“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Shemini
Mevorchim Chodesh Iyar
12th day of the Omer – Avos perek
1
20 Nissan 5781/April 9, 2021
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לרפואה שלימה נטע יצחק בן רחל
DIPPIN LOTS
As we
take leave of Pesach an proceed full-steam ahead towards Kabbolas HaTorah, I would
like to take a moment to reflect back on one part of the Seder.
The third question is: On all other nights we don’t even
dip once, but tonight we dip twice - the karpas in salt water and marror in
charoses.
Wait!
What??
On all
other nights we don’t dip? Seriously? In America it’s practically an obligation
to dip French fries in ketchup! In fact, one who doesn’t squeeze half a bottle
of ketchup onto his plate, douse his French fries in them, and then throw out
most of the ketchup, hasn’t fulfilled his societal obligation and likely has to
eat the fries again! In addition, these days, in restaurants and fast-food
joints, after choosing your meal, you then choose from an assortment of dips
and sauces to coat your sandwich.
In 2021,
eating challah without a minimum of three or four dips is practically unheard
of. (Some would argue that it may be more important than lechem mishna.) In
Monsey, Yannai’s dips on Route 59 has become legendary even outside of Monsey.
When we go somewhere for Shabbos, we’re often asked to bring Yannai dips. The
store primarily sells an assortment and wide variety of dips. The incredible selection
includes garlic, onion, babaganush, falafel, pizza, pickle, chummus, techina,
tomato, broccoli, pepper, to name just a few.
In the
Staum family, charoses was a big hit throughout Pesach. In contemporary lingo the
Staums would ‘pound’ charoses. I should add that I was, and am, the one who
makes the charoses. Before I was married, on Erev Pesach, my mother would
provide me with quite a few apples which I would hand grind before adding the
nuts and wine. I have maintained that practice until today.
This
year I made charoses, not only for the Seder in our home, which included my
in-laws, but also for my parents, who were hosting my brother and his family
and my sister and her family.
Being
that I was making charoses for so many people I knew I would need a lot of apples
and a couple of bags of crushed walnuts. It wasn’t easy hand grating all those
apples (No, I wouldn’t use a food processor. Did my great-grandmother use a
food processor in the shtetl?) but I made two big containers of charoses.
I was
quite surprised that this year most of the charoses wasn’t eaten. I realized
that every year we have more and more dips on our table throughout Pesach. The
charoses now has major competition with numerous other kosher-for-Pesach dips.
It therefore no longer takes center stage.
So, if
anything the question the child should be asking on Seder night is why are
we only dipping twice and why aren’t we dipping the marror
into chummus or babaganush?
The
early commentators explain that although we often dip our food throughout the
year, we do so during our meal. At the Seder however, we dip twice before the
meal even begins. That is what the child is asking - why are we dipping twice
before the meal even begins, which we never do at any other time of the year?
But
perhaps there is another dimension to the dipping.
The
reason we dip our food generally is that we want the food to have the taste of
the dip we are submerging it into. There’s particular enjoyment eating
something with the added taste of the dip. However, when we dip the karpas and
marror, we don’t want to overshadow the taste of the marror/karpas, only that
it should be mitigated somewhat. In fact, the halacha is that after dipping the
marror into charoses, we shake off the excess charoses.
Marror
symbolizes the challenges and pain of exile, and of life. My rebbe, Rabbi Berel
Wein, often notes that we are the only people who recite a beracha on marror.
We don’t whitewash our bitter past and we don’t whistle past the graveyard. We
confront the reality of difficult times and recognize that they are invariable.
At the same time, we also seek to find the silver lining in all our struggles.
We remind ourselves that everything G-d does is for the best and with a divine
purpose. That may not take away the pain, but it certainly adds a certain
dimension of sweetness to it.
That is
the deeper symbolism of dipping on Seder night. The child - and the child
within myself - asks why throughout the year we douse our foods with delicious
dips to add taste. But at the Seder we seek to maintain the original taste of
these bland/butter foods even while dipping it and slightly mitigating its
bitterness and blandness without eliminating it. What a strange dipping!
Where’s the kosher-for-Pesach caesar dressing?
We
answer by teaching our child that the Jewish people possess a rare combination
of realism and optimism. We don’t negate or pretend that our situation is often
bitter. Yet, at the same time, we have never stopped dipping that bitterness in
the proverbial charoses of G-d’s sweetening of the bitterness. That faith has
carried us through the darkest of times. That rare combination is part of the
secret to our eternity.
By the
way, if anyone would like some charoses or a few boxes of machine matzah, let
me know. Hurry, this offer is only valid while supplies last.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
R’ Dani and Chani Staum