“Kulanu mesubin”Still on Pesach themen  Focus on Mah Nishtanah – 4 questions – or rather, the one question and 4 answers.n  Earliest recorded versions: Talmud Yerushalmi- three questions: why 2 foods are dipped, why matza, and why meat is eaten exclusively roasted rather than roasted, stewed or boiled (a ref to the korban pesach).n  Talmud Bavli – matza, marror, why 2 foods are dipped and again, why roasted meat.n   Roasted meat q’ was dropped after the Temple was destroyed as no...

The Seder night when the ceiling collapsed….We were having seder night at Auntie Kit's (136 Hendon Way) circa 1974…and in the usual Cohen tradition, the men were at one end of the table, the women at the other. (No one will admit it but this was because the women liked to natter, rather than follow the seder service.)Melissa, then about 3, was sitting next to me. As the seder service progressed and the usual discussions ensued as to when you lift...

We now begin the main part of the Seder, which is to tell the story, and fulfil the obligation stated in the Gemara, to recite the passage of “Arami oved avi”, and then expound upon it.Thus, we read the text, and then go through it line by line, offering explanations, proof-texts, and sometimes both. The explanations – the “midrash” – were probably not written specially for the Haggadah, but were put together from well-known interpretations. (Just like today, even in antiquity...

יָכוֹל מֵרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בַּיוֹם הַהוּא, אִי בַּיוֹם הַהוּא יָכוֹל מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בַּעֲבוּר זֶה - בַּעֲבוּר זֶה לֹא אָמַרְתִּי אֶלָא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיֵשׁ מַצָה וּמָרוֹר מֻנָּחִים לְפָנֶיךָ.This tells us when we can  tell the story of the Exodus 

“Arami oved Avi” is one of the hardest phrases in the Torah to translate as the words are obscure and the grammar is opaque. Who is the Aramean? What does “oved” mean and who does it refer to? And who is “avi” – which forefather does this refer to?One plausible explanation, which fits in with the original text, is that Jacob, our father, was a wandering Aramean, who migrated to Egypt (Seforno). Another is that he was a “poor” Aramean (Ibn...

Starting with ‘Mitchilah’, the next few paragraphs form a logical sequence.In 'Mitchilah,' we are told the purpose of the Exodus: to change us from idol-worshippers into G-d worshippers.The Hagaddah brings a proof-text from the Book of Joshua, in which Joshua reiterates that the people's ancestors worshipped other gods. That we are meant to turn into followers of G-d is clear from the contuation of his speech, which is not quoted in the Haggadah. Joshua challenges the people to foresake their ancestors'...

The Haggadah's instruction to "blunt the teeth" of the Wicked child has often been interpreted as recommending some form of violence.The simple reading, however, suggests nothing of the kind. To blunt someone's teeth is to take away their bite; to neutralize them. The Wicked son must be immediately dealt a (metaphorical) knock-out blow, to take away the power of their argument.In the Tanach, though, there are two references to "blunting teeth", in Jeremiah 31:28-9 and Ezekiel 18:2. Both cases concern the...

מִתְּחִלָּה עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, וְעַכְשָׁיו קֵרְבָנוּ הַמָּקוֹם לַעֲבֹדָתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹאמֶר יְהוֹשֻעַ אֶל כָּל הָעָם, כֹּה אָמַר יי אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל : בְּעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר יָשְׁבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מֵעוֹלָם, תֶּרַח אֲבִי אַבְרָהָם וַאֲבִי נָחוֹר, וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים. וָאֶקַח אֶת אֲבִיכֶם אֶת אַבְרָהָם מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וָאוֹלֵךְ אוֹתוֹ בְּכָל אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן, וָאַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעוֹ וָאֶתֵּן לוֹ אֶת יִצְחָק, וָאֶתֵּן לְיִצְחָק אֶת יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת עֵשָׂיו. וָאֶתֵּן לְעֵשָׂו אֶת הַר שֵּׂעִיר לָרֶשֶׁת אֹתוֹ, וְיַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו יָרְדוּ מִצְרָיִם. בָּרוּךְ שׁוֹמֵר הַבְטָחָתוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּרוּךְ הוּא. שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חִשַּׁב...

