007 - הִלְכוֹת חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה פֵּרֶק ז

The Rambam begins by stating that there is a positive mitzvah from the Torah to relate the miracles and wonders that were done for our forefathers in Egypt on the night of the 15th of Nisan. The verse says, "Remember this day that you have gone out of Egypt," just as it says, "Remember the day of Shabbos." The Rambam draws a comparison here: just as you are commanded to remember Shabbos, so too you are commanded to remember the Exodus. There is a discussion in the notes about the meaning of the word "Zachor"—when it is vocalized with a kometz, it could mean just a remembrance, but when it is with a patach, it is a command. Here, the Torah is giving a command to remember and to do something about it.

The Rambam asks: how do we know that this mitzvah is to be performed specifically on the night of the 15th of Nisan? The verse says, "Ve'higadeta le'vincha bayom hahu leimor: ba'avur zeh"—you shall relate to your son on that day, saying, because of this. The implication is that you are showing your son something, specifically at the time when matzah and maror are in front of you. This teaches us that the mitzvah is to be done on the night of Pesach, when these items are present.

Even if a person has no son, or even if those present are great sages who know the story fluently, they are still obligated to relate the story of the Exodus. The mitzvah applies to everyone, and it must be verbalized. Anyone who prolongs and elaborates on the events that happened is praiseworthy.

The mitzvah is to inform the children, even if they do not ask. The verse says, "Ve'higadeta le'vincha"—you shall tell your son. In other places, the Torah says, "when your son asks you," but here it says to tell him regardless. This means you do not have to wait for your son to ask; you should tell him on your own initiative.

The father should teach his son according to the son's capacity to understand. If the child is a minor or not very bright, the father should say, "My son, we were all slaves, like this maidservant or this servant here, in Egypt, and on this night Hashem redeemed us and took us to freedom." If the son is older and wise, the father should tell him what happened to us in Egypt and the miracles that took place through Moshe Rabbeinu. The teaching should always be according to the understanding of the child.

One must make changes on this night to arouse the curiosity of the children. The idea is that the children will notice that the Seder table is not like an ordinary supper table, and they will ask, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Once they ask, you can respond and explain what happened.

What are the changes that we make? We distribute nuts and dried sweets (cloyus, which are roasted grains or wheat), take away the table before eating (in those days, each person had their own small table, so removing it was noticeable), and we grab matzah from one another. This could mean eating it quickly or, as some say, stealing the afikoman. These actions are based on the Gemara and are quoted by the Rambam. Similar actions can be done to arouse curiosity.

If a person has no son, then his wife asks him. If he has no wife, they ask each other. Even if everyone present is wise, they still ask each other. If someone is alone, he asks himself, "Why is this night different?"—even to himself.

When relating the story of the Exodus, one must begin with disgrace and conclude with praise. This means describing where we started and where we ended up. For example, our forefathers in the days of Terach (Avraham's father) and before were deniers of Hashem and chased after idolatry. Then, we conclude with the true religion, that Hashem brought us close to Him, separated us from the nations, and brought us to His unity.

Similarly, we begin by stating that we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and recount all the bad that was done to us, and then conclude with the miracles and wonders and our redemption. The main way to fulfill this is by expounding on the section of "Arami oved avi" in Devarim, until the end of that parsha. Anyone who adds and prolongs in expounding this section is praiseworthy.

Anyone who does not say these three things on the night of the 15th has not fulfilled his obligation: Pesach, matzah, and maror. There is an obligation to explain each one. Pesach is because Hashem passed over the houses of our forefathers in Egypt, as the verse says, "This is a Pesach offering to Hashem because He passed over our homes and saved us." Maror is because the Egyptians made our lives bitter in Egypt. Matzah is because we were redeemed. All these items together are called the Haggadah.

In every generation, a person must show himself as if he himself has just now gone out from the slavery of Egypt. The verse says, "Ve'osanu hotzi misham"—He took us out from there. The Torah commands, "Ve'zacharta ki eved hayisa"—you shall remember that you were a slave. Even though you personally were not a slave, the Torah wants you to imagine as if you yourself were a slave and went out to freedom and were redeemed. The Rebbe discusses the difference in how the Rambam writes this, but the main point is that each person should feel as if he personally experienced the Exodus.

Therefore, when eating on this night, one must eat and drink while reclining, in the manner of free people. Everyone, men and women, is obligated to drink four cups of wine on this night—no less. Even a poor person who is supported by charity must be provided with four cups. The minimum amount for each cup is a revi'is (a quarter of a log).

Even a poor person, who normally would not recline, must do so on this night. A woman does not require reclining because it is not the usual custom for women to recline, unless she is an important woman, in which case she should recline. A son eating by his father may not recline out of respect, but the assumption is that the father allows it for the mitzvah. A student in front of his teacher does not recline unless given permission. Reclining on the right, back, or face is not considered proper; only reclining on the left side is valid.

One is required to recline when eating the matzah for the mitzvah and when drinking the four cups. For the rest of the meal, reclining is praiseworthy but not required. The four cups must be diluted, as the wine in those days was very strong. The wine should be enjoyable to drink, and the raw wine must be at least a revi'is. If one drinks the four cups without diluting the wine, he fulfills the obligation of drinking but not in the manner of freedom. If one drinks all four cups in succession without the Haggadah in between, he may have enjoyed the wine but has not fulfilled the mitzvah of the four cups, which require interruptions for the Haggadah.

