Last week I wrote about the importance of celebrating the traditions of Pesach in their appropriate times (ie. drinking the wine and eating the Matzah and Marror after nightfall).

 

I want to clarify and elaborate.

 

Each of us is made of body and soul.  Which is more important?

 

This is a question that really doesn’t have an answer.  In yiddish we would say “es ventz zich vu men redt”, which loosely translated would be it depends what we are talking about.  

If we are talking about which has a stronger G-d consciousness, it would be the soul.  If we are talking about which of the two is the purpose of our existence it would be the body.  We weren’t placed on this earth to perfect or refine the soul, since it was perfect in its original form – as it is a part of G-d.  The purpose is the body and in fact the body has a higher spiritual source (you can check out a deep Chasidic discourse here on the topic).

 

In fact the question is a silly question because we need both and one without the other just doesn’t function.  A soul without a body has no purpose on this earth and a body without a soul is just a piece of meat (excuse me).

 

But once we bring the two together we have a living being that can do amazing things; powered by the soul anchored and actualized by the body.

 

The Seder, like every Mitzvah, has a body and a soul.  The body of the Mitzvah is the act with all of its technical details.  In this case the eating of the Matzah, Wine and Marror as per above, in the correct time and on the correct day.  The Soul of the Mitzvah is the purpose, the connection and all of the other warm special components that make up the energy of that Mitzvah.  In the case of the Seder night, it is the telling of the story, reflecting on the meaning of the Exodus, engaging the children in a joyous manner to share and be shared with.  

 

One without the other is incomplete.   So this Pesach when you sit down to your Seder make sure you bring all of you, both body and soul to the Mitzvah.

 

A happy and liberating Pesach to you and yours and a Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Eliyahu Schusterman