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Ephod Bad: The Paradox of Providence

By Rabbi Benjamin David Rabinowitz

An interpretation and paraphrase by Rabbi Mark B Greenspan Oceanside Jewish Center, New York March, 2007

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A Note about the Name Rabbi Rabinowitz‟s commentary on the Haggadah is called the Ephod Bad. This title is borrowed from II Samuel, Chapter 6, verse 14: “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod (ephod bad.)” An Ephod is a

garment that is usually associated with the priesthood. It is sometimes translated as apron or skit, and it was attached with two shoulder straps. The word Bad is the Hebrew word for linen. Here the word is an abbreviation for Benjamin David, the author‟s name. One is left to wonder if there is deeper significance to the title than simply a play on the Hebrew word for linen. King David rejoices before the ark as it is being brought up to Jerusalem. Surely he must have seen this occasion as a sign of God‟s providence in his life. His rejoicing reflects the sense of joy that the author expresses in his awareness of God‟s presence in the world. The following work is not a literal translation of the Ephod Bad but more of a paraphrase. It attempts to remain faithful to the Hebrew text, but is presented in more familiar language to the contemporary reader.

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Ephod Bad: The Paradox of Providence Introduction As I have done for the past several years, I am pleased to present a paraphrase of a classic but little known commentary on the Passover Haggadah. I am continually amazed at the insights and creativity of our great Torah scholars who managed to find their own voice and unique vision within this simple, if somewhat arcane text. The Haggadah is probably one of the best known texts in Jewish life along with the Torah and the Siddur. And yet the text is filled with riddles and puzzles that have mystified and delighted students of Torah throughout the ages. Why does the Haggadah begin in Aramaic while the rest of the text is in Hebrew (except for the closing song, Hag Gadya)? Why does it single out the certain rituals in the Mah Nishtanah and not others? Who are the four sons who populate the Haggadah? And who is the wandering Aramean we encounter along the way? Our predecessors did not simply seek a contextual, literal, answer to these questions. Each challenge in the text is seen as an opportunity to explore the deeper dimensions of the Exodus, the nature of our relationship to God, and the meaning of life itself. The Haggadah was no less sacred for Rabbi Rabinowitz than the Torah. I believe that Rabbi Judah Golden was able to capture the way Rabbi Rabinowitz and his contemporaries viewed text when he compared Midrash to the bit of sand that becomes embedded in an oyster and over time develops into a precious and beautiful pearl. It is the oddities and difficulties in the text of the Haggadah which gave birth to hiddushim, new insights and Torah teachings of our great scholars. Unfortunately, I have been unable to learn very much about the author of the Ephod Bad. From the opening page of this work, we know that it was published in 1872. Rabbi Benjamin David Rabinowitz was a well known rabbi in the great city of Warsaw, and is described as “a famous preacher,” and “a basket full of sacred books.” Other than the date of his death in 1885, I have been unable to learn more about him. It is not even clear from his commentary whether he was a proponent of Hasidism or a member of the mitnagdim, the opponents of the Hasidim. In describing the wise child, he says that the hacham is “one of the Hasidim who believe that everything comes from God.” This, however, does not mean that he identified himself as a Hasidic Jew. The word, hasid, may have a more generic meaning here: one who believes in divine providence. In addition to this, the fact that he quotes the Vilna Gaon, a staunch opponent of the Hasidic movement, suggests that he was not a Hasidic Jew. Unlike many Hasidic commentaries, the Ephod Bad does not contain the ideas and sources which are commonly found in other Hasidic works. Rabbi Rabinowitz‟s interests appear to be much loftier and philosophical. If there is a single idea around which his commentary focuses, it is the idea of Hashgaha, divine providence. Rabbi Louis Jacobs, of blessed memory, defines this term in the following way: The Hebrew term for divine providence, hashgahah, was first used by the medieval Jewish theologians who, under the influence of Greek philosophy, preferred abstract terms to denote ideas found in concrete form in the Bible and the rabbinic literature. But the idea that God controls and guides the world He has created permeates the Bible and the post-biblical literature. The very term hashgahah is based on the verse in Psalms (34:14): "From the place of His habitation He looks

4 intently [hishgiah] upon all the inhabitants of the earth." The abstract discussions of the medieval were largely around the scope of divine providence. Two types of providence are considered: 1. hashgahah kelalit, "general providence," God's care for the world in general and for species in general; and 2. hashgahah peratit, "special providence," God's care for each individual…. 1 Rabbi Rabinowitz does not appear to differentiate between these two forms of providence. He sees God‟s providence as an overriding power in the universe. Hasidic thought does focus on the idea of hashgahah peratit, but it is certainly not foreign to the other streams of Jewish thought. In particular, it is discussed at length in philosophical literature. Rabbi Rabinowitz quotes extensively from the Guide to the Perplexed by Rabbi Moses Maimonides and he even mentions the Kuzari by the medieval philosopher and poet, Yehudah Halevi. He also quotes extensively from the Bible, the Talmud, the great codes of Halacha as well as the Zohar. For Rabbi Rabinowitz, the birth of Judaism as well as the liberation from Egypt comes with the recognition of divine providence. Moses sets out to convince not only Pharaoh of God‟s great power but to show the Israelites that God is present in the world as well. The Israelites‟ willingness to risk their lives by sacrificing the Pascal Lamb even though it is one of the gods of Egypt is a sign of their trust in God. God is present not only in acts of grace and loving kindness but even in the smallest of events. Suffering and sorrow is also part of God‟s plan. It is not enough to believe in God only when things are going your way. Rabbi Rabinowitz offers a fascinating explanation for why the Israelites were instructed to ask the Egyptians for their wealth before leaving Egypt. It was not to fulfill God‟s promise to Abraham (that his offspring would leave each with great wealth) but to seduce the Egyptians into pursuing the people when they left. Rabinowitz surmises that if the Israelites asked for the Egyptians silver and gold, Pharaoh would wonder how powerful God really was. He would then be tempted to pursue the Israelites and the Egyptian‟s defeat at the sea would prove the veracity of divine providence. God fulfilled his promise of great wealth at the shore of the Red Sea when the Egyptians drown and all their gold washed up on the shore of the sea for the Israelites to plunder one more time! Rabbi Rabinowitz returns to the idea of Divine Providence again and again throughout his commentary. Indeed, the whole purpose of the telling is to celebrate God‟s active involvement in all things. He concludes his commentary with an meditation on Had Gadya, in which he shows how each step of the way God was present in Israel‟s successes and failures, never completely deserting the people of Israel. This song is an allegory of Jewish history beginning with the Exodus, the sojourn in the wilderness, and the failure of the Israelites when they worshipped the Golden Calf. In the end God will destroy the angel of death in order to vanquish human stubbornness and doubt. The death of the angel of death, born out of the Yetzer Hara, the evil inclination, will prove beyond a doubt the truth of divine providence. No doubt, this concept of divine providence may trouble contemporary readers, though it remains a pivotal idea for those who affirm a more traditional notion of theology. What are we to do with the idea of divine providence after the Holocaust? How are we to explain all forms of human suffering? We struggle with the conflict between free will (which is „the reason that the world was created‟ according to Rabbi Rabinowitz) and divine providence. He also wrestles with the issue of theodicy – of why “bad things happen to good people.” For Rabbi Rabinowitz, a man of deep faith and trust in God, both good and evil must come from God if we are to see God as all powerful. 1

Rabbi Louis Jacobs, The Jewish Religion: A Companion, Oxford University Press.

5 I have provided the student of this commentary with an entire text of the Haggadah so that it can be used at the Seder, but I would encourage the reader to peruse the commentary before the Seder begins and to only share a few of the insights with his or her guests. I don‟t know that such a commentary was really meant to be read at the Seder. Rather, it was an attempt to gather together many of the insights and themes which Rabbi Rabinowitz must have spoken about over a period of years. I want to thank all those who have helped me complete my study of Ehod Bad. As I have done in past years, we will have a Siyyum for the first born of the Oceanside Jewish Center to celebrate the completion of this commentary on Erev Pesach. Without the inspiration of my congregation and students I am not certain that this project would have ever begun or continued. Special thanks to my dear sister, Bonni Schiff, who has been kind enough to read through the commentary and to correct the most egregious errors. Any mistakes or misprints, of course, are completely mine, but without her help the manuscript would be much worse! I ask the readers forgiveness. This is not a professionally edited work. The commentary is translated and written in a short period of time so there is never enough time to complete the work as it should be done. I am a firm believer, however, that sharing an incomplete work is better than keeping this knowledge to myself. And I hope it will enrich the readers‟ understanding of Passover, and their own struggles with faith and God. Thanks also to Cantor Yitzhak Lefkovitz, the cantor emeritus of the Oceanside Jewish Center. His deep knowledge of Jewish literature and his love of Torah continue to inspire me. I can only hope that like him, I will never be bored and that I will continue to study Torah as I grow older. My love of the Passover Seder began when I was young and was deepened by the loss of my father. It has continued to grow along with my children, Daniel Gadaliah, Naomi Esther, and Mordechai Chaim. I am so proud of each of them. They are the reason I study Torah, and do the work that I do. I pray that they will learn from my example. Last but not least, I thank my beloved wife, Marilyn, whose patience and encouragement inspires my continued work as a Rabbi and a Jewish educator. I could not ask for a better partner in life or a better friend. I believe the words of Rabbi Akiva are appropriate here. When her returned to his wife after years of study, he told his students that they should honor his wife because, “Mine and yours are rightly hers!2” 14 Nissan, 5767 Oceanside, New York

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Ketubot 62a

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Bedikat Hametz: The Search for and Removal of Hametz “On the eve of the fourteenth day search for Hametz By the light of the candle.” Mishnah Pesachim “Master of the Universe: You know that it is our desire to do your will! What stands in our way? It is the leaven that is in the dough, and the oppression of the nations.” BT Berachot 17a 1. Several weeks prior to Passover we begin to put our home in order for the upcoming festival. Slowly we begin to consume all the leftover, leavened food that is still in the house and we curtail the purchase of any foods which we cannot eat on this Passover. Moving from room to room, we begin this massive undertaking by cleaning out all the drawers and cupboards so that our home is free of hametz 2. Finally, a day or so before Passover the final conversion of the kitchen takes place. The counters are cleaned and covered, the refrigerator is thoroughly scrubbed out and its shelves are covered with foil or paper. After scouring the oven we turn it on at a high temperature so that the remnants of hametz are burned away. Today we have new challenges, such as a microwave, which must also be koshered and prepared for Passover. This is done by placing a bowl of water in the microwave and allowing the heated water to purge the inside of specks of non-Passover food. Room is made in the refrigerator and in select cupboards for the Passover food that we have been storing up for weeks. The kitchen is usually ready a day or two before Passover so that it not only looks different but smells different. There is a newness about everything that makes one feel as though we have moved into a new dwelling. 3. Having cleaned the house by the night prior to the eve of Passover of all forbidden food, we are now ready for the search to begin. Except for the last morsels of bread that have been carefully put aside, the house has been purged of hametz. These crumbs and bits of bread have been saved for tonight when we will search the house for the forbidden food. We have been so efficient in cleaning our homes that we must hide our own hametz to make sure that there is something to find, lest the blessing that we recite prior to the search al biur hametz, "for the removal of hametz," be in vain. Ten small pieces of hametz are placed in plastic bags and hidden by a member of the household so that the others search for them as well as any other hametz that may have been overlooked. 4. The search should be carried out by the light of a candle. A flashlight may be used in place of a candle; while it is more practical and less dangerous, it loses some of the poetry of this ceremony. The searchers should make a point of checking out all parts of the house where hametz might be found, not just the area where the ten pieces of hametz have been hidden. This search should be more than a symbolic act. Prior to beginning the search we recite the following blessing

   

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Baruch atta adonai Elohaynu melech ha'olam Asher kiddshanu bimitzvotzav vitzeevanu al biur hametz. Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe who has sanctified us with the commandments and commanded us concerning the removal of hametz. 6. For the next few moments everything revolves around the grand search. With the house fully prepared for the great celebration, we peek beneath the furniture and in the corners of the bookshelves for any hametz that may have inadvertently been left behind. We should search with holy intent and kavannah. Once the hametz has been discovered and gathered, the searchers recite the following declaration. Something miraculous takes place: with our words, that which was edible now become non-existent, the dust of the earth.

    Kol khamira v'khamiah D'eekah vir'shoot'tee D'lo hameetay u'd'lo biartay U'd'lo yadana lay labatayl V'lehavay hefker kiafra d’ara. All leavened products and hametz which are in my possession which I have not seen nor removed and of which I am unaware shall be non-existent and owner-less like the dust of the earth. 7. The following morning we participate in Biur Hametz, the ceremony for the removal of the hametz before nine-thirty. Any hametz that was discovered the night before is taken outside and burned. While doing so the participants recite the following declaration:

     Kol hamira v'hamiah d'eekah vir'shoot'tee Da'hazeetay u'd'lo hazeetay d'lo hameetay u'd'lo hameetay Di'vee'artay u'd'lo vee'artay, labatayl v'lehevay hefker kiafra diara.

8 All leavened food that is in my possession Whether or not I saw it and whether or not I have removed it Shall be non-existent and owner-less like the dust of the earth. 8. This meditation can be recited upon burning the hametz:

May it be Your will, that just as we remove all the hametz from our house and from all that we control, so may You help us to remove all the impure forces from the earth and the evil inclination within us. Renew our heart of flesh. May all the evil forces and wickedness disappear like smoke. Remove all tyrannical forces from the earth and all who cause anguish to the Divine Presence. Remove them with a spirit of justice just as You did to Egypt and its idols long ago, at this time.3

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Based on translation in A Different Night by Noam Zion And David Dishon The Shalom Hartman Institute Jerusalem Page 14

9 When the Seder coincides with Friday Night

    “Evening and Morning, the sixth day: The heaven and the earth and all they contained were completed. And God stopped on the seventh day from all the work He had been doing and rested on the seventh day from all the work he had been doing. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He ceased from all His work which He created to do.”

Vayeh’hee erev vayeh’hee voker yom hasheeshee. Vayechulu ha’shama’im v’ha’aretz v’chol tz’va’am. Vay’chal eloheem bayom hash’vee’ee milachto asher asa vayishbot bayom hash’vee’ee mikol milachto asher asa. Vayivarech eloheem et yom hash’vee’ee vayikadaysh oto kee vo shavat meekol milachto asher bara eloheem la’asot

 

With the permission of all who are assembled

  Praise to You, Adonai, our God, sovereign of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha-olam boray p’ree hagafen.

       

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    Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has chosen us from among all nations, lifting us up among all languages and sanctified us with His commandments. Adonai, our God, You have lovingly given us (The Sabbath Day for rest), festivals for happiness and times for rejoicing, (This Sabbath Day and) this festival of Matzah, season of our freedom, (lovingly) as reminder of the Exodus from Egypt as a sacred assembly. You have chosen us and You have sanctified us apart from all peoples and You have caused us to joyfully inherit (the Sabbath and) Your holy feasts. Praise to You, who sanctifies (the Sabbath) and Israel and the Seasons.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha-olam asher bahar banu meekol ahm v’romimanu meekol lashon v’kiddishanu b’mitzvotav. V’teetayn lanu Adonai elohaynu b’ahavah moadim l’simha hagim u’zemanim l’sasson. Et yom hag hamatzot hazeh, Z’man herutaynu mikra kodesh zecher litziat Mitzra’im. Ki vanu vaharta v’otanu kidashta mikol ha’amim. u’moaday kodshecha bisimha u’vi’sasson hinhaltanu. Baruch atta Adonai, mikadesh Yisrael v’hazmanim When the Pesah Seder falls on a Saturday night: When Passover falls on a Saturday night, we add the following passages associated with the Havdalah service. The word Havdalah comes from the Hebrew root “to distinguish or separate.” This service traditionally marks the conclusion of the Sabbath. Rather than blessing God who distinguishes „the sacred from the profane,‟ we acknowledge God as the One who distinguishes “the holiness of the Shabbat from the holiness of the festival.”

 Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe who creates the light giving fire. 

     

Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who distinguishes between the holy and the ordinary, between light and darkness, between the seventh day and the other days of creation, You have distinguished between the holiness of the Sabbath and

11 the holiness of the festivals, You have distinguished and sanctified Israel through Your Sanctity. Praise to You, Adonai, who distinguishes between the holy and the holy.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha-olam Boray mi’oray ha’aysh. Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha-olam hamavdeel bayn kodesh l’hol Bayn ohr l’hoshech, bayn Yisrael li’ameem, bayn yom hash’vee’ee lishayshet yimay hama’aseh, bayn kidushat shabbat l’kidushat yom tov hivdalta v’et yom hash’vee’ee mee’shayshet yimay hama’aseh kidashta. Hivdalta vekeedashta et amcha Yisrael bik’dushatecha. Baruch attah adonai hamavdeel bayn kodesh l’kodesh

Sheheheyanu: The Blessing of Time

  

Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who has kept us alive and sustained us and allowed us to reach this season.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha-olam sh’heh’he’yanu v’kee’yemanu v’higeeyanu lazman hazeh We recline to the left while drinking the wine in the fashion of free men and women.

U’rehatz Reader: This table is a sacred altar where we encounter God and meet one another. As we prepare to eat the first course of our Seder meal, we cleanse our hands and our hearts to participate in this sacred meal. In some homes it is customary for the Maggid to rinse his hands in water poured from a pitcher into a bowl. In other homes it is the custom for each participant to do so.

Karpas Reader: Passover ushers in the spring, a time of hope. Hope and anguish are intermingled as we dip the greens, symbolic of this new season, in the salt water, a reminder of our tears.

:‫ בו ֵֹרא עְי ִרי הָ אֲ ָדמָ ה‬,‫ אֱ ֹלהֵ ינו מֶ לְֶך הָ ע ֹולָם‬,‫בָ רוְך אַ ָתה יְי ָי‬ Praised are you Adonai, sovereign of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha-olam boray pree ha’adamah

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Yachatz – Breaking the middle matzah Maggid: Silently, we break the middle matzah and hide it away for later. A slave never knows where his next meal will come from. But this hidden matzah is both a symbol of slavery and an expression of hope. There are hidden meanings and puzzles for us to ponder this evening. As we tell the story of the Exodus, we will search for new meanings in this ancient rite. May we find its meaning for our lives and our generation. May we renew its lessons and find the delight of a hidden treasure in them. It is customary for the Seder leader to take the middle matzah and to break it in half. The larger half is hidden either by the Seder leader or by the children who are present, to be ransomed later on before the end of the meal.

MAGGID: The Telling Ha Lachma Anya - Introduction Maggid: We begin this evening by opening the door of our home as our ancestors did and inviting those who are less fortunate to join with us in telling our story. As we tell our ancestors’ story we become one with them. The door that leads to redemption is now opened. We raise the broken piece of matzah before returning it to the table and sing: 

   Ha Lahma anya di achalu avhatana b’ara d’mitzraim. Kol d’chfin yeitay v’yechol. Kol d’tzrich yeitay v’yifsah. Hashata Hacha l’shana Haba’ah b’ara d’yisrael. Reader: This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Group: All who are hungry come and eat. All who are needy come celebrate the Pesach with us. Reader: Now we are here. Next year may we be in the Land of Israel. Group: Now we are slaves. Next year may we be free men and women. 

13 Return the matzah to the table Traditionally the Mah Nishtanah is recited by the youngest child present at the Seder who is capable of learning this passage. The Mah Nishtanah can be recited in Hebrew or in English.

         How different this night is from all other nights! On all other nights we eat leaven and unleavened bread; tonight we only eat unleavened bread. On all other nights we eat all types of vegetables; tonight we eat bitter herbs On all other nights we don’t have to dip even once; tonight we do so twice. On all other nights we can eat upright or leisurely leaning on our side; tonight all of us lean.

Mah nishtana haleila hazeh mikol halaylot! Sh’bichol halaylot anu ochlim hametz u’matzah,haleila hazeh kulo matzah. Sh’bichol halaylot anu ochlim sh’ar yirakot, haleila hazeh maror. Sh’bichol halailot ayn anu matbilin ah’filu pa’am ahat haleila hazeh sh’tay fi’amim. Sh’bichol halaylot anu ochlim bayn yoshvin u’vayn misubin haleila hazeh kulanu misubin.

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Matzah: A Remembrance of History and a Symbol of Hope This is like the bread of poverty which our ancestors ate4: As we begin the Haggadah, we do so by emphasizing the power of God. Matzah serves as a symbol of memory. When we refer to the bread of affliction we are reminded that despite the fact that Pharaoh was so powerful that no slave ever escaped from Egypt, we were able to do so with the help of God. Matzah teaches us that we could not have escaped from Egypt on our own. Other people would have taken credit for their escape, but the bread of affliction is a reminder that we were powerless on our own. When we contemplate the meaning of Matzah which our ancestors ate and through which our ancestors merited God‟s blessings, we are affirm that the hand of God is all powerful, the creator of light and darkness. Matzah is not the food of slavery but an affirmation of God‟s providence, the One who creates the rich and the poor. Therefore, all who are hungry come and eat: We invite the needy to come and eat with us. Even though the sages tell us that the poor are often humiliated by their poverty, having contemplated the meaning of the Matzah we can now say to them: “Don‟t be ashamed. What we have is not ours. Everything comes from God. We are eating at the table of the Merciful One. Even though you are now in great distress and need, your lowly state is meant to raise you up so that you can accept God‟s exalted inheritance. All who are in need: We should invite not only those who are hungry but those who do not have the means of celebrating and honoring the festival. Come and celebrate Passover: We invite him to come take whatever he needs to celebrate the holiday for he and we are the same. One should speak gently to a needy person. Say to him: “Consider this! Has any creature created something from nothing? Can one create fullness out of emptiness? Surely God can make the dejected feel secure and raise up those who have faltered!” 5 Now we are here (in a place where God‟s face is hidden6) Next year in the land of Israel (where God‟s providence will be revealed): This is a reference to Deuteronomy 31:17: “Then my anger will flare up against them and I will abandon them and hide My face from them…And they shall say on that day, „Surely it is because God is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us.‟” Now we are slaves, next year free, each person underneath his vine and fig tree. We can only be free when we recognize the power of God. Matzah alludes to the power of renewal. With almost nothing we make Matzah. God renews the world ex nihilo, out of nothing, just as the bread of affliction is made without leaven to begin its preparation. The preparation of Matzah, however, begins with something: flour; human beings cannot really create something out of nothing. From the Matzah, then, we are made aware that God is all powerful and has the ability to reward or punish.

There are two versions of the opening words of Haggadah. One is Ha lachma anya “This is the bread of poverty,” and the other K’ha lachma anya “This is like the bread of poverty.” 4

5 6

See Job 5:11

Hester panim, literally the hidden face, is a metaphor used in Jewish theology to refer to the phenomena in which God‟s presence is hidden from direct human perception

15 When this idea is firmly in our hearts, then we will be „in the land of Israel‟ and „we will be free.‟ For there is no real redemption like the liberation of the mind, and there is no exile as complete as an imperfect intellect. One is „free‟ when one‟s desire for material possessions is sublimated to his intellect, and one‟s intellect surrenders to God. Each person is obligated to see himself as if his intellect went out from the exile of foolishness and materialism. That is why we say: Now we are here sunken in the depths of desire associated with the body. Next year, in the land of Israel which the sages praised as the place of great wisdom. Now we are slaves because our intellect is subjugated to materialism. Next year may we be free from the exile of foolishness and ignorance. Only then will we understand the ways of the Creator, and then the world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters fill the see; we no longer need miracles such as the splitting of the Red Sea to convince us of God‟s greatness.

