5775 2015

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Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy

110 South Orange Ave

Livingston, NJ 07038

(862) 437-8000

www.jkha.org

The 2015- "התשע

Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy

Middle School

Haggadah

הגדה של פסח

Editor

Rabbi Yaacov Feit

Cover Design

Batsheva Dattelkramer

Contributors

JKHA Middle School

Faculty and Students

Dedicated by Sherry and Henry Stein

in memory of our parents:

Arie & Eva Halpern

Dr. Morris Epstein

Bernard Stein

Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School

As a Modern Orthodox co-educational yeshiva, JKHA/RKYHS seeks to inspire students to live lives of Torah and mitzvot; to embrace secular knowledge and

American democratic values; to love and serve the Jewish People; and to forge a lifelong bond with the Land and State of Israel.

We aim to empower students to achieve personal excellence by teaching them how to learn, and by encouraging them to analyze,

to create, and to pursue new intellectual challenges.

We lead students to recognize that because we were all created in the image of God, we must treat everyone with respect and loving-kindness.

We help students form strong, healthy identities, and we prepare them to take responsibility for themselves and their communities.

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In Every Generation

"כל דור ודור חיב אדם לראות את עצמו כאלו הוא יצא ממצריםב" - “In every generation a

person is obligated to see himself as if he left Egypt.” Is it really possible? Year after

year, I am troubled by what seems to be the most difficult obligation of the year. Can we,

in New Jersey in 2015, really feel as if we just experienced the miracles of Mitzrayim?

The language of “in every generation” used by the Mishnah is also interesting. Do

we ever find such phraseology by any other mitzvah? Does it say that “in every

generation we are commanded to shake a lulav”? Does it say that “in every generation we

are commanded to light Chanukah candles”? The Mishnah seems to be suggesting the

impossible; no matter where we are, in any stage of Jewish history, we are in fact

obligated to experience the Exodus. Could this be expected of someone in Auschwitz?

Could someone behind the Iron Curtain sense the freedom the Jews felt as they left

Egypt?

Rav Meir Twersky once suggested that the Mishnah does not expect us to feel as

if we left Egypt physically, but rather spiritually. Imagine how it felt spiritually to just

leave Mitzrayim. What would my relationship be like with Hashem? Imagine what it felt

like to see the ten makkot or keriyat Yam Suf. What would my davening be like the next

day? Imagine that Hashem just chose me to be part of His nation. What would my mitzvot

be like? They would be new, fresh, and full of passion! That awe, that renewal, these are

feelings I can experience anywhere and in any generation. Even in captivity, I can feel

close to Hashem, like I just left Egypt.

Perhaps this is why, right before reciting Hallel at the Seder, we say ונאמר לפניו "

"שירה חדשה - “We will recite before Him a new song.” Immediately after experiencing

this year’s Exodus, our praise of Hashem needs to be new, invigorated, and infused with

excitement. That is our obligation every year and in every generation.

Year after year, after I prepare the JKHA Middle School Haggadah, I wonder how

next year’s will compare. Is there anything left to be said? Are we just repeating the same

ideas? Yet as I present this year’s Haggadah, I truly believe that we are offering Hashem

a “new song.” It is a “new song” of unique insights from a “new” student body with

“new” passion and energy and a different take on the world that is different than any

other year. Every student and every group of students is one of a kind, and each insight

found in this Haggadah offers their fresh perspective on how it feels to “leave Egypt.” It

is with this sense of enthusiasm that I introduce this year’s Haggadah.

I am truly indebted to the Middle School Judaic Studies Faculty who has worked

tirelessly and diligently to bring this project to fruition. We are once again so grateful to

the Stein Family for their generous sponsorship of this Haggadah. They are true partners

in our mission to pass our tradition to the next generation and see this project as an

excellent vehicle for doing so. Finally, we are thankful to our students. Thank you for

your fresh insights, energy and creativity. Continue to make us proud!

Chag Kasher Vesameach,

Rabbi Yaacov Feit, Director of Judaic Studies

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דברי תורה לפסחby the

Rebbeim and Morot

of the

Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy

Middle School

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Finding A Voice

By Rabbi Eliezer Rubin, Head of School

Torah is best transmitted through a thoughtful and deliberate approach. Educational

lessons are most impactful when they are internalized, seen as intrinsic, self-directed values.

When we engage in Torah education with children, we must resist the temptation to be

authoritarian. In a world of choices and messages relayed by a multitude of media, our children

will need to own their Torah commitment. Authoritarianism has limited value in the world of

choices.

Internalization is best accomplished by giving children a voice to question and a safe

place to inquire. Finding their voices around the Jewish table will enable children to create

meaning by embracing the symbols and substance of Judaism.

The Four Sons narrative in the Haggadah teaches us a great deal about the transmission

of our heritage. Nechama Leibowitz explains that whereas the wise son will ask , the wicked son

will proclaim. Encouraging children to question, and by validating their inquiries, we will help

them search for truth. If a child is compelled to embrace a value system without the benefit of

inquiry, children may ultimately reach conclusions without questioning; they will have little

interest in questioning their own, new assumptions and will be disinclined to engage in honest

reflection.

Children need to be confident that questions are an integral part of the process of

developing the Jewish consciousness. Rabbi Lau sees the child that does not know how to

question as one who thinks it is forbidden to do so. Paraphrasing Rabbi Alkabetz, he explains

that parents should open the window to questions by giving the child confidence to ask. By

altering the letter Peh in the word Petach (open) to the letter Bet, the directive becomes Betach

Lo, give the child confidence.

The Seder is designed to be child-centered. It is an opportunity to speak to children about

our heritage and to encourage them to share their beliefs and assumptions with us.

The Ultimate Teaching Moment

By Mrs. Debbie Finkelstein, JKHA Principal

The Rambam writes in the middle of his commentary on the Mishnah that he will explain

a principle that is more important than all the details that he will explain throughout all the six

sections of the Mishnah. He says that the most critical thing that he has to teach is the concept of

emunah; belief in Hashem. The Seder Night is a teaching opportunity that stands above all other

times of the year for the very same reason. One form of teaching is through a classroom with a

skilled teacher and highly engaging lessons; another model of teaching is through experience.

The experience of the Pesach Seder can imbue our children with crucial experiential learning.

Just as the Rambam states that the teachings of belief are the most crucial teachings that he has to

offers, so too the Seder Night whose goal is to instill us with belief in Hashem is the ultimate

teaching moment. With the family gathered around the table, the table beautifully set, the props

of the Seder Plate and Matzah in place, the night is primed to inspire through the experience

itself. The entire goal of all that we are charged to accomplish through the Seder is to gain clarity

in our belief in Hashem.

The Ramban is bothered by the emphasis the Torah places on remembering the

redemption from Mitzrayim. Not only are we commanded to remember the Exodus once a year;

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we are commanded to recall the Exodus on a daily basis. Moreover, the Torah says that we do

many mitzvot specifically because Hashem took us out of Egypt, such as teffilin, redeeming a

firstborn son, putting mezuzot on our door, Shabbat and many more mitzvot. Why is there such

an emphasis on one event?

The Ramban says that the miracles that occurred in Egypt were open miracles where we

clearly saw Hashem’s hand and whoever witnessed those events had belief in Hashem implanted

in their hearts forever. However, for generations to come, Hashem did not reveal Himself openly

and show us His hand through miracles that changed nature. For all those future generations we

learn the lesson of what happened in Mitzrayim, “and from the open miracles a person can come

to the realization that their life is made up of hidden miracles which are the foundation of the

Torah. Therefore a person does not have a portion in the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu until he

believes that all things and happenings are not nature but in truth they are hidden miracles.” The

Ramban teaches us that the lesson of the great miracles that occurred in Egypt is that Hashem’s

hand, although not in an open and revealed way, is equally apparent in every aspect of our lives

in a hidden way. By taking advantage of what Pesach has to offer we can strengthen our belief in

Hashem’s involvement in every aspect of our lives.

As the Seder begins and we look around the table appreciating the gifts that Hashem has

given us we should realize the responsibility and opportunity that we have to imbue these lessons

of faith upon our households. We should use the experience of the Seder to teach and speak

about Hashem’s involvement in our lives, strengthen our belief in Hashem, and maximize all the

holiday has to offer.

The Great Escape

By Rabbi Dovid Selengut, Dean of Students

Jews eat Matzah to remember the chipazon, the great haste, with which Bnei Yisrael were

forced to leave Mitzrayim. They were not even given the time for the dough to rise. What is the

significance of this rush which makes it such an important part of the Yom Tov. The Seforno

explains that the chipazon of the geulah from Mitzrayim is the prototype of all past and future

redemptions-personal and national. For example, Yosef was stuck in an Egyptian jail with no

hope of getting out. His attempt to get out of jail by enlisting the help of the wine butler, failed.

No Egyptian would help him and he had no way of contacting his family in Eretz Canaan. It

seemed like his life would end in a depressing prison. Suddenly, Pharaoh sent and summoned

Yosef and they rushed him from the dungeon to explain Pharaoh’s dreams. When Yosef

interpreted them, Pharaoh immediately appointed him viceroy of Egypt. Yosef immediately went

from a dark prison to the highest office of the land, quickly and in great haste.

A similar thing happened during Yetziat Mitzrayim. For 210 years Bnei Yisrael were in

Mitzrayim and there seemed to be little possibility that they would ever be released. Even when

Hashem inflicted them with devastating makkot, Pharaoh stubbornly refused to give in. After the

tenth plague when, “there was not a house where there wasn’t a corpse”, Pharaoh expelled the

Jews in great haste.

The Seforno continues that this chipazon is the way this long and bitter galut will end as

well. As the Navi in Malachi (3:1) puts it, “Pit’om-“Suddenly, the Lord whom you seek will

come to His sanctuary”. This is an encouraging thought in our troubled times when there seems

to be no solution to the great tzarot that we find ourselves in. We often wonder how Hashem will

ever extract us from this galut where there is so much anti-Semitism in the world. The answer is

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as the passuk says in Micha (7:15) “As in the days when you left Mitzrayim, I will show you

wonders.” Just as the geula from Mitzrayim happened suddenly, so too, the future geula which

we anxiously await, will happen suddenly.

Rav Pam says that this is true not only on a national scale but for each person in his or her

daily life as well. Sometimes we have problems that seem insurmountable. We become

depressed due to the inability to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is important for us to

realize that Hashem can rapidly and unexpectedly bring a happy ending to the suffering.

Hashem’s help is not limited to slowly evolving solutions to life’s problems. It can come

quickly, Pit’om, suddenly and with great haste. Yeshuat Hashem Kiheref Ayin- the salvation of

Hashem comes in the blink of an eye.

Pesach is a time for miracles. It is a time for redemption on a national and personal level.

We pray to see the fulfillment of the Gemara in Rosh Hashana 11b that, “In Nissan we were

redeemed and in Nissan we will be redeemed.” May it happen speedily in our days.

Understanding the Seder in the Seder

By Rabbi Reuven Greenberg

On the 15th

of Nissan we gather together to celebrate Chag HaPesach. The evening is

known for the Seder which we conduct to relive the significant events of the past. The Seder or

“order” is set up to enable us to re-experience the slavery in Mitzraim and the subsequent

freedom which we merited. Why did Chazal set up the evening in such a fashion based on an

orderly set of stages? One answer to this question is to recognize that life functions with a

heavenly “seder” even through times of uncertainty. For Bnei Yisrael in Mitzraim there was

sadness, pain, and uncertainty. Had Hashem abandoned them completely, or was there some

master plan that they could not possibly envision for their suffering was so intense? The events

that unfolded revealed the grand plan and Bnei Yisrael were witnesses to many miracles and

ultimately the revelation at Har Sinai. It is a lesson for all times to continue to work on one’s

emunah and bitchon during times which lack clarity. As Bnei Yisrael experienced the first geulah

in the history of our nation, so too, we should merit to see the final geulah.

Leaving Mitzrayim-Who is Leaving Who?

By Morah Danielle Goldstein

In discussing the Exodus from Mitzrayim the Torah says that we must always remember

Yetziat Mitzrayim. The Sfas Emes notes that the phrase “Yetziat Mitzrayim” is an interesting

phrase. According to proper dikduk it should say “yetziah mi’Mitzrayim,” leaving from

Mitzrayim, and not the leaving of Mitzrayim.

The choice of words here has a very deep message about how we must view the world.

The mitzvah is not about remembering that Bnei Yisrael left the confines of Egypt and went into

freedom. Rather, we the Jewish people have to make sure that Mitzrayim leaves us. The

mentality of Mitzrayim which was all about tumah and gashmiut must be uprooted from within

each one of us. We live in a challenging world, and removing the “Mitzrayim” within each of us

can be difficult. Pesach is a new beginning for us. It is a time where we search our homes, cars,

and places of work. When we are searching our boundaries we are not only searching our homes

for chametz; we are supposed to search ourselves for imperfections.

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When discussing chametz found in our homes, the Torah is very machmir or stringent.

The reason for this strict approach is because chametz represents our yetzer hara. The Shla states

that as we search for our chametz we must also search our pockets. By this he means that we

should check our wallets and our business dealings for imperfections. We must take the time to

look through each aspect of our lives and find the ways in which we can rid ourselves of the

chametz or imperfections that we have found within ourselves. We must thoroughly search

ourselves and the choices we have made to make sure that we are leaving the gashmiut of

Mitzrayim behind in an attempt to rededicate ourselves to Hashem as his Am Kadosh.

This idea also connects so beautifully to sefirat haomer. On Pesach we begin counting

toward the holiday of Shavuot which commemorates Matan Torah. Using this idea of the Sfas

Emes we can say that Pesach is the time that we start to work on ourselves and focus on

removing the negativity found in our lives. We count seven weeks of sefirah in which we focus

on this goal in order to lead us to Shavuot so that we will be ready to reconnect ourselves to

Hashem just as Bnei Yisrael did at Har Sinai.

Pesach is the time to break out of our limits. It is a time that one must remember that you

are never stuck within your yetzer hara and always have the opportunity to do teshuvah. If we

prepare for Pesach with this in mind we will ready ourselves for a closer connection with

Hashem and ultimately bring Mashiach Tzidkenu in our day.

People Are Strange, When You’re A Stranger

By Rabbi Adam Hertzberg, Director of Student Activities

As we sit down to start the Haggadah, we say, “ דכפין ייתי וייכלכל ”- “Let all who are

hungry come and eat.” Really? We just spent weeks preparing for this. Are we really going to

invite unexpected guests now?

To answer this, let’s look at the סדר experience and what we are trying to accomplish.

Right after we say הא לחמא עניא, we move into the four questions, מה נשתנה. We answer the

questions by saying עבדים היינו. It’s interesting that we refer to ourselves in Egypt as slaves. If

you look throughout the enslavement of the Jews in Egypt in ספר שמות, the Jews are never

referred to as “עבדים” but rather as “גרים”, strangers.

What is a גר? If we look throughout the Torah, the term גר is used differently in different

contexts. Sometimes when we refer to a גר in the Torah, we are referring to a convert; someone

who was not Jewish but decided to become part of the Jewish community. In some contexts it

just means stranger or someone who is different. We are given commandments to be nice to the

בארץ מצרים, גרים הייתם-יכ to not oppress them ,גר - because we were strangers in the land of Egypt.

We can’t be mean to someone who is different, because we were once different. We were

once strangers; we know what it feels like. In this way, the Torah teaches us empathy. Empathy

is the ability to know how someone feels and feel that way for them. We have the ability and

obligation to empathize with the גר because we were גרים in מצרים. We know exactly how it feels

to be different, to be strangers, to be foreign. We were there. We experienced that.

It is for this reason that we invite guests on the night of the סדר. No one actually thinks

that these people are going to come to the סדר. No one expects anyone else at their table.

However, we begin our סדר by exclaiming and reflecting on our ability to be empathetic to those

who don’t have what we do. We frame our discussion of יציאת מצרים, at which point we became a

nation, by pointing to our definitional characteristic of empathy. And, therefore, we declare as

empathetic people that we can provide for those in need and want to help all in distress.

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If we are able to properly impart these ideas to our children to the point that we can see

them acting in caring and sensitive ways, we can proudly proclaim בארעא השתא הכא לשנה הבא "

"דישראל . This year we are here, but next year we will be in Israel, as a people who are connected

to one another and care for each other as we care for ourselves.

Sefirat Ha’Omer: Simcha or Aveilut?

By Morah Kayla Bluman

Sefirat Ha’Omer seems to be a 49 day emotional tug of war. On the one hand, we are

rejoicing in our freedom and counting the days up to Matan Torah. However, on the other hand,

we are actively mourning the deaths of Rebbi Akiva’s twenty-four thousand talmidim.

The mitzvah d’oraita of counting the omer is mentioned in Parshat Emor. The Sefer

Hachinuch explains that the root of this mitzvah stems from the fact that B’nei Yisrael were

saved from Mitzrayim for the sole purpose of receiving the Torah. We therefore are told to count

the days leading up to Shavuot in anticipation, excitement and yearning for Matan Torah.

Ramban sees a strong connection between Pesach and Shavuot and compares the days of

Sefirat Ha’Omer to Chol Hamoed. Just like Sukkot has Chol Hamoed connecting the first days to

the last days of the Yom Tov, so too, Pesach and Shavuot are connected by means of Sefirat

Ha’Omer. This explanation strengthens the fact that the days of Sefirat Ha’Omer are supposed to

be days of joy and excitement. Even more so, the Sfat Emet explains that the mitzvah of Sefirat

Ha’Omer is found in Parshat Emor along with the rest of the Yamim Tovim, thereby likening it

to a Yom Tov on its own!

In addition to the fact that Sefirat Ha’Omer represents the days leading up to Matan

Torah, there is also an agricultural point to be made. On the second day of Pesach, we bring the

Korban ha’Omer of barley to offer thanks to Hashem as spring comes and the world begins to

bloom and flourish. The Sefer Hachinuch teaches that we specifically wait for the second day of

Pesach to bring the korban, rather than bring it on the first day, in order to not mix one simcha

with another; once again stressing the days of Sefirat Ha’Omer as a time filled with pure joy!

We know that nothing in Judaism is a coincidence; Hashem has a master plan and is the

orchestrator of all world events. One could then ask why Hashem planned for the tragedy of R’

Akiva’s talmidim and our adopted traditions of mourning to overlap with the simcha of Sefirat

Ha’Omer. How can we blend the simcha of the mitzvah d’oraita with the mitzvah d’rabanan of

mourning?

Derech Eretz Kadma L’Torah- having proper middot comes before all else; even Torah.

R’ Chaim Vital zt”l writes that having good middot is a prerequisite for acquiring Torah. The

Torah doesn’t command us about specific middot because it is supposed to be a given! There is a

minhag for people to learn Pirkei Avot during the weeks between Pesach and Shavuot. Part of

our preparation for Matan Torah is to learn Pirkei Avot and work on the middot and derech eretz

that it teaches.

Chaza”l tell us that R’ Akiva’s talmidim were punished because, “lo nahagu kavod zeh

bazeh” – they didn’t treat each other properly. Somehow, despite their high level of Torah

learning and knowledge, they lacked the proper middot and derech eretz one to another.

As we prepare ourselves to receive the Torah, what more important lesson could we be given

than that of R’ Akiva’s talmidim? We can experience the forty nine days of simcha and

excitement but unless we are prepared to receive the Torah, all that simcha goes to waste. When

we accepted the Torah, B’nei Yisroel called out, “naaseh v’nishma” – we will do and then we

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will listen. Learning Torah and acquiring the knowledge of Torah is not enough. The way in

which we live our lives needs to reflect the essence of the Torah that we accepted.

May we all learn from R’ Akiva’s talmidim to elevate our level of bein adam l’chaveiro and be

privileged to enjoy the truest simcha throughout Sefirat Ha’Omer culminating with Matan

Torah!

Believing in Our Children

By Rabbi Dovid Sukenik, Mashgiach Ruchani

Right before the Jews sang אז ישיר at the Yam Suf, the passuk says that בני ישראל believed

in Hashem and Moshe His servant. Why is it important for us to know that they believed in

Moshe?

In פרק ג of ספר שמות, Moshe Rabbeinu (at the burning bush) says to Hashem, “ יאמינו והן לא

מאמינים בני the Jewish people will not believe me. Hashem responds that the Jewish people are ”לי

יםמאמינ , believers, sons of believers, so they will believe you. At the end of פרשת שמות when

Moshe goes to Pharaoh, the elders who accompanied Moshe and Aharon left one by one until

only Moshe and Aharon were left to meet Pharaoh alone. It would seem from here that Moshe

was right and Hashem was wrong; the elders didn’t believe. How can we understand this?

Rabbi Yisroel Reisman relates that he asked this question to a man at a grocery store in

Brooklyn. The man replied that they would have believed him; however, they didn't because

Moshe said they wouldn’t. To inspire confidence you have to be confident. To inspire emunah

you have to live emunah. Hashem was correct; they were מאמינים בני מאמינים and they would have

followed Moshe with complete emunah if Moshe would have believed in them.

When they stood at Yam Suf and sang songs of praise to Hashem, the Torah says that they

believed in Hashem and Moshe his servant. After the story of יציאת מצרים, Moshe believed in the

Jews and they reciprocated. That is why the Torah specifies that the Jews believed in Hashem

and Moshe.

This is a fundamental concept in the chinuch of our children. As parents and teachers, we

have to believe in our children; but more importantly we have to show and tell them explicitly

that we believe in them and their abilities. With the help of Hashem this will hopefully inspire

them to believe in themselves and live up to their potential.

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הגדה של פסחWith Commentary From

the Students of the

Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy

Middle School

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סדר בדיקת חמץ

בלילה שלפני ערב פסח בודקים את החמץ. וחייבים לבדוק מיד בתחלת הלילה, ואסור להתחיל לאכול או לעשות שום מלאכה

.חצי שעה קודם הלילה

קודם בדיקת חמץ אומרים:ל בדיקת חמץ הריני מוכן ומזומן לקים מצות עשה ולא תעשה ש

לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתיה על ידי ההוא טמיר ונעלם בשם כל ישראל:

ך העולם אש אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ל ר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על מ

ביעור חמץ:

ומיד אחר הבדיקה יבטלנו ויאמר:מירא וחמיעא דאיכא ברשותי דלא חמתיה ודלא בערתיה כל ח

פקר כעפרא דארעא: הוי ה ודלא ידענא ליה לבטל ולושאור שיש ברשותי, שלא ראיתיו ושלא בערתיו ושלא כל חמץ יבטל ויהיה הפקר כעפר הארץ -ידעתיו

סדר שריפת חמץ

ביום י"ד בניסן בשעה חמישית יעשה לו מדורה וישרפנו ותכף יבטלנו ויאמר:

מירא וחמיעא דאיכא ברשותי דחזתיה ודלא חזתיה דחמתיה כל חפקר כעפרא ו הוי ה דלא חמתיה דבערתיה ודלא בערתיה לבטל ול

דארעא:כל חמץ ושאור שיש ברשותי, שראיתיו ושלא ראיתיו, שבערתיו

.1יבטל ויהיה הפקר כעפר הארץ -ושלא בערתיו

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2הדלקת נרותסדר

ך ’ברוך אתה ה ל ר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו , העולםאלקינו מ אשל יום טוב .להדליק נר ש

1Fast of the Firstborn By Jason Singer

On Erev Pesach there is a custom that the firstborn male in every Jewish family fasts. The

halacha states that only males who have become bar mitzvah must do so. If the firstborn male is

not bar mitzvah then it's customary for his father to fast. However, if the father himself is a

firstborn then the mother should fast. The halacha continues, that if the first born is a choleh, a

sick person, then he does not have to fast. If, however, he is able to, he should limit the amount

of food he eats.

According to the rabbinical authorities a firstborn may eat a meal that is served in honor

of a mitzvah i.e a seudat mitzvah. One should follow local customs with regard to permissible

types of occasions. In America a seudat mitzvah in honor of finishing a masechta would be an

example. Interestingly enough, even though the firstborn did not personally learn the entire

masechta, if he partakes in the siyum and the seudat mitzvah he is then able to eat.

(From the Haggadah of The Roshei Yeshivah)

Laws of Erev Pesach

By Elan Goldman

One may not do any work for pay after noon of Erev Pesach. The one exception is if one

is working to buy food for Pesach. When one is using romaine lettuce for marror, it is preferable

not to clean the leaves by soaking them in a vinegar solution. According to the Shulchan Aruch,

when a food is soaked in vinegar long enough for it to be placed on fire, it is considered

“cooked” food. Since a little leaf has close to nothing left after the “outer shell” is removed, it is

highly questionable whether it may be used for marror even after such short soaking.

(From the Rav Shlomo Zalman Haggadah)

2 Erev Pesach - Hadlakat Neirot

By Leah Blima Rubinstein

Many women follow the custom of lighting two candles from the time they are married

and adding one more candle after each child is born. As such, they light one candle for each

member of the family.

Additionally, there is a custom for children to take naps the afternoon before the Seder so

that they will be able to stay awake that night. The great sage, Rabbi Akiva, would never say, “It

is time to stop studying Torah,” except on Erev Pesach. He did this so that the fathers could go

home and put their children to sleep in the afternoon.

(From the Artscroll Youth Haggada)

16

ך העולם ’ברוך אתה ה ל חינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן , אלקינו מ ה שה .הז

3קדש

ת שב חילין ב :מת

ב ויהי ר ר ויהי ע ץ השמים ויכלו. הששי יום בק . צבאם וכל והארר מלאכתו השביעי ביום אלקים ויכל השביעי ביום וישבת עשה אש

3Fifteen Steps to Freedom

By Rebecca Gampel

Pesach is the time when each Jew sets out on a personal journey from slavery to freedom.

