HaRav Eichenstein begins his talk:
They tell of HaRav Boruch Ber being ill during the period before
Yom Kippur. His doctors told him to take a blood test to see if he
would be allowed to fast. Rav Boruch Ber, who was living in
Kamenitz, would have to travel to Warsaw to make the test in a
laboratory and then wait for the results. He was invited to lodge
by a Chassidishe Rebbe.
He waited eagerly but there were no results yet. Time passed until
he realized that he would have to remain in Warsaw over Yom
Kippur.
It was getting let but there were still no results forthcoming and
Reb Boruch Ber was getting very edgy, not knowing what he should
do. His host turned to him in surprise, "Why are you so anxious?
Whatever the case, you will be doing the will of Hashem! If the
results show you can fast — all is fine and you can do what
the Torah requires. But even if you will not be allowed to fast,
you will still be keeping the mitzvah of the Torah of self-
preservation, which is also a mitzvoh of pikuach nefesh, which is
equally a commandment. Why, then, be so distraught?"
Reb Boruch Ber replied: "That is not what is bothering me. True,
in either case, I will be keeping a mitzvah. The question is which
mitzvah? Of fasting or eating? I don't know for which one I must
prepare myself!"
We see here the importance of preparing oneself before doing a
mitzvah. One cannot simply 'fall' into it. Rather, one must know
in advance what he is expected to do and prepare himself
accordingly. Pesach in general, and Seder night in particular, are
very significant circumstances but one must ready himself
correspondingly. They are advantageous with bountiful blessings in
their wake.
The greater and more extensive the preparation, the greater bounty
is showered upon a person. In the bondage of Egypt, the Jews
attained a full level of emunah and became His servants. This is
the special abundance to which Pesach is conducive, to become full
believers in Hashem and to gain the capacity to serve Him all the
better.
