At the Seder with Kedushat Levi: Why Faith Turns “Servants” into “Children”

“This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, come and eat; all who are in need, come and celebrate Passover. Now we are here; next year in the Land of Israel. Now we are slaves; next year free people.” (from the Haggadah).

Kedushat Levi brings the teaching of Chazal in Bava Batra (10): when Israel do the will of the Omnipresent, they are called “children,” and when they do not, they are called “servants.”

The title “children” is directly tied to doing the will of Hashem and having strong faith in Him. If the Jewish people act in line with Hashem’s will, they radiate a deep bond with their Father in Heaven and are therefore called “children.” But when they do not—when carrying out Hashem’s will is lacking—they are called “servants.”

The question arises: if the people of Israel are not doing Hashem’s will, why aren’t they called “wicked”? What specific shortcoming is captured by the term “servants,” rather than something harsher?

“Regarding ‘Ha lachma anya…’ This clarifies the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory (Bava Batra 10): when Israel do the will of the Omnipresent, they are called children, and when they do not do the will of the Omnipresent, they are called servants.”

“At first glance this is puzzling: when they do not do the will of the Omnipresent—Heaven forbid—they are wicked, Heaven forbid.”

“Be Wholehearted with Hashem Your God”

Kedushat Levi explains that the people of Israel are not inherently evil; rather, they are lacking in understanding. In other words, this is not an act of wickedness but a deficiency in faith.

When a person believes that Hashem is a loving Father who delights in bestowing abundance upon His people—and that He has the power to do so—that person does not feel deprived. He believes that every good that could come to him and to the Jewish people comes from Hashem, and he has complete trust that Hashem will fulfill his request with compassion.

And it appears thus: when a person believes with complete faith that Hashem is our Father and that He takes delight in bestowing goodness upon His people Israel—as the ability is in His hand to grant blessings to all the worlds—then that person lacks nothing; and when he asks Hashem to have mercy on His people, surely Hashem will fulfill his desire.

The verse “Be wholehearted with Hashem your God” is the foundation here. Kedushat Levi reads it to mean: when a person lives in real relationship with Hashem and believes in Him completely, he will not feel any lack. “Wholehearted” points to an inner wholeness—no sense of deficiency—that comes from a strong, genuine bond with Hashem and trust in His kindness.

And this is the hint in the verse (Deuteronomy 18:13), “Be wholehearted with Hashem your God”—meaning, you will be whole, lacking nothing, when you are with Hashem your God. But when a person does not believe this, then he is lacking, for he is not doing the will of Hashem, blessed be He, to bestow goodness upon us.

“Ha Lachma Anya”

And this is the hint in the words “Ha lachma anya”: Kedushat Levi explains that in Egypt the Israelites were in a state of lack. That is alluded to in “the bread of affliction”—a pared-down, incomplete food—which symbolizes the people’s spiritual state at that time.

And this is the hint in “Ha lachma anya,” for Israel in Egypt were in a diminished state, and that is “the bread of affliction.” And on this our Sages, of blessed memory, hinted (Pesachim 116): “lechem oni”—a poor person’s bread—just as the way of a poor person is with a piece, so “piece” connotes lack.

In sum, Kedushat Levi explains “children” and “servants” as descriptions of our spiritual experience in serving Hashem. When a person believes in Hashem absolutely, he is called a “child”; when there is a deficiency in faith, he is called a “servant.”

What’s the difference between emunah (faith) and bitachon (trust)? And how can we understand from creation that there is a Creator? Rabbi Zamir Cohen with a short, enlightening message