In order to lead us in our quest, the sages carefully wrote a book outlining fifteen steps to

freedom. It is called the Haggadah which has fifteen parts. The Sages say that Pesach occurs

when the moon enlarges for fifteen days; so too our growth must be in fifteen gradual steps.

Think of these as fifteen pieces of the Pesach puzzle. Collect them all and you’ve got freedom.

(From Torah.org)

Who Says Kiddush?

By Allie Keiser

In most cases, the leader of the Seder recites Kiddush for the rest of the group. However,

R’ Yaakov Kanievsky, also known as “The Steipler" asked a question on this custom based on

the Gemara.

The Mishna says that the third cup of wine is connected to the mitzvah of Bircat

HaMazon. The Gemara immediately responded to this by saying that this proves that Bircat

HaMazon should be said with wine. It then decides that this isn't the case; the mitzvah does not

need to be said over wine. Rather, the Sages decided that each cup of wine should be paired with

a mitzvah and the mitzvah for the third cup is Bircat HaMazon.

The Steipler then goes on to say that if each cup of wine is connected to a mitzvah, one

should say Kiddush for himself to fulfill his own mitzvah. If only the leader says Kiddush, then

only his cup will have a mitzvah fulfilled through it.

A student responded to this statement with a solution. Normally, when Kiddush must be

said, one person will recite it out loud. As long as everyone else has their own cups of wine, this

completes the obligation for the rest of the group. This leads us to believe that so too, on the

night of the Seder, if everyone has their own cup, the mitzvah can also be completed by one

speaker reciting the bracha. It is not necessary for every person to say his own Kiddush.

(From The Hagaddah of the Roshei Yeshiva, Volume 3)

17

ר מלאכתו מכל ך. עשה אש ת אלקים ויבר ויקדש השביעי יום אר מלאכתו מכל שבת בו כי אותו .לעשות אלקים ברא אש

חילין: בחול מת

סברי מרנן ורבנן ורבותי

ן. אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ך העולם בורא פרי הגפ ל מ

ר בחר בנו מכל עם ורוממנו אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ך העולם, אש ל מן לנו באהבה )בשבת: אלקינו ’המכל לשון וקדשנו במצותיו. ותת

ת יום שבתות למנוחה ו(מועדים לשמחה, חגים וזמנים לששון, אה, זמן חרותנו )באהבה(, )השב ת יום( חג המצות הז ה וא ת הז

ר ליציאת מצרים. כי בנו בחרת ואותנו קדשת מכל ש, זכ מקרא קדך )באהבה וברצון,( בשמחה ובש שון העמים, )ושבת( ומועדי קדש

, מקדש )השבת ו(ישראל והזמנים.’ההנחלתנו. ברוך אתה

ת מוסיפין:) אי שב מוצ ב

ך העולם, בורא מאורי האש. אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ל מ

ך העולם המבדיל אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ל ש לחל, בין אור מ בין קדה. בין ת ימי המעש ך, בין ישראל לעמים, בין יום השביעי לשש לחשת ימי ת יום השביעי משש קדשת שבת לקדשת יום טוב הבדלת, וא

ה קדשת. הבד ך. ברוך המעש ת עמך ישראל בקדשת לת וקדשת אש. ’האתה ש לקד (המבדיל בין קד

חינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ה ך העולם, ש ל מה. הז

ה ב הס .שותה רב כוס היין ב

18

חץ ור

לין את ה דים".י נוט טילת י כין "על נ ר ב אין מ דים ו

פס 4כר

4Karpas

By Josie Jakubovic

A long time ago, most meals were started by serving small foods with dip. We also do

this at the Seder table with Karpas. By doing this, we encourage the children at the table to ask

questions about the uniqueness of the night. Considering that parsley and salt water are

delicacies, it shows that the people of Israel are now free and they can eat fancy foods rather than

being slaves who only eat small portions of bread. Although this demonstrates a symbol of

freedom, it also demonstrates the tears of Bnei Yisrael through the use of salt water. The

gematria of ס in Karpas is 60 and the rest of the word פרך means hard labor. This means 600,000

men were let out of Egypt and were enslaved in labor.

The word karpas relates to the aspect of “Egyptian exile” so there is a debate if you

should recline when eating it. Rabbeinu Manoach claims that he sees an allusion in the word

karpas, to the “ketonet passim” which refers to the multicolored tunic that Yoseph was given by

his father. This allusion would make sense because the Talmud states that the favoritism that

Yaakov gave to Yoseph caused Yoseph’s brothers to sell him to be a slave. This was the event

that led to the Egyptian exile.

(From The Sephardic Heritage Haggadah)

Whetting Their Appetite

By Michael Pedoeem

Eating Karpas has baffled many generations of our sages. People ask, ‘’Why do we dip a

vegetable in salt water at the seder? Some may say that the dipping reminds us of the tears shed

in Egypt. Others say that the Karpas leaves remind us of the green of the upcoming spring. But

these suggestions still don't answer, why we eat the Karpas in the beginning of the meal.

Shouldn't we have it in Shulchan Orech when all the other foods are eaten? Additionally, it

doesn't answer the question of why we have karpas instead of bread. The Talmud approaches this

dilemma with an interesting answer. The Talmud suggests that the timing is instituted so the

“children may ask”. Pesach is a time where parents pass down the tradition of Judaism to their

children. In order to do so we must engage our children and make them more interested in the

story of Pesach. In addition, just as Karpas serves as an appetizer in the seder, the questions the

kids have make them curious and more excited to learn. With that said, may the Jewish mesorah

get passed down generation after generation for many years to come.

19

כין. ר ב מי מלח, ומ זית ב חות מכ פס פ לין כר טו ר גם נכון טוב כון לפ לרכה זואת המרו .5ר בב

Why Vegetables? By Joshua Lando

Why do we eat a vegetable to start our seder? Why don't we eat bread like we usually eat

immediately after kiddush? Rabbi Yehuda Albin says that this will make everyone curious. If

everyone is curious, then everyone will pay attention throughout the whole seder. They also will

most likely be more interested in the seder, and ask more questions. This will really make a

better Pesach experience. 5 Blessing the Karpas and Marror

By Natalie Moses

When reciting the blessing for karpas, why should one have the intention that it applies

also for marror? Apparently, this requirement relates to the mitzvah of eating matzah. Just like

the eating of matzah on Pesach requires a special blessing of על אכילת מצה, as well as the regular

bracha of המוציא, so too the eating of marror requires the special bracha of מרור על אכילת as well

as the ordinary bracha of האדמה. However, a person is not allowed to say האדמה more than once

at the seder or on more than one vegetable. Since it is the same meal, doing so would be an

unnecessary bracha. Therefore, when making the bracha for karpas, we should have marror in

mind. This is a question that I have personally always wondered and thought about during my

seder. Many might not have known about this but they can now know and understand why we do

the mitzvah this way and can incorporate it into their own seder.

(From the Rav Shlomo Zalman Haggadah)

Lechem Oni

By Joey Dredsner

Why don't we break the matzah closer to the time that it is eaten? It is broken earlier in

the meal because it is “lechem Oni”. The Torah says in Devarim that the lechem oni (bread of

poverty) is the food of the poor people. Just as a poor man eats the broken pieces of bread, we

break the matzah in half. The Gemara says that “Oni” is also related to the word “Anah” which

means to recite. The Gemara says this because the matzah is “bread over which many words are

recited”.

In order to fulfill both of the above interpretations of lechem oni, we break the matzah

early in the seder, before it is eaten. This way it is truly “bread over which many words are

recited”. We learn from this that we always try to follow different opinions at the same time. In

this case the plain meaning of the Torah, and the interpretation given in the Gemara are different,

but we try our best to honor both meanings.

(From the Rav Shlomo Zalman Haggadah)

20

ך העולם, בורא פרי האדמה. אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ל מ

6יחץ

6 Yachatz- The Broken Matzah

By Sasha Altman

The middle matzah is broken in half. One of the sides is saved for later to fulfill the

mitzvah of eating the food that our forefathers ate when they were slaves in Egypt. It is the type

of food that a slave eats because they don’t have time to let the dough rise.

It is also the food that they ate when they left Egypt in a hurry. The dough of the matzah

had no time to rise, because the time came that they were let go and there could be no delay. The

Zohar refers to matzah as the “bread of faith” as it represents the faith of Israel in our God.

We leave the broken piece of matzah throughout the Seder because it is the “bread of

affliction” that our forefathers ate. Matzah is the bread of slavery that our fathers ate at different

stages in history. We break a piece off and leave it while we read the Hagaddah and go through

the history of the Jewish people. Additionally, the matzah will be our dessert when Messiah

comes and there is no more slavery or hunger.

(From the Passover Haggadah by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin)

Yitzchak’s Broken Matzah

By Max Yarkony

Our forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov represent the three matzot that are given

out at the Seder. Yitzchak who represents the middle matzah is broken into two. What is the

reason for this? The Talmud says that Yitzchak is broken into two because Yitzchak has the

ability to defend all of Israel from being punished from their sins. Yitzchak says that he has,

“half on my shoulder, and half on your shoulder.” Half of the mitzvah represents the sins of his

son Eisav. Yitzchak has taken this responsibility onto himself. The other half represents the yeast

in the dough. It is like our sins because the yeast makes the dough rise, which is similar to our

selfishness that often, makes us, sin. Jews will blame Hashem for half of their sins because the

yetzer harah is something that Hashem created. All in all, this is why Yitzchak’s matzah is

broken into two.

(From Touched By the Seder)

Hiding the Afikomen

By Grace Schapiro

On Pesach we break the middle matzah into two pieces. It is a custom for the leader of

the seder to hide the middle matzah behind his pillow and the children come and take it away and

hide it. Does this teach kids that it’s okay to steal? There are many different answers but in my

opinion it does not. It is a fun custom for children to do. Young children might get bored from

21

פין את החצי תים ומצ עית לש צ אמ ה ה צע את המצ בעל הבית יבן דול לאפיקומ .7הג

8מגיד

sitting down at the seder for so long and hiding the afikoman will bring their attention back to the

seder and keep them awake. This is fun for children and a nice break for everyone to enjoy. 7 Yachatz-A Mitzvah is So Precious!

By Eli Zuckerman

Why do we break the matzah at the beginning of the seder? The matzah symbolizes the

poor slaves in Mitzrayim. A poor person breaks his food into smaller pieces to eat some of it now

and the rest for later. So, we break the matzah and put the smaller piece back and save the bigger

piece for later, for the Afikomen. Why is the Afikomen put into a cloth or napkin? The first

answer is so that it does not get eaten accidently. The second answer is that it reminds us of what

we did with the matzah when we left Mitzrayim. We did not put the leftover matzah on the

donkeys with the gold and silver because it was part of a mitzvah, and that it is too precious to

put on the donkeys. It was carried close to them. When you go on an airplane your most precious

items are not placed with the baggage but with your carry-on bag. We did the same with the

matzah. We carried it on our shoulders and not on the animals.

(From The Medrash Haggadah) More Than Just Words-מגיד8

By Gavi Dickman

One time there was a villager that became seriously sick. The city’s best doctor was

called in and after a full examination he wrote a prescription. He explained very carefully to the

villager’s wife, “Give your husband this prescription with water three times a day until it is

finished and he will be cured”.

The wife of the villager did exactly as was told. She tore a small piece of the paper off

and put it in water until it dissolved and then gave it to her husband every day three times.

Unfortunately, the condition did not improve. The doctor was called again and he was very

confused. He had given this prescription many times before. After a while, he asked to see the

prescription. Maybe there was a mistake. The wife said that she can’t because she had already

given it all to her husband, just like the doctor said. “Fool!”, the doctor shouted at her. It’s not

the paper that is going to cure him; it’s the words on the paper! That’s what would have cured

him.

The words of the Haggadah are just words, not some magical formula. Reading about

isn’t enough. We need to do everything possible to feel what it would be like to יציאת מצרים

experience יציאת מצרים. We need to cry when we read/hear the sad parts and smile when we

read/hear the happy parts. By trying to feel how it would be like at the time of יציאת מצרים it will

straighten our faith in Hashem. (From the Torah Tavlin Haggadah)

22

ה ר ע ביה את הק גלה את המצות מג ם: 9מ קול ר אומר ב ו

A Bracha-less Mitzvah? By Manny Ehrlich

We are commanded by the Torah to “recall the day you went out of Egypt,” particularly

on the fifteenth day of Nissan. There is something about this fact that raises a question. If it is a

mitzvah to recall the story of Pesach, shouldn’t a bracha be said before beginning to tell that

story during Maggid? One possible answer is that it is too late to say a bracha because we fulfill

the mitzvah during Kiddush when we say, “in commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt.”

Another explanation is as follows. The mitzvah of mentioning the Exodus applies daily. There is

a separate mitzvah to tell the story of the Exodus at the Seder each year. The reason no bracha is

recited is that the mitzvah to tell the story in detail applies to the Pesach Seder, while during the

rest of the year one is obligated to only briefly mention the story. So, although they are two

separate mitzvot, they’re still very similar. No bracha can be said for a year-round mitzvah, and

because the two are essentially the same mitzvoth, just with different requirements, no bracha is

said before telling the story at the Seder.

(From The Rav Shlomo Zalman Haggadah)

Why is Maggid Different Than All Other Nights?

By Sammy Indyk

One mitzvah in the Torah is to remember the day we went out of Egypt. We say it in

Shema twice a day, one time during the day and one time during the night. So why do we say

Maggid if we already say the story of leaving Egypt it twice a day? R` Chaim Soloveitchik says

three reasons why saying it every day and telling the story on the night of the Seder are different.

The first reason is that when you recite it every day it can be in private but when we say Maggid

we are telling a story and asking questions about it. The second reason is that on Pesach there is a

requirement of saying the story by first describing the Jews before leaving Egypt and then

discussing what happened after they left. The third reason is that the mitzvah of retelling the

story on Seder night requires doing so in front of matzah, maror, and the meat of the Pesach

sacrifice. These are the reasons why we say Maggid at the Seder.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah) 9 The Seder Plate

By Reuvy Keane

The Seder plate is arranged with the Zro’a, Charoset, Marror, Karpas, Lettuce and Egg.

All of the items on the plate represent the seven different character traits (so to speak) of

Hashem. Zro’a represents חסד – kindness. Charoset represents נצח – eternity. Marror represents

foundation. The Egg – יסוד splendor. Lettuce represents – הוד glory. Karpas represents – תפארת

represents גבורה – might. The Ka’ara (seder plate) represents מלכות – kingship. These are deep

intentions quoted by the holy Chida.

23

די אכלו אבהתנא בארעא דמצרים. כל דכפין 10עניא הא לחמא. השתא הכא, לשנה הבאה 11ייתי וייכל, כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח

. השתא עבדי, לשנה הבאה בני חורין.12בארעא דישראל

?כהא לחמא עניא or הא לחמא עניא 10

By Eytan Mobilio

Most people say לחמא עניאהא but some other people say כהא לחמא עניא. The words הא לחמא

is translated as “this is כהא לחמא עניא are translated as “this is the bread of poverty”, while עניא

like the bread of poverty”. One version means the matzah we eat is the bread of poverty and the

other means it is a symbol of the bread of poverty. This story explains the difference.

A poor man once traveled with a knapsack trying to sell things for money. One day, he

was successful and became rich. He decided to make the day his luck had changed into a Yom

Tov. He called it “the knapsack Yom Tov.” He treated it as a normal Yom Tov and bought clothes

for his family. One day, his luck changed again and he lost all of his wealth. His wife told him he

should put on his knapsack and make some money. He took her advice and put on the knapsack.

When his children saw him with the knapsack, they thought it was the Yom Tov and asked him

where their new clothes were. He told them now he wasn’t pretending to be poor like a normal

“knapsack Yom Tov”; he actually was poor!

This is the difference between the two versions. When we had the בית המקדש we ate

matzah as a reminder of יציאת מצרים. This is an example of כהא לחמא עניא; this is like the bread of

poverty. However, now that we don’t have the שבית המקד , it is appropriate to say הא לחמא עניא,

this is the bread of poverty.

(From The Redemption Haggadah)

Poor Man’s Bread?

By Nathan Orbach

Why does the haggadah call the matzah of Pesach the bread of poverty? When our

fathers left Egypt, taking the matzah with them, they had no part in saving themselves and barely

understood the amazing mercy which Hashem showed them. They ignored the light of the Torah.

The passage says, “Ha Lachma Anya - this is the bread of poverty.” Then it says that “it was

eaten in Egypt”. We can understand that what was missing was an understanding of the will

of Hashem. That is what it means when it says they ate “bread of poverty” in Egypt. They were

poor from belief in Hashem. By eating the matzah we follow our fathers who

followed Hashem without even knowing why. Why do we begin the seder by emphasizing

that matzah is the bread of poverty? The reason is that it says in Avot that whoever doesn’t learn

Torah because of wealth will ultimately become poor. We are reminded that without Torah we

are like Bnei Yisraelin Egypt who were poor in their understanding of Hashem.

(From the Pesach Haggadah of the Sfas Emes)

24

11 Invitation to Freedom

By Max Dickman

In Ha Lachma Anya, the commentators wonder why the invitation for the hungry and the

request to be free are juxtaposed. The answer to this question can be learnt from a story about the

Chafetz Chaim. During World War I, thousands of Jews, including the Chafetz Chaim, were

forced to flee from the countryside to the main cities. Times were hard, the economy had come

to a stop, and food was scarce. One day, a well-dressed, wealthy looking man came to the

Chafetz Chaim’s door. The Chafetz Chaim greeted the man warmly. “Shalom Aleichem, where

are you from?” “From Minsk,” he replied. The Rabbi asked what he did, and the man said he

dealt in leather. The man then told the Chafetz Chaim how he is doing well, and what he did to

evade Russian anti-Semitism. He told the Chafetz Chaim that although no piece of leather is

perfect, if you bribe the right people, everyone is happy and the piece of leather gets accepted.

The Chafetz Chaim then told the man that he had learned something from him. In Berachot, 58a,

it says that when we go up to the heavens, our souls will be carefully scrutinized by Hashem, and

many faults will be found. How ashamed we will be when many of our good deeds are wiped

away from before our eyes? Now, the Torah says that Hashem does not take bribes, but, in

Shabbat 151b, it says that if we act with mercy toward others, Hashem will judge us with mercy.

Otherwise, we have no hope. There are some people, he concluded, who spend all of their time

involved in Torah study and do not help others less fortunate than themselves. If we take time to

do something for the less fortunate, then Hashem will judge us as if we are less fortunate and

need His help. The leather merchant understood the Chafetz Chaim’s lesson and took it to heart,

and he gave the Chafetz Chaim a large sum of money to be distributed among the poor. This

concept can be applied to the nation as well. We pray for Moshiach to come every day, but how

can we hope for Moshiach to come with all the imperfections in our deeds? If only we would

lend a hand to the less fortunate, so that we may be judged favorably enough to bring Moshiach.

This is why only after inviting the poor to eat at our table do we beseech Hashem to set us free.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah)

Whoever is Hungry

By Nitti Heinamann

Feeding the poor is a great mitzvah and can be done without having huge financial assets.

The Chazon Ish (a great sage from the previous generation) would encourage, comfort, and help

many holocaust survivors who came to the land of Israel. With the many generous donations sent

to him from Jews all around the world, he married off more than a hundred orphaned girls to

young Torah scholars, and established 39 mikvaot. Yet, he himself lived in poverty and did not

even own a complete set of Shas. In the last year of his life he channeled over 100,000 lira – a

fortune of money in those days – to Torah institutions and to the poor and sick.

(From The Chazon Ish Hagaddah)

25

ה ר ע ד מן מסיר הק כאן הבן או אח גין כוס שני ו ן, מוז ח ל מעל השבים שואל ס :13המ

Come and Eat

By Yehuda Kornecki

There was an American girl who had many stomach problems. Her father brought her to

Israel to get blessings from the great tzadikim and rabbis there. One of the rabbis they visited was

Rav Shach. The Rosh Yeshiva told the girl that she should eat properly; she will then have the

merit to be married to a talmid chacham. Rav Shach brought the girl food to eat and gave her a

blessing. She ate out of respect for Rav Shach. He rejoiced over every spoonful that the girl put

into her mouth. Rav Shach asked the girl to always say a beracha before she eats and to keep

him informed of how she was doing. The girl fulfilled his request and she eventually recovered

from her illness. Rav Shach’s blessing was also fulfilled, for the girl married a fine talmid

chacham and together they raised a fine Jewish family.

It says in Maggid “This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt.

Whoever is hungry let him come and eat.” The story connects to this because the girl never ate

anything due to her stomach problems and was very hungry. Just as Hashem did for us in

Mitzrayim, Rav Shach, out of the goodness of his heart, helped the girl overcome her stomach

ailments and brought her out of her own personal affliction. We too at the start of the Seder turn

to those in need and tell them to come and eat as well.

(From the Rav Shach Haggadah) 12 The Origin of הא לחמא עניא

By Daniel Simon

R' Velvel Soloveitchick explains that the words in אהא לחמא עני of ייתי ויפסח were

originally written during the time of the בית המקדש because it could have been an invitation to

give theקרבן פסח. In later years, however, the קרבן could no longer be offered, and the eating of

an extra piece of matzah (the afikoman) at the end of the meal, was substituted for the Pesach

meat. The last lines were added to the text as an apology for what had been said previously. We

have just invited people to join us in the Pesach meat, but we can no longer participate in that

mitzvah altogether. Therefore we explain: Now we are here, in exile, and now we are unable to

make good on the invitation to eat the Pesach meat. We must substitute a piece of matzah for the

Pesach meat. However, we pray that next year we may be in the land of Israel, and be able once

again to carry out the Pesach ceremony in all its details, including the sacrifice.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva) 13Never Too Young to Ask

By Liron Stern

This night is different because we don’t eat pasta, pizza, or sandwiches That’s one reason

that this night is different but the real answer is that we were slaves in Egypt, but now we are

free. We still remember this because of Hashem who took us out of our misery with a strong

26

בכל הלילות אנו אוכלין ה מכל הלילות? ש מה נשתנה הלילה הזה 14חמץ ומצה בכל הלילות -, הלילה הז אנו אוכלין כלו מצה! ש

בכל הלילות אין אנו מטבילין -שאר ירקות, ה מרור! ש הלילה הזחת, בכל הלילות אנו -אפילו פעם א ה שתי פעמים! ש הלילה הז

15ה כלנו מסבין!הלילה הז -אוכלין בין יושבין ובין מסבין,

hand. Now we are allowed to live and have a life with family around us to help us celebrate the

celebration of פסח.

One of Rav Shach’s students came to visit him on the first day of Pesach a few years after

he was married. “Where did you go for the Seder last night?” asked the Rosh Yeshivah. “We

went to my parents’ house,” he replied. “And did you ask the Mah Nishtanah?” he asked. “No”,

he answered. “My little girl did that!” “That’s not good,” the Rosh Yeshivah told him. “Each

generation should ask the one before it. ‘Ask your father, he will tell you’. Your daughter should

ask you, and you should ask your father.”

Each generation should ask the “Mah nishtanah” question since it shows knowledge of what had

happened to us as a nation. It is also a tradition and the halacha.

(From The Rav Shach Haggadah) 14 An Important Distinction

By Caleb Rinn

When asking the question about matzah why does the haggadah say that on every night

we eat chametz and matzah? Why wasn’t it enough to say that on every night we eat chametz as

opposed to this night which is completely matzah? The answer that Rabbi Yosef Dov

Soleveichik gives is that by mentioning חמץ ומצה we are teaching our children the concept of

the distinction between being a Jew and a non-Jew. In Shemot it states, “Remember the ;הבדלה

day on which you left Egypt.” It also states later on, “Remember the Shabbat day.” What do they

have in common? On Shabbat, it’s not enough to mention that it’s a holy day. You must stress

the difference between Shabbat and the rest of the week. The same is true regarding Pesach. It’s

not enough to say that we eat matzah on Pesach. We need to mention that when it’s not Pesach

we eat matzah and chametz but tonight we’re only eating matzah. That creates הבדלה.

(From the Commentator’s Pesach Seder Haggadah) 15 A Fifth Question?

By Joseph Mamiye

Why is there no mention of the four cups of wine in the Mah Nishtana? The Chasan Sofer

answers that the Mah Nishtana mentions only those things that have already taken place or have

already been seen at the seder table. Since the four cups have not yet taken place, therefore they

are not mentioned. The Abarbanel answers that drinking wine does necessarily show freedom

because even slaves and oppressed people drink wine.

(From the Commentator’s Haggada)

27

עת גלות בש יינה מ ן. המצות תה ח ל ה על הש ר ע מניח את הקה. ד אמירת ההג

משם ביד אלקינו ’ה, ויוציאנו 16עבדים היינו לפרעה במצריםת חזקה ובזרוע נטויה. ואלו לא הוציא הקדוש ברוך הוא א

Avadim Hayinu 16

By Katie Dickman

After the children ask ma nishtana, the father usually gives a brief summary of yitziat

mitzraim. However, some parents send their younger children to bed as soon as they finish

asking the four questions. Why should these parents send their children straight to bed without

giving them the answers to the questions they just asked? After all, somebody who does not

understand the haggadah has not relived the experiences of our ancestors, and they have not

fulfilled their obligation. Therefore, parents should at least explain ma nishtana, ha lachma anya,

and avadim hayinu, before sending their children to bed.

