The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

I am once again repeating one of my favourite thoughts on the seder, as gleaned from the haggadah of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in order to expose two new significant supporting findings.

The many brilliant essays in R' Sacks's haggadah follow a theme which has inspired a perspective on the entire seder experience which was new to me and changed the way I understand the "duties of the day." The mitzvah of sipur yetzias Mitzrayim is, in fact, a two-way street. It is well known and much discussed that we must do our best to transport ourselves back to the great redemption from the hands of Egyptian servitude - "chayav adam lir'os/lehar'os es atzmo..." We need to imagine ourselves there. However, at the same time, we need to "bring the geulah to us." We need to understand that yetzias Mitzrayim is nothing short of a blueprint for HaShem's constant Divine intervention on our behalf. This is perhaps made most evident by the "Vehi She'amdah" passage which declares that it was not just in that generation but in every generation that our very existence hangs in the balance and HaShem ensures that we survive and endure.

It occurred to me that the text of the haggadah itself makes it very clear that this perspective is incumbent upon us as we ponder the events of exodus. The haggadah could have simply charged us to view ourselves as part of yetzias Mitzrayim with the text exactly as I quoted above, "chayav adam, etc." for the task would remain the same, no matter when in history we find ourselves. However, we are commanded, "bechol dor vador chayav adam." What is the significance of declaring that this is required in each generation? It is clear that we are being instructed in every generation, despite all of its particular challenges and hardships to seek out and appreciate the geulos of our day. Over the past few years, we have unfortunately seen our share of churbanos – painful reminders of the state of exile that still shackle us to this day. But we must still recognize the miracles with which HaShem is constantly delivering us. Just as a matter of practical examples – when we are able to rescue and recover a hostage alive, when hundreds of missiles are shot at our homeland and we remove nearly every single one from the sky, when we can eliminate thousands of our sworn enemies with the press of a button – these are mini replicas of yetzias Mitzrayim in our day.

I was blown away recently by a comment from yet another of this generation's giants of Judaism, Rabbi Berel Wein, which underscores this point. He was being interviewed by Yaakov Langer on the Living Lchaim podcast and was asked a very simple question. "If there is one point in history, if you could transport to that time of the Jewish People – where would you transport yourself to?" Before you read on, close your eyes and imagine how you would answer this question. Rabbi Wein, without even flinching, answered simply, "I was there already, the revival of the Jewish people after Holocaust… We live in miraculous times and have seen miraculous things over and over again." This link jumps straight to that exchange in the podcast.

Just as the Dayeinu song expresses the ultimate purpose and completion of our exodus as the acceptance of the Torah and settling of Eretz Yisrael, statements such as "lashanah haba'ah b'nei chorin" and the themes found in the songs of Nirtzah express our trust and our yearning for our ultimate redemption, may it come speedily in our day.

Have a good Shabbos and a chag kasher ve'sameiach!

 

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Na'asah

Dikdukian: Shalsheles

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

For this year's thought on the Pesach seder, I wish to focus on a pasuk which is not traditionally part of the "meat and potatoes" of the Haggadah and was only added around the 12^th century, possibly as a response to the devastating crusades. It has recently gained more prominence and recognition as it is featured the ominous perek 79 of Tehillim which has become a common part of the rotation since the tragic events of Shemini Atzeres.

We open the door for Eliyahu HaNavi and recite (Tehillim 79:6-7, followed by two pesukim from elsewhere in Kesuvim) "Shefoch chamascha el hagoyim asher lo yeda'ucha, v'al mamlachos asher beshimcha lo kara'u." We beseech HaShem to pour out his wrath upon the nations who do not know Him, and the kingdoms who do not call His name. I was puzzled by the use of el hagoyim vs. al mamalachos. Intriguingly, any commentaries I could find that address the usage of el and al suggest that they are more or less interchangeable. (Try asking for a ticket on an Al El flight and see where that gets you.) But why use different words in the very same pasuk? (It should be noted that this pasuk has a nearly identical mirror in Yirmiyahu 10:25 in which the word al is used both times.)

Perhaps the precise wording can be explained as follows: el denotes towards, in the direction of, whereas al means directly upon. We ask that HaShem mete out retribution towards the nations – the common folk who do not know HaShem but perhaps might still maintain an inkling of innocence and might still deserve the opportunity to repent. This is a somewhat softer tone. On the mamlachos – the kingdoms, I.e. the leadership – we ask that HaShem heap his anger directly upon them. They are the true source of the evil that confronts us and their due should come more swiftly and precisely. It is in fact this approach which – to some degree – governs the very delicate operation we are currently engaged in. There is a sinister entity which can be afforded nothing more than complete demise. At the same time, there is a nation in their midst – by no means innocent – but perhaps not deserved of the same fate.

