Pesach Haggadah with Kimcha Davshuna

(1) Commentary Kimha D'Avshuna
Upon returning from synagogue one should arrange one's table in the manner of freedom as we shall explain. One should not sit down at the table until after dark so that one can be certain that it is the time when one is permitted to eat matzah, as it is written, "In the evening you shall eat matzot."
Even the poor should not drink less than four cups of wine; they should eat and drink while reclining. Scripture alludes to this in the verse: "When Pharaoh let the people go…So God led (vayesev) the people round about…" When they were redeemed they ate in the "round-about" fashion.
The optimal way to fulfill the mitzvah of drinking wine is to drink red wine as a reminder of the blood they placed on their lintel and doorposts in Egypt. If their hands are cleaned they may sit at the table and recite Kiddush. Most people have the custom of checking their hands beforehand and then washing them. But if their hands were already clean, there is no reason to wash them and recite al netilat yadaim, the blessing for washing. For this recitation of the blessing is not for eating but for drinking after Kiddush. We have a tradition that one who performs the ritual of "washing" before fruit is being presumptuous.
There are many reasons given for the four cups of wine at the Seder. The four cups are said to allude to the four terms of redemption mentioned in Parshat Va-era (Exodus 6:6): "Say, therefore, to the children of Israel: I am the Lord. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. I will take you to be my people and I will be your God." The four cups are alluded to in the words: hotzeiti (I will free you), hitzalti (I will deliver you), ga'alti (I will redeem you) and lakahti (I will take you)."
There are those who say that the four cups refer to the butler's dream regarding to Pharaoh: "Pharaoh's cup was in my hand;" "I pressed them into Pharaoh's cup;" "placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand;" "you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand." (Genesis 40:9-13)
Some say that the four cups stand for the four kingdoms, and others, four cups of vengeance which God will pour out on the nations, "Thus said the Lord, the God of Israel, to me: Take from My hand this cup of wine - of wrath - and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. Let them drink and retch and act crazy because of the sword that I am sending among them." (Jer. 25:15-16) "Babylon was a golden cup in the Lords hand. It made the whole earth drunk…" (Jer. 51:7) "There is a cup in the Lord's hand with foaming wine fully mixed from this He pours. All the nations of the earth drink, draining it to the very dregs." (Psalms 75:9) "He will rain down upon the wicked blazing coals and sulfur, a scorching wind shall be their lot (kosam)." (Psalm 11:6)
They also allude to four cups of consolation: "The Lord is my allotted share and portion (kosi); You control my fate." (Psalm 16:5) "You shall anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5) "I will raise the cup of deliverances and invoke the name of the Lord." (Psalm 116:13) This last verse speaks of two cups: one for the coming of the Messiah and the other for the resurrection.
There are those who wonder why we don’t recite a blessing for the mitzvah of the four cups just as we recite for maror. We only recite a blessing over a mitzvah that is performed at one time, and without interruption. Since the drinking of the four cups of wine are one commandment which is performed on four occasions with interruptions between them, we do not recite a blessing for this mitzvah. Natronai Gaon writes that the four cups of Seder night are a single mitzvah; if one does not drink all of them, one has not fulfilled his obligation and he deserves lashes, according to the sages.
The statement, "Even the poor must not eat until he does so leaning," is a reference to a poor person who normally does not lean leisurely when he eats. Certainly the same applies to a wealthy person who usually leans on a fine couch. One must lean on the left side. Leaning on the right side is not considered 'leaning,' lest his throat become closed . A woman does not need to lean because she lives under the authority of her husband. But if she is a woman of high status, she should lean. Similarly, a widow or a divorcee who does not live under the authority of another should lean.
A son who lives in his father's house, even if his father is also his teacher, should lean. A student at the table of his master teacher does not lean unless his teacher gives him permission. The reason that he may lean at his father's table, but not at his teacher's table, is that his father would forgo the honor nor would he be harsh with him while a teacher should not forgo the honor due to him. A servant at his master's table should lean. The Avi Ezri writes that in our time when it is not the custom to lean at the table, it is not necessary to lean during the Seder either.
We prepare a plate for the Seder containing two cooked foods, three matzot, a variety of vegetables, and haroset. The two cooked foods: one of them should be roasted as a reminder of the Passover offering and one should be cooked as a reminder of the hagigah, the festive offering, which was consumed before the Passover offering so that the Passover offering would be consumed when one already had sufficient to eat. The following verse: "You shall not break a bone of it," (Ex. 12:46) is interpreted to mean that if he was ravenously hungry when he ate the Passover offering, he might be suspected of breaking the bones of the offering.
This is how the commandment was fulfilled in the time of the Holy Temple: first they would break the Passover offering, reciting over it, 'Praised are you Adonai our God…who command us concerning the eating of the Passover offering.' Each person would then eat at least an olive's amount of the meat from it. Afterwards they would bring the Festive offering, reciting the blessing, "who commanded us regarding the eating of the offering." When they completed eating the Festive offering, they would bring the Passover offering back and eat it after having satisfied themselves (with the other offering).
When the Fourteenth of Nisan fell on a Shabbat, it was only necessary to eat the Passover offering and not the cooked offering for the Festive offering, since the Festive offering does not take precedence over the observance of the Sabbath. The Jerusalem Talmud adds that the two portions (for the Seder plate) should be the shoulder and an egg. The egg symbolizes compassion for the redemption that God provides, and the shoulder, symbolizes, 'God provides redemption through God's exalted hand.
Customarily there are two vegetables on the Seder plate. One is karpas. When one inverts the letters of karpas, it spells samekh parekh. The letter samekh refers to the sixty tens of thousands of Israelites who were enslaved. And the word parekh means oppressed. The other vegetable is hazeret which is also called hasa. Hasa is an allusion to the Holy One who has mercy (has) upon us. According to the sages, the haroset is a reminder of the clay from which they made the bricks when the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites. It is made from different types of sweet and tart fruits as well as spices that look like the straw used in the making of bricks. We put apples in as a reminder of the verse in scripture, "beneath an apple tree I aroused you." (Song of Songs 8:5) Nuts are a reminder of the verse, "I went down to the garden of nuts." (Song 6:11) Figs are an allusion of the verse, "The fig tree puts forth her green figs." (Song 2:13) Dates are an allusion to the verse, "your stature is like a palm tree." (Song 7:8) Spices like cinnamon are a reminder of the straw used in the making of bricks.
The Rif asks: How does a person conduct Seder in two or three different households? He begins in his own house by reciting the blessings and the Haggadah up to the meal. He should then eat the meal, concluding with the Birkat HaMazon. He can then to each household, reciting Kiddush and a letting the members of the household drink the wine. He then recites the Haggadah. They may eat the karpas and the matzah (when he says the blessing) but he does not eat with the members of the household since he has already concluded his meal with the Afikomen. They recite the Birkat HaMazon, and then he goes on to the next household. He does this at each house he visits.
Even though the rule is that a person should not recite a blessing for food for someone if he is not also eating the food, the blessing over the matzah and the Kiddush are different. He can recite these blessings without eating or drinking because these foods are obligatory on Seder night. Therefore, he can recite the blessing for someone else even though he is not benefiting from the blessing. However the Birkat HaMazon is different since he has not tasted any of the food. Once he has eaten the Afikomen and recited the Birkat HaMazon in his own house, he cannot eat anything else so they must recite the grace after meals for themselves. This is based on the principle, Ayn maftirin ha-Pesah Afikomen, "one may not partake of any deserts after the Pesah offering." (Mishnah Pesahim) After leading the Seder in the other households, he should return to his own house and complete the evening by reciting Hallel and drinking the fourth cup of wine.