There are two ways to explain avadim hayinu. The first explanation is very simple. The

parents could say that we might not know the answers to these four questions asked, but we must

do these things because avadim hayinu b’mitzraim, and Hashem took us out. The second

explanation is more in-depth. It explains how during the seder, we tell the story of when we were

enslaved but then freed, and how avadim hayinu represents this.

In avadim hayinu, it mentions that we are slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. These words

emphasize the point that we were enslaved in a country that no slave had ever escaped from and

we were under a harsh ruler. However, it then says that Hashem took us out of Egypt. This

shows that even the most powerful nation is unable to go against Hashem. In avadim hayinu, it

also adds the word אלוקים, which was not in the original passage where this was taken from. By

using this word along with Hashem’s actual name, it shows that He is kind as well as stern. We

have to also appreciate Him making us slaves in Mitzrayim, because it makes us appreciate the

redemption so much more.

(From the ArtScroll Haggadah)

Avadim Hayinu-Out Loud?

By Yael Adler

Why is it the custom for the Ba’al Haggadah to raise his voice when reading עבדים היינו?

The source of this custom is from the gemara in Sotah, which says that, “One should speak one’s

own praise quietly and should speak unpleasant matters in a loud voice.” We raise our voice

because we speak of the גנות or unpleasant facts about our history.

This leaves a few unanswered questions. First of all, we say יינועבדים ה in response to the

four questions, but the גנות is referring to ארמי אבד אבי. So why do we raise our voices here?

Second of all, why don’t we say the שבח or the praise, in a quiet voice as the Gemara says.

Even though the source for this custom is from the gemara in Sotah, we do not raise our

voice because of the גנות, the shame of our fathers in slavery, but because of צער, the pain and

misery they suffered in the past. The gemara tells us to raise our voices when talking about our

28

אבותינו ממצרים, הרי אנו ובנינו ובני בנינו משעבדים היינו לפרעה . ואפילו כלנו חכמים, כלנו נבונים, כלנו זקנים, כלנו 17במצרים

traumatic history. It says in the gemara that to be modest, we should say that we have fulfilled

our personal obligations quietly because it is a private matter. However, we should say our שבח

loudly so the whole world can hear. We aren’t talking about our own achievements here but that

we were redeemed by the outstretched hand of Hashem.

(From the Commentator’s Seder) 17 Still Slaves?

By Maya Minsky

On פסח we say the verse עבדים היינו. We start the haggadah by telling the story of our

nation being enslaved by the Egyptians and then we praise ה׳ for taking us out of Egypt. Rav

says, “In the beginning, our ancestors worshipped idols.” We were slaves to these idols like we

were slaves to the Egyptians. Egyptian kings thought of themselves as gods and they worshipped

idols and we were slaves to the Egyptians. So when ה׳ took us out, it was a true miracle that he

took us out. This showed the Egyptians that they were not our gods and that we only have one G-

d. When we say עבדים היינו we are really praising ה׳ for saving us from idol worship. If ה׳ had not

taken us out of Egypt we would still be slaves to people who think they are our gods.

On another note, this passage can affect us in modern times too. We are slaves to

technology. How many times has your phone dinged and you ran to pick it up? Even if you are in

the middle of a conversation, you make sure that you answer your text. Many Jews also cannot

take a break from technology on the holy day of Shabbat. There has been an increasing amount

of Modern Orthodox teens that have started keeping “half Shabbos” - where somebody keeps all

the rules of Shabbos except for texting. This shows that we are so attached to our phones that

kids can’t put their phones down, clearly showing how our generation is still in slavery.

(From e-nark.net, thejewishnewsweek.com)

Two Redemptions

By Abby Cohn

Every year, during the seder, we say that we were slaves and that if Hashem never would

have taken us out of Mitzrayim we, our children and our children’s children would still be there

today. But how are we to understand that if Hashem had never taken us out we today would still

be enslaved? There has never once been a nation enslaved for that long. Would we be the first?

It says that on the night we left Mitrayim two redemptions occurred. One redemption that

they had was physical. They were physically free from being slaves and from being in

Mitzrayim. Although “physically let free” may seem like all you need, that is false. It is said that

there are Jews that managed to escape from Mitzrayim, but never truly escaped because they did

not escape spiritually. This brings us to the next type of redemption that they had- spiritual

redemption. Bnei Yisrael felt the burden of Mizrayim leave that night and that was a lot of weight

lifted off their shoulders.

A lesson that can definitely be learned from this is that Hashem does everything with

good reason. When Hashem thought that we the Jews were ready to leave, he had us leave. But

29

ת ה יודעים א התורה, מצוה עלינו לספר ביציאת מצרים. וכל המרבה משבח .18לספר ביציאת מצרים הרי ז

ן עזריה לעזר ב ר ורבי יהושע ורבי א ז ה ברבי אליע ורבי 19מעשהיו מסבין בבני ברק, והיו מספרים ביציאת עקיבא ורבי טרפון ש

not only did Hashem have us leave, Hashem had us leave with bad memories erased and lifted

burdens. If we just listen to Hashem, Hashem will tell us when it is the right time to do

something. If we listen to Hashem when he tells us the time is right, Hashem will make it easier

for us. 18 Whoever Discusses the Exodus Should be Praised

By Benji Schanzer

A man's personality is shown from whom he or she praises. This is what Rabbi Avigdor

Miller explains in a mashal. His mashal is about three men talking about a Seudah Shlishit they

had all attended. One man praised the Rabbi’s words of Torah. The second man admired the

beautiful bracha that was said. Last but not least, the third man hated even having to hear the

bracha that had just been said. What I think Rabbi Avigdor Miller means by this is that a man's

personality can be revealed by what he or she praises or by what excites them. If one spends his

or her time talking about Yitziat Mitzriam, it shows that this is what is vital to her or him. So, it

follows that one who talks about Yitziat Mitzriam is someone who is concerned about important

matters. "The more one discusses the exodus, the more he or she should be praised”. One who is

concerned about something as important as Yitziat Mitzriam is deserving of praise.

(From The Narrative of Faith)

Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarya 19

By Shoshana Solomon

It says in מסכת ברכות that the day רבי אלעזר בן עזריה was inaugurated as the נשיא was called

בא has a very interesting perspective of what דורות הראשונים meaning that day. But the ,בא ביום

רבי אלעזר בן was a period of time when בא ביום ,actually was. According to the commentary ביום

where it הגדה uses is the text of the דורות הראשונים The proof that the .נשיא was the only עזריה

says, “ע ורבי אליעזר בן עזריה ורבי עקיבא ורבי טרפון During the time of ."מ עשה ברבי אליעזר ורבי יהוש

these חכמים, the most important person would always sit in the middle and according to the text

because he is the third חכמים is the most important person in the group of רבי אליעזר בן עזריה

listed. Another proof that רבי אליעזר בן עזריה was the נשיא is because the חכמים are recorded as

being at this רבן גמליאל .סדר, the נשיא prior to רבי אלעזר בן עזריה was not mentioned here. Could it

possibly be that רבן גמליאל was not invited to the סדר?

This proves that בא ביום was more than one day because the סדר goes through the night.

This also shows that רבי אלעזר בן עזריה was the נשיא by himself for a small amount of time. But

how is this relevant to פסח? This is relevant for two main reasons. The first reason this Gemara

applies to פסח is because it shows us that we can get answers from anywhere. People associate

the הגדה to פסח not even realizing how much more it can be used for. The second reason this has

30

ם: רבותינו, ם ואמרו לה באו תלמידיה מצרים כל אותו הלילה עד של שחרית. הגיע זמן קריאת שמע ש

ן ש ן עזריה: הרי אני כב לעזר ב , ולא זכיתי 20בעים שנהאמר רבי אנאמר, למען ן זומא: ש דרשה ב תאמר יציאת מצרים בלילות עד ש ש

יך יך, ימי חי ץ מצרים כל ימי חי ר ת יום צאתך מא -תזכר איך 21הימים -וחכמים אומרים: ימי חייך . 22הלילות -, כל ימי חי

ה, כל ימי חייך להביא לימות המשיח. -העולם הז

a lot to do with פסח is because this story happened during the times of the Roman rule. Jews did

not have much freedom. This teaches us who assisted בני ישראל during these times which simply

helps us learn about the difficulties of our people even more.

(From דורות הראשונים) 20 Everyone Welcome

By Genah Grossman

The Gemara says that Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah was eighteen years old when he got

Rabbi Gamliel’s job of Nasi. He knew that Rabbi Gamliel was fired for disrespecting others.

Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah’s wife said that he should not take the job because he will get fired

like Rabbi Gamliel. He said that even if he gets fired it is better than nothing. That night a

miracle happened and Rabbi Elazar’s beard turned all white and he looked like a seventy year

old man. That day Rabbi Elazar went against the rule of Rabbi Gamliel who didn't allow people

to enter the Beit Medrash unless their insides were like they're outside; they had to be sincere.

Rabbi Elazar wanted everyone to come into the Beit Medrash. They were fighting for Rabbi

Elazar who wanted to change this because he was the same way as others. On the outside he was

seventy years old but in the inside he was eighteen years old.

(From Haggadah Simchas Yaavetz) 21 The Uniqueness of the Seder

By Itai Merlin

The story of Yetziat Mitzraim is said on the night of Pesach. Question: The Torah

obligates us to mention the story of Yetziat Mitzraim every day. What is so special about this

commandment on the Seder Night?

Answer Number 1: The Minchat Chinuch says that on the night of the Seder, the story

should be related in a question and answer format with children asking and their parents

answering. The rest of the year we only mention the idea of Yetziat Mitzraim.

Answer Number 2: The Seder Night is also unique because on other nights you are only

commanded to mention Yetziat Mitzraim. However, on the Seder Night you are supposed to go

through every detail in the story of Yetziat Mitzraim.

31

נתן תורה לעמו ישראל, ברוך 23ברוך המקום , ברוך הוא. ברוך ש הוא.

ד ארבעה בנים דברה תורה ח 24כנג חד תם, . א חד רשע, וא ד חכם, ואאינו יודע לשאול. חד ש וא

Answer Number 3: Another reason the Seder Night is so unique is because in the Seder

there is the concept of כל המרבה לספר ביציאת מצרים הרי זה משבח. This means that the more someone

talks about Yetziat Mitzraim the more praiseworthy he is. This is only true on the night of

Pesach.

(From the Haggadah Treasury)

22 Shema- A Time Bound Mitzvah?

By Josh Shapiro

"All the days of your life; all the days of your life including nights". We learn from this

that not only do we say Shema during the day, but we should also say Shema at night. The

Sha'agas Aryeh asks as follows. Why are women not obligated to do the mitzvah of Shema in the

morning and night? The Rambam says it is a mitzvah to remember Yitziat Mitzraim in the day

and in the night. Therefore, it is not a time bound mitzvah, since it is all day long. Therefore, the

Sha'agas Aryeh asks why women aren't obligated for remembering Yitziat Mitzraim since it is

not time bound. The Sha'agas Aryeh answers himself by saying, that there are two different

obligations: to remember Yitziat Mitzraim at day and to remember Yitziat Mitzraim at night.

Therefore, reciting Shema is time-bound and women are exempt. According to this

understanding, if you forget to say Shema, you cannot say Tashlumen, or make it up, since they

are two different obligations.

(From the Rav Shlomo Zalman Haggadah) 23 Baruch Hamakom

By Josh Katz

Why during Baruch Hamakom do we refer to Hashem as “Hamakom” and not “The Holy

One”? One answer to this question is given by Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchick. He says that if

the Haggadah had used the term “The Holy One” then we might think that only holy people like

the wise one can study in G-d’s Presence. This is not true since people like the rasha can also

study and G-d wants to lead them back on the right path. This is the reason we say Hamakom

because everyone has the chance to return to G-d. Makom in Hebrew means place and we are

saying that G-d is everywhere. Every Jew in the world shares the Torah and G-d tries to make

people go from the experience of Makom to being with Hakadosh Baruch Hu and that is why we

say Baruch Hamakom, Baruch Hu.

(From The Night That Unites Passover Haggadah)

32

24 The Four Sons- Which Would You Invite?

By Batsheva Dattelkramer

If you were to choose one of the four sons to have at your seder, which one would you

choose? If you think about it, most people would want the "wise one" to join them because he

can partake in the conversation and give his own opinion. The Haggagah of the Roshei Yeshiva

suggests that having the simple son would be the best choice. I truly think differently. I think that

having the wicked son at the seder could bring a greater outcome for both you and the wicked

son. It will help you because it could help you make a difference in the son. If he joins you at

your seder than he will be influenced to become a better Jew and keep the Torah. That will help

him be a better person so he won't be the wicked son and he will be the son that is kind and

caring.

The Four Sons: Why That Order?

By Jessie Tuchman

The Haggadah presents the four sons in the following order: the wise son, the wicked

son, the simple son, and the one who does not know how to ask. One may question why the

wicked son was not isolated and placed at the end of the list. He may negatively influence the

simple son and the one who does not know how to ask by being placed in the middle of the list!

One explanation given is that the wicked son was placed next to the wise son on the list, so that

the wise son can positively influence the wicked son. Also, if the wicked son was last, the simple

son and the one who does not know how to ask would be alone near the wicked son. He could

then negatively influence them. The lesson learned from this is that we should always make sure

to surround ourselves with good influences.

The Four Sons Everyday

By Julia Langman

One day, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz was by his window. A man passed by and the Rebbe

told him to come in. The Rebbe asked him, “Tell me! If you found a purse filled with gold coins,

would you return it to its owner?” The man said, “Certainly, Rebbe, I would return it

immediately.” The Rebbe said that he is a fool speaking as if he is תם. He waited more by his

window and he waved for another person and asked the man the same question and he said, “I’m

not such a fool as to return a purse full of gold coins that fell into my hand.” The Rebbe said that

he is wicked speaking as if he is the רשע. He waited one more time and waved to another man.

The Rebbe asked him the same question and he said, “How can I give an answer Rebbe? Do I

know what will happen at such a moment? Will I have it in myself to suppress my יצר הרע? I

hope that ה’ would help me overcome the temptation and help me return the lost object to its

owner.” The Rebbe said, “You are wise and like the חכם.” As we see the four sons aren’t just on

Pesach, but in your everyday life. It shows that you never know what’s going to happen, until it

actually happens because you will never know if your יצר הרעwill overcome you.

(From the Haggadah of the Chassidic Masters)

33

ר צוה ’החכם מה הוא אומר? מה העדות והחקים והמשפטים אשסח: אין מפטירין אלקינו ם? ואף אתה אמר לו כהלכות הפ תכ א

סח אפיקומן .25אחר הפ

25 The Smart Son and the Message of the Afikoman

By Abigail Klein

There are four types of sons. Each son gets told different things based on what they ask,

or who they are. The wise son asks, "What are the testimonies, decrees, and ordinances which

Hashem our God has commanded you?" Even though this is such a broad question, he is told one

specific halacha - that you are not allowed to eat dessert after the final bite of the afikoman. The

word taste in Hebrew is ta'am, which can also be translated as reason. This shows us that we not

only want to have and remember the taste of the afikoman, but also the reason for it. Eating this

last bite of the afikoman is a law that we do not know the reason for; it is a chok. The only reason

that we have to do it is because Hashem commanded us to do it. Through all of this, we see that

maybe the answer to the smart son’s question is not so specific after all. Through our short

answer, we are saying that we understand that you have so many questions, but sometimes you

just need to do things because Hashem told you to.

(From Touched by the Seder)

Mitzvot: Just Do It

By Charles Lando

Why is it, that when the wise son asks, “what are the testimonies, decrees and ordinances

Hashem commanded you?”, does the father answer that we are not allowed to eat after the

Korban Pesach? Why does the father not answer his question? Rav Shach says that it starts when

Bnei Yisrael got the Torah and said, “We will do, and we will listen.” This quote shows that

when we are commanded a mitzvah, we will first do the mitzvah, and then we will ask what is the

reason of the mitzvah. For example, if a teacher asks if someone wants to do a favor for them,

and a person immediately volunteers, it means they want to do the mitzvah, even if it may be

extremely challenging. But a person who asks what the favor is, and then volunteers to do it or

not, shows that they don’t want to do the mitzvah as much as the person who immediately

volunteers. The same goes for the wise son. The father is telling the son to first do the mitzvah

instead of asking why we do the mitzvah and then doing it. The father tells the son to do the

mitzvah of Pesach by eating the Korban Pesach first so he could teach him to be a son who does

mitzvot before asking why he does them.

A lesson we can learn from this is that when a parent or teacher asks you to do

something, instead of responding “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT????????” (in a really

annoying voice) you should be like Nike and “just do it”. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the

job; you should be like a chacham and do a mitzvah. (From the Rav Shach Haggadah)

34

ם 26רשע מה הוא אומר? מה העבדה הזאת לכם ולא לו. ולפי -? לכת עצמו מן הכלל כפר בעקר. ואף אתה הקהה הוציא א ת שניו ש 27א

Eating after the Afikoman- Short and to the Point

By Jonah Mandil

When the father is telling the son why he shouldn’t eat after the afikoman he has to

explain it well. If the father uses a lot of time explaining why not to eat after the afikoman, the

meal will be missed and eating after the afikoman might happen. So the father has to explain

briefly and in a way the son will remember why he can’t eat after the afikoman. This way the

proper and full meal is remembered year after year.

(From The Rav Shlomo Haggada) 26 Wicked Vs. Wise

By Molly Nelson

The wicked son was punished for using the words “to you” because it shows that he is

not interested in the story of Pesach and therefore separated himself from everyone else.

However when the wise son says, “that Hashem, our God has, commanded you” he does not get

punished for saying “you”. Why does the wicked son get punished and not the wise son? The

Chafetz Chaim answers this question with a story.

There was once businessman who owned a small glassware store. After a few years his

business was doing very well so he invested in his store. He upgraded his stock, increased the

store size and built two large beautiful display widows. Meanwhile, across the street his

competitor was not doing so well. All the customers walked past his store to go to the successful

store. This man was getting very angry and jealous.

One day a high-paying customer came to the big store and placed an order that was worth

a lot of money. As this customer was leaving he slipped and fell into one of the display windows

breaking it and most of what was in the display. The storeowner and his employees rushed to the

customer making sure he was okay. The storeowner told the customer that he should not worry

about the damage. It will be fixed.

The competitor across the street saw this whole incident and came up with an idea. The

next day the competitor was walking by the big store and he “accidentally” slipped and fell into

the other display window, breaking a lot of what was in that window. However unlike the

customer from the other day he was injured from the glass. He was waiting for the owner of the

big store to come help him and forgive him for the “accident.” Instead the storeowner came over

to him with shouts and curses telling him that he had to pay for all of the damage he caused. In

return he said, “I don’t understand. Yesterday a man broke the window and was not even hurt,

and yet you ran over to him to comfort him and tell him that he was being taken care of. Yet,

here I had the same fall as he did, and you are shouting curses at me. This is not fair.”

The storeowner was very angry and said, “The man who fell yesterday was an established

customer who spends a lot of money in my store, but you are just a jealous competitor and the

evidence shows that you most likely planed this fall. Even if it was by accident you still are

responsible for paying.”

35

This story explains the case between the wise son and the wicked son. We are familiar

with the wise son’s behavior; he follows the mitzvot and the Torah. Even if he makes a few

mistakes that seem negative we can overlook them and assume that they were not intended.

However, the wicked son is known to be negative and not care about the Pesach story so we are

able to understand his words based on his negative personality.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah, volume three)

Thought and Performance

By Eli Fishbein

The Wicked Son asks, "What purpose is this work to you?", meaning, why can't the

mitzvot be fulfilled by only thinking about them? The answer to him is that if we were satisfied

with thoughts alone with regard to the mitzvot, we would be responsible for our evil thoughts as

well and then we would surely be lost. However, the Wicked Son who is satisfied just by having

the mitzvot in mind will have his evil thoughts taken into account and judged. There is a story of

a man who married a woman and told her, "Cook me a chicken stuffed with meat and rice." She

did as she was told. He tasted it and said, "Some spices are missing, like cumin, pepper, and

salt." The woman thought to herself, if my husband likes spices so much I will stuff the chicken

completely with spices! And so she did. The next day the man came to eat his meal, and he

found handfuls of salt, pepper, and cumin! It was impossible to eat the dish. He tried to eat the

meat of the chicken, but it was too ruined from the excessive spice. "What have you done?" he

asked his wife. "I listened to what you said about how the dish lacked spice, so I filled the

chicken completely with spices." The man replied, “Foolish woman, spice is pleasant when it is

mixed with meat and rice, but by itself, spice is inedible." The moral is that the heart's intention

is pleasant to Hashem but only if that intention is combined with the performance of mitzvot. But

if it is alone, in place of the action, it is undesirable and unworthy.

(From the Ben Ish Chai Haggadah)

Of What Purpose is This Service to You? By Itai Hudes

Why is the wicked son’s question considered so improper? After all, he is only trying to

reduce the yoke of Torah observance by concentrating more on the underlying concept and less

on the ritualistic details.

The Chafetz Chaim illustrated the problem behind the wicked son’s statement with a

parable. A man walked into a store and began hauling away loads of merchandise and throwing

it into a nearby river. Those who witnessed the man’s odd behavior looked on with pity. “The

poor man. He must have lost his mind!” they thought. There was one wise man who corrected

their oversimplified conclusion. “It is not absolutely certain that the man is insane,” he remarked.

“But one thing is for sure – the man who is throwing the merchandise into the river is not the

owner of the store!”

This is how we look at the wicked son’s attitude as well. When someone shows a

willingness to do away with even one of the mitzvot of the Torah he shows clearly that this

“merchandise” is not his; with his words he demonstrates his attitude that this service is “yours”,

not his. (From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah, Book Three)

36

Why is the Rasha Written in Plural?

By Benjamin Orbach

R’ Moshe Feinstein says that when the Torah mentions three out of the four sons, when

they ask a question, the Torah uses the singular tense. When it comes to the wicked son, the

Torah mentions it in plural. Why is this so? R’ Moshe explains that it is written this way because

when the wicked son acts wicked, people might follow his bad ways and become wicked also.

This makes the Rasha dangerous because he can convince so many people to be bad like him.

That is why it is written in the plural.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah) 27 The Wicked Son-Happy He Came

By Devora Slonim

In the Haggada the “wicked son” is referred to as the rasha. The rasha is one of the four

sons that we read about every year during the seder. Unfortunately, many children don’t

appreciate the beauty in Torah. So the Haggada says, “ve’af atah hakhei es shinav”- you must

knock out his teeth. That sounds like an awful approach to reach a kid who does not have an

interest in learning Torah. In the pesukim about the wicked son we see the word “Vehayah”

which according to the Gemara refers to joy. Many wonder why the word “joy” is used in

association with the rasha? The Gemara tells us that there in fact is a reason to be happy or

joyful. The rasha chose to sit with his or her family and celebrate Pesach with them. The rasha

could have been anywhere he/she chose to be but as uncomfortable as it may be they still stayed

to enjoy the seder with their family. The reason that this passuk says to knock out his teeth is to

knock out his sarcasm. But we should also let him/her know that we have high expectations of

him/her as a part of the Jewish nation. The rasha is still a part of the Jewish community and we

should treat him/her with respect.

(From Touched by the Seder)

Unfair Treatment?

By Tommi Ratzker

Why is the wicked son treated so unfairly? Rav Shach answered this question with a

story. In Europe, there is a Jew who owned a deli store where he sold non-kosher delicacies. One

day, he went to his local rabbi to ask if he could give him a kashrut certificate. The rabbi

shouted, “What kind of kashrut certificate? Your store is full of pig meat and every other non-

kosher food!” “No, you don’t understand!” said the meat dealer. “I want a certificate stating that

this store sells pig meat and meat that wasn’t slaughtered or salted according to Jewish law and is

absolutely non-kosher”

The rabbi didn’t understand why anyone would want such certificate from him but he

wanted to get rid of this crazy man as soon as possible. So, he signed and sealed the certificate

and gave it to the man. The butcher took the document, framed it and put it in his store. People

saw this framed, official- looking certificate with the rabbi’s signature and costumers began

pouring in! Nobody bothered to read what was in the “small print” of the sign.

Similarly, explained Rav Shach, if we give honor to the wicked son, the other sons see

this and say to themselves, “Look he’s not so bad. The rabbi is honoring him; he must be okay

37

ה עשה אמר לו: בעבור ז ולא לו. אילו -לי בצאתי ממצרים. לי ’הו היה שם, לא היה נגאל.

ק יד הוציאנו 28תם ’המה הוא אומר? מה זאת? ואמרת אליו: בחז ממצרים, מבית עבדים.

after all. There’s nothing wrong if we hang out with him!” In order to show the other sons that

the wicked son should be avoided, we must indicate that we reject his attitude. Then, at a later

time, we should give the “wicked son” the same attention and guidance that is given to the

others.

(From the Rav Shach Haggadah) 28 The Simple Son

By Maya Katz

The word tam is sometimes defined as simple. However, our forefather Yaakov is also

described as an ish tam which can be translated as a wholesome man. The Chofetz Chaim

explains that this is indeed a virtue. Jews are commanded to be wholesome in their relation with

G-d, by believing that what He does is for good. However, when we have relations with people,

we have to remain alert and realize that some people are honest and some are not. Yaakov was

wholesome in his relationship with G-d and smart in his relationship with Lavan. The simple son

lacks the judgment required to distinguish who to trust.

Simple to Wise

By Ilan Cohen

The Haggadah talks about the four sons but does not talk about them in the same order as

the Torah. First the Haggadah talks about the wise son because he is the best son to have. The

second son that is discussed is the wicked son because he is the opposite of the wise son. The

third son mentioned is the simple son because he hasn’t learned anything yet but is better than

the son who doesn’t know how to ask. The last son is the son who doesn’t know how to even

ask anything.

