The Essential Elements of the Commandment to
Retell the Redemption from Egypt
And
Moshe said to the nation: Remember this
day that you went forth from Egypt, from the house of bondage – for with a
mighty hand Hashem took you forth from this.
Leaven products should not be eaten.
(Shemot 13:3)
1.
A
biblical source for the commandment of Sipur
In this passage, Moshe instructs the nation that
must remember the day that they were redeemed from slavery in Egypt and that on
the days that commemorate this event – the festival of Pesach – they should not
each chametz – leavened products.
In his code of law – Mishne Torah – Maimonides explains that the first
portion of this passage in which Moshe instructs the nation to recall the day
of its redemption is the biblical source for the commandment to retell the
events of the redemption at the annual Pesach Seder.[1],[2]
2.
An
alternative biblical source for the commandment of Sipur
In
his Sefer HaMitzvot, Maimonides suggests an alternative source for the
commandment to retell the events of our redemption. There he cites the passage:
And you should tell to your son on that day saying, “For this purpose
Hashem did this for me when I went out of Egypt.” (Shemot 13:8) Why does
Maimonides present different passages as the biblical source for the mitzvah
in these two works?
3.
The
two aspects of the commandment of Sipur represented by its two sources
Every
commandment has a purpose and objective.
However, in most instances the halachic – the legal obligation –
associated with the commandment is limited to its performance. Achievement of the mitzvah’s
objective is laudable. However, the
commandment is fulfilled at its basic requisite level without achievement of
its objects. For example, we are
required to pick up and wave the four species on Succot. Certainly, this commandment has some meaning
and purpose. However, a person who
performs the physical action of the commandment fulfills its requirements even
if the person has no understanding of the meaning and significance of the
performance.
However,
there are some commandments in which the performance of the physical activity
associated with the mitzvah is meaningless without achievement of the
commandment’s objective. The best know
example is repentance. Rav Yosef Dov
Soloveitchik Zt”l explains that this commandment consists of two
components or aspects:
1. The activity of verbal
confession of one’s sin.
2. The internal commitment
to repent from the sin and evil behavior.
The mitzvah is fulfilled only through
the merger of its two aspects. A person
who makes the commitment to change but does not verbalize his confession has
not fulfilled the requirements of the commandment. Neither has the person who utters the required confession without
the commitment to alter his behavior.[3]
Any
commandment that consists of these multiple aspects – an activity and an
objective – can be defined in terms of its activity or in terms of its
objective. In the example of repentance
it is equally correct to define the commandment as an obligation to confess
one’s sin or as an obligation to repent or reform one’s behavior. Both definitions are correct. The first defines the commandment in terms
of its required physical activity. The
other definition focuses on the commandment’s purpose or objective.
Maimonides
seems to suggest that the commandment of Sipur – retelling the events of
our rescue from Egypt is a member of this class of commandments. The commandment consists of an outward
activity designed to achieve an internal objective. We are required to engage in retelling the events of our
exodus. Through this activity we must
recall and internalize the significance of these events.
4. The Hagadah must be recited in a
language understood by the Seder participants
This
insight provides a basis for Ramah’s ruling that the Pesach Hagadah
cannot be merely recited in Hebrew without understanding its meaning. Instead, it must be read in a language
understood to the participants or read in Hebrew and then explained.[4] The process of Sipur must impact the
participants. Therefore, the process
must be carried out in a manner that communicates the events.
5. The aspects of redemption that
must be recalled
A
careful analysis of the above passage suggests that there are three issues or
aspects of the redemption that must be recalled in the process of Sipur. The passage states: Remember this day…
1. that you went forth from
Egypt,
2. from the house of
bondage –
3. for with a mighty hand
Hashem took you forth from this.
In
other words, our recollection of the events must encompass three aspects. First, we were brought forth from
Egypt. Second, we were in bondage in
Egypt. Third, the process through which we were redeemed demonstrated Hashem’s
omnipotence – His mighty hand.
Raban
Gamliel said: Anyone who does not
discuss these three things on Pesach does not fulfill his obligation. These are the things: Pesach, Matzah, and Maror.
For
what reason did our ancestors eat the Pesach when the Temple was in
existence? Because the Holy One Blessed
be He passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt…
What
is the reason that we eat this Matzah?
