Manhattan High School for Girls מכון יעקב לבנות

Transcription

1 Cover Design: Ahuva Lisker הגדה תשע ז Manhattan High School for Girls מכון יעקב לבנות

2 Letter From the Editors One may think that Pesach is a commemoration of the justice Hashem enacted on the Mitzriyim. However, the Torah tells us that we are celebrating Ki hotzi Hashem es Bnei Yisrael mimitzrayim. On Pesach, we celebrate Hashem liberating us from our tzaros and rendering us a free nation. The Meshech Chochma explains that the אומות העולם celebrate their military victories over nations, and they take pride in the downfall of their enemies. This is not so with Klal Yisrael, as the mishna states, binfol oyvecha al tismach. The Medrash says that this is why the Torah doesn t use the word simcha when referring to Pesach and we do not recite full hallel during the seven days of Pesach. We do not rejoice in the downfall of our enemy. That is not the essence of our Yom Tov. Pesach is about our relationship with Hashem and our ever deepening love that began when we emerged as a nation, forged in the crucible of Mitzrayim. Pesach is an opportunity for us to come closer to Hashem, and to strengthen our bond with Him. It is our hope that through the Divrei Torah MHS students contributed, we can indeed tap into the kedusha of Pesach, and grow closer to Hashem. We would like to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thank you to our esteemed teachers Rebbitzen Neuberger and Rebbitzen Fink, who invested enormous effort in editing this Haggadah. Also, special thanks to our friend, Nechama Weiner, for her dedication and assistance in organizing this work. Chag kasher v sameach, Moadim Crew ילכו מחיל אל חיל We are grateful for the exceptional efforts of Devorah Amsel, Daniella Cohen, Esther Mehlman, & Leah Rothman - 2 -

3 A special thank you to our beloved Mechanchos: Rebbetzin Eisenberger 12 th Grade Mechaneches Mrs. Tova Szenberg 11 th Grade Mechaneches Mrs. M. Cohen 10 th Grade Mechaneches Mrs. E. Cohen 9 th Grade Mechaneches - 3 -

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6 ...הרי זה משובח By: Adina Bell If the mitzvah is only to retell the story of מצרים,יציאת then why is it that the more you recount it, the more praiseworthy you are? The Avudraham teaches that in order to fulfill this mitzvah, you only need to say one word. But everyone goes beyond what is required. The haggadah assures us that this is a praiseworthy action. The Yalkut Shmoni takes a different approach. He suggests that by speaking more about the galus, you are not only performing the mitzvah of sipor yetzias Mitzraim in a better way, but, you are also showing your commitment to avodas Hashem by celebrating our freedom from Mitzrayim. By describing the story we develop our own perception of the nissim that Hashem did for us. מה נשתנה By: Ahuva Mermelstein Why do we place the מה נשתנה at the beginning of מגיד rather than proceeding immediately to the narrative of the redemption from Mitzrayim? The Malbim explains that if we began with the story, then we wouldn t feel the great debt of gratitude that we owe to Hashem. We would only feel this gratitude when reaching the end of,מגיד where we discuss יציאת מצרים in great detail. The four questions of the מה נשתנה are indirect references to the entire event of מצרים.יציאת By asking these questions, we put ourselves in the correct frame of mind for the rest of the Seder. The first two questions recall slavery. We first mention מצה to remind us of when we were slaves. Then we mention the,מרור which evokes memories of the bitterness of that slavery. The last two questions briefly summarize the story of the redemption. We mention the dipping of מרור into,חרסת which reminds us that Hashem turned the bitterness of slavery into the sweetness of redemption. Ultimately, we mention reclining, which is symbolic of freedom, the complete opposite of.מצה the bondage symbolized by - 6 -

7 Asking these four questions at the beginning of the Seder fills us with gratitude to Hashem in the initial moments of the evening so that we need not wait until the end of מגיד to feel that wave of,הודאה rather than experiencing these feelings only at the end. Source: The Yetzias Mitzrayim Haggadah published by Artscroll,מה העדות והחוקים והשפטים אשר צוה ה אלוקינו אתכם asks, When the Chacham we respond מפטירין אחר הפסח אפיקומן.אין Why does the Hagaddah focus on the מצה that cannot be eaten after the,אפיקומן instead of responding to the question of the Chacham by explaining,the,תודע,חקים and משפטים ap-?פסח plicable to The מצה of אין מפטירין אחר הפסח אפיקומן is a single example, out of many, which contains aspects of all three types of Mitzvot. Refraining from eating after the Afikomen reminds us that the Jews in Mitzrayim could not leave their homes after eating the Karban Pesach. This restriction caused them to realize that the same G-d who was currently protecting them was at the same time killing the Bichorai Mitzrayim. He is One. Hence, by observing this Mitzvah we testify to the Unity of Hashem. This Mitzvah also emphasizes the importance of Bein Adam L chavaro relationships which are the foundation of Mishpatim. Distinct groups had to come together for their Karban Pesach, and each person can only be a member of a single gathering. After eating the Karban one was not permitted to go and join another group to eat with them as well. This concern for maintaining peace within the community is commemorated by this Mitzva which thereby becomes a mishpat. The last idea is one that doesn t seem obvious or rational - a.חוק The must be eaten when we are full, at the end of the meal, even though קרבן פסח the מצות are eaten when we are hungry, at the beginning of the meal. From this one,מצה we learn the rationale behind all three categories of,מצוות answering the question of the,חכם who asked,.מה העדות והחקים והמשפטים אשר צוה ה אלקינו אתכם מעשה נסים Source: חכם מה הוא אומר By: Tamar Spoerri - 7 -