In most modern Haggadot, the phrase “Tze Ulmad” – “Go and learn” - opens a new section of the Haggadah, one in which we finally get to hear the story of the Exodus. In fact, though, the phrase comes to connect this paragraph to the previous one, “Vehi Sheamda”, in which we tell ourselves that in every generation “they” rise against us to destroy us.“Tze Ulmad” - Go and learn, as an example, what Laban the Aramean tried to do to...

Unlike the previous paragraph about the five rabbis who were gathered at Bnei Brak, which appears nowhere other than the Haggadah, the story about Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarya comes from the Mishnah (Brachot 1:10). Although both stories concern Rabbi Elazar, they are completely seperate and did not occur on the same night.Indeed, the discussion recorded in this Mishnah about whether the story of the Exodus can be told at night doesn't even have anything to do with Pesach – as it...

The section called 'Maggid' forms the bulk of the Haggadah. Literally, it means 'The telling of the story' of the Exodus. But strangely, there is actually no real narrative here, until at least half way through, when we get to 'Arami oved Avi' – 'My father was a fugitive Aramean'. Most of the content of 'Maggid' seems to be a collection of different verses, expositions and ideas concerning the telling of the story. The story itself is just a tiny part...

The text of the Four Sons is perhaps one of the best-known Jewish writings, and countless generations have puzzled over why the “wise” son must be told the laws of Passover, and whether the father's aggressive reaction to his “wicked” son is appropriate.But like almost every text in the Haggadah, this one too has gone through extensive editing. In fact, there are two other versions, in the Yerushalmi Talmud and the Mechilta (a 3rd century exegesis of the book of Exodus)....

In the introduction to this section, I showed that there is a proper structure to 'Maggid', with the Haggadah explaining why we tell the story of the Exodus, who has to tell it, what exactly we have to say, how we tell it and when, before getting to the story itself.But it is important to remember that the text of the Haggadah was not, until relatively recently, static. The text as we know it was not finalized until around the 15th...

Why did Rabbi Yehudah create an acronym for the Ten Plagues?It was a mnemonic device. In an age when most people could not read or write, and when there were few books circulating, people needed to invent ways to remember facts and texts such as the order of the Ten Plagues.

Why is Mah Nishtanah recited by the children?No, not in order to arouse their curiosity. The origin of the practice is probably.... a mistake.In many early versions of the Haggadah, it is clear that the father asked Mah Nishtanah, including in the writings of Maimonides and in Mahzor Vitry, written by a student of Rashi's in 11th century France. There is also some evidence from the Talmud itself. In Psachim 10:4, the mishnah explains that after the second cup, the son...

Why do you have to check for Chametz at night? Surely it would be easier to see the Chametz during the daytime?It took a visit to Canada for us to understand the answer.We spent the morning at Black Creek Village, a recreation of a 1860's settlement in Toronto. Although it was daylight, and bright, without electricity most of the houses were extremely dark inside, even near the windows (which were all small by modern standards). And the residents would not light...

בלילה שלפני ערב פסח בודקים את החמץ. וחיבים לבדוק מיד בתחילת הלילה. ואסור להתחיל לאכול או לעשות שום מלאכה חצי שעה קודם הלילה:יש נוהגים שקודם הבדיקה מניחים פתיתי לחם במקומות שימצאם הבודק, כי חוששים שמא לא ימצא כלום ותהא ברכה לבטלה, ונוהגים להניח עשרה פתיתים, וברור שמי שאינו בודק כראוי אלא שהוא מקבץ אלו הפתיתים לא קיים מצות בדיקה וברך ברכה לבטלה: קודם בדיקת חמץ אומרים זה:הֲרֵינִי מוּכָן וּמְזוּמָן לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֵׂה שֶׁל בְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ לְשֵׁם יִחוּד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ...

מְגַלֶּה אֶת הַמַּצּוֹת, מַגְבִּיהַ אֶת הַקְּעָרָה וְאוֹמֵר בְּקוֹל רָם:הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.