rib@cord.UUCP (RI Block) (04/03/85)
Posted for:
pruxa!ayf or erc3ba!gth
************Start here***************
With Pesach (Passover) rapidly approaching, I want to first
quickly review some of the laws regarding the destruction of Chametz
(leaven) and the Seder, and give some comments on a few parts of the
Haggadah. Before I start, I want to thank all those who responded to my
update on this effort two weeks ago.
The preparation for Pesach begins with the search for Chometz
this Thursday evening, about 45 min after sunset. It is customary to
place pieces of chometz around where one will find it, but this custom
is not mandatory. If performed, one should be carefull to use some type
of chometz that will not crumble and make life difficult. Whatever is
found, is placed aside to be destroyed on Friday. On Friday morning,
chametz may be eaten until the end of the fourth hour (9:26 in New York,
check local calendar and/or local rabbi; hour is defined as 1/12 of the
time from dawn to when the stars come out), and distroyed at the end of
the fifth hour (10: in New York).
There are five basic obligations performed during the course of
the Sedar.
1) Drinking four cups of wine (Arbah Kosos)
2) Eating Matzohs
3) Eating bitter herbs (marror)
4) Relating the story of the Exodus ( the Haggadah)
5) Reciting Psalms of praise (Hallel)
Four cups of wine:
The requirement of drinking the four cups of wine is emphasized
strongly in the Talmud, the Mishnah says that even the poorest of the
poor should be provided with all four cups. The first cup is used for
Kiddush, the second for the reciting of the Haggadah, the third for
reciting the Grace after the meal and the last for reciting the final
part of the Hallel. Each cup is required to be a 'revi'is', a certain
liquid measure, and it is required that at least a majority of the
revi'is is drunk for each cup. The measure of the revi'is is recommended
to be at least 3.3 fl. oz. with the first cup recommended to be at least
4.2 fl. oz. (Acc. to R. Moshe Feinstein). If possible, it is recommended
that a majority of the cup (even if the cup is much larger than a
revi'is) be drunk each time.
Matzah:
Matzah must be eaten three times during the Sedar, once when the
blessing on the matzah is made, when the 'sandwich' of matzah and morror
is eaten, and after the meal for the Afikomen. The matzah for the Sedar
should be 'Shemura Matzah' - matzah whose flour was watched from the
time of the harvesting of the wheat through completion of the baking, to
make certain that it did not come in contact with water. In addition,
all the processes were done 'le'shem mitzvah' - for the mitzvah of
matzah. Most Shemura Matzah is hand made and almost all hand made
matzah is shemura matzah. Each time one is required to eat matzah, the
amount required to eat is a k'zayis, which is equal to a piece about 6
inches by 4 inches in size. It is recommended that two k'zaysim (pl. of
k'zayis) be eaten for the bracha (blessing) and for the Afikomen, making
a total of 5 k'zaysim. If one has only a small amount of shemura matzah,
it should be kept for the k'zayis of Afikomen.
I will now give a few commentaries on the hagaddah, so I can get
this out and have a chance of some of you receiving this before Pesach.
One of the first things that we recite is "this is the bread of
affliction ...". There are some versions which read "this is like the
bread of affliction ...". The Dubna Maggid explains the difference using
the following example (using examples is favorite method of the Dubna
Maggid): There was once a poor peddler that went from town to town
peddling his wares out of a pack that he wore on his back. He used to
travel with his wares from town to town. On day he arrived in a new
town, and was successfull in selling his wares. Slowly he prospered in
this town until he became a wealthy man. He made a holiday for himself
to commemorate the day he arrived in town. One that day, he put back on
his old peddler clothes, and put his pack of wares on his back, to
remember how he arrived in the town. He would then on that day
distribute gifts to his children. One year, his luck changed and he
found himself once again a poor man, left with nothing. His wife told
him, we came to this town with nothing put your wares, go now again out
to peddle so we will have something to eat. He puts on his old clothes
and his sack on his back and goes out. His children see this and run up
to him for the gifts they are used to receiving when they see him
dressed this way, but he explains to them, in the past this was but a
commemoration that was being celebrated, now it is for real. So too with
us, the Maggid explains. When we still had the Temple and lived in
Israel, we said "this is to remember the times of affliction", but now
we must truly say "this time again is a time of affliction".
The four questions are probably the most well known part of the
Haggadah. There is one basic problem with it, though. Why do we say that
Pesach is different than any other holiday. We do unusual things on
each holiday. Let us have a four questions for, say, Succos: Why do we
leave the house and go eat (and sleep) in this strange booth with
leaves for a roof? Surely as strange as anything we do on Pesach. The
Abravanel (among others) explain that the name "four" questions is a
misnomer. We are only asking one question. True, we are used to doing
some strange things on the holidays, but they are understandable in
terms of the theme of the holiday. Pesach is different,though, because
there appears to be two conflicting themes: matzah and marror fit in
with a theme of slavery and affliction, while reclining and dipping fit
in with a theme of freedom and wealth. The question being asked is what
is the theme of Pesach. To which we answer, both - we were slaves to
Pharaoh in Egypt (theme one) and God removed us from there to freedom
(theme two). [I like this one, but I have two problems with it. One, in
the original version, before the distruction of the Temple, the
reclining question is omited and in its place was a question of eating
only roasted on this night. Can this also fit in the above framework? I
don't know. The second is a more fundimental question. What is matzah
supposed to symbolize. We call it 'lechem oni' - 'poor bread or bread of
affliction', while at the same time we say we eat it because when we
left egypt we left quickly and the bread did not have time to rise. So
this says it is a symbol of our redemption. Maybe matzah itself
symbolizes the dicotomy of this holiday.]
I am going to send this out now so I hope you will get it before
Pesach. I would like to wish all of you a happy and kosher Pesach.
Avi Feldblum
uucp: {allegra, ihnp4}!pruxa!ayf
[ Poster's note. I have at least one answer to Avi's problem. There
are several sources that indicate that roasted (Tzli Aish) meat is
required because it was the preparation favored by royalty. I might
add that the theme of doing things royally (derech malchut) and
demonstrating freedom (cherut) is shown not only by reclining (hasebah)
and the style of preparation in temple times but also by setting the table
with the choicest of ornaments and flatware. Note in our days, we DON'T
eat roasted meat at the seder. ]