:26 Speaker 2 L’chaim. May Hashem help that this be the season of our freedom, true freedom; that we eat of the festival offerings and the Pesach offerings, that their blood reach the wall of Your altar, and that we merit the true and complete Geulah even before Pesach this year. L’chaim, l’chaim! Since, after all, Jewish custom calls for us to mention several halachos connected to Pesach. Parshas Tzav is read on Shabbos Hagadol, and [unclear]. Now, there is something very interesting. All the commentators I have seen connect Shabbos Hagadol with Pesach. Why do we expound on the laws of Pesach? How is that connected to the weekly parsha? Because an earthenware vessel in which it was cooked must be broken: there is the matter of kashering utensils, and kashering does not work for earthenware. So they make the connection because we kasher utensils for Pesach. That is the link between Parshas Tzav and the eve of Pesach, with the chametz utensils we need to deal with for Pesach. Some utensils can be kashered, while others cannot. But today I thought of something very interesting based on the Rebbe’s holy sichos: another allusion can be found, a new one that, in any case, I have not come across. What is the connection between Parshas Tzav and the approach of Pesach, when we call this Shabbos Hagadol? As is known, one of the main things in our parsha is that we were commanded about the peace offering. And what is the peace offering? The thanksgiving offering. There the Torah describes at length a Jew’s obligation to bring a thanksgiving offering to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Everyone remembers the Rebbe’s special sicha concerning the baking of matzos. The Rosh and the Mordechai wrote that the Jewish custom was to bake three matzos for Seder night from one isaron, the amount of flour that requires separating challah—about a kilogram and a quarter of flour. Each matzah was around four hundred grams, and with those three matzos the head of the household and the whole

09:01 Speaker 2 family went through Seder night together. The Rebbe explains in the sichos in Likkutei Sichos why they used an isaron: one of those obligated to bring a thanksgiving offering is someone released from prison. Four kinds of people must give thanks—four kinds of deliverance require a thanksgiving offering—and one of them is someone released from prison. He is therefore obligated to bring a thanksgiving offering. Since the Children of Israel left Egypt, to recall and give expression to that Exodus, our Sages—the great early authorities in Ashkenaz, and perhaps this was the practice in Spain as well—instituted the custom that these three matzos be made from an isaron, in remembrance of the thanksgiving offering brought by someone released from prison. So here we have the special connection between Parshas Tzav, Shabbos Hagadol, and Pesach. As usual, we always mention a few halachos. I’ll keep everything brief. As for the beginning of the Pesach preparations, that is the search for chametz, and I want to remind you once again, as I do every year: Those who travel to their parents for the entire Pesach, or go to stay somewhere else, and leave before Tuesday night—on Monday or Sunday—are obligated to search their home. They cannot exempt themselves from the mitzvah of searching for chametz. But since they will not be home throughout Pesach, it is enough for them to search one room. If they leave home before 13 Nissan, then on the night before they leave they should search—at the very least, clean one room, scatter the ten pieces of bread there, and search for the chametz there. They can, and should, take those ten pieces with them and burn them on the eve of Pesach wherever they are. But when they conduct this search, they should do so without a blessing, because the halachah says that the obligation to search already takes effect thirty days before the festival. But the ruling

11:34 Speaker 2 The Rema: the blessing over the search is recited only by someone who searches on the night of 14 Nissan—that is, Tuesday night. Someone who searches before Tuesday night must search by candlelight at night, but cannot recite the blessing. If they still want to fulfill the matter of the blessing, then wherever they are staying, there is surely a homeowner who will search for chametz. They should hear the blessing from him and intend to fulfill their obligation through it. That blessing will also cover them the next day when they dispose of their chametz. More generally, as the Alter Rebbe’s Siddur seems to indicate—although in his Shulchan Aruch he presents it as a measure for when necessary—there is something interesting in the Siddur, and the Rebbe comments on it. Someone once asked the Rebbe about this, and the Rebbe’s reply shows that he accepted this precise reading of the Siddur. Regarding the search for chametz, the Alter Rebbe writes there: “He should have members of his household stand with him while he searches for chametz, and afterward they should spread out and each search in his own place.” In his Shulchan Aruch, when he brings this halachah, he presents it as a case where the homeowner finds it difficult, or is ill or elderly, and does not have the strength to search the whole house. He can then enlist members of the household, who stand there for the blessing and hear it. But that is not how he writes it in the Siddur. There he writes it as the preferred practice: “He should have members of his household stand with him while he searches for chametz.” This is also the custom among chassidim, as I have seen in quite a few homes: when the father searches for chametz, it is advisable to gather all the members of the household so they can hear the blessing. This is especially so for yeshivah students who were at yeshivah and have come home. Strictly speaking, there would be grounds to say that they need to