If he prefers, he may go to the other households first, recite the blessings without eating or drinking with them, and then return to his house and begin all over again with the Kiddush. It is up to him to do as he wishes. He is not permitted to begin in his own household and recite the Seder up to ga'al yisrael (before the meal), recite the blessing over the matzah, and then go to the other households, returning to his own home to have his meal.
It is prohibited to leave one's meal to go to another home, even if one leaves an elderly or a sick person at home. One can only leave one's household on Seder night to perform a commandment such as rejoicing with a newly married couple. It goes without saying that helping those who are illiterate to fulfill the commandments of Seder night is also a commandment. The difference is that rejoicing with the bride and groom is a transient commandment. Therefore it permissible to leave the Seder table to participate in this mitzvah by greeting them. Helping the illiterate to fulfill the commandments of Seder night, on the other hand, is not transient; he can finish his own meal or go earlier help these families fulfill the commandments of this evening.
The Baal HaItur comments that he may not recite the blessing over the vegetables (karpas) since he cannot eat with them. He can only recite the blessing over the matzah and the maror. However, he may follow the approach of Rav Hisda, who would take hazeret (which can also be used for maror), recite the blessing over vegetables as well as the blessing for the maror at the beginning of the Seder, and when he reached the place in the Seder when one eats the maror, he would do so without reciting the blessing again.
The Rosh disagreed with this approach and argued that since the sages decreed that we should eat the karpas so that children would notice it and ask questions, it is to be considered no different than the blessing for the matzah and it can be recited by the Seder leader even if he is not eating the greens.
The Ri'af's statement that "the participants must recite the Birkat HaMazon by themselves" is a law for those who can recite the Birkat HaMazon. If there is no one who can lead it, Rabbi Amram Gaon writes that there is no decree that the leader must lead them so that they can fulfill their obligation. If he were to do so, he could no longer drink the fourth cup of wine in his house.
The Rosh writes that if even if the participants at the Seder do not know how to recite the Birkat HaMazon, the leader should lead them in it, having them repeat it word for word after him like a child who repeats Hallel and repeats it after the leader. This is not considered as if he recited God's name unnecessarily.
Rabbi Yaakov, son of the Rosh writes that it is possible that the leader can also recite the Birkat HaMazon for the participants and thereby fulfill their obligation. Since it is an obligation to eat matzah and so the leader can recite the blessing and have the participants answer Amen, so too, the Grace after meal can be recited on their behalf and thereby fulfill their obligation. After all, the sages decreed the obligation of four cups of wine, one of them at the end of the Birkat HaMazon, so they have a special obligation to recite the Birkat HaMazon so that they can drink the fourth cup of wine.
It seems to me that Rabbi Yaakov son of the Rosh is incorrect, since we learn in the Jerusalem Talmud (Berachot): "Even if a person is exempt from a commandment, he may fulfill another person's obligation except in the case of the Birkat HaMazon." The Talmud then asks, don’t we say that one who is exempt from a commandment cannot help fulfill another person's obligation.
Rather the statement in the Talmud should have been if he is obligated to perform this commandment but has already fulfilled his obligation, he can still help others fulfill their obligation except in the case of the Birkat HaMazon, as it is written: You shall eat, and be satisfied and bless." This means that one who ate should recite the Birkat HaMazon (and not one who didn’t eat). It seems to me, therefore, that the Rosh is correct in this matter.
When everything is prepared, he should pour the first cup of wine for each participant, reciting the blessing for the wine first, then the blessing sanctifying the day, and then the sheheyanu, for having reached this day. We do not say a blessing, "Who performed miracles for our ancestors," because the last blessing of the Maggid, "Who redeemed us and our ancestors from Egypt…Blessed are you Adonai, who has redeemed Israel" serves as a blessing for giving thanks for the miracles of Passover. This blessing is more appropriate because it more specific in referring to the Exodus. Then everyone drinks the cup of wine while leaning.
If Passover falls on Shabbat, one says Vayekhulu first, (Genesis 2:1-3) then the blessing over the wine, followed by the blessing sanctifying the day. In the second blessing, on Shabbat we say "You have caused us to inherit the Sabbath and your holy festivals with love and favor." The commandment to rejoice on the festival is explicitly stated. The commandment to rejoice is alluded to in the verse: "On your joyous occasions and your festivals." (Numbers 10:10) the Midrash says that "your joyous occasions," is a reference to the Sabbaths. We find the language of inheritance in connection with the Sabbath, as it is written, "The people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath day throughout the generations as a covenant for all times." (Exodus 31:16) That is why we say, "You cause us to inherit." Finally one concludes the blessing by saying, "Praised are you who sanctifies the Sabbath, Israel and the sacred seasons. Then one recites the she-heheyanu and one drinks the wine.
If Passover falls at the conclusion of the Sabbath, we recite the blessings which are referred to in the acrostic, YKNH"Z, yayin (wine), kiddush (sanctifying the day), ner (candle, or the blessing for fire), havdalah (the blessing marking the separation between Shabbat and the following day), z'man (she-heheyanu or the blessing marking the specialness of the moment). In the havdalah blessing we say "between the holiness of the Sabbath and the holiness of the festival." There is separation between the 'heavy' and 'light' holiness, similar to what we find in scripture: "the curtain (parokhet) shall serve as a partition between the holy and the holy of holies." (Exodus 26:33) Rabbi Ephraim asks why we say, "Between the seventh day and the six days of creation You have made a separation and You have sanctified, You have sanctified Your people, Israel, with Your holiness, " in the havdalah blessing. We say this after we have already mentioned, "Between the holiness of the Sabbath to the holiness of the festival You have made a separation." The phrase is neither an introduction nor is it a summary of the blessing. Rabbeinu Tam answers this question: we are taught in chapter 10 of the Talmud Pesahim, that one who abbreviates the havdalah blessing should not have less than three havdalot (expressions of separation) and one should not add more than seven. The sages wanted to mention seven havdalot so they added Yom Tov, the festival, after Shabbat since this is the main theme of the passage.
These are the seven separations: (1) between the sacred and the profane; (2) between light and darkness; (3) between Israel and the gentiles; (4) between the Sabbath and the six days of creation. This counts as four, however, the fourth is not included in the number since we have already mentioned between the sacred and the profane which is a more general way of saying the same thing as, "between the Sabbath and the six days of creation." Therefore, there are only three havdalot up to here!" (4) Between the holiness of the Sabbath and the holiness of the festival; since preparation of food is allowed on the festival there is a distinction between it and the Sabbath; (5) Between the seventh day and the other six days of creation - this is a reference to the last day of the festival which is separate from the intermediate days of the festival; (6) you have separated (7) and you have sanctified your people Israel through your holiness; this refers to the two separations that make up the people of Israel: between the Kohanim and the Levites, and between the Levites the people of Israel. The blessing then ends with a brief conclusion: "who distinguishes the holy from the holy."
One then recites the sh-heheyanu. One does not smell spices as one normally does during the havdalah service since the leisure (menuchah) of the festival brings leisure to the soul in place of the spices which one smells at the conclusion of the Sabbath.

