View source for Haggadah

{{about|the Passover Haggadah|the genre in general|Aggadah}}
{{Short description|Text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
[[File:Haggadah 15th cent.jpg|thumb|Page from the illuminated Darmstadt Haggadah, Germany, {{circa|1420}}]]
The '''Haggadah''' ({{langx|he|הַגָּדָה}}, "telling"; plural: '''Haggadot''') is a foundational [[Jewish]] text that sets forth the order of the [[Passover Seder]]. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table fulfills the [[mitzvah]] incumbent on every [[Jew]] to recount the [[The Exodus|Egyptian Exodus]] story to their children on the first night of Passover.

==History==
===Authorship===
According to Jewish tradition, the Haggadah developed during the [[Mishnah|Mishnaic]] and [[Talmud]]ic periods, although the exact timeframe is unknown. It has existed in different forms over history and therefore cannot be attributed to a single author. Its corporate author is traditionally designated as the ''Baal Haggadah'' (master of the Haggadah). There is also a tradition that the term ''Baal Haggadah'' refers to an anonymous individual from the time of the Gaonim who devised the standard version used today.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Glatstein |first=Daniel |title=Rav Daniel Glatstein on the Haggadah |date=March 13, 2023 |publisher=Mesorah Publications Ltd. |isbn=978-1422633052 |edition=1st}}</ref> It is unlikely that it was assembled before the time of [[Judah bar Ilai]] ({{circa|170 CE}}), the latest [[Tannaim|tanna]] quoted therein. It is usually assumed that a set text did not exist prior to a crucial dispute about the Haggadah's arrangement recorded in the [[Talmud|Babylonian Talmud]]. The [[Vilna Edition Shas|Vilna]] edition of the Talmud identifies the participants in that dispute as [[Abba Arika]] and [[Samuel of Nehardea]] ({{circa|230 CE}}),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pesachim 116a:11 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Pesachim.116a.11?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> but the later was more likely [[Rava (amora)|Rava]] (c. 280-352 CE).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guggenheimer |first=Heinrich |title=The Scholar's Haggadah: Ashkenazic, Sephardic, and Oriental Versions |date=1995 |publisher=Jason Aronson, Inc |isbn=978-0-7657-6040-1 |edition= |location=Northvale NJ |pages=253}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kasher |first=Menachem |title=Hagadah Shelemah |date=1967 |publisher=Torah Shelema Institute |location=Jerusalem, Israel |publication-date=1967 |pages=22}}</ref> From a statement of Rav Nachman, it appears he was aware of a set Haggadah text,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pesachim 116a:12 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Pesachim.116a.12?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> but there is a dispute about which Rav Nachman the Talmud referred to, [[Rav Nachman bar Yaakov]] ({{circa|280 CE}}),<ref>See [[Tosafot]] Bava Batra 46b, who states that every time the Talmud says Rav Nachman it is Rav Nachman bar Yaakov</ref> or [[Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak]] (c. 360 CE).<ref>See [[Rashi]]</ref> A minority of commentators, including Naftali Maskil LeAison, author of the ''Malbim Haggadah,''<ref name="MH" /> believe that the Haggadah's text was already complete at the time of Abba Arika and Samuel and that they were arguing about the Haggadah's interpretation rather than its arrangement. The ''Malbim Haggadah'' theorizes that the Haggadah was written by the compiler of the [[Mishnah]], Rabbi [[Judah ha-Nasi]] (c. 135-217 CE).<ref name="MH">{{cite book |last1=Taub |first1=Jonathan |title=The Malbim Haggadah |last2=Shaw |first2=Yisroel |publisher=Targum Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-1-56871-007-5}}</ref>{{rp|xxxiv}}

[[File:Dance of Marian. Full F15 from Golden Haggadah.jpg|thumb|Page from the Golden Haggadah, probably Barcelona, {{circa|1320}}. Upper right: the Dance of Miriam (Ex. 15:20), upper left: the master of the house distributing the matzot (unleavened bread) and the haroset (sweetmeat), lower right: cleaning of the house, lower left: slaughtering the Passover lamb and cleansing dishes (hagalat kelim).]]
One of the most ancient parts is the recital of the [[Hallel]], which, according to the Mishnah (Pesachim 5:7), was sung at the sacrifice in the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], and of which, according to the [[Houses of Hillel and Shammai|school of Shammai]], only the first chapter shall be recited. After the [[Psalms]] a blessing for the Redemption is to be said. This blessing, according to [[Rabbi Tarfon]], runs as follows: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, Master of the Universe Who redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt and brought us to this night.”<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Passover Haggadah |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-passover-haggadah |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kulp |first=Joshua |title=English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim |url=https://prod.sefaria.org/English_Explanation_of_Mishnah_Pesachim.10.6.3?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |access-date=14 April 2025 |website=Sefaria |at=10:6:3 |quote=For Rabbi Tarfon it is a simple blessing, one which mentions the past redemption but does not have a formal conclusion. The whole blessing reads 'Blessed are You, Lord our God, Master of the Universe Who redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt and brought us to this night.'}}</ref>

