Mit'chee'lah Ovdei Avodah Zarah/In the Beginning Our Ancestors Were Idol Worshipers:
Having defined the Four Sons, the Haggadah begins the Passover story anew, this time moving back in history to before the enslavement in Egypt. By referring back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Haggadah reminds participants that the Jewish forefathers earned the special love and protection that the Jews receive from G-d. Following right after the Four Sons, it is important to remember that this history must be shared with all participants so that they understand that they too are part of the redemption.
"And he said to Abram: Know that your children will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they shall serve them, and they shall treat them harshly for four hundred years, but I will also judge the nation that they shall serve and afterwards they shall come out with great wealth" (Genesis 15: 13-14). This quote reminds Seder participants of the fact that the Jewish enslavement in Egypt was all part of a predefined Divine plan and that history must be looked upon as a complete unit in order to recognize the Divine element.
V'hi Sheh'amdah/And It Is This That Has Stood
This paragraph praises G-d for protecting the Jews throughout the generations.
And it is "this" - What is the "this" that is referred to? Some sages say that "this" refers to the Torah, which is the contract between the Jews and G-d. From the logical sequence of the words, however, one could also assume that "this" refers to G-d's promise to Abraham to redeem the Jews from slavery.
T'zei Ul'mad/ Go and Learn
Having praised G-d for protecting the Jewish people throughout the generations, the Haggadah returns to the Passover story by examining the wickedness of Laban and the story of the Jewish people through their journey to Egypt, slavery, and redemption.
After introducing this section with the charge of "go and learn," the Haggadah presents four verses from Deuteronomy and proceeds to elaborate on the meaning. In doing so, the story of the Exodus is studied in depth. The four verses are:
* "The Aramean sought to destroy my father (Jacob) and the latter went down to Egypt and sojourned there, with a family few in number; and he became there a nations, great, mighty and numerous." Deuteronomy 26:5
* "The Egyptians ill-treated us, oppressed us and laid heavy labors upon us." Deuteronomy 26:6
* "We cried to the L-rd, the G-d of our ancestors and the L-rd heard our voice. He saw our ill-treatment, our burden and our oppression." Deuteronomy 26:7
* "G-d brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, with an out-stretched arm, with great fearfulness, with signs and with wonders." Deuteronomy 26:8
Dam, Va'aish, V'timrot Ashan/ Blood, Fire and Pillars of Smoke
After discussing the meaning of "with wonders," which introduces the ten plagues (wonders meaning blood, the first of the plagues), the Seder participants recite "Dam, Va'aish, V'timrot Ashan/ Blood, Fire and Pillars of Smoke."
The Haggadah elaborates on the first plague by quoting from the prophet Joel who foresaw blood, fire and pillars of smoke as signs of the final redemption. However, it is also understood that when the Nile turned to blood, it boiled and emitted pillars of steam.
As one says "Dam," "Va'aish," and "V'timrot Ashan" drops of wine are spilled from the full cup.
While there are varying opinions as to why the wine is spilled, the great Spanish commentator, the Abrabanel, explained that one should remove wine from the cup because wine is a sign of rejoicing, and one should not rejoice when an enemy falls.
How the wine is spilled varies from family to family: some pour the wine out directly from the cup and some flick the wine out with their finger.
The removal of wine drops is repeated for the ten plagues and the mnemonic for the ten plagues.
The Ten Plagues
During the reading of the Ten Plagues, drops of wine are spilled from the full cup for each plague.
Dam - Blood: During the plague of blood the waters of Egypt turned to blood. This plague had two separate features: (1) the Nile, which the Egyptians worshiped, turned to blood, and (2) all the water that the Egyptians kept in containers in their homes also turned to blood, while the Jews still had water to drink.
Tze'far'day'ah - Frogs: There was no place for the Egyptians to escape from the frogs. They were everywhere, in the Egyptians' beds, in their pockets, and even in their ovens.
Kinim - Lice: To initiate the plague of lice, G-d commanded Aharon via Moshe to hit the ground with his staff and the dust turned to lice and spread everywhere.
Arov - Wild Beasts: The plague of wild beasts trapped the Egyptians in their homes, for they dared not go out in the streets in fear for their lives.
