(א) מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל תּוֹרָה לְסַפֵּר בְּנִסִּים וְנִפְלָאוֹת שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם בְּלֵיל חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג ג) "זָכוֹר אֶת הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר יְצָאתֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם" כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ ח) "זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת". וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁבְּלֵיל חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (שמות יג ח) "וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר בַּעֲבוּר זֶה" בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר מֻנָּחִים לְפָנֶיךָ. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ בֵּן. אֲפִלּוּ חֲכָמִים גְּדוֹלִים חַיָּבִים לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרִים וְכָל הַמַּאֲרִיךְ בִּדְבָרִים שֶׁאֵרְעוּ וְשֶׁהָיוּ הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח:
(ו) בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ יָצָא עַתָּה מִשִּׁעְבּוּד מִצְרַיִם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו כג) "וְאוֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיא מִשָּׁם" וְגוֹ'. וְעַל דָּבָר זֶה צִוָּה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַּתּוֹרָה וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ כְּלוֹמַר כְּאִלּוּ אַתָּה בְּעַצְמְךָ הָיִיתָ עֶבֶד וְיָצָאתָ לְחֵרוּת וְנִפְדֵּיתָ:
(ז) לְפִיכָךְ כְּשֶׁסּוֹעֵד אָדָם בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה צָרִיךְ לֶאֱכל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְהוּא מֵסֵב דֶּרֶךְ חֵרוּת. וְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בֵּין אֲנָשִׁים בֵּין נָשִׁים חַיָּב לִשְׁתּוֹת בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה אַרְבָּעָה כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁל יַיִן. אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין לוֹ מֵהֶם. וַאֲפִלּוּ עָנִי הַמִּתְפַּרְנֵס מִן הַצְּדָקָה לֹא יִפְחֲתוּ לוֹ מֵאַרְבָּעָה כּוֹסוֹת. שִׁעוּר כָּל כּוֹס מֵהֶן רְבִיעִית:
(
(1) It's a positive commandment fromthe Torah to tell about the miracles and wonders that were done for our fathers in Egypt on the night of the 15th of Nisan, as it is said (Exodus 13:3) "Remember this day when you left Egypt." As it is said (Exodus 20:8) "Remember the Sabbath day." And from where [do we know] that it's on the 15th night? The verse says (Exodus 13:8) "And you shall tell your son on that nigh telling him because of this." And the time when the Matzah and Maror are in front of you. And even if he doesn't have a son. Even great sages are obligated to tell about leaving Egypt, and anybody who speaks at length about the things that happened and what was, that is praiseworthy.
(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.
(7) Therefore, when a man has his meal on this night, he must eat and drink while reclining in a manner of freedom. And each and every man and woman is obligated to drink on this night four cups of wine. You can't have less than that. And even a poor person who is provided for with tzedakah can't have less than four cups. And the measure of each of these cups is a r'vi'it
(ג) הביאו לפניו ירקות מטבל בחזרת כו': הסדר שהוא אומר לך הוא כן. מביאין לפניו השולחן ומקדש כאשר זכר ואוכל איזה ירק שנזדמן לו אחר שיטבול אותו בחרוסת ויברך עליו בפה"א וזה שאמר מטבל בחזרת להודיעך כי בפה"א יברך אפי' על חזרת שהוא מן המרורים לפי שהוא אכלו במקום ירק בתחלה אבל כשאכל מצה (וחזרת) ואח"כ חזרת מברך על אכילת מרור אם לא אכל תחלה מרור ואם אין לו אלא מרור תחלה וסוף יברך עליו תחלה בפה"א ואח"כ על אכילת מרור ואוכלו בסוף בלא ברכה. ומה שסדרנו לאכול ירק עכ"פ ואח"כ מרור כדי שיהיה שינוי וישאל הבן ומטבל בכאן עניינו שמתעסק באכילת הירק. והחרוסת הוא תערובות שיש בו קהוי ודמות תבן וזה זכר לטיט ואנחנו עושין אותו כך שורין תאנים או תמרים ומבשלין אותן ודכין אותן עד שירטבו ולשין הכל בחומץ ונותנין בו שבולת נרד או איזוב וכיוצא בו בלי שחוקים. ור"א בן צדוק אומר חרוסת מצוה לדעתו שחייב אדם לברך אקב"ו על אכילת חרוסת ואינה הלכה:
The order that it is telling you is this: They bring the table out to him and make kiddush as mentioned and eat whichever vegetable has been prepared for him after it is dipped into charoset. Then, he blessed over it "who creates the fruit of the ground." That which the Mishna says, "dip with chazeret," is to inform you that one should bless "who creates the fruit of the ground" even if he is eating chazeret which is a type of maror which he is eating in place of another vegetable at the beginning. But if, when a person eats matzah and afterwards eats chazeret, they should bless at tha time "on the eating of bitter herbs" if they did not eat bitter herbs earlier on. But if all a person has is bitter herbs for the beginning and the end, he should bless over it first "who creates the fruit of the ground" and then "on the eating of bitter herbs" and eat it again later without any blessing. And that which we ordered to eat, at the very least, a vegetable and then later bitter herbs is in order to create a change so the children inquire. Here, "dip" simply means that we are engaged in eating of a vegetable . . . .