13:32 Speaker 2 search for chametz in their room in the yeshivah dormitory. The same applies to girls who were in a dormitory and came home for Pesach. As we mentioned earlier, that was where they lived; at home, after all, they do not have a room of their own. They had their own chametz in the dormitory, so it would seem that they should have searched for chametz in the place where they used it throughout the year. But since they did not do so, and perhaps it is difficult to arrange, then at the very least, when their father begins the search for chametz and recites the blessing, they should stand beside him, hear the blessing, intend to fulfill their obligation, and afterward help him search the house. Generally, there is another consideration here: particularly if a son or daughter is past bar or bas mitzvah, they may have chametz of their own. They have wallets or bags and so on, for example, and any chametz found there no longer belongs to their father. They bought it, and it became theirs through acquisition by their premises, and so on. In any case, as it says in the Siddur, the father should not begin the search before gathering all the members of the household. They should hear the blessing from him and intend to fulfill their obligation, and afterward help their father search for chametz. As we mention every year, those who have cars must also search their cars for chametz. Since a car is a place where chametz has been brought and used throughout the year, a search for chametz must be carried out there. There is no need to put ten pieces of chametz in the car; the ten pieces in the house suffice for that. But the car must be searched for chametz, unless he closes it up for the entire Pesach and does not use it. Someone who plans to use the car during Pesach, or on Erev Pesach after midday, must

15:37 Speaker 2 search it for chametz. As several later halachic authorities have written, the search there need not be done by candlelight. Since a car generally gets plenty of light, one may search for chametz by daylight, but it must be searched. The same applies to people who have eaten chametz at their workplaces during the year. If it is an office, a factory, or wherever they work, and they do not plan to be there from Erev Pesach until after Pesach, they do not need to search there for chametz. Instead, they should include any chametz they have at that location in the sale of chametz. But if they plan to be there during Pesach, they must search it for chametz. If the place is a room or is like a home, it must be searched by candlelight. As for where to recite the blessing, it is advisable to recite it at home and then search the workplace, because the home is the primary place that needs to be searched. But if it does not work for someone to go to the workplace and search it after searching at home, he may also search there by candlelight one or two nights earlier, taking care not to bring in chametz afterward, and then recite the blessing at home. If he plans to be at the workplace during Pesach, however, he must search it for chametz. We are also getting many questions about people who leave their homes and rent out their rooms or apartments to someone else. Again, as we mentioned earlier, one cannot move into that apartment without a search for chametz. They can perhaps arrange between the two of them for the person moving in to search for chametz, but no one can stay there without a search. I also wanted to mention those who are moving, with Hashem’s help, at a good and auspicious time, into the new apartments in the Loitchik project.

17:49 Speaker 2 Those who move in before Pesach and leave their previous homes—if they move in before Erev Pesach, have already left the rented home where they lived, and will not return to that apartment during Pesach, they may close up the old apartment and need not search it for chametz. They should, however, place ten pieces of chametz in the new place and search it there. Since they moved in before the night of the 14th, they can fulfill the mitzvah of searching for chametz there, even on the night of the 14th itself. There are also those who will not move in until after Pesach, but will certainly want to visit the apartment during Chol Hamoed to see what needs to be done and how—of course, only in ways permitted on Chol Hamoed. In any case, I think it is advisable to search for chametz there. Why? Because workers were there during construction, and they may have eaten chametz and left some behind. In practice, once the workers have left, that chametz belongs to the homeowner, since he acquires it through his premises. So, to avoid getting into the question of whether a person does not wish to acquire something prohibited, it is advisable in any case to search for chametz there, so that they can enter during the holiday. Some have asked about those who will not manage to move in before Pesach and will instead move in during Sefiras HaOmer. To avoid the question of beginning to live in a new apartment during Sefiras HaOmer, it is advisable, as several later halachic authorities have written, to sleep there at least one night before Pesach. Then they can bring over

20:04 Speaker 2 their belongings after Pesach. Regarding the mitzvah of disposing of chametz, which takes place on Wednesday morning: remember that chametz may be eaten until about 10:30, give or take a few minutes, and the time for disposing of chametz—burning it—is 11:30. Someone who wants to be particular and fulfill the mitzvah as prescribed by the Sages—of course, I am not talking about someone who has to leave for somewhere and would find it difficult, or impossible, to do this—but in any case, as we see in the Shulchan Aruch and the Siddur, the Sages established the fifth halachic hour as the time for disposing of chametz. Perhaps that is the source of the well-known “fifth hour” in wedding schedules. In any case, the wording of this enactment is: yes, in the fifth hour, that is the time for the search, for nullifying and disposing of the chametz. Strictly speaking, it is also permissible to dispose of chametz earlier in the morning. Nevertheless, it appears that for someone who is particular about mitzvos, the time for disposing of chametz is the fifth hour. There are several reasons for this. One might ask: would doing it earlier in the morning not be better? After all, the diligent perform mitzvos promptly. But with this mitzvah, it seems that Chazal specifically established the fifth hour as its time, and not earlier. Of course, someone who has no choice and must leave, who needs to travel somewhere urgently and may forget, is better off disposing of and nullifying the chametz in the morning. But for someone who is at home and can fulfill the mitzvah as prescribed, the time to dispose of the chametz is the fifth hour. There is also a reason for this: the Sages set the disposal and the nullification close together, out of concern that if a person were told only to nullify the chametz and not to dispose of it, he might forget to nullify it. And so the Sages

