Humility and Divine Source

מתחיל בגנות ומסיים בשבח.

“We begin with disgrace and conclude with praise.”

This principle teaches that the redemptive story of Passover follows a movement from lowliness to elevation, revealing the inner spiritual ascent embedded in the Seder.

דאיתא הרוצה לגנות יגנה את עצמו ולשבח ישבח את הבורא.

It is taught: “One who wishes to speak in condemnation should condemn himself, and one who wishes to offer praise should praise the Creator.”

Any fault a person encounters should be attributed inwardly, while all virtue must be ascribed solely to God.

פי' כל דבר טוב ומדה טובה שנמצא בעולם הן שרואה בעצמו או באחרים הכל מן הבורא ית"ש כמ"ש אתה כוננת מישרים שכל מיני ישרות שבעולם מאתו הוא.

The explanation: Every good quality found in the world—whether one sees it in oneself or in others—comes entirely from the Blessed Creator, as it is written: “You established uprightness,” meaning all forms of uprightness originate from Him.

Goodness is not a human achievement but a divine gift radiating through creation.

וכל מה שרואה דבר גנות הכל יתלה בעצמו כי הקב"ה עשה האדם ישר והם בקשו חשבונות רבים.

And whatever disgrace one perceives should be attributed to oneself, for the Holy One made humanity upright, but they pursued many schemes.

Flaws arise from human distortion, not from divine design.

לכן צריכין להקדים בגנות מצדינו שעבדים היינו במצרים מצד פחיתות שלנו.

Therefore we must begin with our own disgrace—that we were slaves in Egypt due to our own lowliness.

The Sefat Emet emphasizes personal ownership of the spiritual conditions that led to exile.

ומטעם שמתחלה עע"ז היו אבותינו.

And because originally our ancestors were idol worshipers.

The historical beginnings in idolatry deepen the theme of starting from disgrace.

ולהכי הוצרכו האבות לתקן זה וירדו אבותינו למצרים לתקן זה הגנות.

Thus the ancestors were required to rectify this, and our forefathers descended to Egypt to repair this disgrace.

Exile becomes a divinely guided process of spiritual correction.

וכמו כן הי' גלות מצרים תיקון על חטא אדה"ר ותערובות טו"ר שנעשה נתברר במצרים.

Similarly, the Egyptian exile was a rectification for Adam’s sin and for the mixture of good and evil that resulted, which was clarified in Egypt.

The Sefat Emet links national exile to primordial cosmic repair.

ולכן המצות בפסח מצה ויין דשניהם צריכין שמירה.

Therefore the Passover commandments of matzah and wine both require guarding.

Both foods reflect the careful separation of good from harmful influences.

לחם מחמץ.

Bread must be guarded from becoming leavened.

Matzah symbolizes purity uninflated by ego or corruption.

ויין צריך להיות משומר מנסך.

And wine must be guarded from having been used for libation.

Wine represents joy that must be safeguarded from improper spiritual channels.

דבשניהם כתיב ויין ישמח לבב אנוש. ולחם לבב אנוש יסעד.

For concerning both it is written: “Wine gladdens the human heart,” and “Bread sustains the human heart.”

Matzah and wine both touch the human heart’s core faculties.

הזכיר בשניהם ב' לבבות שהם ליצ"ט וליצה"ר מכח התערובות כדאיתא י"א חטה הי' וי"א ענבים סחטה לו:

In both verses the word “heart” appears, alluding to the two hearts—the good inclination and the evil inclination—arising from the primordial mixture; as taught: some say the fruit was wheat, and some say Eve squeezed grapes for Adam.

The dual inclinations within the human heart are spiritually linked to bread and wine, both rooted in humanity’s earliest moral struggle.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that Passover’s movement from disgrace to praise reflects cosmic and personal rectification. All good originates from God, all blemish from human distortion. Egypt served to purify ancient spiritual mixtures, symbolized by the guarded foods of matzah and wine, each touching the dual inclinations of the human heart.