8 לא תתעב מצרי... By: Ettie Guelfguat In ספר דברים כג, ח it says לא תתעב מצרי כי גר היית בארצו - don t hate the Egyptians because you temporarily stayed in their land. Rashi asks the expected question: Why are we commanded not to hate the Mitzrim if they inflicted terrible pain on us? Despite the difficult years in Mitzraim we can t deny that we lived in their land and ate their produce. Therefore, the harm they caused us must not obstruct our recognition or gratitude that we stayed in their land..the Torah is trying to teach us that we must show appreciation even when we are in a time of oppression. Source: Bondage to Freedom By Rabbi Avraham J. Twerski עבדים היינו By: Mia Lubetski If Hashem had not taken our ancestors out of Egypt How can the Hagadda say that if Hashem had not taken us out of Mitzrayim we would still be enslaved to Pharaoh, when Hashem promised Avraham that his descendants would be freed after four hundred years?! The Torah teaches us that even when a slave is freed, he may choose not to leave his master. Having become accustomed to the conveniences of enslavement - freedom from financial responsibility, and the provision for all basic needs etc, the slave is reluctant to regain autonomy and independence. The Jewish people would have most probably have chosen to return to Mitzrayim, especially after facing the difficulties in the desert. It is only because Hashem actively took us out of Mitzrayim and illuminated our neshamos with a desire to serve Him, that we managed to stay out of the Egyptian servitude. The promise to Avraham would have freed us from physical slavery, but we needed Hashem s help to rid us of the slave mentality. It is only - 8 -

9 because Hashem took us out from there that we stand here as a free nation today. Hidden Acts of Kindness By: Noa Klein The haggadah cites the Torah s proclamation that Bnei Yisroel were destined to stay in Egypt for 430 years, counting from the birth of Menasha and Ephraim. However, in actuality Bnei Yisroel were there for only half that time- from the time that Yaakov arrived to Mitzrayim until the time the Jews left was 210 years, but five years before that, Yosef had Menashe and Efrayim, thereby bringing the tally to 215 years. This was exactly half of the decreed amount of time. So, the question arises- why cut their slavery in half? The Midrash explains that the Egyptians forced the Jews to work both day and night. Had the Jews only worked during the day, they would have had to stay in Mitzrayim for the full 430 years; by working both day and night, they fulfilled their requirement in just 215 years. In a sense, the misery experienced by the Jews working day and night was really a small act of kindness from Hashem. Because the Egyptians force the Jews to work both day and night, Hashem allowed them to be redeemed from Mitzrayim more than 200 years early! Who can imagine how much more back-breaking and harsh work the Jews might have gone through? How many more would have died? Even when things look like they are just cruel and merciless punishment, there is a silver lining to be discerned. Souce: Adapted from The Yetzias Mitzriam Haggadah רשע מה הוא אומר... By: Rachel Fogel The rasha asks ma haavodah hazot lachem- what is this work for you? He says I understand that during the time of the Beit Hamikdash we celebrated Pesach as a celebration of freedom of the slavery of Mitzrayim and the Jewish control of Israel. However, nowadays we are under the rule of the secular government and are not a free governing nation; so why are you doing this seder(avodah) now? We answer the rasha saying-if he would have been in Mitzrayim he would never have been freed

10 Rav Moshe zt l explains that even had he merited leaving Mitzrayim and got his own land in Eretz Yisrael he still wouldn t have been free. As a Rasha he would have been a slave to his vineyards and his trees. He would work endlessly to gather more and more money but never be satisfied. He would be a slave, but to a different master. Instead of working for Pharaoh he is a slave to his,יצר his desires. There were indeed people who left Mitzrayim but were not freed. Datan and Aviram left, but were always prone to complaining. They were captives of their physical needs and desires. On the contrary we are free. We left Mitzrayim to get the Torah which teaches us not to be slaves to our desires but to Hashem. We have real freedom. The avoda we are doing tonight is a true sign of our freedom. בן חורן אלא מי שעוסק בתורה - אין There is no free person like one who is involved in Torah. Through the Rasha we learn how easy it is to become a slave to work and power. Rav Moshe teaches us that the only way we can all be truly free today is through being attached not to our desires but to our Torah. Source: Rav Moshe Feinstein ברוך המקום By: Rena Kessler Baruch Hamakom is translated intp, Blessed is G-d. Blessed is He. Blessed is the One Who gave the Torah to His people Israel. Blessed is He. Why are we thanking Hashem now for giving us the Torah, when we are supposed to be fully focused on Hashem taking us out of Egypt? The Torah is called Torat Chaim, which means instruction for living. The Torah is the instruction manual for how we should live our lives. If we would have been saved but didn t receive the Torah, then we would have no purpose. Therefore, it is important to also remember Hashem giving us the Torah; without it our life would have no meaning and we wouldn t have the instructions of how to live our lives the proper way