22:22 Speaker 2 And he says: this is how the Alter Rebbe explains it in sections 434 and 445. The Sages always placed the nullification and the disposal together. So if he can nullify it in the morning, the Shulchan Aruch implies that there is another concern: new chametz might come into his possession during those few hours. That would be after he had nullified his chametz; he did not nullify this chametz, and he could violate the prohibitions of owning and possessing chametz. That is why the Sages set the time for nullification and disposal together, in the fifth hour. After the fifth hour, chametz is already forbidden to benefit from, so it can no longer be nullified. They therefore instituted that it be done at that time, when there is no concern that new chametz will come into his possession. During Pesach a person can no longer acquire chametz, because it is forbidden to benefit from and would not become his; earlier, he might receive new chametz. And there is another consideration here. Every Jew disposes of chametz not only through nullification and burning, but also through selling chametz. As is customary, one appoints the rabbi as a shliach to sell one’s chametz. In practice, the sale takes effect only in the fifth hour. They do not sell the chametz early in the morning, nor later; at the beginning of the sixth hour it can no longer be sold, because it is forbidden to benefit from. They sell it in the fifth hour so that if more chametz comes into people’s possession during those hours, it will be included in the sale. The Alter Rebbe therefore rules in the Shulchan Aruch, in the laws of the sale, that the chametz one sells is not included in the nullification. So if someone nullifies his chametz early in the morning and afterward sells the

24:32 Speaker 2 chametz, it turns out that he has gone back on his nullification. It is therefore best for the sale, the nullification and the burning to coincide; that way, all these concerns are avoided. But that is, of course, the general rule. For someone who finds it difficult, there are many exceptions. As I have mentioned over the years, and as I have now seen in several works by later halachic authorities, just as we said earlier that the members of the household should be involved in the search for chametz, so too with the nullification, “Kol chamira vachamia.” It is worthwhile for everyone in the household—the wife, sons and daughters who are past bar or bas mitzvah—to say it, in order to nullify the chametz. There may be chametz that belongs to them, including the wife, especially if she works or makes purchases. There are various ways in which she may acquire things, and she may own some chametz. So it is best for everyone to say it. The Alter Rebbe also says in section 434: why was the wording of “Kol chamira” instituted in Aramaic rather than in Lashon Hakodesh? Because in the days of the Geonim, when this text was instituted, people and children did not understand Lashon Hakodesh, so it was instituted in Aramaic. That implies that “Kol chamira” needs to be explained to them. It is not some prayer or a list of angels’ names; they are simply nullifying the chametz they own, wherever it may be, as the wording of the nullification says. Regarding the sale of chametz, I wanted to mention something again, because I can see from the questions that not everyone knows it. Many later halachic authorities write that selling chametz is only a last resort: ideally, a person should try to finish all his chametz before the 14th, before the time for its disposal. They would permit the sale only

26:55 Speaker 2 in pressing circumstances. But from what appears to be the Alter Rebbe’s position, and from the practice of our Rebbeim—the Tzemach Tzedek would make a point of leaving chametz so that the sale would apply to it—it seems that for someone who conducts the sale according to the Alter Rebbe’s enactment, it is acceptable even from the outset. There is no particular hiddur in finishing and getting rid of all one’s chametz to avoid having to sell it. It may even be, as I heard from several rabbis years ago, that if someone will need chametz after Pesach and will find it difficult to buy then because he does not know whether it will be available, it may be worthwhile for him to buy it before Pesach and arrange the sale properly, relying from the outset on the Alter Rebbe’s ruling that the sale is valid. In any event, if someone has actual chametz—by which I mean chametz subject to the prohibitions of owning and possessing it, such as bread, breadcrumbs and the like—then, for the sale to take effect properly, it should be kept in a separate room or a separate, closed cabinet, or at the very least marked with a sticker saying that it has been sold as chametz. But to put chametz in half a cabinet and use the other half for Pesach makes the sale look like a mockery. The same applies when people ask me about chametz they have left over—whether they can leave it in the refrigerator or put it in one drawer of the freezer. In my humble opinion, if it is actual chametz, it is not advisable. If someone has bread, dough or any other actual chametz left, he should perhaps take it to a neighbor who has a separate room or place and is selling his chametz. It can be placed there, and when the neighbor arranges the sale, he should mention the chametz belonging to me in so-and-so’s home. But to leave one drawer of chametz in the freezer, sell that drawer, and use the rest of the freezer for Pesach—that is a mockery. On the other hand, if someone has meat or fish left over, for example, that is not actual chametz; there is just a concern that it may not have been kept free of chametz. One can rely on the sale and keep such things. There is no need to throw them away or destroy them. They can be left in a separate drawer, wrapped up, with a note saying that they have been sold as chametz. In this case, it is not even clear that they are included in the sale, because they contain no chametz. The same applies to utensils. In practice, are utensils sold or not? We will not go into that theoretical question now. But one thing is clear: the place where chametz utensils are kept must be closed, with a sticker indicating that the place has been sold as chametz. Regarding—perhaps, if the audience has a little more... What? What?