Symbols and Significance on Seder Night Why is this night different from all other nights? The four statements of the Mah Nishtanah are all interconnected. We have seen that Matzah symbolizes important principles and ideas that should not leave our minds for even a second – so why should we set aside one night from all others to contemplate these great principles? If the meaning of Matzah is so significant, we should refrain from eating Hametz and instead eat Matzah all year long so that we can think about its meaning. And if one says that the reason this night was set apart from all other nights is because it was on Passover that the pure faith in God was born, then why do we also eat bitter herbs; this symbol appears to have nothing to do with our faith in God. Eating bitter herbs reminds us of the bitterness we experienced in Egypt. The Seder should focus on celebration and not sorrow as we see in the parable: A king wished to marry a woman from a far-off land, but rough seas kept them apart. When she finally arrived the king told her: „don‟t think of the waves that kept us apart but rather of the day you arrival!‟ Similarly we should focus on our liberation and freedom and not on slavery. On the other hand, if we are supposed to express sorrow for the grief and suffering we have experienced, then why include the other practices in the Mah Nishtanah: leaning when we eat and dipping twice. Both of these practices are celebratory rather than remembrances of our suffering. We will find answers to these questions in time and understand everything in its full depth. The Talmud relates the story of Rabbi Nachman and his servant, Doru. Rabbi Nachman asked him on Pesach eve what a servant should do if his master not only frees his servant but also rewards him with great wealth. Doru answered: “He should thank him and praise him.” Rabbi Nachman then told Doru, “You have exempted us from saying the Mah Nishtanah” and he continued with Avadim Hayyinu.7

7

Pesahim 116a

16 Why did Doru‟s answer exempt Rabbi Nachman from reciting the Mah Nishtanah? We learn from this story that the purpose of Mah Nishtanah is to encourage us to praise and give thanksgiving to God for all his acts of beneficence. That is why there are so many different practices that help us to remember the miracles and wonders which took place when God brought us from slavery to freedom. On Sukkot we have only one major mitzvah to remind us of the Exodus – dwelling in a Sukkah, and on Shavuot we don‟t have any customs at all; we simply refer to the festival of Shavuot as the „Season of the Giving of the Torah.‟ But on Pesach not only do we have Matzah and Maror but we lean and we have many other customs that help us recall the Exodus. These practices encourage us to tell the story of the Exodus in all its details. The purpose of the Mah Nishtanah – mentioning the practices of the Seder - is to encourage us to give thanks and praise God just as Doru told his master, Rabbi Nachman. We multiply the customs at the Seder, then, to encourage children to ask questions and to praise God even more! The statement which follows, Avadim Hayyinu, is the answer that the Torah gives to the wise child‟s question. Because it appears here it is not necessary to repeat it when we recite the passage about the four children.8 Instead of repeating this passage again, we say that we teach him the laws of Pesach, all the way to “don‟t eat after the Afikomen.” That is, we teach the wise child many mitzvot of the Seder including those that are statutes9.

             Deuteronomy 6:20-23 -- When your son asks you in time to come, “What is the meaning of the testimonies, statutes, and the ordinances, which the Lord our God has commanded you?” you shall say to your son: “We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord brought before our eyes mighty and destructive signs and wonders upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon his entire house. And He brought us out from there that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He promised our fathers.” Later when we recite the Midrash of the four children, the answers that the Haggadah provides are not necessarily the same as the ones which are found in the biblical passages. 8

9

Hukkim, statutes, are laws for which there is no rational explanation. We perform them because they are the will of God.

17

     We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt; but the Lord our God took us out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched hand. And if the Holy Blessed One had not taken us out of Egypt we and our children and our children‘s children would still be subjugated to Pharaoh in Egypt. Even if all of us were wise, proficient elders and knowledgeable in the Torah, we would still be obligated to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Anyone who tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt at length, behold such a person is praiseworthy!

    Once, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon were celebrating Passover in B‘nai Brak. They were telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt all that night. Finally, their students came and said to them: ―Rabbis! The time has come to say the morning Sh’ma!‖

     Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: ―Though I am like a seventy year old man I have not yet been worthy of offering a proof text for mentioning the Exodus from Egypt at night until Ben Zoma came and expounded it: ―…In order that you may remember the day of your going out of Egypt all the days of your life.‖ (Deuteronomy 15:3) ―The days of you life‖ refers to the days. ―All the days of your life‖ includes the nights.‖ The sages said: ―The days of your life‖ refers to this world. ―All the days of your life‖ includes the world to come.‖

No Redemption without God

18 We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt: The opening words of this passage spell out how utterly hopeless our condition was in Egypt. We were slaves – there was no way that Israel could overcome slavery in Egypt. Not only were the Israelites enslaved but no slave had ever escaped from Egypt. To Pharaoh – Pharaoh would never consider liberating the Israelites. The tyrant was strengthened by the astrological sign of the ram, 10 which oversaw the land of Egypt. In Egypt - Egypt was a land of impurity and idolatry which deeply affected the Israelites who adopted Egypt‟s false gods. Israel then was not only politically enslaved but unworthy of being redeemed by God. Despite all these reasons, God chose to ignore Israel‟s sins and to increase His loving kindness. The Lord, our God took us out from there Therefore God took us out by vanquishing Egypt‟s god, the ram. God took us out with His mighty hand and with His outstretched arm - he did so with many miracles. God could have liberated us in other simpler ways such as moving Pharaoh‟s heart so that he wanted to free them. By performing so many wonders and miracles, God also inspired the Israelites to believe in God.11 God also recognized that if He did not redeem the people of Israel immediately, they would have become so totally immersed in idolatry that it would have been impossible to redeem them. That is why the Haggadah tells us that if God had not taken us out of Egypt, We and our children and our children’s children would have been enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Therefore God redeemed Israel as an act of grace, 12 and without any preparation or „arousal from below,‟ 13 and not because we were worthy. In addition to all of this, God gave us the greatest treasure of all – the Torah. There is no limit to the amount of praise and thanksgiving that we should express toward God, Even if we are wise…we are obligated to speak at length about the Exodus...and whoever does so is praiseworthy. The story of Rabbis in B‟nai Brak and Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, then, are examples of how even the wisest Torah scholars dwell at length on the story of the Exodus. This passage mentions three types of people: hacham - wise; navon – perceptive; and yodea et hatorah – one who knows the Torah. Each is speaking about a different type of person. 1) The Hacham is one who understands the origins of the Torah are in God. The navon is one who understands the unfolding of the miracles and wonders which took place in Egypt. And the yodea et hatorah is one who understands the nature of all things that were and will be. All of them are obligated to tell the story of the exodus. 2) The hacham is someone who studies Torah, Mishnah, and Jewish law. The navon is one who can deduce matters through logic and contemplation, and finally the yodea et hatorah is one who knows the practical laws. The hacham must cease reading and the navon must stop analyzing in order to tell the story of the Exodus.

Passover as a Paradigm of Divine Guidance

10

The astrological sign for the period of Passover is Aries, the ram. Many Midrashim assume the connection between the ram and Pharaoh – Israel‟s slaughter of the ram for the Passover sacrifice, then, was a repudiation of Egypt‟s God! 11

Note that the three things that prevented Israel from leaving Egypt in the first half of the verse in the Haggadah are answered by the three aspects of how God redeemed Israel from slavery: He took us out, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. The expression lifnim mishurat hadin literally means “beyond the demands of strict justice.” It means that based on a definition of Justice God could easily not have redeemed us – God choose to go beyond the strict letter of the law and redeem Israel as an act of grace. 12

Itoreruta d’litata is a Kabbalistic expression for human actions or prayer that inspires arousal in the divine worlds above. 13

19 Whoever speaks at length about the Exodus from Egypt is praiseworthy: The Exodus is a paradigm of divine guidance in the world. 14 There are three main areas of our lives in which we perceive divine guidance: children, lifespan and sustenance. But not all people perceive divine guidance in the same way. Some people perceive divine guidance maybe once in a long while; the rest of their lives are presumed to be a product of nature and chance. There are some who perceive divine guidance in all things and all moments: about them we have the verse in Song of Songs, “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.” About such people the Zohar says, “Just as they cleave to God, God cleaves to them.” Those who speak at length about the Exodus come to perceive divine guidance in all things. They understand that we must thank God for the forces of „natural guidance‟ – these too come from God. This is natural guidance (really a form of divine guidance) is expressed in the liturgy when we speak about God causing nightfall or fashioning the light of day. Thus when the students came to the rabbis in B’nai Brak to remind them to recite the Shema – they were really coming to remind them to give thanks to God‟s presence in natural phenomena. Similarly in the discussion regarding saying the Shema at night we are really talking about our awareness of divine guidance even in exile and alienated from God – even here we must acknowledge divine guidance. The sages agree with Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah‟s interpretation but they do not believe that it is necessary to have an extra word (kol) in the text to emphasize this. Rather we need it to teach us that even in the time of the messiah when the Exodus will become less significant than the subjugation of the other nations, we still must mention the Exodus, our paradigm of divine guidance. Once Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua…were reclining in B’nai Brak: When are we supposed to tell the story of the Exodus on Passover night: all night or just when the Seder plate is before us? There is a contradiction between this text and other texts in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature. In this incident we learn that the sages told the story of the Exodus all night long, suggesting that there is no time limit within which one is obligated to recall the Exodus. Yet elsewhere we learn that one must do so „while the Matzah and Maror are before him.‟ Further, we are told that one must consume the Afikomen by midnight suggesting that there is a time limit for telling the story of the Exodus. The time limit, however, is for the Passover sacrifice and for eating Matzah and Maror – not recalling the miracles of Passover. This story teaches us that there is no time limit for one who wishes to spend the entire night recalling the Exodus. The Haggadah emphasizes this by telling us that “One who speaks about the Exodus at length all night is praiseworthy.” The story of the Rabbis in B‟nai Brak is an illustration of this statement. Rabbi Elazar was of the opinion that the Passover sacrifice must be consumed by midnight. One might think therefore that the telling is limited to midnight as well. The Haggadah, therefore, includes Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah‟s statement even though it does not directly concern Passover. This passage has to do with the question of whether or not we have to recite the passage regarding tzitzit, fringes (Numbers 15) in the evening. By including this discussion we learn that we must mention the Exodus every night (and not just during the day) throughout the year but on Passover night, the night of the Exodus, the telling has no time limit (as it does the rest of the year). One can discuss all night long if one wishes.

  14

Hanhagah is an important concept in Kabbalistic thought. It stands for divine guidance, whether material or spiritual is accomplished by means of the Sephirot.

20

  Praised is the One who is present everywhere. Blessed is the One. Blessed is the One who gave the Torah to the people Israel. Blessed is the One. About four types of children the Torah speaks: one is wise; one is wicked; one is simple; and one does not know how to ask.

    The wise one, what does he ask? ―What are these testimonies, statutes and judgments which the Lord our God commanded you?‖ So you shall teach him all the laws of Pesach, such as, ‗One may not eat anything after the Pesach offering.‘ (Deuteronomy 6:20)

    The wicked one, what does he ask? ―What is this service to you?‖ He says ‗to you‘ not ‗to me…‘ Since he excluded himself from the community he has denied the cardinal principle of Judaism. Therefore set his teeth on edge by telling him: ―It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I went forth from Egypt.‖ ‗For me‘ and not ‗for him;‘ had he been there he would not have been redeemed. (Exodus 12:26, 13:8)

   The simple one, what does he ask? ―What is this?‖ You shall say to him, ―With a strong hand did the Lord take us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage.‖‖ (Exodus 13:14)

   And the one who does not know to ask , you must open the subject for him, as it says, ―You shall tell your child on that day, ‗It is because of that which the Lord did for me on that day when he took me out of Egypt.‘‖ (Exodus 13:8)

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Blessed is the Omnipresent, Blessed is He: God is called Hamakom, the Omnipresent, because we praise God as the One who created the world; God is called „the place of the world.‟ Lest we think that God is only God when we witness Him in the physical universe, we also say Baruch hu, Blessed is He. The term hu, he, is nistar, third person or hidden.15 God is hidden from the perspective of His essence and being. We only know God through His creation. We then say Blessed is the One who has given the Torah to His People Israel, because we come to know God through words of Torah. But since we cannot fully understand the Torah we again refer to God as Blessed is He, because the full meaning of Torah is hidden from us. Through the Torah we come to understand that we cannot really know God. This contrast of present and hidden is expressed in every blessing we refer to God in both the second and third person: as Baruch attah, Blessed are you, and as asher kidshanu, Who sanctified us. 16 We learn that we can know God from the aspect of God‟s deeds but not from the aspect of God‟s essence. What does wise child say? The hacham is not wise because he understands the reason for all the commandments; he realizes that the rationale of all the commandments can be reduced to the fact that God took us out of Egypt. Rather, he is wise because he is constantly seeking to learn new mitzvot and seeking new knowledge of the commandments that might have been hidden from him. He understands that the commandments made us worthy of redemption; Israel was redeemed from Egypt because they accepted two commandments even before the Torah was given– the Pesach offering and circumcision17. The wicked child is considered wicked because he will only observe a commandment if he knows its reason. The answer we give the wise child, then, is to teach him all the commandments until the very end of the Seder – don‟t eat after the Afikomen. We teach him all the commandments even if they are hukkim, statutes, or laws for which there is no rational explanation. The wicked child, on the other hand, asks for an explanation for the mitzvot since he will only observe the commandments if he thinks they make sense to him. We tell him that God took us out of Egypt because we accepted the commandments freely. Had he been in Egypt, he would not have accepted these commandments on faith and, therefore, he would not have been redeemed. What does the simple child say? What is this? The simple child is more impressed with the natural universe than Jewish history. He asks: What is the Exodus compared with God‟s greatness as creator of the universe? We tell this child, “God took us out with a strong hand” in order to show His true greatness. God was even willing to forgo Israel‟s just deserves in the interest of redeeming His children. This was even more difficult than creating the world! The people of Israel were not worthy of being redeemed according to the dictates of justice, so God surpassed justice! The one who does not know how to ask: This child no longer understands the ways of our ancestors or that the purpose of avoiding Hametz and eating Matzah is to teach us to avoid the evil inclination and pursue the good inclination. He is like the person who lost his faith in Egypt and became mired down by idolatry. Only when we rid ourselves of Hametz, the evil inclination, can we increase the power of holiness which Matzah symbolizes. God did this for me: It was God in His loving kindness who took me out of Egypt and helped me recover my faith. The term for the third person grammatical form is nistar. This word also means hidden. God is Hu – hidden from us. We can not truly know the full reality of God. 15

16

God is both Nochah and Nistar, present and hidden. Nochah is the grammatical term for the second person.

This is a theme that the author returns to. Israel was redeemed for observing two mitzvot – circumcision and the Pesach offering. Both involved an offering of blood and both were acts of self sacrifice to God. 17

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Another interpretation: The four children are really four groups of Jews. 1. The first group is made up of the true believers18. It includes those who have complete faith that all things come from God according to the ways of justice. This is the wise child who believes in divine justice. This child asks us about „testimonies‟ and the other types of commandments because the commandments testify that we were unworthy of God‟s redemption; God redeemed us as an act of grace. In the answer to this question we refer to the Afikomen. This is a reference to the Passover offering and a reminder that God vanquished the ram19, the symbol of the divine in Egypt. The ram is the central symbol of Passover so that the Pesach sacrifice points to the main miracle of the story. 2. The second group refers to those who believe that all bad things come from God (God forbid!) and that God created humanity to take vengeance upon him. This is like the wicked child who denies God‟s justice. He challenges the other people present by saying “what does this mean to you” – the Passover is not a symbol of God‟s compassion but another symbol of how Israel suffered. We tell him that because he sees God as cruel he would not have been redeemed from Egypt had he been there. 3. The third group refers to those who have pure faith but they cry out because they don‟t understand „why bad things happen to good people.‟ This group is like the simple child who asks “What is this?” To him we say that by learning about the story of the Exodus and our suffering we have come to true faith in God. 4. And the fourth group believes in the existence of God but does not understand the nature of divine providence. They feel that all things that happen in the world are chance. The fourth group is like the one who doesn‟t know how to ask. Because this child sees everything as pure chance and not divine providence, aht p’tah lo, “You must open” his eyes up and help him see the presence of the divine in the universe.

  18

Rabinowitz uses the word Hasidim here, though it is not clear to me if he means it in the contemporary sense of the Hasidic movement. No where in the commentary does he every quote a Hasidic leader or teaching, and in fact he quotes the Vilna Gaon, the arch rival of the Hasidic movement. See earlier comment. T’leh, the ram, is the astrological symbol during the season of Passover. It is one of the gods of Egypt. By vanquishing the ram, God allowed Israel to escape from Egypt. 19

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 One might think that the obligation to discuss the Exodus begins on the first day (of the month of Nissan.) Therefore the Torah says, ―You shall tell it to your child on that day.‖ One might have thought that ―On that day,‖ implies the day time. Therefore the Torah says, ―Because of this,‖ ―Because of this‖ implies that one must do so (tell the story of the Exodus) only at the time when the matzah and the maror are in front of you (that is on the night when the Passover sacrifice is offered.)

       Mit’heelat ovday avodah zarah hayoo avotaynu. Once our ancestors were idolaters but now the ―One who is present‖ has brought us closer to His service, as it is written: ―And Joshua said to the whole people: ―Thus said the Lord God of Israel, ‗In days of old your ancestors, even Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, dwelled on the other side of the river and worshipped other gods. But I took Abraham your father from beyond the river and I brought him to the Land of Canaan. I increased his offspring and I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. But Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.‖ (Joshua 24:2-3)

      Blessed is the One who kept His promise to Israel. Blessed is He. The Holy One calculated the end as He had said to our forefather Abraham in the Covenant of the Pieces As it is written, ―And God said to Abram, ‗You shall certainly know that Your offspring shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs And they shall be afflicted for four hundred years And the nation that enslaved them I shall judge, and afterwards they shall go forth with great wealth.‖‘ (Genesis 15:13 – 14)

24 At first our ancestors worshipped idols: This passage explains why it was necessary for Israel to undergo such suffering before the miracles of the Exodus could take place. The Jewish people began as idolaters and were a mixture of good and evil. It was necessary to separate the impurity of idolatry from the holy souls that would make up the Israelite nation. With each patriarchal generation purity and impurity were separated from one another: Ishmael was separated from Isaac and Esau from Jacob. Jacob‟s children then went down to Egypt to undergo the completion of this refining process that would make them worthy of receiving the Torah. The Haggadah says, Blessed is the One who keeps His promise…God had calculated that the end would come… that is, by the time of the Exodus, Israel was pure of the impurity of idolatry. Unfortunately the Israelites would not remain that way – they would worship the golden calf and would need to be purified through suffering yet again. So the Haggadah tells us, it is this promise…in every generation there were those who rose up against us to destroy us… In other words, others arose against Israel so that the pure souls could be separated from impurity and atone for the sinfulness of the Jewish people. Even though the people of Israel left Egypt pure, they became impure because they worshipped the golden calf. God continues to save us through suffering by using those who persecute us as a means of purification. . Another explanation: This passage may be understood through the example of a debtor and a lender. If one person is indebted to another, the debtor has no right to resent the one who comes to collect his rightful payment. If the lender is a righteous person, however, he will find ways to lessen the severity of the collection from the debtor by including in the payment any favors or deeds that the debtor does for him. The debtor may not like this but it lessens the debt. This is the meaning of the expression: God calculated when the end would come, that is God began collecting Israel‟s debt to Him from the time of Abraham on in order to lighten the payment. “God collected Israel‟s payments through many different sources.” Before the Israelites were worthy of leaving Egypt they had to complete their atonement for practicing idolatry. We can now understand why God dictated that the Israelites had to borrow silver and gold from their Egyptian neighbors rather than simply having it given to them.20 God could have influenced the Egyptians to give the silver and gold to the Israelites freely just as he forced Pharaoh to free the Israelites from Egypt. So why did God have the Israelites ask for these things rather than simply giving it to the Israelites? This was a way of misleading Pharaoh into believing that God wasn‟t really all-powerful. Pharaoh must have reasoned, if God was all-powerful, he would have taken the valuables from the Egyptians and given it to the Israelites. God mislead Pharaoh into misjudging God‟s power and pursuing the Israelites so that, they would all drown in the sea. But borrowing from the Egyptians must have been hard for the Israelites as well. Having to „borrow‟ from the Egyptians was undignified; the Israelites probably felt that they were acting deceitfully by borrowing things they weren‟t going to return. It left the Israelites with the impression that the four hundred years of their suffering had not yet come to an end. After all, God had promised them wealth when they left Egypt but said nothing about their having to beg for it. The wealth was supposed to be in payment for their years of servitude in Egypt.

20

In Genesis 15:13 we read: “Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years; but I will execute judgment on the nation they shall serve and in the end they shall go free with great wealth.” This is the debt that Israel had to pay back to God for their years of idolatry. Nothing is said here about asking or borrowing from the Egyptians.

25 The Israelites must have also thought their time of servitude was not yet over and that was why it was necessary for them to borrow the wealth from the Egyptians rather than take it. This explains why the Israelites kept threatening to go back to Egypt throughout their sojourn in the desert; they were not convinced that their four hundred years had really ended. But we have seen, it was the end of their servitude, and the purpose of the „borrowing‟ was to create a ruse for the Egypt. It was only at the sea when they collected all the booty that washed up on the shore after the Egyptians drowned that God‟s promise “they shall go free with great wealth,” was fulfilled 21. Israel‟s true liberation, then, did not take place until the Israelites stood on the shore of the Red Sea and collected the plunder. We can now understand the parable of the lender and the debtor: when God asked the Israelites to borrow silver and gold from the Egyptians, the Israelites were really paying off their debt to God by serving His greater purpose. They enticed Egypt to pursue them so that they would be punished at the sea. Also, Israel‟s willingness to borrow from the Egyptians was a sign of their complete faith in God. After all, the Israelites had reason to be fearful of the Egyptians‟ possessions. A plague had just devastated the land of Egypt and the Israel might have been afraid that the possessions of the Egyptians were infected with the plague. Yet they had such complete faith that God would protect them that they were not afraid to take possessions of the Egyptians, even though “there was no household where there was not someone dead.” This was further proof of the Israelites‟ worthiness to be redeemed from Egypt. God thought that the Israelites would not afraid to take silver and gold from the Egyptians so he posed his question in the form of a request, kah na, “Please take silver and gold...”

21

See Tanchumah B, B’shallach, 16 According to a Midrash, the Egyptian adorned themselves and their horses with gems and diamonds when they went to pursue the Israelites. They were drowned and then the precious stones and metals all washed up on the shore for the Israelites to plunder.

26

   And it is that which has sustained our ancestors and us: it wasn‘t just one who rose up against us to destroy us; rather in every generation they have arisen to destroy us but the Holy One has saved us from them.