11 הא לחמא עניא By: Sara Gittel Palley There are a couple of questions we need to consider regarding this paragraph: 1. Why is it in Aramaic? The answer that is commonly given is that in the times of the Hagaddah, people were more conversant in Aramaic than Hebrew, and therefore in order for all to understand, this section is in Aramaic. However, for that very reason, it should NOT be in Aramaic now, rather in English, or Hebrew. Additionally, there are sections of the Hagaddah that are far more crucial to the telling of the story of Mitzrayim than this opening paragraph- they are the ones that should be written in Aramaic! 2. The three sentences that make up this paragraph seem to move from topic to topic very quickly. We begin by discussing the meaning of the Matzah. From there we move to invite people to our Seder, and from there we express hope that next year we will be in Eretz Yisroel. What is the theme that holds these three sentences together? 3. What exactly do we mean by inviting people to our Seder at this point? A real invitation would have been issued at Shul, where one is actually likely to find someone who does not have a Seder, not once we have returned home. R Eliezer Ashkenazi explains: until the final redemption comes, Seder night will come with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we have so much to celebrate. In leaving Mitzrayim, we assumed our roles as Hashem s people and received His Torah, which has stayed with us throughout history. At many points, we have found ourselves relatively secure and successful, certainly compared with how we were in Mitzrayim. However, it would be wrong to conduct the Seder as if there is nothing missing, for indeed something is missing- the final redemption of the Jewish people and the restoration of the Beit Hamikdash. The Talmud tells us that at the apex of every happy occasion it is imperative to mark the fact that the Beit Hamikdash is not with us. It is for this reason that we break the glass under the Chuppah at a wedding. It is to remember that even the joy of a wedding is not complete while we are in Galut

12 Ha lachma ania is the breaking of the glass at Seder night. The paragraph is said in Aramaic for that is the language that was spoken is Bavel where we experienced our first exile, and thus it represents for us the exiled state. We declare our matzah to be poor bread that our forefathers ate in Mitzraim, for our Seder is actually quite similar to the first Seder experienced in Mitzrayim in that we are having it while awaiting redemption. The centerpiece of the Seder during Temple times was, of course, the Korban Pesach. It is the absence of this offering that we proceed to mark. One of the special laws surrounding the Karban Pesach is that it could only be eaten by the one who was registered for it before the time of its slaughter, which took place on the afternoon before Pesach. This means that if one did not make arrangements to join a Seder before the festival, he could not join on the evening itself. In our times, we say דכפין ייתי ויכל כל - anyone who is hungry or needy could join our Seder at any time, for we do not have a Karaban Pesach, and thus, unfortunately, there is no such impediment. Our Sages tell us that the one who mourns the loss of Yerushalayim merits to see it restored. Thus, we conclude this introductory paragraph by expressing our hope that, having noted the fact that we are still in Galus, next year we will merit being free in Eretz Yisroel! הא לחמא עניא By: Shira Zerbib Source: Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein The Midrash points out that in Sefer Tehillim David Hamelech alternates between referring to himself as a king and as a poor man. What is the meaning behind this? As we know, a Jewish king has great responsibilities when it comes to guiding the Jews. Thus, he is obligated to carry a Sefer Torah with him everywhere he goes, and to have another one settled in his palace. Additionally, he must bend by every benediction during Amida and daven for everyone in his nation including himself. Rav Elazar Kahanow zt l suggests that David Hamelech called himself king whenever he saw the righteous descendants, who were destined to come from him, such as Shlomo Hamelech. However, when he looked upon his wicked descendants, who would only cause damage to the Jews in the future, he referred to himself as a poor man. This sheds light on why we, too, act differently at various parts of the seder.

13 We behave like kings during heseiba (leaning), and when we drink the daled kossos, yet we also eat a poor man s bread. Similar to David Hamelech s contradictory sentiments, we feel like kings knowing that we have a wise son, but like poor men when we reflect upon the wicked son. חכם ורשע מה הם אומרים By: Tamar Dan When we look at the questions of the ורשע,חכם we see that they both use a לשון that shows that they are leaving themselves out. The חכם says testimo- - What are the מה העדת והחקים והמשפטים אשר צוה אלוקינו אתכם? nies, decrees and laws which ה our G-d commanded you? The רשע asks חכם - what is this work for you? Yet, we answer the מה העבדה הזאת לכם? very nicely, while answering the רשע harshly. Why are we so harsh towards the?רשע How is he so different from the?חכם The דובנא מגיד answers this :משל question with the following There was once a poor man who had saved up enough money to buy his basic needs for Yom Tov. There was a fair in a neighboring village, so he went and bought himself a beautiful piece of material. When he came home and showed his wife, she became very upset and asked him, why did you buy a piece of material? We hardly have enough money for our basic needs! Please go back and return this material. The poor man picked up the neatly folded cloth and asked, what will I tell them? What is the reason I am returning it? His wife picked up the material and scrutinized it to find some flaw. After a few minutes she said Aha! Look, I have found something. The man did not notice any flaws, but he agreed to bring the material back anyway. When he arrived at the fair, he returned to the merchant who had sold it to him. He said your material has a flaw! I d like my money back. The merchant gave the man his money and the man left. After he had gone, a bystander asked the merchant, why were you so quick as to return the man his money? Why didn t you try to sell him a different piece of material? The merchant answered, I could tell that he was not interested in pointing out the flaw. He wanted his money back, not a new piece of material. If he would have questioned the material by saying, I think this material is defective, could you please sell me something else instead? I would have then known that he was interested in an explanation. When the רשע asks, What is this work for you? he only wants to point out what he feels is wrong with the.מצוות But when the חכם asks What are the testimonies, decrees and laws which our G-d commanded you? he is simply

