The holiday of Passover has two major names: Pesah and Hagh HaMassoth (Passover and the Festival of the unleavened bread).
The Ben Ish Hai, in his work Ben Ish Hayil, raises the following question: What do these two names symbolize? What message do they relay?
Hagh HaPesah represents the Pascal Lamb, a reminder of the miracle that took place on the eve of the fifteenth of Nisan, our redemption from Egypt. Our status changed from slaves to Bene Horeen (free people).
Hagh HaMassoth on the other hand, symbolizes slavery. Massah is the bread of affliction, which is what our forefathers ate in Egypt as slaves.
Our sages of blessed memory told us that when King David minted his coins, he made a point of engraving a tower on one side of the coin and a backpack with a stick on the other side. Needless to say, the tower represented power and royalty, while the stick and backpack were symbolic of his past as a shepherd. The kings of the world however, would only engrave that which portrayed their strength and might.
Why did King David do this?
He wanted to ensure that even in his greatest moments, ruling as a king, he would always remember where he came from and who he was earlier in life - a shepherd!
So too, on the night of the seder when we celebrate our freedom by eating the Qorban Pesah (Pascal Lamb), we remember who we are and where we came from. We eat the Massah, the bread of affliction, to remind us of our slavery.
This is precisely why we refer to this holiday by these two names: Pesah and Hagh HaMassoth; so we can always remember and never forget who we are and where we came from.
My dear friends, I commend you for finding a minute in the midst of your busy schedule to grow spiritually. May we join the Seder table knowing our value as free people, yet remembering ourselves as slaves.
May this holiday mark a significant milestone in our path of spiritual elevation.
