Conference taveng::bagels

1323.0. "Pesach - Overview of the Seder" by NOTIME::SACKS (Gerald Sacks ZKO2-3/N30 DTN:381-2085) Thu Apr 01 1993 17:46

                    HaMaayan/The Torah Spring
                      Edited by Shlomo Katz

                 Pesach - Overview of the Seder
                    Volume V, Number 24 (210)
                  15 Nisan 5751/March 30, 1991


                 Pesach - Overview of the Seder

   In most Pesach Hagadot, the text of the Hagadah itself is
prefaced by a 16-word poem that begins with the words "Kadeish
U'Rechatz," and lists by name the 15 portions into which the Seder
may be divided.  In Hagadah Shel Pesach Be'er Miriam (by R' Reuven
Margaliot), this poem is attributed to Rabbenu Shmuel of Falaise,
one of the French "Ba'alei Tosfot".  Others attribute it to Rashi.
   
   Because the word "Seder" means "order," it is only fitting that
the Seder follow such a fixed order as is described by this poem. 
For this reason, many households have the custom of reading (or
singing) "Kadeish U'Rechatz" before making Kiddush, and of
announcing the name of each portion of the Seder before that
portion is begun.
 
   In the pages that follow, HaMaayan presents one D'var Torah for
each of the 15 sections of the Seder.  They are drawn from 15
different Hagadot, and represent a broad spectrum of commentaries,
>from the Chassidic and philosophical to the Halachic.  As always,
please remember that nothing in HaMaayan should be relied upon in
actual practice.  All Halachic questions should be referred to a
competent Rabbi.

              ************************************

                   Kadeish - Reciting Kiddush

   R' S.R. Hirsch writes that although we already fulfilled the
Torah obligation of Kiddush through our prayers in "Shul" we repeat
Kiddush at home because the sanctity ("Kedushah") of the day must
first and foremost find its expression in our homes.  Kiddush must
be recited at the place where our meal will be eaten, as the
festive meal is the most obvious manifestation of the joy we feel
on the festival, and that joy must be preceded by sanctity.
                                             (The Hirsch Hagadah)

              ************************************

                   Rechatz - The first washing

   In Temple times, one would wash before consuming a damp fruit or
vegetable in order to eat it in ritual purity.  Although we cannot
achieve such purity today, we observe this law of "Netilat Yadaim"
(washing) at the Seder in order or express our hope that we will
soon be obligated to observe it, due to the arrival of Mashiach and
the rebuilding of the Bet HaMikdash.  This is an expression of the
freedom that we feel on Pesach.
                                          (The Artscroll Hagadah)

              ************************************

                   Karpas - Eating a vegetable

   Of what does the salt-water in which we dip the Karpas remind
us?  R' Menachem Mendel Hager of Vishuva notes that, throughout the
Talmud, salt is used as a metaphor for suffering.  Chazal teach
that suffering is actually good for a person for it expiates his
sins, but, being only human, we quickly reach a point where we can
stand no more.  Salt reminds us of this, for a little bit of salt
improves the taste of food, but if that same food is too salty, it
is not edible.  As we begin to recall the suffering of the slaves
in Egypt, this thought should be on our mind.
          (Hagadah Shel Pesach Vishuva-Vizhnitz Shearit Menachem)

              ************************************

              Yachatz - Breaking the middle Matzah

   Why is the middle Matzah broken rather than the top or bottom
one?  There are two "Berachot" that are recited before eating
Matzah at the Seder:  "Hamotzi" - the blessing for "bread" - and
"Al Achilat Matzah" - the special blessing over the Mitzvah of
eating Matzah on the first night of Pesach.  The Halacha is that
whenever we recite Hamotzi it is preferable to have a whole loaf of
bread or Matzah before us, whereas the Beracha on the Mitzvah of
eating Matzah is preferably recited over a broken Matzah,
symbolizing that it is "Lechem Oni" - "The bread of poverty (or
affliction)."
   There is a Halachic principle which states, "One may not pass
over a Mitzvah (or a Mitzvah-object)."  Generally speaking, all
Mitzvot should be done in the order in which they present
themselves to us (and all Mitzvah-objects should be used in the
order in which they are brought before us).  This rule obligates us
to recite "Hamotzi" over the first Matzah that we see when we are
ready to eat, i.e. the top one in the pile of three, and because of
the Halacha cited above this Matzah must be whole, not broken.  The
blessing of "Al Achilat Matzah" must be recited on the second
Matzah we see, i.e. the middle one, and this one should be broken. 
If we had broken the bottom Matzah instead of the middle one, we
would have to pass over the middle (whole) Matzah to reach the
broken one, and this should not be done.
                     (Hagadah Shel Pesach MiBa'al Shlah HaKadosh)

              ************************************

            Maggid - Telling the story of the Exodus

   We begin our story with the statement "Avadim Hayinu...." - "We
were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt."  Rav Kook writes that this
sentence describes three levels of degradation"  1)  We were
slaves, 2)  to a foreign king,  3)  in a foreign land.  The Hagadah
then goes on to recount that G-d saved us from all three of these
troubles:  1)  We were taken out of slavery,  2)  by Hashem, our
own King, and 3)  we were taken from Egypt and brought to Eretz
Yisrael.
                               (Hagadah Shel Pesach Olat Re'iyah)

              ************************************

                Rachtzah - Washing a second time

   Although the "Kadeish U'Rechatz" poem is, in its most simple
meaning, the order of service that we follow at the Seder, numerous
commentaries see it also as a complete plan for a Torah way of
life.  One of its messages is:  "First 'Kadeish U'Rechatz' -
'Sanctify and wash (purify) yourself' - and only later, 'Maggid
Rachtzah' - 'Tell others to wash themselves'."
                 (Hagadah Shel Pesach Zichron Niflaot and others)