14 inquiring in order to find out more about the.מצוות This is why we answer.מצוה with an explanation of the חכם harshly, and we answer the רשע the ברוך המקום By: Mia Lubetski Does the Torah actually mention four sons? No. The Torah mentions in four different places that one must tell the story of Yetziyat Mitzrayim to his/her sons. From the context of each reference, the Haggadah derives that we are speaking about four different types of sons. The four sons represent the four types of people who comprise the Jewish nation. Every Jew is compared to a letter in the Sefer Torah. If one letter is missing, no matter which letter it may be, its absence affects all the other words in the Torah. The fact that the Torah hints to the four sons teaches us that all four sons are crucial to the Jewish people as a whole. Additionally, each of the four sons, whether a rasha or a chacham, is equally important to Klal Yisroel. Just as every letter is crucial to the integrity of Torah, regardless of which letter it is. Our job is to positively influence all four sons, and bring blessings into their life. That is why the word Baruch appears four times in this paragraph. The Baal Haggadah understands the importance of ensuring that every son is nurtured with an awareness of Hashem, the source of all brachos. רשע מה הוא אומר By: Yael Weinberg We read in the haggadah that the Rasha asks: What is this work for that you re all doing? We also see read the Chacham who inquires: What are these laws that Hashem commanded you? Why then is the Rasha only reprimanded? For you and not for himself? By excluding himself from the group, he denies the basis of Judaism. The Brisker Rav answers: When an average person is seen to be doing something that might be wrong, we must always assume it is not as it appears but actually good. On the other hand, when a Rasha is observed doing something that appears to be good, we are obligated to suspect that his action is acceptable. If a Tzaddik though, is seen doing something bad, we are required to presume it is a positive action and he only

15 has good intentions. This is why the haggadah only points out the you by the Rasha. We should assume the Chacham was just speaking the way everyone ordinarily speaks. But we know the Rasha has bad intentions so that is why the haggadah specifies the bad words of the Rasha. הא לחמא עניא By: Zahava Giloni We begin Maggid with Ha Lachma Anya, which deals with the concept of Hachnosas Orchim as we state, Kol Dichfin all who need food are invited. Although Hachnosas Orchim is a very big mitzvah, what does this have to do with the Haggadah, and why would we start Maggid with this Mitzvah specifically? This Mitzvah is not even specifically for the Seder-we can do it anytime in our homes! Rav Soloveichik answers that a slave cannot have guests. This is because whatever belongs to a slave essentially belongs to his master. Therefore, only a free man can have guests and serve them. This is very much in the mindset of the Seder and very appropriate to begin with. Throughout the Seder we are constantly emphasizing and acting in Derech Chairus. Therefore, we start Maggid by performing Hachnasas Orchim. A further question arises. One may wonder, what does the end of Ha Lachma Anya, L shana Haba B Ara D Yisrael Bnei Chorin, have in common with the beginning, offering Matza to the needy? Rav Soloveichik answers, that even at this point in the Seder where we are exhibiting Derech Chairus, we must remember that we are still in Galus and not completely free. We are free men to the extent that we are able to have guests and offer Matza to the poor, but we are still subject to the various kingdoms of Galus. However, we say L shana Haba, a tefila that next year we should be completely free men in Eretz Yisrael. The Rama explains that included in the mitzvah of Matza is the Mitzvah of Maos Chitim, where we provide money to poor people in order that they should be able to eat Matza. The Vilna Gaon adds that this concept can really be found in the Pasuk itself from Parshas Bo. The Pasuk, Matzos Yeiachel Shivas Yamim, includes the verb Yeiachel in Nifal, passive tense, meaning that it must be fed to others. We see here that it is also fit to begin Maggid with Ha Lachma Anya because this is essentially the beginning of our fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Matza, providing Matza to those in need

16 It is clearly most appropriate to begin Maggid with Ha Lachma Anya. By inviting those in need to our house, we exhibit Derech Chairus and begin the discussion and the actual act of the Mitzvah of Matza. מעשה ברבי אליעזר By: Chaya Bomrind Source: Hagadah Shel Pesach והיו מספרים ביציאת מצרים כל אותו הלילה עד שבאו תלמידיהם ואמרו... הגיע זמן ק ש של שחרית 1. What does the word אותו add? Wouldn t כל הלילה be sufficient?? תלמידים by their קריאת שמע be reminded about תנאים 2. Why must the The answer is that the תנאים were conversing about Yetzias Mitzrayim with such intensity and in such length, that they truly fulfilled the commandment to feel as if they themselves had left Mitzrayim. The Zohar tells us that on the night of Yetzias Mitzrayim, Hashem sends down a light that is as bright as daylight. These sages had reached the madriaga of actually seeing themselves as if they had left Mitzrayim, so they were able to experience that holy light. As a result, they were unaware of the arrival of morning, because for them it had been light all night. On the other hand, their תלמידים were not on that elevated level, and experienced the dawn of day as usual. The word אותו refers to that specific night of Yetzias Mitzrayim when the five great sages experienced that holy light. שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלין חמץ ומצה By: Sara Nordlicht If one focuses on the words חמץ and,מצה one will find that the two words are nearly identical in their lettering. Both of them contain a מ and a ;צ they only differ in the ח of חמץ and the ה of.מצה The קדושת אהרן Sadigora points out that while the ח is closed on three sides and is only open on the bottom, the ה also has a small opening on the side. This opening points upwards and thereby allows us to connect with.הקב ה The ח represents the we do, which can only lead to our downfall, as is portrayed through its חטאים open bottom. The,ה however, represents תשובה from our,חטאים as we see