The order in the Torah is that the simple son comes before the wise son. R’ Moshe

Feinstein explains why this is so. The Gemara tells us that in Torah study, a person should first

accumulate large amounts of information and only then can they move on to the next step, which

is to evaluate the information that has been learned. Like our mitzvot from the Torah, you start

off simple and then as you get older you can go deeper and understand more. If someone is too

wise, they can make excuses to not be a part of a business or hobby. His way of thinking may be

correct but it is not good for his life. Sometimes it is better to understand something in a simple

way and then later they could understand the deeper meaning. You should always start off with a

simple understanding of things then move on to a better understanding.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva Book One)

38

א נאמר: והגדת לבנך ביום 29את -ינו יודע לשאול וש פתח לו, שה עשה לי בצאתי ממצרים. ’הההוא לאמר, בעבור ז

ש, תלמוד לומר ביום ההוא, אי ביום ההוא יכול יכול מראש חדה מבעוד יום, תל לא -מוד לומר בעבור ז ה לא אמרתי א בעבור ז

יש מצה ומרור מנחים לפניך. בשעה ש

, ועכשיו קרבנו המקום 30מתחלה עובדי עבודה זרה היו אבותינול כל העם, כה אמר ר יהושע א נאמר: ויאמ אלהי ’הלעבדתו, ש

רח אבי אברהם ם מעולם, ת ר הנהר ישבו אבותיכ ישראל: בעבקח אלקיםואבי נחור, ויעבדו ת אברהם אחרים. וא ם א ת אביכ א

29 The One Who Does Not Know To Ask

By Miri Wertzberger

The commentators note that the word the Haggadah uses here for “you” is “aht”, which

is usually the form used when speaking to a woman, rather than the usual masculine form, you,

“attah”. R’Zalman Sorotzkin accounted for this anomaly as follows. One might have supposed

that when dealing with a dull child, one who is not even on the level that he can ask questions, it

is sufficient to “initiate the subject” on a very superficial level. The Haggadah therefore uses the

word “aht”, which consists of the first and last letters of the alphabet, in order to intimate that

this sort of approach is inadequate, and that the entire story with all of its implications must be

set before him, “from A to Z”, even though this may involve a more challenging and time-

consuming task than with a son of greater intelligence.

(Taken from the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah) 30 Appreciate the Good

By Gabe Plotsker

Why does the Haggadah start with Avraham`s father Terach instead of Avraham? Terach

was an idol worshiper! It doesn’t make sense that he comes first. The Gemara explains that we

start with the bad and then go to the good so that we realize how good life really is when we look

back and see how bad it was before. Rav says that the lowest point in history was when our

fathers worshiped idols. If Hashem hadn’t taken Avraham from his land to Eretz Yisrael we

would still be idol worshipers. Shmuel says that the lowest point in history was when we were

slaves in Mitzraim and then were taken out by Hashem. Both of these points were bad and then

good so we can realize the good in life. In the Haggadah we follow Rav and Shmuel. We say

Avadim Hayinu Lepharo Bmitzraim which is the opinion of Shmuel. We also say Mitchila Ovdae

Avode Azara Hayu Avotano which is the opinion of Rav.

(From The Little Midrash Says Haggadah)

39

תן לו ת זרעו וא ה א ץ כנען, וארב ר ר הנהר ואולך אותו בכל א מעבת הר תן לעשו א ת עשו. וא ת יעקב וא תן ליצחק א ת יצחק, וא א

ת אתו, ויעקב ובניו ירדו ש מצרים. שעיר לר

הקדוש ברוך הוא חשב ברוך שומר הבטחתו לישראל, ברוך הוא. שאמר לאברהם אבינו בברית בין הבתרים, ת הקץ, לעשות כמה ש א

ר לאברם, ידע תדע כי גר יהי נאמר: ויאמ ץ לא ש ר ה זרעך באם ר 32, ועבדום וענו אתם ארבע מאות שנה31לה ת הגוי אש . וגם א

.33יעבדו דן אנכי ואחרי כן יצאו ברכש גדול

31 Why Egypt?

By Hannah Mamet

Why were the Jewish people exiled specifically to Egypt? The Torah tells us that

Abraham and his descendants were promised the land of Canaan. He fled to Egypt because of a

famine instead of putting his trust in Hashem by staying in the land which he had been promised.

This was a sin. The Ramban explains that it was for this reason that the Jews were exiled to the

exact place where the original sin was committed.

(From the Ramban Haggadah) 32 Four Hundred Years?

By Liora Katz

The amount of time from Yaakov's descent into Egypt to the actual time of the Exodus

was 210 years. Why does the Torah say four hundred years? Rashi points out that if Hashem

wanted, he could have calculated differently. Rashi explains that the four hundred year period

was not started with Yaakov going to Egypt but with the birth of Yitzchak which was190 years

earlier. Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson of Lvov explains that Hashem could not bear to have His

nation enslaved for four hundred years. Then Rabbi Nathanson asks, “If so, why does Hashem

say four hundred years?” He explains with a story about a king. The king decided to sentence a

criminal to 20 years and not the 10 years he deserved. The king explained that if we sentence

him to 10 years, in his 8th year he will not learn his lesson for the next two years. Instead, he will

be looking forward to the day he comes out. If we sentence him to 20 years and let him out after

10 he will have learned his full lesson. We learned our lesson after 210 years and not 400.

33 We Were Slaves

By Tehilla Leader

In Egypt we lost everything that we had. Just when we were at our lowest point, Hashem

did great miracles to free us and give us the wealth of Egypt. This showed us then and now, that

everything we have comes from Hashem. (Taken from the Artscroll Youth Haggada)

40

ביה את הכוס. כסה את המצות ומג מ

עמדה לאבותינו חד בלבד עמד עלינו והיא ש לא א ולנו! שבכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותנו, והקדוש 34לכלותנו לא ש , א

ברוך הוא מצילנו מידם.

דו ויגלה את המצות. יניח הכוס מי

פרעה לא גזר צא ולמד מה בקש לבן הארמי לעשות ליעקב אבינו. שנאמר: ארמי אבד ת הכל, ש לא על הזכרים ולבן בקש לעקור א א

ד מצרימה ויגר שם במתי מעט, ויהי שם לגוי גדול, עצום 35אבי, ויר ורב.

34 Little Pieces

By Hannah Nussbaum

“For not just one has risen against us to destroy us”. Why would G-d raise against us to

destroy us and then start the process all over again? The Tiferet Uziel uses an analogy to answer

this question. There was a king who got very angry with his only son and swore to throw a large

stone at him. Later, when he was calmed down, he realized what a horrible promise he had made

and needed to fulfill. He went to his advisors and asked what he should do. One of them came up

with the idea to grind the large stone into pieces and throw it at him; this way it would be

harmless. This story explains our line in the haggadah because Hashem makes all of our exiles

into little “pieces” and if he didn’t, we would never survive. This goes to show that Hashem is

always looking out for us and protecting us and making all of our struggles as harmless as

possible. When we are going through a rough time like Bnei Yisrael in Mitzrayim, we should

always take a step back and realize that Hashem is trying to make our situation as harmless as he

possibly could and that everything has a reason behind it. (From The Peninim Haggadah) 35 Reading In Between the Lines

By Dalia Loeb

Every year at our Seder we recite the words “ארמי אבד אבי ,וירד מצרימה” which translates to

“An Aramean attempted to destroy my father. Then he descended to Egypt.” Commentators are

confused by the connection between these two points. When Rashi looks closer into this he

comes to the conclusion that Lavan, the man from Aram wasn’t the only one who tried to

eradicate us but Pharaoh from Egypt did as well. R’ Moshe Feinstein analyzes the question

differently. He says that if Yaakov didn’t have strong faith in Hashem, he never would have gone

41

ד מצרימה .37אנוס על פי הדבור - 36ויר

לא -ויגר שם לא ירד יעקב אבינו להשתקע במצרים א מלמד שץ באנו, כי אין ל פרעה, לגור באר נאמר: ויאמרו א לגור שם, ש

ר לע ה לצאן אש ץ כנען. ועתה ישבו נא מרע ר יך, כי כבד הרעב בא בדן. ץ גש ר יך בא עבד

to Egypt. This explanation means that Yaakov did not need others to influence his belief; he had

enough trust in Hashem to lead him in a good direction. Hashem revealed to Avraham that his

children would be enslaved in Egypt but ultimately they will become a great nation. The act of

Yaakov going to Egypt was the beginning of the prophecy. One thing led to another. What this

teaches is that actions can have consequences that go beyond what we see and what we know.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva) 36 Dangerous Descent

By Jared Carmeli

" וירד מצרימה" - then he descended. When looking at this passuk one may ask, “When

Yaakov and his sons came to Egypt, the Torah no longer uses the word “descended”, but rather

they “came” to Egypt. Why? The Midrash tells us that Egypt is a place of immorality and

corruption. When the children of Yaakov came to Egypt, they experienced a “spiritual descent”.

One tends to rapidly acclimate to a situation of immorality and corruption, and gradually loses

this status. The Torah no longer uses the same verb because after they came to Egypt they no

longer reacted to it as being a descent. We may learn from this that we must recognize that when

we disassociate ourselves from Hashem, we are in danger of forgetting his values.

(From The Seder Night: An Exalted Evening) 37 Forced By the Word of Hashem

By Jordan Sheris

The Haggada says that Yaakov was forced to go down to Mitzrayim. Where do we find

that Yaakov was forced to go to Mitzrayim? The Vilna Gaon explains that Hashem decreed that

Avraham’s descendants would go into exile. They could have gone down in chains, but Hashem

did not want to do that. Instead, Hashem made the events “happen” so that Yaakov was “forced”

to go down to Mitzrayim in a more pleasant manner. First, Yosef was sold into slavery. Then he

became a ruler. Then there was a famine. Yaakov’s sons needed some food, so they went down

to Mitzrayim. Now we understand how Yaakov was forced by the word of Hashem. It was not

with a direct command but through the prophecy to Avraham and then the events that brought

the family to Mitzrayim.

(From The Little Medrash Says Haggadah)

42

יך מצרימה, -במתי מעט ש ירדו אבות נאמר: בשבעים נפ כמה שיך ככוכבי השמים לרב. ’הועתה שמך אלה

היו ישראל מצינים שם. -שם לגוי ויהי מלמד ש

נאמר: ובני ישראל פרו וישרצו וירבו ויעצמו -גדול, עצום כמה שץ אתם. במאד מאד, ותמלא האר

מח הש -ורב נאמר: רבבה כצ ה נתתיך, ותרבי ותגדלי כמה ש דריה. ותבאי בעדי עדיים, שדים נכנו ושערך צמח, ואת ערם וע

ת בדמיך, ואמר לך בדמיך חיי, ואמר ס ראך מתבוס עבר עליך וא וא .38ילך בדמיך חי

המצרים ויענונו, ויתנו עלינו עבדה קשה. 39וירעו אתנו

38 Through the Blood You Shall Live

By Gilad Smith

Reb Naftali, a Radmosker chassid in Auchwitz was very excited about Chanukah which

was soon approaching. The Nazis made it clear that if anyone was caught lighting a candle he

would be killed. Yet, all this Jew thought about was how he could get his hands on a candle. He

sold his shoes for a candle, risking his life since he showed up to roll-call without his shoes. All

the Jews told him, “You don't have to risk your life for this mitzvah.” Reb Naftali said to them

“That's what Chanukah is all about -miseerut nefesh.” He put the candle next to the barracks

where everyone could see it. Within two minutes a Nazi soldier burst in and demanded to know

who lit this candle. Reb Naftali said it was him. The Nazi solder beat him up. But he was still

alive to light the next candles the next night.

(From the Carlbach Haggadah) 39 The Egyptians Made Us Bad

By Yael Feldman

In the Haggadah it states which means “the Egyptians did evil to us". The וירעו אתנו

grammatical way to say this would have been literally means "they made us וירעו אתנו . וירעו לנו

evil", which implies that while in Egypt, the Egyptians not only did evil to the Jewish nation but

made them evil as well. This proves that a person is affected by their environment. From this we

learn that we need to place ourselves in positive backgrounds so that we can be influenced

positively. But, if we place ourselves in negative backgrounds we will be influenced negatively,

just like Bnei Yisrael were influenced by the Egyptians. This is why it is important to surround

43

ה, - 40וירעו אתנו המצרים ן ירב נאמר: הבה נתחכמה לו פ כמה שאנה מלחמה ונוסף גם הוא על שנאינו ונלחם ב נו, והיה כי תקר

ץ. ועלה מן האר

נאמר: וישימו עליו שרי מסים למען ענתו -ויענונו כמה שת רעמסס. ת פתם וא ן ערי מסכנות לפרעה. א בסבלתם. ויב

נאמר: וי -ויתנו עלינו עבדה קשה ת בני כמה ש עבדו מצרים אך .41ישראל בפר

ourselves with the words of the Torah and with good people.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva, Volume One) 40 Friends or Enemies?

By Hailey Kops

What is the true meaning of וירעו in the passuk of וירעו אותנו המצרים- “the Egyptians did

evil to us”? When the word is broken down, it is a conjunction of the word רע which means

friend. Although רע means friend, the Egyptians where definitely not friendly to us, so what does

this mean? If one really looks into it, the phrase would then read “they befriended us.” But did

they befriend us? When the Egyptians first brought us to Egypt it was an invitation to help build

a great thing for Pharaoh, but as time went on they started taking advantage of the Jews and

ultimately enslaved them. This is how the Egyptians befriended us as a ploy to turn us into their

slaves.

This also relates to the מרור. When someone grows, מרור it normally starts off growing

sweet but when it gets larger it turns bitter. This relates to how the Egyptians at first treated us

“sweetly” but then turned “bitter” toward the Jews.

Turning Against Friends

By Dalia Adams

In the Haggadah, it says, “and the Egyptians were cruel to us.” When you first think

about this, it sounds plain and straightforward. However, when you look closer, you can find a

different meaning. The Chassidic Haggadah states that there were different steps that they took

in order to make us suffer. First, they befriended the Jews and were friendly. This caused their

level of holiness to go down and they began to adopt the Egyptian culture. Once their spiritual

standards had been lowered, the Egyptians turned against their “friends”. That is when they

began acting cruel to them.

44

ל ת ענינו ’האלהי אבתינו, וישמע 42’הונצעק א ת קלנו, וירא א את לחצנו. ת עמלנו וא וא

ל נאמר: ויהי בימים הרבים -אלהי אבתינו ’הונצעק א כמה שך מצרים, ויאנחו בני ישראל מן העבודה ויזעקו, ל ההם וימת מ

ל ה מן העבדה. אלקיםותעל שועתם א

ת קלנו ’הוישמע נאמ -א ת נאקתם, אלקיםר: וישמע כמה ש את יעקב. אלקיםויזכור ת יצחק וא ת אברהם, א ת בריתו א א

41 With Crushing Harshness

By Dalya Stroock

Our rabbis tell us that Pharaoh started putting his preposterous plan into action with a peh

rach, or with a soft mouth. In the beginning, Pharaoh made a huge appeal for people to show

their loyalty by participating in an extremely big building arrangement. In order to make the

building project more exciting, Pharaoh gave out a payment for each single brick that was put

into place. During the time the Jews were working eagerly and energetically. The Egyptians kept

a strong eye on the number of bricks that the Jews put into place. After this, Pharaoh decided to

make the Jews continue building but he would no longer pay them for the backbreaking work.

And as a great addition, since they had work records, Pharaoh had a list of all the Jews and

where they all lived. This story relates to another time in our history with the Germans. They

used the same trick; they got everyone to register for food and fill out personal information to do

so. But in Egypt, the tribe of Levi was devoted to the great study of a sacred law. They were not

interested in making money so they didn’t volunteer in Egypt or register for any food.

Fantastically, their families and the Jewish people gave up a tenth of their earnings and food just

to support them! Even though the Nazis and the Egyptians used the very same gimmicks toward

the Jews, we did not fall for these because many of us were aware of what happened in Egypt

and would not fall for it again a second time against more of our enemies. 42 And We Cried Out- Why Now?

By Zachery Schachter

Why did the Jews only start groaning after the first Pharaoh died? Wasn’t the first

Pharaoh just as cruel? There was a custom in Egypt that after each king died, the courts would

decide if he was a good king who ruled with justice or an evil king who was filled with greed. If

he was good, they would honor his name and keep the decrees that he made. When the Jews saw

that the king died and was honored as a king of Egypt, they realized that his decrees would

continue. Then they groaned and cried out to Hashem.

45

ת ענינו נאמר: וירא -וירא א ץ, כמה ש ר ך א ר אלקיםזו פרישות דת בני ישראל וידע .אלקיםא

ת ע נאמר: כל הבן הילוד היארה 43אלו הבנים -מלנו וא . כמה ש .44תשליכהו וכל הבת תחיון

ת לחצנו ר -וא ת הלחץ אש נאמר: וגם ראיתי א ה הדחק, כמה ש ז מצרים לחצים אתם.

עמלינו – אלו הבנים 43

By Ethan Moses

We often find people who are so involved in their business that they don’t have any time

to learn Torah. They justify to themselves that they have to make a livelihood to raise their

children to learn Torah and do mitzvot. But then the children grow up and throw themselves into

their business, not leaving any time for Torah study, because they want their children to learn

Torah. The Yehudi Hakadosh of Pshischa says, “How I would love to meet that son, at the end of

the chain, for whom all his ancestors have been working to raise in Torah and Mitzvot!”

The Torah writes about Noach that, “These are the offsprings of Noach, Noach is a Tzadik, pure

in his generation.” Noach decided that rather than working on behalf of his children, who would

then work for their children, who would work for their children, he would first become a Tzaddik

himself. The offspring (children) of Noach was his righteousness.

(From The Chasidic Master Haggadah) 44 Divine Destiny

By Jonathan Langman

Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky pointed out the ironic effects of Pharaoh’s decree.

Pharaoh’s astrologists saw that Israel’s savior was almost upon them. He would also meet his

end through water. Moshe’s end was at Merivah, when he hit the rock instead of talking to it.

Since Pharaoh wanted to avoid Moshe’s birth, he decided to throw all male babies into the Nile.

Because of this harsh decree, Pharaoh’s daughter discovered Moshe, and the opposite of

Pharaoh’s intent occurred. Instead of killing Moshe, the decree saved Moshe. We understand

from here that when Hashem determines an event for the future, he knows man’s destiny. The

Gemara states, “A man’s legs lead him to the place he is destined to go.” A man cannot master

his own destiny no matter how hard he tries. We have to remember that a person is not able to

control their fate. Another example is Haman. He tried to destroy all of Israel, but his plan

backfired because Hashem controlled his destiny. Even if we think that our actions may lead us

to our destiny, it is not ourselves that lead us; it is Hashem that leads us.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah)

46

, ובמרא גדל, 45צרים ביד חזקה ובזרע נטויהממ ’הויוצאנו ובאתות ובמפתים.

לא על ידי מלאך, ולא על ידי שרף, ולא על -ממצרים ’הויוצאנו נאמר: ועברתי לא הקדוש ברוך הוא בכבודו ובעצמו, ש ידי שליח, א

ץ מצרים מ ר ה, והכיתי כל בכור בא ץ מצרים בלילה הז ר אדם באה שפטים. אני עש .’הועד בהמה, ובכל אלהי מצרים א

ה ץ מצרים בלילה הז ר אני ולא מלאך -ועברתי בא

ץ מצרים ר אני ולא שרף -והכיתי כל בכור בא

ה עש אני ולא השליח. -שפטים ובכל אלהי מצרים א

אני הוא ולא אחר. - ’האני

נאמר: הנה יד -ביד חזקה ר, כמה ש ב ר ’הזו הד הויה במקנך אשר כבד מאד. ב ה, בסוסים, בחמרים, בגמלים, בבקר ובצאן, ד בשד

ב -בזרע נטויה ו ר נאמר: וחרבו שלופה בידו, נטויה 46זו הח , כמה ש על ירושלים.

45 With a Strong and Outstretched Arm

By Daniel Peikes

The Vilna Gaon asks, “What does it mean that Hashem took us out with a ‘strong hand’

and an ‘outstretched arm’?” The Iyun Tefila explains that the “strong hand” implies that Hashem

was not only punishing the Egyptians with the ten plagues, but needed to also overcome the

angels who claimed that the Jews were not worthy of being saved. Hashem said, “The Jews

risked their lives to obey me when I told them to kill the sheep even though the Egyptians

worshipped them.” The “outstretched arm” refers to the obvious involvement of Hashem in the

punishing of the Egyptians. Just as when someone who outstretches their arm to hit someone and

knock them down it is obvious that it wasn’t an accident, so too the punishment the Egyptians

received was obvious that it came from Hashem.

(From the Little Midrash Says Haggadah)

47

נאמר: או הנסה -ובמרא גדל לבא אלקיםזו גלוי שכינה, כמה שב גוי במסת באתת וב ר מופתים, ובמלחמה וביד לקחת לו גוי מק

ם ר עשה לכ ’החזקה ובזרוע נטויה, ובמוראים גדלים, ככל אשם במצרים לעיניך. אלהיכ

ה תקח בידך, -ובאתות ה הז ת המט נאמר: וא ה, כמה ש ה המט זר תע ת האתת.אש ה בו א ש

46 Rebellion of the Firstborns

By Hannah Kirsch

Why is it that Makat B’chorot is named after the people that it is happening to and not the

action in the plague? What is the Hagaddah referring to when it says “with an outstretched arm”

referring to a sword? Where among the plagues do we see any mention of a sword?

When the firstborn Egyptian boys found out that they would be killed during Makat

B’chorot, they reacted in an interesting way. They begged Pharaoh and the high ranking

Egyptians to let the Jews go. When they said no, the boys went ballistic. They killed 600,000

Egyptians. They did this before they themselves would die in the hands of Hashem.

In answer to the question, the plague is called Makat B’chorot in commemoration of the

action of the firstborn boys. This is also the “sword” mentioned in the quote earlier when the

Haggadah said “with an outstretched arm”.

There are so many lessons we can learn from the actions of the firstborn boys. One might

be to trust your people. If Pharaoh had listened to his people to let the Jews go, they would have

stayed calm and not killed 600,000 people from their own nation. Another lesson that we can

take away from this is that Hashem is always guiding you on the right path, even if that is not the

path you want to go on. The Egyptian boys didn’t have faith in anyone to save them and take

them on a better path. So instead, they killed people from their own nation. Whenever we are in

trouble, we should always look to Hashem and remember that he has our best interest at heart

and he will take us on the right path.

(From the Gedolei Yisrael Haggadah)

With a Sword?

By Aaron Bloomberg

Why does the Haggadah say that an out stretched arm refers to a sword? We do not find

a sword mentioned in all of the makkot. The Vilna Gaon answers that the “sword “is not to be

taken literally, but is a figure of speech which refers to the angel that protected the Jews from the

last makka until they left Mitzrayim. The Rashbam answers that the firstborn sons asked their

fathers to let the Jews go. The fathers said no. They decided to ask Pharaoh since he is a firstborn

son. When he said no also they became so angry that they killed 100,000 of their own people and

that is the sword that is spoken about here.

(From the Little Medrash Says Haggadah)

48

ה מן הכוס הטיף טפ אש..., עשר המכות 47נוהגין ל ם ו באמירת דצ"ך יחד, ט"ו פעם. 48ד אח"ב, ב עד"ש ב

ץ, -ובמפתים נאמר: ונתתי מופתים בשמים ובאר ה הדם, כמה ש ז ואש ותימרות עשן.דם

-שתים, ובמרא גדל -שתים, ובזרע נטויה -דבר אחר: ביד חזקה ר מכות -שתים, ובמפתים -שתים, ובאתות ש 49שתים. אלו ע

הביא הקדוש ברוך הוא על המצרים ב מצרים, ואלו הן:ש

47

How to Celebrate

By Kyle Shraga

Why is it customary to remove some wine from the cup as the plagues are listed? The

four cups of wine represent our joy of being redeemed. Why then do we take out wine, reducing

our joy? Our joy cannot be full because the Egyptians suffered. Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky

explains that unlike the angels who were rebuked for inappropriately celebrating the suffering of

the Egyptians, the Jews are right to celebrate their own redemption. However, before we can

celebrate our own salvation, we must remove that part of us that may gloat at the suffering of

others, even our enemies. Only after removing this inappropriate tendency and becoming

sensitive to others' pain, can we truly enjoy our redemption.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah, Book 2) 48 Appreciating Appreciation

By Jonah Eisenberg Most people know that Aharon caused the first three plagues; not Moshe. Most people

also know that the reason for this is because the water and the land saved Moshe and Moshe

could not hit the water or the land surrounding it so as to not to demonstrate a lack of

appreciation. Moshe and Aharon were taking the Jewish people out of Egypt which was the most

important thing that they were going to do at that point in their lives. Yet, Moshe would not hit

an object in order to show gratitude to something that could not even feel. This shows that even

in this time of difficulty, Moshe knew what was right and chose to show gratitude to Hashem’s

creation. Even during such a hectic time Moshe showed respect to something that did not even

matter. Everyone can learn from this to always show appreciation to one another and to anything

that Hashem created.

49

ר, שחין, ברד52, כנים51, צפרדע 50דם ב ה53, ערוב, ד ך, 54, ארב , חש 55.מכת בכורות

49 The Ten Plagues-Why Not One?

By Josh Gindi

Hashem struck the Egyptians with ten plagues. Why didn't He strike them with one blow?

R' Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky or "the Steipler" says that each plague was to show the Egyptians

the power of Hashem. The plague of blood represents Hashem's mastery over water. The plague

of the frogs shows Hashem's rule over the underwater animals. The plague of the wild beasts

shows us Hashem's rule over the animal kingdom. The lesson of the locusts is that Hashem

controls the wind because the locusts came from the east wind. The lice plague's lesson was to

show us Hashem's mastery over the animals in the dust of Earth. The boils showed us that

Hashem rules over the well-being of a person. The plague of darkness shows us Hashem's rule

over the light in this world and the light in the heavens. The pestilence shows us Hashem's rule

over the fate of animals. The hail teaches us Hashem's control over meteorological conditions.

Through the firstborn plague we learn that Hashem controls our fate too. This shows us that

every single thing in this world has a reason behind it and we just have to find the reason.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah) 50 Blood

By Aryeh Gruber

The Midrash states that if a Jew and Egyptian would drink together out of the same cup,

the Jew would be drinking water but the Egyptian would be drinking blood. Any water an

Egyptian purchased from a Jew remained water. The reason for this was to give the Jews an

opportunity to become wealthy by selling their water to the Egyptians. The reason that the Jews

needed to become wealthy at this point was because the Jews poverty was worse than all the

Egyptians plagues combined.

After Aaron hit the water it turned to blood. We were told that there was no water left in

all of Eretz Mitzrayim. So how is it possible that the magicians did the same when there was no

clean water left if it was all blood? Perhaps we can refer to the Midrash and say that they bought

water from the Jews to prove that their magicians could do the same. Ohr Same’ach states that

Pharaoh was very wealthy so he was able to buy all the water he needed from the Jews. He

therefore was not fazed by this plague.

Just before these events, the Torah states that all the water in the rivers turned to blood

and the river was left fouled as a result of all the fish that died in it. Chizkuni gives us a different

interpretation. He feels that the water turned to blood temporarily. The water turned to blood

long enough to kill the fish and leave the river foul. This is how he is able to explain that the

Egyptians did the same thing.

(From the Gedolei Yisrael Haggadah)

50

Hakarat Hatov

By Max Orbach

Hashem tells Aharon and Moshe to initiate the plagues in Mitzrayim. The plagues were

meant to be for Moshe to give to Mitzrayim but for some reason Aharon did the plague of blood.

The question is why did Aharon do the plague of blood and not Moshe? After all, Moshe was

going to do all the rest. Rashi explains that the reason that Aharon did the plague of blood and

not Moshe is because when Moshe was a little boy the Nile River saved him. The only way

everything would turn into blood was if Moshe or Aharon took their staff and struck the Nile

River. Moshe thought to himself, “Why should I take my staff and hit the water that saved my

life?” He realized that he shouldn’t because that would be so disrespectful to the water that saved

him. We learn a lesson from this that whenever something or someone does something to help

you or especially save your life, you should never hurt them in any way, even if it is not a

person.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva Book 3)

What About the Fish?

By Eitan Kaynan

The Jews were approaching the time of the Exodus and they were lacking spirit; they

didn’t deserve to be saved by Hashem. They didn’t even deserve to see the plagues and miracles

happen to the Egyptians. Regardless, Hashem showed mercy to his people. After the water of

the Nile turned to blood, all the living creatures in the water died and the Egyptians could not

drink from the water from the river because of the blood.

At the time of Noach, during the Great Flood, the Torah states that every breathing thing

will die but the fish did nothing wrong and were spared. We must therefore ask why the fish

were punished by the plague of blood? Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto writes that the Universe

was created to serve mankind. When man stains his soul by sinning he also indirectly causes

damage to the world around him. When Pharaoh claimed to be the god of the river, the fish

became “damaged” and Hashem had no choice but to kill them and prove Pharaoh wrong.

(From the Shiras Yehudah Haggadah) 51 A Lesson From Frogs

By Daniel Bitansky

Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah learned from the frogs. When Nebuchadnezzar

decreed that anyone who wouldn’t bow down to his statue would be thrown into a fiery furnace,

the three refused to bow down. They drew the following analogy. “If frogs, who are not

commanded to sanctify Hashem’s name, jumped into burning ovens, we, who are commanded to

sanctify his name, certainly should!” (Pesachim 53b). The Chazon Ish used a similar analogy to

prove that intensely devoted prayer can serve the same purpose as studying mussar: Our Sages

drew an analogy from a rock. If Moshe had spoken to the rock instead of hitting it, the people

would have said, “If this rock, which does not speak, hear, or need food, fulfills his word, we

certainly should!” (Rashi, Bamidbar 20:12). The Chazon Ish noted that we say daily in Pesukei

d’Zimrah, “Stormy wind fulfills his word” (Tehillim 148:8). If the wind, which has nothing to

51

fear and is not commanded to do so, fulfills his will, we certainly should! Careful attention to

prayer gives us more fear of Hashem just as studying mussar does.

(From the Chazon Ish Haggadah)

Frog Frustration

By Ethan Cantor

Rashi quoting the Midrash tells us that the plague of frogs started with a big frog. The

Egyptians thought this was a beast so they struck it. Every time they struck the frog more frogs

came out of its mouth. So, why did they continue to strike the frog? The answer is simple. The

Egyptians were getting more frustrated every time they hit it and more frogs came out. Their

anger did not allow them to think of the consequences of their actions. An example of this is

when someone fires an insult at you. Most people are tempted to make a counter-insult and fight

back when the best thing would be to ignore it instead of fighting back.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah, Book One) 52 The Plague of Lice

By Ellie Coopersmith

The Plague of lice is the third plague, and it occurred in the month of Elul. One reason

why the Egyptians were punished with this particular plague was because they forced the Jews to

sweep their streets and paths. Therefore, all of the dust of the ground turned to lice. Even when

they dug the ground, lice would emerge. This plague gave the Jews respite from this type of toil.

There were fourteen types of lice; some commentators say that there were twenty-four. The

largest were the size of a chicken egg!

Another reason given for this plague was to punish the Egyptians for not permitting the

Jews to bathe when they became dirty from all of their hard labor. The lice were everywhere,

even in their eyes. Bathing did not help relieve the effects of the plague in any way.

(Taken from The Sephardic Haggadah)

Lice in Goshen? By Yeruchum Dear

The Rambam in Pirkei Avot says that the plague of lice was the only plague that the land

of Goshen (where the Jews lived) also received. Why did Hashem bring lice on Jewish people?

The Midrash says that the Jews were freed from the work of making bricks after the plague of

lice because after the plague of lice the sand wasn’t good enough for them to use to make bricks.

If the sand in Goshen would have been good, the Egyptians would have forced them to use it.

Lice and its Effect on Bnei Yisrael By Gabe Indyk

The Ramban writes that there is a tradition that the lice caused harm to the Jews in Egypt.

In Torah Shelemah the author comments that it just so happens that there is no source of this

tradition in any known Midrash or Talmudic statement. Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin shows that this

tradition was assumed by followers. When Yaakov was at near death he told his sons to bury his

52

remains in Eretz Yisrael, not Egypt. Why did he do this? There are multiple answers to this

question. Yaakov knew that the soil of Egypt would eventually be turned into lice. In order to

avoid being buried in such soil he told his sons to bury him in Eretz Yisrael. Another answer to

this question is so Yaakov could be buried in the holy land of Yisrael. There is still one question

you might be asking. Why out of all ten plagues is the plague of lice the only plague that affected

the Jews? Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin suggested that the reason for this might be based on a

Midrashic comment that says that from the time of the plague of lice and onwards, the Jews were

no longer forced to make bricks. The reason for this is that since all of the soil was turned into

lice during the plague of lice, there was no longer soil to make bricks. If this plague had not

affected Goshen, then Jews would have had to go to Goshen and gather soil for their brick labor.

This shows that Hashem saw to it that this plague would ruin the soil and affect Jewish areas in

order to help them.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva, Book Three) 53 Subduing the Fire of the Yetzer Ha’ra

By Sammy Mayer

We hear in Sefer Yeshayahu (19:22) that when G-d struck the Egyptians with plagues he

healed the Jews with emunah or belief. For example the plague of dever (the epidemic of dying

animals) showed the Jews that no harm will be done to them because it only killed the

Egyptian’s cattle but not the Jews. There is one plague that is still unclear and that is the fiery

hail. What does it relate to this theme? R’ Moshe Feinstein explains that in the Gemara the yetzer

ha’ra is compared as a fire ball stuck inside a human and the purpose of man’s life is to control

that fire. So, what does this have to do anything? We learn from the hail that just as the fire did

not consume the ice, so too the yetzer hara can remain in human body without consuming it. We

can learn from this that one may not excuse himself regarding the yetzer ha’ra by saying he can’t

control it because it is human nature. We also learn from this that the yetzer ha’ra can be

overcome if someone tries really hard to stop it. This is impactful to our everyday lives because

with knowing this you can stop yourselves from doing millions of sins in your life. 54 How Long Will You Refuse?

By Noam Nissel

The makkot can be divided into a pattern of three groupings: one to three, three to six,

and six to nine. In each group, before the second plague, the Torah uses the language of מאון,

refusal, to describe Pharaoh, meaning Pharaoh refused to let them go. The plague of Arbeh or

locust was the second plague of the third grouping. This time when Moshe asked Pharaoh to let

his people go, he says, “How long will you continue to refuse?” The Brisker Rav asks why

specifically here does Moshe’s wording change? Pharaoh already said no to Hashem’s warning

twice. Hashem is giving him a harsher wording to remind him of his previous rejections.

(From Haggadah Simchat Yaavetz)

53

55 What Happened to All the Dogs?

By Samantha Henner

An interesting question about Makat Bechorot is why didn’t the dogs bark when Makat

Bechorot was happening? The Rosh explains that dogs usually bark when a spirit of death is

going around. During Makat Bechorot the angel of death had no role. The Haggadah clarifies

that it was all in the hands of Hashem and there was no spirit of death. Chizkuni elaborates on

this topic a little bit more. He states that it’s common for dogs to bark in the middle of the night.

The Sages explain, “There are three periods in the night….. And in the second, the dogs cry out.”

As a result, it’s a huge miracle that the dogs didn’t growl during this plague!

Additionally, the Chachamim say that when dogs laugh it’s a sign that Eliyahu is in the

city, and when dogs cry it symbolizes that the angel of death is close. The night of yitziyat

Mitzrayim was a historic and well-anticipated event for the Jewish people. At the same time of

yitziyat Mitzrayim, the Mitzrim were mourning the loss of their first born sons. Because these

events were going on at the same time, the dogs were confused and didn’t know how to react. As

a result of their confusion, the dogs remained silent.

From this we learn that Hashem’s hand is behind everything. Hashem controls

everything, even a dog’s bark, in order to help his beloved nation B’nai Yisrael.

(From The Gedolei Yisrael Haggadah)

Pharaoh in Pajamas

By Natalie Berger

Imagine if you were Pharaoh and your entire nation was dying. Would you be able to

sleep? I don’t’ think you would be calm and relaxed. Pharaoh on the other hand was able to sleep

peacefully in bed on the night that Hashem killed the firstborns. In Shemot (12:30) it says that

“Pharaoh rose up at midnight.” Rashi comments that Pharaoh rose “from his bed” which proves

that he was able to fall asleep even when he had heard that his nation was about to die. How

could somebody be so heartless and careless? Pharaoh clearly cared about himself more than his

own nation.

(From the Gedolei Yisrael Haggadah)

Makat Bechorot

By Eden Bendory

Why is Makat Bechorot called, “The Plague of the Firstborn”? All of the other plagues

were named after what Hashem used to punish Egypt but he didn't exactly use the firstborn to

punish them. So why is this the name chosen? The firstborns were not the punishment, but their

deaths were. Hashem, rather than using the name of the punishment, used the name of the victim.

The Medrash says that when the firstborns heard that they were being used as a punishment, they

attacked Pharaoh and many of the Egyptians. Many died in this attack. Therefore, Hashem felt

that he needed to name this plague, “The Plague of the Firstborn.”

Moshe, instead of saying that the plague would occur at exactly midnight, said that the

plague would occur around midnight. This way, if they miscalculated the time, Pharaoh's

54

ם סמנים: דצ"ך עד"ש באח"ב. רבי יהודה היה נותן בה

לקו המצרים במצרים רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר: מנין אתה אומר שר מכות ש ועל הים לקו חמשים מכות? במצרים מה הוא אומר? 56ע

astronomers couldn't say that Moshe and Hashem were lying because they said it would occur at

exactly midnight.

If Pharaoh was a firstborn, why wasn't he killed in the plague? The answer is that

Hashem wanted to spare Pharaoh so that once the Jews were freed from Egypt Pharaoh could tell

everyone how amazing Hashem was.

Hashem did not kill the firstborn if he/she wasn’t in the house, but killed the eldest

man/woman instead. This is why the Torah tells us that “there was not a house where there

wasn’t a dead body.” However, no Jew died that night. Even if someone was supposed to die, the

death was postponed to show the separation between the Jewish people and the Egyptians.

The ten plagues also show the truth in מידה כנגד מידה. Hashem attacked the Egyptians with

ten plagues just like they enforced ten decrees against us when we were slaves. The Egyptians

forced us to carry their water, so their water was turned to blood. The Egyptians used to wake us

early in the morning by knocking on our windows, so Hashem gave them frogs with their

croaking noise to awake them in the morning. The Egyptians would make us be their janitors by

making us sweep their floors of the dust. So Hashem turned all of their dust to lice so we had

nothing left to sweep. The Egyptians made us bring wild beasts back from the fields for their

entertainment so Hashem had the beasts attack them. Pharaoh ordered the Egyptians to take

away mothers’ babies so Hashem made the wild beasts attack Egyptians’ homes, eating all of the

Egyptian children in the way. In Makat Bechorot, Hashem killed the Egyptians’ firstborns, just

like they took away our sons. Makat Bechorot shows that Hashem takes care of us, fights for us,

and so much more. 56 The Ten Plagues

By Sefi Greenwood

Every Pesach you open your haggadah and you learn about the ten plagues but you

may never understand why Hashem had to do all of these plagues! He could have destroyed the

Mitzrim in one shot? Hashem made ten plagues to show that Hashem isn't just a G-d; he is the

controller of every single thing in the universe. For example, the plague of blood showed that

Hashem controlled the sea. The frogs were to show that He controlled the creatures and again the

sea. The lice was to show that Hashem controlled the earth. The death of the Egyptian animals

was to show that He controlled the life of animals. The wild beasts showed that He controlled all

animals. The boils was to show that Hashem controlled their well-being. The hail showed that

Hashem controls the weather. The locusts showed that Hashem controlled flying animals and the

winds. Darkness showed that Hashem controlled the ability to move, light, and darkness. Finally,

the death of the first-borns showed that Hashem controlled the life of humans. This idea teaches

us that everything must be from Hashem who is the creator of the universe.

(From The Haggadah of the Rosh Yeshiva)

55

צבע ל פרעה: א הוא, ועל הים מה הוא אלקיםויאמרו החרטמים את היד הג ר עשה אומר? וירא ישראל א במצרים, וייראו ’הדלה אש

ת ר ’ה, ויאמינו ב ’ההעם א ש צבע? ע ה עבדו. כמה לקו בא ובמשר מכות ועל הים לקו חמשים ש מכות. אמור מעתה: במצרים לקו ע

מכות.

ר אומ ז הביא הקדוש ברוך הוא רבי אליע כל מכה ומכה ש ר: מנין של ארבע מכות? נאמר: ישלח בם 57על המצרים במצרים היתה ש ש

ברה ברה וזעם וצרה, משלחת מלאכי רעים. ע אחת, -חרון אפו, עארבע. אמור -שלש, משלחת מלאכי רעים -שתים, וצרה -וזעם

.58מעתה: במצרים לקו ארבעים מכות ועל הים לקו מאתים מכות

57 Plagues Within Plagues

By Nina Gerszberg

There were 10 plagues inflicted upon Egypt when they didn’t let the Jews go. It is said

that each of the plagues were equivalent to a few smaller plagues. Does it mean that each plague

was as bad as a bunch of smaller plagues put together? Maybe. According to R’ Zalman

Sorotzkin it means that each of the plagues were broken down into smaller plagues. This can be

seen pretty easily within the first plague, blood. This plague consisted first of the water changing

to blood which terrified the Egyptians. Then, the fish in the river died, eradicating an important

food source of the Egyptians. Next, the river began to smell making a nasty environment for all

those who lived around the river. After that Egypt ran out of fresh water to drink. And lastly,

Egyptians began unnecessary manual labor by digging around the river. From this, we can learn

that each of the plagues were not ordinary plagues and may have had other facets to them.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva) 58 How Many Lashes?

By Mark Grossman

Rabbi Eliezer says that when the יםימצר received lashes they were given a full forty lashes

in Egypt and two hundred lashes at the ים סוף. We know that in the הדרןנס they never gave the full

forty lashes; only thirty nine lashes were given to show mercy. The יםימצר , however, weren’t

worthy of mercy. Therefore, they got the full forty lashes.

When 'ה told אברהם that He will judge the Egyptians He said "דן אנוכי" . When we convert

the letters to numbers they really mean 4 x 50 (דן) which equals 200 lashes.

(From The Little Medrash Says Haggadah)

56

הביא הקדוש ברוך הוא כל מכה ומכה ש א אומר: מנין ש רבי עקיבנאמר: ישלח בם ל חמש מכות? ש על המצרים במצרים היתה ש

ברה וזעם וצרה, משלחת מלאכי רעים. חרון אפו -חרון אפו, עברה י ארבע, משלחת מלאכ -שלש, וצרה -שתים, וזעם -אחת, ע

חמש. אמור מעתה: במצרים לקו חמשים מכות ועל הים -רעים לקו חמשים ומאתים מכות.

!59כמה מעלות טובות למקום עלינו

ם שפטים, דיינו. 60אלו הוציאנו ממצרים ולא עשה בה

ם, דיינו. ם שפטים, ולא עשה באלהיה אלו עשה בה

ם, דיינו. ת בכוריה ם, ולא הרג א אלו עשה באלהיה

59 Fifteen Steps From Slavery to Freedom

By Jacob Rutner

In the song of Dayeinu there are fifteen phrases which talk about how Hashem took us

from slavery in Egypt to Israel. The number fifteen is deeply associated with thanksgiving. One

connection is the fifteen psalms that are called Shir Hama’alot. The other connection is the

fifteen steps in the Beit Hamikdash from which the Leviim sang to Hashem.

The word dai means enough. It relates to a phrase in Malachi which is recited as part of

Shabbat HaGadol. It says “I will pour you out a blessing ad bli dai”. This is translated as “until

your lips are exhausted through saying enough”.

(From The Rav Jonathan Sacks Haggadah) 60 Would it Have Been Enough?

By Jacob Elstein

In ינויד it says that if Hashem had taken us out of Egypt and not judged them it would

have been enough. But I think it would not have been enough because if that was enough then

we wouldn't be here today. The whole future would be different because if Hashem did not make

the plagues happen, Pharaoh would not have let us out of Egypt. And if Pharaoh wouldn't have

let us out of Egypt we would never have made it to Israel. Everything would be different. But, it

does make sense because for the Jews at that time it was enough. Every miracle of Hashem was

deserving of praise and appreciation. Even if Hashem stopped doing miracles at the ים סוף we

would still have reason to praise and bless him.

57

ת ממונם, דיינו. ם ולא נתן לנו א ת בכוריה אלו הרג א

ת ממונם ולא ק ת הים, דיינואלו נתן לנו א . 61רע לנו א

חרבה, דיינו עבירנו בתוכו ב ת הים ולא ה . 62אלו קרע לנו א

חרבה ולא שקע צרנו בתוכו, דיינו. עבירנו בתוכו ב אלו ה

אלו שקע צרנו בתוכו ולא ספק צרכנו במדבר ארבעים שנה, דיינו.

ת המן, דיינו. אכילנו א אלו ספק צרכנו במדבר ארבעים שנה ולא ה

61 It Would Have Been Enough?

By Maya Mendelson

In Dayenu, it is said that if Hashem would have given us the spoils of the מצרים and not

have split the ים סוף, it would have been enough. But how is that possible? The מצרים who were

chasing us definitely would have taken us back to מצרים to be slaves again. Also, in Dayenu, it

says that if Hashem would have taken us to Har Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have

been enough. But how can we say that too? What would we have done there?

The explanation for this is simple. It is not that Dayenu means that each thing Hashem

did for us simply “would have been enough”. But rather, Dayenu states that every act alone

would have been a great miracle and enough for Bnei Yisrael to be obligated to thank Hashem! It

teaches us a lesson that we should always be grateful for what Hashem gives us!

(From The Haggadah by Rabbi Joseph Elias) 62 Walking on Dry Land

By Drew Rabinowitz

Why did Hashem bring Bnei Yisrael into the Yam Suf? Why would it “have been enough”

if Hashem brought us through the sea on dry land? There are two main things that Hashem was

trying to show. The first one is that the Egyptians enslaved the Jews for 210 years. Hashem

wanted to lure the Egyptians into the sea. Hashem needed to punish the Egyptians for their sins.

Hashem was able to free the Jews in all kinds of ways. The second reason is that he

wanted to show his greatness by performing miracles. This explains why Hashem made the

ground so easy and pleasant to walk on. Hashem could have left the ground all muddy and at

different levels but he did not; he made all smooth and dry. This also shows that Hashem is the

Supreme Ruler of anything anywhere. This piece from Dayainu teaches us that no matter what

happens in life, Hashem still cares about everyone.

(From the Abarbanel Haggadah)

58

ת ת המן ולא נתן לנו א אכילנו א השבת, דיינו.אלו ה

ת השבת, ולא קרבנו לפני הר סיני, דיינו . 63אלו נתן לנו א

63 The Mountain of Unity

By Hannah Ginsberg

“If He had brought us to Mount Sinai and not given the Torah…it would have sufficed

for us.” How could this be? The sole purpose for bringing us to this mountain from being

enslaved in Mitzraim was to receive the Torah! The answer is right there in front of us; just being

there was equivalent to receiving the Torah itself.

To explain, there is a story of a man who came to Hillel and asked him to teach him the

entire Torah standing on one leg. Hillel responded by saying, “Do not do upon others what you

would not want them to do upon you. This is the entire Torah. The rest is commentary. Now go

and learn.” Once a person asked the same question to Rabbi Akiva and the response was “Love

your neighbors as you love yourself - this is the guiding principles of the Torah.” When Bnei

Yisrael came to Har Sinai, it was at that moment that Bnei Yisrael started feeling for their fellow

people, even before Hashem gave them the Torah. Each fellow Jew’s appreciation for one

another was so great at this moment that the Torah refers to Bnei Yisrael as one person and one

heart. It was as if they had already known and followed the whole Torah. We can learn from this

how to treat one another. Even though it can be hard at times to appreciate and love your fellow

Jew, it is completely doable. Once we all except each other the way Bnei Yisrael did at Har

Sinai, Moshiach can come.

(From the Heritage Hagaddah)

The Har Sinai Experience

By Zevi Wiesz

If a person goes into a spice shop, even if he does not buy anything, he will leave

smelling of nice spices. Rabbi Y. Rabinowitz explains that the same thing goes for us having the

merit to stand around Har Sinai (Mount Sinai) and the Ananei Hakvod (clouds of glory). It

would have been enough for us even had we not received the Torah just to see and experience

the greatness of Hashem.

(From Chinuch.org)

Was Mount Sinai Enough?

By Chloe Katz

The prayer “Dayeinu” states our gratitude to Hashem. After every miracle He performed

for us, he still gave more. But one line in this prayer seems very strange. It tells us that “If G-d

had brought us to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been enough.” How

could it have been enough? Traveling to a mountain in a desert just for the fun of it does not

seem like a huge act of kindness. The Talmud tells us that when Bnei Yisrael arrived at Mount

Sinai, it was like they were “one person with one heart” and that was enough of a treasure. In this

united act, Bnei Yisrael was fulfilling the mitzvah of “loving someone like one would love

59

ת התורה, דיינו. אלו קרבנו לפני הר סיני, ולא נתן לנו א

ץ יש ר ת התורה ולא הכניסנו לא ראל, דיינו.אלו נתן לנו א

ץ ישראל ר ת בית הבחירה, 64אלו הכניסנו לא ולא בנה לנו א .65דיינו

לת למקום עלינו: על אחת, כמה וכמה, טובה כפולה ומכפם שפטים, ועשה ב הוציאנו ממצרים, ועשה בה ת ש ם, והרג א אלהיה

עבירנו בתוכו ת הים, וה ת ממונם, וקרע לנו א ם, ונתן לנו א בכוריהחרבה, ושקע צרנו בתוכו, וספק צרכנו במדבר ארבעים שנה, ב

ת ה ת המן, ונתן לנו א אכילנו א שבת, וקרבנו לפני הר סיני, ונתן והת בית הבחירה ץ ישראל, ובנה לנו א ר ת התורה, והכניסנו לא לנו א

לכפר על כל עונותינו.

his/herself.” According to Hillel and Rabbi Akiva since this is the whole concept of the Torah it

was as if the whole Torah had already been given. 64 Walking in the Holy Land

By Moshe Marashli

When Rabbi Eliyahu Lopion came to Israel, he was so overjoyed by the mitzvah of living

in Israel that he stated, “Even the street cleaners get a mitzvah every time they walk down the

street to clean. Unfortunately, as time goes by we become too familiar with the holy land and

sometimes we even lose focus on this great mitzvah. 65 Endless Gratitude

By Yosef Amos

We don’t mean to say it would have been enough for us without all of these blessings.

