The Yom Tov of Pesach is so called because Hashem passed over (pasach) our houses when He hit the Mitzriyim with Makkas Bechoros and He saved our houses (Shmos 12:27).
We all know why Hashem was hitting the Mitzriyim. The Mitzriyim used their strength to take advantage of a nation that did them no harm. They displayed a stunning lack of appreciation for what Yosef had done to them and they went and enslaved Yosef’s children and his people. They became paranoid about Klal Yisroel and created false and evil accusations about them and in their self-centered cruelty, they killed innocent children. All this is there in the Torah in the beginning of Sefer Sh’mos.
In short, Mitzrayim displayed every midda ra’ah, every evil character quality and we felt the brunt of it. We witnessed what happens when humans allow themselves to be ruled by middos ra’os.
When Hashem came to give the Mitzriyim the fruit of their wickedness, He saved our houses. And this is an awesome responsibility because this means Hashem wants us to be the opposite of what the Mitzriyim had become. He saved us to be different.
As we sit around our Pesach table we need to remember; when He Hit Mitzrayim, He saved us and expected us to be His people. People who do not take advantage of others because they find themselves in a stronger position, be it physically, socially, emotionally, financially or spiritually. But rather we need to be people who hear the argument, the pain, the worries and the fear of those who are weaker than us. Instead of a focus on our own wants and needs we should be attuned to the wants and needs of others. Instead of attributing the worst intentions to the people around us, we should judge them favorably. Instead of seeing people that are different from us as opponents and as a potential threat, we should see them as brothers and equals and see their needs and wants. Pesach demands that instead of remembering every real and imagined negative thought or deed that was done against us and living with the middah of netirah, we remember and magnify the good that others have done for us and live with hakaras hatov. Instead of seeing others as objects that we can use for our advantage, be it emotional or financial; we should seek to benefit them in any way that we can.
The responsibility of Pesach is to be different than Mitzrayim. This may sound like an impossible task. Can we truly rid ourselves of every midda ra’ah? Don’t the ba’alei mussar teach that it is a lifetime of work to break one bad middah, how then can we avoid being like Mitzrayim?
The answer is that serving Hashem is not a destination, it is a journey. It is not our business to perfect ourselves overnight. It is our responsibility to travel in the right direction. We need to grow and move forward with happiness and joy that Hashem brought us close to His service, to be His people. And we can know and trust that Hashem is with us every step of the way.