לֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ מִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙ עַד־בֹּ֔קֶר וְעֶ֖צֶם לֹ֣א יִשְׁבְּרוּ־ב֑וֹ כְּכָל־חֻקַּ֥ת הַפֶּ֖סַח יַעֲשׂ֥וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃
<span class="x" onmousemove="Show('perush','Este es el <b>119no Precepto Negativo</b> enumerado por el Rambam en el Prefacio a Mishné Torá, su “Compendio de la Ley Hebrea” para todo el Pueblo de Israel.',event);" onmouseout="Close();">No dejarán de él para la mañana</span>, ni <span class="x" onmousemove="Show('perush','Este es el <b>122do Precepto Negativo</b> enumerado por el Rambam en el Prefacio a Mishné Torá, su “Compendio de la Ley Hebrea” para todo el Pueblo de Israel. Este versículo tambiénes utilizado para explicar la Regla exegética llamada <b>כל דבר שהיה בכלל ויצא מן הכלל לא ללמד על עצמו יצא אלא ללמד על הכלל כלו יצא</b> en nuestra página acerca de la Torá Oral.',event);" onmouseout="Close();">quebrarán hueso en él</span>: conforme a todos los ritos de la pascua la harán.
Marbeh Lesaper
Mah Nishtanah: There are many questions raised by this passage. First, why don’t we ask about the other things which are different on this night, such as the four cups of wine? The fact that the children aren’t yet aware that there are other cups of wine is not an answer to this question; they also don’t know that we are going to dip twice during the Seder. All they really know about are the things that are found on the Seder plate. The Talmud says that we recite the Mah Nishtanah when we pour the second cup of wine. If that is so, then the child should have asked, “Why are we pouring a second cup of wine?” It seems that the questions are related to eating the Passover meal. We ask them when we pour the second cup of wine because drinking the wine increases one’s appetite and one’s desire for matzah45BT Pesachim 107b. When the child sees the pouring of the wine, he begins to wonder about this meal and how different it is.
There are other questions. We ask the four questions in their proper order!46In point of fact, first we lean, then we dip, then we eat matzah and then we eat the bitter herbs. In the Zevach Pesach commentary, Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel writes that the first two questions relate to slavery and the second two questions, freedom. We have two questions regarding slavery (matzah and bitter herbs) because there were two aspects of slavery in Egypt. We were enslaved both to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. Not only did we have to serve Pharaoh, but we could not escape from Egypt and had to serve all the people of the land. But if these two questions both relate to slavery a wise child could have combined these questions: “Why on all other nights we can eat chametz or matzah as well as all types of vegetables but tonight, we eat only matzah and bitter herbs?” Similarly with the second two questions which relate to freedom, he could have said, “tonight we recline and dip twice unlike other nights.”
Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi47Eliezer (Lazer) ben Elijah Ashkenazi (1512–December 13, 1585) was a Talmudist, rabbi, and physician. Though of a German family (according to some, the relative of Joseph Colon, he was probably born in the Levant, and received his Talmudic education under Joseph Taitazak in Salonica. Ashkenazi first became rabbi in Egypt 1538-60, probably at Fostat, where, by his learning and wealth, he became widely known., in his commentary Ma’aseh Adonai, writes that the four questions are related to the four children. The question regarding matzah is the question of the wise child. He wants to know why this night is ‘entirely’ matzah; with most of the laws of kashrut a small amount can be disregarded but not so with chametz and matzah. Even a little chametz is forbidden.48There is a concept in kashrut referred to as batel bishishim; that if the amount of treif that falls into kosher food is one sixtieth (or less), the kashrut is still intact. Not so with hametz. Even a tiny bit of something hametz makes the food forbidden. So tonight must be entirely matzah. Also the matzah which we eat on this night must be plain matzah, uncooked other than its being baked. It must also be the last thing we eat so that its taste remains in our mouth.
The second question regarding bitter herbs is the wicked child’s question. He has no desire for something bitter so he says, “What is this service to you?”