How can we imagine living without Israel or the Beit Hamikdash?

Rabbi Y. Rabinowitz explains that what we mean to say is that any of these gifts would

have been enough to make us praise Hashem non-stop; how much more Hakarat Hatov

(gratitude) should we have if Hashem has given us all these wonderful gifts.

(From Chinuch.org)

60

לא אמר שלשה דברים אלו סח, רבן גמליאל היה אומר: כל ש בפסח, מצה, ומרור. לא יצא ידי חובתו, ואלו הן: פ

בית המקדש היה קים, על שום פסח היו אבותינו אוכלים בזמן ש שפסח , הקדוש ברוך הוא על בתי אבותינו במצרים 66מה? על שום ש

סח הוא ל בח פ ם ז נאמר: ואמרת ר פסח על בתי בני ישראל ' הש , אשת בתינו הציל, ויקד העם וישתחוו. ת מצרים, וא במצרים בנגפו א

אומר: בים ו ס אה את המצות למ מר

ה לא הספיק בצקם ש 67זו מצ אנו אוכלים, על שום מה? על שום שך מלכי המלכים, הקדוש ל ם מ נגלה עליה ל אבותינו להחמיץ עד ש ש

66 Because . . . He passed over

By Eliana Schwartz

It is amazing that Hashem's "passing over" the houses of Israel supplies the name to both

the sacrifice and the festival. When we look at all the miraculous events of the ten plagues and

the Exodus in their totality, the "passing over" seems to be rather marginal.

R' Yerucham of Mir says that this shows us that the most important element of the

deliverance from Egypt, that which can be attributed solely to the Holy One Himself and no

other, is the act of differentiating between firstborn and non-firstborn, between Jew and

Egyptian. The act of making such distinctions stands above all the miracles.

(From The Haggadah of the Baalei Mussar) 67 This Matzah and This Marror

By Alexandra Degen

Rabban Gamliel tells us that whoever does not explain Pesach, Matzah and Marror at the

Seder has not fulfilled their obligation of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim. However, when the

Haggadah describes each of these three items it useses different lanaguage for Pesach, than for

Matzah and Marror. Why for Matzah and Marror does the Haggadah say “zeh” or “zo”, “this

matzah” or “this marror”, but for Pesach there is no similar designation?

According to the Baale’ Tosfot, by saying Pesach Ze, this Pesach, it would be declaring

that this is the Korban Pesach that we would be preparing and offering. We, unfortunately, are

unable and not allowed to do make an offering as there are no korbanot without the Beit

Hamikdash. Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik, provides another answer. He says that we need

to designate “this Matzah” and “this Marror”, because Matzah and Marror are eaten year round.

Matzah can be eaten at any meal and Marror is a vegetable, romaine lettuce or horseradish.

Therefore, we are required to note that the Matzah and Marror of the Seder are special and

61

ר הוציאו ממצרים ת הבצק אש נאמר: ויאפו א ברוך הוא, וגאלם, שת מצות, כי לא חמץ, כי גרשו ממצרים ולא יכלו להתמהמה, וגם עג

ם . 68צדה לא עשו לה

אומר: בים ו ס רור למ אה את המ מר

רור אנו אוכלים, על שום מה מ ה ש מררו המצרים 69ז ? על שום שת חיי ם בעבדה 70אבותינו במצריםא ת חייה נאמר: וימררו א , ש

designated as such. The Korban Pesach was only offered and eaten one night each year so there

is no need to separate the Pesach of the Seder night from any other Pesach, as no other exists.

Similarly, later on during Motzie Matzah and Marror, we recite special brachot prior to eating

the Matzah and Marror that are not recited at any other time when Matzah and Marror are eaten.

But at Tzafun, there is no bracha, when eating the Afikomen. So too is it with individuals. There

are some who we need to point out that they are special. There are others, like the Rav

Soloveitchik and Rav Kook whose gadlut was so special that the mention of their name is

enough and there is no need to say anymore; these giants are like the Korban Pesach.

(From the Commentators Haggadah) 68 Be Thankful

By Aaron Shamsian

Why did the Holy One take the people out of Egypt without provisions for the road and

with only the bread of affliction in their hands? The commentators answer that by doing so the

Holy One prepared the children of Israel for receiving the Torah. The people left Egypt this way

to show the children that you should be happy with what you have even if you don’t have a lot.

There is a story that explains this. There once was a woodcutter and everyday he would chop

wood and sell it to people in the city. One day, during the month of Tammuz, he sat to rest and

he started to bitterly think, “I work so hard and I barely make any money and all I have to eat is

bread with onions.” He all of a sudden started to cry and then fell soundly asleep. In his dream,

an angel came up to him and told him to make one wish and it will be granted. The woodcutter

answered him, “I wish that everything I touch will turn to gold.” The wish came true. The

woodcutter got so excited and he started jumping up and down. Because of his excitement he

was really thirsty so he went to get a drink of water. Unfortunately, when his lips touched the

water it turned into solid gold. At once, the man understood the meaning of his request. He soon

realized that he will never be able to eat or drink ever again so he started to cry. Through his

sobbing, he awakened and behold it was a dream. He was overjoyed and said, “This dream was

to show me so that I should know that it is not good to complain about my lot and my toil and

that it is not good to envy the lot of others. I was guided from the heavens to be happy with my

lot, and not to desire anything I don’t have.”

(From Od Yoseph Chai, Beha’alotcha)

62

ר עבדו ת כל עבדתם אש ה א ר ובלבנים ובכל עבדה בשד קשה, בחמך. ם בפר בה

ת עצמו כאלו הוא יצ א ממצרים, בכל דור ודור חיב אדם לראות אה עשה נאמר: והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר, בעבור ז לי ’הש

ת אבותינו בלבד גאל הקדוש ברוך הוא, 71בצאתי ממצרים. לא א

69 Maror- A Lesson in Kindness

By Lexi Berger, Maya Stein, and Lily Kaplan

We eat maror to remember how the Egyptians were bitter to G-d by treating the Jewish

people unfairly. It teaches us that we can’t be happy while watching others suffer, just like how

G-d couldn’t bear to watch us suffer. When people are suffering, Hashem tells us not to just go

off and mind your own business. You should not be happy while watching people suffer. You

should feel for them and do something about it. In conclusion, as Jews we should eat maror to

remind us of the suffering of other people.

(From the Rav Shach Haggadah) 70 In Egypt

By Jacob Colchamiro

The Haggadah says the words םבמצריחיי אבותנו שמררו המצרים את while discussing מרור. It

seems superfluous to say, “in Egypt”. Is it not obvious that the Jews were persecuted in Egypt?

The answer is as follows. “In Egypt”, does not refer to Egypt but to the Egyptian cities. The Jews

were only supposed to dwell in the beautiful land of Goshen. Over time, Jews moved to other

Egyptian cities. In these cities, the Jewish people began to assimilate to the Egyptians’ ways, and

this led to great spiritual decline. That is why the Haggadah says “In Egypt”.

(From the Shirat Yehudah Haggadah) לא אבותינו בלבד 71

By Ariana Matthew

“It was not only our fathers.” Most commentators agree that this refers to the fact that not

only did our ancestors experience redemption but that we need to view ourselves as personally

having left Mitzrayim as well. The Maharal states that we need to view that we all were freed and

each one of us needs to focus on what we received that night. The Netziv explains that Hashem

caused the redemption for each one of us, not only for our ancestors. The Rambam points out

that we also need to show the excitement over leaving Mitzrayim as if it just happened. We need

to have an excited, joyful feeling at the Seder; we need to feel as if it personally happened to

each one of us. Those that left Egypt understood that they were going to receive the Torah. We

believe that all Jewish souls were present at Har Sinai when we received the Torah. The

generations that left Egypt reproduced and multiplied up to this day. Therefore, we can say that

“we” left Egypt.

63

נאמר: ואותנו הוצ ם, ש לא אף אותנו גאל עמה יא משם, למען אר נשבע לאבתנו. ץ אש ת האר ת לנו א הביא אתנו, לת

לויה. ביהים את הכוס עד הל מג

, להלל, לשבח, לפאר, לרומם, להדר, 72לפיכך אנחנו חיבים להודותת כל הנסים לברך, לעלה ולקלס למ עשה לאבותינו ולנו א י ש

ל ליום טוב, האלו: הוציאנו מעבדות לחרות מיגון לשמחה, ומאבומאפלה לאור גדול, ומשעבוד לגאלה. ונאמר לפניו שירה חדשה:

הללויה.

ת שם יהוה.הללו יהי שם יהוה מברך יה הללו עבדי יהוה הללו אש עד מבואו מהלל שם יהוה. מעתה ועד עולם. מ רם על ממזרח ש

ת.המגביהי לשב אלקינומי כיהוה כל גוים יהוה על השמים כבודו.ץ. מקימי מעפר דל מאשפת ירים המשפילי לראות בשמים ובאר

It is agreed that the message of “lo leavoteinu bilvad” is one of the most important texts

in the Haggadah. It reminds us that this refers to every generation. We need to remember the

pain of the past so we can improve our current world, as it states, “Bechol dor v’dor.” In every

generation there is suffering and as time passes we tend to forget. This text points out that we

need to fight human nature and on this special night we need to remember in a very different

way. We need to remember what it was like to suffer. Each person is obligated to see himself as

if he himself has come out of Mitzrayim.

(From The Artscroll Living Exodus Haggadah) 72 The Key to the Future Is It’s Past

By Asher Lefkowitz

One of the most important things we do on Pesach is the Seder. Has anyone ever asked

why the Seder is so important? There are two reasons. One reason that everyone knows is that it

is a remembrance of Hashem’s taking us out of Egypt. However, I believe there is also a deeper

reason for the Seder. Rav Mordechai Gifter once asked, “Do we really ever analyze the good or

do we just say thank you and go on with our regular business.” I believe that the point of the

Seder is for it not to be like every other day. It’s a special day where we are supposed to reflect

on our lives and stop and think and analyze the gratitude that Hashem deserves. For the key to

the future is it’s past.

64

ביון. ת הבית אם להושיבי עם נדיבים עם נדיבי עמו. א ר מושיבי עק .הבנים שמחה הללו יה

היתה יהודה לקדשו יעקב מעם לעז.בצאת ישראל ממצרים בית הרים הירדן יסב לאחור. 73הים ראה וינס ישראל ממשלותיו. ה

מה לך הים כי תנוס הירדן תסב רקדו כאילים גבעות כבני צאן.הרים תרקד לאחור. מלפני אדון חולי ו כאילים גבעות כבני צאן.ה

ץ מלפני אלוה יעקב. חלמיש למעינו 74ההפכי הצור אגם מים אר מים.

73 The Fleeing Sea

By Yochanan Sragow

In the paragraph of ישראל אתצב , it mentions that the sea fled, or receded. What caused the

sea to flee? There are two explanations to this. The first explanation is about B’nai Yisrael’s

belief in Hashem. B’nai Yisrael’s willingness to follow Hashem’s command and step into the

raging waters amazed the sea so much that it made the sea also follow Hashem’s command and

split. The other explanation refers to a much earlier occurrence. According to the Chachamim,

the sea was also impressed when Yosef resisted his temptation for Potiphar’s wife, and instead

fled from her. This motivated the sea to recede for B’nai Yisrael, and to do Hashem’s will. Just

as Yosef went against his natural inclination, the sea also defied nature. We can see from this

that the best thing to do in any difficult situation is to follow Hashem’s commands with all of our

hearts, just like B’nai Yisrael, Yosef, and of course, the sea.

(From Artscroll’s The Pesach Hagaddah)

What Did the Yam Suf See?

By Jason Karger

In Hallel we say, "the Yam Suf saw it and ran away." What did it see? The Maharsha

answers that it saw the courageous Jews who overcame their fear and stepped into the water. The

Yam Suf also went against its nature and split. The Kli Yakar answers that it saw the casket of

Yosef. Just as Yosef did not sin with the wife of Potifar but fled from her, so too the Yam Suf

"fled"; it split for the Bnai Yisrael who also did not sin with the Egyptian women when they were

in Mitzrayim.

(From the Little Midrash Says Haggadah) 74 Hashem’s Control Over Nature

By Max Kaufman

In Hallel it says, "He turns solid rock into a pool of water." This refers to the miracle of

Hashem giving Bnai Yisrael water from a rock in the desert. Why does this miracle belong in the

65

אל. ר ביהים את הכוס עד גאל יש מג

ך העולם, א אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ל ת אבותינו מ ר גאלנו וגאל א שאכל בו מצה ומרור. כן ה ל אלקינו ’הממצרים, והגיענו ללילה הז

ואלהי אבותינו יגיענו למועדים ולרגלים אחרים הבאים לקראתנו ך. ונאכל שם מן לשלום, שמחים בבנין ך וששים בעבודת עיר

ה ר יגיע דמם על קיר מזבחך לרצון, ונוד הזבחים ומן הפסחים אשגאל ’הלך שיר חדש על גאלתנו ועל פדות נפשנו. ברוך אתה

ישראל.

ן אלקינו ’התה ברוך א ך העולם בורא פרי הגפ ל .75מ

מאל. בת ש הס שותין את הכוס ב

ה צ ח ר

כים ר ב דים ומ לים את הי נוט

paragraph that talks about the splitting of the Yam Suf? The Radak answers that both of these

events show Hashem's control over nature. They are two opposite miracles. At Kriyat Yam Suf

He changed the water into dry land, and in the desert he turned dry rocks into water.

(From the Little Medresh Says Haggadah) 75 Why Wine?

By Daniel Ben-Zvi

Why did the Rabbis choose wine for the Seder rather than a different symbol such as four

Matzot? Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin explains that the Rabbis chose wine because it brings a

glow to a person’s face. When we drink the first cup of wine our faces and hearts brighten. With

the second cup, the glow increases. With the third and the fourth cups our inner and outer

enjoyment increases. Similar increases of enjoyment were felt by our ancestors when they heard

the four expressions of promised redemption. With each promise of liberation they got more and

more excited. So too will be the experience of our people when the ultimate redemption will

arrive in the same four stages. Therefore, wine is the most appropriate symbol to mark the

increases of glow and the four expressions of liberation.

(From A Treasury of Inspiration for the Passover Seder)

66

ר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ך העולם, אש ל מ נטילת ידים.

ה 76מוציא מצ

76 Matzah vs. Marror

By Betzalel Brickman

What is the difference between matzah and marror? First, matzah represents freedom

because when we were leaving Egypt we had matzah. Since we were in a rush the bread didn’t

have time to rise. So, when we make the matzah we make it with special care from the time the

seeds are planted to the time when the matzah is baked. When we plant the seeds, we plant them

carefully and watch them for a long time. Then, when it is harvested we guard it from moisture.

Finally, when it is baked we make sure that it does not over bake or that anything mistakenly

goes into the batter. That shows how much work and care goes into making matzah.

Marror is made in a very different way. For marror we do not make it with special care.

Marror is just planted. We water it and wait for it to grow. The only special step we do with

marror is check for bugs.

So, there are many lessons we can learn from this. First, matzah and marror are very

important ingredients in the Seder. We learn from the matzah which represents freedom that we

should watch over freedom with great care and make sure that we use it properly. The marror

which represents hardship teaches us that while we do not make hardship happen to us willingly,

when it comes in life we just have to accept it.

(From the Commentators Haggadah)

Machine Matzah vs. Handmade Matzah

By Erin Feiglin

Everyone knows the different types of matzot. There are the clean, perfectly square, white

machine baked ones and the lumpy, black, burnt, circular "handmade matzah". But have you

ever thought about both of them? Their differences? Which one is "better" to use?

The Gemara in Pesachim (116b) says that just as a poor man’s wife bakes the matzah

while the oven is still being heated, so too should we bake our matzah. Rashi comments on this

that the Gemara is stressing the importance of putting the matzah directly in the oven so that the

dough does not rise and turn to chametz. However, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky has a different

explanation. He says that just like a poor man bakes his own bread, we too should make our own

matzah, so that we can make sure it is baked with the proper intent. We can infer from this that

Rabbi Kamenetsky supports the idea of handmade matzah.

However, Rabbi Yisrael YaakovKanievsky disagrees. He says that the only reason why

the poor man wants to bake his matzah quickly is because he cannot afford to keep his oven at

high temperatures. Therefore, he makes his matzah quickly and as soon as the oven is hot he

sticks it in. If he doesn't, there is fear that the oven won't be at a high enough temperature to bake

it properly, and so he is forced to quickly put it in. However, a rich man can first heat his oven

67

יאחז למות, ו תי הש ה בין ש רוס ן, הפ סדר שהניח יקח המצות בעל נה על ה כו רך "המוציא" ב דו ויב י ן ב ת לש יונה ו"על אכילת ש

ה רוס נה על הפ כו ה" ב יונה 77מצ על זית מן ה צע כ ך יב . אחר כני הזיתים ה ש ב הס יאכל ב ה ו רוס כזית שני מן הפ ה ו למ הש

ץ. אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ם מן האר ך העולם המוציא לח ל מ

ר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ך העולם, אש ל מ אכילת מצה.

רור 78מ

and then make and bake the dough because his oven is good. Therefore, because we are trying to

act like a poor man, machine made matzah is the way to go, because there is less time between

the making and baking the dough, just like the poor man.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva) 77 The Middle Matzah

By Gabi Buch

Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg writes that the three matzot represent Avraham, Yitzchak and

Yaakov. According to this opinion, why specifically is the middle matzah, which represents

Yitzchak, the one that is split? Based on the Gemara, Hashem will confront the three Avot and

say that B’nei Yisrael have sinned. The three Avot will stand together and defend B’nei Yisrael’s

mistakes. Avraham and Yaakov will say that the Jews have sinned in such a way that they should

be destroyed in order to protect the kedusha of Hashem’s name. Only Yitzchak will beg Hashem

for mercy and forgiveness. Yitzchak’s matzah was chosen because he will be the only one to beg

on behalf of B’nei Yisrael’ sins.

(From the Haggada Shirat Yehuda) 78 Maror: History and Choices

By Danielle Shapiro

For all of my life, מרור has been the staple item on my Seder table (besides the מצה of

course.) One might think that it's interesting, but there is no direct mitzvah from the Torah to eat

בית המקדש alone came after the מרור alone; only together with the Korban Pesach. Eating מרור

was destroyed. After the destruction, the חכמים said that מרור must be eaten to commemorate

slavery, and the פסח sacrifice.

68

which means bitter. The Talmud talks about different ”מר“ comes from the word מרור

foods you can eat that will serve as מרור. They are horseradish, romaine lettuce, endives, and

iceberg lettuce. One might disagree about the romaine lettuce, but that might be more symbolic

to יציאת מצרים than anything else. The Talmud explains that when you first have romaine lettuce,

it isn’t bitter. It is the aftertaste that gets you. The same goes for the Jew’s experience in Egypt. It

wasn’t bad until פרעה didn’t recognize the good that יוסף did. In addition, some ספרדים use green

onions, or curly parsley. Lastly, you may not know that the מרור has to be eaten alone. You may

not add spices or anything to distract the real flavor.

(From The Chassidic Hagadah)

First is the Worst?

By Michael Zuckerman

The Mishna in Pesachim lists five different types of herbs that are preferable to use for

maror. The first and the best one to use is chazeret, which is Romaine lettuce. The Talmud

Yerushalmi asks why chazeret is on the list if it really does not have much of a bitter taste. The

explanation for this is as follows: when one begins to eat the chazeret it has a sweet taste and

only after a while does it become bitter. This is reminiscent of the Egyptians, who invited the

Jews to settle in their land and later made their lives bitter with back breaking work. If one does

not have chazeret, one is permitted to use horseradish.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein says that one can learn a lesson from the fact that lettuce, which is

not bitter, is first on the list. Only after that are more bitter options listed. When Hashem looks to

punish his people for not following his command, he starts off by sending them a warning and

punishing them slowly. Only after they continue to sin, does the punishment get greater and

greater. This is the message from the maror as well. Hashem does not intend to make our lives

bitter; it is only after we repeatedly do not listen to the favorable treatments that Hashem takes

more drastic steps in punishing us.

Why So Bitter? By Tzippy Kaplan

During the Seder, we eat, talk, celebrate our freedom, and debate about the four sons; so

why would we want to mess up our happy, merry night with sadness? According to the Sefas

Emes, quoted by R’ Gedalia Schorr, the marror is part of the process of redemption because

without the hardships why would we need to be freed and then redeemed by Hashem? Mixing in

the bitterness during a celebration sets us apart from every other nation in this world.

Even in the Torah it says that we are different and alone. For example, it says in the story

of Yaakov that he beat Esav’s angel because he was alone; he did not follow Lavan or Esav

because they were not at the right level of spirituality. Even Bilaam admitted that the reason

B’nei Yisrael had survived for so long was because they stood alone. According to Targum

Yonatan, we are only deserving of the world to come if we remain alone, not following the

nations. The quote that Yaakov says, “Save me, please, from my brother, from Esav,” relates to

that because Yaakov meant that he would not want to be lured into wanting to be Esav’s friend.

The lesson that I learned is that everybody should not become like everybody else; they should

stay different and unique. (From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva, Book Three)

69

נער בלו בחרוסת, חוזר ומ רור ומט זית מ בים לוקח כ ס ד מהמ ל אח כה. ב לי הס אוכל ב רך ו ב החרוסת, מ

ר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ך העולם, אש ל מ אכילת מרור.

79כורך

Maror-Reliving the Experience

By Amy Dyckman

Why do we eat maror on Pesach? When the Jewish people were in Egypt, they would cry

out to G-d to come and take them out of Egypt. The maror is very bitter and when we eat it, it

makes us cry. This should remind us of all the tears that were shed from the Jewish people in

Egypt. The Jewish people suffered in Egypt. We should feel bad when we eat the maror so that

we know how it felt. This mitzvah is part of our responsibility to relive the Exodus from Egypt

as if it was actually happening. That is why we use “real” props to relive the experience.

Why So Sour?

By Naomi Gottlieb

Why do we have Maror during such a happy time? Rabbeinu Bachya explains that when

the Haggadah says, “The Egyptians embittered our lives” it is saying that when the Egyptians

were abusing us, Hashem felt sad and empathetic for us. It says in Yeshayahu 63:9 that, “In all

their troubles He is troubled.” This is clearly showing that Hashem showed compassion and

empathy and we must emulate these traits. We must not forget all the hardships Bnei Yisrael

went through and cannot forget to share their sadness and show them empathy. One morning

Rav Menachem Zvi Berlin went to Rav Shach to discuss a matter and when Rav Shach came

home he directed all of his attention to his guest instead of eating. Rav Zvi said he would

happily wait for Rav Scach to eat but, Rav Shach declined. He said that he does not eat

between 8:00 and 8:30 because that is when kids go to secular school and don’t start the day with

Shema. We learn from this that we should always strive to be as empathetic as we possibly can.

(From the Rav Shach Haggadah)

Why Do We Eat the Korech Sandwich? 79

By Shayna Mandelbaum

Why do we eat כורך, a sandwich of מצה and מרור? The כורך sandwich shows us the

strengths and weaknesses of everyone as the מצה represents strengths and the מרור represents our

weaknesses. Our strengths come from our souls. Just like the מצה doesn't rise, our souls do not

70

זית לישית עם כ ה הש זית מן המצ בים לוקח כ ס ד מהמ ל אח רור כ מלו אומר. ני אכ ה. לפ כ ר לי ב ה וב ב הס לים ב כים יחד, אוכ כור ר ו זכ

בית המקדש היה קים: היה למקדש כהלל. כן עשה הלל בזמן שנאמ ר: על מצות כורך מצה ומרור ואוכל ביחד, לקים מה ש

.80ומררים יאכלהו

have an ego. Our weaknesses come from our bodies. We are tempted to do things that may not

be right and are faced with challenges and inner struggles. This part of our personality is

represented by the bitterness of the מרור. It is a mitzvah to eat מרור at the Seder table because we

are acknowledging our weaknesses and working to overcome them. Initially, we eat them

separately, but we later eat them in a sandwich, combining both sides of our personality. The

.it becomes a delicious sandwich ,מצה is bitter by itself, but when controlled by the מרור

Another reason why we eat the כורך sandwich is because of Hillel. He lived during the

time of the בית המקדש when the Jews would eat the קרבן פסח during Pesach. He put the מרור, the

together and ate it as a sandwich. Today, we eat the sandwich, but without קרבן פסח and the מצה

the קרבן פסח. The other sages disagreed with Hillel and said that the מצה and מרור should be eaten

separately so we first eat them separately and then we eat them together in the כורך sandwich.

(From Chabad.org) 80

Korech

By Jesse Koppel

The third matzah is the only unbroken matzah at the time of כורך. Since it isn’t broken,

we use it for a sandwich. We have to use extra matzah to add to this matzah because it is usually

not sufficient for everyone to have a sandwich.

Hillel said that the Korban Pesach, matzah, and the marror should be eaten together.

Since we don’t have the Korban Pesach today, the marror is only Rabbinic. Matzah is still a

Torah obligation today. Therefore, even Hillel agrees that today the matzah is eaten separately,

and we only have the sandwich of matzah and maror to remind us of the Korban Pesach, matzah,

and maror that were eaten in the time of the Beit Hamikdash. Since it is only a reminder, we

don’t recite a blessing on it.

