BS”D
SEDER: SPLITTING
OF THE SONG—PESACH II
Shira Smiles shiur
2019/5779
Adapted by Channie
Koplowitz Stein
The words signifying the order of the Seder are well
known. We begin with Kadesh/Sanctifying the Seder night over wine,
continuing with another eleven or thirteen (depending on whether some segments
are combined or separated) and ending with Nirtzah/Acceptance (of our
Seder). In the entire order, there is only one segment that is split, that
seems to begin before its designated and announced time, being interrupted by
the meal and Birkat Hamazon/Grace After Meals, and then resuming. This
is Hallel, the recitation of praises for Hashem. This anomaly is very
strange, as Hallel is not supposed to be divided. Further, if it is
divided, why not proclaim its order where it begins, prior to the festive meal,
instead of afterward? Our final question for today is, we generally precede the
Hallel with a blessing; why do we not do so during the Seder?
If we examine the formal contents of the Haggadah, we
would realize that the Haggadah itself seems to be divided into two sections,
notes the Levush. The first half of the Seder, the part referred
to as Maggid/Telling of the story, deals explicitly with our redemption
from Egypt. The first two paragraphs of Hallel, those recited before our
meal, speak directly to the exodus and praise Hashem for redeeming us from the
servitude of Egypt to become His servants, a time when all nature witnessed
Hashem’s presence, from the Sea that fled to the mountains that danced like
lambs. In this context, writes Rabbi Mendelowitz, those passages of Hallel
are a continuation of Maggid itself, rather than a new segment of the
Seder. In contrast, immediately after our meal and Birkat Hamazon, we no
longer focus on the past, but rather on the present and on the future. We begin
by asking Hashem to pour out His wrath upon the nations who do not know Him.
From there we segue into Hallel that connects us to God today and prays
for our future salvation.
The Haggadah Rosh Hayeshivah points out that we
are supposed to view ourselves as if we personally were redeemed from Egypt.
When we can integrate that experience into our own psyches, then it is only
natural that we would want to sing praises to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
Rabbi Frand emphasizes this point by explaining the
seeming contradiction in the verse introducing the Song of the Sea. The verse
states,”Then Moshe and Bnei Yisroel will sing this song...” While they will
sing in the future, “this song” refers to a song of the past. Rabbi Frand
explains that Moshe, witnessing the miracles at the splitting of the Sea, was
so emotionally moved that his heart rose up in song. Song is an emotional
response, a reaction of the heart. While every mitzvah that requires action,
such as eating matzoh, is preceded by a blessing, mitzvoth that are sourced in
emotion are not. [Do we recite a blessing when we feel an outpouring of love
for Hashem, fulfilling the mitzvah of “Ve'ahavta et Hashem Elokecha? We
may bless Hashem for the event that triggered this love, but we do not bless
Hashem for fulfilling this mitzvah. CKS] Similarly, since we are hopefully
imagining ourselves being redeemed from Egypt, our hearts are overflowing with
song and praise of Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and we are moved to sing Hallel.
But we recite no blessing over the Haggadah at the Seder, since it is really an
emotional expression.
In a somewhat contrasting but related vein, Rabbi Leib
Minzeberg z”l in his Haggadah in Ben Melech writes that our redemption
from Egypt is not a one time occurrence of thousands of years ago, but is the
forerunner to Hashem’s keeping His promise to our forefathers/Vehi she’amda,
that He would always be with us and save us. That promise has been kept throughout
the millennia of our history, as in every generation there arose those who
would annihilate us, but, just as Hashem saved us in that first exile in Egypt,
so has He stood by us, and will continue to protect us and preserve us forever.
Therefore/Lefichach we have the obligation to thank Him and praise Him
for that first redemption that proved to be only the first of many. And
we feel that redemption not just in our national history, but also in our
personal lives. As we review the year in our minds, we recognize Hashem’s
guiding hand in so many ways. We become emotional and want to sing a new song
to Hashem.
This is indeed the entire purpose of the Seder, to
bring us closer to Hashem on a personal level, to see His loving hand in our
lives so that we want to serve Him, writes Rabbi Kluger in Beni Bechori
Yisroel. Rabbi Kluger here cites a medrash in the Yerushalmi
that relates that on the night of the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh screamed,
“Until now you were servants to Pharaoh; now you are servants to Hashem.”
Immediately, Bnei Yisroel sang out, “Hallelu avdei Hashem/ Praise [Him]
those who serve Hashem.” At the Seder, we are re-experiencing this night and
are again moved to be grateful for being Hashem’s servants and singing our
gratitude. Therefore, we do not recite a blessing, writes Rabbi Frand, for it
is not a commemoration of past miracles, as when we recite Hallel on
other occasions and holidays, but a song of gratitude for the present.
To further this idea, R. Mirsky notes that we only say
full Hallel on the first day[s] of Pesach, not on chol Hamoed, or on the
seventh day. The reason, we know is that since the Egyptians drowned it
is inappropriate for us to say a full Hallel. If we only say part of
Hallel on the seventh day, it is only correct on Chol Hamoed to follow
suit. However, if we don’t say full Hallel when others are suffering, how
do we understand saying full Hallel at the seder when the first born
died?! It is for this reason, some offer, that we spill a bit of our wine
from our cups when saying the Makot, to recall the suffering of others, and we
can’t full rejoice. R. Mirsky, however makes the distinction that we are
allowed to say a full Hallel only if we personally experienced the salvation.