שולחן ערוך א''ח תע''ג
נוֹטֵל יָדָיו לְצֹרֶךְ טִבּוּל רִאשׁוֹן וְלֹא יְבָרֵךְ עַל הַנְּטִילָה, וְיִקַּח מֵהַכַּרְפַּס פָּחוֹת מִכַּזַּיִת, וּמְטַבְּלוֹ בְּחֹמֶץ, וּמְבָרֵךְ בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה וְאוֹכֵל, וְאֵינוֹ מְבָרֵךְ אַחֲרָיו.
Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim: 473
He washes his hands for the purposes of the first dipping but does not bless over the washing, and he takes less than an olive's volume of the karpas, dips it in vinegar, and blesses "who creates the fruit of the earth" and eats, and does not make a blessing afterwards.
(נב) (נב) ולא יברך וכו' - וכמו שפסק המחבר לעיל בסימן קנ"ח ס"א ועיי"ש במ"ב דעת הגר"א בענין זה:
Like the ruling of Rav Yosef Karo earlier in 128:1, and see there in the Mishna Berurah for the opinion of the Vilna Gaon in regards to this subject matter.
There are those whose custom is to eat a kezayit, because less than that is not considered to be "eating," and one must fulfill the requirement to eat karpas (Rambam, Gra, Chazon Ish, Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik). Whoever wishes to do so may, especially if it will help him concentrate on the retelling of the Exodus until the meal.
The Raisin (aka "Karpas") meditation: Set aside five to ten minutes when you can be alone, in a place, and at a time, when you will not be disturbed by the phone, family or friends. Switch off your cell phone, so it doesn’t play on your mind. You will need a few raisins (or other dried fruit or small nuts). You’ll also need a piece of paper and a pen to record your reactions afterward. Your task will be to eat the fruit or nuts in a mindful way, much as you ate the chocolate earlier. Read the instructions below to get an idea of what’s required, and only reread them if you really need to. The spirit in which you do the meditation is more important than covering every instruction in minute detail. You should spend about twenty to thirty seconds on each of the following eight stages: 1. Holding Take one of the raisins (or your choice of dried fruit or nuts) and hold it in the palm of your hand, or between your fingers and thumb. Focusing on it, approach it as if you have never seen anything like it before. Can you feel the weight of it in your hand? Is it casting a shadow on your palm? 2. Seeing Take the time really to see the raisin. Imagine you have never seen one before. Look at it with great care and full attention. Let your eyes explore every part of it. Examine the highlights where the light shines; the darker hollows, the folds and ridges. 3. Touching Turn the raisin over between your fingers, exploring its texture. How does it feel between the forefinger and thumb of the other hand? 4. Smelling Now, holding it beneath your nose, see what you notice with each in-breath. Does it have a scent? Let it fill your awareness. And if there is no scent, or very little, notice this as well. 5. Placing Slowly take the object to your mouth and notice how your hand and arm know exactly where to put it. And then gently place it in your mouth, noticing what the tongue does to “receive” it. Without chewing, simply explore the sensations of having it on your tongue. Gradually begin to explore the object with your tongue, continuing for thirty seconds or more if you choose. 6. Chewing When you’re ready, consciously take a bite into the raisin and notice the effects on the object, and in your mouth. Notice any tastes that it releases. Feel the texture as your teeth bite into it. Continue slowly chewing it, but do not swallow it just yet. Notice what is happening in the mouth. 7. Swallowing See if you can detect the first intention to swallow as it arises in your mind, experiencing it with full awareness before you actually swallow. Notice what the tongue does to prepare it for swallowing. See if you can follow the sensations of swallowing the raisin. If you can, consciously sense it as it moves down into your stomach. And if you don’t swallow it all at one time, consciously notice a second or even a third swallow, until it has all gone. Notice what the tongue does after you have swallowed. 8. Aftereffects Finally, spend a few moments registering the aftermath of this eating. Is there an aftertaste? What does the absence of the raisin feel like? Is there an automatic tendency to look for another? Now take a moment to write down anything that you noticed when you were doing the practice. Here’s what some people who’ve attended our courses said: “The smell for me was amazing; I’d never noticed that before.” “I felt pretty stupid, like I was in art school or something.” “I thought how ugly they looked … small and wrinkled, but the taste was very different from what I would normally have thought it tasted like. It was quite nice actually.” “I tasted this one raisin more than the twenty or so I usually stuff into my mouth without thinking.”
