48 ways: #2 - Listen!

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The second of the 48 is shemiat ha'ozen, or listening.

Rabbeinu Bechayye explains that this includes "being careful to hear all parts of what is said, not responding until the teacher completes all of his words."

This is an important skill in many aspects of our lives, and certainly in study. To understand complex ideas, we need to hear the speaker out, paying attention to all aspects of the presentation. If we are planning our response to one segment before the other segments have been laid out, we are liable to miss important information.

Good moed,

Mordechai

48 ways: #1 - Study!

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The first of the 48 is talmud, or study.

Rabbeinu Bechayye comments that talmud refers to study, as well as to "refuting challenges using the proper method of study". This latter point is instructive: Torah is not entirely freestyle, with each new student approaching it as though she was the first to ever look at the text. There is a structure and system and method to Torah, and it must be mastered. The first step identified in learning Torah is the humbling understanding that before we can learn, we must learn how to learn.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzedakah as bribe

Hi,

[Background: In the fourth chapter of the book of Daniel, Daniel interprets Nevuchadnezzar's dream to indicate that punishment is coming to him, and he advises Nevuchadnezzar to give tzedakah in order to forestall his punishment.]


"Why was Daniel punished? Because he advised Nevuchadnezzar… [to give tzedakah]"

(Talmud, Bava Batra 4a)


"Giving tzedakah to the needy cannot resolve the problem of haughtiness and arrogance, which plagued Nevuchadnezzar. Perhaps this was Daniel's sin; he did not entirely clarify his words to Nevuchadnezzar, and he planted within Nevuchadnezzar the feeling that the tzedakah he would distribute to the needy would pacify Divine wrath at his arrogance. Can one who sins with arrogance then bribe the One who neither shows favour nor accepts bribes?"

(Rabbi Yaakov Medan, Daniel: Galut v'Hitgalut pg. 101)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Pesach: No roast?

Hi,

Many communities avoid eating roast at the seder, because the korban pesach is roasted and we lack this korban in our own day. Several reasons are offered to explain why the korban pesach is specifically roasted over a flame, including the idea that royalty can afford to lose the fat during the roasting process, and the idea that this demonstrates the haste of the original Pesach night (when compared to boiling).

Some communities even avoid eating roast during the daytime of the first (and second, outside of Israel) day of Pesach, but most communities do not have this practice. (See Beit Yehudah Orach Chaim 51, Magen Avraham 473:8, Shaarei Teshuvah 473 צלויה and Yechaveh Daat 3:27.)

חג כשר ושמח,
Mordechai

Haggadah: Koreich - Why have a sandwich?

Hi,

Once we eat matzah and marror separately, why do we combine them for a sandwich in Koreich?

The Torah instructs us regarding the combination of the korban pesach, matzah and marror, in Shemot 12:8 and Bamidbar 9:11.

The Talmud (Pesachim 115a) records a debate regarding the proper interpretation of the Torah's instruction in Bamidbar 9:11, "They shall eat [the korban] upon matzah and marror." Hillel debates the rest of the sages, and there are two views as to what their respective positions were:

1. Rabbi Yochanan: Hillel says a sandwich is acceptable; the Sages say it is unacceptable;

2. Rav Ashi: Hillel says a sandwich is necessary; the Sages say it is unnecessary.

Therefore, we eat the two items separately to satisfy Rabbi Yochanan's understanding of the position of the Sages, and we eat them together to satisfy Rav Ashi's understanding of the position of Hillel.

This is why we preface Koreich by saying that we are eating the sandwich to commemorate the Beit haMikdash, as Hillel did it.

For more on the technical issues surrounding the sandwich, feel free to download my audio shiur here.

חג כשר ושמח,
Mordechai

Marror: Out of Order?

Hi,

Marror is in an odd position in the seder. Marror is meant to represent the slavery of the Jews in Egypt, and Matzah is meant to represent redemption, but their order is reversed; we eat Matzah before we eat Marror!

One could contend that Matzah also represents bread of affliction and poverty, but Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook offered a different explanation: Marror indeed represents the bitterness of slavery, but one can only appreciate the value of that experience, and the purpose it served, from the hindsight perspective of the Jew who has already been redeemed from Egypt. Therefore, we first go through redemption, eating Matzah, and then we contemplate the Marror of our previous experience.