Another part of the oldest ritual, as is recorded in the Mishnah, is the conclusion of the "Hallel" (up to Psalms 118), and the closing benediction of the hymn "Birkat ha-Shir", which latter the ''[[Amoraim]]'' explain differently,<ref>Pesachim 116a</ref> but which evidently was similar to the benediction thanking God, "who loves the songs of praise," used in the present ritual.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

These blessings, and the narrations of Israel's history in Egypt, based on Deuteronomy 26:5–9 and on Joshua 24:2–4, with some introductory remarks, were added in the time of the early ''Amoraim'' in the third century CE.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

In post-Talmudic times, during the era of the ''[[Geonim]]'', selections from [[midrash]]im were added. The ''siddur'' of Rav [[Amram Gaon]] ({{circa|850}}) includes one of the earliest examples of the Haggadah, and it served as a foundational source for later iterations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of the Haggadah by Rabbi Moshe Lazarus |url=https://ohr.edu/holidays/pesach/history/835 |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Ohr Somayach}}</ref> Of the ''midrashim'' included in Amram Gaon's version, one of the most important is that of the four children, representing four different attitudes towards why Jews should observe [[Passover]]. This division is taken from the [[Jerusalem Talmud]]<ref>Pesachim 34b</ref> and from a parallel passage in the [[Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael]];<ref>{{citation |last1=Lauterbach |first1=Jacob Z |title=The Mekhilta: Halakhic Midrash on Exodus |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-mekhilta/ |access-date=12 March 2022 |work=My Jewish Learning}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Farber |first1=Zev |title=The Four Sons: How the Midrash Developed |url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-four-sons-how-the-midrash-developed |access-date=12 March 2022 |work=www.thetorah.com |date=2019}}</ref> it is slightly altered in the present ritual. Other rabbinic quotes from the [[aggadah]] literature are added, as the story of [[Eliezer ben Hurcanus]], who discussed the Exodus all night with four other rabbis, which tale is found in an altogether different form in the [[Tosefta]].{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

While the main portions of the text of the Haggadah have remained mostly the same since their original compilation, there have been some additions after the last part of the text. Some of these additions, such as the [[cumulative song]]s "One little goat" (חד גדיא) and "Who Knows One?" (אחד מי יודע), which were added sometime in the fifteenth century, gained such acceptance that they became a standard to print at the back of the Haggadah.<ref>{{Cite web |last=נאור |first=עמית |date=2020-04-05 |title=Is “Chad Gadya” the First Children’s Song in Recorded History? |url=https://blog.nli.org.il/en/lbh_chad-gadya-children/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=The Librarians |language=en-US}}</ref>

The text of the Haggadah was never fixed in one, final form, as no rabbinic body existed which had authority over such matters. Instead, each local community developed its own text. A variety of traditional texts took on a standardized form by the end of the medieval era on the [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] and [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardi]] communities.<ref name=":0" />

The [[Karaite Judaism|Karaites]]<ref>Hagadah Ḳaraimtsa ṿe-Rustsa = Povi͡estvovanīe na Paskhu po-karaimski i po-russki, Abraham Firkowitsch, Vilʹna : Tip. I. T͡Sīonsona, 1907</ref><ref>Passover Haggadah according to the custom of the Karaite Jews of Egypt / [Hagadah shel Pesaḥ : ke-minhag ha-Yehudim ha-Ḳaraʼim] = Passover haggadah : according to the custom of the Karaite Jews of Egypt, edited by Y. Yaron; translation by A. Qanai̤, Pleasanton, CA: Karaite Jews of America, 2000</ref> and also the [[Samaritans]] developed their own Haggadot which they use to the present day.<ref>זבח קרבן הפסח : הגדה של פסח, נוסח שומרוני (Samaritan Haggada & Pessah Passover / Zevaḥ ḳorban ha-Pesaḥ : Hagadah shel Pesaḥ, nusaḥ Shomroni = Samaritan Haggada & Pessah Passover), Avraham Nur Tsedaḳah, Tel Aviv, 1958</ref>

