BINA Beis MedrashKadeish Urechatz: Traditionally the Haggadah opens with a list of the steps that comprise the order of the Seder. The mystics see this as far more than an overview of what we are going to do through the course of the night.
A total of 15 steps are listed, corresponding to the 15 steps that led up to the Temple sanctuary. The Seder has been likened to the service performed in the holy Temple and through each stage in the Seder we ascend closer to the Divine Presence. On a deeper level, the number 15 also represents the levels between the earth and the Heavenly throne. The earth and the 7 heavens, plus the 7 spaces in between them, gives the total 15. The Seder also acts as the bridge connecting heaven and earth.
Of the steps in the Seder, the first 14 are active, requiring us to do, say or eat something. The final step Nirtzah is merely the hope that all of our actions find favour in G-d's eyes. The Mahara"l points out that 14 is the numerical value of the word yad (hand). Through the night of the Seder we recall and praise G-d's great hand with which he redeemed us. We then pray that our Seder is pleasing and that G-d will once again stretch out His hand to redeem us.
Ha Lachma Anya: We commence the Haggadah with the following invitation; This is the bread of affliction... all who are hungry let them come and eat, whoever is in need let him come and partake of the Pesach . This invitation is not directed to passers-by, for if it were we should recite it at the doorway, before Kiddush so that any arriving guests can be present at the start of the Seder. We are actually inviting those present at our Seder to partake of the spiritual wealth to be experienced during the evening.
The prophets talk of a hunger for spirituality and a thirst for the knowledge of G-d. Some at our Seder may be 'hungry' and eager to participate, whereas others may not feel the same eagerness but are 'needy' of spiritual sustenance nonetheless. Furthermore, even those who may be 'hungry' at the beginning of the evening may become 'full' later on. To them we say Let him come and partake of the Pesach : Just as an olive measure of the Pesach sacrifice had to be eaten once a person was already full, so too we should always strive to go beyond what we might be comfortable with when it comes to nourishing our souls.
Avadim Hayinu: Had the Holy One Blessed Be He not take our ancestors out of Egypt, we and our sons and our grandchildren would still be subjugated to Pharaoh in Egypt. The commentaries question how we can make such as assertion. Surely the Jewish people would have left Egypt sometime in the future? Perhaps they may have been released? Or eventually the Egyptian empire would collapse or be overthrown?
To answer the first possibility, the end of the passage does not say that we would be slaves today, but rather subjugated to Pharaoh (who is Egypt). Even if a Pharaoh would free the Jewish people, their freedom would not be absolute since they would still owe their emancipation to Pharaoh. As for the second dilemma: Egypt was the mightiest nation in the world, yet its prosperity came from the very fact that the Jewish people lived there. Had the Jews remained in Egypt, Egypt would have remained the superpower to this very day.
Exile in Egypt was not only physical. The mystics explain that the Jewish people had sunk to the pen-ultimate 49 th level of impurity. Had they remained in Egypt one moment longer they would have completely assimilated into this idolatrous society. G-d redeemed us in His mercy, not because we deserved it. Had He not redeemed us, the Jewish people would forever remain in Egypt, not necessarily as slaves, but subservient to the Egyptian culture.
Maaseh B'Rabbi Eliezer: The next passage of the Haggadah describes how 5 Rabbis in Bnei Brak stayed awake the entire night of Pesach, discussing the Exodus.
In the previous passage we read And all who increase in telling of the Exodus from Egypt is praiseworthy. The word 'all' - VeChol - when rearranged is an acronym for Cohanim Leviim V'Geirim (priests, levites and converts).
The priests and Levites were exempted by Pharaoh from having to labour in Egypt. So we might think that they should be exempt from retelling the Exodus, since they did not benefit from it. Similarly converts did not benefit from the Exodus since their ancestors were not enslaved. The word 'all' comes to include these groups in the obligation.
Spiritually, the Exodus from Egypt was about extracting the sanctity associated with the Jewish people from the impure forces of Egypt. Therefore all who are or become connected to G-d as a part of the Jewish people are indebted to the Exodus for their spiritual portion.
