Achim Newsletter A Seder Thought    Greetings!   On the day before Pesach we stop eating any non-matzo (chometz) grain products by mid-morning. The schedule is as follows. The time to stop eating chometz is                   10:31 am The time to burn your chometz is no later than  11:43 am The significance of 11:43 am is that we are no longer allowed to own chometz. Candle lighting time for Baltimore; Monday evening is                                     7:09 pm Tuesday evening do not light candles before  8:19 pm I wish you a successful Seder and a wonderful holiday. Vsego khoroshego, Paysach Diskind   A Seder thought Tomorrow evening Jews across the globe will be sitting down to begin their Seder. We have been making this Seder for over 3,000 years. There are very few traditions that have been kept up in such a strong manner in course of Mankind such as the Seder.   I wish to share one thought that is very basic and critical to get the most out of this experience.   The performance of a Seder is a mitzvah like any other mitzvah. As such, let us spend a moment on understanding the power of a mitzvah. Once we have achieved that we will focus on the Seder in specific to appreciate what lies in store for us when we make our Seder.   All mitzvahs are vehicles by which we are able to create a connection with HaShem. As a parallel we will use the flowers that the husband brings home to his wife. Although the flowers are nothing more than some botanical wonder that look pretty and perhaps smell nice there is nothing spiritual about flowers. Nevertheless, when those flowers are bought with a sense of adoration and appreciation for his wife those empty botanical wonders become charged with meaning. The amount of emotional input that was placed in picking, buying and presenting those flowers will increase the emotional and perhaps spiritual impact of those flowers.   The flower analogy is only an analogy and is not a perfect model. There is a distinction between the flower and a mitzvah in that a flower has no intrinsic spiritual value whereas a mitzvah does have an intrinsic value. Nevertheless, the analogy accurately depicts how the power of the mitzvah is dependent primarily on the intentions and efforts of the individual who performs it.   That said, we can appreciate the importance of focusing our attention on the mitzvah and not doing it out of routine or just to keep the tradition going. (It is certainly better to do it out of routine than not doing at all.) Let us get the most energy we can out of this experience.   Let now go to uniqueness of the Seder in terms of its impact. I will quote from the Zohar (the Zohar is the primary source book of Jewish Kabbalah.) "Every person who talks about our exodus and rejoices in telling it over on the night of the Seder, HaShem joins in with him in that joy. At that moment HaShem gathers His heavenly court (the multitudes of angels) and tells them 'come with me and listen to the praise that My children are saying about me. Look how they rejoice in the salvation of their Master' (It is interesting to note that HaShem identifies the exodus from Egypt as His own redemption; to indicate that He was together with us in exile.) ... And if you ask; being that HaShem knows everything why is it so important to tell over the great miracles that HaShem has done for us since He already knows about it? The answer is that when we relate these miracles, His court hears about it and HaShem becomes elevated through this."   Behold! HaShem looks to us for His elevation! This notion certainly needs further explanation but it is clear that the power of the Seder is potent.   I therefore felt compelled to share this thought with you to encourage you to participate in a Seder and to do so with the joy that accompanies the realization of our great friendship and commitment to HaShem and from HaShem that we were given through this experience.   As we demonstrate how much His friendship means to us and how much we yearn to be with Him, may He also demonstrate to us as well as to the whole world how much we mean to Him and how much He yearns to be with us after all these painful and pain filled years.   Have a wonderfully sweet and kosher Pesach.   Paysach Diskind