(1) Hands are washed in preparation to the handling of food. The Talmud states that when a food is dipped in liquid, hands are to be washed first as a sign of ritual purity (Pesahim 115a). There are different customs regarding who should wash their hands before partaking of the greens. In some homes the person conducting the Seder washes before handing out the greens while in other homes all the participants wash their hands before handling the greens. In the Ashkenazic tradition no blessing is recited. The blessing for washing hands is said only before eating bread.

(1) Each participant takes something that grows from the ground, usually parley though some use potatoes.

(1) We dip it in salt water, recite the blessing over vegetables and eat it.

(2) Following Kiddush, one washes one's hands in preparation for karpas, vegetables dipped in liquid, even though one is not about to eat unleavened bread. Whenever one eats something that is dipped in liquid, one must was one's hands since one's hands may become moist and one might inadvertently touch something and contract impurity. We have explained that it is good to find a reason for washing one's hands prior to this. It need not be after Kiddush since we are not careful regarding impurity today. One takes the karpas and dips it in vinegar or in the haroset in order to kill the worms that are sometimes found in the vegetables. One then recites the blessing borei peri ha-adamah. Rabbeinu Tam and Rashbam instructed their students to do the first dipping in vinegar. This was based on the statement in the Mishnah, "They then set it before him. He dips the lettuce before he has reached the after course of bread. They set before him matzah, lettuce (hazeret) and haroset, and two side dishes, even though haroset is not compulsory." (Mishnah Pesahim 10:2) The Mishnah does not mention haroset until the second dipping, proving that we do not dip in the haroset for the first dipping. Rabbeinu Yona explains that the first dipping is not considered obligatory. Rather it is performed as a way of calling attention to the Seder. Since we do not dip vegetables in haroset all year long, the reason for this practice cannot be to prevent kafa. Therefore it is not our custom to eat the lettuce (hazeret) without haroset, as we do all year long. Since the second dipping is regarded as a mitzvah, the sages were more careful in its performance.
Hai Gaon explains that kafa is Aramaic from the word kafui (coagulation); it refers to a gaseousness which strikes the intestines from certain types of food. Haroset is a type of medicine which prevents the gaseousness.
We do not recite a blessing for haroset even though it is considered a commandment, because haroset is secondary to the primary food, the lettuce or the maror. We learn, "Any time we have two foods, we recite the blessing on the primary food and not the secondary food. We recite al achilat maror and not borai peri ha-adamah for the second dipping since we already recited this blessing earlier in the Seder and the reading of the Haggadah is not considered to be an interruption between the two acts. However it is necessary to recite the blessing for the washing of the hands again because it is considered an interruption for the washing and his hands may have inadvertently touched something impure.
It is not necessary to recite the concluding blessing borei nefashot for the karpas since the reading of the Haggadah is not considered an interruption. It is also not necessary after eating the maror to recite this blessing since the commandment is to eat the matzah and the maror together, as scripture, "Matzah and maror they shall eat it." It is considered to be part of the meal, and it is not necessary to recite borei peri ha-adamah again during the meal. The vegetables which we dip at the beginning of the Seder are meant to make the children curious since we normally don’t dip vegetables prior to the meal.
If one does not have other vegetables - and only has maror - should begin the Seder by reciting two blessings, al achilat maror and borei peri ha-adamah when he eats and dips the maror in place of the karpas. He should then dip it in the haroset and eat an olives size of it. When he completes the reading of the Haggadah and recites the blessing over the matzah, he should eat the maror again, this time without a blessing.

(1) The leader breaks the middle matzah and hides half of it for later use as the Afikoman – the last thing to be eaten at the Seder. Children try to find it as the Seder progresses and bargain for a prize when the Afikomen is needed after the meal.

(1) Commentary Kimha D'Avshuna
After eating the karpas, one breaks one of the three matzot, placing half between the two whole matzot and wrapping half of it in a cloth, as a reminder of the verse: "So the people took the dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks upon their shoulders." (Exodus 12:34) It is used for the Afikomen which is eaten later as a reminder of the Passover offering, which must be consumed when we are already sated by the meal. Why do we break the matzah before the reading of the Haggadah? So that when we make the declaration, "This is the bread of affliction," we can do so over a broken piece of matzah. The Talmud Pesahim states, "Just as it is the way of the poor to break bread and put some away for later, so too here, we break the matzah and put away a piece for later."
The Rif asks, What should one who only has an olives-worth of guarded matzah (shmurah matzah) do? He should first eat regular matzah first when he recites the motzi and afterwards, at the end of the meal (when he eats the Afikomen) should eat the olives-worth of guarded matzah, reciting the blessing "for the commandment of eating matzah" (al akhilat matzah). One then makes a sandwich with the maror and the matzah without a blessing.
The Rif's explanation surprised the Rosh, who wonders, if we wait until the end of the seder to say al akhilat matzah over the guarded matzah, how could one then eat the sandwich with a regular piece of matzah since it would remove the taste of the guarded (shmurah) matzah from one's mouth? According to the Rif's explanation it would have made more sense to simply omit the sandwich since it is only a remembrance of the Passover offering which was eaten together with matzah and maror.
This is what the Rambam and Rabbeinu Yona suggest: one should recite the blessing for the eating of matzah at the end of the meal, and one should not eat anything after it. The Ittur suggests that one should recite both blessings, hamotzi and al akhilat matzah, and then eat the regular (non-guarded) matzah, and then eat the shmurah matzah at the end of the meal as the Afikomen without a blessing.
The Rosh suggests that one should begin with the shmurah matzah, after reciting both blessings, so that one eats the shmurah matzah 'with an appetite' and that one need not worry about eating non-guarded matzah after it.
One begins the reading of the Haggadah. The Rif wonders why one doesn’t recite a blessing for the reading of the Haggadah just as one recites a blessing for the reading of the Megillah. Surely the telling of the story of Passover is a positive commandment as we learn: "You shall tell your child on that day etc." (Exodus 12:8)
He explains that a blessing for telling the story is unnecessary since by saying in the Kiddush, "A remembrance for the exodus from Egypt," he fulfills his obligation of saying a special blessing. The Rashba offers another explanation for why a special blessing is not said for the telling of the Passover story. One does not need to say a blessing for a mitzvah for which there is no minimum in its performance. A simple statement ("God took us out of Egypt") would suffice in the telling of the story of the Exodus, though we do say "whoever tells the story at length is praiseworthy."
This text is called the Haggadah because of the verse, "You shall tell (v'higadita) your child on that day etc." (Exodus 12:8). Some say that the name comes from the Hebrew word for drawing the heart, or inspiring, and this seems correct to me, as in the verse, "O Lord, open up my lips; that my mouth may declare (yagid) your praise." (Ps. 51:17) The sages interpreted yagid to mean, "my mouth shall draw your praise." That is, everything derives from the intention of the heart. In human books, wonders and awesome acts arise from the natural order of the world, inspiring love, joy and spiritual pleasure. Yet who has heard such things as the Exodus without trembling? The author of the Kuzari writes:
"The facts are yet more startling! The Israelites lived in Egypt as slaves, 600,000 men above the age of twenty, the descendents of the twelve tribes. Not one of them had separated or emigrated to another country, nor was there a stranger among them. They looked forward to the promise given to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that the land of Israel should be their inheritance. At that time it was in the power of seven mighty and prosperous nations, while the Israelites groaned in the depths of misery under the bondage of Pharaoh, who caused the Israelites to be put to death, lest they should increase in number. But God sent Moses and Aaron, two weak men, and they advanced before the mighty Pharaoh, with signs and miracles and changed the course of nature. Pharaoh did not get away from them, nor harm them, neither could he protect himself from the ten plagues which befell the Egyptians, affecting the streams, land, air, plants, animals, bodies and even their souls; for in one moment at midnight, died the most precious and most beloved members of their houses, the first-born males. There was no dwelling without dead, except the houses of the Israelites. All these plagues were preceded by warnings and menaces, and their cessation was signaled in the same manner, proving that they were ordained by God, who does what He wills and when He wills it, and they were not ordinary natural phenomena, nor were they wrought by constellations or accidents. The Israelites left the country of Pharaoh's bondage by the command of God, the same night at the same moment as the first born died…"
Whoever allows such matters to enter their heart with full intentionality will be inspired, not like someone who reads ordinary history books, which have no intention of bringing us closer to the Creator. This is the meaning of the word Haggadah, it is that which draws the heart of those who hear these matters to complete faith.

(1) When the Seder leader recites Ha lachma anya, he lifts the platter containing the three matzot and the other ritual foods in order to delight the children. They remove it from the table in order to cause the children to ask Mah Nishtana, "why is this night different?" On all other nights we eat whatever is placed before on us on the plate but tonight the plate has been removed from the table! As we find in the Talmud Ketubot (chapter 5): 'Abaye was sitting in the presence of Rabbah. When he saw that they lifted the table , he asked "How can we eat what has been taken away?" Rabbah said, "We have been exempted from saying Mah Nishtana"' The Rashbam explains that their tables were small (more like trays) and could easily be removed while our tables are large and not easily movable. Instead, we remove a platter or a plate containing three matzot, the maror, and the two cooked foods can be food; this considered to be sufficient.