Despite the apparent fit of this interpretation with the words, it is interesting to note that the plagues in Egypt seemed to follow a diametrically opposite pattern. Many plagues took a heavier toll on the citizens of Egypt than they did on Paroah himself.

Have a chag kasher ve'sameiach!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Dikdukian: Shiras HaLevi'im

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya 

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

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The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

We have discussed on a number of occasions the dominance of the theme of praise and thanks in the procedures of seder night. As well, the recurrence of the number 4 - 4 cups, 4 questions, 4 sons, etc -  is also well known. The gemara (Berachos 54b) states that there are four individuals whose situations demand that they give thanks to HaShem: Those who travel by sea and reach their destination, those who traverse a desert safely, those who emerge from captivity and those who survive an illness. In the times of the beis hamikdash, this thanks would be expressed in the form of a korban todah which was just discussed in last week's parsha. Today, one makes birkas hagomel in the presence of a minyan. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 219:1) provides a mnemonic for this foursome: "vechol hachayim yoducha selah." The word חיים  stands for חולה, יסורים, ים, מדבר.

 

If we examine the yetzias Mitzrayim experience as a whole, from the very beginning to its ultimate culmination with the entry into Eretz Yisrael and building the beis hamikdash, we find that HaShem's great salvation covered all four of these situations. First, we broke free from centuries-long captivity in Mitzrayim. We were led through the Yam Suf to safety. We were protected through decades of travel in the desert. Although we were not stricken with serious illness (unless you consider the magaifos in the desert,) we certainly find that the Egyptians were inflicted with possibly hundreds of maladies from which we were spared. As well, the midrash (Tanchuma Yisro 8) recounts that all blemishes and disabilities were healed at Har Sinai. With this perspective, our feelings of gratitude and thanks on seder night are all the more intensified. 

 

I have heard that the source for this thought is the Vilna Gaon.

 

Have a chag kasher ve'sameiach and a good Shabbos!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Shiras HaLevi'im

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Daily Leaf:

.ב Bashert

.ב Did you see that?

:ד How did he know?

.ה An 1/8 of an 1/8

.ה In the Right Time

.ו Enlighten Us

 

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The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my father, Reuven Pinchas ben Chaim Yaakov, a"h.

 

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Over the past couple of months, I was tasked with reciting a couple of kapitlach of Tehillim for a sick relative. One of them was kapitel 78 which is a rather lengthy chapter contrasting the great benevolent miracles of HaShem while we were in Mitzrayim and the years that followed with our unfortunate, incessant tendency to rebel. One section (78:43-51) details the plagues that were brought upon the Egyptians. There is one particular pasuk (78:49) which will be familiar as it is expounded upon in the haggadah by Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Akiva to magnify the plagues four-fold and five-fold, respectively.

However, there are two glaring anomalies. First, not all of the 10 plagues are even mentioned. Second, the ones that are mentioned are not mentioned in chronological order. The sequence is dam, arov, tzefardei'a, arbeh, barad, makas bechoros. As for the missing plagues, Ibn Ezra suggests they were omitted since there was no physical harm done to humans. Although dam and arbeh would fall into that category as well, he suggests that since those plagues gravely affected the supply chain of food and water, they also merited mention. Defining which plagues do and do not fit this structure is certainly up for discussion. The sequence does not seem to bother most commentaries.

I discovered (thanks to Sefaria) a very fascinating approach from Alshich in his sefer Romemos Kel. He posits that the purpose of this passage is to teach us the intricate wonders of Divine retribution. When a mortal human is angered to the point where he feels the need to take revenge, he will be consumed by his rage and cause the maximum damage within his power, without the ability to hold back. HaShem, however, carried out the makkos with more specific intentions to reveal His greatness. Therefore, some of the plagues were minimized to some degree so that subsequent plagues could "finish the job." The frogs caused great harm and in truth, were capable of just as much devastation as the wild beasts. They invaded the stomachs of the Mitzrim but yet, did not cause further internal damage.

