Shema-Pesach-True Service

Rabbi Safra was reciting the Shema when a man offered him a sum of money for something he wish to buy. The Rabbi was willing to sell it, but since he could not interrupt his recital of the Shema, he could not indicate his agreement. The would-be buyer, thinking that the offer was too low, kept on upping it. But Rabbi Safra let him have it at the original price. This, states the Talmud is an example of “speaking the truth in the heart.” (Makkot 24a)

Challenge: Haggadah: Why was it not considered lying when we “borrowed” from our former Egyptian masters?

iRejoice-Festival Prayers: “Purify our heart to serve You in truth. Grant us a heritage, God, our Lord [with love and with favor] with gladness and with joy [the Shabbat and] the appointed festivals of Your holiness, and make Israel, the sanctifiers of Your Name, rejoice in You.” We see that serving God “in truth,” precedes and leads to serving Him with gladness and joy, eventually rejoicing in Him.