28:59 Speaker 2 He himself sells the chametz, so you can put it there too, and when he makes the sale, he should mention the chametz I have in such-and-such a house. But leaving one drawer of chametz in the freezer, selling that drawer, and using the rest of the freezer for Pesach—that’s a farce. Now, if someone has leftover meat or fish, that isn’t actually chametz; there’s just a concern that sufficient care wasn’t taken with it. In that case, one can rely on this and keep it. There’s no need to throw it out or get rid of it. You can leave it in a separate drawer, wrapped up, with a note saying that it was sold with the chametz. Because in this case, it’s actually unclear whether it was included in the sale at all, since there’s no chametz there. The same goes for utensils. In practice, are utensils included in the sale or not? We won’t get into that theoretical question right now. But one thing is clear: the place where chametz utensils are kept must be closed off, with a label saying that the place was sold with the chametz. As for—maybe it’s just me—if anyone else, if the audience has a little... What? What?

30:26 Speaker 3 To sell just the freezer, not the refrigerator—the upper section.

30:29 Speaker 2 Just the upper section.

30:30 Speaker 3 To sell just the upper section.

30:32 Speaker 2 So again, if the question is about selling only the freezer, the upper section: if there is chametz in it, do not do that. But if it contains things like the fish I mentioned, or other things that are not actual chametz, then you can close it off and agree on a price for what is in the refrigerator. Regarding—yes, you said... What? Those that contain actual chametz? One hundred percent. You cannot eat them on Pesach at all. What? As I said, if you have a closed cabinet, do not sell half the cabinet and keep the other half for your own use. Yes. But what can be sold? That is a matter of price. According to the Shulchan Aruch, actual chametz must be put away in a storage room, locked up, and the key brought to the rabbi so that he can give it to the non-Jew. The Rebbe writes that he had not seen the custom of handing over the key. Nor is it customary to put a seal on the lock. In the past they would seal the lock, so it would be evident if someone broke the seal and opened it. We do not use a seal, and we do not hand over the key, but there must at least be a separate storage space. One should not just do it casually... And regarding kashering utensils, we always conclude this subject by saying that, as is customary, new stainless-steel and aluminum utensils require kashering. I also wanted to mention that nowadays there are all sorts of new electrical appliances: kettles and grills—well, not grills— toasters, toaster ovens, and thermoses. There is an issue with

32:44 Speaker 4 immersion.

32:44 Speaker 2 As for immersing it: it says that if you put it in water, it will be ruined. On the one hand, there may be grounds in the Shulchan Aruch to say that a utensil that will be ruined does not require immersion. But can we rely on that entirely? Perhaps it does require immersion. The best thing is to take this electrical appliance, which cannot be immersed, assuming, of course, that it came from abroad. If it was made in Israel, it does not need immersion. But here too, you have to be careful. Today there are all kinds of appliances made by Israeli companies but manufactured abroad, whether in Turkey or China. Even though the owners are Jews, they may still require immersion. So the best advice is to give it to a Jewish electrician to open it up and reconnect something inside. That counts as its completion by a Jew and exempts it from immersion. There may also be an option to immerse the appliance up to the electrical part, but the best thing is to have an electrician open and close it. As for utensils that need both immersion and kashering by boiling, the order is first immersion and then kashering—sorry, first kashering and then immersion. The mnemonic is “beresh u-vemai.”