The hail, as well, was potentially much more devastating. Yet, strangely, the plague's warning allowed some to escape its wrath to some degree and there was plenty of vegetation which emerged unscathed – only to be consumed by the locusts. The first and last plagues are mentioned as the bookends but the other four are the embodiment of the lesson being taught. They are specifically listed out of order to focus on this point – the arov was necessary, even after the frogs and the same with locusts following the hail.

Have a good Shabbos and a chag kasher ve'sameiach!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Shiras HaLevi'im

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

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The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

The Weekly Shtikle is dedicated le'iluy nishmas my Oma, Chaya Sara bas Zecharia Chaim, a"h.

 

This week's shtikle is dedicated for a refuah sheleimah for my father.

Please include Reuven Pinchas ben Yehudis in your tefillos.

 

This past year has been a difficult one on a national level in many different aspects, not the least of which was the loss of many of our great leaders. One such giant was Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of British Commonwealth. In his honour, I am resending my initial thoughts on his haggadah, of which I am a big fan and I have quoted numerous times:

 

The haggadah includes commentary directly on the actual text as well as a collection of insightful essays in the back. There is a common theme that presents itself throughout - that the story of yetzias Mitzrayim cannot be viewed simply as a singular historical event but rather a monumentally significant episode that shaped and continues to shape us as individuals and more importantly, as a people.

 

In the essay "The Missing Fifth," Rabbi Sacks begins by going over the well-known "fours" - the four questions, four sons, four cups and four expressions of redemption. Four fours, in fact. He goes on to explain how each group actually has a missing fifth - a fifth question, a fifth son, a fifth cup and a fifth expression of redemption. Furthermore, there is yet a fifth group of four - the four pesukim from Ki Sisa which we expound upon in the main part of Maggid. There, too, there is a fifth pasuk, "Vayevi'einu el hamakom hazeh.." which we do not discuss. The common theme of these missing fifths is tied to the ultimate completion of the redemption from Mitzrayim, namely settling Eretz Yisrael and our ultimate redemption which has eluded us for so many generations but feels ever so much closer.

 

I couldn't even attempt to express these ideas nearly as eloquently as R' Sacks but this essay, as well as the themes expressed in other essays, inspired a perspective on the entire seder experience which was new to me and changed the way I understand the "duties of the day." The mitzvah of sipur yetzias Mitzrayim is in fact a two-way street. It is well known and much discussed that we must do our best to transport ourselves back to the great redemption from the hands of Egyptian servitude - "chayav adam lir'os/lehar'os es atzmo..." We need to imagine ourselves there. However, at the same time, we need to "bring the geulah to us." We need to understand that yetzias Mitzrayim is nothing short of a blueprint for HaShem's constant Divine intervention on our behalf. This is perhaps made most evident by the "Vehi She'amdah" passage where we declare that it was not just in that generation but in every generation that our very existence hangs in the balance and HaShem ensures that we survive and endure.

 

Just as the Dayeinu song expresses the ultimate purpose and completion of our exodus as the acceptance of the Torah and settling of Eretz Yisrael, statements such as "lashanah haba'ah b'nei chorin" and the themes found in the songs of Nirtzah express our trust and our yearning for our ultimate redemption, may it come speedily in our day.

 

Have a good Shabbos and a chag kasher ve'sameiach!

 

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Na'asah

Dikdukian: Shalsheles

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

 

The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

I felt the following thought is particularly pertinent this year when so many of us are confined to some degree of isolation and will not be part of the larger seder we are used to – some even conducting the seder in solitude. Please continue to daven for all of the cholim. Yom Tov hi miliz'ok, urfuah kerovah lavo.

In the beginning of Maggid, we recite "Avadim hayinu." In this paragraph, we say that if not for the fact that HaKadosh Baruch Hu had taken us out of Mitzrayim, we would still be beholden to Paroah in Mitzrayim. Therefore, even if we are all wise, understanding knowers of the Torah, we have a mitzvah to tell over the story of yetzias Mitzrayim. To say that there are two questions to be asked on this paragraph would surely not be the whole truth. However, there are two questions on which I wish to focus. First, why would we have thought that wise sages would be exempt from the mitzvah? Second, how does the haggadah in fact justify this requirement?

