This&nbsp;was a &quot;Shabbos Hagadol Derasha (Sermon)&quot;&nbsp;by Rabbi YY Jacobson addressing the Young Israel of Century City, CA, on&nbsp;Sunday, 8 Nissan, 5781, March 21, 2021.

Three of the four questions we ask at the Seder are answered during the night, if only indirectly. But not the fourth question. &ldquo;On all other nights, we don&#39;t dip even once. Why on this night do we dip twice? One time, karpas&mdash;a vegetable&mdash;in saltwater; the second time, maror in charoses, bitter herbs (or Romaine Lettuce) in the sweet mixture of apples, pears, nuts, and wine.&rdquo; During the entire seder, it seems, we never get an answer to this question. What is the answer? Why do we dip twice?

There are two dips that characterize Jewish history&mdash;one was the beginning of our exile, and one created the end of our exile. Both involved blood and goats. Joseph&rsquo;s brothers dipped his coat into the blood of a goat, and that is how our exile began. The Jews dipped a hyssop plant into the goat&rsquo;s blood on the eve of Passover&mdash;and that is how redemption began! What do these two dips represent? There is the dip that creates Jewish exile; and the dip that ends it.

Of all the slanders about Jews throughout history, the Blood Libel stands out as the most insane. How could have this ever taken root? The last thing a Jew would ever eat is blood. The Torah categorically prohibits a Jew from eating blood. What is more, there is a heavenly death penalty for a Jew eating blood! Reb Elchanan Wasserman suggested a daring explanation.

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blood

karban pesach

goat

yosef's tunic

dipping twice

The Tragic Story that Came Full Circle on the Night of Pesach

Shabbos Hagadol Derasha Young Israel Century City

A Bloody Tunic: The Dip that Creates Exile; and the Dip that Ends It 

4 week series of classes on The Basics of Emunah at 20 Forshay Road, Monsey. Thursdays at 8:30pm, followed by Q A. March 16, March 23, March 30 and April 6. For Men, Women and Teenagers (separate seating). You can send questions in advance by email to&nbsp;<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 12px; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Open Sans', Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: #333333;">yyjacobson@theyeshiva.net&nbsp;or submit written questions before or during the presentation. Anonymity of the questioners will be respected. Hot food will be served. No registration of fee required.

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pesach

passover

exodus of egypt

yitzias mitzrayim

seder

Why Jews, for Millennia, Defined Their Existence By the Egyptian Exodus

The Emunah Series

Basics of Emunah #13: Is Belief in the Exodus Story Irrational?

One of the issues that has been coming up again and again in the past week during phone calls I have been having with my community, and with others from further afield, is the fact that people will be on their own for the Seder this year, or their Seder will be drastically reduced in numbers, with children or parents elsewhere, all isolated in the midst of the current coronavirus social-distancing self-quarantine situation which is so important to prevent the spread of the disease.

Some people will literally be by themselves, solitary, with no one to do the Seder with at all.

“How can we do Seder by ourselves?” they ask me. “Doesn’t the Pesach Seder need to be done with family and guests?”

I have thought about this a lot, and would like to address everyone’s concerns by sharing an extraordinary conversation with you that I had about eighteen months ago.

I just happened to be in New York at the time, and a friend of mine messaged me that his daughter had become engaged. I texted him back that I was around and would be able to attend the engagement party, and that night I drove to Monsey to celebrate the simcha.

While I was at the party, I bumped into a friend of mine, Rabbi YY Jacobson, a well-known inspirational speaker on the East Coast. I knew that Rabbi Jacobson grew up on Montgomery Street in Crown Heights, in the heart of the Chabad community, just a few blocks away from the home of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe.

There is an aspect of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe’s life that I feel is often overlooked, and we got to talking about it. The Lubavitcher Rebbe was incredibly down-to-earth, and, together with his late wife Rebbetzen Chaya Mushka, the Rebbe led a very simple life. Indeed, as hard as it may be to believe, their life together was very private.

Rabbi Jacobson often tells stories about the Rebbe when he speaks to audiences, so I asked him if he ever focuses on this particular aspect of the Rebbe’s greatness. Namely that the Lubavitcher Rebbe had no airs and graces at all, nor was he interested in the pomp and ceremony that is often the hallmark of other Hasidic leaders and ‘courts.’

“For example,” I asked Rabbi Jacobson, “do you ever tell audiences that in their sixty years of marriage, the Rebbe and his wife ate every Shabbes meal together on their own? No guests, no attendants, no public spectacle… just a married couple eating together – bringing the food in, eating, clearing the table, doing the washing up. A man who had literally tens of thousands of people at his beck-and-call! What a powerful lesson!”