34:15 Speaker 2 “U-vemai.” And once again, I want to mention that I have seen people send children to immerse utensils in the mikveh. It is worth knowing that the Rema rules not to have the immersion done by a minor under bar mitzvah age. If you want to send the utensils, make sure the one immersing them is a boy over thirteen who has reached bar mitzvah age. Regarding separating challah, it is also worth reminding everyone who baked matzos in groups not to forget to separate challah from the matzah on Erev Pesach. You can separate it on Erev Pesach if you are concerned you might forget at the last moment. But do not forget to separate challah. And if someone has two types—one made with hand mills and one not, or one from [unclear] and one not—and he is particular about not mixing them, then according to halachah he needs to separate challah from each one separately. Regarding separating challah, someone may have several packages, especially on Pesach, when each package is wrapped separately. There is a dispute among the halachic authorities about whether every package must be opened or whether one can separate challah from one package for all of them. But as we see in a number of later authorities, and especially from what appears to have been the Rebbe’s practice when he separated challah—there is a major dispute among the later authorities about whether every individual wrapper has to be opened. I want to explain. The halachah says that the obligation to separate challah applies only to dough made from a sufficient quantity of flour—say, a kilo according to Rabbi Naeh’s measurements, or a kilo and six hundred grams, or a kilo and three-quarters of flour. A dough with less than that amount is not obligated in challah, certainly not with a blessing. But

36:35 Speaker 2 in the matzah bakery, they make sure nowadays that each batch of dough is less than the amount that requires challah. The Sages established that the batch should be smaller than that amount, because if the dough is too large, working it takes more time, and there is a concern that it might become chametz. So they make sure each batch is below the required amount. But then, in the bakery, they put the matzos into a container. You see carts there with containers, and when they put all the matzos into one container, it combines them. A cart may hold ten times the amount that requires challah, so they become obligated. But for the purpose of combining them for challah, the halachah says they must touch one another—the matzos, the pieces of dough, or other baked goods. This is not specific to Erev Pesach. Whenever you bake, even at home when making cakes or challahs and so on, they must touch or adhere to one another. If each is in its own wrapper, though, they do not become obligated. That is one halachah. There is another: once they have become obligated in challah, even if none was separated and someone brings home less than the required amount—only a kilo of matzos—they remain obligated, because they became obligated when they were together in the container. Now suppose I have several packages, each containing a kilo or a kilo and a half, which individually is not enough to require separating challah according to anyone, and I want to separate from one for all of them. Another halachah applies here: the separation must be done min hamukaf, from items in proximity. They do not have to touch, but they must all be together. What does “together” mean? There are several opinions on this, but as we saw from the care the Rebbe took when separating challah...

38:45 Speaker 2 When the Rebbe would send matzos to Israel, there were several packages, each containing only a pound. How much is a pound? Half a kilo. But he did not separate challah from each package. Instead, they put a large cloth or sheet of paper over all the packages, and the Rebbe took matzah from one or two packages, broke off a piece, and separated challah. In other words, in the Rebbe’s view, the fact that each package of matzos was in its own wrapper did not separate one from another—provided they were covered. Some have argued that this concerned challah outside Israel, whereas challah in Israel is much stricter. But in any case, the halachic requirement of min hamukaf applies to both. There does not seem to be a difference in this regard, and we can learn from this that the Rebbe held that covering the packages from above—even though each package under the paper had its own wrapper—made them min hamukaf, so that one could separate challah from one for all of them. Anyone who has homemade wine should not forget to separate terumos and maasros from the wine. And I should mention that this year’s tithes include maaser sheini, since this is the fifth year of the Shemitah cycle. So this year the tithes are maaser rishon and maaser sheini. Anyone with wine should have a prutah chamurah for redeeming the maaser sheini from the wine. Tomorrow we can separate it throughout the—let’s not get into that now, because it is already late. People have raised a few points with me about Seder night, and perhaps it is right to mention them, because I see that these things are becoming more and more common. Today, boruch Hashem, there are

40:57 Speaker 2 all kinds of foods—skewers, grilled foods, barbecues, and so on—and people want to prepare the very best foods and tastiest meats for Seder night. You may eat meat, but it may not be advisable to prepare it on skewers, on a barbecue, or even on a grill. That applies even to chicken, not just beef. As the Rema writes, our custom is not to eat roasted meat on Pesach night, so that it should not resemble the Korban Pesach. It is worth mentioning this halachah because grilling is so common today. All of that is fine during the rest of the festival, but on Seder night one should be careful not to prepare meat that way. If you want to eat meat on Seder night, it should be cooked in sauce. That is considered cooking and does not resemble the Korban Pesach, which was entirely roasted. Meat prepared without sauce, however, falls into the category of roasted meat. Regarding Seder night, I want to mention something, because several people have asked how to conduct themselves. I will say what seems right to us; anyone who follows a different practice, may he be blessed. Regarding the first cup on Seder night—again, I want to mention one more thing about separating challah, which applies all year when you bake challahs or cakes at home and separate challah. Be careful not to burn the separated challah in the baking oven, because that renders the oven forbidden for use. Once the challah has been separated, it has sanctity and renders the oven forbidden for use. So if you want to burn it, the best thing is to put it over an open flame on the gas stove and burn it. Then it

