Make your family happy. You’ll be happy you did.
God commands us “to rejoice on our holidays” (Deuteronomy 16:14). That’s right, folks! It’s actually a “Mitzvah” – a commandment – an obligation – to ensure that you enjoy the holiday of Passover!
There are many ways to make oneself happy. Our wise Torah sages offer some insights and suggests on how to do so: wear your finest clothes, eat your favorite foods, take time off from work and other mundane chores, buy sweets for the kids, and get your wife the gift she deserves.
There is, however, another highly recommended and Divinely guaranteed method of making oneself happy. The secret lies in the continuation of the verse cited above, “…Rejoice – you and your entire household!” Is the Torah is telling us that true happiness is to be found in one’s FAMILY?
Yes. Happiness is in the family. In being together. In enjoying those gifts and treats mentioned above, TOGETHER. Passover is the holiday of “You shall tell your son” (Exodus 13:8), which, by extension means spending time with the family, sitting around the Seder table, conversing, catching up and reflecting together on Torah values.
So, to answer the famous question of “Why is this night different from all other nights?” It might just be that it is because this night begins a refreshed and renewed relationship among family members that will take you far beyond Passover.
Make your family happy. You’ll be happy you did.
By Rabbi Ari Enkin, Rabbinic Director, United with Israel