During the era of the [[Haskalah]] (Jewish Enlightenment), some Eastern European Jewish communities began to develop groups, or movements, which shaped their views on modifications to the Haggadah.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Haskalah |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-haskalah |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> [[Reform Judaism]], which began as part of the Haskalah, generally does not treat any single Haggadah text as normative and encourages liturgical creativity outside a halakhic framework. While widely used Reform Haggadot exist, individuals and communities are also free to create their own, reflecting contemporary values and inclusive theology. (This same attitude later appeared in the ''[[Kibbutz|kibbutizim]]'' and throughout diaspora communities.)<ref name=":0" /> In response to the Reform movement, Orthodox Judaism arose. [[Orthodox Judaism]] accepted certain texts as normative, and discouraged changes to the text.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Balin |first=Carole B. |title=My people's Passover Haggadah: traditional texts, modern commentaries |date=2008 |publisher=Jewish Lights Pub |isbn=978-1-58023-354-5 |editor-last=Hoffman |editor-first=Lawrence A. |edition=1st |location=Woodstock, Vt |pages=79-84 |chapter=Moving Through the Movements: American denominations and their Haggadot |editor-last2=Arnow |editor-first2=David}}</ref>

===Manuscript history===
The oldest surviving complete manuscript of the Haggadah dates to the 10th century. It is part of a prayer book compiled by [[Saadia Gaon]]. It is now believed that the Haggadah first became produced as an independent book in [[codex]] form around 1000 CE.<ref>Mann, Vivian B., "Observations on the Biblical Miniatures in Spanish Haggadot", p.167, in ''Exodus in the Jewish Experience: Echoes and Reverberations'', Editors, Pamela Barmash, W. David Nelson, 2015, Lexington Books, {{ISBN|1-4985-0293-8|978-1498502931}},  [https://books.google.com/books?id=jKYlCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA183 google books]</ref> [[Maimonides]] (1135–1204) included the Haggadah in his code of Jewish law, the [[Mishneh Torah]]. Existing manuscripts do not go back beyond the thirteenth century. When such a volume was compiled, it became customary to add poetical pieces.
[[File:Rylands Hagaddah 19v - 20r.JPG|thumb|[[John Rylands Library|Rylands Hagaddah]]. Above, cooking the lamb and marking the door. Below, the Seder.]]

The earliest surviving Haggadot produced as works in their own right are manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the [[Golden Haggadah]] (probably Barcelona {{circa|1320}}, now [[British Library]]) and the [[Sarajevo Haggadah]] (late fourteenth century). Other significant medieval illustrated haggadot are the [[Birds' Head Haggadah]] and the [[Washington Haggadah]].

It is believed that the first printed Haggadot were produced in 1482, in [[Guadalajara, Spain]]; however, this is mostly conjecture, as there is no printer's [[colophon (publishing)|colophon]]. The oldest confirmed printed Haggadah was printed in [[Soncino, Lombardy]] in 1486 by the [[Soncino family (printers)|Soncino family]].

Although the Jewish printing community was quick to adopt the [[printing press]] as a means of producing texts, the general adoption rate of printed Haggadot was slow. By the end of the sixteenth century, only twenty-five editions had been printed. This number increased to thirty-seven during the seventeenth century, and 234 during the eighteenth century. It is not until the nineteenth century, when 1,269 separate editions were produced, that a significant shift is seen toward printed Haggadot as opposed to [[manuscript]]s. From 1900 to 1960 alone, over 1,100 Haggadot were printed.<ref>Yerushalmi pp. 23–24</ref>
It is not uncommon, particularly in America, for haggadot to be produced by corporate entities, such as coffee maker Maxwell House – see [[Maxwell House Haggadah]] – serving as texts for the celebration of Passover, but also as marketing tools and ways of showing that certain foods are kosher.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Anne |title=101 Years of the Maxwell House Haggadah |url=http://forward.com/the-assimilator/173621/101-years-of-the-maxwell-house-haggadah/ |website=[[The Forward|Forward.com]] |access-date=17 April 2016 |date=23 March 2013}}</ref>