43:05 Speaker 2 It does not render the gas forbidden, and there is no problem. Or at the very least, wrap it in aluminum foil and burn it over the gas flame, but it is not advisable to do that inside the oven. Regarding the Seder night that we mentioned earlier: some people find it difficult to drink wine, so they drink grape juice. Still, grape juice is not the simplest option for the Seder night, because the mitzvah is to drink wine. So one possibility is to add a little water even to the wine. I think that to this wine, produced here in Kfar Chabad, one can add up to twenty percent water, without any doubt, and possibly even up to a third. But [unclear]. One moment. [unclear]. But someone who wants to fulfill the mitzvah in the best way, I think that if they take one-third grape juice and two-thirds wine, there is no problem, and they also fulfill the mitzvah of the four cups. Especially since the cups are large: they hold much more than a revi’is, so there is still a revi’is of wine. One can mix in a third, and if it is difficult for him, even up to half grape juice, and he still fulfills the mitzvah of the four cups in the best way. Regarding the four cups: the first cup is the cup of Kiddush. There is a question here, and apparently different customs as to what we have done. Some do it one way and some another. In any case, I think, in my humble opinion, that this is what seems to follow from the Shulchan Aruch in [unclear]. That is, with all the cups, each person drinks his own cup and makes his own blessing of Borei Pri Hagafen over it. But that is how we act with the last three cups. With Birkas Hamazon, all year round we recite Birkas Hamazon without a cup.

45:25 Speaker 2 But on the Seder night, each person recites Birkas Hamazon over a cup. And it seems to me that this is what I saw done at the Rebbe’s table as well. Even when a blessing is made over a cup at Sheva Brachos, at a wedding, or at a bris, who holds the cup? Only the person leading the zimun, and afterward the others taste from his cup. But on the Seder night, everyone has his own cup. And it is not only that he has his own cup, and afterward, although Birkas Hamazon is recited with a zimun, each person drinks from his own cup. Rather, each person also holds his cup during Birkas Hamazon. In other words, that is almost the complete opposite of what we do throughout the year. This can also be inferred from the Rebbe’s wording there in the Haggadah, and from the Rebbe’s holding of the cup: at Birkas Hamazon, everyone makes sure to hold his cup. Why that is so is not for now; perhaps we will have an opportunity to explain it at [unclear]. But in any case, that is the custom. What about the cup of Kiddush? How do we act with the cup of Kiddush? Does everyone drink his cup? Does everyone also... As I tried to find out, there are households where each member of the family holds a cup and recites Kiddush. As I understand it, there are three or four customs here. One custom is for everyone to hold a cup and recite Kiddush together with the head of the household. Everyone says the whole Haggadah and says Kiddush too. The Shulchan Aruch explicitly says not to do that; rather, one fulfills the obligation of Kiddush by listening to the person reciting it, as throughout the year. It says so explicitly. But some have the custom that, although they listen to the head of the household, each person holds his own cup and then drinks

47:21 Speaker 2 from his own cup. Again, as one can infer from the Rebbe’s Haggadah, it appears that this is not correct. Rather, we act as we do with Kiddush throughout the year: the father recites Kiddush while the cups are on the table, and afterward each person drinks from his own cup. But there is a third custom: the father recites Kiddush and no one else holds a cup, but before drinking, each person makes the blessing Borei Pri Hagafen. Why? Because, as with all the other cups, we see that each person makes Borei Pri Hagafen over each cup. So it would seem that this, too, is not correct according to the Alter Rebbe’s position. Why? Because then one would be making Borei Pri Hagafen after Kiddush, and that is why they are particular about all these details. So I think it would seem that with this first cup, we should act as we do throughout the year, with just one difference: throughout the year, those tasting from the head of the household’s cup take a sip. On the Seder night, each person drinks his entire cup from his own cup. But they fulfill their obligation for Kiddush and Borei Pri Hagafen through the head of the household. Why is the first cup different from the other three cups? We will leave that question for now—a fifth question in the Mah Nishtanah. On the subject of the members of the household, I wanted to return to... Regarding matzah and maror. First of all, the order. What is the problem? [unclear]. What? What? [unclear]. Regarding eating the matzos and korech, I wanted to mention that the matzos and the maror must be eaten within the time it takes to eat a pras, and the measure for that is four minutes. In any case, the Tzemach Tzedek writes six minutes. But within those six minutes one must eat the kezayis—the two kezeisim of matzah.

50:08 Speaker 5 How much is a kezayis?

