Introduction
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם.... וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.
We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt.... And anyone who adds [and spends extra time] in telling the story of the exodus from Egypt, behold he is praiseworthy.
Nowadays, many people misinterpret this verse and think that it is acceptable to change the customs and passages in the haggadah in order to compliment and support their idea. For example, many people know use feminist haggadot, black-empowerment haggadot, or LGTBQ haggadot - where in some of these the practices are changed. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE'RE DOING. We are not changing anything in the haggadah, but we are providing a secondary explanation to some texts that can teach us more about Zionism and Pesach.
The First Source of Zionism - The Rabbis at Bnei Brak during the Bar Kochba Revolt
מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָה וְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן שֶׁהָיוּ מְסֻבִּין בִּבְנֵי־בְרַק וְהָיוּ מְסַפְּרִים בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם כָּל־אוֹתוֹ הַלַּיְלָה, עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ תַלְמִידֵיהֶם וְאָמְרוּ לָהֶם רַבּוֹתֵינוּ הִגִּיעַ זְמַן קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית.
It happened once [on Pesach] that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon were reclining in Bnei Brak and were telling the story of the exodus from Egypt that whole night, until their students came and said to them, "The time of [reciting] the morning Shema has arrived."
1) Why do we even say this on Leil Haseder?
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם, וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה. וְאִלּוּ לֹא הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, הֲרֵי אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם. וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָּנוּ חֲכָמִים כֻּלָּנוּ נְבוֹנִים כֻּלָּנוּ זְקֵנִים כֻּלָּנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.
We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt. And the Lord, our God, took us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched forearm. And if the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our ancestors from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children's children would [all] be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. And even if we were all sages, all discerning, all elders, all knowledgeable about the Torah, it would be a commandment upon us to tell the story of the exodus from Egypt. And anyone who adds [and spends extra time] in telling the story of the exodus from Egypt, behold he is praiseworthy.
Many Rabbanic scholars have taught that a possible reason as to why these Rabbi's were gathered in Bnei Brak at night during this time, is because the Bar Kochba revolt was happening against the Romans and the rabbis needed to plan/hide. So what is the Bar Kochab revolt?
The Bar Kochba Revolt was a Jewish revolt against the Romans in 132-135 CE. During this time, the idea of Messianism was rampant. Messianism is the idea that salvation will be achieved through trust and support of a messiah, and not through the merit of torah study. In short, Bar Kochba was a revolutionary whom many people thought to be the messiah. People supported him and fought alongside him because they thought that salvation can be achieved through national independence/peace, which is brought by military victories. In short, people thought that salvation and the building of the third beis hamikdash can only happen if the Jews were independent. Sound familiar? This was the belief of many Zionists, both secular (specifically Militant Zionists) and religious, in the early 1900s! (refer to source below) Zionist philosophers, such as Max Nordau, praised Bar Kochba as the last militant Zionist who truly embodied the Zionist ideal. Because of this idea, a few youth organizations were named in honor of Bar Kochba.
Avraham Stern, the founder of Lehi, was a HUGE believer in militant Zionism, the idea that the Jews must forcefully conquer Eretz Yisrael first in order to achieve a state. This type of Zionism started with the belief that the Jews must need an militant organization to defend them, but Revisionist Zionism soon intervened and Militant Zionism progressed to the former definition. Avraham Stern justified his radical ideas through Jewish ideas found in the Torah and other places. His ideas on Chivush Ha'aretz are similar to those of the supporters of Bar Kochba:
עיקרי התחיה
ג. העם ומכורתו – את ארץ ישראל כבש ישראל בחרב. בה היה לעם ובה בלבד ישוב לתחיה. לפיכך יש לישראל ורק לו זכות הבעלות על ארץ-ישראל. זכות זו היא מוחלטת: היא לא פקעה ולא תוכל לפקוע לעולם.ד. היעוד – 1. גאולת הארץ. 2. תקומת המלכות. 3. תחיית האומה: אין תקומת המלכות בלא גאולת הארץ, ואין תחיית האומה בלא תקומת המלכות.
ח. כח – חשול הכוח הלוחם והאדרתו במכורה ובתפוצות, במחתרת ובקסרקטין, להיותו צבא-גאולה עברי על דגלו, נשקו ומפקדיו.
ט. מלחמה – מלחמת תמיד בכל העומדים לשטן לקיום היעוד.
י. כיבוש – כיבוש המכורה מידי זרים לאחוזת עולם.
טו. קבוץ גלויות – קבוץ גלויות שלם במלכות ישראל.
טז. שלטון – האדרת העם העברי להיותו גורם צבאי, מדיני תרבותי וכלכלי ראשון במעלה במזרח ובחופי הים התיכון.
