Feeling Hashem's Presence

Much of the focus of Pesach, specifically the Seder, is recognizing Hashem's control over the world. Whether we focus on Him causing unexpected frog invasions, keeping the world dark, or changing nature by splitting the sea, we emphasize His all-encompassing role in our world. These miraculous events allow us to tangibly feel Hashem's presence in our mundane world.

As we know, however, that feeling is less tangible nowadays (this is perhaps the motivation to retell the story each year). This idea may also be a reason for what we read in shul tomorrow, on Shabbos Chol HaMoed. Moshe Rabbeinu asks to see Hashem, to make His presence more tangible. 

As much as Hashem tells us that Moshe can only see His "back", the Torah never actually tells us that he saw it. An additional level of interpretation, however, explains that we do see Hashem's back, as the Torah continues "Hashem said to Moshe, 'carve for yourself two stone tablets...'" (34:1). Hashem's back is the luchos, the Torah. 

True, the main message of the Seder was to recognize Hashem's role in the world, which is the idea behind three of the four cups- "v'hotzeiti", "v'hitzalti"and "v'ga'alti" (I took out, I saved, I redeemed). But perhaps the last cup is to ensure that our connection to feel Hashem remains without the miracles. "V'lakachti" (I took) is to take Bnei Yisrael as a nation, to bind them to Him with the Torah.

Many times we find it difficult to connect to Hashem in our routine Jewish practices. The key is to follow the message of Hashem to Moshe Rabbeinu. To follow the idea of the fourth cup of the seder. If we want to make Hashem more tangible, we can look in the Torah.