Williams, Mark. Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World (Kindle Locations 1011-1052). Rodale. Kindle Edition.
According to the Bach (Rabbi Yoel Sirkes), the whole institution of karpas was instituted for two reasons: a) Eating before the meal (appetizers) is a sign of luxury b) So that folks don't have to wait so long to eat
(א) יִהְיֶה שֻׁלְחָנוֹ עָרוּךְ מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם, כְּדֵי לֶאֱכֹל מִיָּד כְּשֶׁתֶּחְשַׁךְ; וְאַף אִם הוּא בְּבֵית הַמִּדְרָשׁ, יָקוּם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמִּצְוָה לְמַהֵר וְלֶאֱכֹל בִּשְׁבִיל הַתִּינוֹקוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יִישְׁנוּ, אֲבָל לֹא יֹאמַר קִדּוּשׁ עַד שֶׁתֶּחְשַׁךְ.
(1) ...Your table should be set from the daytime, in order to eat right away when it becomes dark; And even if he is in the Bet Midrash, he should leave because it is a commandment to hurry and eat (at the seder) for the children who may fall asleep, but a person should not recite Kiddush until it gets dark.
ספר מאור עינים - פרשת ויצא
"וישא יעקב רגליו וילך ארצה בני קדם". ופירש רש"י: "משנתבשר בשורה טובה,
והובטח בשמירה, נשא לבו את רגליו ונעשה קל ללכת". הענין דכתיב )מלאכי ג', כ"ג-
כ"ד( "הנה אנכי שולח לכם את אליהו הנביא לפני בא יום ה' גו' והשיב לב אבות וגו'".
והן אמת הדבר, שכמו שלפני ביאת המשיח במהרה בימינו יהיה בשורת אליהו, ומחמת
זה יהיה הרחבת הדעת, כמו שכתוב "ומלאה הארץ דעה וגו'".
כמו כן יש בחינה זו בכל אדם מישראל ובכל זמן. דהנה אמרו בגמרא ששאל המין
"מפלגא ולעילא דהורמיז וכו'" -- הענין הוא לפי המובן: כי התגברות הרע והחומר בא
באדם מפלגא דלתתא, כי מפלגא דלעילא אין שום התעוררות רע ח"ו כנודע למבין.
ומחמת שנתעורר בפלגא דלתתא בא ההתגברות הרע ח"ו גם כן בפלגא דלעילא. ודעת
המין היתה עבור זה, לומר שבא האדם משתי רשויות ח"ו. והאמת שהאדם הוא אחדות
גמור, בכל רמ"ח איברים ושס"ה גידים כנודע. וצריך לייחד השני חלקים, לדבק אל
הטוב הגמור, שלא יהיה התגברות החומריות אפילו מצד פלגא דלתתא. כי אל אחד
בראן, רק שנברא כן בכדי שיהיה בחירה. וזה נקרא בחינת "רגלין", שצריך העובד
להגביהן וליחדן עם פלגא דלעילא.
והנה אם בא לאדם איזה בשורה טובה , גם בשעת לימוד כשמתקשה על איזה דבר,
קודם שיבוא לו הדעת, נכנס בו כמו בשורה. שמרגיש במוחו שנכנס בו נקודה אחד וזהו
נקרא "בחינת אליהו", ואחר כך "ומלאה הארץ דעה", שנתרחבה דעתו ונתמלא חיות.
ובנקל לו אז ליחד את חלקיו, גם בחינת "רגליו" אל הטוב.
כי באמת איש המגיד בשורה טובה נתלבשה בו "בחינת ניצוץ אליהו" ממש, כי הוא
המבשר כל הבשורות טובות שבעולם. רק שמתלבש בהמגיד ההוא, כי "בחינת אליהו"
הוא מששת ימי בראשית רק שנתלבשה אחר כך בפנחס כנודע. ולכן כשמזדמן להגיד
איזה בשורה טובה, מתחזק כל אחד ואחד לרוץ ולהגיד, כי נשמתו ברגשת "בחינת
אליהו", ורוצה להכניסו בתוכו. אף שאין בני אדם מרגישין בזה, מכל מקום מזליה חזי.
