This week's parsha discusses the mitzvah of Korban Pesach - "they shall eat the flesh on that night - roasted over the fire - and matzos; with marror shall they eat it" (Shmot 12:8). At our Pesach Seder we explain that we eat matzah in order to remember the bitterness of the bondage in Egypt. This explains why we in our generation eat marror, it does not explain why the generation which left Egypt had to eat marror - did they not experience the bitterness? Why were they in need of a reminder?

The Gemara explains that the actual physical bondage in Egypt ended the previous Rosh Hashana. This means that for a period of six months the Jewish people remained in Egypt without having to work as slaves. There exists the danger that after six months they may forget just how bad things were in Egypt. Half a year without any work may even evoke positive memories, as we see the Jewish people stating shortly after leaving Egypt: "we sat by the pot of meat, we ate bread to satiety" (Shmot 16:3). When the spies returned with their negative report about Eretz Yisrael, the Jewish people said to one another: "let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt" (Bamidbar 14:4). Apparently at that point there were those who felt that it was better in Egypt.

The people were commanded to eat marror prior to leaving Egypt because of the strong possibility of them forgetting just how bad things were and actually believing that life in Egypt was good. When we use our intellect the information remains with us for a significant amount of time unless something unusual happens. When it comes to the heart, however, feelings and emotions are fleeting. This may help explain Chazal's teaching about the difference between Torah and tefillah - Torah is chaye olam, it is eternal, while tefilla is chaye shaa - temporary, for the moment. Why is tefilla only temporary?

When we learn Torah we use our intellect, we retain the Torah we learn for many years. Those who are blessed with a good memory may even retain the information until the end of their 120 years on this earth. Tefilla, however, is from the heart. A person's emotions are subject to constant change. I can learn Gemara with the same knowledge I had yesterday, but I cannot pray with where my heart was yesterday - it is somewhere different today.  The Torah is therefore eternal while tefilla is fleeting and temporary. My prayers should be undergoing constant renewal.  I must constantly renew my feelings of gratitude to Hashem for all He gives me, for having given us Torah - what a privilege it is to be able to learn Torah.

Regarding tefilla, the most important thing is our kavana. We must feel that we are speaking to Hashem and He is listening - I want to thank Him for all He has done for me and to ask for His help in the future. Learning Torah does not require the same emotion, learning Torah requires understanding. Perhaps this explains why men have a more structured obligation with regards to tefilla - women are more emotionally-based, they do not need to have these feelings evoked as much as men do.

Tefilla is referred to as avoda shebalev - servitude of the heart, to serve Hashem with our heart. Our Pesach Seder is about feelings, about thanking Hashem for all He has done for us. On Pesach we discuss our sojourn in Egypt, what Pharaoh and the Egyptians did to us, and how Hashem saved us. Even so, there are specific actions required by the Torah - whoever does not eat a kezayis of matzah has neglected to fulfill a Torah obligation. In fact the obligations are many - in addition to eating a kezayis of matzah we are required to eat marror, drink four cups of wine corresponding to the four expressions of redemption and eat while reclining in the manner of free men.

The midrash derives the source for reclining at the Seder (heseiba) from the pasuk: "vayasev Elokim et ha-am derech hamidbar Yam Suf" "Hashem turned the people toward the way of the Wilderness to the Sea of Reeds" (see Shmot Rabba parsha 20).   How are can we explain this? The word heseiba may be from the same root as vayasev but is that a valid source for the mitzvah to recline at our Pesach Seder.

Perhaps we can explain as follows: the Torah describes the exodus from Egypt: "It happened when Pharaoh sent out the people that Hashem did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, because it was near, for Hashem said: 'perhaps the people will reconsider when they see a war, and they will return to Egypt'" (Shmot 13:17).  The Ibn Ezra asks: why would they wish to return to Egypt?  Pharaoh pursued them with only "six hundred elite chariots and all the chariots of Egypt" (Shmot 14:7), the six hundred thousand men who left Egypt presumably would have had little trouble defeating them.  The Ibn Ezra explains that the people still had the neshama of a slave - they could not imagine waging war against their master!  Hashem rerouted us because we still had the mentality of slaves, by reclining at our Seder table in the manner of free men we are able to rid ourselves of the slave mentality.

The Chinuch states a tzaddik who is coerced into doing negative deeds, even when left with no other choice will descend somewhat from his level. These deeds will affect his heart and soul and he will not be on the same level he had previously been on. By the same token, a rasha who performs mitzvos, even when coerced to do so, will improve.

HaKadosh Baruch not only commanded us to speak about yetzias Mitzrayim but gave us specific mitzvos to perform as well. In this manner, the feeling we have towards Hashem will penetrate our heart and soul. Similarly, there is a minhag on Rosh Hashana to eat apple dipped in honey so that we may have a good and sweet new year. Many eat other simanim for other reasons - a pomegranate, for example, is so that our merits will increase like the many seeds of a pomegranate.