Dever - Pestilence: The Egyptian cattle that had survived the ravaging of the wild beasts were struck by pestilence and died. No Jewish owned cattle died, even those in close proximity to the Egyptian cattle. The first five plagues taught the Egyptians that their possessions were lost and their wealth ephemeral.
Sh'chin - Boils: Even with all of their land and cattle destroyed, the Egyptians continued to deny G-d and to treat the Jews unfairly. The plague of boils struck them personally, showing them that ultimately they had no control over anything, not even themselves.
Barad - Hail: The plague of hail was two-fold in its actions: (1) it destroyed the physical structures of Egypt, and (2) it was a "fireworks" display of the power of G-d. For those who needed to be impressed by the awesomeness of G-d, the seventh plague consisted of giant hail that contained fire encased in ice. The hail killed much of the surviving Egyptian cattle and destroyed many agricultural crops.
Arbeh - Locusts: Not much was left of Egypt by the time the plague of locust arrived. The cattle were dead, the buildings destroyed, morale was low and then the locusts came in an enormous swarm which darkened the sky and devoured anything that remained of the crops.
Choshech - Darkness: For three days, total darkness descended on Egypt. The Sages taught that the darkness of choshech was so intense that it served as a physical restriction as well, leaving the Egyptians unable to move. The Jews, however, could see where they were going and had full range of motion.
Makkat B'chorot- Death of the First Born: The final plague was the only one for which the Jews needed to prepare. In order to be "passed-over," Moshe instructed the Jews to mark their doorposts with lamb's blood. And in the darkness of the midnight hour, G-d smote all of the first born in the land of Egypt.
D'tzach, A'dash, B'ah'ch'av - The Mnemonic Device
The Haggadah relates that Rabbi Yehuda, a Talmudic Sage, grouped the plagues by their initials, which underscores the importance of not only remembering the plagues, but of remembering them in order.
As one says "D'tzach," "A'dash," and "B'ah'ch'av," drops of wine are spilled from the full cup.
Rabbi Yose the Galilean...
Following the Ten Plagues, the Haggadah discusses the varying opinions of the Rabbis as to how mighty and numerous the plagues actually were. Each opinion serves to glorify the deed done by G-d and leads the Seder participants into Dayenu.
Dayenu
One of the most famous of all Seder songs, Dayenu praises G-d for the many miracles and gifts He gave to the Jews.
The format of Dayenu: Dayenu is a song that builds upon itself. Each verse starts with the end of the preceding verse, and ends with an enthusiastic call of the word Dayenu! Dayenu means "It would have been enough!" This song reminds Seder participants how much for which there is to be grateful.
An example of the structure:
If G-d had brought us out of Egypt, but had not executed judgement upon the Egyptians, it would have been enough -- (Dayenu)!
If G-d has executed judgement upon the Egyptians, but not upon their gods, it would have been enough -- (Dayenu)!
An excellent Yom Tov day activity with older children is to go through Dayenu and then to encourage them to think about how Dayenu applies to their lives.
Pesach, Matzah and Maror
The next section of the Haggadah, introduced by a quote of Rabban Gamliel, defines the key ingredients of Passover: Pessach (The Pascal Offering), Matzah and Maror.
While one does not point to the shank bone when discussing the Passover offering, since it is only a representation, the matzah and Maror should be held up for all to see as they are discussed.
B'khol Dor Va'Dor/In Every Generation...
Having displayed the Maror and Matzah, and referred to the Passover offering, the Haggadah reminds Seder participants that they are not simply recounting an ancient tale: "In every generation one is obliged to regard him/herself as though he/she had actually gone out from Egypt."
This is the perfect opportunity for the Seder leader to encourage all Seder participants to think about their own dependencies and how they can perhaps free themselves spiritually.
L'phi'chach.../Therefore it is our duty...
The paragraph beginning with "Therefore is it our duty" begins the conclusion of Maggid. From this point until the blessing on the second cup of wine, various psalms, part of the Hallel service, are recited.
The Second Cup of Wine
The Maggid section concludes with the drinking of the second cup of wine, after the proper blessings are recited.
The cup should be refilled before the blessing, since some wine (even if only a few drops) were spilled when reviewing and discussing the Ten Plagues.
Copyright © 2010 National Jewish Outreach Program. All rights reserved.
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