Rabbi Jacobson paused for a moment, and then he smiled. “I’ve got one better for you,” he said. “A few weeks ago, I led a workshop for single mothers, and at the end of the session, I took questions from the women and encouraged them to ask any question that was on their mind. One of the ladies put her hand up, and this is what she asked me… it’s a crazy story.”

“A few months ago,” she said, “it was Pesach. The thing is, my ex-husband and I went through a very difficult breakup. After years in court over our kids, we finally settled on a shared custody arrangement, which means that we alternate Jewish holidays. This past Pesach it was my turn – my children were coming to me for Seder and I was so excited. I changed over my home for Pesach and prepared everything beautifully; it was going to be just me and the kids.”

“I was so happy about them being with me, that I told everyone: my family, my friends, my neighbors. Then, one hour before yomtov, I got a phone call from my ex – for some reason, the kids were not going to be coming. I almost fainted from shock and heartache. I was also so ashamed. I guess I could have called my parents, or I could have called my neighbors – and gone to them for the Seder. But how could I actually do that? I had told everyone my kids were coming! Truth is, I did not have the energy to even be with anyone. I felt completely and totally numb – dry and lifeless.”

“So I did the Seder by myself. On my own. It was the worst and most bitter Seder I have ever had. I just sat there crying the whole way through. Weeping. It wasn’t Pesach. It was Tisha B’Av. I did not have to eat Maror. I—my entire life!—was Maror. Yes, I went through the Haggadah and ate the Matzah; but the entire Seder took me 25 minutes.”

“Rabbi Jacobson, Did I fulfill my Seder obligation? Was it even called a Seder? Because it did not feel like a proper Pesach.”

Rabbi Jacobson told me – and believe me, as a public speaker, I know exactly what he means – sometimes your most inspirational moments in a speech are not prepared. They are a gift from God. You can prepare for hours. And then inspiration drops into your lap. Right then and there, Rabbi YY Jacobson had such a moment.

“Lady,” he said, “in 1988 the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s wife died, and he was left on his own, as they sadly had no children. She passed away in February, and two months later was Pesach. Every year the Rebbe and his Rebbetzen had Seder together, but this year he was on his own, totally by himself. Who would the Rebbe conduct the Passover Seder with?”

“I recall that a young boy, Ari Halberstam – who was later tragically gunned down on Brooklyn Bridge, in 1994 – approached the Rebbe after Maariv on the first night of Pesach and, on behalf of his mother, invited the Rebbe to his home for Seder. Ari’s family lived at 706 Eastern Parkway, just one block away from ‘770’. The Rebbe smiled at Ari. He thanked him profusely, but told Ari he would be having the Seder in his private office in ‘770’.”

“I was a yeshiva student at the time,” continued Rabbi Jacobson, “so I am a first-hand witness to this story.

“I also heard at the time that the Rebbe’s longstanding assistant Rabbi Leibel Groner offered to stay with the Rebbe, but the Rebbe sent him home to have Seder with his wife and children.”

“And so, the great Lubavitcher Rebbe – the man who inspired countless people around the world for their Seders, who personally undertook to provide a meaningful Pesach Seder for Israeli Army personnel who were on duty on the first night of Pesach via his shluchim in Eretz Yisrael, and inspired hundreds of public seders around the globe – had the Seder on his own. Not one other person was present. As the Talmud says: if you are on your own, you ask yourself the ‘Ma Nishtana’ questions, and then you answer them to yourself.”

“A few of the yeshiva boys did not go home that night; they waited outside in the street – and after a couple of hours, the Rebbe opened the door to welcome Eliyahu Hanavi and recite ‘Shefoch Chamatcha.’ He walked outside, said the prayer, and then went back inside to finish the Seder — by himself.”

“My dear lady,” said Rabbi Jacobson, “if it was good enough for the Lubavitcher Rebbe to have the Seder on his own, trust me, your Seder was perfect!”

“He could have had his Seder with 100 people, 1000 people, or 10,000 people. He personally arranged for all the public Seders in Israel to be sponsored. He was responsible for hundreds of thousands of people celebrating Pesach on Seder night, from Kathmandu to Alaska, from San Francisco to New Zealand. But at the end of the day, he went and did the Seder on his own. He didn’t need anyone else to be close to God. He didn’t need adulation. He didn’t need validation. He sat alone and relived the Exodus from Egypt.”

“I was only 15 at the time,” concluded Rabbi Jacobson, “but despite my youth, I felt sad that the Rebbe had nobody to be with for the Seder. Why did he not invite even one person to be with him? But today, after hearing your story, I may have discovered the answer—and it is just a personal feeling. As a true Jewish leader, the Rebbe wished to empower all those souls who would ever need to do their Seder alone. He wanted them to know that their solitary Passover Seder was powerful, meaningful, and real. Jewish history and the Divine presence would dwell at their Seder just as it does at a Seder that has many people there.”

