The people of Bombay inquire of Ben Ish Chai as to whether or not there is a possible violation of Jewish law in the fact that non-Jewish servants bring chametz into the homes of their Jewish employees and eat there in the privacy of their own rooms.
Preparations for Passover include a thorough search for every crumb of leaven in the house. But is this what instills in us a sense of freedom? Is this in tune with the spirit of spring, in which we free ourselves soak in the fresh spring fragrance?
God's taking the Jewish people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm made it clear that they had been chosen as the God's nation. When Israel suffers, God's name is desecrated. This fact guarantees the eternal existence of Israel.
The spiritual uplift one experiences during Passover leaves an imprint on the soul which remains fixed there even after the exalted days of the holiday have passed. The state of the soul after Passover in no way resembles its state before Passover.
“Had not the Almighty taken our fathers out from Egypt, then we... would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh.” Were it not for the Exodus, history would have simply come to a halt, and we, the Jewish people, would still be enslaved to the same Pharaoh.
Matzah is unadulterated by admixtures, like the clothing of the High Priest on Yom Kippur, simple white apparel with no trace of gold. Wearing these plain clothes he enters the Holy of Holies.