Because there was not adequate time for the dough of our ancestors to
leaven before the King of All Kings, The Holy One Blessed be He was revealed to
them and redeemed them…
What
is the reason that we eat this Maror?
Because the Egyptians made the lives of our ancestors bitter in Egypt….
(Pesach Hagadah)
6. Retelling the events of our
redemption through Pesach, Matzah, and Maror
The
above section of the Pesach Hagadah is derived directly from the Mishne
of Tractate Pesachim. Raban Gamliel
explains that we are required to retell the events of our redemption from Egypt
through explaining the significance of the Pesach sacrifice, the Matzah,
and the Maror. We explain that
the Pesach reminds us that Hashem passed over the households of Bnai
Yisrael when He struck the Egyptians with the most destructive and terrible of
His plagues – the Plague of the Firstborn.
Matzah reminds of the suddenness of our redemption. Our ancestors were hastily released from
bondage and quickly and eagerly ushered from the land by the very masters who
only days before had refused to grant them their freedom. Maror reminds us of the suffering and
torment that our ancestors experienced in Egypt.
7. The essential elements of the mitzvah
of Sipur represented by the Pesach, Matzah and Maror
Apparently,
these three messages comprise the essential elements of the mitzvah of Sipur. Each of the objects central to the Seder
– the Pesach, Matzah, and Maror – communicate one of these
elements and these elements must be presented in the context of explaining the
meaning of these objects.
Let
us more carefully consider these messages.
Pesach reminds us that Hashem spared the household of Bnai Yisrael when
He struck the Egyptians with the Plague of the Firstborn. It communicates the miraculous nature of the
redemption and the revelation in the redemption of Hashem’s omnipotence. Matzah reminds us of the sudden
transformation to freedom; the redemption occurred so swiftly the people could
not adequately prepare their provisions for their unexpected journey into the
wilderness. Maror reminds us of
the cruelty of our bondage in Egypt.
Why
are these messages – communicated by the central objects of the Seder –
so central to the mitzvah of Sipur? They are the essential elements because they exactly correspond
with the elements identified in the first of the passages cited by Maimonides
as the biblical source for the commandment.
These are the three elements that we are required by the passage to
remember!
[1]
Rabbaynu Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides) Mishne Torah, Hilchot Chametz
U’Matzah 7:1.
[2]
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik notes that the commandment as expressed in the
passage is to recall the events of the date of the redemption – the 15th
of Nisan. Maimonides’ formulation of
the commandment in his code reflects this formulation. He states:
It is a positive commandment to retell the miracles and wonders that
were preformed for our ancestors in Egypt in the night of the 15th
of Nisan. (Mishne Torah,Hilchot Chametz
U’Matzah 7:1). Maimonides’ wording is
unclear. One possibility is that the
reference to the 15th of Nisan is intended to identify the date that
the commandment is performed. In other
words, Maimonides is saying that the commandment is to be performed on this
date. Alternatively, he could mean that
the commandment is to focus on the events that occurred on the 15th
of Nisan. If this is the correct explanation,
then the mitzvah of Sipur performed at the Seder would be
limited to the discussion of those events leading up to the redemption and the
redemption itself. Subsequent events –
including the parting of the Reed Sea – would not belong in this discussion. Rav Soloveitchik suspected that this second
interpretation was in fact Maimonides’ position. He cited peculiar omissions from the Hagadah attributed to
Maimonides to support this position.
[3]
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Al HaTeshuva (Jerusalem, 5739), Part 1.
[4]
Rav
Yosef Karo, Shulchan Aruch, Orech Chayim 473:6.
See Mishne Berurah ibid, note 63. Mishne Berurah suggests that the passage
“And you should tell to your son… (Shemot 13:8) is the basis for this
requirement. “Telling” means to communicate
information. This cannot be
accomplished unless the communicator and recipient of the information
understand the message communicated.
However, the term “tell” in the Torah does not always imply that the
communication must be understood. When
presenting the first fruit – the Bikurim – in Yerushalayim, the
presenter is required to recite a set of Torah passages. These are recited in Hebrew and the
presenter reciting the passages need not understand their meaning. In its formulation of this requirement, the
Torah describes the presenter as “telling” the contents of the passages.