Over the past couple of weeks, as the coronavirus crisis has unfolded across the world, and the reality of our isolated situations has become ever more evident – this incredible and moving story about the Lubavitcher Rebbe has been at the forefront of my mind.

This year, so many people – probably more people than at any other time in Jewish history – will be having the Seder on their own or without their families. All of our Seders will be diminished, and anxiety will be hovering in the air. And all of us will be thinking to ourselves – ‘is this really a proper Seder?’

I think Rabbi Jacobson’s story about the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1988 answers that question, and it eases any doubts we may have about our impending ‘depleted’ experience. After all, “if it was good enough for the Lubavitcher Rebbe to have the Seder on his own, trust me, your Seder is going to be just perfect!”

Images: The Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l burns chometz on Erev Pesach 5748/1988; with many thanks to Rabbi YY Jacobson, who was kind enough to check through a draft of this article to ensure accuracy.

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Pini Dunner&nbsp;is the Rabbi of Young Israel, Beverly Hills, Ca. This is a story about Pesach 1988, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, shortly after the passing of his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka,&nbsp;conducted a Pasover Seder by himself.

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lubavitcher rebbe

quarantine

coronavirus

ari halberstam

pesach seder

I Was So Sad that the Rebbe Would Do the Seder Alone

Pesach Essay

When the Lubavitcher Rebbe Self-Quarantined for the Seder

The current Covid-19 crisis has made many of us feel deeply vulnerable and feaful. Yet, every crisis comes with opportunity. How can we prepare for the Festival of Freedom amid such pain, tragedy and anxiety?

Join Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson for a transformative lecture. Learn how to turn fear into strength and vulnerbility into empowerment.

This live lecture was presented on Sunday, 11 Nissan, 5780, April 5, 2020, hosted by chabad.org

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haggada

all night

reb akiva

reb eliezer

benei berak

bnei berak

Faith, Tears and Hope During the Coronavirus

Coronavirus Perspectives/Passover Inspiration 

Transform Fear Into Empowerment

Rabbi YY Jacobson delivered this Pesach lecture, on Thursday evening, 6 Nissan 2016, April 14, 2016, on the subject of: How Do We Address the Four Sons of the Hagaddah in Our Own Homes and Communities?

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four sons

The Holy Child; the Angry Lad; the Spineless Youngster and the Apathetic One

How to Address the Four Sons in Our Own Homes & Communities

Tips for Your Pesach Seder. This lecture was presented 10 Nissan 5777, April 6, 2017, at Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY

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seder of pesach

How Do I Run an Inspiring and Meaningful Seder?

Your Stress-Free Pesach Seder

Mah Nishtana? Why is this year different from all other years?

That in all other years, families and communities unite at the Passover table. This year, so many of us are alone.

That in all other years, our synagogues are bustling with people during the holiday. This year, our houses of worship are silent.

That in all other years, the days before Passover are filled with excitement, in addition to the stress. This year, we are reeling in the face of devastating tragedies. This seder is conducted in the shadow of solitariness and pain.

That in all other years, we begin our seder with the declaration, “whoever is in need, let him come and eat.” This year, our doors are locked.

How do we conduct a seder in the presence of a Covid-19? Here are the 15-steps of the Passover Seder for 2020.

Kadesh -- recite the Kiddush, invite sanctity into your life:

Designate a space in your psyche that is always wholesome, sacred, pure, innocent, and child-like. Go back to your core—to that place in your soul which even the coronavirus can’t destroy. When all external layers are shed, who are you in your essence?

Urchatz -- wash your hands:

Wash your hands again and again, physically and emotionally. Being quarantined gives me an opportunity to clean my hands from all forms of un-cleanliness. Cleanse your life from lying, cheating, betraying, immoral relationships, destructive addictions, etc.

Karpas -- eat a vegetable dipped in salt water:

The vegetable growing low from the ground symbolizes the body, created from earth (adamah). Dip your body into the waters of authentic wisdom, inspiration and Torah. See your body as a conduit for your soul; a channel for you to fulfill your mission in this world.

Yachatz -- break the matzah:

Humility and vulnerability is the message of this fourth step. Strip yourself from pompousness and haughtiness. Get real. During this period, allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Magid -- recite the Haggadah:

Tell the story of our people. We have been around for 4000 years, enduring every conceivable plague in history—and we are still here. We were sustained by the power of love, hope and faith.

Rochtzah -- wash your hands:

Wash your hands, yet again.

You see, 2000 years ago the Rabbis wanted us to wash our hands at least twice during he seder!

Motzei -- recite the blessing HaMotzi, “He extracted bread from the earth:”

Do not take your life for granted. You have bread on the table, it came from grain, which grew in the fields. You will eat it, your digestive system will break it apart, and your 30 trillion red blood cells will carry its nutrients to trillions of cells. Be mindful of the miracle of life, and say thank you.

