Pesach (פסח) — Passover

Core definition

Pesach — the festival commemorating the Exodus from Egypt — is, in the corpus's Chassidic reading, the festival of dilug, the leap. "This is the whole main matter of Pesach: that it is the great dilug (leap) of the supernal mochin — that they should dwell in the heart of Ze'ir Anpin of Atzilus, without first coming into the straits of the throat" [60801/maamar_024 :: §3356]. Everything about the festival's metaphysics follows from this: unlike the rest of the year, when revelation descends by gradation (hishtalshelut), on Pesach the mochin of Abba and Imma come "from concealment to revelation in the heart of Ze'ir Anpin" directly — "like a king freed from prison chains" [60801/maamar_024 :: Page summary (p. 3400)].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Yetzias Mitzrayim above. The supernal parallel of the Exodus is worked out through the anatomy of revelation: the mochin of Abba and Imma normally connect in "the throat's straits" through voice — "the voice of Havayah is upon the waters," the seven voices of Havayah awakening the mochin. "This is Yetzias Mitzrayim: the supernal mochin leaving the exile of their constricted garments, revealed in the heart without the garment of voice" — "the going-out of the mochin from the straits of the throat, that they should be in the heart as in the brain, without straits at all" [60801/maamar_024 :: §2708, §3347–3400]. This is the meaning of "kol dodi hinei zeh ba medaleg" (Shir HaShirim 2:8) — "the voice of my beloved — behold, he comes leaping": what all year needs the voice to awaken intention "now came revealed, in a leap — effecting Israel's dilug in avodah" — "to go out from Mitzrayim" [60801/maamar_024 :: §3595–3621].

The Seder's "out-of-order" order. Because "Pesach is named for the dilug, which has no gradation," the Seder's order is deliberately non-sequential: "the cup of Kiddush, which is the gadlus (expanded consciousness) of Abba," comes first, and only afterward karpas and matzah, which are katnus (constricted consciousness) — whereas Sefiras HaOmer "proceeds strictly in order, counting seven weeks level by level" [60801/maamar_024 :: §26–29, §441]. The kavanos: after the evening prayer the mochin withdraw from Ze'ir Anpin, "then afterward they draw the gadlus of Abba through the cup of Kiddush, while the other three cups are from Imma"; "through the matzah is drawn the mochin of the katnus of Abba" [60801/maamar_024 :: §2006–2169]. Two reasons for Kiddush first: since "there is no order and gradation at all in Pesach," the gadlus naturally precedes; and "the small light of katnus would have been swallowed in the Mitzrayim of kelipah — Pharaoh grips the throat's straits — so the great light of Kiddush comes first to nullify the straits" [60801/maamar_024 :: §3610–3917]. Hallel is completed on the night of Pesach "because of the twofold gadlus drawn into Ze'ir Anpin" [60801/maamar_024 :: §2006].

Matzah, the bread of faith. "Matzah is the katnus of Abba: as the infant knows to call 'Abba' only after tasting grain — for taste is Chochmah — matzah, tasteless, is 'the bread of faith': faith above taste and reason, the close-seeing of Chochmah concealed in katnus." "Matzah without leaven is the bitul of the power of mah — the essence of Abba; leavened bread is only the 'yesh' of Chochmah" [60801/maamar_024 :: §3917–4225].

Pesach vs. Sefiras HaOmer vs. Shavuos. On Pesach, Israel "left the forty-nine gates of impurity and drew Divinity 'with exceeding strength,' beyond their measure — hence the essence of the mochin shone in their hearts in a leap, without the throat's straits." Sefiras HaOmer then draws that revelation gradually: "the state of the brightness of the mochin of Abba ve'Imma that shine in Ze'ir Anpin in the dilug of Pesach will be drawn, in each one of Yisrael, through Sefiras HaOmer" — "tis'peru" is from the language of behirus (brightness) [60801/maamar_024 :: §4229–4363]. The parable: the baal teshuvah's sudden awakening "has no gradation — from one extreme to the other he forgets himself entirely — and only later does his avodah become ordered" [60801/maamar_024 :: §4225].

Key distinctions

Pesach vs. Sefiras HaOmer. Pesach: dilug — the great light comes first, without order; Sefirah: seder — the same light drawn gradually, "in each one of Yisrael," as behirus [60801/maamar_024 :: §3356–4363].

Gadlus vs. katnus in the Seder. The Kiddush cup: gadlus of Abba; the other three cups: from Imma; matzah: katnus of Abba — the order reversed because "there is no order and gradation at all in Pesach" [60801/maamar_024 :: §2006–2169].

Chametz vs. matzah. Chametz: leavened bread, "the 'yesh' of Chochmah"; matzah: unleavened, "the bitul of the power of mah — the essence of Abba" — faith above taste and reason [60801/maamar_024 :: §3917–4225].

Related concepts

Sefiras HaOmer (the gradual drawing of Pesach's light); Shavuos; Abba and Imma (whose mochin leap on Pesach); Ze'ir Anpin (in whose heart the mochin dwell); Chametz and matzah; Teshuvah (the baal teshuvah's leap as the parable of Pesach).

Sources