              ************************************

              Motzi - The blessing over the Matzah

   R' Moshe Sternbuch, Shlita writes:  Feeling joy when performing
Mitzvot is always considered one of the highest forms of service of
G-d.  We should feel especially joyous when eating Matzah, for
Chazal teach that this Mitzvah, properly fulfilled, can save one
>from judgement on Rosh Hashana.
                            (Hagadah Shel Pesach Moadim U'Zmanim)

              ************************************

        Matzah - The blessing over the Mitzvah of Matzah

   Chazal teach that Chametz represents the evil influence of the
"Yetzer Hara" and that our task on Pesach is to eradicate this
"Chametz".  The word "Matzah" can be translated "battle" and Matzah
is therefore an appropriate food to eat when we battle the Yetzer
Hara.  Eating Matzah is mandatory on the first night of Pesach
only, for after that the "battle" is (hopefully) over, However, we
remain forbidden to eat Chametz for several more days (i.e. the
rest of Pesach), for we must keep the Yetzer Hara from returning.
                              (Hagadah Shel Pesach Shem MiShmuel)

              ************************************

                 Maror - Eating the bitter herb

   R' Yitzchak Meir of Ger said:  The bitterness of the exile
actually contributed to our redemption, for it made our situation
unbearable and inspired us to pray.
                              (Hagadah Shel Pesach Kohelet Moshe)

              ************************************

           Koreich - Making the Matzah/Maror sandwich

   There is a view in the Talmud that two Mitzvot may not be done
at the same time because the concentration required for one may
disturb the concentration required for the other.  R' Yosef Shaul
Nathanson notes that the sage, Hillel, was nevertheless able to eat
Matzah and Maror at the same time because he was always
concentrating on fulfilling G-d's will, and nothing could distract
him from this.  As an example of Hillel's constant devotion, the
Talmud tells us that he considered the weekday meals to be Mitzvot
equal to the Shabbat meal; all of them fulfilled the purpose of
strengthening him to serve G-d.
                      (Hagadah Shel Pesach Migdal Eder HaChadash)

              ************************************

         Shulchan Oreich - Setting the table for dinner

   This expression literally means "He is setting the table" (in
the present tense), and it alludes to G-d.  The story is told of a
beggar who "worked" the homes of his neighborhood for only two
hours a day, yet collected more than any of the beggars who
struggled from door to door all afternoon long.  When he was asked
the secret of his success, the beggar said, "I knock on doors only
at mealtimes.  Since the table is already set, no one minds feeding
me as well.  You, however, arrive at the houses when people are
busy with other things, and they cannot be bothered to open the
kitchen just for you." 
   Hashem, says R' Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, is not like a human.  He
(G-d) is always "setting the table" for us and thus we find
sustenance at all times.
             (Sefer Orach Chaim:  Peirush Al Hagadah Shel Pesach)

              ************************************

                  Tzafun - Eating the Afikomen

   R' Eliyahu Ki Tov writes that in Aramaic, "Afikoman" means
"Bring out ('Afiku') dessert ('Man')."  It, therefore, symbolizes
our freedom, for the poor and oppressed cannot afford the luxury of
a leisurely conclusion to their meal.
                                 (Hagadah Shel Pesach Yalkut Tov)

              ************************************

                      Bareich - "Bentching"

   The Gemara says that after a person eats, he has only one heart. 
What does this mean?
   Before a person eats, he has a Yetzer Tov ("good inclination")
and Yetzer Hara ("evil inclination").  After he eats, however, he
has only one.  If he has eaten "For the sake of Heaven," the Yetzer
Tov subjugates the bad, but if he ate merely too fulfill his own
desires, then it is the Yetzer Tov that is subjugated.
   Reciting Birkat HaMazon enables the Yetzer Tov to prevail, for
in it we acknowledge that all food is G-d's.
                                      (Hagadat R' Tzadok Hakohen)

              ************************************

                 Hallel - Singing G-d's praises

   The paragraphs of Hallel are divided at the Seder into two
groups, one of which is recited before the meal and the other
after.  (To see this division, compare Hallel as found in the
Hagadah with Hallel as found in the Siddur.)  Malbim explains that
the section recited before the meal contains two paragraphs:  one
describes G-d's greatness in general terms, and the other deals
specifically with the Exodus.  These paragraphs are closely related
to the story we tell tonight, and are therefore recited immediately
upon concluding the Mitzvah of "Maggid" and just before eating the
Matzah.
   In contrast to these, the paragraphs of Hallel which are recited
after the meal are interpreted by Chazal as referring to the
future, not the past, redemption.  As such, they are more
appropriately placed after our performance of the major Pesach
Mitzvot (Matzah, Maror, etc.), for then we can look ahead to the
future.  (See next paragraph.)
                   (Hagadah Shel Pesach Im Be'ur Midrash Hagadah)

              ************************************

           Nirtzah - Our observance has been accepted

   In the poems and songs of this section of the Hagadah we pray
that all of the "Tefilot" which we have recited at the Seder be
accepted by Hashem.  If one has performed all of the Seder
according to Halacha, he may feel confident that his service has
indeed been accepted by G-d.  We should pray that we may see the
fulfillment of the verse:  "As in the days of your Exodus from
Egypt, I [G-d] will [again] show you great wonders."  Then we can
confidently proclaim:  "Next year in Yerushalayim."
                       (Hagadah Shel Pesach MiBeit HaLevi (Brisk)