Seder Night

There were two brothers; one was a simple and pious tailor, and the other was an accomplished scholar and mystic. They met on the first day of Pesach, and after exchanging wishes for a gut yom tov, the simple brother could see that his brother was bursting with good news. He asked his learned brother why he seemed so especially joyful that day.

Somewhat smugly, the mekubal replied, “You may not know this, but the kavannos for the Seder are so intricate, I’ve never been able to focus on them perfectly before. But last night, I finally did it! That’s why I’m so happy!”

The simple brother sighed and said, “All of your kavannos are really over my head, but I have to say that I too was very joyous last night.” He lit up, and went on. “All I could think about was how grateful I am that Hashem took us out of Egypt and made us His chosen people!”

The learned brother suddenly looked crestfallen. “Oy vey!” he exclaimed, “That’s the one kavannah I forgot!”