    Come learn what Laban the Aramean sought to do to our father Jacob! Pharaoh only made a decree against the male children while Laban sought to uproot all of them, as it is written: ―An Aramean sought to destroy my father; He went down to Egypt and dwelled there few in number and there he became a great, strong and populous nation.‖ (Deut. 26:5) 

 He went down to Egypt: compelled by a divine decree.

    And he sojourned there: Jacob did not go down to settle in Egypt but merely to sojourn there. As it is said, And they said to Pharaoh, ‗To sojourn in Egypt we have come because there is no pasture for the flocks which your servants have, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now allow your servants to dwell in the land of Egypt.

  With meager numbers: As it says: ―With seventy people, your ancestors went down to Egypt and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the heaven.‖ Deut. 10:22 

 And there he became a nation: This teaches that the Israelites were distinctive there.

 

27 Great: As it says: ―And the children of Israel were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied and became very, very mighty; and the land was filled with them.‖ (Exodus 1:7)

    And populous: As it says, ―I made you more numerous as the plants of the field; you grew and developed and you came to possess great attractions: your breasts were undeveloped and your hair was beginning to grow; you were poorly clad and naked. Now when I passed by and saw you covered in blood, I said: ‗by your blood live, yea, by your blood you shall live.‘ (Ezekiel 14: 7, 6)

 The Egyptians did evil to us and afflicted us; And they imposed hard labor upon us. Deut. 26:6

   The Egyptians did evil to us: As it is said, ―Let us deal wisely with them lest they increase and if we happen to be at war they will join our enemies and fight against us and rise up from the land.‖ Exodus 1:10

   And afflicted us: As it is said, ―They set taskmasters over them in order to oppress them with their burdens; they built Pithom and Ramses.‖ Exodus 1:11

  And they placed hard labor upon us: As it is written, ―the Egyptians forced them to work ruthlessly.‖ Exodus 1:13

28 It is that which stood by our ancestors and by us: The words, It is that is a reference to the story of the Exodus. This story has strengthened our faith in God throughout the ages. They have risen to destroy us,‟ the word destroy has the connotation to make us forget our faith in God. By recalling the miracles in Egypt and the greatness of God, it is as if God has performed these miracles anew each time and has saved us from the hands of our enemies. Go and learn what Laban the Aramean wanted to do to our forefather, Jacob: What did Laban do to our forefather to make him deserving of such a statement? Was he worse than Pharaoh? Laban wanted to corrupt Jacob and his family by getting them to worship idols. While Pharaoh wanted to kill the male children, Laban wanted to corrupt the entire nation! Therefore, He went down to Egypt, compelled by the divine word: God compelled the Israelites to go down to Egypt, the hot bed of idolatry and wizardry, so that the whole world would see the signs and wonders that God performed and come to the realization that even Egypt could not stand up against the power of God. They went down to sojourn there: (And not to remain in Egypt). They only needed to be there until the time came when the world would see God‟s signs to the Egyptians. Few in number: With seventy souls our ancestors went down to Egypt: “God collects Israel‟s payments from many different sources.” The main purpose of Jacob‟s descent into Egypt was to show the world the greatness of God and so that they would come to God from the four corners of the earth. The world would see that Israel went down to Egypt as a small band of people and miraculously they became a mighty nation. God rewarded Israel for helping the world to see this. In Egypt the Israelite nation grew both in stature and in numbers. How did this happen? Israel remained a distinctive nation in Egypt through their practices: they circumcised their young, observed the Sabbath, and never stopped learning about their ancestors. This is what the Haggadah means when it says that “the Israelites were distinctive there.” They were great in stature, and mighty and strong22 in number. And many: I will make you as many as the plants of the field: Commenting on the words “And many” in Deuteronomy 26:5, the Haggadah quotes two verses, Ezekiel 16:7 and 16:6 23 that teach us about the Exodus from Egypt. I let you grow like the plants of the field: Just as vegetation receives nutrients from the earth, so has God prepared two stones for you from which you can suckle, as it is written in Deuteronomy 32:13: “He fed them honey from a crag and oil from a flinty stone24.” And you did increase: in numbers. And grew great: in quality. They grew in stature and in number. They had many children and received both glory and greatness. And you came to excellent beauty: You left Egypt with silver and gold. None of this was for the service that you provided to the Egyptians while you were in their land. Until your breasts became firm: The two breasts represent Moses and Aaron, or possible they are an allusion to the two crowns that they received at Mount Sinai, na’aseh v’nishma, “We will do” and “we will listen25.” The people, however, were no better than the Egyptians – both were idolaters. 22 23 24

All three of these words are used in Exodus 26:5. The commentary offers the conventional Midrashic interpretation of these verses: The two stones here are a symbol of the two tablets of the Ten Commandments.

29 and your hair grew; hair is a symbol of the luxuries and extravagances which the people craved while they were in Egypt. yet you were naked and bare. You lacked in any wisdom or commandments. Therefore I gave you two commandments to fulfill so you would become worthy of being redeemed. And when I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood I said to you: In your blood, live. This is the blood of circumcision. Yea, I said unto you: In your blood, live. This refers to the blood of the Passover offering. “You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captured my heart with one of your eyes, with one coil of your necklace.” (Song of Songs 4:9) Rabbi Rabinowitz applies this verse to the Exodus of Egypt in a lengthy analysis of this verse. He explains that there were two evil inclinations that Israel had to overcome in Egypt: one was the inclination for sexual immorality and the other was the inclination toward idolatry. Israel had overcome the first inclination but not the second. They finally accomplished this through the two commandments which they observed in Egypt and this is what made them worthy of redemption. How did Israel overcome idolatry and „capture the heart‟ of God? They did so by fulfilling two mitzvot, circumcision and the Passover offering. That is why the expression “capture the heart‟ is repeated twice. While people often perform good deeds with an interest in the reward they will receive, Israel performed these two commandments without any personal interest. These commandments involved a complete personal sacrifice on their part. First the Israelites underwent circumcision which left them in a weakened state so they could not defend themselves, and then they sacrificed the Passover offering enraging the Egyptians who revered the lamb and who might try to kill them. The Israelites did this without any concern for their own well being. God is said to have two eyes – one is for the quality of justice and the other for the quality of compassion. By acting in this fashion, Israel looked to God for His compassion and not for their just deserve; they looked to God with one eye as the verse says. Finally it was through the leadership of Moses that Israel was willing to do this. According to the Midrash, when the people smelled the Passover sacrifice of Moses (it had the aroma of the Garden of Eden) they all demanded that they be circumcised so that they could eat the Passover sacrifice. And who circumcised them – none other than Moses!

25

These are the two expressions which Israel used to show their acceptance of the Torah. The fact that they said we will do before they said we will listen showed their willingness to observe the laws of the Torah

30 And when I passed by and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you: In your blood, live. Yea, I said unto you: In your blood, live: This statement is based on a passage in the Mechilta which asks why, in Exodus, Chapter 12, the Torah emphasizes the „taking‟ of the Passover sacrifice before the offering of the sacrifice. Obviously the people had to take the offering before they could sacrifice it! Rabbi Matya ben Heresh quotes Ezekiel 16:8, “I passed by you and saw that your time for love had arrived…” This means that the time had come to fulfill God‟s promise to Abraham, but Israel did not have enough commandments to make them worthy of redemption. God, therefore, gave Israel two commandments and God also told them set aside the lamb four days before it was sacrificed. It was through their actions that they became worthy of reward (and by setting aside the lamb four days early the people showed their intention to sacrifice it). Yet elsewhere we learn that Israel did have other commandments to their credit. Rabbi Elazar Hakafar taught that Israel performed four mitzvot in Egypt: they were not suspected of sexual immorality, they did not gossip, they did not change their language or their names. Why, then, was it necessary to have two more mitzvot so the Israelites would be worthy of redemption? The reason why the extra two mitzvot of circumcision and the Passover offering were necessary has to do with a law regarding the status of a priest. If a kohen worships idols or bows down to an idol, he can never participate in the temple service again. While the Talmud says that repentance can transform a willful act (zadon) into inadvertent sin (sh’gagah)26, the kohen is judged as a sinner and cannot participate in the Temple service again. Only if we can show his repentance to be completely sincere and out of love for God (and not out of selfinterest) is his sin completely removed from him. But since we cannot know what is in a person‟s conscience, we can never know whether his repentance was sincere or simply convenient so he is disqualified from the priestly service. We can now understand the reason for the extra two mitzvot that the Israelites were given before they left Egypt. The Israelites had worshipped idols – how could they now offer the Passover sacrifice? What is more they had not observed any positive commandments. The four mitzvot that they had already observed were all negative injunctions. These commandments were proof that Israel feared God but they did not prove that Israel loved God. They were, therefore, given two more mitzvot that were positive commandments which proved that they truly had abandoned idolatry and were prepared to devote themselves entirely to God even if it involved considerable self-sacrifice. By circumcising themselves, the Israelites were in a weakened state and could not defend themselves. By then setting aside the lamb for the Passover sacrifice they were showing the Egyptians that they were prepared to sacrifice their sacred animal – if the Egyptians became furious with the Israelites, Israel would not be able to defend themselves. These positive commandments were an expression of absolute love for and loyalty toward God. They were also a proof that Israel‟s repentance was repentance out of love rather than repentance out of fear of God. It also proved that they were now worthy of participating in the service of the divine.

There are two types of transgressions: zadon/zedonot, or willful acts of transgression, and sh’gagah/sh’gagot, or inadvertent acts of transgression. If an act is committed inadvertently, the transgressor must still bring a special offer, though the sin is not considered to be as serious as a zadon, a willful transgression. 26

31 We can now understand why Moses commands the people to set aside and also to take the Passover lamb. It wasn‟t simply enough for the people to have a lamb. They had to publicly take the lamb so that people would witness their repudiation of idolatry. The lamb would make much noise and it would be apparent to everyone that they had taken it for a sacrifice. This would arouse the Egyptians to kill the Israelites and, therefore, the Israelites actions would truly be self-sacrifice. Also the smell of the roasting meat would waft through the neighborhood so everyone would know what the Israelites were doing. The Israelites would have been convinced that the Egyptians would certainly want to kill them. Their willingness to risk martyrdom would certainly make them worthy of redemption. This also explains why the circumcision was also necessary. Without recovering from their circumcision the Israelites might have believed they could defend themselves. Now that they were in a weakened state they realized that they were totally dependent upon God. Prior to their circumcision they might have reasoned that the Egyptians had been weakened by the plagues – now they were weakened by the circumcision so that they were dependent upon God. The Egyptians dealt ill with us and afflicted us: We now return to the original statement illustrating how our „enemies rose up against us to destroy us.” Egyptians rose up against to make us look like evil sinners.27 The proof text is, “Let us deal wisely with him lest they become great.” Pharaoh wanted to destroy Israel because he was afraid that Israel would become mighty, not just physically but spiritually. Everything that the Egyptians did, then, was to weaken the Israelites and not necessarily to strengthen the Egyptians. For instance Pharaoh did not assign new tasks to the Israelites to make more bricks because they wanted bricks but to weaken the Israelite nation. They oppressed him: The Torah says, vayaseemu alav, that they placed task masters “over him” and not over them. Pharaoh went out into the fields with the Israelites and worked very hard so the Israelites would join in the tasks assigned by the task masters. Seeing this, Pharaoh then told the Israelites that they had to produce this same amount of bricks every day. B’fareh: They assigned rigorous work to the Israelites – they not only had to do the kings work, but the task masters made them do their work as well. And they also switched men‟s work with women‟s work so that the work was demoralizing.

 27

The Hebrew here “dealt ill” vayaray’u can also be understood, “they made us look evil.”

32

 ―We cried to the Lord, God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our burden and our oppression.‖ Deuteronomy 26:7



   We cried out to the Lord, God of our ancestors -- as it said, ―Some time after that the King of Egypt died; The children of Israel groaned because of the bondage and they cried out. Their cry because of the bondage rose up to God.‖ Exodus 2:23

  And the Lord heard our voice - as it said, ―And God heard their sigh and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.‖ Exodus 2:24

  And He saw our affliction – This refers to forced separation of couples. As it said, ―God saw the children of Israel and God knew.‖ Exodus 2:24

  And our burden – This refers to the boys, as it is said, ―Every newborn male you shall cast into the river, but every daughter shall live.‖ Exodus 1:22 

  And our oppression – This refers to the persecution, as it is said, ―And I also saw the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them.‖ Exodus 3:9

  ―And the Lord took them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with awesome power, signs and wonder.‖ (Deuteronomy 26:8)



33

    And the Lord took them out – Not by means of an angel, nor by means of a Seraph (fiery being), nor by means of a messenger but by means of the Holy One through His own glory, as it is said, ―And I shall pass through the Land of Egypt on this night and I shall smite the first born in the Land of Egypt from man to beast and I will exact judgment against all the gods of Egypt, I am the Lord.‖ (Exodus 12:12)



   And I shall pass through the Land of Egypt on this night – Not by means of an angel. And I shall smite the first born in the Land of Egypt from man to beast. Nor by means of a fiery being. And I will exact judgment against all the gods of Egypt, I am the Lord - I am the one and not a messenger. I am the Lord – and not another.

  With a mighty hand – This refers to the plague of pestilence, as it is said, ―Behold the hand of the Lord shall strike your cattle which are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds and the flocks with a severe pestilence.‖ (Exodus 9:3)  

  With an outstretched arm - This refers to the sword, as it is said, ―And His sword shall be drawn in His outstretched arm over Jerusalem.‖ (1 Chronicles 21:16)

    

With awesome power – This is the revelation of the Divine Presence, as it is said, ―Has God ventured to go and take for Himself one nation from the midst of another by prodigious acts, by signs and wonders, by war by a mighty outstretched arm and awesome power as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes.‖ (Deuteronomy 4:34)

34 We cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors: “One who depends upon his own merit in the end will be dependent upon the merit of others, and one who depends upon the merit of others will be saved because of his own merit.” This aphorism explains why our ancestors cried out to the God of their ancestors. They knew that they were lacking in commandments and needed to depend upon the merit of their forefathers. Yet God would redeem them because of their own merit. What does scripture say? God heard our voice; that is He answers us because of our own merit, that is, the merit of our ancestors. A long time after that the king of Egypt died. The Israelites were groaning under the bondage and cried out; and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God….God remembered His covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. God looked upon the Israelites and God took note of them: “There can be no arousal above without there first being an arousal from below.” God could not come down to redeem Israel until they cried out to God from below to arouse the divine powers above. During the long years of slavery, Israel was not allowed to cry out or pray to God. Pharaoh assigned task masters over the Israelites so that they would not cry out to God. These verses, then, explain how the Israelites finally were able to cry out to God. When Pharaoh died and the entire nation was crying over the death of their leader, Israel joined in the crying. The Egyptians could not know if they were crying for the death of Pharaoh or because of their own suffering. God, however, knows what is in a person‟s inner heart, and so the Torah tells us that God took note of them. He knew the real cause of Israel‟s tears. God can see what is in the heart of each person and what people cannot even see in one another. The verses above present us with a question. The Torah says that God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If Israel was worthy being redeemed because of God‟s covenant with our forefathers, why did God have to wait until the people cried out to Him to redeem them? Furthermore, why was it necessary to mention the Patriarchs by name; the Torah could have said God remembered His covenant with their forefathers. To answer these questions, we must analyze several earlier verses in Exodus chapter three. Earlier God said to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham…” (Exodus 3:6). Yet when Moses asks, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them, „the God of your fathers has sent me to you‟ and they ask me, „what is His name...‟ what shall I say to them,‟ God says that His name is Eheyeh asher Eheyeh. What is the connection between this name and redemption, especially since God has already identified Himself as the God of their ancestors? Rabbi Rabinowitz now offers a lengthy explanation of the following Midrash: When Jacob was about to die he called his children to his bedside to tell them what was about to happen. But when he did the divine presence left him and he could not reveal the future to them. When his sons realized that he was fearful that this was because they were unworthy, they said to him: “Hear O Israel (our father) the Lord (the God of the attribute of Compassion) is Our God (the God of the attribute of Justice)28 the Lord is One!!” Responding to this, Jacob quietly said. “Blessed is His glorious name forever and ever!” It seems strange that Moses would leave out part of the words of Jacob in the Torah. We have Shema Yisrael but we don‟t find Baruch shem kevod…in the Torah. There is another well known Midrash in which we find a similar example. We learn that while Moses referred to God as ha’el hagadol hagibor v’hanora, the prophets of later generations abbreviated the way we praise God.

28

In Kabbalistic thought, the four letter name of God YHVH is associated with compassion and the name Elohaynu is associated with judgment.

35 Jeremiah, upon witnessing the destruction of the Temple said we cannot refer to God as gibor, as mighty, after He allowed his Temple to be destroyed. Daniel said we cannot call God nora, awesome, considering that we witnessed his enemies dancing in the Holy of Holies? It was the Men of the Great Assembly29 who restored God‟s praise to its original form. Yet how could Daniel and Jeremiah minimize the praise of God, especially since these expressions were originally established by Moses? Jeremiah and Daniel did not mean to say that God was less praiseworthy or undeserving of our praise. They recognized that one can only speak about God truthfully, based on one‟s experience. They believed that praise of God must be sincere and honest. One cannot praise God for something that one did not personally witness even if it is true. So, given the events of their generation, they did not believe that Jews could praise God in this way without sounding like one is flattering God and insincere. The Men of the Great Assembly, on the other hand, understood that God‟s greatness is more subtle. God‟s greatness and awesomeness is present not only in what God does, but in how God refrains from action, In Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers, we learn, “Who is mighty? One who conquers his own inclination.” God could easily have destroyed Israel‟s enemies; they were nothing more than an ant in His presence. The fact that God withheld His might and allowed them to destroy His Temple and persecute His people was a sign of God‟s might. God “conquered His own inclination.” Jeremiah, then, did not wish to minimize the praise of God. He recognized that if Israel called God „mighty‟ they would then have doubts because they would ask, “If God is mighty why do the wicked prosper and why are the ways of the workers of treachery at ease?” God “would be present in their mouth but far from their thoughts.” Jeremiah removed the word gibor from Israel‟s liturgical language so that it would not lead the people astray. 30 We can now understand another Talmudic discussion31 concerning the ashrai, Psalm 145. Why is there no verse beginning with the letter nun in the ashrai?32 The Talmud says this verse was left out because of the biblical verse, “The virgin of Israel has fallen, never to arise,” which begins with the word naflah, (Amos 5:2). The sages singled out this verse even though there are others that begin with a nun, because it is implied by the samech verse which should follow it in the ashrai: “God raises up all who fall down…” Also the mem verse which precedes it, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom…” suggests that God‟s kingdom will last forever. The downfall of Israel and the destruction of the temple might lead one to think that God‟s words were unfulfilled. David therefore left the nun verse out so as not to give that impression. This is yet another example of a place where we silence praise rather than cause doubt by saying things that would appear to be untrue or unfulfilled. Actually, as in the verse from Jeremiah above, the downfall of Israel is a sign of God‟s might – since God withholds His strength to allow justice to be done.

29

The anshei kenest hagedolah, the Men of the Great Assembly, were the sages who after the return to Zion, established much of Judaism as we now think of it. According to the Talmud, they were responsible for much of our liturgy as we now have it. 30

See Jeremiah Chapter 12. Rabbi Rabinowitz offers a lengthy analysis of these verses showing that Jeremiah is not denying God‟s greatness but trying to protect God‟s greatness in the minds of the people. 31

See Berachot

32

Psalm 145, part of the daily liturgy. It is an alphabetical acrostic, but there is no verse for the letter nun.

36 Just as God‟s power is hidden in our time of exile, we too must learn how to give expression to the presence of God as Daniel, Jeremiah and the Men of the Great Assembly did and as our ancestors did during the Egyptian exile. In the time of the Patriarchs, God‟s glory was revealed to the whole world. But when the Israelites went down to Egypt, God‟s glory was hidden. That is why Jacob was fearful about going to Egypt. He was not fearful of the suffering that his family would face. Jacob lovingly accepted that this was part of Israel‟s destiny (God had already told Abraham that Israel would be enslaved.) Rather, Jacob was fearful that during times of compassion and divine grace it was easy to affirm the existence of God; in exile and times of judgment, it would be much harder to affirm God. Jacob was afraid that Israel would not be able to understand the presence of God as the Men of the Great Assembly did. That is why his sons said Shema Yisrael… They said, “Listen father Jacob - We know that God is one in times of compassion and in times of judgment. God‟s glory is the same for us no matter what. God‟s name will always be ONE! We will always see God as ha’el hagadol hagibor v’hanorah as the Men of the Great Assembly suggested. Only then could Jacob say, “Blessed is God‟s name of glory forever – for now I can see that you will continue to see God‟s glory and that God‟s name is ONE!” the words Baruch shem kavod then were meant to be an affirmation of Israel‟s faith in God. So why did Moses leave out Jacob‟s words of praise out of the Torah? While Jacob saw through prophecy that his children would affirm their faith in God even in times of judgment in Egypt, Moses at the end of his life had a different prophetic vision. He realized that during the times of the judges and beyond Israel would be unfaithful to God and that God would allow Israel to be turned over to the forces of the other nations. Therefore, Moses held back from including the words, Baruch shem kavod in the Torah. How could he offer words of praise that God‟s glory would be “forever and ever?” During the time of the Men of the Great Assembly the sages saw that the fourth33 exile would be long and difficult. They did not know if the people would be like the generation of Jacob or that of Moses – so they said we should say the words Baruch shem kavod, but we should do so silently. In this way the sages hoped to open the people‟s eyes to the presence of God both in times of compassion and in times of judgment. Returning to the question of how God identifies himself to Moses in Exodus Chapter 3. The three adjectives used to describe God -- hagadol, great; hagibor, mighty; and nora, awesome -- were developed by the three patriarchs. Abraham came to call God hagadol because he saw the greatness of God in the universe. Isaac called god hagibor because he experienced God‟s might at the Akedah. And Jacob who said mah norah hamakom hazeh,34 “How awesome is this place,” came to call God nora. When God identified Himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, He was really identifying himself by these three attributes. Moses, however, was reluctant to identify God by these attributes. Egypt was a place of darkness and he did not want to use these characteristics to describe God since the people hadn‟t experienced God in these ways. That is why Moses asks God how he should identify Him. God answers, “I am what I am.” In other words, God says, “I am always the same Being no matter when or where you experience me. You must experience Me with open eyes for the manifestation of God‟s might and greatness are changing in the world but God is One. I am the One God.”

33

the other three exiles were Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia

34

See Genesis 28:17, when Jacob awakes from a dream to the realization that he is in a holy place.