(From the Artscroll Pesach Haggadah)

71

ן עורך ח ל 81ש

חלה ביצים נוהגים לאכול ת ה ו ערוכ ה ה עוד שותים הס לים ו אוכן יו אכילת אפיקומ ל יה ע לות. ולא יאכל יותר מדי, שלא תה ש ב מ

ה. אכילה גס

פון צ

ה אחר ת י ה שה זית מהמצ בים כ ס ד מהמ ל אח ה לוקח כ ד ע מר הס גן פונה לאפיקומ לה קדם 82צ אכ ריך ל צ ה. ו הסב אוכל ממנה כזית ב ו

לה. חצות הלי

81

How to Eat a Proper Meal

By Eli Novick

In Pirkei Avot, the passuk says that if three people sit down to eat a meal, and they don’t

say any Torah, it’s like they’ve eaten a meal of Avoda Zarah. But if they do speak words of

Torah, it’s like they’ve eaten a meal of Hashem.

R’ Yaakov Kamenetsky has an explanation for this Mishna. He says that there is a

difference between types of people in the world. Some people in the world believe in a

separation between their physical and spiritual life. They go houses of prayer to pray, and then

they come home and play soccer. Jews have a connection between their physical and spiritual

life. We go to Shul and daven, and then we come home and make a bracha on our baloney

sandwich. For this same reason, non-Jews can’t give the Korban Shlamim, the peace offering,

because some of it is eaten by the giver. There is a connection between the physical part (eating)

and the spiritual part (giving the Korban). But non-Jews can bring the Korban Olah, the burnt

offering, because it is completely burnt by the fire, and therefore there is no connection between

the physical and spiritual parts.

Getting back to the Mishna, eating is a really important part in everyone's physical life,

Jews or non-Jews. When we don’t speak any words of Torah, we are separating our physical life

and spiritual life, so it is like eating a meal of Avoda Zarah. But when we do say Torah, we are

combining the two “lives” and eating a meal of Hashem. When we eat the meal at the Seder

known as Shulchan Orach, we are supposed to speak words of Torah so that we are eating a meal

of Hashem.

(From the Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah)

72

רך ב

כת המ כין בר ר ב גין כוס שלישי ומ זון.מוז

ת שיבת ציון היינו כחלמים ’השיר המעלות בשוב . אז ימלא 83א

לעשות עם אלה. ’השחוק פינו ולשוננו רנה אז יאמרו בגוים הגדיל ת שביתנו ’הלעשות עמנו היינו שמחים. שובה ’ההגדיל א

82 Is Stealing Allowed?

By Michal Cohen

During צפון we eat the smaller part of the broken matzah. There is also a minhag, to hide

the afikoman and have the children bring it. However, wouldn’t it appear to be like stealing?

Being Jews and following the Torah, this seems to send the wrong message. Rabbi Milevsky

shows us a simple but thoughtful answer. We let the tzafun represent redemption and going back

to Yerushalayim. We need to use Torah and mitzvot to connect the generations with hope for

future generations to merit being returned to Yerushalayim. When generations misuse their lives

that they were given, they are “stealing” our hopes for the future. When we teach our children to

steal the Afikomen, we are teaching them to go and “steal” back our hopes for our future

redemption and return back to Yerushalayim.

(From http://thenaturalparent.com.au/blog/?p=2092) 83 Am I Dreaming?

By Maya Klibanoff

In bentching, we say, “ למיםוכח Its translation is, “When .”בשוב ה‘ את שיבת ציון היינו

Hashem brings back the exiles to Zion, we will have been like dreamers”. Why does it say that

after משיח comes, our past will be represented as a dream? When redemption arrives, we are

going to look back and realize that all the good and bad events that occur were because Hashem

had a plan for all of us. It says, “ למיםוכח because these events will seem more like a dream ”היינו

to us and we will realize in their true essence they were beneficial for us. While we are in exile,

we don’t comprehend how this experience is actually helping us and that Hashem does

everything for a reason. The more spiritual a person gets, the more the person could understand

this concept. From this we learn the purpose of life. It isn’t just to live as a normal person; rather

it to serve Hashem. Instead of worrying about troubles like money or honor, you should help

others, do mitzvot and fulfill the Torah that Hashem gave to us. As we rise spiritually, we will no

longer worry about the small things in life and see our past as if we were “dreaming”.

(From The Pesach Haggadah)

73

ב. הזרעים בדמעה ברנה יקצרו. הלוך ילך ובכה נשא כאפיקים בנגך הזרע בא יבוא ברנה נשא אלמתיו. ש מ

זמן פותח המ זמן ו בין ל ד חי אח לו כ ה שאכ לש :ש

ברך!רבותי, נ מברך מעתה ועד עולם. ’ההמסבים עונים: יהי שם

( אלקינוהמזמן אומר: ברשות מרנן ורבנן ורבותי, נברך )בעשרה לו. אכלנו מש ש

לו ובט אכלנו מש ובו חיינו.המסבים עונים:ברוך )אלהינו( שלו ובטובו חיינו.אלקינוהמזמן חוזר ואומר: ברוך ) אכלנו מש ( ש

רוך ת העולם כלו בטובו בחן אלקינו ’האתה ב ך העולם הזן א ל מם לכל ד וברחמים הוא נתן לח ס לעולם חסדו ובטובו בשר כי -בח

ד בעבור שמו חסר לנו מזון לעולם וע הגדול תמיד לא חסר לנו ואל י-הגדול כי הוא אל זן ומפרנס לכל ומטיב לכל ומכין מזון לכל

ר ברא ברוך אתה ת הכל.ה ’הבריותיו אש זן א

מדה טובה ורחבה אלקינו ’הלך נודה ץ ח ר הנחלת לאבותינו א על שהוצאתנו ו ץ מצרים ופדיתנו מבית עבדים ועל אלקינו ’העל ש ר מא

הודעתנו יך ש למדתנו ועל חק חתמת בבשרנו ועל תורתך ש בריתך שחוננתנו, ועל אכילת מזון שאתה זן ומפרנס ד ש ס ועל חיים חן וח

נו תמיד, בכל יום ובכל עת ובכל שעה.אות

אנחנו מודים לך ומברכים אותך, יתברך שמך אלקינו ’הועל הכל ת ד, ככתוב: "ואכלת ושבעת, וברכת א בפי כל חי תמיד לעולם וע

יך על ’ה ר נתן לך". ברוך אתה אלה ץ הטובה אש ץ ’ההאר , על האר ועל המזון.

74

ך, ועל ציון אלקינו ’הנא רחם ך, ועל ירושלים עיר על ישראל עמך, ועל הבית ה ך, ועל מלכות בית דוד משיח גדול משכן כבוד

נקרא שמך עליו. , אבינו, רענו, זוננו, פרנסנו אלקינווהקדוש שמהרה מכל צרותינו. ונא אלקינו ’הוכלכלנו והרויחנו, והרוח לנו

דם ולא לידי , לא לידי מתנת בשר ו אלקינו ’האל תצריכנו לא הלואתם, כי אם לידך המלאה הפתוחה הקדושה והרחבה, ש

ד. נבוש ולא נכלם לעולם וע

ת מוסיפין: שב בצה יך ובמצות יום השביעי אלקינו ’הוהחליצנו ר במצות

ה גדול וקדוש הוא לפניך ה. כי יום ז השבת הגדול והקדוש הזלשבת בו ולנוח בו באהבה כמצות רצונך. וברצונך הניח לנו

לא תהא צרה אלקינו ’ה ויגון ואנחה ביום מנוחתנו. והראנו שך כי אלקינו ’ה ך ובבנין ירושלים עיר קדש בנחמת ציון עיר

אתה הוא בעל הישועות ובעל הנחמות.

ה ויבא ויגיע ויר אלקינו ה וישמע ויפקד ואלהי אבותינו יעל ה וירצ אך ן דוד עבד ויזכר זכרוננו ופקדוננו וזכרון אבותינו וזכרון משיח בך וזכרון כל עמך בית ישראל לפניך וזכרון ירושלים עיר קדש

ד ולרחמים לחי לפליטה לטובה לח ס ביום ים )טובים( ולשלוםן ולח

בו לטובה ופקדנו בו לברכה אלקינו ’הזכרנו 84חג המצות הזה

84 Chag Hamatzot

By Tal Dachut

Isn’t it funny how in hebrew mitzvot and matzot are spelled the same way? This means

that chag hamitzvot and chag hamatzot can be confused with each other. What this means is that

by leaving Mitzrayim and getting the Torah, Bnei Yisrael were then able to perform mitzvot.

Pesach means to Passover. Hashem passed over Bnei Yisrael’s houses in Mitzrayim. We call the

holiday Pesach to show how much good Hashem does for us. Hashem call it Chag Hamtzot to

show how much we do for Him.

(From ohr.edu)

75

והושיענו בו לחיים טובים. ובדבר ישועה ורחמים חוס וחננו ורחם לך חנון ורחום אתה:עלינו והושיענ יך עינינו כי אל מ ו כי אל

ש במהרה בימינו. ברוך אתה , בונה ’הובנה ירושלים עיר הקד ברחמיו ירושלים. אמן.

רוך ך העולם, האל אבינו, מלכנו, אדירנו, אלקינו, ’האתה ב ל מבוראנו, גאלנו, יוצרנו, קדושנו קדוש יעקב, רוענו רועה ישראל,

בכל יום ויום הוא הטיב, הוא מטיב, ך הטוב והמטיב לכל, ש ל המד הוא ייטיב לנו ס . הוא גמלנו הוא גומלנו הוא יגמלנו לעד, לחן ולח

וח הצלה והצלחה, ברכה וישועה נחמה פרנסה ולרחמים ולרוכלכלה, ורחמים וחיים ושלום וכל טוב; ומכל טוב לעולם על

יחסרנו.

ןה ד. רחמ הוא ימלוך עלינו לעולם וע

ן רחמ ץ. ה הוא יתברך בשמים ובאר

ן רחמ הוא ישתבח לדור דורים, ויתפאר בנו לעד ולנצח נצחים, ה ויתהדר בנו לעד ולעולמי עולמים.

ן רחמ יפרנסנו בכבוד.הוא ה

ן רחמ הוא ישבור עלנו מעל צוארנו, והוא יוליכנו קוממיות ה לארצנו.

ן רחמ ה ה ה, ועל שלחן ז הוא ישלח לנו ברכה מרבה בבית הזאכלנו עליו. ש

ן רחמ ת אליהו הנביא זכור לטוב, ויבשר לנו הוא ישלח ל ה נו א בשורות טובות ישועות ונחמות.

76

ןבבית אביו אומר: רחמ ה, ה ת אבי מורי בעל הבית הז הוא יברך אה. ת אמי מורתי בעלת הבית הז וא

ןנשוי אומר: רחמ ת ה הוא יברך אותי, )אם אביו ואמו בחיים: ואר ת כל אש ת זרעי, וא ת אשתי, וא ת אמי מורתי,( וא אבי מורי, וא

לי.

ןאשה נשואה אומרת: רחמ הוא יברך אותי, )אם אביה ואמה הת אמי מורתי,( ת אבי מורי, וא ת זרעי, בחיים: וא ת בעלי, וא וא

ר לי. ת כל אש וא

ןאורח אומר: רחמ ת בעלת ה ה וא ת בעל הבית הז הוא יברך אם. ר לה ת כל אש ת זרעם וא ת ביתם וא ה, אותם וא הבית הז

לא יבוש בעל הבית ב ה, ולא יכלם לעולם הבא, יהי רצון, ש עולם הזויצלח מאד בכל נכסיו, ויהיו נכסיו ונכסינו מצלחים וקרובים

לעיר, ואל ישלט שטן לא במעשי ידיו ולא במעשי ידינו, ואל יזדקק ר( לא לפניו ולא לפנינו שום דבר הרהור חטא )נוסח הגמרא: יזדק

ועברה ועון מעתה ועד עולם.

ןבסעודה משותפת אומר: רחמ ת כל המסבין כאן. ה הוא יברך א

ת כל ם, אותנו וא ר לה ת כל אש ת זרעם וא ת ביתם וא אותם ואנתברכו אבותינו אברהם יצחק ויעקב "בכל"א ר לנו, כמו ש -ש

כן יברך אותנו כלנו יחד בברכה שלמה. ונאמר: –"כל" -"מכל" "אמן".

ת ש ר תהא למשמ ם ועלינו זכות ש לום. ונשא במרום ילמדו עליהל טוב בעיני ’הברכה מאת , וצדקה מאלהי ישענו, ונמצא חן ושכ

ואדם. אלקים

77

ןבשבת: חמ כלו שבת ומנוחה לחיי העולמים. הר הוא ינחילנו יום ש

ן חמ כלו טו הר צדיקים הוא ינחילנו יום ש כלו ארוך, יום ש ב, יום שלקנו ם ונהנין מזיו השכינה, ויהי ח ם בראשיה יושבים ועטרותיה

ם. עמה

ן רחמ הוא יזכנו לימות המשיח ולחיי העולם הבא. ה

ד למשיחו, לדוד ולזרעו עד עולם. מגדול ישועות מלכו, ס ה ח ועשה שלום עלינו ועל כל ישראל. ה שלום במרומיו, הוא יעש עש

ואמרו: "אמן".

ת קדשיו, כי אין מחסור ליראיו. כפירים רשו ורעבו, ’היראו אכי טוב, כי לעולם חסדו. ’הלא יחסרו כל טוב. הודו ל ’הי ודרש

ר יבטח ב ר אש ב ך, ומשביע לכל חי רצון. ברוך הג ת יד , ’הפותח אמבטחו. נער הייתי גם זקנתי, ולא ראיתי צדיק נעזב, ’הוהיה

ם. וז ש לח ת עמו בשלום. ’העז לעמו יתן, ’הרעו מבק יברך א

ן. אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ך העולם בורא פרי הגפ ל מ

מאל. בת ש שותין בהס

. פותחים הדלת כדי שנזכר 85מוזגין כוס רביעי וכוס של אליהו שהוא ליל שמורים.

85 The Cup of Eliyahu

By Raquel Fusman

Why do we have a cup for Eliyahu on Pesach but not on any other holiday? There is a

machloket among the Rishonim if we should have four or five cups at the Pesach seder. The fifth

cup would be for Eliyahu. In the Gemarah we have a rule which is called תיקו. This means that

Eliyahu answers the questions when we do not have the answer. Eliyahu will answer our

questions and particularly the question of whether we should have four or five cups for the

78

פך ר בשמך לא ש ר לא ידעוך ועל ממלכות אש ל הגוים אש חמתך אך וחרון ם זעמ ת נוהו השמו. שפך עליה ת יעקב וא קראו. כי אכל א

.’האפך ישיגם. תרדף באף ותשמידם מתחת שמי

להל

ך. למה ’הלא לנו לא לנו, כי לשמך תן כבוד, על חסדך, על אמתר חפץ ם, ואלהינו בשמים, כל אש יאמרו הגוים איה נא אלהיה

ם ולא יד ה לה ף וזהב מעשה ידי אדם. פ ס ם כ ברו, עשה. עצביהם ולא יריחון. ם ולא ישמעו, אף לה ם ולא יראו. אזנים לה עינים לה

ם הגו בגרונם. כמוה ם ולא יהלכו, לא י ם ולא ימישון, רגליה ידיהם. ישראל בטח ר בטח בה ם, כל אש זרם ומגנם ’הב יהיו עשיה , ע

זרם ומגנם הוא. יראי ’ההוא. בית אהרן בטחו ב , ’הבטחו ב ’ה, עזרם ומגנם הוא. ע

ת בית אהרן. יברך ’ה ת בית ישראל, יברך א זכרנו יברך, יברך א

Pesach Seder. We end up having five cups in honor of Eliyahu so he will answer all of the

questions that we do not know the answer to.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshiva vol. 2)

The Fifth Cup

By Dina Bash

There is a very distinct difference between the first four cups of wine and the fifth. As

R’Moshe Feinstein explains, the first four cups represent Hashem helping us throughout our

experience in מצרים and Hashem taking us out of מצרים. Meanwhile, the fifth cup represents

something totally different. It represents the gift of ארץ ישראל. As special as that is, the fifth cup

is not on the same level as the other four. That is why we do not drink from it. One can learn

from this that at the Pesach Seder, ארץ ישראל is not our main focus. Remembering מצרים is

obviously more important at this time. At the Seder, we should stick to talking about our

redemption.

(From The Haggadah of the Roshei Yeshivah)

79

ם. ’ה. יסף 86ם הגדלים, הקטנים ע ’היראי ם ועל בניכ ם, עליכ עליכם ל ץ. השמים שמים ל ’הברוכים את ץ ’ה, עשה שמים ואר והאר

נתן לבני אדם. לא המתים יהללו יה ולא כל ירדי דומה. ואנחנו ה ועד עולם. הללויה:נברך יה מעת

ת קולי, תחנוני. כי הטה אזנו לי ובימי ’האהבתי כי ישמע אמצא. ת ומצרי שאול מצאוני, צרה ויגון א בלי מו קרא. אפפוני ח א

קרא, אנא ’הובשם וצדיק, ואלהינו ’המלטה נפשי. חנון ’הא, דלותי ולי יהושיע. שובי נפשי למנוחיכי, ’המרחם. שמר פתאים

ת רגלי ’הכי ת עיני מן דמעה, א ת, א גמל עליכי. כי חלצת נפשי ממות חי. א אמנתי כי אדבר, אני ’ההלך לפני מד בארצות החיים. ה

עניתי מאד. אני אמרתי בחפזי, כל האדם כזב.שא ובשם ’המה אשיב ל ’הכל תגמולוהי עלי. כוס ישועות א

קרא. נדרי ל המותה ’הגדה נא לכל עמו. יקר בעיני אשלם נ ’האך, פתחת ’הלחסידיו. אנא ן אמת ך, אני עבדך ב כי אני עבד

בח תודה ובשם זבח ז קרא. נדרי ל ’הלמוסרי. לך א אשלם ’האגדה נא לכל עמו. בח , בתוככי ירושלים, הללויה:’הצרות בית נ

ת כל גוים, שבחוהו כל האמים. כי גבר עלינו חסדו, ’ההללו את אמ לעולם, הללויה: ’הו

כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו. ’ההודו ל

86 The Small and the Great Together

By Nathaniel Haar

In הלל we say הקטנים עם הגדולים, which means “the small together with the great” will be

blessed by Hashem. What does this really mean? The Iyun Tefilla explains that the “small” refers

to the children and the “great” refers to the parents. Even though children are taught to trust in

Hashem, they usually trust their parents, thinking that their parents are so powerful. The parents

know, however, that they are dependent on Hashem.

(From the Medrash Haggadah)

80

לעולם חסדו.יאמר נא ישראל כי יאמרו נא בית אהרן כי לעולם חסדו.

כי לעולם חסדו. ’היאמרו נא יראי

רחב יה. ה לי ’המן המצר קראתי יה, ענני במ לי לא אירא, מה יעשה בשנ ’האדם. רא מבטח ’האי. טוב לחסות ב לי בעזרי ואני א

’המבטח בנדיבים. כל גוים סבבוני, בשם ’הבאדם. טוב לחסות ב כי אמילם. סבוני כדברים, ’הכי אמילם. סבוני גם סבבוני, בשם

’האמילם. דחה דחיתני לנפל, ו כי ’הדעכו כאש קוצים, בשם עזרני. עזי וזמרת יה ויהי לי לישועה. קול רנה וישועה באהלי

ה חיל. ימין ’הצדיקים, ימין ה חיל. לא ’הרוממה, ימין ’העש עשחיה, ואספר מ ת לא נתנני. אמות כי א עשי יה. יסר יסרני יה, ולמו

ה השער ל ה יה. ז ק, אבא בם, אוד ד , צדיקים ’הפתחו לי שערי ציבאו בו. אודך כי עניתני ותהי לי לישועה. אודך כי עניתני ותהי לי

ן מאסו הבונים לישוע ב ן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה. א ב ה. א ’ההיתה זאת היא נפלאת בעינינו. מאת ’ההיתה לראש פנה. מאת

ה היום עשה נגילה ונשמחה ’ההיתה זאת היא נפלאת בעינינו. ז נגילה ונשמחה בו. ’הה היום עשה בו. ז

, הושיעה נא.’האנא , הושיעה נא.’האנא , הצליחה נא.’האנא , הצליחה נא. ’האנא

ם מבית ’הברוך הבא בשם , ’ה. ברוך הבא בשם ’ה, ברכנוכם מבית ר לנו. אסרו חג בעבתים עד קרנות ’ה. אל ’הברכנוכ ויא

ר לנו. אסרו חג בעבתים עד קרנות המזבח. אלי ’ההמזבח. אל ויאך. אלי ך, אלהי ארוממ ך. הודו אתה ואוד ך, אלהי ארוממ אתה ואוד

כי טוב, כי לעולם חסדו. ’הכי טוב, כי לעולם חסדו. הודו ל ’הל

81

יך צדיקים עושי רצונך, וכל אלקינויהללוך יי יך, וחסיד כל מעש

נה יודו ויברכו, וישבחו ויפארו, וירוממו עמך בית ישראל בר ת שמך, מלכנו. כי לך טוב להודות ויעריצו, ויקדישו וימליכו א

ולשמך נאה לזמר, כי מעולם ועד עולם אתה אל.

עולם חסדו כי ל -הודו לאדני האדנים כי לעולם חסדו -לעשה נפלאות גדלות לבדו

כי לעולם חסדו -לעשה השמים בתבונה ץ על המים כי לעולם חסדו -לרוקע האר

כי לעולם חסדו -לעשה אורים גדלים מ ת הש לת ביום א מש כי לעולם חסדו -ש למ

משלות בלילה ת הירח וכוכבים למ כי לעולם חסדו -אם כי לעולם חסדו -למכה מצרים בבכוריה

כי לעולם חסדו -ויוצא ישראל מתוכם כי לעולם חסדו -בזרוע נטויה ביד חזקה ו

כי לעולם חסדו -לגזר ים סוף לגזרים עביר ישראל בתוכו כי לעולם חסדו -וה

כי לעולם חסדו -ונער פרעה וחילו בים סוף לעולם חסדו כי -למוליך עמו במדבר

כי לעולם חסדו -למכה מלכים גדלים כי לעולם חסדו -ויהרג מלכים אדירים

ך האמרי ל כי לעולם חסדו -לסיחון מך הבשן ל כי לעולם חסדו -ולעוג מ

כי לעולם חסדו -ונתן ארצם לנחלה כי לעולם חסדו -נחלה לישראל עבדו

בשפלנו זכר לנו כי לעולם חסדו -ש כי לעולם חסדו -ויפרקנו מצרינו

82

ם לכל בשר כי לעולם חסדו -נתן לח כי לעולם חסדו: -השמים הודו לאל

ת שמך, , ורוח כל בשר תפאר אלקינו ’הנשמת כל חי תברך אותרומם זכרך, מלכנו, תמיד. מן העולם ועד העולם אתה אל,

ך גואל ומושי ל יך אין לנו מ ה ומציל ומפרנס ועונה ומבלעד ע, פודלא אתה. ך עוזר וסומך א ל ומרחם בכל עת צרה וצוקה. אין לנו מ

אלהי הראשונים והאחרונים, אלה כל בריות, אדון כל תולדות, ד ובריותיו ברחמים. המהלל ברב התשבחות, המ ס נהג עולמו בח

ער הנה לא ינום ולא יישן המעורר ישנים והמקיץ נרדמים, ’הו והמשיח אלמים והמתיר אסורים והסומך נופלים והזוקף כפופים

עלמ ים. ולך לבדך אנחנו מודים.והמפענח נואלו פינו מלא שירה כים, ולשוננו רנה כהמון גליו, ושפתותינו

ש וכירח, וידינו פרושות מ רחבי רקיע, ועינינו מאירות כש בח כמ שורגלינו קלות כאילות אין אנחנו מספיקים להודות כנשרי שמים,

ת שמך מלכנו על אחת, אלקינו ’הלך, ואלהי אבותינו, ולברך, אמאלף, אלפי אלפים ורבי רבבות פעמים, הטובות נוסח ספרד:

עשית עם אבותינו ועמנו. נוסח ספרד: מלפנים נסים ונפלאו ת ש, ומבית עבדים פדיתנו, ברעב זנתנו אלקינו ’הממצרים גאלתנו,

ר מלטתנו, ומחלים רעים ב ב הצלתנו ומד ר ובשבע כלכלתנו, מחיך, ו יך ולא עזבונו חסד רבים ונאמנים דליתנו. עד הנה עזרונו רחמ

פלגת בנו ורוח אלקינו ’הואל תטשנו, , לנצח. על כן אברים שר שמת בפ נפחת באפינו ולשון אש ינו הן הם יודו ויברכו ונשמה ש

ת שמך וישבחו ויפארו וישוררו וירוממו ויעריצו ויקדישו וימליכו אך לך ר ה, וכל לשון לך תשבע וכל ב ה לך יוד מלכנו תמיד. כי כל פ

ב תכרע, וכל קומה לפנ ר ה, וכל לבבות ייראוך, וכל ק יך תשתחוכתוב, כל עצמתי תאמרנה: ך, כדבר ש , מי ’הוכליות יזמרו לשמ

ה לך ומי ביון מגזלו. מי ידמ נו ועני וא כמוך מציל עני מחזק ממ

83

ה לך ליון, קנה ישו ומי יערך לך האל הגדול, הגבור והנורא, אל עך, כאמור: ת שם קדש רך ונברך א לך ונשבחך ונפא ץ. נהל שמים ואר

ת ת שם קדשו. ’הלדוד, ברכי נפשי א וכל קרבי א

ך, הגבור לנצח והנורא האל ב ך, הגדול בכבוד שמ תעצמות עזלך היושב על כסא רם ונשא. יך, המ בנוראות

שוכן עד מרום וקדוש שמו. וכתוב: רננו צדיקים ביהוה, לישרים ובלשון ובדברי צדיקים תתברך תתהלל פי ישריםנאוה תהלה.ב

ב קדושים חסידים ר תתקדש.תתרומם ובק

ובמקהלות רבבות עמך בית ישראל ברנה יתפאר שמך, מלכנו, בכל כן חובת ואלהי אלקינו ’הכל היצורים לפניך, דור ודור, ש

אבותינו, להודות להלל לשבח, לפאר לרומם להדר לברך, לעלה ך. ן ישי עבדך, משיח ולקלס על כל דברי שירות ותשבחות דוד ב

ך הגדול והקדוש בשמים ישתבח שמך ל לעד מלכנו, האל המה, ץ, כי לך נא ואלהי אבותינו, שיר ושבחה, הלל אלקינו ’הובאר

ת, קדשה ר משלה, נצח, גדלה וגבורה, תהלה ותפא וזמרה, עז ומלך ’הברוך אתה ת, ברכות והודאות מעתה ועד עולםומלכו , אל מ

גדול בתשבחות, אל ההודאות, אדון הנפלאות, הבוחר בשירי ך אל חי העולמים. ל זמרה, מ

ך העולם בורא פ אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ל ן.מ רי הגפ

מאל בת ש שותה בהס

ן, על אלקינו ’הברוך אתה פ ן ועל פרי הג פ ך העולם, על הג ל מרצית והנחלת מדה טובה ורחבה ש ץ ח ר ה ועל א תנובת השד

ם נא ד' אלקינו על אכל מפריה ולשבע מטובה רח לאבותינו ל

84

ך ועל ירו ך ישראל עמ ך ועל מזבח ך ועל ציון משכן כבוד שלים עירש במהרה בימינו והעלנו לתוכה ך ובנה ירושלים עיר הקד ועל היכל

י כך על ה בקדשה ושמחנו בבנינה ונאכל מפריה ונשבע מטובה ונברה( ושמחנו ביום ובטהרה )בשבת: ורצה והחליצנו ביום השבת הז

ץ ועל ה לך על האר ה, כי אתה ד' טוב ומטיב לכל ונוד חג המצות הזץ ועל ן. ברוך אתה ד' על האר ןפרי הגפ .פרי הגפ

ה צ 87נר

סח כהלכתו, ככל משפטו וחקתו. חסל סדור פה לעשותו. ר זכינו לסדר אותו כן נזכ כאש זך שוכן מעונה, קומם קהל עדת מי מנה.