===Illuminated manuscripts===
[[File:BH Exodus.jpg|600px|thumb|Detail of the [[The Exodus|Exodus from Egypt]] in the [[Birds' Head Haggadah]]: bird-headed Jews bake matzos for the journey and leave Egypt with their possessions (left-hand page); a blank-faced Pharaoh and Egyptian soldiers pursue the Jewish nation (right-hand page)]]
The earliest Ashkenazi illuminated Haggada is known as the [[Birds' Head Haggadah]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/jewish-art/#gf_55| title=Letter to the Editor | newspaper=[[Commentary Magazine]] | date=August 1969 | access-date=4 February 2012}}</ref> made in Germany around the 1320s and now in the [[Israel Museum]] in Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite web | title=Birds' Head Haggadah, Germany, 1300 | url=http://www.english.imjnet.org.il/htmls/picture.aspx?c0=13475&bsp=13460 | publisher=The Israel Museum | location=Jerusalem | access-date=2 March 2012 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730070740/http://www.english.imjnet.org.il/htmls/picture.aspx?c0=13475&bsp=13460 | archive-date=30 July 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
The [[Rylands Haggadah]] (Rylands Hebrew MS. 6) is one of the finest Haggadot in the world. It was written and illuminated in [[Spain]] in the 14th century and is an example of the cross-fertilisation between Jewish and non-Jewish artists within the medium of manuscript illumination. In spring and summer 2012 it was exhibited at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], New York, in the exhibition 'The Rylands Haggadah: Medieval Jewish Art in Context'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/name-172782-en.htm |title=Rylands Haggadah in New York; John Rylands University Library |publisher=Library.manchester.ac.uk |date=26 March 2012 |access-date=15 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508172434/http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/name-172782-en.htm |archive-date=8 May 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/searchresources/guidetospecialcollections/atoz/hebrewmanuscripts/ |title=Hebrew manuscripts; the John Rylands Library |publisher=Library.manchester.ac.uk |access-date=15 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504171443/http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/searchresources/guidetospecialcollections/atoz/hebrewmanuscripts/ |archive-date=4 May 2012 }}</ref>

The British Library's 14th century Barcelona Haggadah (BL Add. MS 14761) is one of the most richly pictorial of all Jewish texts. Meant to accompany the Passover eve service and festive meal, it was also a status symbol for its owner in 14th-century Spain. Nearly all its folios are filled with miniatures depicting Passover rituals, Biblical and Midrashic episodes, and symbolic foods. A facsimile edition was published by Facsimile Editions of London in 1992.

Published in 1526, the {{ill|Prague Haggadah|he|הגדת פראג}} is known for its attention to detail in lettering and for introducing many of the themes still found in modern texts. Although illustrations had often been a part of the Haggadah, it was not until the Prague Haggadah that they were used extensively in printed text. The Haggadah features over sixty [[woodcut]] illustrations picturing "scenes and symbols of the Passover ritual; ... biblical and rabbinic elements that actually appear in the Haggadah text; and scenes and figures from biblical or other sources that play no role in the Haggadah itself, but have either past or future redemptive associations".<ref>Yerushalmi p. 34</ref>

Other illuminated Haggadot include the [[Sarajevo Haggadah]], [[Washington Haggadah]], and the 20th-century [[Szyk Haggadah]].

==Passover Seder according to the Haggadah==
{{Main|Passover Seder}}

===''Kadeish'' (blessings and the first cup of wine)===
''Kadeish'' is the Hebrew imperative form of ''[[Kiddush]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> This ''Kiddush'' is a blessing similar to that which is recited on all of the [[pilgrimage festivals]], but also refers to [[matzot]] and the exodus from Egypt. Acting in a way that shows freedom and majesty, many Jews have the custom of filling each other's cups at the Seder table. The Kiddush is traditionally said by the father of the house, but all Seder participants participate by reciting the Kiddush and drinking at least a majority of a cup of wine. On Shabbat, it is preceded by a reading from the Book of Genesis recounting God's rest on the seventh day of creation and includes an extended doxology on the blessings of Shabbat.

===''Ur'chatz'' (wash hands)===
Partakers wash their hands in preparation for eating wet fruit and vegetables, which happens in the next stage.  Technically, according to [[Jewish law]], whenever one partakes of fruit or vegetables dipped in liquid, one must wash one's hands, if the fruit or vegetable remains wet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> However, this situation does not often arise at other times of the year because either one will dry fruits and vegetables before eating them, or one has already washed one's hands, because one must also wash one's hands before eating bread.