(2) Ha lachma anya: Our ancestors ate bread like this in Egypt. Did our ancestors eat matzah in Egypt? Doesn’t scripture state, "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had taken out of Egypt for it was not leavened since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared provisions for themselves." (Exodus 12:39) So they did not have unleavened bread until after they left Egypt, Isaac Abarbanel explains in his commentary, that when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt toiling with hard labor, the Egyptians gave them matzah to eat which was hard to digest, just as employers often give their employees food that will not be digested quickly today.

(3) Why is matzah called lechem oni? It is bread about which we have much to say (onim) such as the reading of the Haggadah and Hallel. Another explanation, just as the poor person only eats a portion of his bread, putting away part for later, so too do we recite the motzi on a broken piece of matzah. Another explanation: Just as a poor person kneads and bakes his own dough because he does not have servants to do this for him; he kneads the dough and his wife does the baking, so too, even the rich are meticulous in personally preparing matzah; he kneads the dough and his wife bakes it so that it does not become leavened. Finally matzah is called lechem oni because one should not knead more dough than the amount of a poor person's offering, that is an omer or a tenth of an eifah which is even brought by the poorest of the poor.

(4) All who are hungry come and eat: One makes this declaration because everyone is obligated to eat matzah on the first night of Passover, as it is written, "On that night they shall eat matzot." Scripture sets this obligation on everyone, therefore one invites anyone who doesn’t have matzah on Passover night to join the Seder. There are those who explain this statement differently. We say, "All who are hungry," because we don’t eat prior to the Seder so that we eat the first matzah with gusto and everyone at the table is hungry.

(5) All who are in need come join in the Passover: There are those who suggest that we should not make this statement since we no longer have a Passover offering today. However, it makes good sense that we should continue to make this statement. V'yifsach (with a chet) is similar in meaning to the word, v'yifsa (with an ayin), as in, "come this way and join me in a meal." Also, since we place the obligatory foods on a platter including the two cooked foods as a reminder of the sacrifices, therefore we can say this just as we did in the time of the Temple: we eat the Afikomen and the other foods as a reminder of the Passover offering.

(6) Now we are here: Having mentioned the Passover offering, we may have caused some sadness among those who have gathered around the table, since we have mentioned the destruction of the Temple and the sacrifice that is no longer offered. Therefore, we say the leader of the Seder comforts the members of his household and tells them: this year we are here and unable to fulfill all our obligations such as offering the Passover sacrifice; next year we will be in Jerusalem! At the very least, this year we are still slaves here but next year we may be free. This is a type of prayer: 'May it be God,s will that the Holy one fulfill His promise and oath to redeem us from our exile so that we will merit the privilege of offering the Passover sacrifice in Jerusalem next year!' This passage is recited in Aramaic because this was the language of our ancestors in Babylonia where it was composed. It was recited in Aramaic so that the women, children and those who were illiterate would understand it. There are those who say that in Jerusalem it was also recited in Aramaic because Aramaic was a language associated with joyous occasions.

(1) How different is this night from all other nights: This was included in the Haggadah for those who did not have a child to ask questions, as it says in Talmud Pesahim (116a), "If his son was knowledgeable, he should ask; if not let his wife ask him. If she is unable let him ask himself. Even two who are knowledgeable in the laws of Passover should ask one another."

(2) We do not dip even once: The eating of vegetables at the beginning of the Seder is called dipping since it is the practice to dip the vegetables in vinegar or in haroset.

(3) This night we do so twice: There is the first and the second dipping. The first dipping is not obligatory but is meant to make children ask, "Why do we eat vegetables before the meal and on other nights we do so during the meal.

(4) On this night everyone leans: Even the servant must lean; so too, a son may lean before his father and a woman of important status, since this is a sign of freedom and authority.

(1) We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt: This is an answer to last of the questions about leaning; but it serves an answer for the other questions as well. This night is different from other nights; we eat matzah and maror. If one were to respond, "Whatever happened, happened; why do we have to bother telling what happened," we would say to him, "If the Holy One had not taken our ancestors out of Egypt, we and our children and our children's children would still be subjugated in Egypt."

(2) Even if we were all wise: As was quoted earlier, "Even two who are knowledgeable in the laws of Passover should ask one another," in order to fulfil the obligations of telling the story of the Exodus, as the Haggadah goes on to illustrate.

(1) Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and Rabbi Akiva were dining together in B'nai Brak: Abarbanel asks many questions regarding this passage. Why did the sages uproot themselves from their homes to be together on Seder night when people usually go to great trouble to be with their own household on Passover. Why were they in a place called B'nai Brak? It was not a well known location; it is not even mentioned among the towns of the land of Israel or Babylonia. Abarbanel understands b'nai b'rak not as a name but as a description of the items they used on Seder night; he suggests that each of them was in his own home leaning on the finest pillows and couches which were like b'nai b'rak , 'shining items.' Abarbanel suggests that the if the sages were together, they were in the home of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, who was a rich man and also the head of the Sanhedrin.
Literally, however, B'nai B'rak is the name of a place.

(2) Our teachers, the time of the morning Sh'ma has arrived: This comes to teach us that if they hadn’t feared missing out on the time in which the Sh'ma was to be recited they would not have stopped discussing the Exodus from Egypt.

(1) Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: I was like a man of seventy: He was not really seventy years old but as the Talmud explains, his hair grew white on the night after he was chosen to be the head of the Sanhedrin so that he looked was like a man of seventy. It was not fitting for such a young looking man to sit over the head court.

(2) And I did not merit to teach that Exodus should be mentioned at night: I did not merit (lo zakhiti) is another way of saying "I did not succeed." I did not best the sages until I learned Ben Zoma's teaching. Some say that Rabbi Elazar was convinced that it was not appropriate to mention the Exodus (in the third paragraph of the Sh'ma) at night until he heard the teaching of Ben Zoma. From then on he decreed that the Exodus passage should be read both in the daytime and at night. It was read in the daytime before emet v'yatziv, and at night before emet v'emunah. Before he learned Ben Zoma's teaching, Rabbi Elazar would skip the entire passage, because it says, "You shall see them," which implies only during the day. Upon hearing Ben Zoma's interpretation, he made it an obligation to mention the Exodus, which is in the last part of this passage, during the day and at night. The sages, however, took exception with Ben Zoma and said "the days of your life" refers this world, and "All the days of your life," refers to the world to come (the messianic era). The sages said that the Exodus would remain part of the liturgy but it would be secondary to Israel's final redemption, from subjugation to the nations.

(1) Blessed is the "Place;" Blessed is He: The Holy One is called Ha-Makom because God is the place of the world but the world is not God's place. Similarly, we interpret the verse, "See there is a place near Me; station yourself on the rock…" (Ex 33:22) The verse does not say "I am in the place," but "The place is near me." It is a Dwelling Place, and the Place is without a place. Further, you will find that the word Makom has the same numerical value of God's name if one squares each of the letters of the divine name: yud (10) times yud (100), hay (5) times hay (25), vav (6) times vav 36), and hay (5) times hay (25) is 186, the same as Makom.

(2) Blessed is the one who gave the Torah: The commandment to tell the story of the exodus to our children is written in four verses in the Torah. Since we are about to interpret these verses, we begin by reciting a blessing for the Torah and then offering interpretations.

(3) The Torah speaks of four types of children: the commandment of Haggadah, of telling the story of the Exodus, is written in four places. Since the Torah appears to repeat itself, we understand the four as referring to four types of children. They are not necessarily children but they are lacking knowledge, like children.

