Matzah Marror and Sipur Yitzias Mitzrayim as Experience and Memory

Daniel Kahneman, the Israeli Nobel prize winning psychologist and behavioral economist alerts us to the importance differentiating experiences from the memories of those experiences. He would say we have an Experiencing Self and a Remembering Self. A characteristic of the Experiencing Self is that it lives in this moment. It is present ONLY as events unfold. The Remembering Self lives in the past and effects the future. Therefore, our recollections of previous “experiences” are actually the functioning of our Remembering Self as it brings former experiences to the fore, with color and more of less significance as provided by the context of our memory. This distinction is important because Memory functions on different principles than Experience. One example is happiness. I may have good experiences but may not be happy unless my memory of those experiences is viewed with satisfaction. And vis versa – I may have a relatively poor experience but view it positively because of a satisfactory association or because of my general disposition.

This distinction is important because whereas the Experiencing Self receives new events, data, and feelings, it is as fleeting as the present moment. It is the Remembering Self that remains not only to recall the events, and lend color and perspective, - but also to create the meaningfulness of the events, and its contextual narrative. It is based on the meaning and narrative of the Remembering Self that we make decisions and choices, and measure our general satisfaction with ourselves and others.

It seems to me that some mitzvot of the seder night employ the Experiencing Self and some employ the Remembering Self. Consequently, some Mitzvos play by the rules of the Experiencing Self and some by the rules of the Remembering Self.

Let’s analyze four unique Mitzvos of the seder night. Pesach, Matzoh, Marror & Sipur Yitzias Mitrayim.

I suggest 3 Mitzvos, as described by Raban Gamliel in the Hagadah, Karban Pesach, - now defunct – Matzah and Marror are functions of the Remembering Self. We act based on the historical memory of former experiences. We “COMEMORATE” – which functionally and linguistically is about remembering. We do – because they did. This Remembering Self is not even remembering its own experiences, but the memory of the memory of the experience as it is retold to us in our narrative. We can see that these mitzvos are memory oriented from the structure of Raban Gamliel’s description, event, and prooftext. i.e. we are asked to remember the events of slavery and redemption, as our textual narrative states such and such.

I suggest, based on the description in the Hagadah, that the Mitzvah of Sipur Yitzias Mitrayim – “telling the story” is not about memory, but about creating new experiences. Experiences are, by definition, in the present and therefore new. Although there is some texture of memory in the Hagadah’s prescription of Sipur Yitzias Mitrayim, there are key elements requiring the creation of new experiences. Firstly, the language of Bchol Dor v’Dor chayav adam liros es atzmo, in each and every generation a person is required to see oneself, is a statement about being in the present – it demands active innovation not commemoration.

Secondly, from the ending of the statement; the proof text from Devarim:

“ וְאוֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיא מִשָּׁם, לְמַעַן הָבִיא אוֹתָנוּ, לָתֶת לָנוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשָׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֵינוּ”.

(Deuteronomy 6:23); "And He took us out from there, in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He promised to our ancestors."

Although this can be understood historically – to bring that generation to the promised land, I don’t think it would be the best prooftext for the Hadagah’s requiring intergenerational dialog and transmission – b’chol dor v’dor.

Therefore, rather than explain that text using an historical definition I suggest using a teleological definition. An historical definition is about what happened then. A teleological definition focuses on meaningfulness, about the potential of what continues to unfold. For example, historically the French Revolution can be correctly defined as a civil war in 1789 whereby the people wrested control of government away from the monarchy and is commemorated on July 14 the day people stormed the Bastille. Defining the French Revolution teleologically would involve a discussion of the seeds, the values, the and development of democratic governments. Both definitions are accurate but employ different perspectives. The historical events of the French Revolution reside in the Remembering Self. The teleological demands of the French Revolution unfold everyday anew in the dynamics of democratic governments as their Experiencing Self. It demands perspective, innovation, development of values, respect for time, and for others.

I suggest that the concluding proof text

“ וְאוֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיא מִשָּׁם, לְמַעַן הָבִיא אוֹתָנוּ, לָתֶת לָנוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשָׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֵינוּ”.

(Deuteronomy 6:23); "And He took us out from there, in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He promised to our ancestors" is active and ongoing, and shapes Sipur Yitzias Mitrayim as a demand of the Experiencing Self here and now. It demands of us to create a definition of meaningfulness withing our lives at present. To bring ourselves, now, within the context of our own generation, to OUR own promised land.

By utilizing the Experiencing Self in the work of Sipur Yitziyas Mitzrayim, we each create the foundation for new ideas, new values, new action plans, new stories to tell our own Remembering Selves and all the people in our orbit.

Tosefta - Hillel the Elder would combine the 3 together and eat.