Weekly Story: The 7th Day of Pesach – Krias Yam Suf
Erev of the 7th and 8th day of Pesach 5786
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
Being that today the 6th of Pesach is my Yom Holedes, I will utilize the opportunity to bless each and every one of the readers amongst the entire Klal Yisroel that Hashem fulfills all of your desires and requests, as well as granting us what He knows we should desire and request.
May Hashem protect our brethren and sisters in Eretz Yisroel and throughout the diaspora and may we indeed merit seeing the tremendous miracles that will usher in the era of Moshiach.
May we all merit to be able to say that our small actions contributed to preparing this world to become the dwelling place of Hashem.
Being that the custom in Lubavitch is to stay up throughout the 7th night of Pesach until dawn, and many utilize that time for farbrengening, I decided to include some insights of the Rebbeiim about the uniqueness of this day, in lieu of the regular story.
I thank Rabbi Michoel Seligson for sharing them with me, and I just translated them.
As always, your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated and most welcomed.
The Frierdiker Rebbe notes that the revelations that were seen from the Rebbeiim on the 7th and 8th day of Pesach were greater than the revelations that were seen from them on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
It is known what the Alter Rebbe said to his children on the seventh day of Pesach, take Chassidus and take purity for your children and grandchildren.
The Frierdiker Rebbe concluded that these Revelations are felt in the neshoma.
Sefer HaSichos 5703, p. 87.
In another Sicha, the Frierdiker Rebbe stated that my great-grandfather, the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek said during the night meal of the seventh day of Pesach in the year 5603, that the 7th of Pesach is Rosh Hashanah for mesiras nefesh.
When Moshe Rabeinu told the Jewish people that Hashem is instructing them to travel forward into the sea they did so without questioning him, [not knowing that Hashem is going to split the sea for them and save them].
The revelations that Hashem revealed on the 7th of Pesach were from His essence, and Hashem did so on His own initiative, in Chassidic terminology isarusa d’lieila.
In general, the 7th is always special and how special is the seventh day of Pesach when it is the seventh day since Hashem Himself revealed His Essence and freed us from Mitzrayim.
Sefer HaSichos 5703, p. 92.
The Rebbe Rashab stated that throughout the 24 hours of the 7th of Pesach the Heavenly doors are open for everyone. Just as there are auspicious moments when Hashem reveals certain aspects, so too there are moments when everyone is able to receive all the blessings that are being given from heaven. The 7th of Pesach is one of those moments, and therefore a person should realize how precious each moment of the day is and utilize each moment to its utmost.
Sefer HaSichos 5696, p. 270.
The Frierdiker Rebbe informed us that the revelations which we were able to see by the Rebbeiim on the 7th of Pesach were extraordinary. He noted for example, that the preparations for the seventh day of Pesach begin at noon. The immersing in the mikva in preparation for the seventh day of Pesach was not only uniquely different than the immersion in the Mikva before Shabbos and other Yomim Tovim (Holidays), but it was even unique as compared to the immersion in the mikva on erev Rosh Hashanah and erev Yom Kippur.
Sefer HaSichos 5703, p. 85.
The Rebbe wants noted at his table, that the happiness and rejoicing of the Jewish people on the seventh day of Pesach was much greater than even their happiness and rejoicing when they left Mitzrayim.
He explained, when the Jews left Mitzrayim they thought it might be a temporary freedom because Mitzrayim was still extremely powerful. However, after they saw that the Egyptians were destroyed in the sea and their power was obliterated, so then they realized that the freedom is not just a temporary one, but it is permanent, and they will never again have to return to Mitzrayim.
Hamelech B’misibo vol. 1, p. 155.
Another time at the seder, the Rebbe’s brother-in-law, the Rashag (Rabbi Shmaryahu Gurarie) asked, what does the prayer [which we say in the Neilah prayer on Yom Kippur] requesting Hashem to open wide the gates of the heaven, mean, as many commentaries say it is referring to the 7th day of Pesach.
The Rebbe replied, on the 7th day if Pesach the Heavenly guards of the gates are removed from their place and every Jew is able to come and request his requests.
Ibid. P. 298
In a sicha the Rebbe noted that on the 7th day of Pesach when we say the Shira that the Jews sung after the splitting of the sea, we should not say it as if we are reminding ourselves of what the Jews did over three thousand years ago when the sea miraculously split for them. But rather we should vision it as if that occurrence is happening right now to us, and we are singing the song in praise of Hashem.
At the same time, we should also envision of this splitting of the river which is going to happen when Moshiach comes, not in a state of anticipation, but as if we are experiencing it then and singing the song [as it is incorporated in the Shira].
Likkutei Sichos vol. 7, p. 272
A Taste of Chassidus
Sheishes Yomim Toichloo Matzos part 2 Likkutei Torah Vayikra 13a
In this part of the maamar, the Alter Rebbe explains the deeper meaning of Krias Yam Suf – the splitting of the sea. But before I present a short summary of the maamar, I feel the following introduction would be helpful to understand the concept that the Alter Rebbe is saying.