(1) What does the wise child ask? What are these testimonies, statutes and judgments which the Lord our God commanded us: This passage is found in Parshat Va-etchanan (Deut. 6:20) It continues: "You shall say to your children: 'We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and the Lord freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord performed before our eyes marvelous and awesome signs and portents in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his household.'" (Deut. 6: 21-22) This was the answer to the wise child. There is no doubt that a wise person is praised for his intellect, and his choice of words are a reflection of his intellect. In the words of Proverbs, 25:11: "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." This means that the wise person, when he asks a question or makes a statement does not repeat himself; each word deals with a separate matter and he chooses his words wisely.
This is the intent of the wise child's question. When he asks about "these testimonies, statutes and judgments," he understands that there are different types of commandments regarding the Festival and Passover offering. For instance, we learn that the offering must be a male lamb; only those appointed to the offering were allowed to eat it; it had to be roasted; and it had to be consumed by midnight, as Scripture says, "This is the law of Passover." (Ex. 12:43) The wise child knows that these details are testimonies that teach us important matters about the reason for the offering. They testify to the events of the Exodus from Egypt. But he also asks regarding the statutes and judgments relating to the Passover offering; for example, "do not break the bones of the offering" and other details. One of the central statutes is the commandment to eat the Passover offering when one is already satiated from the festive meal, at the end of the meal, rather than when one normally eats one's favorite dish at the beginning of the meal. What purpose is there in eating delicacies on a full stomach and he is no longer able to eat any more? So you should explain to him, "You shall instruct him…no dessert (Afikomen) ought to be set before him after the Passover offering." That is, do not say, afiku mahn, "bring out the sweets" after the meal in order to remove the taste of meat from his mouth at the conclusion of the meal. That is why the Afikomen is delayed to the end of the meal. We can now explain the wise child's insightful question. We now eat an olives-size of sh'murah matzah at the end of the meal as a reminder of the Passover offering.
We now understand why the wise child asks this question the way he does. He sees that members of his household and those appointed to eat their Passover offering sitting together. Each is given only a bit to eat of the offering at the end of the meal. He also sees that they are meticulous about eating it, something that they do not normally do at other times. He asks, "What are these testimonies and statutes…" That is, generally it is the custom when people gather to celebrate an occasion with the members of their household, they leave their house afterwards to visit their friends' houses. If it is because of the preciousness of the Passover offering that they gathered, then why don’t they send portions to their neighbors as we do on other occasions. The wise child does not remove himself from the gathering; rather, he says "which the Lord our God commanded you." He says "you" because he knows that the commandment was not given to him because he is still a minor. Yet he has already accepted upon himself the yoke of the commandments which is why he says, "the Lord our God."
So you should explain to him all the laws of Passover, including, "You shall instruct him…no dessert (Afikomen) ought to be set before him after the Passover offering." This answer implies that we are obligated to eat the Passover offering in one gathering and not with others. He will see that since we were appointed to this gathering, we cannot say "give me my cloak as I wish to go out from here," (afiku minai); we cannot go out from the house as on other festivals. Thus we explain why people don’t eat in their own homes as we do on other festivals but gather in groups to eat the Passover offering.
Ayn maftirin, comes from the same word as haftarah (from the liturgy) and has the meaning of 'finish' or 'complete.' When we recite the haftarah on Shabbat morning, we complete the Shacharit service. Another explanation of the word matftirin is 'to express' or 'to express intent.'
The word Afikomen is Greek. According to the first interpretation of the word, 'finish,' this word means 'bring out the sweets,' as in 'We do not finish the meal with sweets.' According to the second interpretation, 'to express,' the word, Afikomen means, 'go out from here.' As in, "We do not say 'Let us go out from here.'"

(1) What does the wicked child say: This verse comes from Parshat Bo: "When your children ask you, 'What is this rite (avodah) to you?'" (Ex. 12:26) This verse is speaking about the wicked child who says lakhem, "to you," implying that the rite is for you and not for him. Speaking in the manner of a wicked person, he uses the word avodah, implying something that is a burden and troublesome. The wicked child says, "What is all the trouble with which you bother yourself all year?" He calls the service of God avodah, labor. Even though we find this word used for the sacrificial rites, we should presume that the wicked child has bad intentions since he removes himself from the community. Therefore you should "blunt his teeth." This means weaken his teeth as in the verse, "In those days they shall say no more, the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge." (Jer. 31:28) This means that he sees others eating and he is not able to eat the food. Tell him: "The Torah was speaking of you when it said, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me,' God did it for me and not for you!" If an evil person like you had been in Egypt, he would not have been redeemed.
Why do we apply this verse to the wicked child when it is the verse that is applied to the one who does not know to ask? The reason is that the one who does not know to ask is not so different from the wicked child. The wicked child does not delve into the deeper meaning in his questions or try to understand the commandments of the God; rather he sees them as something that a person simply does without explanation.

(1) The simple child, what does he say: The one who does not know how to ask calls the simple child 'wise,' for he knows how to form his connection and to ask about ethics and wisdom. The simple child is not wicked; he simply asks question, 'what is this,' without intention of mocking the tradition.

(1) The one who doesn’t know to ask, you open it for him: As in "Open your mouth for the mute." (Prov. 31:8) This verse is written in Parshat Bo, "You shall tell it to your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt.'" (Ex. 13:8) Since there is no question in this verse and only the command, "You shall tell it," it is addressed to the one who doesn’t know how to interpret the verses in the Haggadah and publicize the miracle of Passover.

(1) You shall tell it to your child. One might have thought that one should do so from Rosh Hodesh: This passage is not a continuation of the previous one. The father is not addressing his son who doesn’t know how to ask here. Rather the author of the Haggadah offers another explanation for Exodus 13:8. It is an explication of when we are obligated 'to expand on' the story of the Exodus. We might presume that one is obligated to expound on the teachings of Passover from the beginning of Nisan, since God told Moses, "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months…." Just as Moses began warning the people of the coming observance on Rosh Hodesh, so too, we might think we should begin explaining the Exodus from Rosh Hodesh. Therefore the verse adds "on that day," to teach us that it applies not on Rosh Hodesh but from the day when Israel was redeemed from slavery. We might also presume that one is obligated to expound on the teachings of Passover from the day before Passover when the sacrifice was slaughtered since it says 'On that DAY.' The phrase adds, "Because of this," teaching us that we only expound when the offering is brought before us; that is, when he can point at the matzah and the maror, identifying them with the word "This."
It was necessary to teach this because previously Scripture states: "Seven days you shall eat matzot" (Ex. 13:7) and "on the evening you shall eat matzot." (Ex. 12:18). Since the end of the verse is, "God did this for me when I went forth from Egypt," (Ex. 13:8) it was necessary to clarify when we are to tell the story since we eat matzah all week.
Another explanation: "Because of this (zeh) which the Lord did for me…" The Gematria of the word zeh is twelve because a person performs twelve mitzvot on Seder night. They are: four cups of wine, haroset, karpas, washing ones hands twice, motzi, matzah, maror and the sandwich. In the time of the Temple when the Passover offering, the matzah and the maror were brought, they would point at them and say, "Because of this which the Lord did for me."

(1) Originally our ancestors worshipped idols: This is in accord with what we are taught: "Begin with disgrace and end with exaltation." The Talmud asks: What is disgrace? According to Rav, "Originally our ancestors worshiped idols." According to Samuel, "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt." We include both interpretations in the Haggadah." (BT Pesachim 116a) Rav's interpretation appears here following the explication of "Because of this (zeh) which the Lord did for me…" (Ex. 13:8) because the sages taught that one who has abandoned his faith for idolatry is not allowed to partake of the Passover meal, as it is written, "A stranger may not partake of it." Therefore we begin by speaking of the disgrace, that our ancestors worshipped idols, and only when they came closer to their true faith and were circumcised before they left Egypt, only then were they fit to offer the sacrifice and to come close to the service of God. We say it here in order that the children will hear this and will learn a lesson and not allow their hearts to go astray after vanity, and thus be exiled from the table of their Father in Heaven.
It is fitting to mention how their ascent into slavery came about and how they learned the ways of other nations as a result of being dispersed among them as well as their Exodus from Egypt, along with the miracles and wonders God performed there. It was because of God's great love that He chose our ancestors and their children after them. Abraham had two sons but God only chose Isaac, the precious child and the pure offering. So too, Isaac had two sons but God chose Jacob. God decreed subjugation to the nations of the world in this world so that they would merit reward in the world to come….

