The Pesach Seder - Conflicting Emotions

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.

(6) In each and every generation, a man is obligated to show himself as though he himself went out now from the slavery of Egypt as it is said (Deuteronomy 6:23) "And He took us out of there, etc." and on account of this thing, the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded in the Torah "And you shall remember that you were a slave," that is to say as though you yourself were a slave and you went out to freedom and you were redeemed.

Four cups - Corresponding to the four languages of redemption stated in the redepmtion from Egypt: 1) And I will take you out, 2) I will save you, 3) I will redeem you and 4) I will take you (as my nation), in Parshas Va'era.

It is a mitzvah to have red wine ...

Magen David: The Tur was particular that here for the four cups (that they be red wine) and not for Kiddush (on Shabbos), because there is also a remembrance of the blood - that Par'oh would slaughter the Jewish people. And nowadays we avoid red wine because of the blood libels of the non-Jews.

They brought before him, and he dips in the chazeres, until he gets to the secondary matza. They bring before him the matza, chazeres, charoses and two dishes, even though the charoses is not a mitzvah. Rabbi Elazar ben Tzadok says it is a mitzvah. And in the Bais Hamidash, they brought before him the actual (korban) Pesach.

Rabbi Elazar ben Tzadok says it is a mitzvah: What is the mitzvah? Rabbi Levi says it is a remembrance of the apple, and Rabbi Yochanan says it is a remembrance of the mortar. Therefore, it should be made acidic and thick: acidic as a remembrance of the apple and thick as a remembrance of the mortar.

One needs to make it thick (i.e. like mortar) and acidic (i.e. like apple). And in the Yerushalmi it says to some make it a rememberence of the blood, and that is why it is called dipping in a liquid, and this is what the people says "it should be make thick and at the time of eating it, it is thinned with wine (i.e. like blood, hence the requirement of RED wine) and vinegar.

When they went to draw water, Hashem would bring (lit. prepare for) them small fish, and they would draw half water and half fish, and they would draw two pitchers, one of hot water and one of fish, and bring it to their husbands in the field ... And when they became pregnant, they would come to their houses. And when it was time to give birth, they would go and give birth in the field under the apple tree, as it states (Shir Hashirim) "under the apple tree I awakened you ..."

According to the simple meaning of the pasuk, since we see that Hashem said that it (the korban Pesach) is required to be roasted and complete ..., this tells us that Hashem's intent is to show the great test and freedom, and that is no other domination over them. And according to this, also the maror that Hashem commanded is that it is the nature of those who eat roast to eat something strong with it, since it is with this that the palate will be sated and he will eat with all the desire of his soul (i.e. satisfaction).

(14) And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour.

And then he makes a bracha on washing the hands ... and makes the bracha Hamotzi. And why does he make the bracha on two loaves ... And then he wraps the matza and maror together and dips it in the Charoses and makes the bracha "... on eating matza and maror" and eats them. And if he eats matza and maror separately, he makes a separate bracha on each (loose translation).

... R' Amram writes "and he makes Hamotzi and dips it in Charoses", and so writes the Rambam. And I don't know why one should dips in Charoses ... And further the Ba'al Hamanhig asks according to their opinion, that matza is a remebrance of the the freedom and Charoses is a remembrance of the mortar and how can they be combined one with the other?