A few weeks before Passover, Rabbi Meir Rosenberg learned that he had cancer. It already spread to most of his body, and it seemed there was nothing more to do. This was after the passing of his teacher, the Rebbe of Bluzhov.
On the night of checking for Chametz, the Rebbe appeared in a dream to one of his followers and instructed him to tell Rabbi Meir that tomorrow, on Seder night, he should drink from the remains of Elijah's glass as medicine for his illness.
The man visited Rabbi Meir and found him lying on his deathbed, unable to move from weakness, and told him over the dream.
On Seder night, Rabbi Meir did as the Rebbe instructed and drank from the cup. As he drank, he got stronger. The next day he continued to get stronger. On the second Seder night (as is customary abroad), he sat at the head of the table with his family, full of gratitude to G-d for the open miracle they witnessed.
Indeed, many drink from the cup of Elijah the Prophet as a remedy to bring salvation, since Elijah the prophet is the one who brings good tidings to Israel.
Quite a few miracles occurred on this special holy night. Different spiritual remedies for many matters are found in the holy books, but we will bring here one suitable for everyone and for all purposes, as the Ohev Yisrael of Apta writes. He explains that the Exodus from Egypt is the key to every person to emerge from his troubles and private pains. On Seder night, when the people of Israel are redeemed from their exile, one can be redeemed from everything that is pressing him spiritually and physically, but it depends on the extent of his faith.
Therefore, when a person finishes the blessing, “Blessed are You G-d, the Redeemer of Israel,” with great intent, and believes with all his heart and soul that God will help him and remove him from all his troubles and privations he will merit to leave his troubles behind.
In fact, the home in which the Seder is held becomes a sacred place like the temple and holy of holies, capable of bringing great abundance and all kinds of salvation. The Or Sameach writes, in Egypt they spread the blood of the sacrifice on the doorpost and the two mezuzahs. For them that was instead of throwing the blood on the altar in the Temple. The temple floor was also used as an altar to burn parts of the sacrifice usually burned on the altar. So too the floors of your own home are holy like the sanctity of the altar. This, he writes, is eternal. This sanctity enters the home of every Jew every year on the eve of Passover where matza and maror are eaten, remembering the Passover sacrifice.
The Chatam Sofer explains our declaration at the beginning of the Haggadah: “All those who are oppressed should come and eat and those who need should come partake in our Passover.” The house is limited to the number of people it can hold, and the food is limited. How, then, does the landlord declare the opening of doors for every hungry person?
The answer is that on Passover night your home receives the sanctity of the Temple, and in the Temple there was never a shortage of space. Every day hundreds of thousands of people visited in an area 135 cubits long and 11 cubits wide. A man never said to his friend, “I feel too cramped to sleep in Jerusalem,” even though there were millions of pilgrims visiting. Your home gets sanctified on Seder night with the same holiness, and if a person believes in this – he can host people without restriction, as in the Temple, and everyone will have a place.
The mitzvah of eating matzah can also bring with it an abundance of income for the entire year. As the Tiferet Shlomo writes: “The entire livelihood Jewish people have in exile throughout the year comes from eating the matzah of mitzvah on Seder night.”
We will conclude with the words of Rabbi Asher of Karlin – Stolin: “On this holy night very Jew can take great abundance, both spiritually and physically for himself. Not necessarily the righteous and special people, but every Jew, even the simplest one, can take for himself as he wishes during these lofty hours”.
