Rosh Chodesh Nisan 5769

...reprinted from email

AS HEARD FROM RABBI AVIGDOR MILLER ZT’L

“You shall observe the month of Springtime (aviv) and perform the Pesach offering for Hashem, your

G-d, for in the month of Springtime Hashem your G-d, took you out of Egypt at night” (Devarim 16:1)

Now I am going to tell you what the Alter of Slabodka, R’ Noson Zvi Finkel, said on this pasuk.

The Alter asked, “why does the Torah tell us that we left Egypt in the spring?” It is true that in springtime the land is beautiful as all of nature begins to bloom. But wouldn’t we have been just as happy if it were pouring rain or even hailing when we left Egypt? After being enslaved there for 210 years we would have been overjoyed to leave in any kind of weather.

The spring month of grain ripening was chosen by Hashem in order to enhance the happiness of the occasion. Thus, even in a mountain –heap of joy of liberation when we were loaded with the wealth of Egypt, yet we were expected not to overlook the fact that the spring season was a time of happiness and the weather was enjoyable.

Therefore, just as we must thank Hashem for all the Hesed He does for us, so also we must thank Him for

every extra detail of that Hesed. Hashem wanted to shower kindness upon us so He made it a beautiful spring day when He redeemed us from Egypt. It was the time of splendor (ziv). Therefore , our gratitude to Him was even more emotional and exhuberant that it would otherwise have been.

When someone does us a kindness we should also examine all the details of that Hesed.

This will bring us to a further and deeper appreciation of that person. Which will bring out strong

emotions of love for this person.

This should all lead to our profuse and boundless Gratitude/Hakarat Hatob. Which is one of the

most important reasons why Hashem has sent us any good fortune, in order to afford us the glorious

opportunity to show our Gratitude, which is our perfection.

Adapted from "A Nation Is Born" by Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT’L