Bittersweet

by Danny Kern

Rav David Ebner said in the name of the Sefat Emet the following idea.  On Pesach we need to chew the Marror until it is sweet.  To chew and chew until the bitterness goes away.   The Sefat Emet said the Maror represents our slavery in Egypt and the long galut.  The whole Pesach Seder is our attempt to find meaning in those events.

This simple idea hit me hard.  It’s an encapsulation of so much of Viktor Frankl’s teachings and philosophy.  The Maror of course can be expanded to represent all of life’s trials and tribulations.  Chewing represents taking the meaning out of these events; chewing and chewing until we find that meaning.  The meaning may not be apparent at first glance, but it’s there, and our job is to “chew” it out.