One of the most important teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov is that every process, whether material or spiritual, progresses through three stages: submission (hachna’ah), separation (havdalah), and sweetening (hamtakah).[1] We will begin by briefly outlining this archetypal process, and then apply it to numerous aspects of Pesach and the Haggadah in order to more fully appreciate the hidden dynamics at play in the holiday and the text. [2]
The first stage, hachna’ah “submission,” entails diminishing one’s ego in order to obtain a more balanced view of reality and commit to a given goal. In this initial stage, we must submit our will, energy, resources and time to achieving a specific purpose. Only by fully devoting our energies to the task at hand will real progress be made. We are at times inspired to make an initial commitment to a desired outcome, but often lack the ability to submit ourselves to a detailed plan of developmental action, especially when the goal demands a considerable amount of dedication or time.
The second stage, havdalah, “separation,” involves distinguishing the essential from the extraneous and truth from falsehood, while defining an orderly path towards the fulfillment of our goal. In this stage, the myriad day to day decisions based on discernment are made. We must “separate” or differentiate between those activities, situations, people and attitudes that will further the attainment of our goal, and those that will distract us from achieving it. This second stage of separation entails constant clarification and the steely determination to let nothing separate us from our sought-after goal.
The last stage in the Ba’al Shem Tov’s three-stage process is hamtakah, “sweetening.” It is the stage of self-fulfillment and accomplishment. In this stage, we both reach our goal and simultaneously realize that it was indeed worth the investment of time and effort. So often we dedicate ourselves to reaching a goal that turns out not to be exactly what we had hoped and longed for. The stage of sweetening offers us the sweet reward for a job well done and inspires us to express our feelings of gratitude in response to the realization that our new reality has come about not only through our hard work alone, but most importantly through God’s constant assistance and guiding hand.
Three stages of Preparation for Pesach
These three stages of submission, separation and sweetening, form a contextual framework through which we progress in the days leading up to Pesach, and during the Seder itself. The first stage of submission is experienced while we are diligently preparing for Pesach by clearing out all the chametz, (leavened bread) from our houses, as instructed by the Torah.[3] As we all know, it takes a lot of time, effort and persistence to go through every room in our houses to make sure there is no chametz in even the smallest cracks. This level of exertion can only occur if one completely submits to the yoke of the mitzvot in the Torah, which instructs us to be chametz-free during Pesach.
According to Chasidic thought, ridding our homes of chametz entails a thorough cleaning of the soul as well, as leavened bread symbolizes an inflated ego.[4] The first stage of submission entails a thorough and honest inner search for those parts of our egocentric world view that prevent us from a more humble and thoughtful attitude to others and God, and the commitment to change and improve.
The next stage of separation follows us through the entire cleaning process as we separate between those parts of the house already chametz free and those still in need of cleaning and preparation for Pesach. This stage culminates at the moment we burn the chametz and make a clean break from possessing all chametz on the morning before Pesach begins. We can now tangibly feel that we have entered into a new realm altogether, separated from our usual routine and eating habits during the rest of the year.
The final stage of sweetening is the Seder itself and the subsequent days of Pesach. After weeks of hard work and preparation we finally arrive at the experience we have all been waiting for and working so hard to achieve. Going through the whole process of the Seder with family and friends and connecting deeply to Jewish history and to Hashem is a most inspirational and sweet experience, well worth all the effort that went into it.
Three Stages in History
This same three-stage process is also mirrored in the historical experience of Israel as recounted in the Haggadah. Being enslaved in Egypt most certainly is equated with the ultimate state of forced submission. A slave has little or no control over his time and must continually submit to the will of others. Leaving Egypt and all that it entailed physically and spiritually is reflected in the intermediate stage of separation. This stage climaxed when Israel crossed the Reed Sea and watched as the pursuing Egyptian armies drown in the sea; a dramatic moment of existential separation between enslavement and freedom. This moment of separation was so archetypal that the Song of the Sea that Israel sang after the miraculous redemption that occurred is included in our daily morning prayers.[5]
The final stage of sweetening is represented by receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai in a once-in-history collective revelation of God. Another unique experience of sweetening at Sinai is reflected in a comment by Rashi on the verse: “They travelled from Rephidim and came to the desert of Sinai and they camped in the desert, and Israel camped across from the mountain [Mount Sinai].”[6] Rashi notes that the Hebrew word for “camped” is written in the singular, when, presumably, as the verb expressing the action taken by a multitude of people, it should have been written in the plural. Rashi informs us that the singular form comes to emphasize that the children of Israel came to Sinai “as one person with one heart,” a state of affairs not to be repeated again with such intensity. It was this level of collective elevated consciousness that created the proper receptivity for the Giving of the Torah. The people’s unity expresses a state of sweetened reality and elevated their spiritual and physical connection to the point that they were worthy receptacles for the awesome experience of Sinai.
Three Stages at the Seder
These three fundamental stages of process as taught by the Ba’al Shem Tov are played out within the fifteen steps of the Seder as well. The beginning of the Seder through Maggid, the fifth step of the Hagaddah, when the full story of Jewish history, starting with Abraham through the exile and slavery in Egypt is described, expressing the first stage of submission, especially as the slavery and oppression in Egypt are emphasized. Towards the end of Maggid, we begin to celebrate our redemption from Egypt and thereby separate ourselves from the consciousness of slavery, oppression and poverty, as we move into the experience of freedom and rebirth, detailed in the next five steps of the Seder: from Rachtzah through Korech. The last stage of sweetening is experienced in the final five steps of the Seder, including the festive meal and the joyous recitation of Hallel that follows. The Hallel sung on Seder night is called the Great Hallel, as it is a once-a-year expanded Hallel that includes, according to Chasidut, allusions and references to the Messianic era, the day that is all Shabbat, the resurrection of the dead, and ultimately the World to Come.[7] Thus, the Seder ends with the sweet taste of redemption in our mouths and souls.
[1]. Keter Shem Tov (Kehot edition) 28.
[2]. For other examples of how the Ba’al Shem Tov’s three stage process is applied, see Wonders Issue 182.
[3]. Exodus 12: 15.
[4]. Sodot Min HaSeder, p.17.
[5]. Exodus 15:1-19.
[6]. Exodus 19:2.
[7]. Sodot Min HaSeder, pp.233-36.
