"ACCORDING TO HIS INTELLIGENCE, HIS FATHER TEACHES HIM"

(Mishna, Pesahim 10:4)

 

Change, Question, and Story

Our Rabbi taught: If his son is wise, he - the son - asks him. If he is not wise, his wife asks. If not - he asks himself. Even two scholars, who are well versed in the laws of Pessach - they ask each other, "In what way is this night different from all other nights? On all other night we dip only once, tonight twice..." He begins with shame and concludes with praise. What is the shame? Rav said: "In the beginning our forefathers worshipped abominations." Shmuel said: "We were slaves". Said Rav Nachman to his servant Darrro: "A slave whose master releases him and gives him silver and gold, what should he say?" He replied: "He must thank and praise." Said Rav Nachman: "You have freed us of the obligation of saying "Why is this night different". He immediately began: "We were slaves, etc."

 (Bavli, P'sahim 116a)

 

It is a mitzvah to tell the children even if they do not ask, as is written "And you shall tell your son". According to the son's understanding, so does the father teach him. For example, if he is very young or is not very bright, he says to him: "My son, we were all slaves - like this maid or this servant - in Egypt, and on this night The Holy One, Blessed Be He freed us and took us out of Egypt". And if the son is grown and wise, he tells him what happened to us in Egypt, and of the miracles performed for us by Moshe our teacher" - all according to the son's comprehension. And he must make changes this night so that the children see and ask "Why is this night different from all nights" until he answers them and tells them this is what happened and so it was. What kind of changes does he make? He distributes roasted kernels and nuts, and takes away the table before they eat, and they grab the matzoth one from the other, etc. If he has no son, his wife asks him, and if he has no wife, they ask each other "How is this night different -- even if all were scholars. If he is alone he asks himself "Why is this night different?"

                 (Rambam, Laws of Chametz and Matzah, Chap 7)

 

A Happy Holiday to all our readers and to all of Israel - May we merit - in this festival of freedom - to perform that which is written:

"And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I command you to do this thing:

"You shall not withhold from a hired-hand, an afflicted and needy-one, whether from your brothers or from your sojourner that is within your land, within your gates."

 

 

"AN ARAMEAN ASTRAY MY ANCESTOR"

 BETWEEN THE PESSACH IN EGYPT

AND PESSACH FOR ALL GENERATIONS

Shalom Bahbut

In the Mishna it is written: "They pour him the second cup, and here the son asks... He begins with shame and ends with praise, and he expounds from "An Aramean astray was my father" till the end of the entire parasha." (P'sahim 116a)

The mitzvah of relating the exodus from Egypt includes two elements:

I.         Beginning the story with shame and finishing with praise.

II.       The reading of the parasha of the declaration at the offering of the Bikkurim - the first fruits - and its homiletical exposition.

The Talmud and the commentators deal extensively with the first part, and with the importance of integrating shame with praise - regardless of how we interpret these two concepts: whether as a physical experience or a spiritual one - or both together.

However, the way Chazal chose to fulfill the obligation of "And you shall tell..." is strange. Instead of using a Biblical source, choosing to read the Biblical narrative of the bondage and of the exodus as is recorded in the Book of Shemot, in its entirety or in summary - something which would be definitely logical and reasonable - they chose to create "a new Hagaddah", by writing a midrashic commentary on a number of passages which deal with the exodus from Egypt, but were originally said in a totally different framework, when bringing the first fruits to the Bet Hamikdash.

 

Why did our sages choose an indirect - rather than a direct - method of fulfilling the mitzvah?

First of all, it should be noted that these passages actually comprise the original Hagaddah: the bringer of the first fruits begins his declaration with the word "I declare"... 'hagaddah' - telling - was already part of the ritual and national life of the Jewish nation, and therefore our Sages proceeded on the simple and common path, i.e., using a significant selection which was already widely known by the people, and around this weaving the story of the exodus from Egypt as engraved upon the memory of generations.