Matzah -- recite the blessing on the matzah and eat it:

The Talmud describes matzah as "bread of poverty," pristine flower and water without yeast. This is what we consume on the night of our liberation, because freedom happens when I can discover who I am at my core, without all the accessories.

Maror -- eat the bitter herbs:

Feel the pain and the bitterness, and the jumble of emotions that come with this pandemic. Cry for the people suffering, reeling from loss or illness. During the coming days and weeks, phone each day five lonely people and offer them love and empathy. Tell them you are thinking of them and praying for them.

Korach -- eat a sandwich of matzah and maror (in ancient times together with the Passover lamb):

Life is a roller-coaster of beautiful and rich moments (Passover lamb), bland moments (unleavened matzah), and painful moments (bitter herbs). As a virus rages, we must learn how to sandwich all of life into a single mosaic. We cry for the pain and the loss, but we also celebrate the silver linings, and are grateful for all the blessings.

Shulchan Orach – set the table and eat the festive meal with your loved ones:

Coronavirus sent us all home—for a long period of time. Apparently, G-d wants us to do some work in this quarantined region we call home. Do I need to work on my marriage? Do I need to enhance my relationships with my children? Do I need to learn to relax? Do I need to let go? Can we just sit around the table and bond?

Tzafun -- eat the hidden afikoman:

At this point in the Seder, we eat the hidden Afikoman. During this crisis of Covid-19, we are each given an opportunity work on our inner skeletons and change ourselves from within. There are emotional and spiritual viruses in me which I must tackle and extricate.

Beirach -- recite grace:

Show gratitude. Meditate and say thank you for all the blessings in your life, from your lungs inhaling, to having a bed to sleep on.

Halel -- recite psalms of praise:

Every breath you take and every move you make is an opportunity for praise and thanksgiving. One invisible virus changed the entire world. How many things must go right every day, every second, for our planet to function normally?

Nitrtzah – Our service is pleasing to our Divine Creator:

Our lives are not random. Even a mad virus is not arbitrary. Every moment has purpose; every one of our lives is part of the cosmic symphony. Ask yourself, I’m I fulfilling the purpose of my creation?

G-d's desire in creating the world was that we build a personal, intimate relationship with Him and that we transform our animal soul and our world into a Divine abode, into a world of goodness, kindness and love.

Next year in Jerusalem!

Published for Passover 2020. Why Is This Year Different from All Other Years?

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15 steps

Why Is This Year Different from All Other Years?

Pesach Essay 

Coronavirus Seder: 15 Meditations

This Women&#39;s class exploring the Four Questions of the Passover Seder was presented&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;11 Nissan, 5778,&nbsp;March 27, 2018, at Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY

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pharaoh

exodus from egypt

exile redemption

thief

choosing values

stealing afikoman

personal freedom

inner freedom

megilah

Identify Pharaoh's Voice in Your Head, and You Will Set Yourself Free

Women's Pesach Class

You're a Loser! Your Life Must Remain Miserable

This class was presented to women on Tuesday, 1 Nissan 5777, March 28, 2017, at Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY. It is part 1 of a 2-part series exploring the 15 steps of the Passover seder in our personal lives.

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15 Steps Toward Personal Emancipation

Your Psychological Seder #1

This class was presented to women on Tuesday, 8 Nissan 5777, April 4, 2017, at Ohr Chaim, Monsey, NY. It is part 2 of a 2-part series exploring the 15 steps of the Passover seder in our personal lives.

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your psychological seder

Your Psychological Seder #2

This women&#39;s class was presented on Tuesday&nbsp;Parshas Metzorah, 4&nbsp;Nissan, 5779, April 9, 2019 at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY

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slavery

matzah

freedom

afikoman

ha lachma anya

happiness

beis habchira

hagadah

bais habchira

Why Do We Begin Our Seder With a Declaration That We Are Slaves?!

I Am a Thief

This Women&#39;s class exploring the Four Questions of the Passover Seder was presented&nbsp;on Tuesday, 4 Nissan, 5778,&nbsp;March 20, 2018, at Ohr Chaim shul, Monsey, NY

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four questions

maror

mah nishtana

presence of mind

living in the now

humility

plasticity

The Secret of the Mah Nishtana

The Four Questions Are Really Four Answers

The "four questions" we ask at the seder represent a four step program toward inner liberation. Step 1: Willingness to change. Step 2: Transcending a false sense of self. Step 3: Tuning in to the anguish of the soul. Step 4: Allowing the liberated soul to permeate our existence.

The Four Questions in the Kabbalah

A Four-Step Program toward Personal Liberation

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