37 The Egyptians, on the other hand, did not believe God was all powerful. After all, if God was, why hadn‟t He redeemed Israel in all these years? Now that the time of revelation had come God chose to reveal Himself incrementally and not all at once so that they would come to recognize God‟s power. God hoped that by doing this the Egyptians would recognize the error of their ways and would turn in repentance and be healed of sin. This is the meaning of the expression, “I will harden the heart of Pharaoh.” God said, “By revealing Myself to Pharaoh and his nation incrementally, Pharaoh will delude himself into believing that God is not powerful enough to save Israel.” As a result of God‟s actions Pharaoh‟s heart was hardened because he thought God couldn‟t redeem his people. Actually, it was God‟s intention to deal with Egypt compassionately. He was trying to give them the opportunity to repent without having to kill the Egyptians. Only those who were so sinful that they refused to see God‟s power would become even more hard hearted and fail. God understood that this would happen but he left the possibility of repentance through incremental miracles and wonders in Egypt. God saw our affliction: the disruption of family life: There are three ways in which the Egyptians tried to stop the Israelites from having children. This was Pharaoh‟s intention when he said, “Let us deal wisely with them.” (Exodus 1:10) First he did so by commissioning the midwives to kill the male children. Then he did so by decreeing that all the male children should be thrown in the Nile; and finally he did so by ruthlessly forcing the Israelites to work so that they were too tired to have children. He made them work day and night so that they never slept and were never with their wives. When the men learned of Pharaoh‟s decree, they separated themselves from their wives – this is what „God saw.‟ Our toil: this refers to the children: The main reason that a person toils in the ways of God is to make sure that his legacy is passed on to his children. This is what the Bible says regarding Abraham: “For I have singled him out that he may instruct his children and his posterity after him to keep the way of the Lord…” (Genesis 18:19) Abraham did not worry about his positions but about passing on his beliefs to his children. This is what most people worry about –teaching their children the holy way of God. That is why we pray, “Let us not labor for emptiness (lareek) nor allow our children to suffer confusion.” The word reek has the gemartria of 310. One who raises God-fearing and righteous children will inherit 310 worlds. 35 The opposite of such children is reek, emptiness. Pharaoh wanted to subjugate the children of Israel so that they would not grow up to be God-fearing people. By killing the children, Pharaoh wanted to destroy Israel‟s hope. The Lord took us out of Egypt: and not by an angel, etc: The heavenly forces which inhabit the universe are not like the forces of God. They are controlled by God. They were created complete just as they are. Nothing can be added or taken away from them. Also, they do not distinguish between good and evil. If they are sent to a nation or a city to destroy, they cannot distinguish between the people they destroy. God, on the other hand, when he acts in the world, distinguishes between the good and the bad. We see this in the case of the plagues: “But the Lord distinguished between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of the Egyptians” (Exodus 9:4) and “God did not let the destroyer enter your houses to cause a plague…” (Exodus 12:23) From this we can see that the plagues were an act of God and not an act of the natural or the heavenly forces of the universe – neither an angel or a Seraph, etc.

35

I am not sure what the significance of the number 310 is. Written in Hebrew characters it is shin and yud, or shy, which is the Hebrew word for gift. Could it be that good children are a gift while children who defy the basic values we teach them make our lives our lives seem empty?

38 In this way God made known that no other force in the world has His sovereignty. God was willing to do this out of love for Israel even though Egypt was not a worthy place for His glory to dwell. It was a land filled with idolatry and impurity. Since God is the creator of all things he can establish all things or destroy them. Our affliction…our toil….our pressure… Why does the Haggadah mention these three forms of oppression? They represent three forms of oppression which confuse a person and alienate him from His creator. Were it not for the Torah and good deeds which the Israelites continued to live by, they would have gone astray after idols. Israel‟s connection to God is reflected in four commandments: they did not change their names or their language; they refused to indulge in sexual perversion; and they didn‟t spread gossip. Each form of oppression could have caused them to go astray but they resisted. Even though the Egyptians oppressed them and took their wealth, the Israelites did not deny the existence of God. (Poverty causes people to lose their faith.) God saw our affliction refers to the disruption of family life. Despite this, the Israelites did not indulge in sexual immorality. Our toil refers to corruption of the children. Despite this, the Israelites refused to give up their Hebrew names or language, or deny their Jewish identity. Our pressure; despite the Egyptian oppression the Israelites continued to contemplate the qualities of the Holy One. Because of this God wanted to reward them commensurate with their action. He set aside His own glory and personally went down to Egypt, as it says, “I and not an angel.” I passed through the land of Egypt on this night, “I am the Lord and not another.” With an outstretched arm: this is the sword, as it is written, “And a drawn sword in His hand stretched out over Jerusalem”: What made the first born of Egypt worthy of being killed the Holy One and not by one of God‟s heavenly destroyers? Rather, it must be that they were killed by God‟s sword and not by the Holy One Himself. The Bible says, “David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in His hand directed against Jerusalem.” (I Chronicles 21:16) If they died at the hands of an angel all the more so did the Egyptians!

39

  

With signs – This refers to the staff, as it is written, ―Take this staff in your hand that you may perform signs with it.‖ (Exodus 4:17)





And wonders – This refers to the blood, as it is written ―I shall place wonders in the heavens and on the earth…‖ As we recite each of these three expressions we remove a bit of wine from our cup with a finger or by pouring it from the cup.

Blood, fire and columns of smoke.‖

(Joel 3:3)

  Another explanation: With a mighty hand: two (plagues); an outstretched arm: two (plagues); with great terror: two (plagues); with signs: two (plagues); and with wonders: two (plagues).



 

    These are the ten plagues, which the Holy One brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt. They are: Blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, pestilence, boils, hail, locust, darkness, the death of the first born.

40 With a mighty hand: the cattle plague…With an outstretched arm: the sword…with great terror: the revelation of the divine presence…with signs: the rod…with wonders the blood: The commentators struggled to understand why only two plagues were singled out from all the wonders that took place in Egypt. The first fruit passage is an expression of gratitude; it is expressed not by mentioning the bad things that happened to others but by mentioning those places where God singled out Israel from Egypt. This only took place in those cases where the Egyptians and the Israelites were together in the same place and God singled out the Egyptians for punishment and spared the Israelites. One place where the Torah explicitly tells us that this happened is the cattle plague. The Torah states, “The Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and the livestock of the Egyptians so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites.” (Exodus 9:4) Even though the livestock of the Egyptians and the Israelites were in the same place, the livestock of the Egyptians died but not that of the Israelites. The same is true in the case of the tenth plague: God singled out the homes of the Israelites from those of the Egyptians 36 In all the other cases the Torah is not explicit in saying that the Israelites and the Egyptians were in close proximity. Having mentioned these plagues, the Haggadah now speaks about the other ways in which God showed the Israelites favor: He did so by revealing His presence, through the wonder of Moses‟ rod, and through „the blood.‟ Each of these was a wonder that God told Moses to show the Israelites so that they would be convinced of God‟s power.37 By turning his staff into a snake, making his arm become leprous and then turning some water from the Nile into blood in the presence of the Israelites, they would become convinced of God‟s power. In the end Moses did not perform the wonder of the leprous arm since this was meant to be a warning to Moses not to slander against the people of Israel. The reference to blood is not a reference to the plague of blood but the suggestion by God to turn some water into blood for the people of Israel.

How We Count the Plagues Mighty hand: two plagues; outstretched arm: two plagues, etc… It makes no sense to suggest that each expression in this verse refers to two plagues just because each one is made up of two words. First, we already know that there were ten plagues so what does this add to our understanding of the plagues; and second, the words in each of these expressions make no sense by themselves. They cannot separate from one another, so how can we say that each word refers to a different plague? The word yad, hand, and the word hazakah, mighty, are interconnected. Rather, each of the five expressions in this verse mighty hand, outstretched arm, great terror, signs, and wonders - refers to a pair of plagues that have something in common with one another: 1. The first two plagues were performed by a Mighty Hand: Blood and frogs were both performed when Aaron raised his hand. In the case of blood, God told Aaron to raise his hand over the river and to smite it, and, in the case of frogs, he stretched his arm over the land and smote it.

36 37

The sword is a reference to the tenth plague.

See Exodus 4. God gives Moses several wonders to use if the people do not believe that God had sent him to redeem them from slavery. The wonder in which he turns his staff into a snake is later repeated for Pharaoh, and the blood becomes the first of the plagues.

41 2. An outstretched arm refers to the plagues of hail and darkness. Each of these two plagues took place when an arm was outstretched toward heaven. See Exodus 9:22, and 10:21; in each of these verses the Torah uses the expression “Hold out your hand toward heaven.” 3. Great terror refers to the plagues of locust and the death of the first born. In the case of these two plagues, Pharaoh summons Moses because he is so terrified by these plagues. They were a great terror to him. 4. Signs refers to the plagues of mixed wild animals and the cattle disease. Both of these plagues were a sign because God distinguished between the Israelites and the Egyptians, so that it was a sign of God‟s great power. In the case of the mixture, the Torah says, “But on that day I will set apart the region of Goshen …and I will make a distinction…tomorrow this sign shall come to pass.” Since the cattle disease also involved a distinction, it was also a sign. 5. Wonders refers to those plagues which the Egyptians could not perform: the plague of lice and the plague of boils. There is another way of interpreting this passage. The plagues served a double purpose: first they were meant to publicize the greatness of God, and second they were meant to punish the Egyptians for their oppression of the Israelites. The plagues should be paired up. One was for the sake of God and the other for the sake of the Israelites. Detzach, adash, ba’ahav: The plagues are divided into three groupings, each of which illustrated a different aspect of God‟s nature. Detzach: The first three plagues are associated with the river and the land because wisdom was associated with these aspects of Egypt. By the third plague, even the magicians of Egypt were saying that these plagues were “the finger of God,” proving that all wisdom comes from God and not from the Nile or the land. By the fourth plague, mixtures (arov), the creatures of the land and sea were all mixed up proving that God controlled them and not the gods of Egypt. Adash: The second grouping of plagues showed Egypt the good will of God. During each of these plagues God distinguished between the Egyptians and Israelites showing that he not only caused the plague but had the ability to protect those He wished to protect. Even though Israel deserved to be punished, God withheld his wrath from the Israelites. Ba’ahav: During these plagues we witnessed that God was all powerful. During the plague of hail, the Torah says, “In order that you may know that there is none like Me.” (Exodus 9:14) The hail was a combination of fire and ice so that it contradicted the laws of nature. The next plague was locusts: even though these creatures were tiny, they were able to wage God‟s war against Egypt. Darkness also contradicted nature – it was so dark that a person couldn‟t even get up from his place. And the final plague proved God‟s all powerful ability – God can do whatever He desires.

42

Another way to understand these groupings is that each group served a different purpose. One group was to declare God‟s greatness, one to punish His enemies, and one to redeem Israel from slavery. Detzach: During the first two plagues it was shown that the Nile was not god, and during the third plague the magicians said, “It is the finger of God,” meaning that they were convinced of God‟s greatness. Adash: During the second group, the Egyptians were punished for the treatment of the Israelites. The plague of mixed animals was a punishment for mixing up the work of the Israelite men and women. The Egyptians tried to demoralize the Israelites by making the men do women‟s work and the women do men‟s work. Since they forced the Israelites to search the fields for straw, he punished the livestock with pestilence. And for beating the Israelites, he struck their bodies with boils. Ba’ahav: They treated us harshly, so he struck the land with hail. He struck the land with locusts because they were not appreciative of the blessings Joseph brought to the land of Egypt. He caused darkness so that the Israelites could search the Egyptian homes and find all their treasures before they asked for them. And the final plague, the death of the first born was caused so the Egyptians would send the Israelites away with all their wealth. 38

God is Great Mighty and Awesome Another explanation of Detzach, adash, ba’achav: When we praise God, we say that God is ha’el hagadol, hagibor, v’hanora: God is a great, mighty and awesome God. We divide the plagues into three groups so that each subset refers to God by each one of these adjectives. The first letter of each grouping is for hagadol, great, because He can do great and marvelous acts. The second letter is for hagibor, mighty, because there is no place where God isn‟t found and the entire world is full of His glory. The third letter is for hanora, awesome, because there is no one who is God‟s equal who can undo that which God decreed. Hagadol – Great: God‟s greatness is characterized by three attributes that are reflected in these three plagues. First, God can perform great and wonderful deeds. Second, there is no place from which God is absent and even the smallest items can reflect His presence. Third, there is no one or no being that can prevent God‟s decrees.

After the tenth plague the Israelites asked “to borrow” silver and gold from the Egyptians. The Egyptians were so afraid that they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for! 38

43 1. Blood - Plague number 1 – The fact that God can turn plain water into blood is reflection of His greatness. 2. Mixed animals - Plague number 4 – The fact that God could separate the land of Goshen from the rest of Egypt is a sign that God “is present in the land.” 3. Hail - Plague number 7 – During this plague God said that it was proof “that there is none like Me in all the earth.” Therefore, this plague was a sign that none could prevent God‟s decree. Hagibor – mighty: The second letter in the three mnemonics symbolizes the fact that God is mighty. The word gibor means mighty, but also valiant or warrior. A gibor is someone who knows how use all types of weapons in battle, because if he can only use one type he might be forced to use an unfamiliar weapon. Still, he is valiant and still succeeds. He also knows how to create military strategy and to plan an attack. 1. Frogs - Plague number 2 – God showed Himself to be a gibor because He could fight a battle with something as insignificant as a bunch of frogs. 2. Pestilence - Plague number 5 – God was able to prove that He was capable of subduing His enemies and killing them. 3. Locusts - Plague number 8 – The locust was like a great army which God organized to attack the Egyptians. Hanora – awesome: The third letter in each mnemonic is an example that God is awesome. First, something is awesome when the cause of the phenomenon is unknown (it is mysterious); second, because even if the cause is known it is not sufficient to explain the extent of the phenomenon; and third, if the phenomenon caused two opposite characteristics, it is even more mysterious and awesome. 1. Lice - Plague number 3 – The plague of lice was so mysterious that the magicians of Egypt responded to it by saying, “It is the finger of God.” While they were able to replicate the earlier plagues, they did not know the cause of this one. 2. Boils - Plague number 6 – This plague took place by taking some ash from an oven and throwing it into the sky. But how does one explain how a bit of ash could have such a devastating affect upon all of Egypt? 3. Darkness - Plague number 9 - While the Egyptians experienced darkness, the Israelite, who was standing right next to him, could see light. In other words, two opposite phenomena occurred from the plague at the same time. As a result the Israelites were able to enter the homes of the Egyptians and see while the Egyptians were blinded by the darkness. The Death of the First Born: This plague contained all three characteristics; it was great, mighty and awesome. 1. God’s greatness was reflected in the fact that God could distinguish between those who were born a firstborn and those who weren‟t. Second, God could even distinguish between Egyptians who hid out in Israelite homes during the tenth plague and the Israelites. 2. God’s might is reflected in the tenth plague since it took a mere second to strike down the firstborn. 3. God is awesome: Because the Egyptians were terrified by the tenth plague it is a sign of God‟s awesomeness.

44

       Rabbi Yosi the Galilean said: How do we know that the Egyptians were struck by ten plagues in Egypt and by fifty plagues at the sea? What does it say (concerning the plagues) in Egypt? The magicians said to Pharaoh: ―It is the finger of God!‖ (Exodus 8:15) And concerning the sea what does it say: Israel saw the great hand which the Lord wrought in Egypt and the people feared the Lord and they believed in the Lord and in Moses His servant.‖ (Exodus 14:31) How many plagues did He strike with a finger? Ten plagues. From this we may conclude that if they struck Egypt with ten plagues then at the sea they must have stuck the Egyptians with fifty plagues.

      Rabbi Eliezer said: How do we know that each plague that the Holy One brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was really equivalent to four plagues? As it said, ―And He sent against them His burning anger: wrath, indignation, trouble, and messengers of evil.‖ (Psalms 78:49) Wrath is one. Indignation is two. Trouble is three. And ―messengers of evil‖ is four. From this you may conclude, there were forty plagues in Egypt and two hundred plagues by the sea.  

      Rabbi Akiva said: How do we know that each plague that the Holy One brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was really equivalent to five plagues? As it said, ―And He sent against them His burning anger: wrath, indignation, trouble, and messengers of evil.‖ (Psalms 78:49) His burning anger is one. Wrath is two. Indignation is three. Trouble is four. And ―messengers of evil‖ is five. From this you may conclude, fifty plagues in Egypt and two hundred and fifty plagues by the sea.

45

:‫כַמָ ה מַ עֲלוֹת טוֹבוֹת לַמָ קוֹם עָ לֵינו‬ God has bestowed many favors upon us. :‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫יאנו ִמ ִמ ְיצ ַריִ ם‬ ָ ָֽ ‫ִאּלו הו ִֹצ‬ ,‫וְ ֹלא עָ ָשה בָ ֶהם ְשפָ ִטים‬

Had He brought us out of Egypt, and not executed judgments against the Egyptians, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

‫ִאּלו עָ ָשה בָ הֶ ם ְישפָ ִטים‬ ,‫יהם‬ ֶ ֵּ‫וְ ֹלא עָ ָשה בֵּ אֹלה‬

Had He executed judgments against the Egyptians, and not their gods, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ִאּלו עָ ָשה בֵ אֹלהֵ יהֶ ם‬ ,‫יהם‬ ֶ ‫וְ ֹלא ָה ַּרג אֶ ת ְ־בכו ֵֹּר‬

Had He executed judgments against their gods and not put to death their firstborn, It would have been enough—Dayyenu 

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ ְיבכו ֵֹריהֶ ם‬‫ִאּלו הָ ַרג ֶאת‬ ,‫ ָממוֹנָם‬‫וְ ֹלא נ ַָּתן לָנּו אֶ ת‬

Had He put to death their firstborn, and not given us their riches, It would have been enough—Dayyenu 

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ָם‬  ‫־ממ ֹונ‬ ָ ‫ִאּלו נ ַָתן לָנו ֶאת‬ ,‫־היָ ם‬ ַּ ‫וְ ֹלא ָק ַּרע לָנּו אֶ ת‬

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ִאּלו ָק ַרע לָנו ֶאת־הַ יָם‬ ‫ירנּו ְבתוֹכוֹ בֶ חָ ָרבָ ה‬ ָ ‫וְ ֹלא ֶהע ֱִב‬

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ִאּלו הֶ ע ֱִב ָֽירנו ְיבתוֹכ ֹו בֶ חָ ָרבָ ה‬ ֹ‫וְ ֹלא ִש ַּקע צָ ֽרינּו ְבתוֹכו‬

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

,‫ִאּלו ִש ַפע צָ ֵרינו ְיבתוֹכ ֹו‬ ‫ַארבָ ִעים ָשנָה‬ ְ ‫וְ ֹלא ִספֵּ ק צָ ְרכֵּנּו בַּ ִם ְדבָ ר‬

Had He given us their riches, and not split the Sea for us, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

Had He split the Sea for us, and not led us through it on dry land, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

Had He led us through it on dry land, and not sunk our foes in it, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

Had He sunk our foes in it, and not satisfied our needs in the desert for forty years, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

46

‫ַארבָ עִ ים ָשנָה‬ ‫ִאּלו ִסעֵ ק צָ ְירכֵ נו בַ ִמ ְידבָ ר ְי‬ :‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬ ,‫־ה ָםן‬ ַּ ‫וְ ֹלא ֶהאֱ כִ ילָנּו אֶ ת‬

Had He satisfied our needs in the desert for forty years, and not fed us the manna, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ילָנו ֶאת־הַ מָ ן‬ ָֽ ִ‫ִאּלו הֶ אֱ כ‬ ,‫־ה ַּשבָ ת‬ ַּ ‫וְ ֹלא נ ַָּתן לָנּו אֶ ת‬

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ִאּלו נ ַָתן ָֽ ָלנו ֶאת־הַ ַשבָ ת‬ ,‫וְ ֹלא ֵּק ְרבנּו לִ ְפנֵּי ַּהר ִסינַּי‬

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ִאּלו ֵק ְיר ָֽ ָבנו לִ פְי נֵי הַ ר ִסינַי‬ ,‫וְ ֹלא נ ַָּתן לָנּו אֶ ת ַּהּתו ָֹרה‬

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ִאּלו נ ַָתן ָֽ ָלנו ֶאת ַּהתו ָֹרה‬ ,‫יסנּו לְ ֽ ֶא ֶרץ יִ ְש ָראֵּ ל‬ ָ ִ‫וְ ֹלא ִהכְ נ‬

Had He fed us the manna, and not given us the Sabbath, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

Had He given us the Sabbath, and not brought us to Mount Sinai, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

Had He brought us to Mount Sinai, and not given us the Torah, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

Had He given us the Torah, and not brought us into Israel, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

:‫ַּדיֵּ נּו‬

‫ִיסנו לְי ָֽ ֶא ֶרץ יִ ְיש ָראֵ ל‬ ָ ָֽ ‫ִאּלו ִהכְי נ‬ ‫ירה‬ ָ ‫וְ ֹלא בָ נָה לָנּו אֶ ת־בֵּ ית ַּה ְב ִח‬

Had He brought us into Israel, and not built the Temple for us, It would have been enough—Dayyenu

:‫ּומכֺפֶ לֶת לַּםָ קוֹם עָ לֵּינּו‬ ְ ‫עַּ ל ַאחַּ ת כַּ ָםה וְ כַּ ָםה טוֹבָ ה כְ פּולָה‬

,‫ וְי עָ שָ ה בֵ אֹלהֵ יהֶ ם‬,‫ וְי עָ שָ ה בָ הֶ ם ְישפָ ִטים‬,‫יאנו ִמ ִמ ְיצריִ ם‬ ָ ָֽ ‫שֶ הו ִֹצ‬ ,‫ וְי ָק ַרע לָנו אֶ ת־הַ יָם‬,‫ וְי נָתַ ן לָנו אֶ ת־מָ מ ֹונָם‬,‫וְי הָ ַרג אֶ ת־בְי כו ֵֹריהֶ ם‬ ,‫ַארבָ עִ ים שָ נָה‬ ‫ וְי ִסעֵ ק צָ ְירכֵנו בַ ִמ ְידבָ ר ְי‬,‫ וְי ִש ַפע צָ ֵרינו בְי תוֹכ ֹו‬,‫ירנו בְי תוֹכ ֹו בֶ חָ ָרבָ ה‬ ָ ִ‫וְי הֶ עֱב‬ ,‫ וְי ֵק ְיר ָֽבנו לִ פְי נֵי הַ ר ִסינַי‬,‫ וְי נָתַ ן לָֽ נו אֶ ת הַ שַ בָ ת‬,‫וְי הֶ אֱ כִ ילָנו אֶ ת הַ מָ ן‬ ,‫ִיסנו לְי ָֽ ֶא ֶרץ יִ ְיש ָראֵ ל‬ ָֽ ‫ וְי ִהכְי נ‬,‫וְי נָתַ ן לָֽ נו אֶ ת הַ תו ָֹרה‬ .‫ לְי כַעֵ ר עַ ל־ ָכל־ ֲעוֹנו ָֽ ֵֹתינו‬,‫ירה‬ ָ ‫וְי בָ נָה לָנו אֶ ת בֵ ית הַ בְי ִח‬ How doubled and redoubled is the good which the One who is Present has bestowed upon us: He brought us out of Egypt, and punished the Egyptians; He smote their gods, and slew their firstborn; He gave us their wealth and split the Sea for us; He led us through it on dry land, and sunk our foes in it; He sustained us in the desert for forty years, and fed us with the manna; He gave us the Sabbath, and brought us to Mount Sinai; He gave us the Torah, and brought us to Israel; He built the Temple for us, to atone for all our sins.