חג כשר ושמח,
Mordechai

Marror and Horseradish

Hi,

Historically, Jews have used various vegetables and herbs as marror, from Romaine lettuce and cardoon artichoke to chicory and horseradish. The Talmud (Mishnah Pesachim 2:6, discussed on Pesachim 39a) lists five potential species, the first of which is chazeret (lettuce) and the rest of which are subject to some debate.

It seems fairly clear that horseradish is not one of the five species listed in the mishnah, especially given the talmudic description of marror as an above-ground plant. How, then, did people begin to use horseradish?

We first find horseradish in use for marror in late-13th century Germany [although a century earlier it was an ingredient in German charoset!]. Some speculate that people first used the leaves as marror, and only began to eat the root because of a scarcity of leaves. Others note that 19th century authorities recommended the use of the root for those who had trouble checking lettuce leaves for bugs.

For more on this issue, see this excellent article by Dr. Arthur Schaffer, and the sources I cite on this page.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haggadah: Matzah - How Many Matzot?

Hi,

We face a basic challenge in setting up our matzah for the seder. On one hand, we need lechem mishneh, two matzot, just as we use two loaves of bread at our Shabbat meals. On the other hand, we want to fulfill the biblical description of matzah as lechem oni, which one view on Pesachim 115b explains as "bread of a pauper". Normally, our two loaves are whole, but a pauper's bread is broken; he doesn't eat from whole loaves at each meal.

The Rambam (Hilchot Chametz uMatzah 8:6) and Vilna Gaon (Orach Chaim 473:4:שלשה) say to use two loaves, and to break the second one; although we have whole loaves on Shabbat, we won't at the Seder.

Most families, though, follow Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 473:4 and use three loaves, breaking the middle one at Yachatz. We hold all three together when we recite the usual berachah of HaMotzi, so that we have two whole loaves as well as the broken one.

We then put down the bottom [whole] one, and retain only the top [whole] matzah and the broken one, and recite the berachah of Al Achilat Matzah, "on eating matzah". In this way, the second berachah, which is the more specialized berachah for Pesach, is recited with clear-cut "paupers' bread".

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haggadah: The Message of Motzi

Hi,

Some Haggadot count Motzi as a section of the Haggadah unto itself, separate from the section called Matzah, because two unique blessings are recited upon the matzah, the blessing of hamotzi and the blessing of al achilat matzah.

Rav Kook suggests that Motzi deserves its own section, because the berachah itself - hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz - conveys a unique message about our national redemption.

Normally, blessings recited before eating food speak of Gd as a creator, borei. Here, though, we bless G-d who is motzi, who "brings bread out of the ground." Rav Kook explains that other foods are accessible in raw form, but bread, by definition, is a processed product, not a raw material. In order to eat bread, one must take the raw grain, grind it, add water and then bake it. This is the process of "bringing bread out of the ground," and this bears the title of Motzi.

The Motzi phenomenon affects the Jew as well. In Egypt we were a raw material, which needed the processing of redemption. Today, too, we exist within humanity, but our exposure to Torah processes us, aiding us in emerging in a new form, with which to provide benefit to the world.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Rachtzah vs. Urchatz

Hi,

When we washed our hands before Karpas, we called it "URchatz", an imperative meaning, "And wash!" Now, though, we call our washing "Rachtzah", which is a general term, "washing". Why do we alter it?

Rav Kook explained that the earlier washing was meant for the individual to remove his impurity before handling food, and so this was a command to an individual. The later washing removes more than just impurity; this is meant to signify the end of the slavery we described in Maggid. This is a national washing, and so we alter the name to "Rachtzah".

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Who leads Maggid?

Hi,
Who leads Maggid?

The students of the Vilna Gaon wrote regarding his practice, "He recites the Haggadah, and all listen."  (Maaseh Rav 191) This sounds like one person leads.

On the other hand, the Chafetz Chaim (Biur Halachah 472 shelo) wrote, "According to the halachah that women are obligated in the four cups as men are, they must be careful to recite the haggadah for each cup, or at least hear it from their husbands." This indicates that the Haggadah may be read by each participant.