One of the fundamental teachings of Chassidus is, that just as everything was created by Hashem and nothing in the universe is an entity on their own, so too, every occurrence that happens in the world is because that is how Hashem decreed it to be. In other words, everything in this world exists because it has a source in the higher supernal (spiritual) worlds. As a result of this, the splitting of the sea was not just a physical phenomenon that was above nature, but it happened because that aspect happened on a spiritual level in the supernal world, and subsequently it also occured in a physical sense in the physical world.
The outcome of the splitting of the sea was that instead of the Jewish people going into water they walked on dry land. So in order to understand what this truly means and represents, we first have to understand what does the sea and dry land represent in the spiritual sense, and then we could understand the greatness or uniqueness of this miraculous event of transforming the sea into land.
And now to the Maamar
Our sages inform us that every living animal on the Earth has a counterpart in the sea. The major difference between them is that an animal (entity) on the land feels it is independent of the land it lives off, just like us humans may feel that we can do as we wish, as we are an independent entity. In Chassidic terminology that mindset of the creations living on the earth, is called עלמא דאתגליא, a revealed world where every entity stands out on its own.
However, every fish in the water realizes that without the water it cannot exist. In Chassidic terminology that is called עלמא דאתכסיא, where everything is hidden. Simply speaking, when one looks at the Ocean or Sea, all they see is the water, and not anything that is inside or covered up by the water. As noted, they don’t appear or feel that they are an autonomous entity.
Applying these two opposite perspectives as they express themselves in a person’s life and his service to Hashem, there are some people that realize that their entire existence comes from Hashem and subsequently they nullify themselves completely to fulfill His will. On the opposite spectrum, there are other individuals that might feel that they are independent entities , as they do not recognize the G-dly Spark which is within them and gives them life. As a result those people do not humble or nullify themselves in front of Hashem.
In spiritual terms and meaning, the transformation of the sea into dry land means that the tremendous revelation that is in the sea became revealed also on the dry land and even entities that until now did not recognize or see G-dliness as their source of life, now recognize the truth, and as a result nullify themselves to Hashem.
The way (or insight into how) this happened is explained as follows: generally speaking, Hashem created this world, that we (the inhabitants of the earth) would refine and elevate it that it is able to be His dwelling place. That means Hashem intentionally created the world in a manner that there is room to think or feel that Hashem is not in control of it, and we can do whatever we choose to do.
However, if even a small part of His essence is revealed, every creation in the world would automatically be nullified by His presence. So in order for the creations not to be nullified, Hashem created the world where it can feel as if it is an independent entity. The way He accomplished this was by concealing His essence before the Creation began unfolding.
The problem then would be, how would the world and all of its creations live, if the spirit of the Creator is not in them. But as noted Hashem concealed His essence that we don’t feel it, but it is there, (just hidden). In other words, only a shine (reflection) of Him is revealed in this world. And that very limited radiance is measured according to the capacity that each entity can contain.
In Chassidic terminology this is called Ohr Hamimaleh (A G-dly radiance that fills each entity to its capacity).
But then there is Ohr Hasoivev, a G-dly light that shines above the world. Meaning it is above the world, and subsequently that translates to mean, that to that level there is no difference whatsoever between one entity and the other. As a result, the same way Hashem’s greatness can shine into the sea, Ohr Hasoivev can allow and even demand that that level also should shine onto the land.[1]
But to have the ability of revealing this level of Ohr Hasoivev (which is higher than nature), into the Ohr Hamimaleh (nature), that has to come from a level that is higher than both of them. Therefore, before krias Yam Suf occurred the possuk states ויולך ה׳ את הים ברוח קדים עזה כל הלילה [2] which is translated to mean And Hashem blew an easternly wind the entire night. But while קדים does have the meaning of eastern, the common word for Eastern is מזרח, so there must be a reason why the possuk chose this word instead.
In addition, to meaning Eastern it is commonly used to express that it came before others, and quite often we refer to Hashem as kadmoino shel olam – the Entity that came before anything. So Chassidus learns from this that the power to infuse this total nullification of the “sea” into the land came from a power that is greater than both of them together, and that is Hashem’s essence before He lowered it down into creating the universe.
The reason why the Jewish people had to experience the splitting of the sea, before they were about to receive the Torah, is explained elsewhere in Chassidus, that the purpose of giving us the Torah, is that through the fulfillment of His mitzvos, we are going to refine this physical world and elevate it to the point that it becomes the dwelling place for Hashem’s essence to dwell in it.
To demonstrate that the physical and extremely limited world is able to accept this overwhelming revelation of G-dliness, and remain an entity that is both in existence, but completely nullified to Hashem, Hashem let them see this same phenomenon at the splitting of the sea.
Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.
[1] To give an example which I thought of when I taught this concept, when a person is watering his plants or fields, there normally is a difference in how much water is the person going to provide for the flowerpot, the vegetable patch, as well as to his tree orchards. This measured amount is the concept of Ohr Hamimaleh.
However, when Hashem sends rain whatever is outside is going to receive the same amount of rain. Ot as often mentioned, in the summer, the sun is going to shine on the garbage dump (which can create a horrific stench) with the same intensity as it shines on vegetation (which helps it grow). This equal amount of Radiance to everything, is Ohr Hasoivev.
[2] Shemos, 14:21.