The simple child asks the third question regarding dipping twice. He only asks about that which he sees. He sees that we are going to dip twice and wonders, “What is this?”
Finally, the ‘one who doesn’t know how to ask’ on his own, questions the act of leaning. We purposely lean during the Seder, something we don’t ordinarily do, in order to provoke this child to ask questions.
There are two other ways of interpreting this passage in the Haggadah.
First Explanation: To explain the first interpretation, we must first understand the connection between Passover and Pesach Sheni, the Second Passover.49Pesach Sheni, Second Passover, is a minor Jewish observance on the 14th of Iyar in the Hebrew Calendar. The holiday is mentioned in the Torah in Numbers 9:1-14 of which the following text is a paraphrase. There are two verses in scripture which contain a significant difference. “They shall eat it roasted over fire and matzah with bitter herbs.”50Exodus 12:8 In Parshat Baha’lotkha, “According to all the statutes of Passover, you shall eat it with matzah and bitter herbs.”51Numbers 9:12 Note the difference between these two verses. In the first one, regarding Passover, there is a separation between the matzah and bitter herbs, while the verse from Numbers which is related to the Second Passover, the Passover offering is separate from matzah and bitter herbs.52The word “with” appears after the word matzah in the first verse and before the word matzah in the second verse, suggesting that the role of matzah was different on the Second Passover from than on the first. The Bible tells us that those who could not celebrate the first Passover for reasons beyond their control can celebrate a ‘second Passover’ one month later. Nachmanides explains that the first verse suggests that both the Passover offering and the matzah are each a unique and separate mitzvah on the eve of Passover. They are connected by the Hebrew letter, vav (and), which is a conjunction. This teaches us that that these two commandments are not dependent on one another while the eating of bitter herbs is dependent on the Passover offering.53That is, if there is no offering we are not obligated to eat bitter herbs. But we are still obligated to eat matzah. Eating bitter herbs, then, is a rabbinic and not a scriptural commandment at our Seder today. That is why we see ‘al marorim,’ with bitter herbs, and not u’marorim, ‘and bitter herbs,’ in the first verse.
Someone who didn’t observe the Passover on the fifteenth of Nissan because of circumstances beyond his control can make it up one month later on the fifteenth of Iyyar. If one forgot to eat matzah on the fifteenth of Nissan (in our time), he cannot make it up this lost mitzvah. Even if the person eats matzah on the fifteenth of Iyyar he has not fulfilled this mitzvah. The Second Passover is only for making up the missed sacrifice in ancient times. He still must eat the Passover offering with matzah and bitter herbs, but this does not count for the missed commandment of eating matzah on Passover. The verse in Numbers, therefore, says, “You shall eat it WITH matzah and bitter herbs;” the word WITH implies that while you still eat these other foods they are not considered separate mitzvot.
We can now understand the statements in the Mah Nishtanah. These four questions are all related to the similarities and differences between the regular Passover and the Second Passover. That we do all these things to commemorate the Exodus is obvious to the reader. So why are they different from one another? The question is, “Why is this night so different from all other nights – even from the Second Passover?”
On the Second Passover why don’t we have two commandments of matzah and the Passover offering just as we have on the first Passover, since scripture states, “According to all the laws of Passover you shall do it.” Regarding the second question, we ask, ‘If bitter herbs are only an accoutrement and not a separate mitzvah on Passover why do we eat bitter herbs at this time?’ Similarly, we ask regarding the dipping and the leaning, shouldn’t we be required to lean and dip on the Second Passover just as we do on the first Passover? Only those acts which accompany the Passover offering are prevented on the Second Passover and not the other customs.