According to most traditions, no blessing is recited at this point in the Seder, unlike the blessing recited over the washing of the hands before eating bread. However, followers of [[Rambam]] or the [[Gaon of Vilna]] do recite a blessing.

===''Karpas''===
{{See|Karpas}}
Each participant dips a sprig of parsley or similar leafy green into either ''salt water'' (Ashkenazi custom said to serve as a reminder of the tears shed by their enslaved ancestors), ''vinegar'' (Sephardi custom) or ''[[charoset]]'' (older Sephardi custom; still common among [[Yemenite Jews]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref>

===''Yachatz'' (breaking of the middle matzah)===
Three [[matzot]] are stacked on the seder table; at this stage, the middle matzah of the three is broken in half.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> According to the custom of the [[Vilna Gaon]] and others, only two matzot are used, and the top one is broken.<ref>Maaseh Rav 191.</ref> The larger piece is hidden, to be used later as the ''[[afikoman]]'', the "dessert" after the meal. The smaller piece is returned to its place between the other two matzot.

===''Magid'' (relating the Exodus)===
The story of Passover, and the change from slavery to freedom is told.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> At this point in the Seder, Sefardic Jews (North African) have a custom of raising the [[Passover Seder Plate|Seder plate]] over the heads of all those present while chanting: [[Moroccan Jews]] sing "Bivhilu yatzanu mimitzrayim, halahma anya b'nei horin" (In haste we went out of Egypt [with our] bread of affliction, [now we are] free people), Algerian Jews sing "Ethmol 'ayinu abadim, hayom benei 'horin, hayom kan, leshana habaa bear'a deYisrael bene 'horin" (Yesterday we were slaves, today we are free, today we are here -in exile-, next year we will be in Israel free".

===''Ha Lachma Anya'' (invitation to the Seder)===
{{Main|Ha Lachma Anya}}
[[File:Maurice Ascalon Pal-Bell Seder Plate.jpg|250px|right|thumb|A bronze matzo plate designed by [[Maurice Ascalon]], inscribed with the opening words of ''Ha Lachma Anya'']]
The matzot are uncovered, and referred to as the "bread of affliction". Participants declare in [[Aramaic]] an invitation to all who are hungry or needy to join in the Seder. [[Halakha]] requires that this invitation be repeated in the native language of the country.

===''Ma Nishtanah'' (The Four Questions)===
{{Main|Ma Nishtana}}
The [[Mishnah]] details questions one is obligated to ask on the night of the Seder. It is customary for the youngest child present to recite the four questions.<ref name=jewfaq>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewfaq.org/seder.htm |title=Judaism 101: Pesach Seder: How is This Night Different |access-date=21 September 2008}}</ref> Some customs hold that the other participants recite them quietly to themselves as well. In some families, this means that the requirement remains on an adult "child" until a grandchild of the family receives sufficient Jewish education to take on the responsibility. If a person has no children capable of asking, the responsibility falls to the spouse, or another participant.<ref name=pesachim116>Talmud Bavli, Pesachim, 116a</ref> The need to ask is so great that even if a person is alone at the seder he is obligated to ask himself and to answer his own questions.<ref name=pesachim116 />

Why is this night different from all other nights?
# Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either leavened bread or matza, but on this night we eat only matza?
# Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but on this night we eat bitter herbs?
# Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip [our food] even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
# Why is it that on all other nights we dine either sitting upright or reclining, but on this night we all recline?