Is the fact that we eat apple dipped in honey reason for Hashem to grant us a good and sweet new year? Will our merits increase simply because we eat a pomegranate? I can understand that Hashem will reward us for learning Torah, giving tzdaka, and performing other mitzvos, but does eating these foods really justify our being rewarded? The reason we eat the simanim is so that we keep in mind, not only during davening but while eating as well, that this is a Day of Judgment. Keeping that in mind and acting accordingly will reward us with a positive judgment and a sweet and fruitful new year.

When we pray it is not sufficient to mouth the words, we must face the Beit HaMikdash. When we say tachanun we place our heads on the table. All of these gestures help us focus on our purpose - that we are dedicating our souls to Hashem.

A person who fulfills all the mitzvoth of the Seder night - he eats matzah, drinks four cups of wine while reclining, eats afikoman and realizes that eating a kezayis of matzah is punishable with kareis yet does not internalize belief in yetzias Mitzrayim has not accomplished his main task. He may have fulfilled Hashem's command, he may have been careful not to violate any prohibitions, but what counts is what is in the heart. We must believe that Hashem smote Egypt, provided us with great miracles, took us out from the servitude of Pharaoh in order to serve Him, then all the acts of mitzvah have accomplished their purpose.

Similarly, a Shabbat observer who refrains from melacha, does not move muktzeh, makes Kiddush, and eats three meals yet does not believe that Hashem created the world in six days has missed the entire point of the Shabbat. There are many who claim that it took billions of years to create the world. We know that Hashem created the world yesh me-ayin, something from nothing. I believe that even billions of years is not sufficient time to create something from nothing. It makes no sense to say that we cannot believe the world was created in six days but must have taken longer.

The main theme of the Shabbat is the declaration that there is a Creator of the Universe, that this world is not guided by laws of nature, but by the A-lmighty. Shabbat is testimony that Hashem created the world in six days, and that He is all-powerful and He is not dependent on laws of nature or time. There are those who refuse to believe that the world was created in six days: "how can such a complex world have developed in a mere six days?", they ask. I fail to understand their question, for even billions of years would not be enough to create "yesh me-ayin" "something from nothing!". If so, can He Who Created "something from nothing" not create "something from something" in six days? There are many people, however, who do not make this simple calculation and they therefore wonder how it can be that the complex world as we know as we know it developed in a mere six days.

When Chazal analyze the creation they ask the contrary: "By ten sayings was the world created. What does the Scripture teach us?   Could it not have been created by one saying?" (Avot 5:1). Chazal were not bothered by how a world could have been created in such a short time, but rather why it took SO LONG? Why did Hashem need to create the world in stages (first the light, then the firmament, etc.), could He not simply have said "let there be a world" and the entire world would have been created at once? A government clerk receiving an hourly wage would probably spend billions of years at a task that could be done instantly, but what about the One Who is All-Powerful? He receives no salary for His work, He certainly does not need to spread the task out over a period of billions of years! What Chazal have difficulty understanding is why He required ten sayings, why did one not suffice?

Chazal answer this question of why the world was created in ten sayings and not one (see Mishna). Their answer only clarifies the need for ten sayings, it does not explain why they were not all said on the same day. Why did they need to be spread out over six days? We cannot begin to understand what Hashem was thinking when He elected to spread out the work of the creation over six days: "As high as the heavens over the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Yeshayahu 55:9). Even given our limitations, however, we can imagine what life would be like had the world been created in a single day. Our "week" would then consist of two days - the first day and then Shabbat. If any given day were either Shabbat or Erev Shabbat, the Yeshiva would be bereft of any learning! Even outside the Yeshiva, the Histadrut would demand that the days off be "bridged" together and there would be no workers in the work force! Jewish people would not be able to function in a world in which each day was either Shabbat or Erev Shabbat. Hashem, therefore spent six days creating the world and rested on the Seventh - this Baruch Hashem enables us to function.

Shabbat, as we said, is testimony that the world has a Creator and did not come about "on its own", as a result of an "explosion", or any other way.

The other nations claim that the world was created from a BIG BANG. We have seen many explosions over the years, yet they have never resulted in anything organized. "Let there be light", "let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters", "let the waters beneath the heaven be gathered into one area" these cannot result from an explosion. The simplest and most elementary book cannot be written by spilling ink and expecting the letters to arrange themselves. These things do not happen on their own, there has to have been some thought behind it. The world was created with Hashem's infinite wisdom and only one who realizes this has truly made the transition from slavery to freedom, from being a slave of nature to being spiritually free. Such a person understands that he is Hashem's servant and not a servant of anything else - one who does not understand this is a slave to the world of nature.

When observing Shabbos is accompanied by belief that Hashem created the world in six days is proper observance of Shabbos. Without this basic belief, even someone who desists from melacha and observes all the positive mitzvos has missed the point. Hashem desires our heart, our soul, not only our deeds. He provided us with positive mitzvos and aveiros to keep away from in order to strengthen our belief in the creation and in His Divine Providence.

With Hashem's help, may we observe mitzvos properly and with the proper intent and thereby merit the building of the Beis HaMikdash where we will be able to offer the Korban Pesach and fulfill the Torah obligation of partaking of it along with matzah and marror. Amen.