Secondly, the Exodus narrative which appears in the Book of Shemot, was actually the story of a nation, whereas the Hagaddah, based on the Bikkurim declaration, is the haggada, the narration of the individual, the single person who declares that not only his ancestors, but he himself has come to the Land. The story can be transmitted to the coming generations only when it is a personal experience which becomes an integral part of the self-consciousness. Every story, especially every story of freedom and independence, which has not been internalized to the point where it becomes part of the personal experience, is doomed to oblivion. By selecting those particular passages to be the leading motif in the Hagaddah, Chazal wished to teach us that only one who makes the effort to turn 'history' into 'haggadah', only he can guarantee himself generational continuity that the Torah demands of every Jew. Only in this way will the Hagaddah of our children - the focus of our Seder - begin at the same point where our Hagaddah ends. This concept finds expression in the words "In every generation, one must see himself as though he had gone out of Egypt."

Third, Chazal inserted into the text of the Hagaddah only the four passages which describe the bondage, the exodus, and the receiving of the Torah; they deleted the passage which tells of the entry into the Land: four expressions of deliverance ("I took out", "I saved", "I delivered", "I took"), and not the fifth ("I will bring"). This is intended to teach us that on Pessach, emphasis is to be placed only on the exodus from Egypt and on the primary purpose for the nations leaving Egypt, i.e., physical liberation through emancipation from Egyptian bondage, and spiritual liberation though receiving the Torah - the conditions essential to entering the Land. When Chazal debate the number of cups to be drunk on seder night, they are actually asking what is the main subject of the Seder eve; their answer is that the entry into Land and its conquest belongs to different chapter in the nation's history. This chapter does, indeed, complete the exodus, but is it doubtful as to whether one may widen the screen on this occasion, thereby blurring the concepts and the experience; on that night we are to concentrate only on that day we became a nation.

And finally, we must take into account the words of Rambam, Laws of Chametz and Matzah, 7:6: "And must begin with shame and end with praise... this means that he must expound from "An Aramean astray my ancestor" until completion of the parasha." Rambam's terminology comes to teach us that the very recitation of the Bikkurim Declaration and its exposition, are the prerequisite for complete and genuine fulfillment of the commandment "And you shall tell" (cf. article by Rav Yigal Sporn: The Reading of Bikkurim on Seder Night, ANTHOLOGY OF RELIGIOUS ZIONISM, Yerushalayim 5749, pp. 95-101): On the night which the Jewish people recalls its epos, the days of slavery in Egypt and the victory over the super-power of ancient times, the exodus from life dependent upon the favors of others to a life of independence, there exists the danger of boasting, of "my power and the strength of my hand...", a danger from which man must free himself, in order to thank God for the miracles God performed on his behalf. This is the way this mitzvah is explained in the words of the Rambam (Guide for the Perplexed III, 39):

"But the declaration of Bikkurim... the measure of humility, for the person who takes the basket on his shoulders and recognizes the favors of God and his pleasantness, that man knows that part of the service of God is that he remember the changes in situations in the world and will remember his days of distress during times of prosperity."

What, then, is the experience to which we must devote ourselves on the night of the Seder? This is the answer of Rabban Gamliel: "Rabban Gamliel said: Whoever has not said the following thee things on Pessach has not fulfilled his obligation: Pessach, Matzah, and marror."

The basic meaning of the verb "to say" is that one must understand the meaning of the main concepts and activities relevant to the Pessach festival and the observance of its commandments. Its inner significance is that one must create new worlds in himself and in his society, just as God created heaven and earth by His word. This is similar to Rosh Hashanah, the day of the world's birth; Pessach commemorates the day on which the Jewish nation was born, and therefore every Jew must, in a sense, recreate himself on this day. This takes place while bonding with that central event in man's history, which became a basis for all revolutions that occurred in history. (See Michael Walzer's book, EXODUS AND REVOLUTION).

What are the "new heaven and the new earth" which the Jew is asked to create on this night? Rabban Gamliel answers that we must study three concepts that are actually three experiences:

Pessach comes to teach us the unique experience of the Jewish people, a people which continues to exist on the stage of history despite declines and destruction, in contrast to what happened to nations of old - a strange phenomenon that does not conform to the rules of history, which do not permit nations to survive beyong their golden age. Nations which were much stronger passed out of the world, but God passed over the house of Israel - this, thanks to His commitment to preserve the Israelite nation through the miracles which accompany us daily, despite all Israel's faults.

The Jewish people survived and did not loose its distinctiveness, in part a direct result of the fact that it did not abandon its Matzah, did not allow it to go sour; it preserved its true and original character. Once a year, the Jew must return to the Torah purity, symbolized by Matzah shemura - Matzah made of wheat carefully guarded from harvest, shielded from all external influences that are liable to sour it. Chametz, is eaten throughout the year; it is not inherently negative; every year the Jewish people offer it up in the two showbreads on Shavuot, the festival on which the Jewish people received the two tablets of the covenant and the Torah, which protect against the dangers presented by influence by other cultures.