As an introduction, I would like to quote a piece from R' Chaim Kanievsky on Chanukah, found in Ta'ama D'kra. He asks why there is no mention of the miracle of the oil in the text of "Al HaNisim." He answers that the theme of Al HaNisim is hoda'ah, giving thanks. When it comes to giving thanks, the obligation only exists regarding an event by which one is directly affected. For a miracle that only truly benefited those at the time and has no effect on us now, there is no obligation of hoda'ah. We find that Sukkos is built around the miracle of HaShem's protecting us. However, since this miracle does not affect us today, we don't find any specific requirements of hoda'ah on Sukkos. So, too, the miracle of the oil has no direct effect on us today. On the other hand, had B'nei Yisrael been destroyed in the war, we would not be around today. Therefore, we must give thanks for the winning of the war.

Perhaps, what the paragraph of "Avadim Hayinu" is teaching us is that we might have thought that the mitzvah of sipur yetzias Mitzrayim is strictly an educational one, that there is an obligation for the wise to teach those who do not know as the main source of this mitzvah is "vehigadta levincha," a requirement for the father to teach the son. Had this been so, if we were all wise sages, there would be no need to do this mitzvah for no one needs to be educated. However, this is not so. Attached to the mitzvah of sipur yetzias Mitzrayim is the very pertinent theme of hoda'ah. We are not merely telling a story. We are expressing thanks and appreciation to HaShem for yetzias Mitzrayim, whether we've learned about it previously or not. The haggadah, therefore, starts by illustrating how the miracle affects us today, that if not for yetzias Mitzrayim, we would still be beholden to Paroah in Mitzrayim. Because of this, there is an obligation to thank HaShem and therefore all of us are commanded to tell the story of yetzias Mitzrayim.

Have a chag kasher ve'sameiach and a good Shabbos!

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Daily Leaf: ל"ג: Yaakov and Rashb"i

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

For this year's thought on the haggadah, I would like to continue with the theme we discussed on the megillah – the applicability of our ancient stories to modern times – while touching on some points we have discussed in the past.

As we explained a number of years ago, one of the central charges of the seder experience is to see or consider ourselves as if we were part of the exodus from Egypt. On a simple level, this demands of us to use our imagination to travel back many thousands of years ago as if we ourselves were there during the exodus from Egypt. But this connection to the deliverance from Egypt is experienced in both directions. In addition to projecting ourselves back to that time, we can also project the exodus experience forward as we realize HaShem's salvation over the course of our history and in even more so, in our time.

The "fuel" for this journey is provided by another highlight of the seder – vehi she'amdah. As we take a good, long look at our history and come to the realization that our existence is threatened in every generation, it is but a simple step to realize that every generation HaShem provides a new geula of sorts.

Going through the haggadah, there was one passage that stood out as frighteningly applicable to our times. In the section of the haggadah that expounds on the pesukim from Ki Savo with the pesukim from sefer Shemos, we examine the phrase (Devarim 26:6) "vayareiu osanu." The way the haggadah explains this phrase, it speaks not of the Egyptians treating us badly but rather, making us appear bad, as it is connected to the pasuk (Shemos 1:10) dealing with the Egyptian "solution." The mistreatment of the Jews is justified by the claim that the Jews could potentially join forces with another enemy to bring Egypt down.

In The Egyptian Holocaust, David Farkas explores the many striking similarities between the subjugation in Egypt and the Holocaust. Indeed, the charge of dual and dueling loyalties (point #5) was prevalent in both cases. This isn't really unique to persecution of Jews. Since human beings do have a natural inclination to be reasonable and oppose mass murder, every entity that wishes to destroy what it considers to be an enemy, needs to engage in a significant campaign of dehumanizing that enemy in order to justify their annihilation.

For Jews, with their strong sense of community and national identity, the charge of dual loyalty is not a difficult case to make. This has been true throughout history and is certainly not a modern invention in the era of Jewish statehood, although it does seem to provide an easier target. Unfortunately, these claims have come to the fore in very recent times with statements by individuals in frighteningly significant positions. We must certainly be mindful of these threats while at the same time being proud of the positive national qualities that give rise to them.

Have a good Shabbos and Chag Kasher ve'Sameiach!

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

As we get started with the maggid portion of the Haggadah, we discuss four different types of children, the questions they might ask and the responses we should provide for them. This is an appropriate exercise since the Haggadah – although relevant and mandatory for all regardless of age – is very much an exercise in chinuch.

Immediately following, we have a short paragraph discussing the appropriate time for the mitzvah of teaching one's children about the Pesach story. I might have thought it would begin on Rosh Chodesh, or perhaps the day before Pesach. However, the appropriate time is only when matzah and maror are placed in front of us. On the surface, this is simply a study of the halachic nuance of the mitzvah. But perhaps, at the same time, the Haggadah is teaching us some important lessons in chinuch.