Rav Shimon Eider (Halachos of Pesach 24:F:6) contends that both customs are valid.

Have a great day,
Mordechai 

Haggadah: The End of Maggid

Hi,

In our previous post, we presented the structure of Maggid. We noted that the middle of Maggid tells the story of our suffering in Egypt, and our redemption. There is some debate, though, as to where we end this story.

Our Haggadah takes the story through the makkot (plagues), but then, before Rabban Gamliel's closing statement about the centrality of the Korban Pesach, Matzah and Marror, we insert a midrashic passage regarding the number of plagues in Egypt and at the Sea, and the Dayyenu song which summarizes Divine miracles on our behalf. The Rambam, in his Haggadah, omitted this midrash and song. What is the reason for including or omitting these elements?

Rav Soloveitchik explained that the Rambam (as seen in Hilchot Chametz uMatzah 7:1) believed that the Seder is meant to discuss our experience in Egypt, and our rescue from there - but this ends with our actual Exodus. All that happens afterward is not part of the Seder. Therefore, we halt with the list of ten plagues. (For more, see Rav Hershel Schachter's article in Masorah 3 (Nisan 5750), pp. 27-28.)

It is possible, though, to suggest a justification for including the later miracles at the Sea. When Gd told Avraham that we would be 'strangers in a land not our own', compelled to work and to suffer, He also promised that the nation that harmed us would be judged for their deeds. The midrash which counts the plagues at the sea presents the punishment the Egyptians received for their cruelty during the enslavement of the Jews (more on that in "What happened to the Egyptians at the Sea, and why does it matter?"), and so it truly details part of the Egyptian experience.

Perhaps the same may even be said for Dayyenu, which records our national path all the way to the construction of the Beit haMikdash. The song, which is ancient - it appears in the 9th century Haggadah of Rav Amram Gaon - depicts our Egypt experience as an inextricable part of a longer arc. True, as the Rambam said, the Seder is meant to focus on what we endured in Egypt. Nonetheless, to ignore the national identity formed in Egypt, and the chain of events catalyzed by our national slavery, would be to omit the significance of the Egyptian experience itself. Therefore, our Haggadah includes those later events as well.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haggadah: The Structure of Maggid

Hi,

Many people get lost in Maggid, because of its length and because of the way it transitions between biblical verses and midrashic explanation. In truth, though, the structure is fairly simple:

1. Why do we have a seder? To commemorate our departure from Egypt
Mah Nishtanah - Four questions about the unique character of the night
Avadim Hayyinu - We are commemorating the slavery in Egypt, and we were redeemed
Maaseh, R' Eliezer, R' Elazar - This miracle remains a part of our lives until Mashiach
Baruch haMakom through Vihigadita - Commemoration requires education of our children

2. What is the story of Pesach?
The story of our initial idolatry and eventual suffering in Egypt
The redemption

3. We commit ourselves to thank Gd for these miracles
Kamah ma'alot through Rabban Gamliel - Our duty to honour and transmit the Divine Will
Bchol dor vador through psalms of praise - We stand as one in our praise of G-d

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Stealing the afikoman

Hi,

In our previous post, we explained that we break the matzah at Yachatz. At many of our seder tables, this is immediately followed by an attempt of the children to steal the afikoman and hide it. What is the source for this?

Some suggest that this comes from the Talmudic statement (Pesachim 109a), "They grab the matzah on the night of Pesach, so that the children will not sleep." However, Rashi there says this refers to lifting the seder plate for all to see, and Rashbam there comments that it is actually the act of removing the matzah so that they children will not eat too much and fall asleep.

The grandson of the Chatam Sofer cites his grandfather as noting that Shemot 11:7 says that no dogs barked at the Jews when we left Egypt. A city in which dogs do not bark will have many thieves!

The likely source, though, is the Rambam's statement that we give children candy and nuts at the seder, and move the table away before they eat, and grab things from one hand to another, and perform more such practices, to keep the attention of the children.(Maimonides Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chametz uMatzah 7:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haggadah: Yachatz

Hi,

In the Haggadah's fourth section, Yachatz, we break a matzah into two pieces. One of the pieces is put aside for consumption as the "afikoman" dessert at the end of the meal. The other piece is kept and held with the other two matzot used for Hamotzi, symbolizing the broken matzah of a pauper.

