David Kallus

There is a classic question that many of the mefarshim have grappled with: what is the difference between the mitzvah of Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim that one performs daily and the special mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim that one is required to fulfill at the seder?

R' Chaim Soloveitchik asserts that there are three major differences between Zichirah and Sippur :

1) While Zichirah requires merely a recitation to oneself, Sippur requires a give and take between narrator and audience in a question-and-answer format. As the p'sukim says, "Vehayah ki yish'alcha bincha..." and "Vehigadta l'bincha..." This is manifested on the seder night by the questions contained in the Mah Nishtana and the answers set forth in Avadim Hayinu.

2) Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim has a specific format (i.e., one must begin with shame and end with praise for Hashem), whereas Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim requires a mere mentioning of Yetziat Mitzrayim.

3) To fulfill the mitzvah of Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim, a mere mentioning of Yetziat Mitzrayim suffices, while to fulfill the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim, one must understand the underlying reasons - the Taamei Mitzvot. We see this in the passage of Raban Gamliel, "Pesach Al Shum Mah... ", which outlines the reasons for the Mitzvot of the seder night.

These differences between Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim and Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim are apparent from the simple reading of the Rambam in the beginning of the seventh chapter of Hilchot Chametz U'Matzah. The Rambam states that it is a mitzvah on the night of the fifteenth of Nisan to tell the Nissim V'Niflaot that occured to our forefathers in Egypt. He further states that the mitzvah is to relate the story of Pesach to one's children. It should be related in accordance with each child's ability to understand. The father should also try to spark the child's curiosity so that he will ask questions. This is the basis for R' Chaim's first halachah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim, namely the need for a question and answer format.

The Rambam then writes that one must begin with shame and end in praise. The narrator must stress how our nation originated from idol worshippers in the time of Terach and ended up with the true faith through Hashem's nurturing.He must also stress the contrast between the Jewish nation as slaves and as freemen. This corresponds to the second difference between Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim and Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim.

Finally, the Rambam cites the passage from Rabban Gamliel, thereby articulating the necessity of understanding as a sine-qua-non to the fulfilment of the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim.

In conclusion, the Rambam writes, "U'dvarim ha'aleh kulon nikra'in Haggadah". In other words, all of these elements make up what is called hagadah and are included in the mitzvah of "v'higadta l'vincha", which is Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim.

The explanation of R' Chaim teaches us the components of the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim. owever, we must still explore how the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim is performed. Additionally, what theme emerges from the halachos of this mitzvah?

The Rambam writes that the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim is not merely a formal declaration of what happened on the night of the 15th of Nisan. Rather, the performance of the mitzvah depends on who is involved. He writes "L'fi da'ato shel ben aviv milamdo" and then further writes "Im haya haben gadol v'chacham, modia mah she'ira lanu b'Mitzrayim. V'nisim she'naasu lanu al yidai Moshe Rabbeinu hakol l'fi da'ato shel haben". The Rambam is pointing out that the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim must be performed in a manner that enables the son to get a clear picture of the events of that night. In addition to the need for the son to understand clearly, there is an idea presented in the Sefer Hamitzvot that the father must relate the story as clearly as he possibly can, in the best way possible.

It is very strange for the Rambam to specify that this mitzvah must be done in the best possible way, as opposed to every other mitzvah. One would think that very mitzvah must be done in the best possible way. R' Chaim thus explains that the Rambam is telling us that the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim must be related like a story. The mitzvah is not to hear as much as it is to tell the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim to the listener in a way that it could best be understood. The fullfilment of the mitzvah in its highest form on this night is not the hearing as much as it is the teaching. The mitzvah is thus only properly performed when it is Derech Sippur.

This idea of Derech Sippur is reflected in a minhag cited by the Sefer Kol Bo. After the eating of the karpas, the participants at the seder would remove the table and then take the matzos, wrap them up in a table cloth and carry them over their shoulders around the house. They would only then sit down at the table and say the hagadah. Although the simple understanding of the Rambam's view would lead us to rule that this is insufficient to fulfill Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim [since he says that the Sippur must be "L'fi tzichot lashon ha'misaper", implying the need for speech], the minhag of the Kol Bo is surely still a kiyum on some level of the mitzvah. Acting can be a very effective educational tool.

The Rambam says "Mitzvah l'hodia l'banim" (Chametz U'Matzah 7:2), the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim is to inform the children. To inform a child of a story that is suitable for an adult cannot be considered informing. Conversely, to inform an adult of information suitable for a child is also not informing; what does the adult now know beyond what he knew before? The ability to inform is dependent on the skills of the narrator. He must be able to realize who his audience is and convey the Sippur of Yetziat Mitzrayim appropriately.

We can now understand why even if we are all geniuses, the mitzvah to tell the Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim does not change. It is not only the mitzvah of the listener but the mitzvah of the narrator as well. This explanation also sheds light as to why the Gemara in Pesachim states that even if a person is alone he asks the Mah Nishtana to himself. At first glance it seems ridiculous; according to our understanding of the mitzvah of Sippur, however, it makes perfect sense. We can view this lonely person as both a listener and a narrator. Accordingly, the fact that every year new explanations of the hagadah are published is a beautiful thing; since the mitzvah is to inform, those who are fortunate enough to have the chachamim, nivonim and yodiim as guests, need new insights into Yetziat Mitzrayim to relate.