=== ''Avadim Hayinu'' ===
The opening line of Maggid following the Four Questions reads: עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם, וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה, ''We were slaves (Avadim Hayinu) to Pharoah in Egypt, and the Lord our God took us out of there with [[With a strong hand and an outstretched arm|a strong hand and an outstretched arm]]''. This is not a scriptual verse, but rather a combination of two verses from Deuteronomy, 6:12 (which precedes the question of the [[The Four Sons|Wise Son]]), and 5:15 (part of the [[Ten Commandments]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ben Harush |first=Eliyahu |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Pesach_Haggadah%2C_Magid%2C_We_Were_Slaves_in_Egypt.2?lang=bi&with=Kos%20Shel%20Eliyahu&lang2=bi |title=Haggadah Kos Eliyahu |year=1938 |publisher=Publisher unknown |location=Djerba}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rovner |first=Jay Evan |title=In every generation: studies in the evolution and formation of the Passover Haggadah |date=2024 |publisher=Gorgias Press LLC |isbn=978-1-4632-4376-0 |series=Judaism in context |location=Piscataway, NJ}}</ref> A [[Responsa|respona]] of [[Natronai ben Hilai|Natronai Gaon]] mentions that this traditional opening sentence is not in the Torah, drawing the objection of [[Karaite Judaism|Karaites]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Safrai |first1=Shmuel |title=Haggadah of the Sages |last2=Safrai |first2=Ze'ev |publisher=Carta Jerusalem |year=1998 |isbn=9652207063 |location=Jerusalem, Israel}}</ref> According to the ''[[Heinrich Guggenheimer|Scholar's Haggadah]]'', the intentional mistranslation of Deuteronomy 6:12 in the [[Septuagint]], the 3rd century BCE Greek translation of the Torah, makes specific reference to ''Avadim Hayinu''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guggenheimer |first=Heinrich |title=The Scholar's Haggadah: Ashkenazic, Sephardic, and Oriental Versions |date=1998 |publisher=Jason Aronson, Inc |isbn=978-0-7657-6040-1 |edition= |location=Northvale NJ}}</ref>

=== The Four Sons ===
{{Main|The Four Sons}}

The traditional Haggadah speaks of "four sons—one who is wise, one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who does not know to ask".<ref>It is very probable that already during the confrontation with the pharaoh the case of the four sons was presented: the wicked is by definition the Pharaoh since he does not want to accept neither God nor His word; the wise is clearly [[Mosheh]], defined precisely also ''Mosheh Rabbenu'', "Mosheh, our Master"; who must be initiated is [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]]: it is said that Job's fault, precisely in the historical period of the Exodus, was that of having been silent during the rebellion of the Pharaoh against the two leaders of the Jewish people Mosheh and [[Aaron]]. Thus Aaron: he is simple in that with facilitated investigative capacity...</ref> The  number four derives from the four passages in the Torah where one is commanded to explain the Exodus to one's son.<ref name="Bazak">{{cite web|url=http://www.vbm-torah.org/pesach/pes68-ab.htm |title=The Four Sons |last=Bazak |first=Rav Amnon |others=David Silverberg (trans.) |work=Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash |publisher=Yeshivat Har Etzion |access-date=12 March 2013 |location=Alon Shvut, Israel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518205620/http://www.vbm-torah.org/pesach/pes68-ab.htm |archive-date=18 May 2013 }}</ref> Each of these sons phrases his question about the seder in a different way. The Haggadah recommends answering each son according to his question, using one of the three verses in the Torah that refer to this exchange.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Four Children - Jewish Tradition |url=https://yahadut.org/en/shabbat-and-festivals/the-seder/the-four-children/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=yahadut.org |language=en}}</ref>

The wise son asks "''What are the statutes, the testimonies, and the laws that God has commanded you to do?''"  One explanation for why this very detailed-oriented question is categorized as wise, is that the wise son is trying to learn how to carry out the seder, rather than asking for someone else's understanding of its meaning. He is answered fully: ''You should reply to him with [all] the laws of pesach: one may not eat any dessert after the paschal sacrifice.''

The wicked son, who asks, "''What is this service to you?''", is characterized by the Haggadah as isolating himself from the Jewish people, standing by objectively and watching their behavior rather than participating. Therefore, he is rebuked by the explanation that "''It is because God acted for '''my''' sake when '''I''' left Egypt.''" (This implies that the Seder is not for the wicked son because the wicked son would not have deserved to be freed from Egyptian slavery.) Where the four sons are illustrated in the Haggadah, this son has frequently been depicted as carrying weapons or wearing stylish contemporary fashions.

The simple son, who asks, "''What is this?''" is answered with "''With a strong hand the Almighty led us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.''"

And the one who does not know to ask is told, "''It is because of what the Almighty did for me when I left Egypt.''"