(1) And I gave Mount Seir to Esau: Unkeles, the Aramaic translation, interprets Har Seir as the Har Sheidin, a Mountain of Demons, based on the verse, "And there shall satyrs dance." (Is. 13:21) Mount Seir is the portion of Samael, who has a mighty storm (saar) in his heart, as it is written, "My Lord shall sound the ram's horn and advance in a stormy tempest." (Zach. 9:14) He is from the side of redness (evil) and therefore Esau is called Edom. Jacob, on the other hand, was smooth, the opposite of a man of Seir (hairy). He is stands apart and separated from the tempest and the bonds (of Seir). Therefore his image is on the throne of glory. He and his offspring went down to Egypt to pay the debt that was decreed at the Covenant of the Pieces. (Gen. 15)

(1) Praised is the One who kept His promise to Israel’s ancestors, Praised is He: This statement is a kind of berachah, a blessing. Some commentaries explain that one must recite a blessing immediately before one recalls the subjugation of the Israelites. “Just as one recites a blessing upon hearing good news, so one recites a blessing upon hearing bad news.” (BT Berachot) One offers comfort upon telling the story of this and other exiles, “Praised is the One who keeps His promise regarding the redemption of Israel which He promised us. Praised is the One who constantly calculates when the end time will arrive, when the time of peace and redemption will arrive. As it is written, “Then God said to Avram…your offspring shall be strangers in a land not their own (in Babylonia) and they shall serve (in Assyria) and they shall be afflicted (in Greece), and those that judged you I shall judge (in Edom).” (Genesis 15) One concludes: “And afterwards, they shall go forth with great wealth.” This verse is a promise of redemption from all the nations.
One should explain the meaning of “the Holy One calculates the end.” Since the Holy One desired to bring the end (keitz) sooner, he subtracted 190 years (the gemartria of keitz) from the Covenant of the Pieces until the Israelites went forth from Egypt, which was said to be 400 years. The Israelites were only in Egypt 210 years – they skipped the extra 190 years. The literal meaning is “it was if they were subjugated all these years."

(1) It stood for our ancestors and for us: This refers to the redemption which the Holy One promised to our forefather Abraham at the Covenant of the Pieces when God revealed to him the subjugation and the redemption. But that same promise was also made for us with regard to Babylonia, Assyria and Greece. It continues to hold fast with Edom. As is explained in Bereshit Rabbah, “Terror (Babylonia), and great (Greece) darkness (Assyria) fell upon Abram (Edom).” (Genesis 15:12) But God also showed Abram the redemption, “They went forth with great wealth.”
Not one stood against us to destroy us. In other words, it was not just the Egyptians who rose up against us to destroy us but in every generation there were those who meant us evil through the strength of this decree of exile which was made in the Covenant of the Pieces, but God saved us from them because of the promise that He made.

(2) It was not just one who rose up against us: That is, it was not just the Egyptians who rose up against us to harm and destroy us. Rather there were those in every generation who rose up against us to harm us though the strength of this decree of exile which was made at the time of the “Covenant of the Pieces. The Holy One, however, saved us just as He had promised.

(1) Our labor, this refers to the children: who grew up surrounded by hard labor and the difficult work they had to perform.

(1) And our oppression, this refers to the severe pressure: As it is written, "You must produce your quota." (Exodus 5:18)

(1) Adonai took us out of Egypt , not by an angel ~or by a seraf nor by a messenger: Moses was not considered a 'messenger' rut rather a spokesman to Pharaoh. He did not have the power to take the people out of Egypt. Rather the Holy One alone could do this. The Hagga`ah therefore states regarding that an angel did not perform the final plague but rather God, and God alone, smote them. That which is written, "He will not permit a destroyer to enter and smite your homes," (Ex. 12:23) refers to the plague of destruction (and not some destroying angel). It should be explained, 'God will not let the destruction enter your homes.'

(1) With a mighty hand, this refers to pestilence: In Midrash Tehillim, it is explained that along with each plague that God brought upon the Egyptians, God also added the plague of pestilence, as it is written: "He gave the beasts over to hail, their cattle to (reshafim) lightning bolts." (Ps. 78:48) "They gave their cattle over to reshafim" implies the plague of pestilence. From this we learn that the rest of the plagues also included pestilence.

(1) With an outstretched arm, this is the sword: Which plague in Egypt is referred to as the sword? Pesikta D'Rav Kahanah, states: "All the first born gathered around their fathers and pleaded with them: "Now that Moses has said, "all the first born in the land of Egypt shall die," (Ex. 11:5)and all that he has predicted heretofore concerning the Egyptian people has befallen them, we must get those Hebrews out of our midst, or else the Egyptian people will die.' The fathers replied: 'Each of us has ten sons; let one of them die just so that the Hebrews be not permitted to get out!' The first born then said: 'There is but one way to settle this matter: let us go to Pharaoh, since he is a first-born, who may take pity on himself and let these Hebrews get out of our midst.' They went to Pharaoh and said to him: 'Since Moses has said "All the first-born shall die," and since everything he has predicted concerning the Egyptians has befallen them, rise up and get these Hebrews out of our midst, or else the Egyptian people shall die.' But Pharaoh said to his servants: Get going and beat these cowards until they are humpbacked! And to the first born he said: I have sworn: My life or the life of the Hebrews. And you dare speak thus!' At once the first-born went out and slew sixty thousand of their fathers. Of this it is written, "To Him that smote Egypt with their first born." (Ps. 136:10) Scripture does not say here , 'To Him who smote the first born of Egypt.'

(1) Fearsome acts (mora gadol), this refers to the appearance of the Divine Presence: This means that the Holy One appeared in all His glory and smote the first born and then took the Israelites out of Egypt, as is written:"Or has any god ventured to go and take for himself one nation from another by providing prodigious acts, by signs and by portents, by war, by a mighty and an outstretched arm, and awesome power (moraim gedolim)." (Deut. 4:34) Rabbi Yudan says that if you count the letters in the Hebrew verse from the beginning with the first word, lavo, to the word awesome power, moraim, there are seventy two letters. If you think there are seventy-five, so take out the word goy, nation (which refers to Egypt) The number of letters is equal to the number of letters that make up God's great name. The appearance of the Divine presence is alluded to in the verse, "This is my God and I shall glorify Him," (Ex 15) The people of Israel pointed at God's glory when they made this statement. The expressions mora gadol and moraim gedolim refer to the awesome appearance of the Divine Presence. Even though Egypt was filled with idolatry and filth, even so God's presence appeared in Egypt to fulfill the promise made to Jacob, "I shall take you up." God's presence appeared two times in Egypt: first, on the first day of Nisan when God commanded them to prepare for the Passover, and, second, on the night of the redemption from Egypt. Similarly God appeared to them at the Red Sea, as the sages taught: "a humble maid in Egypt saw more at the Red sea than the prophet Ezekiel." Since one who sees the divine presence trembles and is terrified, it is referred to as mora, awesome.

(1) Come and see what Laban the Aramean sought to do to Jacob: (Laban was also among those included in God's promise). Pharaoh made a decree against the males while Laban sought to uproot them all: Laban said, “It is within my power to do with you evil," (Gen. 31:29) if it weren't for the dream as has been explained, “But the God of your father hadn’t said to me yesterday, beware of speaking against Jacob.” It should have said, “Of acting.” However, Laban was a great wizard so that even his words, the things he mentions, and his oaths to demons could have swallowed up Jacob, harming him and his offspring. That Torah literally says, An Aramean destroys my father. Laban came with absolute certainty he could destroy Jacob had God not taken his strength from him. Why does it say that he "destroys?" The Holy One made his thought as serious as an action, therefore, the Torah says, An Aramean destroys my father. After God saved Jacob and his family from Laban another misfortune took place, as it says, He went down to Egypt, compelled by Divine decree. We find this explanation in Talmud Shabbat: It was fitting for our father Jacob to go down into Egypt in iron chains, but his merit saved him, for it is written, "I drew them with the cords of a man, with bands of love; and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat before them."