Each cup has its own blessing. According to the Rambam, one would even make a blessing after each cup, but our custom is not to do so. During the Seder, after the first section, we recite the Haggadah, then bench, finish Hallel, and make the blessing of the song. Between the cups, one may drink, except between the third and fourth cups, where it is not allowed so as not to become drunk and miss the end of Hallel.

The mitzvah of charoses is rabbinic, and we do not make a blessing on it. The charoses is a reminder of the mortar used in Egypt, and its ingredients are dates, figs, raisins, crushed and mixed with vinegar and spices to resemble straw in the mortar. The eating of maror is not a Torah commandment today, since it is only a mitzvah together with the Korban Pesach. However, from the words of the Scribes, we eat maror on the night of Pesach even without the Korban. The Torah lists five types of bitter herbs that qualify as maror. Eating any of these, alone or combined, in the amount of a kezayis, fulfills the obligation. The leaves must be moist, but the stems or roots can be dry. If they are cooked or soaked, they must remain in their original state to be valid for the mitzvah.

Even a poor person in Israel should not eat on the night of Pesach until he reclines. Reclining, or haseiba, is a sign of freedom. The Rambam says that even someone who is so poor that he normally eats his bread sitting on the floor, for the Seder he should not eat until he reclines, to show that he is free. A woman does not require reclining, because it is not the custom or nature of women to recline. However, if she is an important woman—meaning a woman of status—then she does require haseiba. The Rambam makes this distinction, and the teacher points out that in earlier times, women did not recline, but if she is a distinguished woman, she should.

When it comes to a son at his father's table, or a servant in front of his master, they are required to recline. The assumption is that the father or master is okay with it for the sake of the mitzvah. However, a student in front of his teacher does not recline unless his teacher gives him explicit permission. The reason is that reclining in front of one's teacher is considered disrespectful unless permission is granted.

Reclining on the right side is not considered proper haseiba. Similarly, if someone leans on his back or on his face, that is not called reclining. The only proper way is to lean on the left side. When is one required to recline? During the eating of the kezayis of matzah and during the drinking of the four cups of wine. For the rest of the eating and drinking, if you recline, it is praiseworthy, but if not, you are not required to do so.

The four cups of wine must be diluted so that the drinking is pleasant. In the times of the Rambam, wine was very strong and not really drinkable as is, so it had to be mixed with water to make it enjoyable. The amount and type of dilution depend on the wine and the person drinking. The main thing is that the wine should be enjoyable to drink. Each of the four cups must contain at least a revi'is of undiluted wine, which is the minimum amount required for each cup. If someone drinks the four cups from undiluted wine, he has fulfilled the obligation of drinking four cups, but not in the manner of freedom, because it was not enjoyable. If someone drinks four diluted cups all at once, he has fulfilled the requirement of drinking in a manner of freedom, but not the requirement of four separate cups. The four cups must be drunk at their proper times, with the Haggadah and other parts of the Seder in between. If a person drinks most of each cup, he has fulfilled his obligation.

For each of the four cups, a separate blessing is made. On the first cup, one recites Kiddush HaYom, the sanctification of the day. On the second cup, the Haggadah is recited. On the third cup, the blessing after the meal, Birchas HaMazon, is said. On the fourth cup, one completes the Hallel and recites the blessing of the song, Birchas HaShir. Between these cups, if someone wants to drink, he may do so, except between the third and fourth cup, where drinking is not allowed. The reason is that after the third cup, one has already recited Birchas HaMazon and is preparing to finish the Seder with Hallel. Drinking more wine at that point could cause a person to become drunk and not finish the Seder properly. The teacher notes that there are different customs about drinking between the first and second cups, but according to the Rambam, only between the third and fourth is it prohibited.

Charoses is a rabbinic mitzvah, instituted by the Sages as a remembrance of the mortar that the Jews used in Egypt. The Rambam says that we do not make a blessing on charoses because it is considered secondary to the maror. Some people have the custom to make a blessing, but the Rambam says we do not. The charoses is made by taking dates, or figs, or raisins, or similar fruits, and crushing them. Vinegar is added, and then spices are mixed in to resemble the straw that was mixed with the mortar. The charoses is brought to the table on the night of Pesach.

The eating of maror—the bitter herbs—is not a Torah commandment on its own nowadays. The mitzvah of eating maror is dependent on the eating of the Korban Pesach, the Paschal sacrifice. The Torah's positive command is to eat the meat of the Korban Pesach together with matzah and maror. Since we do not have the Korban Pesach today, the Torah obligation to eat maror does not apply. However, the Sages instituted that we should still eat maror on the night of Pesach, even without the Korban Pesach.

The bitter herbs mentioned in the Torah are five types: chazeres (usually translated as romaine lettuce), oloshen, tamcha (often identified as horseradish), charchevina, and maror itself. Any one of these five types, or a combination of them, can be used for the mitzvah of maror. If a person eats a kezayis—the size of an olive—of any one or a combination of these, he fulfills his obligation. The leaves must be moist; if they are dried out, they are not valid. However, if one uses the stem or the root, even if it is dry, it is acceptable. If the herbs are cooked, pickled, or boiled, they are not valid for the mitzvah; they must be eaten in their original, raw state.