In parting with the actual flow of the pesukim that discuss the questions and answers in the Torah, the Haggadah uses the same pasuk for the answer to the rasha and the eino yodeia lish'ol. This just so happens to be the pasuk that is expounded upon to establish the proper timing of the mitzvah. The rasha and eino yodeia lish'ol would seem to be the two more challenging characters in this set of children. We might want to devote extra attention to them – the rasha in order to steer him towards the proper path and the eino yodeia lish'ol because he is just getting started and needs help in order to ask the right questions. We might even be inclined to start early. But this paragraph in the Haggadah teaches us that presenting our children with the theory without the practice is not sufficiently effective. In order to properly imbue them with an appreciation of our heritage and the mitzvos that reflect it, they need to see it in action. Therefore, the appropriate time to educate them about yetzias Mitzrayim can only be while we have the matzah and maror in front of us, ready to eat. The chinuch challenge on seder night is not merely about saying. It is about saying and doing.

Have a good Shabbos and Chag Kasher ve'Sameiach!

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

This year's installment once again is inspired by a thought expressed in R' Jonathan Sacks' haggadah, although it is not necessarily his own original thought. While discussing the main themes behind the purpose of the haggadah, he points out that while the word derives its etymology from lehagid, to tell, it is also related to the word eged, to bind, to join or to connect. The retelling of the haggadah connects us to previous generations as well as with other Jews around the world in different continents engaging in the same practice.

It occurred to me that this two-letter tandem – gimmel and dalet – is indeed quite a versatile pair and forms the body of many diverse words, each of which – with a little homiletic license – can be applied to a theme of the haggadah.

We first encounter the word Gad when Leah uses that name for her son (Bereishis 30:11.) The word already has its own meaning with Rashi translating it as mazal tov, good fortune. Indeed, the story of the haggadah is the beginning of our first "winning streak" as a nation. When Gad receives his berachah (49:19,) we find the word gedud, an army battalion. As evidenced by the famous passage of the four sons, the haggadah is a very significant component in the eternal battle that is the education of our children and the challenge of ensuring they follow in the correct path. If we can successfully help them gain a true appreciation of the story of the haggadah, the battle has already begun to swing in our favour.

Still in sefer Bereishis (32:33) we have the word gid, which refers to a tendon. I imagine this is closely related to eged, discussed above, as the tendon is what connects the muscles to the bones.

In the mishnah (Parah 2:2) the verb yagud means to remove something that doesn't belong, in this case a parah adumah's black horns and hoofs. We endured the long, arduous exile in Mitzrayim and survived by not blending in and making sure we constantly felt that we were where we did not belong. Sure enough, HaShem ultimately removed us. But in truth, this word (whose source is Daniel 4:11,) might very well also be a derivation of eged. Many words are used as their own opposites and in this case, yagud, seems to imply the severing of a connection. To add to the previous ideas behind the theme of connection, although the haggadah is the retelling of a well-structured story, its text is made up of many seemingly disparate parts which often don't seem to fit together. But of course, they do all connect to each other. For another contemporary rendition dedicating to uncovering these bindings, see my father's The Haggadah Connection.

We even find the gimmel-dalet combination forming words in Aramaic such as guda denahara (Eruvin 24b,) the river bank. The banks of the river keep its waters contained and prevent them from overflowing, keeping the water moving in the right direction. The story of our exodus from Egypt is one of the foundations of our belief system and, as mentioned above, a necessary element in keeping the waters of Torah flowing down the proper path.

Finally, one can't ignore the presence of the very same letter combination in the word gedi, kid goat. This little animal plays quite a prevalent role in our history. It was the gedi that was used as the delicacy for Yitzchak and whose fur was used to fool him, allowing Yaakov to usurp Eisav's blessings (Bereishis 27.) It plays a role in the story of Yehudah and Tamar (38,) an episode which set the stage for the Davidic Dynasty. The same animal (although not referred to as gedi) is used by the brothers to fake Yosef's death in the episode that ultimately leads to our exile in Egypt. The gedi is also the animal of choice to illustrate the prohibition that makes up such a significant portion of our halachah text – the mixing of meat and milk. It is therefore fitting – although I haven't quite figured out how it all does fit – that we end the haggadah with the story of the father who bought the one kid goat, chad gadya.