47

Preface to Dayyenu How many are the good things39 God has done for us: Maimonides, in his Guide for the Perplexed, Part III, chapter 59, explains that there are four types of perfection which a person can strive for. 1) One can strive for material perfection by acquiring wealth and other property. 2) One can gain physical perfection by working to improve one‟s body. 3) Personal perfection is reflected in developing virtues and character. 4) Human perfection is reflected in the development of the mind and attaining knowledge of Torah and wisdom. Such forms of perfection are only possible for those who are not enslaved by others. As long as one is not in control of his or her own destiny, he or she cannot attain such qualities in life. The liberation from slavery, then, is the fifth perfection and the one upon which all the others are dependent. The Haggadah begins by saying that had God not brought us out of Egypt, “we, our children, our children‟s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” This is a statement that should be obvious to even the youngest student. The point that the Haggadah is trying to make is that without our physical liberation nothing else would be possible. By freeing our bodies, we gained the possibility to free our souls as well. Dayyenu, then, is all about the attainment of the various forms of perfection. We begin Dayyenu by saying that without our liberation nothing else would have been possible. Pharaoh and the Egyptians denied three principles of our faith: It was not enough to liberate the Jews. They also had to come to recognize the reality of God‟s existence and God‟s attributes: first, that God is the first cause40; second, the reality of divine providence; and third, recognizing that God is all powerful. When Moses came to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness,” (Exodus 5:1), he was addressing these three principles. When Moses used the name YHVH, “Lord,” Moses was affirming the existence of God as the cause of all causes. When he called God “the God of Israel,” he was expressing his belief in divine providence: the Lord is also our personal God who watches over us. And when Moses said, “Let My people go,” he was expressing the belief that God can command even the most powerful rulers. Finally, when he said, “That they may celebrate a festival to Me,” Moses was telling us the implication of these beliefs: that this all-powerful God whose providence is over us, wants us to serve Him. Pharaoh responds by denying these principles of faith, saying: “Who is the Lord that I should heed Him? I do not know the Lord nor will I let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2) By saying, “Who is the Lord,” Pharaoh denied the existence of God. Saying, “That I should heed Him,” Pharaoh was denying that Israel was God‟s people and that, even if they are His, Pharaoh was not obligated to obey Him.

The term in the Haggadah is hard to translate: Ma’alot tovot. Another possible translation might be „attainments.‟ Having told the story of the Exodus, we now speak about the other attainments we received through God. Without liberation none of them would have been possible. 39

40

God as the first cause is a Maimonidian concept, Sibbat hasibbot, the cause of all causes.

48

God responded to these challenges with the first nine plagues to make Pharaoh recognize these fundamental truths. These three principles are related to the mnemonics, dtzach, adash ba’ahav. The first three plagues prove the existence of God (during which we are told, “Through this you shall know that that there is none like the Lord our God”41); the second three plagues are proof of divine providence (“That you may know that I am in the midst of the land”42); and the third group of three plagues are proof that God is all-powerful (“That you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth”43). The plagues, however, not only taught Pharaoh but also taught the Israelites the truth about God. The Israelites came to recognize the existence of God and divine providence. They also saw that God is all powerful. Through God‟s commandments in Egypt, the eyes of the Israelites were opened so that they saw how awesome God really is. It was on the basis of these insights that they were able to build a faith based on Torah and Mitzvot. Even if God had not punished Egypt‟s gods, it would have been enough for us because through the Exodus we came to understand the truths of our faith. How did the plagues teach the Israelites about God‟s existence and the emptiness of Egypt‟s gods? The sages teach us that earthly beings are connected with heavenly beings. Each influences the other, particularly in matters of productivity. Each nation has a heavenly power (mazal) above who watches over it, and influences it. The heavenly power of the Egyptians was the ram44, which the Egyptians honored and worshipped. We see this in what Moses said to Pharaoh: “It would not be right for us to do this, for what we sacrifice to the Lord our God is untouchable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice that which is untouchable to the Egyptians before their eyes will they not stone us?” 45 Because the Egyptians revered the ram, the Israelites also honored and worshipped it as well and practiced pagan cultic practices while they were slaves. God therefore sent Moses to heal the people of these abominations and bring them back to the faith of their ancestors. In order to win the Israelites away from idolatry, God had to attack the heavenly powers symbolized by the ram. This is what the expression, “He executed judgment against their gods,” means. This ram was also associated with the firstborn, since it is considered the „eldest‟ in the whole array of heavenly powers. Therefore God resolved to kill the firstborn in Egypt – even the firstborn of the slaves and the animals. They were not guilty of some sin, but because they were connected to the ram, they too were condemned. The Israelites‟ firstborn should also have been condemned to death. Not only were they also firstborn but they were also guilty of idolatry. In His great mercy, God gave them a commandment which allowed them to sacrifice a ram in lieu of their being killed along with all the others in Egypt. Thus, God brought the Israelites back to their faith in God. They saw that there is only one Being deserving of worship, that all the other gods are false, and that one God reigns forever and ever! We can now understand the stanza, If he had executed judgment on their Gods but not killed their firstborn… It would have been enough of a miracle simply to show the people of Israel God‟s true power and sovereignty during the killing the firstborn. Yet God also saved our firstborn even though they deserved to die.

41

Exodus 8:6

42

Exodus 8:18

43

Exodus 9:14 the implication here is that Israel could not sacrifice in the presence of the Egyptians because they revered the ram as one of their Gods. 44

One of the astrological symbols, and understood as one of the heavenly princes of the nations of the world.

45

Exodus 8:22

49 But there were other benefits from this. After experiencing the tenth plague, the Egyptians would have been so terrified that they would not pursue the Israelites. God, therefore, told the Israelites to borrow the silver and gold of their Egyptian neighbors. This act compelled the Egyptians to pursue the Israelites and thus they drowned in the sea 46. Therefore we say, It would have been enough to have the Egyptians terrified by the killing of their first born even if they hadn’t gained great wealth. In addition the silver and gold which the Israelites attained was also an added favor from God. It allowed them to acquire the first type of perfection to which Maimonides refers: material perfection. So had God given them the material possessions of the Egyptians but not split the sea, this too would have been enough! Why then did God split the sea and drown the Egyptians? According to Rabbi Abarbanel and others, it was to set the framework for Israel to eventually conquer the land of Canaan. God wanted to fulfill His promise to the patriarchs. Israel was still much too weak to conquer the land. The splitting of the sea so terrified the other nations of the world that it paved the way for Israel to conquer the land. Everyone would have heard about this wonder and realized that nothing could stop Israel. This is what Rahav said to the two spies who came to the city of Jericho forty years later: “I know that the Lord has given the country to you, for dread of you has fallen upon us.47” From this we learn that the splitting of the sea and the drowning of the Egyptians was not only a fitting judgment for the Egyptians who cast the Israelites boys in the Nile, but also the first step in the conquest of the land. That is why the Midrash teaches us that the splitting of the sea took place not only at the Red sea, but at every body of water in the world – so that everyone would be aware of God‟s great power. If God had split the sea but not allowed us to cross on dry land it would have been enough: Had the water come up to their belly buttons and then filled in behind them it would have been enough of a miracle; by allowing them to walk through the sea on dry land, it set the stage for the conquest. The people‟s faith was still weak when they left Egypt despite everything they witnessed in Egypt. The Israelites quickly forgot God‟s power and began to complain to Moses. Some said, “Let us jump into the river,” while others said, “let us wage war on Egypt.” A third group screamed and cried while a fourth group thought that possibly Moses had done all these wonders on his own. When they saw the wonders at the sea, how God overturned the laws of nature, they first became truly convinced of God‟s power, providence and abilities. The Talmud says, “What a maid-servant witnessed at the Red sea, even the prophet Ezekiel never saw in his life time.” Therefore, if the Israelites had not been allowed to cross the sea on dry land, it would have been enough since it brought us to true faith in God. There were added benefits from what they witnessed at the sea. This was the first time Israel saw the defeat of Pharaoh, who was in his full armor and in a chariot as he pursued the people of Israel. This made God‟s victory over Egypt even more impressive not only to the Israelites but to the Egyptians as well. Had God done nothing else for the Israelites, dayyenu, it would have been enough for them because now they could enter the wilderness certain that they would no longer be pursued by the Egyptians.

46

See earlier commentary regarding the borrowing of silver and gold. According to Rabinowitz, this was a subterfuge to get the Egyptians to come after the Israelites so they would drown in the sea. 47

Joshua 2: 9 Rahav was the prostitute/inn keeper who hid the two spies Joshua sent to reconnoiter in the city of Jericho.

50 If God had provided all our needs in the wilderness but not fed us manna, it would have been enough: “Providing all our needs” and “feeding us manna” are not the same thing. “Providing all our needs” means that even though we were in a harsh wilderness, God‟s providence protected the people so that it was as if they were in a lush and fertile place. Through divine providence Israel was able to attain the second type of perfection: physical perfection. Israel grew strong through God‟s providence in the wilderness. “Their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become cracked.” 48 Such physical perfection, even though it was for the individual, was necessary for the nation as a whole. By giving the people the manna in the manner that God did, he also helped instill a deep sense of trust in God in the nation. They only gathered as much as they needed for the day, so they had to trust God would provide them with manna the following days as well. People learned to trust the divine wisdom rather than their physical desires. Also by providing them with their daily food, God allowed the people the freedom to devote themselves to spiritual pursuits and the study of Torah rather than worry where their food would come from. Thus the discipline of gathering manna and the physical strength God gave them helped the Israelites cultivate the other forms of human perfection which Maimonides mentioned. If God had given us manna but not given us the Sabbath, it would have been enough. For the sages taught us that the Torah could only be given to those who ate manna.49… If God had given us the Sabbath but not brought us to Mount Sinai, it would have been enough. The Sabbath teaches us the essential theological truths of Judaism: that God created and renewed the world from nothing, reward and punishment, and that God is all powerful. Even if God had not brought us to Mount Sinai, we could have sustained ourselves with these profound theological truths. If God had brought us to Mount Sinai but not given us the Torah, it would have been enough. Simply to be present at Mount Sinai, the place of the burning bush, was enough to comfort the Jewish people and give them hope that they would survive for generations to come. There are many interpretations of the symbolism of the burning bush. 50 Some suggest that it symbolizes the divine presence so that it is a reminder that God said, “I will be with them in times of distress.” Others understand the burning bush a symbol that even when Israel is persecuted and oppressed, she will not be extinguished. Every rock at Sinai contained patterns that attested to the burning bush and served to remind the people of God‟s promise. If God had given us the Torah and not brought us into the land of Israel it would have been enough. We have seen that from the moment of liberation until this point God has helped the people of Israel attain all the dimensions of perfection. By awarding them with booty on the shore of the Red Sea, they gained material perfection. By helping the people survive the years of wandering in the wilderness, they attained physical perfection. The daily collection of manna instilled personal perfection by teaching them virtues and character. And now by receiving the Torah, the people attained human perfection through the mitzvot and the teachings of the Torah.

48

Deuteronomy 8:4

49

This is not at all clear. Could it be that only those who learned the discipline of manna were worthy of receiving the Sabbath when they could expound on the teachings of Torah… 50

The Hebrew word for the bush, sneh, sounds and is spelled like the word Sinai.

51 So even if God had not brought them into the land of Israel, it would have been enough! The world would have seen us as a wise people because of the teachings we received at Sinai. Why would it have been sufficient to receive the Torah even if we didn‟t enter the land of Israel? The providential laws of the Torah are what makes us unique as a people and gives us the ability to attain human perfection. There are two types laws by which the world functions: 1. There is natural law with which the world was fashioned and by which the nations of the world deport themselves. These laws rarely change except in very special circumstances, or for special individuals or special nations who have been singled out by God. 2. There is providential law, or laws that have been given only to the Jewish people and which replaced the natural laws by which the other nations function. These laws were given at Sinai and never cease to be in force. The fact that God gave us these laws would have been sufficient reason to be thankful even if God had not brought us to the land of Israel. If God had brought us into the land of Israel and not built for us the Temple, it would have been enough. According to Yehudah Halevi in his philosophical tract, the Kuzari, Israel became a godly people in a godly land. There is a unique relationship between the people of Israel and the holy land. No other land can illustrate the deeds of God like the land of Israel because there are ways in which we can serve God only in this place: by bringing the first fruits to the Temple, the sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year. The other nations are not as receptive of divine providence, or of being in a place through which one can cleave to God. At Mount Sinai, the people were not receptive of receiving God‟s word. They asked Moses to receive the Torah for them and then to tell them about it. This is because the Israelites were not yet in the land of Israel, in a place where they could easily receive the „divine abundance‟ as they can in the land of Israel. Therefore, just to be in the land of Israel even without the Temple would have been sufficient. Having said that, it should be pointed out that while the whole land of Israel is holy and infused with divine providence, Jerusalem is even more so; and of all the places in Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and the Holy of Holies is even closer to the divine spark through which one acquires divine wisdom. And the divine providence shines forth from this point…

52

:‫ַרבָ ן ג ְיַמלִ יאֵ ל הָ יָה אוֹמֵ ר‬ ,‫ ֹלא יָצָ א יְי ֵדי חוֹבָ ת ֹו‬,‫ֹלשה ְידבָ ִרים אֵ ּלו בַ עֶ סַ ח‬ ָ ‫כָל שֶ ֹּלא ָאמַ ר ְיש‬ :‫וְי אֵ ּלו הֵ ן‬

:‫ מַ ףָ ה ומָ רוֹר‬.‫עֶ סַ ח‬ Rabban Gamliel used to say: If one has not explained three things on Pesach, one has not fulfilled his obligation. And they are: Pesach, Matzah, and Maror

‫ עַ ל שום מָ ה? עַ ל שום‬,‫ ִבזְי ַמן ֶשבֵ ית הַ ִמ ְיק ָדש הָ יָה ַקיָם‬,‫עֶ ַסח ֶשהָ יו אֲ בו ֵֹתינו אוֹכְי לִ ים‬ ‫ וַ אֲ מַ ְיר ֶתם זֶ בַ ח עֶ סַ ח‬:‫ ֶשנֶאֱ מַ ר‬,‫ עַ ל בָ ֵתי אֲ בו ֵֹתינו ְיב ִמ ְיצ ַריִ ם‬,‫ֶשעָ ַסח הַ ָפדוֹש בָ רוְך הוא‬ ‫־מ ְיצריִ ם וְי אֶ ת־בָ ֵתינו‬ ִ ‫ בְי נָגְי ע ֹו אֶ ת‬,‫ אֲ ֶשר עָ ַסח עַ ל בָ ֵתי ְיבנֵי יִ ְיש ָר ֵאל ְיב ִמ ְיצ ַריִ ם‬,‫הוא ַליָי‬ .‫ וַ יִ פֹד הָ עָ ם וַ יִ ְיש ַתחֲ וו‬,‫ִה ִףיל‬ Why did our fathers eat the Passover offering during the time that Temple was still standing? It is because the Holy One, Blessed be He, passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is written: "You shall say: It is the Passover offering for the Lord, who passed over the houses of Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians and spared our houses. The people knelt and bowed down.‖

‫ עַ ל שום ָמה? עַ ל שום ֶשֹּלא ִה ְיסעִ יק בְי צֵ ָקם ֶשל אֲ בוֹתֵ ינו‬,‫ַמףָ ה ז ֹו ֶשָאנו אוֹכְי לִ ים‬ ,‫ וגְי ָאלָם‬,‫ הַ ָפדוֹש בָ רוְך הוא‬,‫ עַ ד ֶשנִגְי לָה ֲעלֵיהֶ ם ֶמלְֶך ַמלְי כֵ י הַ ְימלָכִ ים‬,‫לְי הַ חֲ ִמיץ‬ ‫ כִ י‬:‫ כִ י ֹלא חָ מֵ ץ‬,‫ ֺעגֹת מַ ףוֹת‬,‫ אֲ ֶשר הו ִָֹֽציאו ִמ ִמ ְיצ ָֽ ַריִ ם‬,‫ וַ יֹאפו ֶאת־הַ בָ צֵ ק‬:‫ֶשנֶאֱ ַמר‬ .‫ וְי גַם צֵ ָדה ֹלא עָ שו לָהֶ ם‬, ַ‫ וְי ֹלא יָכְי לו לְי ִה ְית ַמ ְיה ֵמה‬,‫ג ְיֹרשו ִמ ִמ ְיצ ַריִ ם‬ Why do we eat this matzah? It is because the King of Kings, the Holy One, revealed Himself to our ancestors and redeemed them before their dough had time to ferment, as it is written: "They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened cakes; for they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provision for their journey." 

‫ עַ ל שום ָמה? עַ ל שום ֶשמֵ ְיררו הַ ִמ ְיצ ִרים אֶ ת־חַ יֵי אֲ בו ָֽ ֵֹתינו‬,‫ָמרוֹר זֶ ה ֶש ָֽ ָאנו אוֹכְי לִ ים‬ ‫ ובְי כָ ־ל ֲעב ָֹדה‬,‫ בְי ָֹֽחמֶ ר ובִ לְי בֵ נִים‬,‫ וַ יְי ָמ ֲררו ֶאת־חַ יֵיהֶ ם בַ ֲעב ָֹדה ָק ָשה‬:‫ ֶשנֶאֱ ַמר‬,‫ְיב ִמ ְיצריִ ם‬ .‫ אֲ ֶשר עָ ְיבדו בָ הֶ ם ְיבפָ ֶרְך‬,‫ ֵאת כָ ־ל ֲעב ָֹד ָתם‬:‫בַ ָש ֶדה‬ Why do we eat this maror? It is because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our fathers in Egypt, as it is written: "They made life bitter for them with hard labor, with clay and bricks, and with all kinds of labor in the field; whatever work tasks they performed were backbreaking."

53

Pesach, Matzah, Maror and Transformation Rabban Gamliel said: one who doesn’t mention three things on Pesach has not fulfilled his obligation: In the Zohar, Parshat Bo, we learn that when we tell the story of the Exodus, we reveal the mystery of redemption. Heavenly and earthly beings come together to listen to the story, to give thanks to the Holy One of blessing, and to rejoice. Israel strengthens their Heavenly Master through the telling of this story. From this we learn how important it is to retell the story slowly and deliberately and not to do so in an apathetic and drowsy manner. By telling the story in a dignified fashion, we express our gratitude to God and show that we are not ungrateful for what God has done for us. We tell the story with the awareness that each telling brings wonders into this mighty exile and brings us closer to a time similar to the original Exodus. One way of telling the story is through symbols. We speak about matzah and maror at the Seder. Yet why do they appear in this particular order? If matzah symbolizes freedom and maror slavery, shouldn‟t maror be mentioned first and the matzah afterwards? The answer can be found in a verse in Ecclesiastes: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, to the end that man should find nothing but Him.” If we remembered the sad and tragic days first before the happy day of rejoicing, they would cast a dark pall over the happy days. Therefore, we mention the Matzah first, a reminder of the God‟s kindness and love, before we mention maror, the painfulness of slavery and oppression. The story of the Exodus should be a story about triumph and rejoicing and not just a story about oppression. Furthermore, these symbols help us aspire toward wholeness. There are four steps toward achieving wholeness. First, one must get rid of that which is ugly and damages the individual. Second, one must then enthusiastically embrace all those things which are life-affirming. Third, one comes to recognize divine providence is present in all things, good or bad. Finally, one comes to understand that even suffering and sorrow are visited upon us from God with good and beneficial intentions. Sorrow and suffering can help a person atone for sin or it may serve as a test. This is what scripture means, “Your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs and they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years…in the end they shall go free with great wealth.”51 Our ancestors acquired these qualities before leaving Egypt and they did so by performing four mitzvot: they got rid of all hametz, they ate matzah, they offered the Pesach offering and they ate maror. Removing hametz from their homes was symbolic of removing that which is ugly and damaging from the life of the individual. Hametz or leaven is referred to as the „leaven in the soul‟ or „the evil inclination.‟ Matzah, on the other hand, is made through a quick baking process. It symbolizes the enthusiasm and quickness with which we embrace that which is life-affirming and serve God. The Pesach offering symbolizes divine providence since God passed over the Israelite houses but struck the Egyptian households. And finally, maror is the bitterness of slavery – we can now see it as part of the divine plan in light of all the other insights we have gained. When we tell the story through these symbolic actions, we are not simply recalling a historic event that happened long ago, but speaking about the process of self perfection and striving toward human wholeness. By going through these steps we experience the divine spirituality. We cannot experience redemption until we go through this fourfold process of transformation, and these four mitzvot apply not only to Passover but to all the Jewish holidays. 51

Genesis 15:13

54

These are the steps which bring us to Mount Sinai and lead to the celebration of Shavuot. They open the gates of heaven for us. We are not speaking about real hametz, when we talk about removing hametz from our homes, but the beginning of the process of transformation. We can now understand the answer that the Haggadah gives to the wise child. When the wise child asks, “What do these statutes, testimonies and judgments mean,” he is really asking why it is necessary to have so many commandments to commemorate the Exodus. If the point is simply to remember a particular event in history, then one mitzvah would have been enough to remind us of the Exodus. The many mitzvot are meant to make us aware of this fourfold process of growth which is an ongoing process from generation to generation. We then answer him by saying that we should not eat after the Afikomen since this process of change never ends and always leads to Mount Sinai. The taste of matzah must always be in our mouth. The wonders that happened long ago also continue even today! That is why Passover is referred to “as a day of vigil for all Israel throughout all the generations. 52” The transformation did not just take place at that time and in that place, but in every generation. It is not enough, then, just to perform these acts; one must explain their connection to the Divine. The Pesach offering which our ancestors ate. The Pesach refers to those divine acts of kindness which are apparent to all and revealed. These acts are not performed by an angel or some other divine being but by God Himself. Matzah, on the other hand, which we wrap up in a cloth at the Seder, symbolizes those divine acts of providence which are hidden. When the Jewish people were living in their land and God‟s providence was readily revealed, we were commanded to offer the pesach, but now that we are in exile we merely mention the offering. Matzah, however, which is a reminder of the enthusiasm with which Israel followed God into the wilderness, we continue to eat at the Seder with the hope that we will readily follow God as our ancestors did. The matzah which we eat, what is the reason for it? The matzah teaches us that even with all the preparations and mitzvot which Israel performed while they were in Egypt, the people were still not ready to be redeemed until the King of Kings, the Holy One, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them. This maror which we eat what is the reason for it? Why do we use a vegetable for maror which begins soft and sweet but becomes bitter as we chew it?53 This is a reminder of our experience in Egypt. The people began as guests in Goshen but ended up as oppressed slaves to Pharaoh. Their lives were embittered. Another explanation of unleavened bread: The miracle of the matzah is that the Israelites‟ dough did not become hametz after they left Egypt! The Israelites were commanded to eat matzah on the fifteenth day of Nisan when they left Egypt. Yet the people did not have time to bake before they left Egypt and it took a least a part of a day to travel from Ramses to Sukkot. According to Rashi, the distance from Ramses to Sukkot is 120 mil54. The Midrash teaches us that the Israelites miraculously traveled this distance in a short period of time, „on the wings of eagles.‟

52

Exodus 12:42

53

Unlike like most families today, it is the traditional practice to eat romaine lettuce or other types of vegetables that become progressively more bitter as you chew it and not horse radish which starts off bitter. In any case one should use raw horseradish in the Seder for the maror, and not something that has been watered down by other ingredients. 54

A mil is an ancient distance measurement. It takes about 18 minutes to walk a mil.

