Haggadah Highlights

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Anshei Sphard - Beth El Emeth Congregation

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Haggadah Highlights

A. A Story of Rabbi Akiva and friends
Why is this so significant?
1) It is an allusion to an out of body experience by these mystics.
That's why they didn't know what time it was.
2) Just as we read passages of Mishna on a daily basis in order to be as if we had brought all the actual sacrifices, so do we hope that by
telling the story of those great scholars who had lengthy discussions of
the Seder that it would be as if we did as well.
3) Sefas Emes: It is possible they actually did nothing else, forgot to
eat the matza and maror. Nowadays the most important thing is the story. The words were in place of the actions.

B. Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah is prematurely gray
Why was it so hard to determine to remember the Exodus at night?
1) Night symbolizes exile, and until then he couldn't reach the level of
being free from the earthly in this world of exile, until he learned
that it was possible.
2) Sefas Emes: this teaches that new insights are possible even for the
wise or old.
3) What do we care if he grew old a little quickly? It reminds us that
life is not linear (see H2). Today we could be slaves, tomorrow, free.
Today a 17 year old student. Tomorrow a gray chief rabbi of Israel.

C. The four sons
1) They represent four levels of Exodus. Exodus means to be removed from the physicality of Egypt. One son is totally immersed in spirituality. One son makes the Torah the center of his life with some engagement with the world as most should. One makes work the center, but thinks about G-d occasionally. One is still in Egypt.
2) They represent four questions (Sefas Emes). The righteous wants to
know what the response to evil is (mitzvot). The wicked wants to know
what he gets out of it. He is locked in physicality, so he cannot get
out. The simple son wants to know what benefit anyone gets from it. The simple son thinks evil can be eradicated but it cannot in this exile, so he has nothing to say.

D. We used to be idol worshipers
1) This is the Hagadah of the wicked, but the Rasha, the wicked can
also spell Shaar, a gate to repentance, to go from idolatry to G-d as
our ancestors did.
2) Reb Nachman: We have it in us, we are part idolaters. Our struggle
with evil is not unnatural but is part of life.

2) E. 400 years of slavery and a day of spoils
1) Why was it all worth it? To remove the souls who were locked into
captivity (the converts).
2) Sefas Emes: What's the big deal that G-d fulfilled His promise to
Abraham? Of course he would. The answer is that G-d knew that they
didn't yet deserve the great wealth. They did not work for 400 years.
They were not ready to be neuvo riche. He knew the money could go to the Golden Calf. But G-d fulfilled the promise and saw to it that they would get the wealth and give it to the tabernacle.

F. Vehee She-amdah, in every generation they try to destroy us
1) What is the point of all the remembering that we do? Each year we
stir ourselves and G-d to remember and to be moved to save us again. In every generation, we need that.
2) Sefas Emes: It has stood for us all these years. What has? The exile
and the redemption. The trials of Egypt prepared us for later exiles,
and the redemption gave us hope for a future redemption.

G. Laban and the Wandering Aramean
1. Why must we interpret every word of this passage? Sefas Emes: we need to look beneath the surface in all of our sufferings to interpret
it for the good, to find G-d in times of sorrow. We must find the
anti-Semite beneath the calm exterior, as with Laban, and we must find
in the "hand of G-d" not one miracle or ten but 250 or more.
2. Based on Rav Nachman: Laban speaks Aramaic which is similar to
Hebrew. He tricks us into thinking we are still being Jewish and yet he
lures us into idolatry. Aramaic is not the ideal tongue of prayer.
Angels don't like it. Laban tries to seduce us to lose our power of
speech and prayer. On Pesach we not only free ourselves of Pharaoh, an obvious oppressor, but from Laban, a cunning seducer, who seems to possess so many good traits and characteristics.

H. Rabban Gamliel: anyone who did not say these three things, Pesach, Matzah, and Maror.
1) Exodus means to remove words from exile, from obscurity and
hiddenness. At the Seder, by answering questions, we redeem ideas from latency and murkiness.
2) Why is Pesach the name of this holiday and why does that aspect of
the holiday overshadow other miracles? (Sefas Emes) Because Pesach means to skip over, meaning that redemption may not be linear. It can take leaps and make skips. We can elevate ourselves at a break neck speed.

I. Where is the beracha over the Haggadah? Where is the Shehechiyanu for the Matza and the Haggadah? Where is the She-asa nissim that we make on Hanukah and Purim?
1) Before the meal, we say "asher ge-alanu, who redeemed Israel.. and
helped us reach this day (ve-higiyanu) to eat matza and maror..." This
may be seen as all of the above, the beracha of the Hagadah, the
shehechyanu, and the blessing of miracles.
2) The kiddush is the bracha of the Hagadah.
3) The phrase: Baruch Hamakom, blessed is the Omnipresent, before the 4 sons- is the beracha.
4) We don't make berachot on things that have no limit or which depend
on another person such as charity and Hagadah telling.
5) We don't make berachos on things which are themselves words of
thanksgiving and praise.

J. Find 5 places in the Haggadah that Israel or the Land (referring just
to Israel) is mentioned.
1. In the section known as "at the beginning, our ancestors were idol
worshippers- Metechilah.
2. In the dayenu several times.
3. toward the end of the Magid, after "in every generation.." before
Hallel.
4. In benching, several times.
It is not overemphasized since the entry to Israel was not on the night
of Pesach.

K. How many times is the story of the Exodus told in some form in the
Haggadah? (find 3)
1. Avadim hayinu, we were slaves
2. Metichilah, at first we were idol worshippers and now we are close to
You...
3. In Baruch shomer havtachato... Blessed is the One who keeps his
promises to Israel..
4. In the Aramean section Tze Ulmad... Arami oved avi...
5. In the Rabban Gamliel section re. Pesach, matza, and maror.
(6. It is alluded to in the story of the rabbis who told the story all
night. see A2.)
It is repeated so many times because the more you tell, the better.

L. When is Moshe mentioned in the Hagadah?
1. Generally, we don't wish to emphasize Moshe in the Hagadah since it takes away from the central theme of G-d's exodus, but Maimonides does mention Moses. Rabbi Solovietchik says that Moses comes into the Hagadah as the master teacher, not the redeemer.
2. He is mentioned in some optional parts of the Hagadah, after the ten
plagues, in the section known as Rabbi Yossi Hagelili...