(1) He sojourned there, this teaches that they did not go down to Egypt to settle there: They did not go down to Egypt to establish a permanent settlement and dwell as citizens, but rather to sojourn there as strangers and outsiders.

(1) And there he became a great nation, they were distinguishable: They had the signs of being a great nation, recognizable, and well known, gathered together in one place and not scattered about throughout the land. Even though they were few in numbers, they were recognized as a nation unto themselves.

(1) And numerous, as thus growth of the field: Just as the growth of the field, when they are cut down grow back even more numerous, so too, Israel the more they were oppressed the more they increased ant became fertile. Thus it is states, "The more they were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out." (Exodus 1:12)

(2) But you were naked and bare: Naked and lacking in commandments so that when the end of the subjugation came, they did not have any commandments to their credit. Therefore God gave them the Passover offering and the commandment to circumcise all the males on the fourteenth day of Nisan. This is hinted at in the verse: "When I passed by you and saw you wallowing in blood, I said to you: "live in spite of your blood; yea, live in spite of your blood." (Ezekiel 16:7) The verse refers to the blood of circumcision and the blood of the offering.

(1) They dealt with us in an evil manner: The Egyptians schemed to do us harm, saying, 'Esau was a fool for waiting until his father died to kill Jacob because by then his sons had grown up. Similarly, Laban was a fool for following a dream. We will be more shrewd in uprooting all of them!'

(1) In order to afflict them with forced labor: There are those who explain that this was the forced labor of idolatry. They subjugated them and forced to worship idols, as is written: "They hire a metal worker to make it into a god…They must carry it on their back and (yisbiluhu) transport it." (Isaiah 46:7)

(1) With rigor (farekh): At first Pharaoh spoke to them softly (bifeh rakh), carrying bricks on his shoulders to encourage the Israelites to participate in the building of the cities so they could honor the king, but afterwards he subjugated them with rigor (farekh).

(1) Rabbi Judah used to abbreviate the plagues: This is most difficult: why do we need this acronym since anyone can take the first letter of each word and combine them! Rabbi Yehudah, however, only brought this acronym to teach us about the number of plagues at the Red Sea. Rabbi Yossi said there were fifty plagues; Rabbi Eliezer said there were two hundred plagues, and Rabbi Akiva said there were two hundred and fifty plagues at the sea. Together they add up to five hundred plagues. Rabbi Yehudah's acronym adds up to five hundred and one; in matters of gematriah we don’t trouble ourselves over differences of just one!
Some suggest that the reason that he created this acronym is because of the listing of the plagues in the book of Psalms, which is different from the order in the Torah. Therefore, Rabbi Yehudah created this acronym so that we would know that the order in the Torah is the correct one.
Some commentators suggest that this is a reference to the pattern of the plagues: In some plagues, God sends Pharaoh a warning, and in others, there is no warning. The acronym shows us that there is a pattern of three groups of plagues, the first two with a warning and the third in each grouping without a warning. That is why Rabbi Judah groups the plagues together three by three. Pharaoh is warned during the plagues of blood and frogs, while he receives no warning when the plague of lice strikes the land. Wild animals and pestilence contain a warning while boils does not contain a warning. This follows the pattern regarding flogging. When one commits a crime again and again, he is flogged once and twice, each time with a warning. The third time we do not flog him. Rather we put him in a prison, feed him barley bread until his stomach explodes because he is wicked and no longer deserves a warning. Similarly, hail and locust occurred with a warning and darkness without a warning. Since the final plague stands by itself, it has its own acronym.
Another explanation of the division into three groups: the first three plagues were carried out by Aaron. In the second group, wild animals and pestilence were not carried out by Moses or Aaron, and boils was carried out by both of them. The third group of plagues was carried out by Moses. And the final plague, the death of the first-born was carried out by the Holy one so it is in a grouping all by itself.

(2) Every plague which the Holy One brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was four plagues: How do we understand the controversy of the Tanna'im who argued whether each plague was quadrupled or quintupled. The Rokeach offered a lovely explanation for this controversy. Rabbi Eliezer suggested that the plagues were quadrupled at the Red Sea because each one included all four basic elements of the universe (fire, water, air and earth). According to Rabbi Akiva, each plague was quintupled based on the four elements plus the movement of the heavenly spheres that influenced each plague as well.

(1) If He had brought us to Mount Sinai: in order to show us His great glory, it would have been enough for us! And not given us the Torah, or, if He had not increased the number of commandments that He commanded us to perform. The seven Noahide Commandments would have been enough. The sages said, "When the people stood at Sinai, their impurity was removed from them." Those non-Jews who did not stand at Sinai were still impure even though they had the Noahide laws. Therefore, being at Sinai would have been enough even without the extra commandments.

(1) How many favors the Omnipresent has bestowed upon us: Commentators explain that since the Tanna'im in the previous passages deal with the number of plagues, therefore we now turn our attention to the number of favors which God has bestowed upon us. Just as we can increase the count of curses, we can also increase the number of miracles which God performed out of His great love for us.

(1) Dayenu begins, If God had taken us out of Egypt but not inflicted judgement … This would have been a great miracle and it would have been sufficient, as is explained regarding the verse in the Torah, "Has any God ventured to go and take one nation out of another?" (Deut. 4:34) He took us out of Egypt as a person delivers a fetus from its mother's womb before its time. Israel was not yet worthy of leaving Egypt since they could have been judged as being no better than the Egyptians. These were idolaters, and these were idolaters. These partook of sexually illicit actions and these partook of sexually illicit actions. Even so God doubled our miracle by taking us out of Egypt and passing judgement on the Egyptians for subjugating us. How much more so should we praise the Master of Everything. God could not pass up the judgement of the Egyptians for He had promised Abraham, The nations which they served I will judge. (Gen. 15) Not only that but God passed judgement on all of them and not just some of them!

(1) Had he not given them their wealth: This refers to the wealth they gathered at the shore of the Red Sea and not booty they took from the Egyptians in Egypt. God had already promised them wealth from the Egyptians. The extra favor was that they gathered up the wealth of the Egyptians that washed up on the shore after they drowned in the Red Sea.

(1) Rabban Gamliel said, anyone who did not mention these three things… That is, even if he ate the Passover offering, matzah and the Bitter herbs, he will not have fulfilled his obligation if he did not explain why we eat these three things, since the Torah emphasizes the explanation and the telling.

(1) For what reason do we eat this matzah? This must be explained since we had already been commanded to eat the matzah without an explanation of why. Rabbi Kimchi explains that they were commanded to eat matzah in Egypt before they left in anticipation of what was about to happen. God knows all possible futures and He already knew that they would have to leave Egypt in haste. Even they had wanted to do so because they were already commanded to eat unleavened bread for seven days and to eat the Passover offering together with matzah and maror.

(1) In every generation each person is obligated to make himself appear as one who went forth from there: This statement is based on what was said at the beginning of the Haggadah, had God not taken our ancestors out of Egypt, we, and our children would still be enslaved; that is, we must say, God took us out from there because we are included in all the miracles. Therefore, we are obligated to give thanks and praise God…

(1) Therefore we are obligated to give thanks: Since it is as if we went forth from Egypt, we are obligated to praise and give thanks for what God did for our ancestors.
It is customary for each person to take a cup of wine and to recite psalms and songs. The Haggadah should be more than just generic story-telling. One must accompany singing of praise with the drinking of wine, as it is written, "But has the vine replied, 'Have I stopped yielding my new wine which gladdens God and men that should go and wave among the trees?'" (Judges 9:13) From this point on in the Seder song must be accompanied by a cup of wine. In this passage we mention seven types of praise: shevah, hodot, hallel, paer, romem, hader, kadesh for the seven firmaments.
Even though we are reciting Hallel, we do not begin with a blessing (as we normally do). We find in the responsa of the Geonim, "One does not recite a blessing over Hallel on the eve of Passover even though we are about to recite the entire Hallel because it is divided in half. Also since we recite it around the dinner table, we do not apply the rules Hallel ; instead we only apply the general rules of song and thanksgiving to it. How can we say the blessing when we stop in the middle?

