I would just like to mention that today is Yom HaShoah, the day Jews around the world (minus those who assume that one can only commemorate tragedy on Tisha B'Av or only in Iyyar) remember the tragedies of the Holocaust.

Throughout the year, one of the commandments that we must continuously fulfill is to remember the Exodus from Egypt. If this is so, what makes Passover night so special? For some, during the year it is enough to think about the Exodus, while on the Passover night one must verbally remember the redemption. Other opinions claims that even during the year the memory of redemption must occur through sound, not merely thought. For them, the difference is that during the year, a person fulfills the daily need to remember the Exodus even by listening to some random conversation, while on Passover night, the listening must be through the intermediary of the Haggadah being recited by someone required to hear about the redemption. Others claim that the command to remember the Exodus during the year is not something to be fulfilled at night (though that would lead to wonder about recital of paragraph three of Shema) but on Passover, the command is specifically for the night. But still, what is the purpose of verbalizing the events of the Exodus, thinking about it or reading about it without verbalizing the words should be enough.

The Zohar (quoting from Isaiah Tishby, Wisdom of the Zohar, Vol III, p. 1316-7) claims that by continuously discussing the events of the Exodus, a person will merit rejoicing with the Shekhinah in the world to come. G-d enjoys "listening" to the narration. The Zohar then goes on to describe the celestial scene, where G-d gathers the divine "household" together to listen to the recital of the Haggadah:

It is at this time that the Holy One, blessed be He, gathers His household together and says to them: Come and listen to the recital of My praises, which My children utter as they rejoice in the redemption that I have performed. Then they all assemble and come to join Israel, and they listen to the praises that they recite as they delight in the joy of the redemption that their Master has performed. They come and give thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, for all His miracles and the manifestations of His power, and praise Him for the holy people that He has on the earth, who take delight in the joy of redemption that their Master has performed. Then He gains additional strength and power in the world above, and by this narration Israel gives strength to their Master, just as a king increases in power and might when [his subjects] praise his might and give thanks to him. And all fear Him and His glory is exalted on high. Therefore, one must praise him by reciting this story (Tishby, 1317).

After the description of the celestial realm of Pesach night, the Zohar then asks, why we need to describe all of G-d's miracles if G-d is all- knowing. The answer given is that the recital of the text leads to all the celestial household praising G-d, thus establishing G-d's power over the world. Similarly, we see that a person needs to verbally repent even though G-d knows all sins, for the confession removes power from the celestial prosecutor.

A main idea that we can learn from the passage of the Zohar is the power of speech. The reason for verbal recitation is to strengthen the power of the event. The recitation of the Haggadah on Pesach, even if it appears out-of-date on some level (how do we relate to the Exodus when the story isn't even clearly presented), still has power. The recitation reminds us of our connection with each other, with all Jews around the world. With only minor differences, we are together reciting the same "story." The one difference is that each Seder is still unique in that the discussions will vary. But the key is to occupy oneself for these two nights with stories of redemption, of survival, or growth. With these discussions, we strengthen the power of the divine in our lives. Therefore, there is a specific need on Passover night to verbally recite the description of the miracles.

I find it very interesting how most people seem to walk into Pesach very tired, thus ruining the first night of the sedarim. It makes me wonder whether we have it all wrong with the cleaning. The commandment is to rid the house of חמץ, not to do spring cleaning. The fact that people turn it into a yearly cleaning is quite scary.

I just finished reading a highly fascinating article from the magazine Psychology Today called Great Expectations. The basic gist of the article (which I recommend reading) is that marriage is about being married, having children, raising a family and thats all. It is not about finding your soulmate or finding the love of your life. Pure and simple, it is about being in a relationship with another person that allows one to act without pretense or without hiding who he/she is.

I would like to pose the following question:
How would one reconcile the ideas of marriage as being about being married, having children, etc. and the rabbinic idea (BT Sotah 2a) that man and woman are "designated" for each other by G-d 40 days after conception?