ברנה.בקרוב נהל נטעי כנה פדוים לציון

לשנה הבאה בירושלים.

87 Nirtzah: The Choice is Ours

By Matthew Plotsker

Nirtzah conveys hope that our celebration of the Seder and our observance of its mitzvot

have been accepted by Hashem. On the one hand, we hopefully elevated ourselves to a higher

level because it is like we lived through the experience of Mitzrayim again. On the other hand,

we are right back where we were before in galut. How can we celebrate leaving Mitzrayim at the

end of the Seder if we are about to resume our normal lives in galut? We are told you need to

learn Torah if you want to be a free man. We learn this because the gematriah of Nirtzah is also

the same as the gematriah of Moshe. Throughout the history of the Jews, during exile, torment

and torture, Torah has always been there for us. There is a story of two girls during the War of

Independence in 1948. They hid in an alley with their family and their dad told them to always

follow the path of Torah no matter what. You always have to follow Torah. They promised their

father that they would choose the path of Torah. Just as the two girls promised to always choose

the path of Torah, we have to choose the path of Torah. Nirtzah is here and Hashem is willing to

forgive us now. We need to make a choice. Do we choose to follow Torah now? Do we choose

to be free? The choice is ours at the beginning of Nirtzah.

(From Touched by the Seder)

85

פירת פר כאן ס ליל שני של פסח לס חוץ לארץ ב יש נוהגין בעמר: ה

ר קדשנו במצוותיו וצונו על אלקינו ’הברוך אתה ך העולם, אש ל מר. ספירת העמ

ר. חד בעמ היום יום א

רים: ליל ראשון אומ ב

88ובכן ויהי בחצי הלילה אז רוב נסים הפלאת בלילה,

ה הלילה, ת ז בראש אשמורק נצחתו כנחלק לו לילה, ד גר צ

ויהי בחצי הלילה.ך גרר בחלום הלילה,דנת מ ל

ש לילה, מ הפחדת ארמי בא וישר ישראל למלאך ויוכל לו לילה,

ויהי בחצי הלילה.רע בכורי פתרוס מחצת בחצי הלילה, ז

חילם לא מצאו בקומם בלילה, 88 It Happened At Midnight

By Jacob Colchamiro

The Haggadah says that the Jews were allowed to leave Egypt at midnight. This is the

first time that midnight assumes significance in the Torah. Why is it here? Rabbi Hutner zt”l

explains that midnight and midday assume special significance in that they are beginnings of a

different part of the day. At midnight the day begins, and at midday the night begins. The night

was not a fitting time for the Jews to be freed, since during the night Hashem sits in strict

judgment over the world. However, once the day begins, which begins at midnight, Hashem no

longer judges the world. This is why midnight was a fitting time for the Jews to be freed from

Egypt.

(From the Shirat Yehudah Haggadah)

86

ת סלית בכוכבי לילה,ט יסת נגיד חרש ויהי בחצי הלילה.

יעץ מחרף לנופף אווי הובשת פגריו בלילה, כרע בל ומצבו באישון לילה,

לאיש חמודות נגלה רז חזות לילה, לה.ויהי בחצי הלי

ש נהרג בו בלילה, משתכר בכלי קד נושע מבור אריות פותר בעתותי לילה,

שנאה נטר אגגי וכתב ספרים בלילה, ויהי בחצי הלילה.

ד שנת לילה, עוררת נצחך עליו בנד תדרוך לשומר מה מלילה,פורה

ר וגם לילה, צרח כשומר ושח אתא בק ויהי בחצי הלילה.

ר הוא לא יום ולא לילה, קרב יום אש רם הודע כי לך היום אף לך הלילה,

כל הלילה,שומרים הפקד לעירך כל היום ו שכת לילה, תאיר כאור יום ח

ויהי בחצי הלילה.

רים: ליל שני אומ ב

סחובכן ואמ בח פ ם ז רת

סח, גלית סח, בראש כל מועדות נשאת פ יך הפלאת בפ ץ גבורות אמזרחי חצות סח.לא בח פ ם ז סח, ואמרת ליל פ

סח, סח, הסעיד נוצצים עגות מצות בפ דלתיו דפקת כחם היום בפסח. בח פ ם ז סח, ואמרת ך פ ר לשור ער ואל הבקר רץ זכ

87

סח, ח ם ומצות אפה בקץ זועמו סדומים ולוהטו באש בפ לץ לוט מהסח. בח פ ם ז סח, ואמרת סח, טאטאת אדמת מף ונף בעברך בפ פ

סח, כביר, על בן בכור פסחת יה ראש כל און מחצת בליל שמור פסח, לבלתי תת משח בח בדם פ ם ז סח, ואמרת ית לבא בפתחי בפ

סח. פ

סח, ר פ סח, נשמדה מדין בצליל שעורי עמ ת סגרה בעתותי פ ר מסגסח. בח פ ם ז סח, ואמרת שורפו משמני פול ולוד ביקד יקוד פ

סח, פס יד כתבה לקעקע צול עוד היום בנב ל עמוד עד געה עונת פסח. בח פ ם ז סח, ואמרת רוך השלחן בפ סח, צפה הצפית ע בפ

סח, ראש מבית רשע מחצת בעץ קהל כנסה הדסה לשלש צום בפסח, תעז ידך ותרום חמשים ב גע תביא לעוצית בפ סח, שתי אלה ר פ

סח. בח פ ם ז סח, ואמרת ימינך כליל התקדש חג פ

ר מלוכה[. ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא כי לו נאאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך, אדיר במלוכה, בחור כהלכה, גדודיו י

ר מלוכה[. ’הלך אף לך, לך ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא הממלכה, כי לו נאדגול במלוכה, הדור כהלכה, ותיקיו יאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך,

ר מלוכה[.הממלכ ’הלך אף לך, לך ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא ה, כי לו נאזכאי במלוכה, חסין כהלכה טפסריו יאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך,

ר מלוכה[. ’הלך אף לך, לך ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא הממלכה, כי לו נאביר כהלכה למודיו יאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך, יחיד במלוכה, כ

ר מלוכה[. ’הלך אף לך, לך ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא הממלכה, כי לו נאמושל במלוכה, נורא כהלכה סביביו יאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך,

ר מלוכה[. ’הלך אף לך, לך ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא הממלכה, כי לו נאה כהלכה, צדיקיו יאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך, עניו במלוכה, פוד

88

ר מלוכה[. ’הלך אף לך, לך ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא הממלכה, כי לו נאקדוש במלוכה, רחום כהלכה שנאניו יאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך,

ה, כי ’הלך אף לך, לך ר מלוכה[. הממלכה, כי לו נא ת ה ]כ לו יאתקיף במלוכה, תומך כהלכה תמימיו יאמרו לו: לך ולך, לך כי לך,

ר מלוכה[. ’הלך אף לך, לך ת ה ]כ ה, כי לו יא הממלכה, כי לו נא

אדיר הוא יבנה ביתו בקרוב.במהרה, במהרה, בימינו בקרוב. אל בנה, אל בנה, בנה ביתך

בקרוב.בחור הוא, גדול הוא, דגול הוא יבנה ביתו בקרוב. במהרה,

קרוב.במהרה, בימינו בקרוב. אל בנה, אל בנה, בנה ביתך ב הדור הוא, ותיק הוא, זכאי הוא, חסיד הוא יבנה ביתו בקרוב.

במהרה, במהרה, בימינו בקרוב. אל בנה, אל בנה, בנה ביתך בקרוב.

ך הוא יבנ ל ה ביתו טהור הוא, יחיד הוא, כביר הוא, למוד הוא, מבקרוב. במהרה, במהרה, בימינו בקרוב. אל בנה, אל בנה, בנה

ביתך בקרוב.ה הוא, צדיק הוא יבנה ביתו נורא הוא, סגיב הוא, עזוז הוא, פוד

וב. אל בנה, אל בנה, בנה בקרוב. במהרה, במהרה, בימינו בקר ביתך בקרוב.

, רחום הוא, שדי הוא, תקיף הוא יבנה ביתו בקרוב. 89קדוש הוא

89 The Holy One

By AJ Keiser

In “Adir Hu” the Haggada lists many different descriptions of Hashem. One of these

descriptions is “Kadosh Hu,” He is Holy. Chazal chose to call Hashem “HaKadosh Baruch Hu,”

choosing holiness as the best description of G-d. Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler asks, why is “The Holy

One” chosen from all the other descriptions of Hashem? He answers that Chazal contrast the

working of Hashem to the neshama of a person. The soul of a person is influenced by the body

and actions of the person. Hashem, however, is not influenced by the world at all because he is

holy and independent. All the other names of Hashem imply that in some way Hashem is

89

במהרה, במהרה, בימינו בקרוב. אל בנה, אל בנה, בנה ביתך בקרוב.

חד מי יודע, חד אני יודע א . 90אחד ץ: אלקינוא בשמים ובאר ש

שנים מי יודע, שנים אני יודע.חד ץ: אלקינושני לחות הברית. א בשמים ובאר ש

שלשה מי יודע, שלשה אני יודע.חד שלשה אבות, שני לחו ץ: אלקינות הברית, א בשמים ובאר ש

ארבע מי יודע, ארבע אני יודע.חד אלקינוארבע אמהות, שלשה אבות, שני לחות הברית, א

ץ: בשמים ובאר ש חמשה מי יודע, חמשה אני יודע.

משה חומשי תורה, ארבע אמהות, שלשה אבות, שני לחות ח חד ץ:ש אלקינוהברית, א בשמים ובאר

ה אני יודע.ה מי יודע, שש שש

perceived by human understanding “The Holy One” is the only name that shows Hashem’s

separation from the world.

(From Haggadat Gedolei Tenuat HaMussar) 90 Echad Mi Yodea: What is it all about?

By Danny Lundner

Echad Mi Yodea is a song where each verse is repeated on top of the previous verses.

There are thirteen verses altogether. Even though it seems like this song is a “children’s” song,

the song has a lot of meaning and an important message. At the seder table we need to remember

the physical freedom (that Hashem physically took us out of Mitzrayim) and the spiritual

freedom (the freedom that Bnei Yisrael had once they were not slaves anymore.) Echad Mi

Yodea is a song about the spiritual freedom. As we sing the song we are remembering all the

things that Hashem gave us and did for us, the Jewish people. Hashem gave us the aseret

hadibrot, the books of the Mishna, the books of the Torah, the Avot, the Imahot etc. We are

reminded that Hashem gave us all of these things and that everything we do should be related

back to Hashem. The reason why we say Echad Mi Yodea at the seder is to strengthen our belief

in the OralTorah. We need to remember that “One is (Our) Hashem, in the heavens and on

Earth”.

90

ששה סדרי משנה, חמשה חומשי תורה, ארבע אמהות, שלשהחד ץ: אלקינואבות, שני לחות הברית, א בשמים ובאר ש

שבעה מי יודע, שבעה אני יודע., ששה סדרי משנה, חמשה חומשי תורה, ארבע 91שבעה ימי שבתא

חד אמהות, שלשה אבות, שני לחות ה בשמים אלקינוברית, א שץ: ובאר

שמונה מי יודע, שמונה אני יודע., שבעה ימי שבתא, ששה סדרי משנה, חמשה 92שמונה ימי מילה

חד חומשי תורה, ארבע אמהות, שלשה אבות, שני לחות הברית, א 91 When All Your Work is Done

By David Wolkoff

“Seven are the days of the week”- six days lead up to the seventh which is Shabbat. In

Parshat Berashit it says, "Vayishbot BaYom HaShvi'i"- Hashem rested from His work on the

seventh day because everything was complete. There was absolutely nothing left to do. Rav

Eliyahu Dessler writes in the Michtav MeiEliyahu that we also must celebrate Shabboat this

way. As it says in Parashat Yitro, “V'Asita Kol Milachtecha"- during the six work days you will

do all your work. Rashi says that on Shabbat we should feel that we have completed all of our

work.

What if we are in the middle of a big business transaction that we know we will need to

complete next week? Compared to Shabbat, any other matter is not important. The whole week

is just preparation for Shabbat. We have no reason to think about next week’s transaction.

Our whole week is only preparation for Shabbat. We work, eat, sleep, and better

ourselves all week just to get ourselves ready for the next Shabbat. Even if you are in the middle

of a huge deal, Shabbat is here now. 92 Avraham’s Treaty

By Gidi Fox

When Hashem commanded Avraham to give himself a brit he went to his friend, Mamre,

for his opinion. He said that Hashem was the one that saved you from the enemies and from

famine so why are you questioning him. There is a question about this. Why would Avraham ask

someone for advice if Hashem told him to and he never asked questions about Hashem’s

commandments?

Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergmen explains that all of the prophets got visions, but they seemed

confusing. This command was like that, so he went to Mamre to help understand it. Avraham

thought that Bnei Israel would think he was crazy for risking his life just to make himself

different. Mamre told him don’t make any calculations; just do it.

(From The Commentators Seder by Rabbi Yaakov Sender)

91

ץ: אלקינו בשמים ובאר ש תשעה מי יודע, תשעה אני יודע.

ה, שמונה ימי מילה, שבעה ימי שבתא, ששה סדרי תשעה ירחי לד משנה, חמשה חומשי תורה, ארבע אמהות, שלשה אבות, שני

חד ץ: אלקינולחות הברית, א בשמים ובאר ש .עשרה מי יודע, עשרה אני יודע

, תשעה ירחי לדה, שמונה ימי מילה, שבעה ימי 93עשרה דבריאשבתא, ששה סדרי משנה, חמשה חומשי תורה, ארבע אמהות,

חד בשמים ובאר אלקינושלשה אבות, שני לחות הברית, א ץ:ש אחד עשר מי יודע, אחד עשר אני יודע.

אחד עשר כוכביא, עשרה דבריא, תשעה ירחי לדה, שמונה ימי מילה, שבעה ימי שבתא, ששה סדרי משנה, חמשה חומשי תורה,

חד ארבע אמהות, ש אלקינולשה אבות, שני לחות הברית, אץ: בשמים ובאר ש

שנים עשר מי יודע, שנים עשר אני יודע.שנים עשר שבטיא, אחד עשר כוכביא, עשרה דבריא, תשעה ירחי

מילה, שבעה ימי שבתא, ששה סדרי משנה, לדה, שמונה ימיחמשה חומשי תורה, ארבע אמהות, שלשה אבות, שני לחות

93 The Ten Commandments

By Ezra Strook

One of the Ten Commandments is, "Honor your father and mother so that your days will

be lengthened and so that it will be good for you." There is a story from the Chazon Ish

Haggadah about a man who was suddenly diagnosed with a life threatening disease. He wanted a

blessing from a great tzaddik but had no money to go on a journey to visit the Chazon Ish. He

tried and tried to make money and he finally came up with the money and went. The Chazon Ish

asked one question- “are your parents in poverty?” The man answered yes. The Chazon Ish

responded that the man’s actions didn’t make sense. He said, “If you don't have a lot of money

why would you pay so much money to come visit me when I may or may not be able to help

you? The Torah says honor your father and mother and guarantees that your days will lengthen.

Why did you travel so far? Go home and then honor your parents.” He went home and devoted

all of his time to honoring his parents and the illness went away. He lived to a ripe old age.

(From the Chazon Ish Haggadah)

92

חד ץ: אלקינוהברית, א בשמים ובאר ש שלשה עשר מי יודע, שלשה עשר אני יודע.

לשה עשר מדיא. שנים עשר שבטיא, אחד עשר כוכביא, עשרה ש דבריא, תשעה ירחי לדה, שמונה ימי מילה, שבעה ימי שבתא, ששה סדרי משנה, חמשה חומשי תורה, ארבע אמהות, שלשה

חד ץ: אלקינואבות, שני לחות הברית, א בשמים ובאר ש

94חד גדיא, חד גדיא י, חד גדיא, חד גדיא.דזבין אבא בתרי זוז

94 Song or Lesson

By Eitan Maron

Many people think that Chad Gad Yah is just a song that shows the justice of G-d. This

is only the tip of the iceberg regarding the meaning of this song. According to the הגדה של פסח,

written by Rabbi Joseph Elias, there are many more hidden meanings to this song. One hidden

meaning is that the kid is the Jewish nation, the two zuzim are Moshe and Aharon, and the father

is G-d. Therefore this song could show how G-d uses Moshe and Aharon to bring the

redemption from Egypt. Another meaning could be that the song shows how we come from G-d,

and that eventually we return to G-d. This is seen as G-d being the father, parents being the two

zuzim, and as the kid being a child. A third idea that we can take away from the song is that G-d

is all mighty and powerful, and that all idols are completely powerless and useless. Even if it

does not seem like it, we can find a lot of hidden meaning, in things that seem to have none.

(From הגדה של פסח by Rabbi Joseph Elias)

Why Do We Say חד גדיא?

By Megan Glajchen

One question that comes to mind while singing Chad Gadya is, why do we sing this

song at the Pesach seder? Chad Gadya is typically the last song of the seder. It is a song about

different creatures overpowering one another and in the end Hashem overpowers them all. But

what does this have to do with Pesach?

The Gedolei Yisroel Haggadah says that Chad Gadya represents the Jews in exile and

Hashem saving us in the end. The Pesach Haggadah takes a slightly different approach. The

Pesach Haggadah says that Chad Gadya represents Jewish history and the Jewish future as a

whole, from the days of Yaakov until the time that Hashem's promise of peace is fulfilled.

Chad Gadya is a song that teaches how Hashem will save us from galut, even if we don't think

that He will.

(From The Gedolei Yisroel Haggadah and The Pesach Haggadah)

93

חד גדיא

By Jesse Langer

Many people probably think that the song גדיא חד is just a song sang at the end of the סדר

for fun. It actually represents how the Jews were tortured and oppressed by other nations but

eventually those other nations will be punished and wiped out. Eventually the Angel of Death

will go away and the world will be good. The baby goat represents ישראל בני and all of the other

things in the song represent the other nations. This song shows that ultimately Hashem will

defeat all of our enemies, including the Angel of Death, and the Jews will be free.

Chad Gadya, Avraham and Nimrod

By Seth Goldman

The Medrash (Bereshit Rabba 38) tells us the following incident. Terach, the father of our

forefather Avraham, used to make and sell idols. One day, Terach asked Avraham to mind the

store while he was out. A man came into the store and told Avraham that he wished to worship

an idol. Avraham asked him how old he was. When the man mentioned that he was around 50 or

60 years old, Avraham commented, "Oh my - here you are so many years old and you want to

worship an idol that is but a day old!" The man left the store ashamed. On another occasion, a

woman came into the store with a large flour-offering that she wanted to leave for the idols.

After she left, Avraham picked up a stick, smashed all of the idols in the store except for the

largest one, and placed the stick in the hands of this idol. Terach returned to the store to find all

of his wares destroyed. He asked Avraham, “who caused all the damage?” Avraham explained

that a woman brought an offering into the store, and each idol wanted to be the first to partake of

the offering. The largest idol, however, took a stick and smashed all of the other idols so that he

would be the one to eat the offering. Terach was upset with this response. "How can you be so

cruel to me? Do you think the idols can really talk, move or understand?" Avraham responded,

"Don't you hear what you are saying about these idols!" Terach, who was not happy with this

disobedience, took Avraham to the great King Nimrod. Nimrod said to Avraham, "If you will not

worship these idols, then you should worship fire." Avraham responded that, if anything, he

should worship water, as water extinguishes fire. Nimrod then told Avraham to worship water.

Avraham responded that as clouds are really water that has been drawn into the heavens, he

should worship clouds. Nimrod told Avraham to worship clouds. Avraham replied that being that

the air has power to move clouds via the wind, he should worship the air. Nimrod then instructed

Avraham to worship the air. Avraham pointed out that as man has the ability to retain air,

although he is full of holes, man should be the object of worship. At this point, Nimrod was no

longer amused by all of the responses. He told Avraham, "You are speaking empty and

meaningless words. I worship only fire, and I will therefore cast you into fire, and let the G-d

who you worship save you." Avraham was cast into fire and was miraculously saved by Hashem.

According to the Maharal, the songs we sing at the end of the Seder are part of Hallel -

our praises of G-d. On the Seder night, we recall how in Egypt, the Jews were spared from the

tenth plague, Makat Bechorot, the death of the first born, which occurred on the night that the

Jews were eating the special offering that they had been commanded to bring. This offering was

to be either a lamb or a kid which the Egyptians worshipped. Yet, the Egyptians did not harm the

Jews for doing this heretical act. The Jews were saved from this threat, and they were saved from

94

חדואתא שונרא ואכלה לגדיא, דזבין אבא בתרי זוזי, חד גדיא, גדיא.

ואתא כלבא ונשך לשונרא, דאכלה לגדיא, דזבין אבא בתרי זוזי, חד גדיא, חד גדיא.

ואתא חוטרא והכה לכלבא, דנשך לשונרא, דאכלה לגדיא, דזבין , חד גדיא, חד גדיא.יאבא בתרי זוז

ואתא נורא ושרף לחוטרא, דהכה לכלבא, דנשך לשונרא, דאכלה לגדיא, דזבין אבא בתרי זוזי, חד גדיא, חד גדיא.

כה לכלבא, דנשך ואתא מיא וכבה לנורא, דשרף לחוטרא, דה לשונרא, דאכלה לגדיא, דזבין אבא בתרי זוזי, חד גדיא, חד גדיא.

ואתא תורא ושתה למיא, דכבה לנורא, דשרף לחוטרא, דהכה לגדיא, דזבין אבא בתרי זוזי, חד לכלבא, דנשך לשונרא, דאכלה

גדיא, חד גדיא.ואתא השוחט ושחט לתורא, דשתה למיא, דכבה לנורא, דשרף

א לחוטרא, דהכה לכלבא, דנשך לשונרא, דאכלה לגדיא, דזבין אב בתרי זוזי, חד גדיא, חד גדיא.

ת ושחט לשוחט, דשחט לתורא, דשתה למיא, ואתא מלאך המודכבה לנורא, דשרף לחוטרא, דהכה לכלבא, דנשך לשונרא, דאכלה

בא בתרי זוזי, חד גדיא, חד גדיא.לגדיא, דזבין א

the final plague. The Torah (Sh'mot 12:42) tells us that this night was a night of "protection for

all the children of Israel for their generations." On this night of protection, we conclude our

Seder with a dialogue similar to that which Avraham had with Nimrod. We start with the little

kid, the object of worship of Egypt. But a cat can eat a kid, and a dog can bite a cat, and a stick

can smite a dog, etc. Each of these items which people have worshipped has a superior. The

conclusion of the song and the conclusion of the Seder as well, is a conclusion that we all know

and that we sing with great thanks. G-d is supreme, and He is the One that is our protector!

(From Torah.org)

95

ת, דשחט לשוחט, ואתא הקדוש ברוך הוא ושחט למלאך המודשחט לתורא, דשתה למיא, דכבה לנורא, דשרף לחוטרא, דהכה

רא, דאכלה לגדיא, דזבין אבא בתרי זוזי, חד לכלבא, דנשך לשונ גדיא, חד גדיא.

חג כשר ושמח!

לשנה הבאה בירושלים הבנויה!