In the passages that instruct us to embark on this quest to educate our children about this great chapter in our history, the word ve'amarta, or a variation thereof, is used three times (Shemos 12:27, 13:14, Devarim 6:21) whereas vehigadta is only used once (Shemos 13:8.) A whole essay could be devoted to the nuances which differentiate those two terms. But perhaps the above sheds some light and why our text is referred to not as the amirah, but the haggadah.

Have a Chag Kasher ve'Sameiach!

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

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Th Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

This year's thought on Seder Night draws its inspiration from a rather unlikely source. The Toronto Jewish Film Festival, whose existence was unknown to me until recently, has embarked on an advertising campaign which is admittedly quite entertaining. The clips feature various individuals who appear not the slightest bit Jewish but do something ever so slightly Jewish such as toasting a bagel for lunch or wishing someone "gezuntheit." The repeating tag line is "Jewish enough." My initial observation was the cute coincidence of this campaign intersecting with the Seder when we sing the famous song, Dayeinu. But then I realized that they have it all wrong.

At the seder, there are indeed two very opposite themes of "enoughness." The obvious one is of course the song of Dayeinu in which we declare that any single one of the multitude of acts of graciousness that HaShem bestowed upon us are each individually worthy of praise. Even a partial redemption would have demanded that we show gratitude to HaShem. We therefore view the totality of the exodus from Egypt and all its facets as far more than enough and perhaps even more than we deserve. This theme is already foreshadowed in the haftarah of Shabbas HaGadol, wherein we are promised that upon the proper performance of the mitzvos of terumah and ma'aser, HaShem will bestow upon us great blessing "ad beli dai." This term is interpreted in the gemara (Shabbos 32b) to mean until our lips become dry from repeatedly exclaiming "dai," enough.

But that is only regarding HaShem's dealings with us. But with regards to what is demanded of us, the very opposite is true. As we have discussed on different occasions, that one of the very central themes of the entire seder is that of praise and thanks and that is why we declare that even a sage who knows the whole story backwards and forwards must engage in the retelling of the story. And there is no upper limit whatsoever for the fulfillment of this requirement as any excess is praiseworthy. And finally, in the Hallel portion later on in the seder, we assert, "ein anachnu maspikim lehodos lecha, HaShem." Our praise and thanks to you, HaShem, is never sufficient.

So our relationship with HaShem as the beneficiaries of His kindness, demands that we always our contribution as lacking and insufficient. There is therefore no such thing as "Jewish enough."

Have a good Shabbos and Chag Kasher veSamei'ach!.

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com

The Weekly Shtikle - Leil Seder

As we look forward to the seder Night, there are many familiar passages we will go over again, hopefully with a new understanding of the meaning behind the text. The saying goes that there are 70 faces to the Torah but when it comes to the haggadah, it tends to be more like 170. But every now and then it is interesting to take a passage we are familiar with and rethink the way it is even read in the first place.

Such was the mission of noted Weekly Shtikle contributor David Farkas in a recent post on the Seforim Blog which I will attempt to re-write in English. We all know the famous story of the five sages who were engrossed in the retelling of the story of yetzias Mitzrayim in B'nei Brak. There are indeed numerous intriguing questions which make this entire anecdote quite mysterious. One such question is how it could be that these sages would be oblivious to the onset of the time for recitation of keriyas Shema such that their disciples needed to interrupt and remind them. This question is based on the assumed reading of the text thusly: Until the disciples came and said to them, "Raboseinu, the time for recitation of keriyas Shema has arrived."

However, notes Mr. Farkas, a simple re-reading of this passage with an adjustment to the comma and the quotes could lend an entirely different understanding of the story. The term raboseinu appears to be part of the quote but perhaps it is part of the narrative resulting in the following reading of the text: …until the disciples arrived and raboseinu declared, "the time for recitation of keriyas Shema has arrived." It was not in fact the disciples who made the declaration but the sages themselves. Of course this only addresses one of the many mysteries of this passage. There is still much more to discuss. 

For a collection of previous seder night shtikles, please check out my archive of past Seder shtikles.

Have a good Shabbos and a Chag kasher ve'samei'ach!

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Dikdukian: Hagieinu vs Yagieinu

Dikdukian: Chad Gadya

Please visit the new portal for all Shtikle-related sites, www.weeklyshtikle.com

The Weekly Shtikle and related content are now featured on BaltimoreJewishLife.com