(1) Praised are you Adonai …who redeemed us and redeemed our ancestors: We recite this blessing since we must end the Haggadah with praise. We began by saying, "Begin with degradation and end with praise." That is why we end by speaking not only of our ancestors redemption but ours as well.

(2) Who has allowed (vi-higee-ahnu) us to reach: Even though we already recited the she-he-heyanu along with the Kiddush, we express the same idea again, (that we have reached this occasion), in order to say that we have reached the holiday again. Some suggest that it should say tigi-aynu, You have allowed us to reach, since all blessings should include an expression in the second person. These holidays: this refers to Rosh Hashanah. And Festivals: Passover, Sukkot and Shavuot. Rejoicing…and eating there the offerings and the Passover offerings: we refer to the festive offering first since it is consumed before the Passover offering.

(1) One then recites the blessing over the wine and drinks the wine while leaning along with all those who are participating in the Seder with him. Wash the hands a second time since the reading of the Haggadah and Hallel are an interruption between the first washing and the second washing, and our mind is no longer on the first washing. Since our hands have been busy participating in this rite, it is possible that we have touched something which caused the hands to become impure, one has to wash the hands again since one is about to eat the unleavened bread, and it is impossible to eat bread with filthy hands. However, if one was extra careful to guard ones hands from the time of the first washing and one did not touch anything impure, that he does not have to go back and wash them again. If he decides to do so anyway, then he should do so without a blessing..

(1) Afterwards, the head of the household takes two matzot that are shemurot, holding the whole and the broken piece together. For the master has taught: Everyone acknowledges that on Passover night one holds the whole piece of matzah and the half piece together. What is the reason? We do so because matzah is called the bread of the needy: just as it is the way of the needy to break the bread (and put some away for later) so one recites blessing holding the broken piece. One holds the broken piece together with a whole piece because of lechem mishneh, the two loaves over which one usually recites the blessing on Shabbat and holidays. One then recites the motzi and breaks the whole piece of matzah and does not yet take from the previously broken piece of matzah since reciting the blessing on a 'whole loaf' is the more common practice. After reciting the blessing al akhilat matzah, one takes a bit of both pieces of matzah and eats them together. One should lean when eating the matzah. Some of the Gaonim are of the opinion that one makes the motzi on the previously broken piece of matzah and al akhilat matzah on the whole piece. Some follow one opinion and others follow the other opinion!
Afterwards, one takes some of the hazeret and recites the blessing al akhilat maror, dipping it in the haroset. This is good because of kafah a type of poisonous substance sometimes found on greens. Others say that kafah is a type of worm and that the haroset keeps it from harming the person who eats it. Each person at the table receives at least an olives-worth of hazeret dipped in the haroset. One does not lean when eating it since the Talmud says that maror does not require leaning, since it is an allusion of the verse, "they embittered them," and leaning is a symbol of freedom. One does not have to recite the blessing borei p'ri ha-adamah since the blessing over the matzah exempts us from other blessings on the food. Anything that is now part of the meal no longer requires a separate blessing either before or after it.
After eating the maror, each person takes part of the third piece of shemurah matzah along with the hazeret and makes a sandwich, eating them as one without leaning since it contains the bitter herbs. One eats it as a reminder of the temple, just as Hillel did, for the verse says, "You shall eat it with matzah and maror. In the time of the Temple, Hillel would recite the blessing over the matzah and then the blessing over the maror. He would then eat them together since both of them were commandments contained in the Torah and one did not cancel out the other. At this time we recite and eat them separately since matzah is a Torah commandment while maror is only a rabbinic commandment. When there is a Passover offering, maror is a Torah commandment; in a time when there is no Passover commandment, the maror is only a rabbinic commandment. We cannot eat them together after reciting the blessings since the rabbinic commandment would cancel out the Torah commandment. Therefore, we do them separately and only then do we eat them together; since we have already recited the blessing there is no blessing for the Hillel sandwich. Ibn Yarhei writes that the optimal way to perform the commandment is to not have any interruptions between the blessings over the matzah and the making of the Hillel sandwich. In this way the blessing over the matzah and the maror would include the making of the sandwich.

(1) After these blessings, one continues with the meal, eating whatever one wishes. At the end of the meal one should eat an olives-worth of matzah from the piece that was broken at the beginning of the Seder and that was hidden and wrapped in a cloth as a reminder of the dough that was wrapped in a cloth and carried out of Egypt. One eats it as the Afikomen, a reminder of the Passover offering which was consumed when the people were already sated by their meal. One does not eat anything after the Afikomen so that one concludes with the taste of the Afikomen in one's mouth. One should eat this matzah before midnight. If not one does not one fulfill one's obligation on Passover that nothing be consumed after midnight.

(1) If one forgot and did not eat the Afikomen until he had already washed his hands prior to the Birkat haMazon, or until he said the Zimun (Rabbotai Nivarech), or even if he had already recited the Birkat HaMazon but prior to the third cup of wine, the Avi Ezri and the Rosh write that he should wash his hands again, and recite the motzi and eat it. If, however, he already said the blessing over the third cup of wine, he should not eat it since this necessitates that he recite reciting the Birkat HaMazon and then drinking another cup of wine, and it would now appear that he is adding to the four cups of wine. It has also been established that one should not drink between the third and fourth cups of wine. Also, since all our matzah is shemurot, one can consider the last bit of matzah that he ate as the Afikomen.
Rabbi Peretz wrote that if he hasn’t recited the Zimun yet, he can still eat the Afikomen without a blessing even though he has already ended the meal. In this situation it is different because the Afikomen is a commandment that God has placed upon him and we depend upon this.
After he drinks the cup of wine over which he recited the Birkat HaMazon, he pours the fourth cup and completes Hallel. In Midrash Tehilim, it is written that there should be at least three people reciting psalms so that one can recite and two can respond, hodo l'adonai ki tov.
The Rosh writes that if it is impossible for him to have three people present, he his wife and his minor son is sufficient!

(1) After the Afikomen, one pours the third cup of wine and recites the Birkat HaMazon, drinking it afterwards while leaning. Everyone should lean with the Seder leader. Between these first cups if one wishes to drink more wine, one may do so. Between the third and fourth cup of wine, one may not drink wine. The Jerusalem Talmud explains that one may not drink extra wine at the end of the Seder in order that one not become inebriated and forget to finish Hallel. This is problematic since he might already be drunk! However, wine within the meal does not make one inebriated while after the meal has the effect of making one inebriated. The Halachot Gedolot, the Rif, and the Rambam all forbid drinking after the Afikomen except for the two cups of wine. It should not appear that he is adding to the four cups of wine.
Rabbi Yitzchak follows the approach of the Jerusalem Talmud which says that since one should spend the whole night discussing the Exodus, the miracles that the Holy One performed for our ancestors until day break, one should not drink extra wine lest he be overcome by sleep. The Tosefta says that each person is obligated study the laws of Passover and the Exodus all night long, like the sages who dined together in B'nai Brak.

(1) Some permit a fifth cup of wine based on the verse in Exodus, "I will bring you to the land." If one wishes to drink water it is permissible.

(1) Pour out Your wrath: We recite this verse because the four cups of wine are an allusion to the four cups of retribution that the Holy One will pour out in the future on the nations of the world. We recite this prior to the fourth cup since it is with this cup that we complete the commandment of drinking four cups of wine. We now ask God to do what He promised to do to the gentiles who have oppressed us.

(1) On the second night of Passover we count the Omer. We inaugurate a period of counting and self-reflection which culminates on Shavuot, when we celebrate the giving of the Torah. The forty nine days of counting (Sefirat HaOmer) thus parallels the journey from Egypt to Sinai.