Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Isaias 27:5

Bildad too makes one final effort to find a remedy (Jeremiah 51:8) for the theories he had put forward: his hypothesis that reparation is ultimately made for the suffering of the righteous, and his assertion with regard to the prosperity of the wicked, that the greater part of their punishment—the perdition of their souls and that of their offspring—is reserved for the world to come. Though Job had rebuffed all of this, Bildad now gathers his strength (Isaiah 27:5) to re-engage battle at the gate (Isaiah 28:6) in the following way:

Haggadah: That Which Draws Out the Heart: It is because of that which the Lord did for me on that day when he took me out of Egypt. (Page 75a)We have already learned that telling the story is called Haggadah because it draws a person’s heart to fear God as one listens to the story of God’s miracles and wonders. The words of the teller enter the heart of the listener and it influences him for good. While we are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus all year long they do not have the same effect on the individual as they do on this night. That is why the Mekhilta makes a point of emphasizing that we must do so “on this day” and not only on this day but when the matzah and maror are lying before us. This is the time most fitting for the telling of the story. Ba’avur Zeh - “Because of this.” What is it about the matzah and maror that they must be before us when we tell the story of the Exodus? God redeemed us from Egypt when we were most humiliated and bitter. Matzah, the bread of our affliction, is a symbol of our humiliation, and maror is a symbol of our bitterness. When Israel reached the realization that there was no hope for them to save themselves, then God redeemed them. This is the meaning if the verse in Isaiah, 27:5: “Let him take hold of my strength (ma’ozi) ” The gematria of word my strength is the same as matzah. It is through the merit of such faith that we were redeemed from Egypt. When we say ba’avur zeh, ‘because of this,’ it is as if we can literally see God at this moment and are pointing at him: “It is because of this One.” This is an affirmation of our ancestor’s faith in God’s redeeming power. So too we must show as much faith if we wish to be redeemed. That is why we answer the wicked child with this verse. He lacks such faith in God and therefore he would not have been worthy of being redeemed from Egypt. This answers the question that many of the commentators ask: Why are we told to remember the Exodus specifically on this night? Are we told to remember it every night? On this night the effect of our telling is much more powerful: it inspires faith in God. “May God help us to learn, to teach, to implant awe and love n our hearts and in the hearts of all Israel, Amen!”