55 Yet even the time it would have taken an eagle to travel this distance was enough for the dough they carried on their backs to become hametz. Since they had to eat matzah that whole first day, their dough would have become hametz! One of the miracles when they left Egypt was that their dough did not become leavened on the initial leg of their travels from Egypt!

Matzah and Maror: Which Comes First? It is interesting to note that matzah and maror each have different status in Jewish law. Although both are symbols that help us remember our experience in Egypt, matzah is still considered a Torah obligation while the Talmud says maror is only a rabbinic obligation. Furthermore in Parshat Bo, we are told, “They shall eat it roasted over fire and matzah along with maror, 55” and later we read, “They shall eat it along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 56” So how do we account for the differences between these two symbolic foods? While the maror is a reminder of the statement, “They embittered their lives,” matzah has double significance. It reminds us of what our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt and it also reminds us of the good which God did for us by taking us out of Egypt quickly. Had God not taken us out of Egypt with haste we would have sunk to the fiftieth level of impurity and we would not have been redeemable any more. In exile we no longer need a reminder of the bitterness of slavery. Therefore the sages downgraded the obligation to eat bitter herbs to a rabbinic obligation instead of a Torah obligation. Even though matzah is a reminder of slavery, it also serves as a reminder of redemption, and how fortunate we were to enter into the gates of purity rather than the gates of impurity. Therefore it continues to be a Torah obligation; even if we are not are still in exile, we are now the servants of God! Finally the order of the foods has to do with when each commandment applied. When the Israelites observed the first Pesach in Egypt, the foods were ordered according to their experience: first the bitterness of slavery, then the matzah the food of redemption and finally the Passover offering as we see in Exodus. For future generations, when matzah would become the central food, matzah was mentioned first (as we see in Numbers). Matzah was a reminder of our flight to freedom and the fact that we did not become so mired in Egypt that we could not escape.

55

Exodus 12:8 – this implies that the main part of the meal is the maror and we eat the other foods with it.

Numbers 9:11 – this verse implies that the main food was the matzah while the Passover offering and the maror come second. 56

56

‫ָאדם לִ ְראוֹת אֶ ת עַּ צְ מו‬ ָ ‫בְ כָל דוֹר וָדוֹר חַּ יָ ב‬ ,‫כְ ִאלּו הּוא יָצָ א ִמ ִםצְ ָריִ ם‬

.‫אתי ִמ ִמ ְיצ ָריִ ם‬ ִ ֵ‫ בְי צ‬,‫ בַ עֲבור זֶ ה עָ ָשה יְי ָי לִ י‬:‫ וְי ִהג ְיַד ָת לְי ִבנְיָך בַ יוֹם הַ הוא לֵאמֹר‬:‫ֶשנֶאֱ ַמר‬ ,‫ אֶ ּלָא ַאף או ָֽ ָֹתנו גַָאל עִ מָ הֶ ם‬,‫ גַָאל הַ ָפדוֹש בָ רוְך הוא‬,‫לא ֶאת אֲ בו ֵֹתינו ִבלְי בָ ד‬ ‫ לָתֶ ת לָנו אֶ ת הָ ָֽ ָא ֶרץ אֲ ֶשר נ ְיִשבַ ע‬,‫ לְי ַמעַ ן הָ ִביא א ָֹתנו‬,‫ וְי או ָֽ ָֹתנו הו ִֹציא ִמ ָשם‬:‫ֶשנֶאֱ ַמר‬ .‫לַאֲ ב ֵֹתינו‬ In every generation each person must see him/herself as though he/she personally had come out of Egypt, as it says: You shall tell it to your child on that day, saying, It is because of that which the Lord did for me when he took me out of Egypt. The Holy One did not redeem our ancestors alone; He also redeemed us with them, as it says, ―He took us out from there, that He might bring us to the land which He promised to our ancestors. The matzah is covered and the wine cup is raised until the conclusion of the blessing

‫ לְי עַ ּלֵה‬,‫ לְי בָ ֵרְך‬,‫ לְי הַ ֵדר‬,‫ לְי רוֹמֵ ם‬,‫ לְי פָ אֵ ר‬, ַ‫ לְי שַ ָֽ ֵבח‬,‫ לְי הַ ּלֵל‬,‫לְי פִ יכְָך אֲ ָֽ ַנ ְיחנו חַ יָבִ ים לְי הוֹדוֹת‬ ‫ ִמיָגוֹן‬,‫יאנו מֵ עַ בְי דות לְי חֵ רות‬ ָ ָֽ ‫ הו ִֹצ‬.‫ לְי ִמי שֶ עָ שָ ה לַאֲ בו ָֽ ֵֹתינו וְי ָֽ ָלנו אֶ ת־ ָכל־הַ נ ִִסים הָ אֵ ּלו‬,‫ולְי ַקּלֵס‬ .‫ומ ִשעְי בוד לִ גְי אֺ ּלָה‬ ִ ,‫ ומֵ אֲ פֵ לָה לְי אוֹר גָדוֹל‬,‫ ומֵ אֵ בֶ ל לְייוֹם טוֹב‬,‫לְי ִש ְימחָ ה‬

‫ הַ לְי לויָה‬.‫ירה חֲ ָד ָשה‬ ָ ‫נאמר לְי פָ נָיו ִש‬ ַ 

Therefore it is our duty to thank and praise, pay tribute and glorify, exalt and honor, bless and acclaim the One who performed all these miracles for our fathers and for us. He took us out of slavery into freedom, out of grief into joy, out of mourning into a festival, out of darkness into a great light, out of slavery into redemption. We will recite a new song before Him! Halleluyah! These passages can be read in Hebrew or English.

Psalm 113

:‫יְיהי ֵשם יְי ָי ְימב ָֹרְך מֵ עַ ָתה וְי עַ ד ע ֹולָם‬ ִ .‫ הַ לְי לו ֶאת ֵשם יְי ָי‬.‫הַ לְי לו עַ ְיב ֵדי יְי ָי‬.‫הַ לְי לויָה‬ ‫ ִמי‬:‫ עַ ל הַ ָשמַ יִ ם כְי בוֹד ֹו‬.‫ ָרם עַ ל כָ ל גוֹיִ ם יְי ָי‬.‫ ְימהֺ ּלָל ֵשם יְי ָי‬.‫ִמ ִמזְי ַרח ֶש ֶמש עַ ד ְימבוֹא ֹו‬ :‫ הַ ַמ ְישעִ ילִ י לִ ְיראוֹת בַ ָשמַ יִ ם ובָ ָֽ ָא ֶרץ‬:‫יהי ל ָֽ ָָשבֶ ת‬ ִ ‫ הַ ַמגְי ִב‬.‫כַ יָי אֱ ֹלהֵ ינו‬ :ֹ ‫ עִ ם נ ְִידיבֵ י עַ מו‬.‫יבי עִ ם־נ ְִידיבִ ים‬ ִ ‫ לְי הו ִֹש‬:‫ ֵמ ַא ְישפת י ִָרים ֶא ְיביוֹן‬.‫ימי ֵמעָ פָ ר ָדל‬ ִ ‫ְימ ִק‬ :‫ הַ לְי לויָה‬.‫יבי ע ֲֶק ֶרת הַ בַ יִ ת ֵאם הַ בָ נִים ְיש ֵמחָ ה‬ ִ ‫מו ִֹש‬ Praise the Lord! Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the Lord's name is to be praised. High above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is His glory. Who is like the Lord our God, who though enthroned on high, looks down upon heaven and earth? He raises the poor man out of the dust and lifts the needy one out of the trash heap, to seat them with nobles, with the nobles of His people. He turns the barren wife into a happy mother of children. Halleluyah!

57

Halleluyah! Halelu avday Adonai, halelu et shaym Adonai. Yehi shem Adonai mivorach may’ata v’ad olam. Meemizrah shemesh ad mivo’o mihulal shaym Adonai. Ram al kol goyeem Adonai al hashamayim kivodo. Mi kAdonai elohaynu hamgbihi lashavet. Hamashpili lirot bashamayim u’va’aretz. Meekeemee may’afar dahl may’ashpot yareem evyon. Lihosheevee eem nideevim eem nideevay amo. Mosheevee akeret habayeet aym habaneem simayha Halleluyah

Psalm 114

‫ יִ ְיש ָראֵ ל‬.‫הודה לְי ָק ְידש ֹו‬ ָ ‫ הָ יְי תָ ה יְי‬:‫ בֵ ית ַי ֲעקֹב ֵמעַ ם ֹלעֵ ז‬,‫ְיבצֵ את יִ ְיש ָר ֵאל ִמ ִמ ְיצ ָריִ ם‬ ‫ גְי בָ עוֹת‬.‫ הֶ הָ ִרים ָר ְיקדו כְי אֵ ילִ ים‬:‫ הַ י ְיַר ֵדן יִ סֹב לְי ָאחוֹר‬,‫ הַ יָם ָרָאה וַ ָינֹס‬:‫ַמ ְימ ְישלו ָֹתיו‬ .‫ הֶ הָ ִרים ִת ְיר ְיקדו כְי אֵ ילִ ים‬:‫ הַ י ְיַר ֵדן ִתסֹב לְי ָאחוֹר‬.‫ ַמה־ּלְי ָך הַ יָם כִ י ָתנוס‬:‫כִ ְיבנֵי ֹצאן‬ ‫ הַ הֹפְי כִ י הַ ףור‬:‫ ִמּלִ פְי נֵי אֱ לָֽ וֹהַ ַי ֲעקֹב‬.‫ָארץ‬ ֶ ‫ ִמּלִ פְי נֵי ָאדוֹן חולִ י‬:‫גְי בָ עוֹת כִ ְיבנֵי ֹצאן‬ .‫־מיִ ם‬ ָ ‫ חַ ּל ִָמיש לְי ַמעְי יְי נ ֹו‬.‫־מיִ ם‬ ָ ‫אֲ ַגם‬ When Israel went out of Egypt; Jacob's household from a people of strange speech, Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel His kingdom. The sea saw it and fled; the Jordan turned backward. The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs. Why is it, sea that you flee? Why, O Jordan, do you turn backward? You mountains, why do you skip like rams? You hills, why do you leap like lambs? O earth, tremble at the Lord's presence, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pond of water, the flint into a flowing fountain.

B’tzayt Yisrael meemitzraim bayt ya’akov may-am loez. Hayta yehudah likadsho Yisrael mam’sh’lotav. Hayam ra’ah vaynos hayarden yisov l’akhor. Heh-harim rakdu k’aykleem giva’ot k’vnay tzon. Mah lecha hayam ki tanus hayarden tisov l’ahor Heh-harim tirk’du k’aylim giva’ot kivnay tzoh’n Milifnay adoh’n huli aretz meelifnei elo-ah ya’akov Hahofchi hatzur agam mayim halmeesh limy-no mayim

58

Hallel Service Rabbi Rabinowitz’s commentary on the psalms is written in the form of a narrative. The author weaves the biblical verses together so that they tell a story. The bold print is used to highlight the verses taken from the book of Psalms which appear in the Haggadah and which the commentator explains by connecting one verse to another. Halleluyah! Praise the name of the Lord57: The names that we attribute to God have to do with the ways in which we experience God‟s deeds in the world. God had no name until He acted in the world. Thus, when we say, let the name of the Lord be blessed from this time forth and for ever, we are really saying that we see God‟s actions in the world. We also say, from the rising of the sun until its setting the Lord’s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above the nations. This is similar to yet another verse, “The Lord is great in Zion; and He is high above all the peoples.58” One of the names of God is „rahm,‟ high or exalted. God‟s greatness is beyond compare; each person conceives of God from his own position whether he is great or small. We see this in the case of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses who, upon visiting Moses, said to him, “Now I know that the Lord is great. 59” Jethro was saying, “Even though I believed in the existence of God until now I had no concept of his greatness. God was able to take 600,000 people out of a land from which not a single slave could escape. This has to be an act of God!” Here the Psalmist is trying to say that until this time only angels could imagine God, but now that we see that God is high above the nations and that He raises the poor out of the dust, even the lowliest can conceive of God though no one can do so completely. When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people with a strange language: The only way to overcome the false beliefs that infect others is to see events that overturn these beliefs. Thus, the miracles in Egypt were meant to overcome and uproot Israel‟s lack of faith in divine providence. This idea is repeated many times in the Torah: “He performed the signs before the nation and the nation believed,” “The people saw the mighty hand which the Lord wrought in Egypt and they believed in the Lord,” and so on. Because of the mightiness of these wonders and signs, God turned their false beliefs upside down. These signs proved that God is the creator of the world and that there is divine providence in the world. Through what they witnessed they left the darkness and saw the truth, something they could not see from the natural order of things. This is the central theme of this passage: the splitting of the Red Sea and the Jordan bore witness to God‟s power and providence. Only then did Israel accept upon itself the sovereignty of God.

57

Note that Rabbi Rabinowitz writes his commentary on the Hallel psalms in the form of a narrative which weaves the verses of the psalm together so that they tell a story. 58

Psalms, 99:2

59

Exodus 18: 11

59 Raise the cup of wine once again and recite either in Hebrew or in English:

,‫ אֲ ֶשר גְי ָאלנו וְי גַָאל אֶ ת אֲ בוֹתֵ ינו ִמ ִמ ְיצ ַריִ ם‬,‫להינו ָֽ ֶמלְֶך הָ ע ֹולָם‬ ָֽ ֱ‫ א‬,‫בָ רוְך ַא ָתה יְי ָי‬ ‫ יַגִ יעֵ נו‬,‫ֹלהינו וֵ אלהֵ י אֲ בוֹתֵ ינו‬ ֵ ָֽ ֱ‫ יְי ָי א‬,‫ כֵ ן‬.‫ומרוֹר‬ ָ ‫ לֶאֱ כָ ל־ב ֹו ַמףָ ה‬,‫יענו ַלּלַיְי לָה הַ זֶ ה‬ ָ ָֽ ִ‫וְי ִהג‬ ,‫ירָך‬ ֶ ִ‫ ְישמֵ ִחים בְי בִ ְיניַן ע‬.‫אתנו לְי ָשלוֹם‬ ֵ ‫ הַ בָ ִאים לִ ְיק ָר‬,‫לְי מ ֹוע ֲִדים וְי לִ ְירגָלִ ים אֲ חֵ ִרים‬ ‫ומן הַ עְי סָ ִחים (במוצאי שבת אומרים ִמן‬ ִ ‫ וְי נֹאכַ ל ָשם ִמן הַ זְי בָ ִחים‬,‫וְי ָש ִשים בַ עֲבו ָֹדתָך‬ ‫ וְי נו ֶֹדה ּלְי ָך ִשיר‬,‫ עַ ל ִקיר ִמזְי בַ חֲ ָך לְי ָרצוֹן‬,‫ אֲ ֶשר יַגִ יעַ ָד ָמם‬,)‫ומן הַ זְי בָ ִחים‬ ִ ‫הַ עְי ָס ִחים‬ :‫ גַָאל יִ ְיש ָראֵ ל‬,‫בָ רוְך אַ ָתה יְי ָי‬:‫ וְי עַ ל עְי דות נַפְי ֵשנו‬,‫חָ ָדש עַ ל גְי אֺ ּל ֵָתנו‬ Maggid: Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has redeemed us and our ancestors from Egypt and enabled us to reach this night that we may eat matzah and maror. So Lord our God and God of our fathers, enable us to celebrate forthcoming holidays and festivals in peace, rejoicing in the rebuilding of Zion, Your city, and joyful at Your service. There we shall eat of the offerings and Passover sacrifices, which will be acceptably placed upon Your altar. We shall sing a new hymn of praise to You for our redemption and for our liberation. Praise to You, Adonai, who has redeemed Israel.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam asher gi’alanu v’ga’al et avotaynu mimitzraim v’higeeyanu lilie’lah hazeh leh’echol matzah u’maror. Kayn Adonai elohaynu vay’lohay avotaynu yagee’aynu l’mo’adim v’lirigalim aherim habaim l’krataynu lishalom s’mayhim bivinyan eereh’cha v’sassim ba’avodatecha v’nochal shalmim hazivachim umin hap’sachim asher yagee’a damam al kir miz’bahecha liratzon v’nodeh lecha shir hadash al gi’ulataynu v’al p’dut nafshaynu. Baruch attah Adonai ga’al Yisrael The Second Cup of Wine: Maggid: We now raise the second cup of wine which acknowledges the second of God’s four promises to the Israelites: “I will deliver you from their bondage.” It was not enough for God to liberate us physically. Slavery is also a mind-set. We thank God for giving us the strength to overcome the mentality of slavery that afflicted us.

:‫ בו ֵֹרא עְי ִרי הַ גָפֶ ן‬,‫ אֱ ֹלהֵ ינו מלְֶך הָ ע ֹולָם‬,‫בָ רוְך ַא ָתה יְי ָי‬

Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe Who creates the fruit of the vine.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha-olam boray p’ree hagafen.

We recline to the left while drinking the wine

60 in the fashion of free men and women.

RAHTZAH As we prepare to begin our festive meal we wash our hands, reciting the appropriate blessing. Two or three cups of water are poured on each hand and the blessing is then recited. The dinner table is a sacred altar. By washing our hands we symbolically cleanse ourselves in preparation for this holy meal.

,‫ אֲ ֶשר ִק ְיד ָשנו בְי ִמ ְיצוֹתָ יו‬,‫בָ רוְך ַא ָתה יְי ָי אֱ ֹלהֵ ינו ָֽ ֶמלְֶך הָ ע ֹולָם‬ :‫וְי ִצוָ נו עַ ל נ ְִיטילַת י ָָדיִ ם‬ Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe who sanctifies us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.

Baruch atta Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu bimitzvotav vitzeevanu al nitilat yada’yim

MOTZI MATZAH We recite two blessings over the matzah, one acknowledging it as our most basic food and the other proclaiming it as a symbol of our history. We raise all three pieces of matzah for the blessing. We lean to the left while eating the matzah.

:‫ הַ מו ִֹציא לֶחֶ ם ִמן הָ ָֽ ָא ֶרץ‬,‫ אֱ ֹלהֵ ינו ֶמלְֶך הָ ע ֹולָם‬,‫ְי ָברוְך ַא ָתה יְי ָי‬ Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe who brings forth bread from the earth.

Baruch atta Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam Hamotzee lehem min ha’aretz Then we lay down the bottom piece of matzah and recite the second blessing:

‫ אֲ ֶשר ִק ְיד ָשנו בְי ִמ ְיצוֹתָ יו‬,‫ אֱ ֹלהֵ ינו מלְֶך הָ ע ֹולָם‬,‫בָ רוְך ַא ָתה יְי ָי‬ :‫וְי ִצונו עַ ל אֲ כִ ילַת ַמףָ ה‬

Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe who sanctifies us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the eating of matzah.

Baruch atta Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu bimitzvotav vitzeevanu al achilat matzah

MAROR

61 Bitter herbs are eaten along with a bit of charoset after saying the following blessing. The bitter herbs should either be fresh horseradish or romaine lettuce and not bottled horseradish. Since the maror is a reminder of slavery we do not lean in a leisurely manner while eating the matzah.

‫ אֲ ֶשר ִק ְיד ָשנו בְי ִמ ְיצוֹתָ יו‬,‫בָ רוְך ַא ָתה יְי ָי אֱ ֹלהינו ֶמלְֶך הָ ע ֹולָם‬ :‫וְי ִצוָ נו עַ ל אֲ כִ ילַת ָמרוֹר‬ Praise to You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe who sanctifies us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the eating of the bitter herbs.

Baruch atta Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu bimitzvotav vitzeevanu al achilat maror

KORECH We make a sandwich with the third piece of matzah and a portion of maror dipped in the charoset

‫ כֵ ן עָ ָשה ִהּלֵל ִבזְי ַמן ֶשבֵ ית הַ ִמ ְיק ָדש הָ יָה ַקיָם‬:‫ֵּזכֶ ר לְי ִמ ְיק ָדש כְי ִהּלֵל‬ .‫ומרוֹר וְי אוֹכֵ ל בְי יַחַ ד‬ ָ ‫הָ יָה כו ֵֹרְך עֶ ַסח ַמףָ ה‬ :‫ומרו ִֹרים יֹאכְי לֺהו‬ ‫ עַ ל ַמףוֹת ְי‬:‫לְי ַקיֵם ַמה ֶשנֶאֱ ַמר‬ Maggid: Zecher limikdash k’hillel,to remind us of the Temple, we do as Hillel did in Temple times; he combined Pesach, matzah and maror in a sandwich and ate them together, to fulfill what is written in the Torah: “They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs."

SHULHAN ORECH We are now ready to begin the Passover meal. This is a time for conversation and celebration, a time to catch up with dear family and friends and to continue the discussion of the themes of Passover. We should not lose sight of the fact that this is not just dinner but a se’udat mitzvah, a sacred meal which celebrates the performance of a commandment. Our words and actions should be as fitting as the food we eat. This might be a good time to return to some of the discussion questions listed in the Haggadah above.

BARECH

62 Every meal concludes with blessings in which we give thanks to the One who has given us food. We give thanks not only to show our gratitude but to remind ourselves that we are partners with God in feeding the world. We have a responsibility to share the earth‟s bounty with others. We ought to devote a few minutes before the Birkat HaMazon to discussing ways to feed the hungry and care for the forgotten. The grace begins with Psalm 126 and then a call to prayer in which the leader invites his friends and company to bless the One who allows us to eat of God‟s food. The words in parentheses are only recited where there are at least ten Jewish adults present.

Psalm 126

       

A song of ascent: when the Eternal One restored the exiles to Zion we were like dreamers. Then our mouths were filled with laughter and joyous song was on our tongues. Then it was said among the nations, ―Adonai has done great things for them.‖ Great things indeed He did for us; therefore we rejoiced. Restore us, Adonai, as you return streams to Israel‘s desert soil. Those who sow in tears will reap in joyous song. A tearful person will plant in sadness, bearing his sack of seed, but he will come home in gladness bearing his sheaves of grain.

Shir ha’ma’alot: bishuv adonai et shivat tzion hayeenu k’holmim. Az yimalay sihok peenu u’l’shonaynu reenah. Az yomru vagoyeem, higdeel Adonai la’asot eem ayleh. Higdeel Adonai la’asot emanu, hayeenu simahim. Shuvah Adonai et shiveetaynu ka’afikeem banegev. Hazorim beh’dima beh’reenah yiktzoru. Haloch yelech u’vacho nosay meshech hazara. Bo yavoh vireenah nosay alumotav.

 Leader: Havayrie nivarech 

 Assembled: Yehi shaym Adonai mivorach mayata v’ad olam 

 



Leader: Yehi shaym Adonai mivorach mayata v’ad olam B’rshut havayrie nivarch (elohaynu) sheh’achalnu misheh’lo

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 Assembled: Baruch (elohaynu) sheh’achalnu mee’sheh’lo uv’tuvo hayeenu 

 



Leader: Baruch (elohaynu) sheh’achalnu mee’sheh’lo uv’tuvo hayeenu. Baruch hu u’varuch sheh’mo

     Praised are you, Adonai, sovereign of the universe, who nourishes the whole world with grace, kindness and mercy. You give food to all creatures, for thy kindness endures forever. Through this great goodness we have never been in want; may we never be in want of sustenance for His great name's sake. God is the one who sustains all, who is beneficent to all, and provides food for all the creatures, which He has created. Praised are You, Adonai, who sustains all.