The seventh day of Pesach we are recalling what happened to the Jews at the Red
Sea; at the Seder we are singing about what happened to us!
This point seems to be the basis for a disagreement
between Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai. On this night of the Seder, when we are
re-experiencing the exodus, can we sing the passages of Hallel that
refer to the exodus before midnight, when we were not yet redeemed until
midnight, asks Beis Shammai? But Beis Hillel reasons that Pesach is a
celebration of our personal redemption throughout the year, and we connect that
to the national redemption that defines our identity. Further, when we relate
the story of leaving Egypt, even through the Hallel of the Seder, it
should be recited when there is matzoh and marror before us, before we
consume them. The later part of Hallel recited after the meal has no
mention of Egypt, and we can thank Hashem for helping us overcome our personal
challenges.
There is no mandated ritual of how to say Hallel at
the Seder. There is not even a brachah preceding it. Since it is meant to
be an emotional outpouring of love for Hakodosh Boruch Hu, some people sit
while others stand, and some may be moved to get up and dance.
In an interesting discussion that parallels our
discussion of a divided Hallel, the Shvilei Pinchas posits that
the entire Seder is actually divided in two. Based on the work of the Ramban,
he writes that the first half of the Seder provides the lesson for the second
half. In the first half of the Haggadah, we see all the open miracles Hashem
performed for us, how He changed nature to bring on the plagues and redeem us
from Egypt. But that God Who can change nature is also the same God Who
controls every aspect of nature. The functioning of the world, of our very
existence, are really miraculous manifestations of Hashem’s sovereignty hidden
in the normal functioning of nature. Therefore, in the second half of Hallel,
we thank Hashem Who releases us from all our foes, and Who provides food for
all living things.
We conclude the Hallel with Nishmat kol
chai.../The soul of every living thing shall bless Your Name. We have moved
the Seder from being purely historical to being personal, to seeing God’s
kindness in everything, adds Rabbi Mattisyahu Salomon. At this point, we may
certainly feel moved to thank Hashem for all the blessings in our lives, to
thank Hashem for our children who may be cranky and fighting each other if
they’re still awake, for our livelihood albeit it may be stressful, for having
the home we obsessed over cleaning before Pesach. When we appreciate all that
we have to praise and thank Hashem for, we will move more slowly through Hallel
because we will want to express our sense of gratitude and joy, adds Rabbi
Pincus z”l. The Seder should move us to pure joy in being able to serve Hashem
Who constantly maintains the world through His hidden miracles and loving
kindness.
Interestingly, Imrei Emes z”l sees the meal not as a
divider of the Haggadah, but rather as an integral, unifying element of the
Seder. The meal itself is an expression of gratitude, and it is therefore
sandwiched between the two formal parts of Hallel. R. Tzadok
Hakohen z”l notes that food itself contains sparks of the Divine, and thus
enables us to survive. When we bless the food or discuss Torah at the table, we
elevate the food. Shabbos and Yom Tov imbue the food with further sanctity, and
when we make a special brachah over a special food, such as over matzoh and marror,
they receive even further sanctity. By ingesting this food, we are ingesting
the sanctity within it. When we eat the matzoh, we are vicariously ingesting
the korban Pesach, and we are inspired to sing Hallel.
Since this is the case, it is important to maintain a
sense of sanctity during the meal, reminds us Rabbi Schorr in Halekach
Vehalebuv. The meal is the appropriate time to offer commentary and
discussion on the Haggadah, or otherwise to personalize the lessons of Pesach.
Indeed, every moment of the seudah/meal is part of our prayers and our Hallel
rather than just an ordinary meal, writes Rabbi Biederman in Be’er Chaim.
Ordinarily, when one eats, one loosens one’s belt, but the korban Pesach,
Pascal sacrifice, was to be eaten with a girded, tied belt. It is not a time to
slack off, but to continue the praises of Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
The sanctity of this meal brings with it the scent of Gan
Eden, continues Halekach Vehalebuv . It was on the night of Pesach
that Yaakov brought the tasty food to his father Yitzchak and received the
blessings. Upon Yaakov’s entry, Yitzchak smelled the scent of Gan Eden upon
him. On that same night of Pesach, when we come before our Father, that same
scent of Gan Eden accompanies us, and the food carries within it the
aroma of Gan Eden. When we eat the matzah, we should sense the taste of Gan
Eden and sense Hashem’s presence.
Taking this idea one step further, Rabbi Meislish in Sichot
Ba’Avodat Hashem imagines our Seder meal as a meal of the future, with
Hashem sitting at the head of the table. Through this meal we should see
ourselves as offering the ketoret/incense offering to Hashem. The
ketoret had the ability to vanquish our enemies, and therefore immediately
after the meal we ask Hashem Shefoch Chamoscha…/Pour out your anger on
our enemies. Our main enemy is within ourselves, our yetzer horo/evil
inclination. Hashem, pour out your wrath upon the yetzer horo so that it
will hold no sway over me, we ask. Help me be redeemed from its clutches.
In a poignant observation, Rabbi Pincus z”l notes that
the Hallel is not the only thing that is divided during the Seder. The
matzoh too is broken. Perhaps, like the broken glass under the wedding canopy,
these broken symbols are also meant to remind us that our redemption is not
complete, that we still find ourselves in a state of exile, and therefore we
cannot sing the full Hallel. That will be done when Moshiach comes and
we experience our final redemption may it be speedily, in our day.