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Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner, the Izhbitzer Rebbe, was well known
for his profound and uniquely insightful approach to the teachings of
Chassidus. This approach was further developed by his students --
such great men as Reb Tzaddok HaCohen of Lublin, Rabbi Leibel
Eiger, and the Izhbitzer Rebbe's son, Rabbi Yaakov Leiner, the
author of the Beis Yaakov. The following is a translation of
an excerpt from the Izhbitzer Haggadah, by Rabbi Yaakov
Leiner.
Rabbi Yaakov Leiner of Izhbitz
The holy Tikuney Zohar says: "Rabbi Elazer asked Rabbi Shimon, 'How many times does the Torah mention the exodus from Egypt, and why does the Holy One praise it so much?' Rabbi Shimon answered, 'So that we should know that their exile was not just one of physical enslavement. Their entire consciousness was sunk in the lowest desires of Egypt. The Torah mentions the exodus fifty times, each time using slightly different words, to hint at the many different illicit desires that they had sunken into. But G-d separated and delivered them from all of these desires.'" This is what the Haggadah means when it says, "If G-d had not taken us out of Egypt, we and our children and our children's children would still be slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt." Not that all the subsequent generations would have actually remained there. Rather, the explanation is as follows. Every person has with him, in potential, all the future generations that will ever emerge from him. The children that will be born are merely a revelation of the thoughts already deep within him. Once these thoughts are revealed in the world as offspring, they give birth to grandchildren, who also existed in potential, and were only waiting for their own time to emerge. This is why G-d so praises the exodus from Egypt -- that we should realize from just where we were delivered. The generation of the exodus was so deeply sunken in the desires of Egypt that we ourselves were actually trapped there! The force of evil in which they were trapped was so great that we too were enslaved, even though we were not yet born! This is why every Jew in every generation must regard himself as though he personally came out of Egypt; for just as we were all included in our forefathers, we were also enslaved in Egypt. G-d actually took us out as well, from slavery to eternal freedom.
The Arizal (R. Isaac Luria) explains that the Hebrew word for Passover, Pesach can actually be read as two words, peh sach, "the mouth speaks." For on Pesach, we open our mouths to sing songs of praise to the Almighty. This is because Pesach is "the time of our freedom." There are many different levels of the soul At the very highest level, the soul is completely free, as we declare each day in the morning prayer, "G-d, the soul You have given me is pure." That is, ultimately, the soul exists without any limitations whatsoever, and only stands and gazes at the Source of Being. Whatever G-d wants from it, it immediately does without hesitation. This is unlike a person who is accustomed to a particular form of behavior, so that when he wants to change in a way contrary to his custom, he must force himself to do so. Even if he is ready to comply with whatever G-d wants of him, he still must exert some effort to change direction. A person who is walking east, for example, and wants to walk west must still turn himself around. The soul, however, does not need to turn around at all. Just as it easily acts in one fashion, it just as easily acts in the opposite manner. It does not cling to any particular direction but only to the will of G-d. However, as it descends from one level of existence to the next, it becomes subject to increasingly greater limitations, until it becomes bound to one particular perspective. At the very lowest level, the soul is completely enslaved and cannot turn in any other direction. This level is termed slavery, because one particular attitude has taken complete hold of it. For example, a person whose nature it is to be compassionate, will find it impossible to be cruel even when necessary, such as towards evil. This lowest level is termed "the mouth." As the Talmud says, "The mouth concludes" (Brachos 61a). A thought, for example, is something unbound. But when thoughts fall into worldly desires, they become subjugated to that particular desire. When this desire is actually expressed in words, the enslavement is complete. However, Pesach is called peh sach -- the mouth speaks. This is the time when we leave the state of slavery and stand before G-d. Then, the soul, on all of its levels, is free to come before Him -- the mouth speaks -- and even the very lowest level sings praises to the Almighty.
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