Elie Friedman

The Haggadah that we read every Pesach is not a set group of passages put together at one time, but rather a compilation edited and re-edited by scholars throughout the generations. I would like to briefly discuss the reasons for the addition of some famous parts of the Haggadah.

The destruction of the Second Temple crushed Jewish morale and brought about a serious crisis in Jewish religious life. With the destruction of the Temple, ritual slaughters, the ceremonies that accompanied them, and other religious services that required the use of the Temple were forced to stop. This presented an especially severe problem with regard to holidays whose ceremonies and sacrifices were performed in the Temple.

Pesach, a holiday on which Jews are required to bring a sacrificial lamb to the Temple, lost much of its significance due to the inability to offer the sacrifice and perform the rituals associated with it. The recitation of Hallel and the eating of marror were also no longer required. However, simply retaining a Seder ceremony that highlighted the afflictions of the Jews would have been detrimental to a people already suffering from crushed morale. It was imperative that a message of hope and redemption be incorporated into the Seder ceremony.

The first attempt to incorporate such a change into the Seder was by Rabban Gamliel who stated that "He who does not stress these rituals on Passover does not fulfill his obligation: Pesach, matzah, and marror" (Pesachim 116a). In relation to these three rituals, Rabban Gamliel quotes verses that discuss these services as they relate to G-d's redemption of the Jews, not verses that simply discuss the laws regarding these rituals. Rabban Gamliel attempted to comfort the Jews by speaking of G-d's earlier redemption of the Jews.

Rabban Gamliel's endeavor led to other such morale-boosting additions. The passage describing how "in every generation, man is supposed to see himself as if he went out of Egypt" was added to give all the participants in the Seder a personal part in the story of the Exodus, and thus enhance their joy and exultation. Furthermore, the Rabbanim retained the recitation of Hallel as a portion of the Seder because "we are obligated to thank ... He who did to our forefathers and to us alls these miracles; Who brought us from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy... from servitude to redemption."

Rabbi Akiva, however, thought such discussion of "redemption" and "freedom" would sound unrealistic to a generation so deeply plunged in tragedy. He therefore added a prayer for a brighter future for the Jews: "Hashem our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers, may You grant us to live to observe other holidays and festivals in peace ... then we will give thanks with a new song for our deliverance and redemption." (Pesachim 116b) This same impulse prompted the addition of "shfoch chamatcha" (Psalms 79:6) in the 14th century which asks G-d to "pour out His wrath" against the enemies of Israel.

Rabban Gamliel's dictum also led to the custom of reclining during the Seder (Pesachim 99b), a practice often associated with the royalty, and meant to contrast with the standing position in which slaves ate their meals (Jer. Pesachim 10)

Through these additions to the Haggadah, the Rabbanim transformed the Seder night from a ceremony that simply recounts events and ritual of long ago, into a service that is relevant and meaningful to all generations. Certainly, in these hard times both for the Jewish people and world, we should all take to heart the Haggadah's message of comfort and inspiration.

(This Dvar Torah is based on a chapter in "Biblical and Historical Background of the Jewish Holy Days" by Rabbi Abraham P. Bloch)

Elie Friedman is a freshman at Frisch