יז. תחייה – החיאת הלשון העברית בפי כל העם, חידוש עצמותו ההיסטורית והרוחנית של ישראל. צרוף האופי הלאומי בכור התחיה.
יח. הבית – בניין הבית השלישי כסמל לתור הגאולה השלמה.
The 18 Priniciples of Rebirth
THE NATION AND ITS LAND: Israel conquered the land with the sword. There it became a great nation and only there it will be reborn. Hence Israel alone has a right to that land. This is an absolute right. It has never expired and never will. THE GOALS: Redemption of the land. Establishment of sovereignty. Revival of the nation. There is no sovereignty without the redemption of the land, and there is no national revival without sovereignty. These are the goals of the organization during the period of war and conquest: t. FORCE: Consolidate and increase the fighting force in the homeland and in the Diaspora, in the underground and in the barracks, to become the Hebrew army of liberation with its flag, arms, and commanders. WAR: Constant war against those who stand in the way of fulfilling the goals. CONQUEST: The conquest of the homeland from foreign rule and its eternal possession. These are the tasks of the movement during the period of sovereignty and redemption: SOVEREIGNTY: Renewal of Hebrew sovereignty over the redeemed land. INGATHERING OF THE EXILES: Total in-gathering of the exiles to their sovereign state. POWER: The Hebrew nation shall become a first-rate military, political, cultural and economical entity in the Middle East and around the Mediterranean Sea. REVIVAL: The revival of the Hebrew language as a spoken language by the entire nation, the renewal of the historical and spiritual might of Israel. The purification of the national character in the fire of revival. THE TEMPLE: The building of the Third Temple as a symbol of the new era of total redemption.
Anyway back to Pesach:
These Rabbis were most probably supporters of Bar Kochba and his rebellion. It is widely known that Rabbi Akiva was his main supporter/believer and his spiritual advisor. Therefore if this meeting really happened during the Bar Kochba revolt, it is safe to say that the other rabbis were also supporters of the revolt as well. But what's so special about this and how does it tie into the theme of pesach?
Pesach is all about freedom - it is the zman charutenu (the time of freedom). These rabbis were hiding for their lives and were in a life dangering situation, yet they realized that they are bnei chorin (free men) and that they must continue to fight against the Roman opression in order to bring Moschiach. Nowadays, this messianic belief seems to be extreme for our modern standards. After the Bar Kochba revolt, the Tannaim of the time realized that revolution and military violence will not bring moschiach; learning torah will.
The Second Source of Zionism - Ha Lachma Anya
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִּי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַּׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַּׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.
This is the bread of destitution that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Anyone who is famished should come and eat, anyone who is in need should come and partake of the Pesach sacrifice. Now we are here, next year we will be in the land of Israel; this year we are slaves, next year we will be free people.
(א) טעם שאנחנו משתמשין בליל זהי"ל הטעם שזהו העשירות אשר ועוד האיך יאמרו בני ישראל היושבים בא"י בזה הנוסח השתא הכא לשה הבאה בארעא דישראל הלא גם עכשיו הם בא"י אכן נוכל לומר הא לן והא להו. השתא הכא, לבני בבל, השתא עבדי לבני א"י ודו"ק ולגבי דידן בוודאי נוכל לומר שתיהן כי אנחנו בח"ל ואכתי עבדי אנן וק"ל.
Also, what do the final words of this passage mean for those who are already living in the land of Israel? How can they say, "Next year may we be in the land of Israel." One of the final two passages applies to those living in the land of Israel and the other to those who are not in the land of Israel. Those in the exile say, "Now we are here; next year in the land of Israel." Those in Israel say, "Now we are slaves; next year may we be free." For us today (living in the Diaspora) both statements are relevant: Next year may we be free and in the land of Israel.
One interpretation of this view on Ha Lachma Anya is that aliyah is the first step to becoming a free man.
ואם תאמר הואיל וזה הלחם שאנו אוכלים מצה הוא כמו שעשו אבותינו למה לא נעשה גם כן קרבן פסח כמותו לז"א השתא הכא בח"ל ואין אנו יכולין להקריב קרבן יהי רצון לשנה הבאה נהיה בארץ ישראל ואז נעשה קרבן ה' במועדו. וא"ת בשנה הזאת למה אין אנו יכולין לבנות בה"מ ולהקריב קרבן לז"א השנה הזאת אנחנו עבדים בגלות החיל הזה והאומות יעכבו על ידינו ולשנה הבאה בע"ה נהיה בא"י בני חורין אין שטן ואין פגע רע. ומלת השתא לשון קצר והוא כמו הא שתא כמו והתניא שבכל הש"ס שהוא כמו והא תניא:
Kos Eliyahu:
Now we are here; next year in the land of Israel. One might wonder, since we are eating matzah just as our ancestors did on the eve of Passover, why don’t we also offer an offering on Passover? This question is answered in this statement: “Now we are here; next year in the land of Israel.” That is, we cannot offer a sacrifice because we are here in the Diaspora. Sacrifices can only be offered in the Temple in Jerusalem. Next year may we be in the land of Israel where we can offer sacrifices on each of festivals!