17 in the open space on the side of the,ה pointing upwards. Tonight is different from all other nights because we are choosing the ה of מצה over the ח of so that we חטאים from our תשובה In other words, we are deciding to do.חמץ.רבש ע can become closer to the אחד מי יודע By: Essie Abittan הגדה של פסח-גדולי ישראל Source: The Chidushe HaRim poses a question regarding Echad Me Yodeyah. Why do we repeat each step every time we add a number? Would it not be more logical and efficient to start from thirteen and work our way down? He explains that our spiritual growth starts out at the bottom and works its way up. We must start at the bottom to reach the top. If we would begin at the top then we would end up declining, which is worse than moving up slowly. This is like a ladder: we must start climbing a ladder from the bottom rung; not from the top rung. Similarly, we need to slowly build up our spirituality and start from the bottom. If we started from the top we would be missing fundamentals and we would quickly fall to the bottom. Source: The Sephardic Heritage Haggadah הלילה הזה כולו מצה By: Shira Safrin In the Haggadah, one of the four questions asked is Why on other שבכל הלילות, אנו אוכלין חמץ ומצה, הלילה הזה כולו מצה nights do we eat chametz and matzah, whereas tonight we only eat matzah? The Abarbanel understands the substance of this question in another way. The Korban Pesach is essentially a Korban Todah, a thank you for being saved. With an ordinary korban todah, the korban is brought with chametz loaves as well as matzah as part of the offering. The question therefore becomes; why is the korban todah offering on Pesach only brought with matzah? The Chasam Sofer explains that chametz is a symbol of negativity. It represents the inflation of the ego, among other things. Matzah is associated with

18 the positive and pure. It represents the way things are supposed to be, in their simple, natural state. When we offer a regular korban todah, we are thanking Hashem for the good He has done, but equally, for the bad from which we learn to appreciate the good. But on Pesach there is no such thing as bad; even being enslaved served a good purpose. It certainly wasn t a punishment for anything the slaves had done! If the Jews could have achieved perfection without going through Egypt, they wouldn t have had to. In fact, it served a constructive purpose: To prepare the Jewish people for the Torah they would later be offered. The avdus assured that they would be able to understand and accept the concept of service. They had been pushed to the limit and beyond in Egypt; they could do the same for Hashem. We express in the ma nishtana that Pesach is a night where כולו מצה there is no such thing as bad, there is only good. ברוך המקום By: Shira Zelefsky The Haggada introduces the passage of the בנים,ארבעה with the words to refer to המקום Interestingly, it uses the term.ברוך המקום ברוך הוא Hashem. Why does the Haggada use the term המקום to refer to Hashem? In his sefer אהלי יעקבי on the Haggadah, Rav Yaakov Unsdorfer explains that the name המקום is used in situations where we may question how Hashem runs the world. At a shiva house, for example, we comfort the המקום We use the name.המקום ינחם אתכם mourners by saying the phrase to remind us that Hashem is found in all places and situations, good and bad. Although we may not understand how God runs the world, we know that everything that is done is Hashem s will. It is therefore in the best interest of the person who died and the family members mourning the loss. It is also brought down that when someone loses a large sum of money we say Here again we are reminded that Hashem is present in.המקום ימלא חסרונך difficult times, that He does everything in our best interests and we shouldn t worry. ברוך המקום Rav Unsdorfer explains that this is why the Haggada mentions prior to discussing the בנים.ארבעה When we see a רשע who is so negative about the Torah and Hashem, we may question how it can be that Hashem made evil people like this exist. Therefore we say ברוך המקום to remind us that this is Hashem s will. The רבונו של עולם is present in all situations, good

19 and bad. Hashem gives us all the בחירה to become a צדיק or a.רשע It is up.רשע and not the חכם to us to follow in the path of the רשע מה הוא אומר By: Yael Mehlman The hagada says regarding the rasha l fi shehoitze atzmoi min haklal koifer b ikar - since he removes himself from the klal he rejects the main principles. R Isser Zalman Meltzer asks that it would make more sense to say that since the rasha rejects the principles of Judiasm he removes himself, as opposed to vice versa. He answers with the following story. A maskil came to R Chaim Brisker to ask him questions about torah and mitzvot. R Chaim refused to answer him. He said to him, you don t have questions- you have answers. If you came to me with questions, I would be able to answer you. You aren t looking for that. You came with answers! So too, says R Isser Zalman, the rasha already decided that he wants no part of the torah with all it s accompanying mitzvos and structures. He therefore rejects Hashem

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21 10 th Grade

22 צא ולמד By: Chayie Safrin What is the connection between Yaakov and Lavan and the lessons learnt from them, to the Haggadah, and why is it an important part of our retelling the story Yetziat Mitzrayim? Lavan wasn t just after money; he sought as well, to strip us of the truth of religion and faith in Hashem. Yaakov had to deal with Lavan and stoop down to his untruthful level in order to overcome them. If Yaakov would have failed in his battle with Lavan and his immoral ideas, and given to the lie of denying Hashem, Yaakov would have jeopardized the transmission of authentic Emunah for generations to come. Lavan brought Yaakov down to his level but Yaakov didn t falter; he believed in the truth of Hashem. Because of Yaakov s unwavering connection to his Creator, he was still able to maintain the promise of the nevuah that he would be saved when he was down. Now we can understand the connection between Yetziat Mitzrayim and Yaakov and Lavan. Bnei Yisroel are compared to Yaakov and assured that even when they are down in the depths of Mitzrayim on a low level, like Lavan, and Hashem comes to fulfill his nevuah to redeem them from their troubles. He will take them out and bring them to a higher level. Jews, as the children of Yaakov, always have the security that even throughout the toughest times, Hashem will take us out and elevate us because of his promises to Yaakov Avinu. חג המצות By: Dina Deutsch The Torah calls Pesach, Chag Hamatzot. But we call it Pesach. Why is this? Rav Chaim Volozhin tells us as follows: The words Matzos and Mitzvos are spelled the same exact way in Hebrew. Therefore Chag hamatzot can be read as Chag HaMitzvos, showing that by leaving Egypt and getting the Torah, the Jews now have the opportunity to get Sechar by doing mitzvos. Pesach on the other hand, means Hashem passed over the houses of the Jewish people. When we call it Pesach it is emphasizing all the good that Hashem has done for us. Our chachamim teach us to serve Hashem with love and gratitude, not because of the reward. By calling it Pesach we de-emphasize the reward that the mitzvos bring, and instead focus on all the kindness and good that Hashem has done for us