50:10 Speaker 2 How much is a kezayis? I don’t... One kezayis is twenty-seven grams or seventeen grams, but in any case, with our matzos it is a third. I do not know what size matzos, but a third, more than a third of a matzah. The order, the order. We have mentioned this several times. The order with the matzos, the order of... The head of the household makes the blessing over lechem mishneh, then makes the blessing over eating matzah, and eats two kezeisim, from the top matzah and the middle matzah. That is what it says in the Siddur. The Rebbe explains this in the Haggadah, with a great deal of depth on this subject and on every detail of the Haggadah. But how do we ensure that everyone eats? The head of the household eats two kezeisim, makes the blessing over lechem mishneh, and fulfills the obligation for the members of his household. What do we do on the Seder night when the head of the household must hurry to eat his two kezeisim, while the other members of the household have washed their hands and are sitting and waiting until he eats them? Only then will he start distributing matzah to them, so there is a long interruption. How should the members of the household handle this order? And most importantly, if we say that the head of the household must distribute matzah to them, then he has to give each one a kezayis. His matzah does not contain enough kezeisim. If, thank G-d, there are a wife and daughters, and sons who do not have their own Seder plate, he may sometimes have to distribute five or six kezeisim. Even three matzos would not be enough for that. What should he do? What should the members of the household do? There is an even deeper, more complicated question here: to begin with, he makes the blessings over two matzos, the top one and the middle one. How do the members of the household fulfill their obligation with this whole arrangement? So they used to say about chassidim—I remember that decades ago, when this was discussed in front of older chassidim in Tel Aviv, they said:

52:33 Speaker 2 When did chassidim ever think about the wife and children? Let them bang their heads against the wall. I need to eat my kezayis, and that is what I take care of for myself. But that is not right, especially since the Rebbe placed such... Yes?

52:48 Speaker 6 You got to [unclear].

52:50 Speaker 2 I got to that once. So... Am I supposed to sit there, absorbed in the Seder with all the lofty thoughts, and suddenly serve them something, whatever they will eat? But that is not right. First, because women are obligated in all these mitzvos just like the head of the household. And above all, the Rebbe did so much to elevate the standing of women. I once had the opportunity to speak at a girls’ school, and I mentioned that this is also cited in the name of the Alter Rebbe: Can one rely on a woman for the removal of chametz? The Jerusalem Talmud says, “Women are lazy.” In other words, it would seem that they relied on men more than on women. That is very, very puzzling, but that is what the Jerusalem Talmud says. Perhaps that was how things were for the Jerusalem Talmud, but among us, Chabad chassidim, it is not exactly so. G-d forbid, I do not mean to disagree with the Jerusalem Talmud. Perhaps there is a difference of opinion on the matter in the Jerusalem Talmud. But especially in light of how much the Rebbe elevated this matter, today, thank G-d, women are more careful and more chassidish than men. So what should we do? How do we observe the Seder night, the kezayis of matzah? In any case, I want to say what seems right in my humble opinion. I have not found it stated explicitly, but it can be inferred from the Alter Rebbe’s wording. Some say that the members of the household should be given their own lechem mishneh. In other words, two matzos should be placed before them, and they should make the Hamotzi blessing over their lechem mishneh, because women are obligated in lechem mishneh. That is what the Alter Rebbe writes in the laws of Shabbos. So they should make the blessing over lechem mishneh, eat from that lechem mishneh, and thereby fulfill both the obligation of lechem mishneh and the obligation to eat a kezayis of matzah. But that is not entirely straightforward either, because some question it. But which...? After all, they are obligated, after all—the order is that there are three

54:51 Speaker 2 Matzos: an upper matzah and a middle matzah that is broken, and we say Hamotzi and—use the two matzos for lechem mishneh because of the doubt. So what, is only the husband obligated in this? Isn’t the wife obligated too? How does that work? I think, in my humble opinion, that if the Rebbe writes in a well-known letter in Igros Kodesh that throughout the year, when we make the blessing over lechem mishneh, the practice—the proper practice—is that at Kiddush, as we mentioned earlier, the person making Kiddush fulfills the obligation for the household with Kiddush and with Borei Pri Hagafen, and they only drink. And we said, moreover, that they should not say Borei Pri Hagafen themselves, because then they would be saying Borei Pri Hagafen after Kiddush. But with lechem mishneh, the Rebbe writes, we do not follow that practice. With lechem mishneh, only the head of the household has the two loaves before him, but everyone says Hamotzi for themselves. The Rebbe writes there that this is because of a possible interruption, and so the custom became for everyone to say Hamotzi for themselves. But by the time the woman says Hamotzi, the bread has already been cut, and one is supposed to make the blessing over lechem mishneh. How does she do that? The Rebbe says that when the head of the household breaks the lechem mishneh, he fulfills the obligation for those at the table. In other words, he fulfills their obligation through the breaking of the bread, while they say the blessing themselves. That is how we practice throughout the year. It follows, from the Rebbe’s wording, that if they do not do it that way, but instead fulfill their obligation through the head of the household, the leader of the Seder, then they fulfill the obligation of lechem mishneh and the obligation of the blessing Al Achilas Matzah. In that case, they are no longer obligated to eat from the lechem mishneh. They do not have to taste the lechem mishneh. Why? Because he fulfilled their obligation with the blessing, and the blessing is said over the breaking of the bread. Through that, they fulfilled the obligation of lechem mishneh. In other words, this whole rule that we say everyone has to taste