This is all very different than the mitzvah of Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim, which does not require a listener and a narrator. Even the case of one who is sitting alone at the seder asking himself the four questions is different than Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim. At the seder this person has a dual role: that of listener and that of narrator, whereas for the mitzvah of Zichirat Yetziat Mitzrayim we view him as one person reminding himself about Yetziat Mitzrayim. The Mishna in Pesachim (116b) states that in every generation a Jew must view himself as if he himself left Egypt. The Gemara quotes Rava as stating that one must say "V'anachnu hotzi misham". In other words, we must completely identify with the Jews that left Mitzrayim. Which aspect of Yetziat Mitzrayim does the Gemara demand we identify with? Though there may be more than one, it is possible to say that the experience of emunah is the central theme of Leil HaSeder. The Seder night is therefore the night of the transmission of the mesorah of emunah from father to son.

This theme of the transmission of emunah being central to the hagadah is alluded to by the Rambam's choice of words in our perek. He describes the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim as a "Mitzvah l'hodia l'banim". The word "l'hodia" echoes the words of the Rambam in the beginning of Hilchot Yesodai HaTorah. There, the Rambam describes the mitzvah of emunah by saying "Yesod ha'yesodot v'amud ha'chachmot laida she'yaish Shem Matzui". The Rambam's conception of belief is not emunah as faith but rather as knowledge and understanding, "laida." This choice of words implies some sort of connection between Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim and the mitzvah of emunah. The connection between Yetziat Mitzrayim and emunah is already known from the pasuk at the beginning of the Aseret HaDibrot," Anochi HaShem Elokecha asher hotzaiticha mi'eretz Mitzrayim". On this night, the father must present and transmit the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim in a fashion that will convey the existence of Hashem to his son. Coming away from the seder the son must see himself as one who is Mitzrayim attaining an awareness of the existence and presence of Hashem.

The three aspects of Yetziat Mitzrayim quoted from R' Chaim are all fundamental to the attainment of emunah. The first halachah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim was the need to have a question and answer format. This format imitates the process which a non-believer goes through when he seeks out Hashem. The non-believer probes, with an open mind, the concept of Hashem, an omnipotent and omniscient entity. On the night of the seder we identify ourselves with those who seek out Hashem in the same fashion as those who left Mitzrayim.

The second halachah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim is the need to begin with shame and end in praise for Hashem. The Rambam explains that the shame that we describe is that our forefather Terach worshiped idols, and we were kofrim and pursuers of emptiness. It would seem that this shame has nothing to do with Yetziat Mitzrayim. The second shame the Rambam mentions, that we were slaves to Pharaoh, seems far more appropriate for the seder. Yet, with our explanation, we can better understand the Rambam. The purpose of the seder night is to identify with the emunah experience of the Jews who left Mitzrayim. Just as the Jews who left Mitzrayim were reformed idol worshipers, so too do we, at the seder, attempt to gain knowledge of Hashem in the same manner as that of a non-believer turning into a believer. A proof for this idea may be found in the commentary of the Rabbeinu Manoach on the Rambam. He explains that the source for the need to begin with shame and end in praise for Hashem is from the pasuk, "V'tzivanu HaShem la'asot et kol ha'chukim ha'aleh l'yirah", which implies that before Yetziat Mitzrayim the Jews were not G-d fearing since they worshipped idolatry. According to Rabbeinu Manoach, Yetziat Mitzrayim gave the Jews a strong belief in Hashem because of the tremendous miracles that occurred at the time. This belief lasted for generations. On the night of the seder we go through the same process of emunah and our goal is to pass it on to the next generation.

Finally, according to R' Chaim, there is a need to tell the taamei hamitzvos of the seder night. This also reflects the theme of the process of coming closer to emunah. At first glance it would seem that the need for taamei hamitzvos is foreign. Judaism doesn't lend very much credence to the reasons behind the mitzvos. We usually assume that the reason we perform mitzvos is to comply with the will of Hashem. However, if we understand the purpose of the seder to be the transmition of emunah through identification with the Jews who left Mitzrayim, everything becomes clear. The non-believer who is turning into a believer has a hard time accepting emunah on face value. His many doubts and difficulties require the push that a ta'am hamitzvah can provide. The fact is that taamei mitzvos do have a role within Judaism, as is indicated by the Rambam's dedication of a large section of the Moreh N'vuchim to the notion, and by the Chinuch's devotion of his entire sefer to it. The role of taamei hamitzvos is not fundamental, but it can help serve as an inspiration to perform the mitzvah. On the night of the seder we use taamei hamitzvos to identify with the yotz'ei mizraim, who were newcomers to emunah.

This idea of the Leil Ha'seder being the spring-board of emunah helps answer yet another question: why is the name of Moshe not mentioned even once in the hagadah? The hagadah stresses that there was no other savior other than Hashem, "Ani v'lo shaliach", yet there was a shaliach, Moshe! The answer is that the important issue of this night is not how the miracles transpired but the fact that Hashem carried them out. Since on the seder night we stress the idea of coming to emunah, we must focus on the relationship of the believer to the belief, to the exclusion of all intermediaries.