When God Took Me Out Of Egypt: Wine and Reclining - The Symbols of Freedom

From where [do we know the requirement to drink] four cups? Rabbi Yochanan [said] in the name of Rav, "Rabbi Banniah said, 'Corresponding to the four [expressions of] salvations: "Therefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out, etc. And I will take you to Me for a people, etc."(Exodus 6:6-7).

(5)And also I have heard the groaning of Bnei Yisrael, that the Egyptians are enslaving them, and I have remembered My covenant. (6) Therefore say to Beni Yisrael, "I am Adonai."

I will bring you outfrom under the burdens of Egypt.

I will save you from their slavery.I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with acts of great judgements.

(7)I will take you to Myself as people, and I will be to you Elohim. You will know that I am Adonai, your God, who is bringing you out from under the burdens of Egypt.(8)*I will bring you to the land regarding which I raised my hand [in oath] that I would give it to Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov, and I will give it to you as an inheritance. I am Adonai.

We learned in the mishna that even the poorest of Jews should not eat until he reclines. It was stated that amora’im discussed the requirement to recline. Everyone agrees that matza requires reclining, i.e., one must recline when eating matza, and bitter herbs do not require reclining. With regard to wine, it was stated in the name of Rav Naḥman that wine requires reclining, and it was also stated in the name of Rav Naḥman that wine does not require reclining.

What differentiates this night from all [other] nights?... On [all] other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining; tonight we all recline.

And know that the Tur wrote in the name of the Rav Aviya that in this time in our lands - in that we are not accustomed to eating while reclining - one does not need to recline. But none of our Rabbis agreed as such.


On the contrary, it seems, in my humble
opinion, that since it is a mitzvah to make
changes on this evening, as the Rambam wrote that we need to make changes on this night so the children will see and ask. If so,
there is no better change than reclining, for
we are not accustomed to this, and now we do
so.


And as proof for this, the question about
reclining in the Mah Nishtanah is not
recounted in the Mishnah. But in our version
there is, and the reason is that at the time of
the Mishnah this was not a change, and the
child would not ask about this. But now, they
ask about the difference, and therefore the
main [answer] is like the words of the
majority of decisors that one is obligated in
reclining.

The Gemara explains: And these two statements do not disagree with each other: This statement is referring to the first two cups, and that statement is referring to the last two cups. However, it was not clear which two cups require reclining according to Rav Naḥman. Some say the explanation in this manner and some say it in that manner. The Gemara elaborates: Some say it in this manner, that the first two cups require reclining, as it is now that freedom begins. Since reclining is a sign of freedom, while discussing the exodus from Egypt it is appropriate to drink while reclining. By contrast, the last two cups do not require reclining, because what was already was. In other words, by this point one has completed the discussion of the Exodus and has reached the latter stages of the seder. And some say it in that manner and claim that on the contrary, the last two cups require reclining, as it is at that time that there is freedom. However, the first two cups do not require reclining, as one still says: We were slaves. The Gemara concludes: Now that it was stated so, and it was stated so, i.e., there are two conflicting opinions and it cannot be proven which two cups require reclining, both these sets of cups and those require reclining.