The answer to all these questions is that the first Passover is a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt and therefore all of these practices are required as part of the celebration while the purpose of the Second Passover is to allow the person to make up for the missed sacrifice and not to commemorate the Exodus all over again. We eat unleavened bread to remind ourselves that our dough did not have time to become leavened when we left Egypt and that the matzah was the bread of affliction, a reminder of slavery. Today we eat the bitter herbs to remind ourselves of our ancestors’ bitterness in Egypt. The dipping and leaning are a commemoration of the verse, “I brought you out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” All of this only applies on the night of the fifteenth of Nissan. The Second Passover offering was not a reminder of the miracles but a ‘make-up date’ for the missed offering.
There are other questions. We ask the four questions in their proper order!46In point of fact, first we lean, then we dip, then we eat matzah and then we eat the bitter herbs. In the Zevach Pesach commentary, Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel writes that the first two questions relate to slavery and the second two questions, freedom. We have two questions regarding slavery (matzah and bitter herbs) because there were two aspects of slavery in Egypt. We were enslaved both to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. Not only did we have to serve Pharaoh, but we could not escape from Egypt and had to serve all the people of the land. But if these two questions both relate to slavery a wise child could have combined these questions: “Why on all other nights we can eat chametz or matzah as well as all types of vegetables but tonight, we eat only matzah and bitter herbs?” Similarly with the second two questions which relate to freedom, he could have said, “tonight we recline and dip twice unlike other nights.”
Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi47Eliezer (Lazer) ben Elijah Ashkenazi (1512–December 13, 1585) was a Talmudist, rabbi, and physician. Though of a German family (according to some, the relative of Joseph Colon, he was probably born in the Levant, and received his Talmudic education under Joseph Taitazak in Salonica. Ashkenazi first became rabbi in Egypt 1538-60, probably at Fostat, where, by his learning and wealth, he became widely known., in his commentary Ma’aseh Adonai, writes that the four questions are related to the four children. The question regarding matzah is the question of the wise child. He wants to know why this night is ‘entirely’ matzah; with most of the laws of kashrut a small amount can be disregarded but not so with chametz and matzah. Even a little chametz is forbidden.48There is a concept in kashrut referred to as batel bishishim; that if the amount of treif that falls into kosher food is one sixtieth (or less), the kashrut is still intact. Not so with hametz. Even a tiny bit of something hametz makes the food forbidden. So tonight must be entirely matzah. Also the matzah which we eat on this night must be plain matzah, uncooked other than its being baked. It must also be the last thing we eat so that its taste remains in our mouth.
The second question regarding bitter herbs is the wicked child’s question. He has no desire for something bitter so he says, “What is this service to you?”
The simple child asks the third question regarding dipping twice. He only asks about that which he sees. He sees that we are going to dip twice and wonders, “What is this?”
Finally, the ‘one who doesn’t know how to ask’ on his own, questions the act of leaning. We purposely lean during the Seder, something we don’t ordinarily do, in order to provoke this child to ask questions.
There are two other ways of interpreting this passage in the Haggadah.
First Explanation: To explain the first interpretation, we must first understand the connection between Passover and Pesach Sheni, the Second Passover.49Pesach Sheni, Second Passover, is a minor Jewish observance on the 14th of Iyar in the Hebrew Calendar. The holiday is mentioned in the Torah in Numbers 9:1-14 of which the following text is a paraphrase. There are two verses in scripture which contain a significant difference. “They shall eat it roasted over fire and matzah with bitter herbs.”50Exodus 12:8 In Parshat Baha’lotkha, “According to all the statutes of Passover, you shall eat it with matzah and bitter herbs.”51Numbers 9:12 Note the difference between these two verses. In the first one, regarding Passover, there is a separation between the matzah and bitter herbs, while the verse from Numbers which is related to the Second Passover, the Passover offering is separate from matzah and bitter herbs.52The word “with” appears after the word matzah in the first verse and before the word matzah in the second verse, suggesting that the role of matzah was different on the Second Passover from than on the first. The Bible tells us that those who could not celebrate the first Passover for reasons beyond their control can celebrate a ‘second Passover’ one month later. Nachmanides explains that the first verse suggests that both the Passover offering and the matzah are each a unique and separate mitzvah on the eve of Passover. They are connected by the Hebrew letter, vav (and), which is a conjunction. This teaches us that that these two commandments are not dependent on one another while the eating of bitter herbs is dependent on the Passover offering.53That is, if there is no offering we are not obligated to eat bitter herbs. But we are still obligated to eat matzah. Eating bitter herbs, then, is a rabbinic and not a scriptural commandment at our Seder today. That is why we see ‘al marorim,’ with bitter herbs, and not u’marorim, ‘and bitter herbs,’ in the first verse.