Last of all, to make the picture complete, comes marror which reminds us that both these acts - God's deliverance of the people, and action taken by man himself in order to protect the Matzah - exact a heavy price. Preservation of Jewish identity has always been bound up with the eating of marror, not only that marror coming from the outside, but also that which comes from within, from those Jews who, throughout the centuries, gave up their identity, in many ways and on many levels.. Despite "I took out, I save, I delivered, I took), despite the fact that it was always the small remnant of Israel which succeeded in preserving its Matzah, the Jewish people today must cope and find new ways, not only to survive but also to contain the damage, so that it may return and renew its days of old.

On Seder night, all the sons, all types, those distant and those close, sit around the table. Each one can come and find his place - "all who are hungry, come and eat" - each one can come and experience the enchanted experience tied to the miracle, which ties and binds together - as was Hillel's custom - the Pessach and the Matzah, together with the bitter herbs of all generations.

Rabbi Dr. Shalom Bahbout lectures in physics at the University of Rome, is Vice-chairman of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis, and heads the Bet Midrash "Naarei Yeshurun" in Yerushalayim.

 

 

Festival Joy on Pessach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkoth - a Human and Ethical Perspective

Joy is mentioned thrice on Sukkoth: "And you shall rejoice on your festival", "And you shall be, oh so joyful!" and "You shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days", but on Pessach, joy is not mentioned even once. Why? We find that on Pessach the grain crop is judged; man does not know whether there will be grain this year or not, there is no mention of joy.

An alternative explanation: Because on Pessach, Egyptians died. And so we find that on all seven days of Sukkoth we read Hallel, but on Pessach we read the Hallel only on the first day of the festival and on its eve. Why? Because "If your enemy falls, do not exult". And so we find that with reference to Shavuot, joy is mentioned only once, as is written, "Then you shall observe the Feast of Weeks for Lord your God... you shall rejoice before the Lord your God". Why is joy written only once? Because [only] the grain has been gathered in. Why is joy not written twice? Because the fruits of the tree are being judged. But on Rosh Hashanah joy is not written even once, because souls are standing in judgment, and a person is more concerned with his soul than with his possessions. But on Sukkoth, because the souls have received reprieve on Yom Kippur, as is written, "For on this day he will grant you atonement," and the grain and the fruits of the tree have been gathered in, therefore it is written thrice: "And you shall rejoice on your festival", "And you shall be, oh so joyful!" and "You shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days".

 (P'sikta D'Rav Kahana [Mandlebaum ed.], additions to Parasha 2)

 

 

Pesach - Our Time of Freedom?

This goal ['Our Time of Freedom'] of the exodus from Egypt was not achieved; the mission of 'Our Time of Freedom' received a semblance of freedom, something which may perhaps be a primary condition for freedom, but is not yet true freedom. The people who left Egypt did not accept upon themselves the Kingdom of God, and therefore we do not recite the complete Hallel on a festival on which the attempt to realize our freedom fell short. True, we read how, after the crossing of the Reed Sea, the people: "... trusted in God and in His servant Moshe", but immediately afterwards the Torah relates how that trust was only temporary - spontaneous faith born out of being powerfully impressed by what had happened - but not faith which derives from awareness of God's divinity. Therefore it did not last even three days; the people call out to Moshe "Is the Lord present among us or not?"

Even though this appointed time is a holiday for Israel who was delivered from the hands of its torturers and freed from the yoke of its oppressors, there is still no justification for recitation of the 'Complete Hallel'. We have yet to be redeemed from our enslavement to human nature. This fact teaches us that primary thanks for redemption is not related to what happens to the Jewish people in history, but to what the Jewish people do in history. After all, everything that happens is indifferent because it is an act of God in His world, whether we - from our perspective - call certain events 'redemptions' and 'deliverances' and other events 'misfortunes' 'pogroms' or 'holocaust.'

 (Y. Leibowitz: Discussions on Israel's Festivals, p. 74)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial Board: Pinchas Leiser (Editor), Miriam Fine (Coordinator), Itzhak Frankenthal and Dr. Menachem Klein

Translation: Kadish Goldberg

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