What happens to your soul on pesach seder night

I wasn’t sure how I would be able to write this short article right before Pesach.

As of date, I am home with a toddler and newborn while experiencing missile attacks from Iran. It sounds pretty impossible, right? I thought so too but I knew that this had to be shared and I’d find a way.

We woke up (March 31 2026) with a pre-warning for a missile and to enter the bomb shelter. Me and my husband jolted out of bed and prepared ourselves to go down stairs. We put on our shoes and grabbed the children. As we waited for the official siren, I didn’t know what time it was. When you hear the pre-warning sound that takes over your phone and sends shivers down your spine, checking the time isn’t a priority - getting to the shelter is. 

The time was 5:30am. An hour of question - do you start your day or go back to sleep?We put our children back to sleep (thank God) and me and my husband chose to stay awake. With a month into war, every siren is a wake up call. Every moment that you’re not running to the bomb shelter, is an opportunity to do what really matters to you, and hopefully there are no interruptions. You pray to have uninterrupted time to pray! Prayer becomes infused into almost every sentence because you realize how anything can change, instantaneously. 

Last night, I finally had both kids asleep and the ability to learn with my dad but as we sat down and spoke about what we’re learning today - there were two sirens that interrupted our session. It leaves you questioning - is this really important? Do I even have time now? Should I continue to try or move on to the next thing? Suddenly, there’s no wasting time, everything becomes an intentional choice and quite possibly, maybe we are the lucky ones. We get to experience this moment in time that stops whatever it is we are doing just so we can ask ourselves - does this truly matter to me? We are waking up multiple times a day, pushing through mental obstacles, choosing emunah even when fear and worry are shaking from within - we are living through the labor pains of Moshiach.

We are part of history that our younger generations will tell stories about. We are fine tuning our life into something that has more meaning and through this time, we become stronger and expand our capacity for tremendous light that is birthing from this. And I can’t help but to notice and feel how the war with Iran is the gateway to bringing Moshiach and strengthening our nation with Torah. As Jews, we are designed to find emunah and strength within our Torah during hard times and right now, as a result of the war, many Jews are returning to Hashem in search for strength and as a source of faith, that we will get through this and rise up stronger. So really, we should be thanking Iran for making us a stronger nation! In fact, it is even because of this 5:30am missile warning that I am writing this article - it all comes together when we decide to see it and this is the opportunity of Seder night. 

Let’s dive in. 

Seder night is the portal that determines how much you will receive spiritually for the upcoming year.

On Rosh HaShana, the material good is determined - such as parnassa and wellbeing; however, on Seder night - the spiritual blessings are determined. In the Talmud there are two debates, questioning when the world was created. Rabbi Eliezer argues the world was created in Tishrei (Rosh Hashanah) while Rabbi Yehoshua argues the world was created in Nissan (Pesach).

The Sages later revealed that they are not opposing views and BOTH of them are right! Rosh HaShana is the creation of man, the birth of ideas, free will and the body. While on Pesach, it is the birth of the soul. 

The birth of the soul deeply becomes real in the story telling of Exodus. When the Israelis left Egypt, they became sovereign and free, more than having control over their bodies but also their thoughts, spiritual practices, choices, and beliefs. That is the soul when it is free.

Exodus 12:42 states that Seder night is Leil Shimurim, a night of protection, and this gives us an understanding of what Seder night entails. This protection on Seder night is one of spirituality from negative forces. This is why Shema, the prayer we recite before going to sleep, is shortened on the Seder night. We rely on the spiritual guarding of that night rather than the traditional prayers.Imagine, the Israelites are at the cusp of freedom but fear, doubts, uncertainty begin to creep in and they no longer want to become free. This is a life they’ve experienced for over 200 years, it is not something easy to break free from. So, Seder night, Hashem protects the soul from negative and harmful spiritual forces! Thus, Seder night is a unique portal for the soul and must be taken advantage of. 

As the commentators explain regarding the verse, “You shall keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year,” meaning, the day itself has embedded within it the same light and spiritual power as the original date of when it happened! In the teachings of the Arizal, it is explained that spiritual events never "expire." Instead, they are "stored" in the higher realms. According to the Ramhal, time and the spiritual influences are cyclical, thus the same light that was embedded in the original day's return, Ohr Chozer (returning light). Therefore, in every generation a person is obligated to see themselves as if they have personally left Egypt, leaving the bondages of slavery and entering freedom and redemption.

According to Kabbalah, the Israelites were granted Mochin (Godly intelligence) when they left Egypt. This is what transformed them from being in slavery to sovereign because they were no longer in a slavery and victim mindset, they became first free in their mind and then in their bodies as a result! Leaving Egypt reprogrammed their mind and on Seder night, our mind reprograms and our neshama (soul) updates. Because Mochin is the consciousness of the brain, and the brain is the root of the Neshamah, our soul is fundamentally renewed and determines our spiritual growth and trajectory for the entire year.

Kabbalah teaches that every year on Pesach, our neshama goes through a little update.

The update our souls go through is from the light that descends, Mochin De - Gadlut (expanded Godly Intelligence/ consciousness) (while in Egypt the Israelites had Mochin De - Katnut, small/restricted consciousness).

Seder night is when we receive an enormous dose of Mochin De-Gadlut and for 49 days after Seder night we count the Omer to earn the light. In the Sfat Emet, the Mochin we receive on Seder night is a direct extension of the original Exodus.

In Kabbalah, each cup of wine corresponds to one of the letters in the Havaya as well as the Sefiot:

Yud - first cup - Chochmah

Hei - second cup - Bina

Vav - third cup - 6 lower sefiro

tHei - fourth cup - malchut

The Seder plate, including the three matzahs, are connected to the 10 Sefirot. 

According to the Zohar, Matzah is both the "Bread of Healing" (Meichla de-Asvuta) and the "Bread of Faith" (Meichla de-Meimanuta).

This spiritual medicine physically clears the 'leaven' of the ego, the internal noise, and the survival-based habits that keep us small. By digesting this 'Food of Faith,' we bypass the circular logic of the intellect to anchor a new, liberated frequency directly into our Mochin (brain), determining the exact height our soul can reach for the entire year.

Through the 4 cups and the Matzah, sets the baseline for how we will think, react, and create in the months to follow.

A shiur by Elisheva on the articles subject

May this Pesach seder be the portal of experiencing new spiritual heights.

Chag Sameach!

Elisheva