23 The Opening to the Hagadah By: Gitty Boshnack At first our fathers worshipped Idols.. Why do we start the Hagadah from this point? Why not from when Bnei Yisroel go down to Mitzrayim? Look where we come from. We come from people who spent their days bowing to rocks until we reach Avraham. Avraham Avinu did not use any excuse that we may use nowadays Society doesn t allow or If society was more open I could... Society did not let him either; they threw him into a fiery furnace! But Avraham didn t let that stop him. Avraham s fathers and forefathers were ovdai Kochavim Umazalot but he found Hashem. He was so young, only a child, and wasn t taught by anybody. If a little boy with no leader can find Hashem, how much more so can we. The opening reference of the Hagadah reminds us that if we really want to connect to Hashem, we are always able to do so. What Avraham did can be accomplished by each of us, no matter what generation we live in. It doesn t matter how far we are from Hakadosh Baruch Hu- we can always come back. In our days Jewish alienation has spread far and wide; the rates of assimilation are staggering. But m techila ovdei avodah zarah hayu avoseinu -we can still come back. Even though we may not be able to change our pasts, we can change our futures. This is the power of bechira chafshit; the ability of man to alter his stature and make him a better person. Source: Adapted from the manuscript Hagadah with comments from R Joseph B. Solevtchik by R David Holtzer מתחילה ועכשיו By: Lele Book A famous question is posed by Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, which we can look at as one of the most important questions of the entire Haggadah: What is the significance of the mitzvah of sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim on Seder night? Aren t we commanded to remember or mention it every single day? If so, what is the difference between the mitzvah of sippur, telling, and zechira, remembering or mentioning? Rav Chaim suggests three different ways to explain the difference. The first is

24 that while the mitzvah of zechira has no explicit details, one can merely mention Yetzias Mitrayim, there is a more specific ways to observe the mitzvah of sippur, namely, through Sh eilos v teshuvos: questions and answers. The second distinction between sippur and zechira, is that when we recount the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim, we must retell it from beginning to end. We must begin with the description of the backbreaking labor in Mitzrayim and continue until we have captured the experience of the unforgettable redemption. As Chazal instruct us, we must be maschil bignus u mesayeim b shevach ; start from the shameful beginning and conclude with the wonderous praise. There is no requirement to do this when it comes to zechira. The third difference between the two mitzvos is that unlike zechira, when performing the mitzvah of sippur, one must include the ta amei hamitzvot-the reason behind each mitzvah we do on Seder night. Based on the ideas presented by Rav Chaim, Rav Velvel Pomeranchik (in his Sefer, Tosfos Berachah) suggests an incredible explanation for the order of the Haggadah. Maggid begins with the first difference mentioned, the questions and answers. We recite the Mah Neshtanah, and describe the four questions of the Arbah Banim. We then take note of the second difference by retelling the entire story. We start with the shameful beginning of metchilah ovdei avodah zara hayu avoteinu, our forefathers served idols. Then we speak about the incredible redemption. Finally, the Baal Haggadah concludes Maggid with the the statement from Rabbi Gamliel who clarifies the reasons for each of the Mitzvos we perform on Seder night. ואת עמלינו אלה הבנים By: Rosie Katz Source: Touched by the Seder, Rabbi Yechiel Spero According to Chazal, in addition to the decree that all the boys be thrown into the river, Pharoh murdered 300 Jewish children every day in order to bathe in their blood to cure his tzaraas. He was thus punished with dam, midda kneged midda. What is the significance of Pharoh bathing in the blood of the Jewish children? The Chafetz Chaim cites the medrash (Shemos Raba 1) in the introduction to his sefer, that states when Moshe Rabbeinu said Achein noda hadavar, he implied that he knew the sin that was the reason for Bnei Yisrael s suffering-- There were informers amongst Bnei Yisrael. The Chofetz Chaim goes on to explain that the tefilos of Bnei Yisrael were not accepted for this very same reason. Tefila is performed with the mouth. Because their mouths have been tainted with lashon hara, their tefilos could not be accepted

25 Perhaps, Hashem caused it to be about Pharoh killing the Jewish people in order to heal himself from tzaraas, for the sin of lashon hara. Once Bnei Yisrael purified the sin of their mouth, their tefilos were now able to be accepted. Source: Hagaddah Shel Peseach Mishkan Btzalel ונצעק אל ה By: Yehudit Cohen ויזכור אלוקים את בריתו את אברהם את יצחק ואת יעקב Why does the Torah list all of the אבות as having a covenant with Hashem?ברית בן הבתרים when we find Him making a treaty only with Avraham at the We read ההוא כרת ה את אברם ברית :, ביום but there is no mention of a Yaakov! with Yitzchak and ברית In fact, though the ברית is mentioned in connection with Yitzchak and Yaakov. In Sefer Bereishis, Hashem promises to uphold his pact with Yitzchak: with ברית In Tehilim Dovid Hamelech hints at a. את בריתי אקים את יצחק אשר כרת את אברהם ושבעתו ליצחק ויעמידה ליעקב לחק לישראל ברית Yaakov. עולם - תהלים קה ט - י The אבות had to be mentioned because Bnei Yisrael would not have been able to be saved with their teshuva alone. It was only when the אבות were men-.מצרים tioned that Hashem used their zechuyos to take Bnei Yisrael out of ברוך שומר הבטחתו By: Avigail P. Deutsch אברבנאל Source: The Haggada writes that Hashem Chishav es Hakeitz. If that is the case, then why were we commanded to eat B chipazon (in a hurry)? If Hashem shortened the end, then why couldn t we have had time to eat slowly, and exit leisurely? Hashem cutting the galus short is exactly the answer. This is teaching us that Hashem controls and schedules every event precisely, no matter how large or small. Things could look so dreary, but in seconds Hashem can turn the entire situation around. We might be waiting for years, and suddenly Hashem can bring exactly what we need