57:05 Speaker 2 the lechem mishneh applies when each person says the blessing for themselves. But if someone fulfills their obligation through the head of the household, who said Hamotzi Lechem Min Haaretz over the lechem mishneh, then that person has already fulfilled the obligation of lechem mishneh and can even eat from a cut piece, even from a halved loaf. So if you say that on the night of Pesach we do not follow the practice of the rest of the year, but instead they fulfill their obligation of Hamotzi Lechem Min Haaretz and their obligation of matzah through the head of the household, then they are no longer obligated to have lechem mishneh. In other words, the head of the household has already fulfilled their obligation through his breaking of the lechem mishneh. And there is more. Where am I getting this from? It can be demonstrated. In the Haggadah, the Rebbe writes: Why do we say the blessing “Al Achilas Matzah”? We ought to examine how we say the blessing. We say “Al Achilas Matzah.” Why don’t we say “Le’echol Matzah”? Why do we say “Al Achilas Matzah”? The Rebbe points there to the Maggid Mishneh on the Rambam, in Hilchos Brachos, where it says that a mitzvah performed by a group—as on Pesach night, when the Pesach offering is eaten in a group—and likewise, mitzvos performed as a group, where one person fulfills the obligation for others, take the blessing “Al Achilas Matzah.” That is the rule stated by the Migdal Oz. So it follows that, ideally, the head of the household should fulfill the obligation of those at the table with the blessing Al Achilas Matzah. So if, instead, everyone says Al Achilas Matzah for themselves, there would be confusion about what the head of the household does. Apparently, then, if on Pesach night the practice really is different from the rest of the year, and they intend to fulfill their obligation through the head of the household, they do not need their own lechem mishneh or to break the middle matzah. The head of the household fulfills all of that for them. There is just a practical rule for Pesach: they have to be careful not to start eating before the head of the household, but

59:07 Speaker 2 once he has started eating, they can take matzah and fulfill their obligation with it. In any event, perhaps this is not so relevant to... it has more to do with Knesses Yisroel, but in any event. Hm? What? They do not say the blessing; they fulfill their obligation through the head of the household. But that is not an interruption. After all, the head of the household says Hamotzi. He gave us the blessing over the matzah. He gave it to us. Hm? [unclear]. Hm? No, if someone fulfills their obligation through the head of the household, then he fulfills their obligation with the lechem oni. Yes, the matzah blessing is also over lechem mishneh, but... [unclear]. Hm? What? The Rebbe says why that became the custom: because of concern about an interruption. But here there is another drawback. That is specifically... In any event, regarding... regarding someone who... Someone here reminded me of something. I did not mention it earlier, and I forgot it, and it is very, very important. To eat the matzah, you need teeth, and you need to kasher your teeth for Pesach. For someone who has no teeth and cannot eat the matzah, there is also a suggestion I saw: you can grind the matzos and eat them as crumbs. But you must, G-d forbid, be careful. There was a case in which someone, G-d forbid, choked, because you cannot wash it down with water or with... In any event, to kasher the teeth, as we have mentioned, one must be careful not to eat hot chametz for twenty-four hours before Erev Pesach, and on Erev Pesach morning pour boiling water over them. The same applies to children who have various dental plates. If the plates are removable, pour boiling water over them—again, after not eating chametz for twenty-four hours, so they are not ben yomo. But for someone who has

1:01:25 Speaker 2 various metal braces that cannot be removed, then too, if they can avoid hot chametz for twenty-four hours, that is good. But the main thing is to clean the teeth thoroughly. May Hashem help us have a kosher and joyous Yom Tov. And once again, Yehuda Lifshitz[?].

1:02:03 Speaker 7 What?

1:02:04 Speaker 2 I said there are two options. One option is for the woman to say Hamotzi, take lechem mishneh, and say the blessing over lechem mishneh for herself. That is one option. The other option is not to say Hamotzi, but to fulfill her obligation through the head of the household. Then she has already fulfilled her obligation of lechem mishneh, and it is enough for her to take a kezayis of matzah. So she does not need to have lechem mishneh herself, and she fulfills the mitzvah of eating a kezayis of matzah. Let each person choose.

1:02:38 Speaker 8 Orchestra, [unclear]. Orchestra, please.