Now we are slaves; next year may we be free! But the previous state suggests yet another question. Why don’t we just rebuild the Temple so we can offer sacrifices again? To this question, the Haggadah says, “Now we are slaves; next year may we be free!” That is, because we are slaves living in this bitter exile, we are not free to rebuild the holy Temple. With God’s help, next year may we be free in the land of Israel so that neither Satan nor misfortune can prevent us from rebuilding the Temple.
This interpretation says that aliyah is the first step to the building of the third Beis Hamikdash, and subsequently to the offering of the korban pesach.
The Third Source of Zionism - Mitchila
וָאֶקַּח אֶת־אֲבִיכֶם אֶת־אַבְרָהָם מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וָאוֹלֵךְ אוֹתוֹ בְּכָל־אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן, וָאַרְבֶּה אֶת־זַרְעוֹ וָאֶתֵּן לוֹ אֶת־יִצְחָק, וָאֶתֵּן לְיִצְחָק אֶת־יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת־עֵשָׂו. וָאֶתֵּן לְעֵשָׂו אֶת־הַר שֵּׂעִיר לָרֶשֶׁת אתוֹ, וְיַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו יָרְדוּ מִצְרָיִם.
And I took your father, Avraham from over the river and I made him walk in all the land of Canaan and I increased his seed and I gave him Yitschak. And I gave to Yitschak, Ya'akov and Esav, and I gave to Esav, Mount Seir [in order that he] inherit it; and Yaakov and his sons went down to Egypt.'"
Some meforshim hold that the inclusion of this section in the haggadah is too teach the kedusha of Avraham, as Kos Shel Eliyahu does below:
(א) ואקח את אביכם. ר"ל שלקח אותו לחלקו ולעבודתו והפרישו מע"ז וכמו שנאמר בבניו ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם וגו' ולכך אמר את אביכם שהאבות סימן לבנים שכשם שהפריש את אביהם לעבודתו כך עתיד להפריש את בניו מע"ז של מצרים ולקרבם לעבודתו והרי זה כדמות ראיה על ועכשו קרבני. ואמר את אברהם נמשך ג"כ לואקח כאלו אמר ואקח את אביכם ואקח את אברהם. שלקחו מעבר הנהר מקום ע"ז ומקום הטומאה והוליכו אל ארץ כנען ארץ הקדושה. ואמר ואולך אותו בכל ארץ כנען הוא מה שנאמר באברהם קום התהלך בארץ לאורכה ולרוחבה וגו' שהלך בכל הארץ אורך ורוחב כדי לזכות בה לו ולזרעו אחריו.
V’ekach et (1)aveechem, An I took your father: That is, God took our father, Abraham, and his descendents as His own special portion and God set him apart from all others for true worship. That is why we refer to Abraham as “Your father.” By referring to Abraham in this way we are reminded that the actions of our ancestors are a sign for future generations. In future generations our ancestors in Egypt would reject idolatry and embrace the worship of God just as Abraham did. One could read this verse, “I will take your father just as I took Abraham.” God took Abraham from beyond the Euphrates, which was a place of idolatry and impurity, and brought him to the land of Canaan, which was a holy land. The statement, “through the whole land of Canaan” is a reference to the statement in Genesis, “Rise, walk through the land and walk through it, the length of it and the breadth of it,” in which God tells our forefather to walk throughout the land. By walking the length and width of the land Abraham took possession of the land for himself and his ancestors afterwards.
(א) קום התהלך בארץ לארכה ולרחבה. הבט ימין וראה כי מתחלה אמר הקב״ה לאברהם שא נא עיניך וראה מן המקום אשר אתה עומד שם צפונה ונגבה וקדמה וימה כי כל הארץ אשר אתה רואה לך אתננה ולזרעך עד עולם ש״מ שבראיה לחוד סגי וקני לה. ואח״כ חזר מזה ואמר, קום התהלך בארץ לארכה ולרחבה כי לך אתננה. ש״מ שצריך לעשות חזקה ממש מכי דיש אמצרי, (ב״ק ט.)
(2) It seems to me from all this that one can say, that the Holy One gave the land to Avraham in order that he acquire there two types of benefit. The first is spiritual, and is acquired simply through seeing. The other is physical and is acquired through marking out its boundaries (see Baba Metzia 14b). The spiritual benefit is, that there is the place of the Sanctuary below aligned with the Holy Temple above. There the Lord made a place for His dwelling, and there “was His strengthen hidden.” (Habakuk 3:4)
The Fourth Source of Zionism