Baruch attah Adonai elohaynu melech ha’olam hazan et ha’olam kulo bituvo b’hen b’chesed uv’rahamim. Hu notayn lehem lichol basar ki l’olam hasdo. Uv’tuvo hagadol tameed lo hasar lanu v’al yehsar lanu mazon l’olam va’ed. Ba’avur sheh’mo hagadol ki hu el zan umifar’nes lakol, umayteev lakol umay’cheen mazon lichol bireeyotav asher bara. Baruch attah Adonai hazan et hakol.

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         

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                     Rebuild Jerusalem the holy city speedily in our days. Praise to You, Adonai, who will rebuild Jerusalem in mercy. Amen.

                 

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                                         

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 May the Merciful One enable us to live in the days of the Messiah and in the world to come. He is the tower of salvation of His chosen king and shows kindness to His anointed prince, to David and his descendents forever. May the One who creates peace in His heavenly heights, grant peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

      

 The third cup of wine Maggid: The third cup of wine reminds us of God’s promise, “I will redeem you.” Redemption is an ongoing process that happened not once but many times in our history. As we partake of the third cup of wine our attention turns to the darkness and light of our history following the Exodus. We believe that the Exodus is a paradigm, a model for our history. It reminds us never to take the blessings of life for granted and to know that even in the darkest hour God is present.

 We open the door of our home as we recite the following words. Some people follow the custom of passing the Cup of Elijah around the table, allowing each person to pour a little of their wine from their cup into it. In this way we symbolically show that each of us has a role to play in bringing redemption to the world.

   Pour out Your wrath on the nations who do not know you, and upon the kingdoms that do not call upon your name. For they devoured Jacob and his habitation they laid waste. Pour out your wrath upon them and let your burning anger overtake them. Pursue them with anger and destroy them beneath the heavens of Adonai.



Hallel

67

        Psalm 115:1-11 Not for our sake, O Lord; not for our sake, but for thy name's sake give glory, because of thy kindness and thy truth. Why should the nations say: "Where is their God?" Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases! Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have a mouth, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear; they have a nose, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throat. Those who make them shall become like them, whoever trusts in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield. You, who revere the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and shield.

     Psalm 115:12-18 The Lord who has remembered us will bless. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless those who revere the Lord, the small with the great. May the Lord increase you, you and your children. The Lord, who made the heaven and earth, blesses you. The heaven is the Lord's heaven, but He has given the earth to mankind. The dead cannot praise the Lord, nor can any who go down into silence. We will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Halleluyah!

68 Not for our sake, Oh Lord, not for our sake but for Your Name: this passage is a conversation on the foolishness and emptiness of idolatry. The poet begins by asking God to be crowned with glory not for our sake but for His own sake. The nations are challenging Israel‟s faith and we need help answering them! When he says, Why should the nations of the world say, “Where is their God, the conversation that is taking place is much like the one between Rabban Gamaliel and the philosophers:60 Some philosophers asked, "If your God has no desire for idolatry, why does He not have it cease to exist?" The elders replied, "If what was worshiped were something the world had no need of, He would have made it cease to exist. But people worship the sun and the moon, the stars and the planets. Should He, on account of fools, make the world cease to exist? So the world must go on as is its wont. As for fools who act wrongly, they will have to render an account." Similarly, here, the response to the question, Where is their God, the response is, Our God is in heaven doing whatever He pleases! Since the heavens are God‟s throne and the earth is His footstool, why should God destroy them just to deny foolish people the ability to worship them? While this answer is sufficient for those who worship something significant, how about those who worship inconsequential things: Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands…? Why does God allow such insignificant forms of idolatry to exist when He could wipe them out? If God were to bother destroying these idols it would appear as if they were in fact more significant than they are. Therefore God allows them to be, because those who worship them will become like them – they will be destroyed by their faith in false idols. Besides, idolatry cannot be completely eradicated from the world until the Messianic era and the end of time. Only then will the whole world come to see that there is but one God in the universe. Therefore, let those who believe in God trust in the Lord for He is their help and their shield… even if idolatry continues to exist! House of Israel, house of Aaron, those who fear the Lord: We divide those “who trust in” the Lord into three groups. Because they trust God, God in turn will bless each of them. God who remembers us: will bless the house of Israel…the house of Aaron…those who fear the Lord…. In fact God‟s blessing will be so great He will bless every one: You are blessed of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. Why does God love these creatures in particular? They have been given free will to choose or reject the Lord and they have chosen to accept God. Because they have chosen Him, God now chooses them! We see this in the expression, The heavens are the heavens of the Lord but the earth is given to human beings… Heavenly beings don‟t have a choice since they belong to God, while the world belongs to human beings to do with as they please. Even though the dead are closer to state of wholeness than are the living, they too are not as great as the living because they don‟t have free will and choice either. That is why we say: The dead can’t praise God…but we can praise God, Hallelujah!

 60

Avodah Zarah 54b Translation taken from Bialik, the Book of Legends

69

      Psalm 116:1-11 I love that the Lord hears my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call upon Him as long as I live. The cords of death encircled me; the pains of the grave have overtaken me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: "O Lord, save my life!" Gracious is the Lord, and righteous and our God is merciful. The Lord protects the simple; I was brought low and He saved me. Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord has been kind to you. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the Lord in the lands of the living. I kept faith even when I cry out: "I am greatly afflicted.' [I kept faith even when] I said in haste: "All men are deceitful."

      Psalm 116:12-19 How can I repay the Lord for all His kind acts toward me? I will raise the cup of salvations, and call upon the name of the Lord. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His pious followers. Please, O Lord, I am truly thy servant; I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid; Thou has loosened my bonds. To Thee I sacrifice a thanksgiving offering, and call upon the name of the Lord. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of Jerusalem. Halleluyah!

  Psalm 117 Give thanks to the Lord, all you nations; praise Him, all you peoples! For His kindness overwhelms us, and the truth of the Lord is forever, Halleluyah!

  Psalm 118:1-4 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His kindness endures forever. Let Israel say: His kindness endures forever. Let the house of Aaron say: His kindness endures forever. Let those who revere the Lord say: His kindness endures forever.

70 I love that God hears the voice of my supplication: Rabbi Moses Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah writes:61 One of the paths of repentance is to cry out to God and to reflect on one‟s actions in times of trouble and misfortune. As it says: “Your iniquities have turned these things away and your sins have withheld good from you.62 …But if the one does not cry out to God but rather says this is just the way of the world and everything is mere chance, this is the path of cruelty. Such people are more likely to cling to their wicked deeds and thereby increase their suffering and travails, as the Torah says, “I also will walk contrary (keri) to them, and bring them into the land of their enemies; if then perchance their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then be paid the punishment of their iniquity… 63” In other words, the suffering that Israel encounters is meant to cause them to repent. If the people assume that these calamities are mere, I will be forced to increase their suffer even more. This is what the psalmist is trying to say in this Psalm. Because God has inclined His ear toward me – to find out about why I am crying out, I will call upon Him all my days – and God will hear my meditations and thoughts, whether I see my suffering as related to this time or a sign from God. The struggles of death encompassed me, but if I assume that my suffering is merely a natural product of the world and not a decree of the judge of the universe, then, the agony of the grave will seized me. Only then, will I call out in the name of the Lord. Then I will say, Lord, I beseech You – save me! This will cause God to remove the misfortune from me for God is compassion and righteous and our God is merciful. I pray…I am your servant the son of your hand maid. You have loosened my bonds: Even though all your creations are your servants, it is especially appropriate to refer to me as your servant, son of your hand maid since you have loosened my bonds and have given me the freedom to choose whatever I want. Even though I have never left Your service, I deserve special credit, unlike the angels who have no choice about serving You. They are more like prisoners in shackles. They deserve no credit for serving you. But someone who is mortal and has been freed of slavery so he can flee and yet remains faithful to his master is extra special. How do I serve God? To You I offer offerings of thanksgiving and I call on the name of the Lord. And the truth of the Lord is forever! Hallelujah! Who originally spoke these words? It was none other than Gabriel, the angel. When our father Abraham was cast into the fiery furnace, Gabriel spoke up to the Holy One, "Master of the universe, may I go down and cool the fire, to save the righteous man from burning in it?" The Holy One replied, "I am the Unique One in My world, even as he is the unique one in his. It is fitting that the Unique One delivers the unique one." But since the Holy One does not hold back the reward of any creature, he said to Gabriel, "Yours will be the privilege of saving three of his descendants." Rabbi Simeon the Shilonite expounded on this: When the wicked Nebuchadnezzar cast Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the fiery furnace, Yurkami, the [heavenly] prince of hail, appeared before the Holy One and said, "Master of the universe, let me go down, cool the furnace, and thus save those righteous men from the fiery furnace."

61

Mishneh Torah, Ta’aniot 1:2

62

Jeremiah 5:25

63

Leviticus 26:40 Note that the word contrary is keri. It has the same root as the word mikrit, chance. Because their deeds are contrary, they see the world is pure chance and not a product of divine will – and for this they will be punished.

71 Gabriel spoke up, "The might of the Holy One will not be made evident this way, for you are the prince of hail, and everyone knows that water quenches fire. But I am the prince of fire. Let me go down, and I shall cool it within and heat it without, and thus perform a miracle within a miracle." At that, the Holy One said to Gabriel, "Go down." It was then that Gabriel burst forth: Truth is the Lord forever. (Ps. 117:2). 64 There are two questions regarding these Midrashim. First why was Yurkami not allowed to save Abraham, and second what is the meaning of Gabriel‟s words: “I shall cool it within and heat it without” while Yurkami only said I will “cool the furnace?” This can be explained through the following Midrash: “He has brought low in dishonor the kingdom and its leaders.” 65 At the time of the destruction of the temple God switched the roles of the angels on high. At the time of Abraham, Yurkami was the prince of fire so he could not save Abraham. Also, because the world did not know of God in the time of Abraham, Nimrod could not be punished with death for throwing him in the fiery furnace. By the time of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, the world knew of God and yet they still tried to throw them in the furnace because of their faith in God. It was not enough to have Yurkami simply cool off the furnace. Instead God sent Gabriel to cool off the furnace while causing a fire outside to punish those who committed this crime. Even though their roles had changed, God kept His promise of allowing the angel Gabriel to save Abraham‟s descendents. He was now the prince of fire but he still was allowed to cool off the furnace while causing heat around it! Why did Nebuchadnezzar choose this particular punishment for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? The king of Babylonia mistakenly thought that God could not simultaneously use opposite elements 66 to save His people. The king threw them into the fiery furnace thinking that God would have to save the three men by cooling the furnace down and couldn‟t burn those outside the furnace. He was wrong. He also did not believe that God would care about lowly creatures like these three men. But God‟s providence extends even to the lowly! Thank the Lord for He is good; His kindness endures forever: The first verse in this passage explains how God created all things from nothing, ex nihilo, and how God‟s kindness extends even beyond the moment of creation. The world tov, good, in this verse is a reference to the creation story. After each act of creation, God sees that what He has created „is good.‟ God not only acted out of kindness at the moment of creation but continues to do so every moment of existence. If God had turned His attention away for the universe for even a split second, all that exists would cease to be! Everything continues to be in the hands of God, and therefore we say His kindness endures forever. The poet now brings a proof for this in the next three lines which speak about the house of Israel, the house of Aaron and those who fear the Lord. These are a reference to the statement in Avot which says that the world stands on three pillars: Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Hasadim. Let the House of Israel thank the Lord, this is a reference to the Torah which was given to Israel and through which the world continues to exist. Without the study of Torah the world would lapse into chaos. Because of this, His kindness endures forever.

64

Pesahim 118b Also See Daniel, chapter three.

65

Lamentations 2:2

66

The author is not talking about the periodic chart but the four elements which medieval philosophers speak about. There are four elements in the universe: fire, wind, earth and water.

72 Let the House of Aaron thank the Lord is a reference to the Kohanim whose job it is to lead the worship of the Lord in the Temple through sacrifices and offerings. Through their offerings they testify that His kindness endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord give thanks to the Lord is a reference to all those who perform the commandments, as we are taught, “Happy is the man who fears the Lord and delights greatly in His commandments.”67 The commandments that are most precious to God are acts of loving kindness, Gemilut Hasadim, as we learn in the Talmud, “Rabbi Simlai expounded: The Torah begins and ends with deeds of loving kindness. Loving kindness appears at the beginning of the Torah: "the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them"68 And loving kindness appears at its end: "and he buried [Moses] in the valley.”69 The world only exists for the sake of loving kindness for both the living and the dead so that all we receive according to their needs. For the sake of these deeds, God treats the world with loving kindness as well for His kindness endures forever. We see this in the elements which make up the world. Though they are opposite one another, they combine and mix together to complete each other and add to the wholeness of the world. Everything is in God‟s hands.

67

Psalm 112:1

68

Genesis 3:21

69

Sotah 14b Also see Genesis 3:21 and Deuteronomy. 34:6

73

              Psalm 118:5-29 From the narrows I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me by placing me in a great expanse. The Lord is with me; I have no fear of what man can do to me. The Lord is with me among my helpers; I shall see the defeat of my foes. It is better to seek refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to seek refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All nations have encompassed me; but in the name of the Lord, I routed them. They swarmed around me; but in the name of the Lord, I cut them down. They swarmed like bees about me, but they were extinguished like a fire of thorns; But in the name of the Lord, I cut them down. You pushed me that I might fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song; He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is heard in the tents of the righteous: "The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The Lord's right hand is raised in triumph; The Lord's right hand does valiantly!" I shall not die, but live to relate the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has surely punished me, but He has not left me to die. Open for me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous may enter through it.

74

Each verse is recited twice:

   ֹ :‫נָגִ ילָה וְי נ ְיִש ְימחָ ָֽב ֹו‬ I thank you for you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the major cornerstone. This the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; we will be glad and rejoice on it.

    O Lord, please save us! O Lord, please save us! O Lord, let us prosper! O Lord, let us prosper!

  May the one who enters be blessed in the name of Adonai, We bless you from the house of the Lord

  Adonai is God; He has given light, Bind the festival offering to the altar with cords

  You are my God, I will praise and extol you!

  Praise Adonai for He is good; His loving kindness is forever!

75 From the narrow places I called out to Yah… When a person finds himself in straits and distress, he cries out to God using the Yah since this is the name through which the world was created as we read, “Trust in the Lord for ever, for Yah is the Lord, an everlasting Rock.” 70 Since God is the creator of everything, all of creation is at God‟s beck and call, and God can overturn the heavenly order of things. When one cries out to God in this way, He answers me, and I am able to say that it was not some heavenly being but God Himself who overturned the heavenly order when I was in dire straits. I can also say that God answers me in the expanses, that is, God answers and helps me even when things are wide open and at ease (merhav). The Lord is with me. I shall not fear. What can man do to me? The poet now raises common concern that even though God is the Master of the Universe who controls all things, human beings still have free will. So how can we assume that God can stop human beings from doing things that they wish to do? But this is only the case for human beings who are not completely righteous who cry out to God. They have free will to act against us. When a person is completely righteous, God can change physical nature of the world and even human will to help him. That is why the poet says, What can man do to me? He is talking about a righteous person who feels secure in the presence of God. The poet now switches from using the two letter name of God, Yah, to using the four letter name of God. The Lord God is with me, to help me; I will yet see the defeat of my foes: not only did God protect me but He allowed me to see how He took vengeance on my enemies. In the story of the Exodus, we learn that this was the case: “God delivered Israel on that day from the hands of the Egyptians… and the nation saw the mighty Hand of the Lord which he wrought in Egypt and they believed in the Lord.”71 “They saw the Egyptians die on the shore of the sea.”72 Experiencing God‟s deliverance is one thing – seeing it with one‟s own eyes is even greater. King David now tells us that while he was dependent upon God for deliverance and God helped him, he did not sit back passively and wait for deliverance to come. Rather human initiative is still necessary. This is what the psalmist means when he writes; It is good to trust in the Lord by means of human beings. The word miv’toah should be translated not as “rather than human beings” but “rather then through the agency of other human beings.” He makes reference to several examples of this from his own life. All the nations surrounded me but in God’s name I cut them down: this is a reference to David‟s battle with Goliath. Because he made an effort, God helped him to succeed. He said to Goliath, “You came to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel…” 73 They surrounded me, they surrounded me but in the Lords name I cut them down. The second time is when David went out to fight the Philistines, “And there was war again; and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.” 74 The double language in this verse is a reference to the incident in which David went out to battle the Philistines for Saul and returned with 200 foreskins. They surrounded me like bees and I snuffed them out like thorns. This is a reference to the third time David battled the Philistines, when he was a king and burned their idols after defeating them. 75 You pushed me again and again to fall: here the poet is speaking about the incidents regarding Abshalom. These misfortunes came about from God because of his sin with Bathsheba. But the Lord did help me: Even here David did not give up but continued to make an effort and therefore God brought him deliverance. God convinced Abshalom to listen to Ahitophel rather than his other advisor Chushi, and as a result did succeed. 76 The strength (ozi) and retribution (zimrat) of the Lord was the cause of my deliverance. Even though I deserved misfortune, God‟s judgment was the cause of my deliverance even here.

Psalm 136 70

Isaiah 26:4 Exodus 14:30ff 72 Ibid. 73 1 Samuel 17:45 74 I Samuel 19:8 75 I Samuel 5:20-21 76 Ahitofel and Hushi were two members of David‟s house who followed Abshalom when he rebelled against his father. They became his advisors. Ahitofel was clandestinely serving King David and was able to convince Abshalom to make bad strategic military decisions that ultimately led to Abshalom‟s downfall and to David‟s success. See II Samuel 17 71

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                 Give thanks to the Adonai for He is good, His kindness endures forever; Give thanks to the God above gods; His kindness endures forever; Give thanks to the Lord of lords; His kindness endures forever; To Him who alone does great wonders, His kindness endures forever; To Him who made the heavens with understanding, His kindness endures forever; To Him who stretched the earth over the waters, His kindness endures forever; To Him who made the great lights, His kindness endures forever; The sun to reign by day, His kindness endures forever; The moon and the stars to reign by night, His kindness endures forever; To Him who smote Egypt in their firstborn, His kindness endures forever; And took Israel out from among them, His kindness endures forever; With strong hand and outstretched arm, His kindness endures forever; To him who parted the Red Sea, His kindness endures forever; And caused Israel to pass through it, His kindness endures forever; And threw Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, His kindness endures forever; To Him who led His people through the wilderness, His kindness endures forever; To Him who smote great kings, His kindness endures forever; And slew mighty kings, His kindness endures forever; Sihon, king of the Amorites, His kindness endures forever; And Og, king of Bashan, His kindness endures forever; And gave their land as an inheritance; His kindness endures forever; An inheritance to Israel His servant; His kindness endures forever; Who remembered us in our low state; His kindness endures forever; And released us from our foes; His kindness endures forever; Who gives food to all creatures; His kindness endures forever; Give thanks to God of all heaven; His kindness endures forever.

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Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His kindness endures forever: This Psalm speaks about three characteristics of God: wisdom, (Hachmah), will (ratzon), and ability (yecholet). Give thanks to the Lord for He is Good is a reference to the quality of will. God‟s will is to do good and to bring good to others. Give thanks to the God of gods (elohay haelohim) is a reference to the quality of wisdom. The word Elohim is sometimes used for angels, who are endowed with divine wisdom. God is the good of all divine beings who have wisdom. Give thanks to the Master of all masters (Adonai ha-adonim) is a reference to the quality of ability. Since each nation and land has its own master or divine prince, and God is the master of all these masters, this is the quality of ability – God controls and can do whatever He wishes. God has the power to bring them low or to humble them as He did to the prince of Egypt. The next set of three lines repeat these three qualities. He who does great wonders, alone…this is the quality of God‟s all powerful ability yecholet. He who created the heavens with understanding…. God is endowed with hachmah wisdom. In his great wisdom, God took water, mayim, and fire, esh, two opposite elements of the universe and from them he created heaven, shamayim. He who spread the earth on top the water…God has the ratzon, the will, to defy the rules of nature. Normally something heavy sinks in a liquid. But God placed the earth on top of the water. Why does the Psalmist add the word alone in the verse He does great wonders, alone. God alone can perform such wonders in the universe. This added word can be explained by a parable. When a mortal king is praised, his attendants and ministers are praised along with him. Not so with the Holy One. When God is praised, He is praised all by Himself. Even though he has a divine retinue, He has ultimate control over each of them so they are totally unlike Him. God says, “Who was with me when I created the world?” He created the great luminaries…The Midrash asks, since God created the sun why was it necessary to create the moon as well? God saw that in the future people would worship the heavenly bodies. If there had only been one heavenly body how much more so would the people be tempted to worship it! God therefore created one for the day and another for the night so that people would see that the rule of each one would be limited and finite. Another explanation of Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His kindness endures forever: The glory of God is referred to as the Ayn sof, Without End, because God has no beginning and no end; God alone was, is and will be. When it arose in God‟s primal will to create the world, ten holy sephirot went forth from God‟s essence to create the world of emanation. Afterwards God created the world of the throne from which came the world of yetzirah (formation) which is the realm of angels, and afterwards the world of asiyah (doing). All of these worlds are interconnected in the God‟s holy light. This is what we mean when we say Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. When it arose in God‟s will to create the world – His will is good and it comes from hesed, loving kindness. Give thanks to the God of gods – the realm of emanation, atzilut. All of the Sephirot are Elohim. Give thanks to the Master of all masters – this is the realm of yetzirah which influences and guides the realm of angels which are associated with it. He who does (oseh) great wonders, alone – this is the realm of asiyah – the word oseh and asiyah come from the same root word. This is the realm of mundane existence as we know it. All of these levels are interconnected by the holy light of God‟s loving kindness. Up until this point the poet is describing the workings of creation. From this point on he describes the miracles of God‟s loving kindness in the world. The workings of creation are unchanging but God overturns the rules of nature for the sake of His loving kindness.

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Nishmat Kol Chai The Breath of all Life shall bless Your Name                                 

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            Praise is your name forever, our Sovereign, who rules and is great and holy in heaven and on earth. It is fitting to render praise and song to you Adonai, our God; it is fitting to render Hallel and psalms, power and dominion, victory, glory and might, praise and beauty, holiness and sovereignty, blessings and thanks, from now and forever. All Your works praise You, God; your pious followers who perform your will, and all your people the house of Israel, praise, thank, bless, glorify, extol, exalt, revere, sanctify, and coronate your name, mighty sovereign. It is fitting to give thanks to You, and to Your name it is proper to sing praises, for You are God eternal.

