In this pre-Pesach episode of Chazaq Torah Talks, Rabbi Yaniv Meirov welcomed Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein zt”l—founder of Ohr Naava and one of the most influential voices in Jewish outreach.
With his trademark warmth, humor, and clarity, Rabbi Wallerstein reframed Pesach not just as a historical event, but as a deeply personal journey of growth, gratitude, and real freedom.
Appreciating What We Take For Granted
Having just recovered from COVID at the time of the interview, Rabbi Wallerstein shared how even a slight fever disrupted his entire system—draining his strength, appetite, and energy.
“It’s not missiles or bombs,” he said. “It’s something you can’t even see—a tiny virus—that can bring a person down.”
But what affected him most was losing his sense of taste and smell.
“I tried smelling things—nothing. Tasting—nothing. It was frightening.”
When those senses returned, his perspective changed.
Each morning, he began pausing to thank Hashem for the five senses—seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling.
“We thank Hashem,” he said, “but we don’t always realize what we’re thanking Him for—until it’s gone.”
He connected this to the brachah of Ashi Yatzar—not just a routine blessing, but a recognition that the body is constantly being sustained. Even when nothing feels wrong, everything is working exactly as it should.
“That brachah,” he explained, “is for the fact that nothing went wrong.”
Bringing Meaning Into Preparation
Even the preparation for Pesach, Rabbi Wallerstein explained, can become meaningful.
When buying food or supplies, he would say:
“This is for the Seder.”
That simple intention transforms ordinary actions into something elevated—turning preparation into purpose.
The Seder: A Time For Real Conversations
For Rabbi Wallerstein, the Seder was never just about retelling the story.
It was about asking real questions.
“What am I a slave to?”
“What did I break free from this year?”
Around his table, these questions became part of the conversation, alongside divrei Torah and the traditional Haggadah.
The Seder would stretch late into the night—not rushed, but lived.
And after a year marked by lockdown and loss, that opportunity carries even more weight.
“Last year people couldn’t be together,” he noted. “Now we can.”
In many ways, that experience mirrored Mitzrayim itself—a time when people were confined to their homes, unable to move freely.
“There are people who were here last year,” he added, “who are no longer here this year.”
To sit at the Seder, to perform its mitzvos, is a privilege.
A Lesson In Chinuch
Rabbi Wallerstein shared a story from his childhood that captured what chinuch really looks like.
His family had just installed a brand-new white carpet before Pesach. During the Seder, a young guest accidentally spilled a full cup of wine onto it.
The room froze.
Then, moments later, his father “accidentally” knocked over his own large cup of wine.
Turning to the boy, he said calmly:
“If you wouldn’t have spilled, I would have.”
In that moment, the boy’s embarrassment disappeared.
“That was chinuch,” Rabbi Wallerstein said. “He wasn’t a rebbe—but he was my rebbe.”
Tears Of Maror
Another powerful practice from his father brought the message of Pesach to life.
Instead of using prepared horseradish, the family would grind the maror fresh before the Seder. The sharpness was so intense that it brought tears to their eyes.
As they stood there crying, his father would say:
“If you have to cry this year, let these be the only tears you cry.”
Each child would take a turn, turning the moment into both a physical and spiritual experience.
Bitter And Sweet
The contrast between maror and charoses carries a deeper message.
The charoses, which represents the mortar of slavery, is sweet.
Why?
Because even the most difficult experiences can carry hidden good.
“When you dip the maror into the charoses,” Rabbi Wallerstein explained, “you’re reminding yourself that what feels bitter may actually be leading to something good.”
The Leaf And The Tree
Rabbi Wallerstein shared a powerful mashal.
A leaf watches others flying freely in the wind and feels stuck, attached to the tree.
Finally, it detaches—and begins to drift.
At first, it feels like freedom.
But then it realizes: it has lost its source of life.
“So many people think everyone else is ‘living,’” he said. “But if you’re disconnected from your source—you’re not alive.”
True life comes from connection—to Torah, to purpose, to something greater.
What Is True Freedom?
As the conversation concluded, Rabbi Wallerstein offered a definition of freedom that challenges everything we think we know.
The world defines freedom as doing whatever you want.
But that is not freedom—it is another form of slavery.
“A slave always says yes,” he explained.
True freedom is the ability to say no.
No to harmful habits.
No to negative influences.
No to what pulls a person away from who they are meant to be.
“A free person is someone who can say no.”
That is cheirus.
Bringing It To The Seder
As families gather around the Seder table, Rabbi Wallerstein encouraged everyone to make the experience personal.
Identify something you feel enslaved to—and begin breaking free.
“If this year you can say no to something you couldn’t say no to before,” he said, “then you’ve left Mitzrayim.”
Pesach is not only about remembering redemption.
It is about living it.
Rabbi Yaniv Meirov is the mara d’atra of Kehilat Charm Circle in Kew Gardens Hills and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Chazaq.
Now 222 episodes strong, Chazaq Torah Talks continues to inspire by showing that Jewish growth and survival are shaped through lived experience, commitment, and connection.
True Freedom: The Power To Say No
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