Someone who didn’t observe the Passover on the fifteenth of Nissan because of circumstances beyond his control can make it up one month later on the fifteenth of Iyyar. If one forgot to eat matzah on the fifteenth of Nissan (in our time), he cannot make it up this lost mitzvah. Even if the person eats matzah on the fifteenth of Iyyar he has not fulfilled this mitzvah. The Second Passover is only for making up the missed sacrifice in ancient times. He still must eat the Passover offering with matzah and bitter herbs, but this does not count for the missed commandment of eating matzah on Passover. The verse in Numbers, therefore, says, “You shall eat it WITH matzah and bitter herbs;” the word WITH implies that while you still eat these other foods they are not considered separate mitzvot.
We can now understand the statements in the Mah Nishtanah. These four questions are all related to the similarities and differences between the regular Passover and the Second Passover. That we do all these things to commemorate the Exodus is obvious to the reader. So why are they different from one another? The question is, “Why is this night so different from all other nights – even from the Second Passover?”
On the Second Passover why don’t we have two commandments of matzah and the Passover offering just as we have on the first Passover, since scripture states, “According to all the laws of Passover you shall do it.” Regarding the second question, we ask, ‘If bitter herbs are only an accoutrement and not a separate mitzvah on Passover why do we eat bitter herbs at this time?’ Similarly, we ask regarding the dipping and the leaning, shouldn’t we be required to lean and dip on the Second Passover just as we do on the first Passover? Only those acts which accompany the Passover offering are prevented on the Second Passover and not the other customs.
The answer to all these questions is that the first Passover is a commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt and therefore all of these practices are required as part of the celebration while the purpose of the Second Passover is to allow the person to make up for the missed sacrifice and not to commemorate the Exodus all over again. We eat unleavened bread to remind ourselves that our dough did not have time to become leavened when we left Egypt and that the matzah was the bread of affliction, a reminder of slavery. Today we eat the bitter herbs to remind ourselves of our ancestors’ bitterness in Egypt. The dipping and leaning are a commemoration of the verse, “I brought you out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” All of this only applies on the night of the fifteenth of Nissan. The Second Passover offering was not a reminder of the miracles but a ‘make-up date’ for the missed offering.
Bartenura
והשני חמץ ומצה עמו בבית – As it is written (Numbers 9:12): “…They shall offer it in strict accord with the law of the Passover sacrifice.” It implies that the commandments on his body, such as “roasted” and that “they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” (verse 11), we perform them in strict accord with the law of the Passover [sacrifice], but commandments that are upon his body from another place such as getting rid of leaven and that the Passover [sacrifice] should not be slaughtered with leaven, we do not do this in strict accord with the law of the Passover [sacrifice].
Siftei Chakhamim
This prohibits retaining the flesh of the pesach offered during future generations, etc. For regarding the pesach brought in Egypt it is written (Shmos 12:10), “Do not let any of it remain until morning.” [Therefore] we might think that this applies only to the pesach brought in Egypt, which the Jews ate in haste while preparing to travel. And for this reason it should not be allowed to remain — so there should be no delay. But the pesach brought during future generations may remain until morning. So the verse here comes to teach us differently. And the verse in Parshas Ki Sisa (ibid. 34:25), “Do not allow to remain overnight until the morning, etc.,” is speaking about the innards of the pesach offering. And the verse in Parshas Beha’aloscha (Bamidbar 9:12), “They shall not leave any of it over until the morning,” is speaking about the Second Pesach [on the fifteenth of Iyar].