והגדת

And I Shall Relate to You

- David Selesnic

 

All around the world, Jews read the Haggadah at the Seder on Pesach. Most, if not all, know that we read the Haggadah to fulfill the mitzvah of סיפור יציאת מצרים , sippur yetziat mitzrayim, the retelling of the Exodus from Egypt.

But where does the word Haggadah come from?

The common interpretation is that it is derived from the words “והגדת לבנך” , “ve’higadta leVincha,” literally “and you shall tell your child.”

But there are other interpretations. Rabbeinu David Avudraham brings a verse from Sefer Devarim (26:3), in which the word “Higadti”, which is usually translated as “I shall tell,” is translated as “I shall praise.”

The implications of this shed some light on the purpose of Pesach. If we only interpret the Haggadah as saying “you shall relate this to your children,” the purpose is solely in the retelling of the story. But if we add the interpretation of “praise,” then we must recognize praise of Hashem as an important part of the Seder.

This, in turn, helps explain why Hallel is included in the 16 steps of the Seder. Whereas we might have thought that Magid, which is predominantly the telling of the story of the Exodus, was the most important, we now understand that Hallel is of equal significance. This also leads us to believe that there are no parts of the Seder that are better or more important than any other parts, and equal intensity and attention must be paid to all parts of the evening.

This is especially important in reminding us that Shulchan Orech, the meal, is not to be placed above all others. A festive meal does not a Seder make.

So let us all remember, and pass down through our children, that content is important, recognition of the story and HaShem is important, and nutritious eggs in salt water are important, and none take precedence over the other.

 

http://www.tzemachdovid.org/rabbitaubes/pesach3.html