ואם היה לו דעת היה יכול להתחיל לעבוד את ה' בבחינת אליהו שנתלבשה בו אז, וילך
בה ממדריגה למדריגה גדולה. וגם האיש שנתבשר הבשורה נכנס בו הניצוץ אליהו
בקרבו, ונתרחבה דעתו. גם כן יוכל לדבק בנקל אל הבורא יתברך חלק הנקרא "רגליו"
גם כן, ונקרא אז "בא יום ה' הגדול", שהכניס בסבה זו את ה' בתוכו:
וזהו "הנה אנכי שולח לכם": כי "שולח" הוא לשון הוה. כי תמיד הוא כך: בכל אדם
ובכל זמן בחינת אליהו שלוח אל האדם הישראלי "לפני בא יום ה'" כאמור. ואז "והשיב
לב אבות על בנים": כי בחינת פלגא דלעילא נקרא "אבות" נגד פלגא דלתתא. כי פלגא
דלתתא נקרא בחינת "כרעין": "כי ברא כרעא דאבוה הוא". ופלגא דלעילא מוליד
השכל לקרב גם בחינת הכרעין לטוב והבן. וזה "והשיב לב אבות על בנים ולב בנים על
אבותם": שנעשה אחדות אחד, שהלב שבבחינת "אבות" ישוב על בחינת "בנים", שגם
9
שם יבוא הטוב. "ולב בנים על אבותם": אף מה שבא בבחינת "בנים", שבא מחלק הרע,
דהיינו איזה מדה שבא מבחינת "רגלין", גם כן מביאה אל הטוב, כמו שכתוב "בכל
דרכיך דעהו", "ומשיב לב בנים" אל בחינת "אבות":
וזה "וישא יעקב רגליו": שהגביה בחינת "רגלין". "משנתבשר בשורה טובה נשא לבו
את רגליו": "נשא" החיות שבא אל לבו מבחינת אליהו שהיה מששת ימי בראשית )כמו
שכתוב בזוהר הקדוש( "את רגליו", את בחינת "רגליו". "וילך ארצה בני קדם": שאפילו
במדות ארציות שלו הולך "אל בני קדם", אל בנין קדמונו של עולם. "ונעשה קל ללכת":
כי יש ק"ל צירופי אליהו, אותיות הקדושים שבאין אל האדם עם בחינת אליהו לעזרו
ללכת למדריגה גדולה והבן:
Maor Enayim - Parshat Vayetzei
“Jacob lifted up his feet and went to the land of the Easterners” (Gen. 29:1). Rashi comments (cf. Gen.R. 70:8): Once he had been told the good news and promised that God would watch over him, his heart lifted his feet and he walked with ease.
We read elsewhere: “Behold, I send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of God’s great and awesome the day. He will turn the heart of parents to their children and the children’s hearts to their parents…” (Mal. 3:23). Truly before the coming of the messiah (speedily in our time!) Elijah will bring good news. The mind will then become broadened, as Scripture says: “Earth will be filled with knowledge (de’ah/da’at) of the Lord as the water fills the sea” (Is. 11:9). But this quality is present in every Jew and at all times as well.
The Talmud tells of a heretic who taught [that the human being was composed of two parts, each fashioned by a distinct deity]: “From midpoint up, Hormiz, and from midpoint down, Ahormiz.” The truth is, in fact, that the powers of evil and corporeality do well in the lower half of the human being. From midpoint up there is no source of evil. Once it is aroused below, however, that same evil can come to dominate the upper portion as well. This is what led the heretic to think that there were two powers in the universe. A human being in reality is a single whole, embracing all of his limbs and organs. The task is to unite the two portions, bringing both to so cleave to the good that the corporeal self will have no dominion, not even in the lower portion. One God created them both; we were fashioned in this way only so that there be moral choice. The lower portion of the self, the “feet,” are that which has to be raised up and joined to the higher self.
Suppose some good news comes to a person just as he is having particular difficulty with a passage he is studying. Before his mind quite absorbs that news, there is a moment when the report flashes through his mind like a single point. This moment is called the presence of Elijah, after which “earth” fills up with knowledge, his mind expands and is quickened. At that point it becomes easy for him to unite his whole self, to bring even his lower parts into the good. The bearer of that good news in fact carried a spark of Elijah in him at that moment, for Elijah is the true bearer of all good tidings in the world. This time he chose to garb himself in that particular person.
That which is called “Elijah” has existed since the six days of creation. At one point, as is known, he took on the form of Phineas. Thus it is that whenever there is good news in the world, each of us runs out to tell it; we feel that the presence of Elijah is about, and we long to have it enter our own spirit. Even if we seem not to be conscious of this, our deeper selves know it. If such a person did in fact have full presence of mind when this happened, he could begin to serve God from the rung of Elijah, and thence attain to a very high level indeed. But the person who receives the good news also gets the spark of Elijah into him; his mind is expanded and he too finds it easy to be close to God, even with his “feet.” This is called “the coming of God’s great day”—for this has brought about the presence of God within him.
Note that “Behold I send you Elijah the Prophet” is in the present tense; this is constantly happening, in each person and at all times. This quality of Elijah is sent to every Jew,
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“before the coming of God’s day,” as we have interpreted it. Then he will “turn the hearts of the parents to the children” and so forth. The upper portion of the person is the “parent”, as distinct from the lower half, called the “limb,” or the child. It is the upper portion that gives birth to that thought which will bring the lower self back to the good as well. Give some thought to this. In this way “He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and children’s hearts to their parents”; a unification of the heart will come about. The heart in the upper portion will turn to its “children,” allowing good to flow to the lower portion as well. Then whatever quality was there in the “children,” in the “evil” portion, shall come up from below and be joined to the good. Then indeed you will “Know Him in all your ways” (Prov. 3:6), as the “children’s hearts” turn back to the “parents.”
This is the significance of “Jacob lifted his feet”: he raised up the aspect of “legs”. He had been given good news, and his heart lifted up his legs. That is, the vitality that entered his heart in the quality of “Elijah”, derived from the six days of Creation, raised up his “legs” so that he could go “to the land of the Easterners (artzah b’nai kedem)”. Even his most earthy qualities (artzi’ut) went toward the dimension of the Easterners (b’nai kedem), the edifice of the First One (kadmono shel olam). That is why it was easy (kal) for him to walk: there are one hundred thirty (K”L) recombinations of the letters of the name “Elijah” which come to us with the quality of “Elijah” to support us in going toward an even greater degree.
(translation, Arthur Green: Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl: Upright Practices, the Light of the Eyes, Paulist Press, 1982; pp. 227 ff.) with additions.
- Disco Deliverance:
"We Will Survive - An In-Your-Face Passover Anthem"
Lyrics by Anna Morrison Markowitz
(Sung to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive")
Moses:
First I was afraid -
I was petrified.
Kept thinking I'm just not a public speaking
kind of guy.
But then I spent too many nights
Seeing how you'd done them wrong,
And I grew strong.
Yes, I learned how to get along!
Pharoah:
So now you're here,
Back in my face.
You've brought us pestilence and famine,
Now I want you off my case!
I should have let your people go,
When the locusts ate our grain.
Now our firstborn have been taken,
And you've caused us so much pain!
Go on now, go!
Walk out the door.
Don't turn around now -
You're not welcome anymore.
Weren't you the ones to bite the hand
that held your pie?
Without me, you'll crumble -
You'll all lay down and die!
CHORUS:
No, we've got Chai -
We will survive!
As long as we trust in our G-d
We know we'll stay alive.
Our numbers will be countless
As the stars up in the sky.
Yes, we'll survive…
We will survive!
Moses:
It took all the strength we had,
Not to fall apart.
Now G-d has heard the weeping
Of our broken hearts.
You know we spent too many years
Sweating, hungry, and abused
We used to cry -
But now we hold our heads up high!
So now you'll see
Somebody new.
We're not that chained up little people
Once enslaved by you.
So if you decide to chase us,
Don't expect it to be free.
Our G-d will surely save us,
Guide us through the parted sea!
Pharoah:
Go on now, go!
Walk out the door.
Don't turn around now -
You're not welcome anymore.
Weren't you the ones to bite the hand
that held your pie?
Without me, you'll crumble
Yeah, you'll lay down and die!
CHORUS:
No, we've got Chai -
We will survive!
As long as we trust in our G-d
We know we'll stay alive.
Our numbers will be countless
As the stars up in the sky.
Yes, we'll survive…
We will survive!
Yeah, we've got Chai -
We will survive!
These miracles of freedom
G-d delivered long ago -
Still we tell our children,
So the story they will know.
We will survive!
We have survived!!!!
HEY, HEY!
- Anna Morrison Markowitz 2008
[email protected]
For those who have the Haggadah -- a gentle nudge that the writing preparation makes all the difference. Give yourselves a gift of just 1/2 an hour. Pick a few questions. We need to be spiritually ready for Yetziat Mitzrayaim.