Some modern Haggadot mention "children" instead of "sons", and some have added a fifth child. The fifth child can represent the children of the [[The Holocaust|Shoah]] who did not survive to ask a question<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haggadot.com/clips/csjo-fifth-child |title=CSJO: Fifth Child |publisher=Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations |access-date=18 October 2011 }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> or represent [[Jews]] who have drifted so far from Jewish life that they do not participate in a Seder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/search/keyword_cdo/kid/12309/jewish/Fifth-Son-The.htm|title=The Fifth Son|publisher=Chabad.org|access-date=20 March 2017}}</ref>

==="Go and learn"===
Four verses in [[Deuteronomy]] (26:5–8) are then expounded, with an elaborate, traditional commentary. ("5. And thou shalt speak and say before the {{Lord}} thy God: 'A wandering Aramean was my parent, and they went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6. And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. 7. And we cried unto the {{Lord}}, the God of our parents, and the {{Lord}} heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the {{Lord}} brought us forth out of Egypt [[with a strong hand and an outstretched arm]], and with great terribleness, and with [[signs and wonders|signs, and with wonders]].")

The Haggadah explores the meaning of those verses, and embellishes the story. This telling describes the slavery of the Jewish people and their miraculous salvation by God. This culminates in an enumeration of the [[Plagues of Egypt|Ten Plagues]]:
# ''Dam'' (blood) – All the water was changed to blood
# ''Tz'fardea'' (frogs) – An infestation of frogs sprang up in Egypt
# ''Kinim'' (lice) – The [[Egyptians]] were afflicted by [[louse|lice]]
# ''Arov'' (wild animals) – An infestation of wild animals (some say flies) sprang up in Egypt
# ''Dever'' (pestilence) – A plague killed off the Egyptian livestock
# ''Sh'chin'' (boils) – An epidemic of [[boil]]s afflicted the Egyptians
# ''Barad'' (hail) – Hail rained from the sky
# ''Arbeh'' (locusts) – Locusts swarmed over Egypt
# ''Ḥoshech'' (darkness) – Egypt was covered in darkness
# ''Makkat Bechorot'' (killing of the first-born) – All the first-born sons of the Egyptians were slain by God

With the recital of the Ten Plagues, each participant removes a drop of wine from his or her cup using a fingertip. Although this night is one of salvation, the sages explain that one cannot be completely joyous when some of God's creatures had to suffer. A [[mnemonic]] [[acronym]] for the plagues is also introduced: "D'tzach Adash B'achav", while similarly spilling a drop of wine for each word.

At this part in the Seder, songs of praise are sung, including the song ''[[Dayenu]]'', which proclaims that had God performed any single one of the many deeds performed for the Jewish people, it would have been enough to obligate us to give thanks. After this is a declaration (mandated by Rabban Gamliel) of the reasons of the commandments concerning the [[Korban Pesach|Paschal lamb]], [[matzah]], and ''[[maror]]'', with scriptural sources. Then follows a short prayer, and the recital of the first two psalms of [[Hallel]] (which will be concluded after the meal). A long blessing is recited, and the second cup of wine is drunk.

===''Rachtzah'' (ritual washing of hands)===
The ritual hand-washing is repeated, this time with all customs including a blessing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref>

===''Motzi Matzah'' (blessings over the Matzah)===
Two blessings are recited.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> First one recites the standard blessing before eating bread, which includes the words "who brings forth" (motzi in Hebrew).<ref name="FamilyHaggadah">{{Cite book|editor1-first=Nosson|editor1-last=Scherman|editor2-first=Meir|editor2-last=Zlotowitz|title=The Family Haggadah|publisher=Mesorah Publications, Ltd.|orig-year=1981|year=1994|isbn=978-0-89906-178-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/familyhaggadahha0000unse}}</ref> Then one recites the blessing regarding the commandment to eat Matzah. An olive-size piece (some say two) is then eaten while reclining.

===''Maror'' (bitter herbs)===
The blessing for the eating of the ''maror'' (bitter herbs) is recited and then it is dipped into the ''[[charoset]]'' and eaten.<ref name="FamilyHaggadah"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref>

===''Koreich'' (sandwich)===
The ''maror'' is placed between two small pieces of matzo, similarly to how the contents of a sandwich are placed between two slices of bread, and eaten.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> This follows the tradition of [[Hillel the Elder|Hillel]], who did the same at his Seder table 2,000 years ago (except that in Hillel's day the Paschal sacrifice, matzo, and ''maror'' were eaten together.)

===''Shulchan Orech'' (the meal)===
[[File:A Seder table setting.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A Seder table setting]]
The festive meal is eaten.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> Traditionally it begins with the charred egg on the Seder plate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.org/library/howto/wizard.asp?AID=117122 |title=Chabad.org: 11. Shulchan Orech – set the table |access-date=22 September 2008}}</ref>

===''Tzafun'' (eating of the ''afikoman'')===
{{Main|Afikoman}}
The ''afikoman'', which was hidden earlier in the Seder, is traditionally the last morsel of food eaten by participants in the Seder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref>

Each participant receives an at least olive-sized portion of matzo to be eaten as ''afikoman''. After the consumption of the ''afikoman'', traditionally, no other food may be eaten for the rest of the night. Additionally, no intoxicating beverages may be consumed, with the exception of the remaining two cups of wine.