Rav Kook explained that the pauper's matzah represents materialism and the world of necessity, and the dessert matzah represents a broader existence, in which one is free to focus on spiritual growth.

We break the matzah into these two parts in order to demonstrate that the two co-exist in our world. One should not live a purely material existence, thinking only of filling one's needs. However, one should not think himself fully spiritual and elevated, and so forget that needy people around him are living hand-to-mouth.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haggadah: Karpas

Hi,

The third section of the Haggadah is "Karpas".

We are taught to eat something which grows from the ground at this point in the seder. "Karpas" was a known type of vegetation in Talmudic times (see Mishnah Sheviit 9:1 and Succah 39b). However, the Talmud does not mention eating karpas at the seder; the Talmud (Pesachim 114a-b) actually recommends lettuce, and expresses a preference for a vegetable which will not qualify as marror. The idea is to dip something in order to cause children to ask questions.

For this reason, some [including the Torczyner family] actually offer banana and pineapple for dipping at the seder. Dipping these fruits in vinegar or salt water is certain to cause children to ask questions, and it will also provide them with an enduring reminder that the correct berachah for these fruits is borei pri ha'adamah.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haggadah: Urchatz

Hi,

The title of the Haggadah's second section, "Urchatz", means "and wash". The section consists of washing before Karpas. Why are we washing?

When we have a Beit haMikdash, we wash before handling produce in order to avoid communicating impurity. In an era without a Beit haMikdash, most halachic authorities contend that we do not wash. (Rabbeinu Yonah, the Taz and the Vilna Gaon are notable in their disagreement.) Why, then, do we wash before handling karpas?

1. Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, in his early 20th century Aruch haShulchan (Orach Chaim 473:18), says it's just another way we draw our children's interest to the events of the night. Varying our routine attracts the attention of our children.

2. Rabbi Mordechai Yafeh, in his 16th century Levush (Orach Chaim 473), says we wash because the karpas is being used for a mitzvah. The mitzvah warrants extra sanctity.

3. Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, in the introduction to his late-19th century haggadah Imrei Shefer, notes that several Seder practices are meant to take us back to the way things happened in the Beit haMikdash. Think of the Koreich sandwich, for example. Therefore, we wash for karpas in order to recall the way we washed in the Beit haMikdash.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Haggadah: Kadesh!

Hi,

We name each section of the Haggadah, and the first section is called "Kadesh". This is an odd title; "Kiddush [Sanctification]" is the proper name for the action we perform, while "Kadesh [Sanctify!]" is an imperative, a command.

Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook viewed this, indeed, as a command. He wrote, in his characteristically florid poetry:

The most active root of sanctification, the individual's, with which we act upon the day, emerges with the departure from Egypt, with the revelation of implemented truth, immutable in the radiance with which it affects each individual. This is the power of freedom, the departure from the house of slaves...

Therefore, with holy emotion, all declare on the night of the sanctification of this holiday - the source and foundation for all of the Divine holidays preserving the national memory... the wealth of the points of life added on that holiday on each specific level of Israel's holiness - this holiday which sanctifies the times, on this day it is declared to each Jew that he must recognize the worth of his actions, planting righteousness and receiving a reward of truth: Kadesh!

(Olat Re'iyyah: Haggadah shel Pesach, Kadesh)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Why we are called "Jews"

Hi,

A midrash regarding Yehudah's reward for acknowledging his responsibility for Tamar's pregnancy:

"[Yaakov said, in Bereishit 49:8:] 'Yehudah, your brothers praise you' – Your brothers praise you, your mother praises you, I myself praise you.

"R' Shimon bar Yochai said: May all of your brothers be called upon your name. One does not say, 'I am Reuveni' or 'I am Shimoni,' but 'I am Yehudi.'"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 98:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Power of Sinai

Hi,

"All that we are careful to avoid, and all that we do, is only because of Divine commands conveyed by Moshe, and not because Gd instructed thus to prophets who preceded him… We don't circumcise because Avraham circumcised himself and his household, but because Gd instructed us via Moshe to circumcise, as Avraham did."

(Rambam, Commentary to Mishnayot, Chullin 7:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai