We fulfill the mitzvah of remembering the exodus every day by reciting the parsha of Vayomer at the end of Shema. On the night of Pesach we were given an additional mitzvah of "Vihagadata l'vincha," to tell the story of the redemption to our children.

There is a significant difference between zechira (remembering)and sipur (telling). Rav Chaim Soloveitchik explains that there is no specific format to fulfill the daily commemoration. However, sipur is performed by beginning with the negative and progressing to the positive. In addition, to fulfill the mitzva of zechira you need only to mention the exodus. Regarding sipur, "Kol hamarbeh l'saper harei zeh meshubach,"there is always something to add.

Magid begins with Ha lachma anya, this is the bread of affliction. It seems odd that we invite guests in the middle of the seder. Why not a day or two before? Rav Soloveitchik explains that it's not really an invitation but a declaration. We are expressing the Jewish attitude towards suffering. This is the bread of affliction. We were hungry in Egypt, and so we will make sure that no one goes hungry again.

"This year we are here and next year we will be free." Unlike galut mitzrayim which was meant to be 400 years, in our current exile the redemption is within our power. We can repent and Hashem will bring us back. If we merit, the geulah can come at any given point. Our situation is different now and we celebrate the fact that it is in our hands.

Tofulfill the mitzva of sipur yetziat mitzraim we acknowledge and rejoice in the past. Our focus, however, is on what is necessary to ensure our future. The exodus from Egypt is only the foundation. Our continued existence is guaranteed through ongoing commitment to Torah. This explains why the stories of Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya appear in the Hagadah. On the surface they don't seem to belong there, since they only refer to zechira, not to sipur. Rav Chaim Soloveitchik explains that one can fulfill the mitzvah of sipur by studying Torah that relates to yetziat mitzrayim.

In the Hagadah, we say in response to the rasha (evil son)that had he been there he would not have been redeemed. Rav Moshe Feinstein teaches that we cannot give up on a Jew. A rasha who is exposed to the light of Torah has the ability to return. In Egypt, however, before the giving of the Torah, the rasha was lost.

We raise the second cup of wine and thank Hashem for both our physical and spiritual redemption. We are grateful for the transformation from slavery to Paro to servants of Hashem. The whole ritual of the seder, where one must follow a prescribed series of actions, appears to be the opposite of freedom. Yet this very order creates within us inner freedom and brings us closer to Hashem.

A major theme of Magid is hakarat hatov, expressing gratitude to Hashem. We say in the Hagadah, "Tzei u'lemad" (Go and learn). Gratitude requires a limud (deep thought). It is not always apparent. Rav Meir Shapiro explains the verse, "Halelu et Hashem kol goyim." The nations will praise Hashem. Why will they especially praise Hashem? The non-Jews will acknowledge how many times Hashem foiled their plans and saved us without our knowledge.

In Parshat Ki Tavo, the Torah states "Arami oved avi." Lavan wanted to kill us. We don't find this in Bereishit, where Lavan is first introduced. We were not even aware at that time of his intentions to destroy our family.

On the seder night, as we thank Hashem for the wonders of the redemption and for all His continued kindness, let us remember all the hidden miracles too.

When the Jews left Egypt, they were freed from bondage. Moreover, they became bnei melachim, elevated princes. The Shem Mishmuel explains that true rulership means dominion over oneself and the Jewish people were given this power on Pesach.

The Hebrew word for ruler, melech, contains three letters: mem, lamed, chaf. These letters represent moach - brain, lev - heart, kaved - liver. The human soul has three parts: nefesh, ruach, neshama. Nefesh - the lowest level of the soul is centered in the liver, which purifies the blood. The ruach - spirit is the house of emotions, which reside in the heart. The highest faculty, the neshama, is the intellect which is housed in the mind.

Who is a king? Someone who controls his thoughts, emotions, and biological drives. When the Jewish people left Egypt and accepted the Torah they gained control over these three levels of being.

There are three fundamental entities: soul, time, and place. Every energy that Hashem put into creation is contained in these three things. The soul has three levels. Holiness in time is also tri-dimensional: Shabbat, Yom Tov, and Rosh Chodesh. Shabbat, the most elevated time, parallels the neshama - the intellect, which is the highest faculty of man. Yamim tovim are days of the ruach, the heart. They are an emotional experience. There is a special mitzvah of simchat haregel - to take pleasure and joy in the spiritual gifts given to us during these days. Rosh Chodesh, though, is a regular weekday. It parallels the nefesh - the basic life force. It is a day of instinctual desire for closeness to Hashem.

The beit hamikdash is the neshama, the highest form of holiness in the world. Yerushalayim is the lev - the heart. It is the source of inspiration, where the love of Hashem comes forth. The land of Israel is the nefesh - the life force that sustains creation.

Within our brain too, there is a triple division. The left, right, and back parallel the three levels of the soul. The back is the basic life force - the nefesh. The cerebellum, with its left and right sides, is the center of intellect and emotion.

Within neshama there is a further subdivision into nefesh, ruach, and neshama. This is also true within the other two levels of the soul. During the enslavement of Egypt every level of the Jewish soul was subjugated. The Jewish people were so enveloped in Egyptian culture that they were like a fetus completely engulfed in its mother's womb.

The Torah speaks about three entities of Egypt: Paro, the king of Egypt, and the land of Egypt which subjugated the Jews. They represent the three levels of the soul. The land and people of Egypt dominated the Jews on their most basic level - nefesh. They stamped out their emotions. The king of Mitzrayim squashed all level of Jewish spirit - ruach. Paro captured the Jewish people's brain. He subjugated their neshama. When they finally left Egypt they were born anew. They could now function completely with all three levels of the soul.

There were ten plagues. Ten is a mystical number. It parallels the ten statements Hashem used to create the world. The Jewish people were reborn in the process of the exodus, externally and internally. The ten plagues were ten pronouncements of Hashem to recreate the world, to make it a place in which justice would rule over evil. Torah gave us freedom on the root level of our souls. We became princes and we could now rule over our instincts, emotions and thoughts.

Hashem formulated a plan to create the world in Tishrei but he didn't actualize it until Nissan. Adam was formed on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the month of the exodus. In this month, there would be a new level of creation that would produce the Jewish people and the Torah and give man true freedom to control himself.

The Jewish people were led out by three redeemers - Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. They represent the three levels of the soul. The neshama, the intellect, corresponds to Moshe, who brought Hashem's word to us in the most intellectual way. Aharon was the heart of the Jewish nation. Miriam was the nefesh - the instinctual life force of Israel. She took care of the physical needs of the people. The water in the desert came in her merit. Just as water rises up from the ground, Miriam took the root level of Israel and elevated it to Hashem.

We eat pesach, matzah, and marror on Pesach. Pesach, an animal sacrifice, represents the fundamental life force that is dedicated to Hashem. The maror is the bitterness of the exile and the joy and sweetness of redemption, which relates to the heart of Israel. The matzah is the neshama - the exodus, the freedom of our minds to think and ponder the greatness of Hashem and to delve into Torah. The Jews were redeemed in Nissan, the month of creation. This is represented by the Hebrew word for spring, Aviv, beginning with the letters aleph and bet, which signify starting again. Hashem made the world come alive in this month to parallel Jewish rebirth.

May we merit to taste the sweetness of freedom, to appreciate the gift of the exodus and the Torah, and to experience the ruach, nefesh, and neshama in their fullest way.

Small matters played an inordinate role in the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people. Three seemingly insignificant acts: not altering their attire, not changing their names, and not speaking the Egyptian language helped the Jews merit salvation. Similarly, the minor act of spreading the blood of the korban pesach on the lintels of their doors saved them from the plague of the firstborns. We also find this theme in the laws of Pesach. The smallest speck of chometz (leavened bread) cannot be nullified.

In Az Yashir, we say, "Nachita b'chasdecha am zu ga'alta. You (Hashem) led, with your kindness, this nation that you have redeemed." Small acts of chesed (kindness) brought the redemption. Although the Jewish people suffered greatly in Egypt, they sought to help each other in every way they could. When Hashem saw their incredible compassion, he responded in kind.

Chazal say, Hashem never awards greatness to an individual until He tests him with minor matters. We see this particularly in regard to chesed. People run after the major chasadim and fewer people are willing to volunteer for smaller deeds. But those insignificant acts of kindness breed greatness.

Small deeds have the potential to reap great dividends. The Midrash relates how Moshe carried one of his lost thirsty sheep back to his flock on his shoulder. When Hashem saw this exceptional compassion he said, "He will be the shepherd of my people." Before Hashem created Adam and Chava he prepared a beautiful world for them. When we arrange our home in an inviting way so that guests feel welcome, we emulate His ways. Although he appeared to be far away, Batya stretched out her hand to save Moshe.

Rav Kaheneman was one of the key figures in the renaissance of Torah learning after the Holocaust. His motto was, "The return will always be greater than the investment, provided you stretch out your hand." And indeed he was the living embodiment of this.

At the end of his life, Rav Zisha said, "I'm not worried if they will ask me why I didn't have the chesed of Avraham, the perspicuity of the Vilna Gaon, or the courage of Yitzchak. I'm only worried that they'll ask me why I didn't become Zisha, why I didn't accomplish what I could have.

We must never downgrade a small act. We should not downplay our personal significance in any situation Hashem places us. Rather we should utilize the skills we have been given to help others, one small step at a time.