80 Even if our mouths were filled with song like the sea, our tongues with exultation like the roaring of the waves, our lips with praise like the expanse of the firmament, our eyes radiant like the sun and the moon, our hands outspread like the eagles of the sky or the deer feet as light as the deer, we could not sufficiently thank You….: This passage in the Haggadah revolves around the question of divine providence, hashgahah pratit. Each expression is associated with a Talmudic statement and is understood as explaining that there is no end to the praise we owe God for His providence over all existence and over each individual as well. Those who composed the liturgy were actually commenting on the following discussion in the Talmud. This discussion begins from the assumption that Job‟s suffering was punishment because he denied God‟s providence in the universe and over his life.77 “For he breaks me with a whirlwind and multiplies my wounds without cause.” 78 Rabbah said: Job blasphemed (denied divine providence) God by mentioning a storm, and with a storm he was answered. He blasphemed with a storm, as it is written, “For he breaks me as with a whirlwind.” Job said to God: Perhaps a whirlwind has passed before me, and caused thee to confuse Iyob [Job] and Oyeb [enemy]79. He was answered through a tempest, as it is written, “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said…Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me.”80 'I have created many hairs in man, and for every hair I have created a separate groove, so that two should not suck from the same groove, for if two were to suck from the same groove they would impair the sight of a man. I do not confuse one groove with another; and shall I then confuse Iyob with Oyeb? Who has created a channel for the water flood? Many drops have I created in the clouds, and for every drop a separate path, so that two drops should not issue from the same path, since if two drops issued from the same path they would wash away the soil, and it would not produce fruit. I do not confuse one drop with another, and shall I confuse Iyob and Oyeb?' …. Or a way for the lightning of the thunder. Many thunderclaps have I created in the clouds, and for each clap a separate path, so that two claps should not travel by the same path, since if two claps traveled by the same path they would devastate the world. I do not confuse one thunderclap with another, and shall I confuse Iyob with Oyeb? Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth, or can you mark when the hinds do calve? This wild goat is heartless towards her young. When she crouches for delivery, she goes up to the top of a mountain so that the young shall fall down and be killed, and I prepare an eagle to catch it in his wings and set it before her, and if he were one second too soon or too late it would be killed. I do not confuse one moment with another, and shall I confuse Iyob with Oyeb? Do you know when the hinds give birth? This hind has a narrow womb. When she crouches for delivery, I prepare a serpent which bites her at the opening of the womb, and she is delivered of her offspring; and were it one second too soon or too late, she would die. 77

I will begin by quoting the entire passage though Rabbi Rabinowitz returns to each part of this statement in the following d’rashot, homilies. 78

Job, 9:17

The letters in these two words - Job and enemy - in Hebrew are the same – but switched around. That is why Job, servant of God, can suddenly become an enemy of God! 79

80

Job 38:1, 3

81 I do not confuse one moment with another; shall I confuse Iyob with Oyeb? Job speaks without knowledge, and his words are without wisdom. Raba said: This teaches that a man is not held responsible for what he says when in distress. 81 Commenting on this passage, Rabbi Rabinowitz begins with the following statement from above: Or a way for the lightning of the thunder. Many thunderclaps have I created in the clouds, and for each clap a separate path, so that two claps should not travel by the same path, since if two claps traveled by the same path they would devastate the world. I do not confuse one thunderclap with another, and shall I confuse Iyob with Oyeb? 82 The Maharsha83 explains that Job denied divine providence when he said: “The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of the Judge; if it be not He, then who?” In this verse, Job is saying that the wicked to whom the world was given over is Satan and the Judge (God) has allowed a separation to develop with his creations so that they suffer from His absence. Satan is one of the spirits, ruhot84, who have been allowed to storm and devastate the world (For he breaks me with a whirlwind). These storms separate the one who watches from the one who is watched. It is because of this that Job (Iyyov) becomes an enemy (Oyyev). Because a whirlwind causes Job to deny God‟s providence, God now answers him with a whirlwind. In other words, it is through the natural world that God provides proof to Job of His providence. I have created many types of thunder in the universe, about which we say. “Blessed is the one whose power and greatness fills the universe. 85” If two of these claps of thunder were to happen simultaneously from one place, the world would be destroyed by them….. This is the meaning of the Marharsha‟s explanation. According to the Talmud, there is an angel by the name of Ridiyah who is appointed over the rain and water that enters the world. 86 It is his job to tell the rains to fall and to control the waters that rise up from beneath the earth. If this angel was to allow the thunder to call forth the water from below and from above at the same time, the world would be flooded as it was in the time of Noah.87

81

Baba Batra 16a

82

Baba Batra Ibid

83

Samuel Eidels (1555–1631), was a renowned rabbi and Talmudist famous for his commentary on the Talmud, Chiddushei Halachot. Eidels is known as Maharsha (Acronym: "Our Teacher, R. Shmuel Eidels"). 84

The word ruhot has two meanings. It can mean wind and it can also mean heavenly beings or spirits. The use of the word here has a double meaning since the evil spirits cause a storm in the world, according to Job. The word storm in Job is shorthand for evil spirits that control the world. 85

This is the blessing one says when one hears a clap of thunder.

86

Ta’anit Chapter 3

If one reads the bible carefully one discovers that Noah‟s flood was not just forty days of rain, but the waters below the earth rose up while the waters above the firmament continued to fall thus returning the earth to its original state of pre-creation chaos. 87

82 But God watches over the thunder, preventing this from happening. Therefore we praise God; even if our mouths were filled with song like the sea we could not sufficiently thank God for His providence because He continues to control the water which fills our world. 88 Our tongues, with exultation like the roaring of the waves: This statement is related to the following story about Rabbah Bar Bar Channah in the Talmud89: Rabbah said: Seafarers told me: The wave that sinks a ship appears with a white fringe of fire at its crest, and when stricken with clubs on which is engraved. 'I am that I am, Yah, the Lord of Hosts, Amen, Amen, Selah', it subsides.” Rabbah said: Seafarers told me: There is a distance of three hundred parasangs between one wave and the other, and the height of the wave is [also] three hundred parasangs. 'Once,' [they related], 'we were on a voyage, and the wave lifted us up so high that we saw the resting place of the smallest star, and there was a flash as if one shot forty arrows of iron; and if it had lifted us up still higher, we would have been burned by its heat. And one wave called to the other: "My friend, have you left anything in the world that you did not wash away? I will go and destroy it." The other replied: "Go and see the power of the Master [by whose command] I must not pass the sand'[of the shore even as much as] the breadth of a thread"; as it is written: Fear not Me? Says the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence? Who has placed the sand for the bound of the sea, an everlasting ordinance, which it cannot pass?90” The Maharsha explains this passage in the following way: We see elsewhere in the Bible that stormy seas are often used as a metaphor for the wicked, as in Isaiah, 17:12, “Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters,” and Isaiah, 52:20, “But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt.” The misfortunes that befall the world then are caused by the waves, evil doers. The deeds of the righteous are like the sands of the sea shore which, we see above, God decreed can keep back the greatest of waves. The ship which is engraved with the name of God symbolizes people who are subject to the forces of evil in the world. When we trust the Torah we are safe from these terrible waves because the Torah is also engraved with the name of God. When the waves (evil doers) realize that they cannot overcome the sands of the sea, they begin to praise God and say, "Go and see the power of the master [by whose command] I must not pass the sand'[of the shore even as much as] the breadth of a thread." The sea shores then is a metaphor for the power of divine providence. Just as the shore protects the land through the providence of God so to the righteous are protected and protect the world from destruction. Therefore, the seas praise God just as we do: Our tongues with exultation like the roaring of the waves. Our lips with praise like the expanse of the firmament: Returning to the earlier Talmudic passage we read the following:

88

Somehow I suspect the people in New Orleans and along the Indian Ocean would disagree with this sentiment… 89

Baba Batra 73a Rabba Bar Bar Channah is quoted in several passages in the Talmud relating some very strange stories of his experiences during his travels around the world. The truly read like tall tales and big fish stories which led the commentators to read them allegorically rather than literally. 90

Jeremiah 5:22

83 Who has created a channel for the water flood? Many drops have I created in the clouds, and for every drop a separate path, so that two drops should not issue from the same path, since if two drops issued from the same path they would wash away the soil, and it would not produce fruit. I do not confuse one drop with another, and shall I confuse Iyob and Oyeb?'91 This passage is an illustration of the Biblical passage: “The heavens declare the glory of the God, and the firmament His handiwork.92” What is the handiwork of the firmament? It is the rain and dew. The very fact that the world is not washed away by the rains is proof of God‟s providence. Therefore our lips praise God because of the expanse of the firmament. Our eyes radiant like the sun and the moon: Here we find an answer to the following statement between Job and God: 'I have created many hairs in man, and for every hair I have created a separate groove, so that two should not suck from the same groove, for if two were to suck from the same groove they would impair the sight of a man. I do not confuse one groove with another; and shall I then confuse Iyob with Oyeb? 93 It is through the vision and radiance of our eyes that we come to see God‟s providence in the world. God not only sees all things but allows us to see His presence in all things. As we find in the Bible, “Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for it is not as man sees: for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.94” Human beings can see with their eyes that God is constantly watching out for us and providing us with all the things that we need. Our hands outspread like the eagles of the sky or the deer feet as light as the deer: The passage continues with reference to the Talmud discussion above: Do you know the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth, or can you mark when the hinds do calve? This wild goat is heartless towards her young. When she crouches for delivery, she goes up to the top of a mountain so that the young shall fall down and be killed, and I prepare an eagle to catch it in his wings and set it before her, and if he were one second too soon or too late it would be killed. I do not confuse one moment with another, and shall I confuse Iyob with Oyeb? Can you mark when the hinds do calve? This hind has a narrow womb. When she crouches for delivery, I prepare a scorpion which bites her at the opening of the womb, and she is delivered of her offspring; and were it one second too soon or too late, she would die. I do not confuse one moment with another, and shall I confuse Iyob with Oyeb? 95 Even though the birth passage of the goats is very narrow, God watches over it and helps it in its delivery. It provides a scorpion that bites the goat at just the right moment causing the birth canal to open. This cannot happen a minute too soon or too late, proving that God‟s providence is present at every second. There is no second when God is not present! How could we not praise God for being present in this manner!

91

Baba Batra Ibid

92

Psalm 19:2

93

Baba Batra Ibid

94

Samuel 16:7

95

Baba Batra Ibid

84

The fourth cup Maggid: We come to the fourth cup of wine for the promise, “I will take you to be my people and I will be your God.” All of this, to what purpose did it serve? It is to bring us to Mount Sinai, to allow us to enter the Covenant, to serve God and become a blessing to the world. What is freedom about if it does not serve a higher purpose.

 Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

          Blessed, are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, for the vine and its fruit, and for the produce of the field, for the beautiful and spacious land, which Thou gave to our fathers as a heritage to eat of its fruit and to enjoy its goodness. Have mercy, Lord our God, on Israel thy people, on Jerusalem thy city, on Zion the abode of thy glory, on thy altar and thy Temple. Rebuild Jerusalem, the holy city, speedily in our days. Bring us there and cheer us with its restoration; may we eat of its fruit and enjoy of its goodness; may we bless Thee for it in holiness and purity. (On Sabbath add: Favor us and strengthen us on this Sabbath day) and grant us happiness on this Feast of matzot; For Thou, O Lord, are good and beneficent to all, and we thank Thee for the land and the fruit of the vine. Blessed art Thou, O Lord for the land and the fruit of the vine.

Adir Bim’luchah -- Mighty in kingship     

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                   Powerful in kingship, truly chosen, His troops sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due Famous in kingship, truly glorious, His faithful sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due Guiltless in kingship, truly strong, His angels sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due Alone in kingship, truly powerful, His scholars sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due

86 Commanding in kingship, truly revered, His near ones sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due Humble in kingship, truly redeeming, His righteous sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due Holy in kingship, truly merciful, His angels sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due Indomitable in kingship, truly sustaining, His innocent sing to Him: "Thine only Thine, O Lord, is the Majestic Kingdom." Beautiful praises are His due

Adir Hu -- Awesome is He            Awesome is He, May He build His temple very soon. O God, build thy temple speedily. Chosen is He, great, and famous; May He build... Glorious is He, pure and guiltless; May He build... Pious is He, clean and unique; May He build... Powerful is He, wise and majestic; May He build... Revered is He, eminent and strong; May He build... Redeeming is He, righteous and holy; May He build... Merciful is He, omnipotent, and indomitable; May He build...

87

Echad Mi Yodeah/Who knows one?

 One is our God in heaven and earth.



 Two are the tablets of the covenant

 

 Three are the fathers of Israel

 

 Four are the mothers of Israel

 

 Five are the books of the Torah

  

 Six are the orders of the Mishnah

  

 Seven are the days of the week

   

 Eight are the days to circumcision

88

  

 Nine are the months to child birth

   

 Ten are the commandments

   

 Eleven are the stars in Joseph's dream

   

 Twelve are the tribes of Israel

    

 Thirteen are the attributes of God

    

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One Kid One little kid, one little kid Which father bought for two Zuzim One little kid, one little kid

   Then came the cat who ate the kid    Then came the dog who bit the cat   Then came the stick that beat the dog   Then came the fire that burned the stick   Then came the water that quenched the fire    Then came the ox who drank the water    Then came the shochet who slaughtered the ox    

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 Then came the angel of death who killed the shochet      Then came the Holy One Blessed be He Who slaughtered the angel of death     The Holy One, blessed be He, came and slew the angel of death that slew the slaughterer that killed the ox that drank the water that quenched the fire that burned the stick that beat the dog that bit the cat that ate the kid that father bought for two zuzim. One kid, one kid.

              

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 Had Gadya, Had Gadya: It is possible that even with all the promises contained in the Haggadah, the Jewish people were still disheartened and discouraged about their future. After all that transpired in Egypt, all the ways in which our ancestors prepared to leave Egypt (so that even a slave saw more at the Red Sea than Ezekiel saw in his prophetic visions), and even though they stood at Sinai, the people of Israel quickly succumbed to sin. We see this in Scripture: While the king was on his couch, my perfume gave forth its fragrance96,” – and all of Israel‟s repairs97 were spoiled, and, “I have taken you for divine beings, as sons of the Most High, all of you; but you shall die like as men do, fall like any prince.”98 Since (Israel so failed in the time of the Exodus) we have reason to worry about the promises of the prophets who tried to comfort Jerusalem and Zion and the chosen people and allowed us to foresee God‟s future redemption wherein „the moon would shine like the sun,‟ and „God‟s name would be one,‟ and “neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at first.”99 Could it be that all these repairs will only last a day or two and then Satan will come to dwell among us to destroy and uproot all the repairs as happened in the time of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai?100 If sin caused our ancestors to destroy whatever repairs they had performed, God forbid the same may happen to us. For all this our hope would be lost, and therefore the Maggid comes to comfort us with Had Gadya. We learn here that all the repairs and preparation were not carried out by God but by human beings, and just as a human beings are transient, so too their deeds are transient. In the future, however, the repair of Israel will be performed by the Holy One himself, and just as God is eternal, his repairs are eternal as well. Then God‟s promise will be fulfilled, “and I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh.”101 With this we begin Had Gadya. What exactly is the significance of the „single kid?‟ The Had Gadya is a symbol of the free will for which the world was created. God created all things so that there are opposing choices. God created the good and evil inclinations and He gave us a choice between them. We see this in the symbolism of Yom Kippur. The Torah tells us that, “Aaron shall take two he-goats and let them stand before the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 102” Why were there two goats? The two he-goats symbolize the good and evil inclinations which are in all human beings. Each tries to advise, one toward good and the other toward evil. But because they are so much alike, we cannot tell them apart. Similarly, we cannot differentiate the two goats on Yom Kippur.

96

Song of Songs 1:12. This book is an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel. While God was still redeeming Israel, the Israelites gave themselves to idolatry. 97

The term Tikkun, repair, is used here throughout this passage. It is not easily translated. Israel had to repair itself in order to be worthy of redemption, and we continue to perform repairs in order to bring the messianic promises of the future. 98

Psalms 82:7- 8

99

I Chronicles 17:9

100

No sooner did the Israelites experience the revelation at Sinai, they worshipped the Golden Calf!

101

Ezekiel 11:7 The message of the prophet is that God will bring about a change of character in human beings that they could not bring about by themselves: God will give us a new heart. 102

Leviticus 16:7

92 They look alike in all – in height, appearance and color – so that they are interchangeable. We can only tell them apart by drawing lots – one is then designated for the Lord while the other for Azazel. Similarly both the good and the evil inclinations must serve God, just as these goats do. When we draw lots, we learn that our good deeds lead us to God while sin leads us to Azazel. Yet the goat that is sent to Azazel is also necessary for our repair. The scapegoat upon which the priest confesses our sins also serves a divine purpose since it carries away our sins. In this way, both the good and evil inclination must serve God.103 The two goats of Yom Kippur are symbols for the two inclinations in every human being. Similar to the two inclinations, both goats are used in the service of God. One was sent off to Azazel to die, and the other one became a sacrifice to the Lord. Since we cannot tell the goats/inclinations apart, it is easy to confuse them and the one for the Lord must also be sacrificed while the other is led off into the wilderness. Therefore we choose lots so that one is designated for each purpose Before Adam sinned, everything was sanctified to God. But once humankind sinned, good and evil became mixed together and “Sin coaches at the door.”104 The two goats of Yom Kippur are like the twins, Jacob and Esau. In the opening refrain of Had Gadya we say that Father bought the goat for two zuzim; we repeat this refrain twice because in fact he bought two goats for one zuz each. We repeat the words Had Gadya twice as a reference to the two goats of Yom Kippur and the two inclinations. A righteous man who serves God properly uses the evil inclination to turn darkness to light and bitterness to sweetness. So too when the Jews left Egypt we find that this was the case: The Jews did not abide by their faith very long after they left Egypt. The Torah says, “they tried the Lord, saying: „is the Lord among us, or not?‟” The evil inclination overcame them and caused them to doubt God‟s providence. Then came the cat and bit the goat: This is a reference to the Talmudic statement: “A dog recognizes its master, but a cat does not recognize its master.” Why did God condemn Amalek more strenuously than any other nation? Even the Egyptians, who killed, oppressed and caused Israel to sin, were not condemned to have “their name blotted out” as Amalek was. The reason for the cruel punishment of Amalek had to do with the fact that they were first among all the nations and they saw what happened to the Egyptians at the hand of God. They were the ones, after witnessing the death of so many Egyptians, who went to Pharaoh and told him to pursue Israel105 after the Israelites left Egypt. Despite God‟s redemption of Israel from Egypt, Amalek came up with a plan to get around God‟s protection of Israel by attacking the weakest of them.

103

This is a well know teaching based on Deuteronomy Chapter 6: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. Since the word heart is written with two vets – levavcha – it is understood to teach that we must serve God with both our inclinations 104

Genesis 4:7, both must be sacrificed since we can‟t tell them apart

105

See Baal HaTurim, a medieval commentary on the Torah

93 Yet Israel was even worse. The Israelites refused to recognize their Master in Heaven and cast doubt on God, and they acted like a cat who does not know its own master. It was for this reason that God sent Amalek to attack the Israelites. God then said to Israel, “By your life, I will now send the dog to attack the cat.” Amalek was the dog who was sent to attack Israel, the cat. God said that Amalek was the one who knew who its master was but rebelled against Him, and was better than Israel who saw the power of its Master face to face but questioned whether its master was present or not! But those Israelites who recognized God (even though Israel was like a cat) survived. Then came the dog and bit the cat: Because of their evil Israel repented through Moses. Then came the staff: The stick is the staff which Moses carried, and through which he carried out justice and smote the enemies of Israel. And smote the dog that bit the cat… Moses smote the sinners/the dog through the power of the merit of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs. As we see in the verse, “Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.”106 The sages interpret this to mean: „mountains‟ refer to the Patriarchs, and „hills‟ to the matriarchs. Then came the fire that burned the staff107: Moses was sequestered in heaven Without bread or water While a nation divided in two Gathered with insolence against Aaron Violently they grabbed him, Saying, “Where is your brother, the prophet?” They cried out like a lion or a lioness: “We will bring you to justice! Make us a god of clay. So that it will guard us.” Righteous Aaron offered his advice “Take off your earrings!” Into the fire the rebellious ones threw them And out came a calf of gold God looked down from Heaven That Israel had turned aside They defiled themselves with a foreign God He said to Moses “Go down! For your people have acted basely. Your brother Aaron is a witness.” With fury Moses went down. For the word of God made him tremble And in his heart, for the God of all spirits, He broke the tablets.

106

Exodus 17:9 The next section of the commentary is written in the form of a poem; the final word of each line in Hebrew rhymes. 107

94 Then came the fire and burned the staff: of Moses so that Israel returned to their former state before the repairs: Then came the water and quenched the fire: This is a reference to the actions of Moses. He burned the golden calf and ground it up and mixed it in water. He then made the Israelites drink the liquid mixture. Moses called out bitterly, “Return O Israel with a pure soul,” and then the heart of all Israel cried out, The lesson of Moses they took to heart, Their souls bowed low to the earth. Moses returned again to the firmament He spoke out there In order to save his people “Forgive your people, Show them Your face, Have they not returned to You?” Like a pool or a well Tears fell from their eyes. “And if not, then blot me out!” And then from the heavens God answered, “I have forgiven according to your words,” And the repair returned as it was. Then came the ox and drank the water: This is a reference to the time of Jeroboam who fashioned calves, and started the sin of the golden calf all over again. They angered God because they abandoned His Torah And they desired false gods He sent prophets and seers Until when will they dream? And humiliate the word of God? This is the ox From a time of grace Moses managed to quench the fire And now because of Jeroboam, the failure returned And it flared up like great injustice. From then on the nation of Israel grew weaker From generation to generation she wasted away Until there was almost nothing left of her. The King of Babylon in his insolence, He has his multitude Corrupted Zion and its monarchy. They killed the nation of Your strength They burned the Sanctuary of the King Until it was nothing but a pillar of salt. Israel went down to Babylon They wandered about homeless

95 They dwelled among their enemies Until there arose the spirit of Cyrus who Gave permission to Ezra the Scribe To build a beautiful Temple in Jerusalem Ezra tried to rid them of the evil inclination “On a raised platform stood the Levites…. and cried out in a loud voice…”108 Then came the shochet and slaughtered the ox: The evil inclination of idolatry was given over to the shochet and he silenced it. It was not very long before the evil inclination once again returned so that the mystery of the repair was once again established. Then came the angel of death and slaughtered the shochet: In the time Ezra there was a failure as we learn in the Talmud: “Till Thy people pass over, O Lord.” This refers to the first entry [into Palestine in the time of Joshua]; till Thy people pass over, which thou hast purchased: this refers to their second entry (In the time of Ezra). Hence you may reason: The Israelites were as worthy of a miracle being wrought for them at the second entry as at the first, but that sin caused it [not to happen]. 109” The point here is because of sin – that the people did not all return to Zion in the time of Ezra; many remained behind - they were not worthy of the great miracles they witnessed during the first entrance to the land. So once again the people fell into sin. Then came the Holy One and killed the angel of death: We are taught that God will take the evil impulse and destroy it. Then there will be true wholeness and “God will be one and His name will be one.”

          108 109

Nehemiah Chapter 9:4

See Sanhedrin 98a Also Exodus 15:16 The point here is because of sin – possibly that the people did not all return to Zion in the time of Ezra; many remained behind, they were not worthy of the great miracles they witnessed during the first entrance to the land. (you don‟t need this sentence because it‟s in the text)

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 Step 14: Acceptance

   May God accept this Seder As it concludes according to Halacha, Complete in all its laws and ordinances. Just as we were privileged to arrange it tonight, So may we be granted to perform it again. O Pure One, who dwells in the heights above, Establish us as a countless people once again, Speedily guide Your plants Israel, as a redeemed people, To the land of Zion with song.

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 NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM