ELEVATING THROUGH THE STEPS OF THE SEDER

Topic: Holidays & Time Zones

Pesach is not, as we know, actually the commemoration of an historical event, but rather, as the Zohar teaches us, is the time when the Light of Freedom, the Light to be completely separated from all forces of negativity, darkness, pain, suffering, and death, is available to us. The ability to separate ourselves completely from that darkness is available for every single one of us.

Therefore, when we come to the Pesach Seder, we must keep in mind that there is nothing we are doing that does not have a purpose. And at its simplest level, the Zohar teaches us it is both the physical tools - the wine, the Matzah and the other ones that we use, and the consciousness - the words, the codes that we use, which can awaken and bring to every single one of us the Light and ability to completely remove ourselves from all forces of negativity. True freedom is available.

My father, Rav Berg, talked at length about the 15 stages, or steps, of the Seder. And it is important during the Seder to also remember what Rav Berg always told us: consciousness is everything. If we think what we are doing is not important, then it is not important, it will not awaken the Light that is available in these tools, codes, and actions. So, collectively, when we are at the Seder, no matter how beginning or advanced we are in our studies, we need to put our certainty in these tools, these 15 steps, numerically equal to Yud Hei, which represents the highest level of connection. These 15 steps, if we have the consciousness and use the tools, will elevate every single one of us, to one degree or another, beyond the realm of the Negative Side, the force of pain, suffering, and death.

As such, we are about to embark on a very important work. We know that the purpose of every single one of the tools, actions, and steps is to elevate us out of the realm of the world that we usually live in, the world where there is always also darkness, pain, suffering, and death. Each one of these ancient tools that are infused with tremendous power - the wine, the Matzah, the codes that are in the Haggadah - has a purpose: to assist us in elevating out of that realm of darkness, pain, and suffering into what the Zohar calls a complete unification with the totality of the Light of the Creator. And it is not only the seriousness and consciousness with which we do this work, but also, the joy with which we do it, that will enable us to completely receive the totality of the tremendous gifts and Light that are available to us during Pesach.

During the Seder, each of the 15 steps has a name that is a code which awakens the Light of that stage. The two main tools are the wine and the Matzah, which have a very powerful and spiritual essence to them. What happens during the first stage, the kabbalists teach, is that there is a tremendous infusion of the Light of the Creator, so powerful that it is unnatural and that any negativity attached to us has to let go; the Light is that powerful and overwhelming.

This is what happened in Egypt thousands of years ago, and this is what is reawakened on Pesach.