26 May we be zoche to merit Mashiach, the Final Geula quickly, after all these long centuries in Galus. Source: R Avigdor Miller ברוך שומר הבטחתו By: Esther Guelfguat From these words of the Haggadah we can derive much Chizuk. Bnei Yisroel had sunk to the forty ninth level of Tumah yet still Hashem kept his promise Another approach is offered by Rabbi Binyomin Yudin.שליטא He explains that a person can t promise because he doesn t know what the next day will bring. Hashem, on the other hand, can see all of time. If Hashem promises!בקרוב so. the ultimate Geullah - he will surely do -קץ to bring the שליטא Source: The Haggadah of Rav Chaim Kanievsky יכול מראש חדש By: Odelia Barsky From a very young age, every Jewish child knows that on the first night of This makes sense, because the.יציאת מצרים we begin to tell the story of פסח first night of פסח is when the miracles happened and we were finally let free. During,מגיד we recite the paragraph of מראש חדש,יכול which discusses this very idea. Loosely translated, the Baal Haggadah remarks that one might think that we ought to begin to discuss the Mitzvah on חדש,ראש but really we start on the first night when we have מצה and מרור laying before us. If you really think about it, though, you might question why one would even think to begin from Rosh Chodesh, or any other day for that matter: In his book, Festival of Freedom, Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik suggests an intriguing answer, based on the s רמב ם teachings. Where does the commandment of סיפור יציאת מצרים come from? In יד החזקה s רמב ם he offers two והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר בעבור זה עשה ה לי בצאתי ממצרים sources- as well as את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים. זכור The רמב ם is interested in the word.זכור This word is also used in the commandment of Shabbat, There must be a significant connection. We know.זכור את יום השבת לקדשו that we have an obligation to remember Shabbat, but how do we do that? By starting at the beginning of the week and counting down to Shabbat every day- של יום).(שיר How does this connect to our commandment of

27 זכור את-יום השבת Just as we fulfill?זכור את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים by starting from the beginning of the week, one might think that we do the same for את היום הזה אשר יצאתם ממצרים.זכור That is that a person should begin talking about סיפור יציאת מצרים from the beginning of the month. This is why we specify when to start. יכול מראש חדש By: Rena Seidemann We start the year from the month of ניסן because of מצרים.יציאת If the whole month is special because of what happened on Seder night why is it that we do not begin talking about סיפור יציאת מצרים from the beginning of the month? To learn something well, to really understand it, one needs to experience it. It can t just be intellectual. There need to be actual props that you can feel and touch. The reason we do not begin learning and speaking about יציאת מצרים from the beginning of the month is that the best way to really experience the story of יציאת מצרים is to make it come to life, as we do at the seder. At the beginning of month we do not have this experience. There is no Matzah, no Marror and there is no Seder. There is nothing to really inspire and make it real. This is a lesson for life. Whenever learning one needs to make it come to life and literally experience it. That is the only way to connect to a valuable lesson and learn from it. וכל המרבה לספ ר ביציאת מצרים By: Rachel Newhouse The Haggadah states that one who speaks at length about the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim on Pesach will be praised. The question is we are still in Galus- what is there to celebrate? The maggid M dubna offers a parable. There was once a poor man who won the lottery, and became really wealthy. He decided to invest his money to learn and educate himself. In time, he became very learned. Then came a point where he lost all his money; yet he still celebrated having once won the lottery. Many people were confused as to why he would continue to rejoice if he no longer had a lot of money. The man explained, that he had gained a lot of lasting spirituality when he was wealthy, and for that he will always thank Hashem. So too, even though Bnei Yisroel are in galut now, we must continue to thank

28 Hashem for all the essential and eternal changes that occurred to us because we left Mitzrayim.

29 11 th Grade

30 מכת צפרדע By: Aliza Brody Rashi quoting the Midrash tells us that the second plague began with one single frog, but each time the Mitzrim struck it, it multiplied until they covered the land of Mitzrayim. R Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky pointed out an invaluable lesson to be gleaned from this occurrence. We would have expected that as soon as the Mitzrim learned that striking the frogs was counterproductive, they would have stopped. However, they continued doing so until the land was filled with frogs. What caused them to pursue such a foolish course of action? Anger. When a person is angry and frustrated he does not think in rational terms, and often acts in ways which actually worsen his situation. And the worse his situation becomes, the more frustrated he grows, leading him to act even more irrationally. This is true whenever a person loses control of his temper. For example, a person may hear an insult from someone, and become so angry that he responds with a counter insult to the other party. If he would think things out rationally, he would realize that this course of action will only intensify the confrontation. Thus, a person would do well to remember that the best course of action to take when he feels insulted by someone is to ignore the offensive statement, for this is really the only way that his feeling of frustration and anxiety will recede rather than be aggravated. מכת כינים By: Avigail Spira It is interesting to note that in describing מכת כינים the Torah records that the מכה ended. Rav Shalom Schwadron explains that, in fact, מכת כינים did not end before מכת ארבה began. He suggests that this was in order to show that good things can only come about through.תפילה And since פרעה never asked משה רבינו to daven for the מכה to stop, it continued until the end of the subsequent plague, ערוב.מכת At that point, פרעה asked משה רבינו to beseech Hashem for the מכה to stop, and both plagues came to an end. When Hashem chose משה רבינו to lead ישראל,בני Moshe argued that he couldn t lead because of his speech impediment. Hashem answered that he had nothing to worry about- Aaron would speak for him. There is an obvious question to be asked: why couldn t Hashem just heal Moshe from his speech impediment? The Ramban maintains since Moshe did not daven, Hashem couldn t heal him. Only once we pray for them, can we receive Hashem s blessings. We are so fortunate that we are able to talk Hashem at any point in