This requirement is illustrated by the story of Bnei Brak. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua were Leviim, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah and Rabbi Tarfon were Kohanim and Rabbi Akiva descended from converts. Yet they all discussed the Exodus with great fervour, not even realising that the sun had risen!
The Four Sons: The Talmud describes how 4 Rabbis entered the Pardes - delving into the deep mystical teachings of the Kabbalah. The experience affected each one differently. Ben Azzai gazed at the Divine Presence and died. Ben Zoma gazed and went mad. Rabbi Elisha ben Avuya became a heretic. Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and departed in peace. These Rabbis reflect four different approaches to Torah and Divine revelation.
The 4 sons described in the Haggadah also represent the above 4 perspectives on Holiness as revealed and experienced on the night of the Seder.
· The wise son is like Rabbi Akiva, who has sincere and pure intentions. He thirsts for knowledge and is exalted above his siblings.
· The wicked son is like Rabbi Elisha, whose sceptical and self-centred approach results in heresy and distance.
· Ben Zoma who went mad is like the simple son, too overwhelmed by the experience to comprehend its depth.
· Ben Azzai who passed away is like the one who cannot ask, who cannot relate at any level to the spiritual experience in a personal way.
Baruch Shomer: G-d told Avraham your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own and they will serve them and they will oppress them for 400 years . The commentaries point out that it was factually impossible for the Jews to have been in Egypt for 400 years. In truth the servitude in Egypt lasted for only 210 years. In the beginning of this passage we say that G-d calculated the appointed time (Keitz) to fulfil his promise to Avraham. The numerical value of the word Keitz is 190, suggesting that G-d advanced the redemption by 190 years (from 400 down to 210).
If G-d said 400 years, what changed? The Vilna Gaon says that indeed they were supposed to serve Egypt for 400 years. However the Egyptians worked them with such rigour that they worked the equivalent of 400 years in the space of 210.
The more common explanation is that the 400 years are calculated from the birth of Yitzchak. Avraham was told only that his descendants (of which Yitzchak was the first) would be slaves in a foreign land. At this time, the Land of Canaan was also considered foreign. Yitzchak was 60 when Yaakov was born. Yakov was 130 when he came down to Egypt. Add to this the 210 years in Egypt and we have the total of 400 years.
Vehi Sheamdah: Technically, the thing which has stood by us as our enemies rise up against us in each generation refers to G-d's promise to Avraham. In a more philosophical light we can explain 'the thing' based on the numerical values of the letters that spell the word Vehi;
Vav = The 6 books of the Mishna, representing the Oral law. Hey = The 5 books of the Torah, representing the Written law. Yud = The 10 Commandments, representing the Mitzvos. Alef = 1 - representing G-d. Ultimately it is this Vehi, our G-d and His Torah, which has stood by us and ensured our continued survival as a nation, despite all odds.
The Zohar often interprets the word vehi as a reference to the Shechinah - the Divine Presence. Throughout the ages as our enemies have risen up to destroy us, it is the Divine Presence amongst the Jewish people which protects and consols us. When the Jewish people find themselves in exile, the Shechinah is in exile with them.
Dayeinu: This passage is introduced by the phrase How many Maalos Tovos (levels of favours) has G-d bestowed upon us . The purpose of these favours, starting with the Exodus was to take the people from the spiritual-depravity and materialism of Egypt and draw them closer to G-d's service and true spirituality. The word Maalos can also mean stairs. Just as each subsequent stair ascends higher than its predecessor, so too each of the goodnesses listed in the passage Dayeinu represents an additional ascendancy in terms of closeness to G-d, culminating at 15 with the building of the Temple. This is like the moon which grows each night reaching fullness after 15 nights.
The Mahara"l divides these 15 goodnesses into 3 groups of 5. The first 5 refer to the stages that took place in actually removing the people from the slavery in Egypt (e.g. the plagues etc). The next 5 refer to the miracles done for us while in the desert to draw us closer to G-d in a more external manner (e.g. the splitting of the sea, the Manna etc). The final 5 refer to G-d's kindness in giving us the Mitzvos - the ultimate and essential connection that we can attain with G-d ( e.g. Shabbos, giving of the Torah, the Temple etc).
~ Rabbi Yoni Johnson