Daf Yomi, Marriage Counseling, Psychotherapy, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Torah and Psychology
Our Gemara on Amud Aleph cites an argument whereby certain practices in the Temple were avoided so as not to give the impression of parsimony or financial shortage. Since the Temple was a place of God’s blessing and divine flow, it was a location of wealth and abundance, and therefore it was inappropriate to show any sign of financial constriction. The Gemara states, “there is no (place for) poverty in a situation of wealth.”
The principle that there should not be incongruence between wealth and breadth versus the appearance of poverty is employed by the Maharal (Gevuros Hashem 51) in a unique manner. Almost every Jewish grade school child knows that Matzah is “poor person’s bread” because it was what we ate while we were slaves in Egypt. The Haggadah refers to matzah as “bread of poverty” (“lachma anya”), which I believe is a better translation than “bread of affliction.” In Aramaic, “anya” usually translates as poverty, not affliction, which is more Hebrew. However, to be fair, the scripture seems to refer to matzah as “bread of affliction” (“oni”) (Devarim 16:3 and Rashi).
Maharal objects to the idea that we literally ate matzah as slaves in Egypt. He argues that we never find it stated anywhere that the Jews ate matzah as slave food. If anything, they lamented in the wilderness about not being able to eat the fish, onions, cucumbers, and other tasty vegetables that they had in Egypt (Bamidbar 11:5). Furthermore, it is incongruent to celebrate the wealth of freedom while also displaying poverty. (I suppose he considers the ritual of salt water and bitter herbs to be a minor ritual and facet, while the very bread at the meal is no small thing and cannot be representative of poverty.) Maharal suggests the poverty is not financial but in character. Matzah is simple bread, not dependent on yeast or sweeteners. Maharal argues that simplicity, and not being dependent on any other ingredient, is the greatest form of wealth. This is symbolized in the “poor” bread. Our freedom became actualized when we began to be devoted servants of God, freeing us from the complexities of life and the burdens of chasing materialism.
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Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com