31 the day. The Chazon Ish instructs us that if someone wants to strengthen his emunah he should turn to Hashem throughout the day, for all the needs in his life, even seemingly petty ones. A person who constantly speaks to Hashem will surely acquire a deeper and stronger emunah. Rav Pinchas Koritzer, a talmid of the Baal Shem Tov, was overheard remarking: The helper should return. When his students asked him what that meant, he replied: the cleaning woman who helps my wife left, and the Rebbetzin truly needs her assistance. I m davening for the cleaning lady to return to work. If a Tzaddik of such measure would speak to Hashem about the mundane matters in his life, we surely ought to do the same. Source: Rabbi Dov Weller בצאת ישראל ממצרים... By: Bassy Reissman Many question the redundancy of this verse. Why does it repeat what seems to be the same message? The Roke ach explains, based on the Talmud (Sotah 11B): בית יעקב literally means, the House of Yaakov, but refers to the righteous Jewish women in whose merit, we are taught, the Jewish people were redeemed. Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein points out that ישראל ממצרים,בצאת when Yisrael went forth from Egypt, refers to the Jewish men; he notes that David Hamelech used the word Yisrael, rather than the usual Bnei Israel. This implies that only a portion of the men were redeemed since those who sinned died in Egypt. The women, on the other hand, were all righteous and all of them merited redemption. Therefore דוד המלך refers to them as Yaakov-that is, the entire house of Yaakov-all of whom were worthy of redemption. Source: The Eishes Chayil Haggadah הלל By: Chana Rivka Herbsman We say the ברכה of גאל ישראל in conjunction with drinking the second cup of wine. We are thanking Hashem for redeeming us from.מצרים The at the Seder. The הלל on ברכה discuss whether or not we need a ראשונים because there is no greater obligation to ברכה says that it needs a רמב ן

32 say הלל than there is at a time of,גאולה redemption.the idea he wishes to highlight is that a person is obligated to express thanks to Hashem when he experiences a personal.גאולה This הלל is our experience, not just the experience of our ancestors who physically came out of.מצרים We commemorate. כאלו הוא יצא ממצרים what happened then, but each person needs to feel Therefore, we must say,הלל as we would for our personal.גאולה On Seder night we ought to try and feel the emotions that would lead to joyful song, as this too is part of the mitzvah of Seder night. מרור and מצה By: Chavi Zelefsky.מרור and מצה Two questions are asked regarding the First, is it not true that we experienced all the bitter work, the,מרור before we had freedom, the?מצה If so, why don t we have מרור first? Second, as mentioned, מרור is eaten to commemorate the bitterness that we endured in.מצרים The word,מרור however, actually has 2 meanings: the one that most know, which derives from the word,מר as in bitter, and the second one, chazeres, referred to as chasa is the Gemora, meaning mercy or pity. How is it that the bitterness of,מצרים the,מרור is also associated with mercy? The שם משמואל explains that when we encounter a hardship in life, our immediate reaction is often to imagine that we can not manage. We become -מצרים - the slavery in שיעבוד overwhelmed. While this was true during the there was a positive dimension to see servitude as well. The hard labor actually had the effect of preparing us to accept the yoke of תורה and the we would,מצרים Had we not experienced the suffering of.עול מלכות שמים have never been able to develop the humility that we needed to accept the yoke of תורה and.מצוות It was this experience which helped us get to where we needed to go. This is why we have מצה first and then the,מרור even though it does not follow the chronological order. The order reflects the idea that while we first had to endure slavery and only then did we achieve freedom, it was because of the slavery that we could appreciate the freedom. It is written in that order to teach us that the,מצה our freedom, is coming as a result of the,מרור the enslavement. With every act of servitude that we did we brought our freedom closer. In light of that we can understand that,מרור the bitter hardship, was

33 really chasa, mercy, after all. Now, in,גלות we have suffered long and hard. There are many times that we wonder and struggle to understand the hardships we experience in life. But with this in mind we can be comforted and come to an understanding that Hashem is preparing us and helping us to reach the ultimate goal. Source: Touched by the Seder, Rabbi Yechiel Spero מכת חשך By: Chaya Sara Malek לא ראו איש את אחיו ולא קמו איש מתחתיו שלשת ימים ולכל בני ישראל היה אור במשבתם The plague of Choshech obscured the line between darkness and light, yet not in the way that most people think. R Yissocher Eilenberg explains that Hashem brought an extremely bright light onto the Egyptians, it blinded them, and caused their eyes to become dim and dark. The power of the holy illumination also wiped out the sinners among Bnei Yisrael, and more than half of the nation was wiped out. The holy Rizhiner, R Yisrael of Rizhin, spoke of another aspect of the holy illumination. Needless to say each and every Jew has within him this holy spark of light, but the light manifests itself differently in each person, and in some it is more visible than others. He employed the analogy of a precious jewel. If a diamond is covered in dirt, its shine and value is hidden. When, however, you start cleaning off the dirt, you re left with a glittering gem. This is what the pasuk means; For all Bnei Yisrael there was light, in every Jew there is a unique light. במשבתם - What makes each Jew unique is where the light is to be found, because there is inherent goodness in each of us. It is up to us to cleanse ourselves so that the light of our holy neshama will attain its fullest shine and come through