The Second Seder Experience

The Ariza"l teaches that we have two days of Yom Tov outside of Israel as we need more time to absorb all of the spiritual energy of the holiday. I decided therefore, that while our First Seder had been focused on the story of the performance of the Mitzvos of the night, I wanted our Second Seder to be focused on each person's own personal Exodus from challenges they are facing.

We had begun heading on that direction last year when we focused the second night on the idea of Mitzrayim representing meitzarim boundaries. We gave each participant in our Seder the opportunity to discuss what self-limiting boundaries they are creating in their lives and what they can do to move beyond those boundaries. We moved beyond that this year.
Before I broke the Middle Matzo I mentioned that the middle represents the heart. In order for us to really change, the first step is to break open our heart so that it is fertile ground for change. Initially, all we are left with is a small part of our heart, we have not yet experienced the Exodus. The larger part is hidden away until we earn it back through the work we do at the Seder.
The four questions represent how we experience things in our lives:

1. On all other nights we eat Chometz and Matzo. Chometz represents the ego. How often do we not all ourselves the opportunity to really be full-present and enjoy experiences because we allow our ego to interfere. Who is watching me? What are people going to say. Will I be thanked?
2. On all other night we eat all sorts of vegetables. We allow ourselves to be faced constantly with a whole salad of attention-grabbing distractions in our lives, which rob us of the opportunity to focus upon and really experience any one of them. Tonight it is only Marror. Just one thing on which to focus.
3. On all other night we do not even dip once. Dipping is a luxury, it represents eating in style. How often do we not allows ourselves to pamper ourselves and enjoy what we are doing? Tonight, we will dip twice and really enjoy.
4. How often do we reclining while eating. Reclining in Talmudic times represents a decision to participate fully in a meal. How often do we rush through things, not allow ourselves to experience them fully?

We then took time to allow all participants to share which of these challenges was meaningful to them, and what they needed to be mindful of in order to change things.

We then turned to the Four Sons and understood them to symbolize how people respond to trying circumstances:

1. The Wise Son wants to know what to do. No matter what the challenge he is always ready to respond.
2. The Wicked Son turns around and asks why someone else isn't doing something to solve the problem. With that attitude he never would have gotten out of Egypt.
3. The Simple Son asks, "What's this?" He needs more information so that he can figure out how to respond.
4. The last son is frozen with fear. He needs someone else to help him out to deal with the situation as he is powerless on his own.

Again, we allowed each participant an opportunity to discuss their own experiences, challenges and successes.

Finally, we focused on the three central themes of the Hagaddah and how we relate to God's presence in our lives. 

1. Pesach represents the time when things occur and we seem to have been singled out. For good or for bad.
2. Matzo represents the law on unintended circumstances. They thought they were making bread, they ended up with Matzo with some long-term consequences
3. Marror, the Talmud says that it starts out Bitter and ends up sweet. How many times do we see things only negatively and can't see that they are the seeds of something better in the future.

Once again participants shared their feelings around these themes.

A meaningful time was had by all.

Double Freedom

Rav Kook in Ain Aya, his commentary on the Aggadic portions of Tractate Baerachos, says as follows:
Redemption from slavery to freedom as a rule, manifests itself in two ways. First is the inner freedom
that one feels his soul uplifted. That he has left the lowliness of servitude and become a free person, his own boss. The second is the act that is evident to all that he is a free person, living and acting. For Klal Yisroel there is one other additional benefit, the inner freedom leads the way to personal completion including character sanctification through Torah, its commandments and wisdom. This externally evident freedom stands as a light unto the nations as is already occurring to a great extent these days and will be completed at the time that God has mercy on His nation.
Therefore the redemption was divided into two parts. The internal  redemption of the Jewish nation from Egypt was at night. There was no need for anyone else to be aware of it, only the good internal feeling of their freedom. But they left in the day with an outstretched arm, visible to all of humanity to demonstrate an act visible to the world so all those created in God's image could all have the opportunity to shine in the light of God. "And the Nations will walk in your light, and Kings to the light of your shine."