===''Bareich'' (Grace after Meals)===
The recital of [[Birkat Hamazon]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref>

===''Kos Shlishi'' (the Third Cup of Wine)===
The drinking of the Third Cup of Wine.

Note: The Third Cup is customarily poured before the [[Birkat Hamazon|Grace after Meals]] is recited because the Third Cup also serves as a [[Birkat Hamazon#Cup of Blessing|Cup of Blessing]] associated with the Grace after Meals on special occasions.

===''Kos shel Eliyahu ha-Navi'' (cup of [[Elijah]] the Prophet)===
In many traditions, the front door of the house is opened at this point. [[Psalms]] 79:6–7 is recited in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions, plus [[Book of Lamentations|Lamentations]] 3:66 among Ashkenazim.

Most Ashkenazim have the custom to fill a fifth cup at this point. This relates to a Talmudic discussion that concerns the number of cups that are supposed to be drunk. Given that the four cups are in reference to the four expressions of redemption in Exodus 6:6–7, some rabbis felt that it was important to include a fifth cup for the fifth expression of redemption in Exodus 6:8. All agreed that five cups should be poured but the question as to whether or not the fifth should be drunk, given that the fifth expression of redemption concerned being brought into the Land of Israel, which—by this stage—was no longer possessed of an autonomous Jewish community, remained insoluble. The rabbis determined that the matter should be left until Elijah comes (in reference to the notion that Elijah's arrival would precipitate the coming of the Messiah, at which time all halakhic questions will be resolved) and the fifth cup came to be known as the ''Kos shel Eliyahu'' ("Cup of Elijah"). Over time, people came to relate this cup to the notion that Elijah will visit each home on Seder night as a foreshadowing of his future arrival at the end of the days, when he will come to announce the coming of the [[Moshiach|Jewish Messiah]].

In the late 1980s, Jewish feminists introduced the idea of placing a "Cup of Miriam" filled with water (to represent the well that existed as long as [[Miriam]], Moses' sister, was alive in the desert) beside the Cup of Elijah. Many liberal Jews now include this ritual at their seders as a symbol of inclusion.<ref>{{cite book| last1= Eisenberg | first1= Joyce |last2= Scolnic| first2= Ellen| title= Dictionary of Jewish Words| publisher=Jewish Publication Society| location= Philadelphia, PA, USA| year= 2006| page=108}}</ref>

===''Hallel'' (songs of praise)===
The entire order of Hallel which is usually recited in the synagogue on Jewish holidays is also recited at the Seder table, albeit sitting down.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> The first two psalms, [[Psalm 113|113]] and [[Psalm 114|114]], are recited before the meal. The remaining psalms [[Psalm 115|115]]–[[Psalm 118|118]], are recited at this point (in the ''Hallel'' section, after ''Bareich''). [[Psalm 136]] (the Great Hallel) is then recited, followed by ''[[Nishmat]]'', a portion of the morning service for Shabbat and festivals.

There are a number of opinions concerning the paragraph ''Yehalelukha'' which normally follows Hallel, and ''[[Yishtabakh]]'', which normally follows ''Nishmat''. Most Ashkenazim recite ''Yehalelukha'' immediately following the Hallel proper, i.e. at the end of Psalm 118, except for the concluding words. After Nishmat, they recite ''Yishtabakh'' in its entirety. Sephardim recite ''Yehalelukha'' alone after Nishmat. The [[minhag]] of the French Jews in the Middle Ages, as well as Italian Jews until fairly recently was to recite both blessings.<ref>See [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/44325 Machzor Kimcha De-Avishuna] from 1540 according to the Italian rite. In modern Italian haggadot, the Ashkenazic practice has been adopted.</ref>

Afterwards the Fourth Cup of Wine is drunk and a brief Grace for the "fruit of the vine" is said. In some Ashkenazic communities following in the tradition of Rabbi [[Meir of Rothenburg]], the fourth cup is not drunk until after the recitation of some of the piyyutim of Nirtzah.<ref>See the [https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=4909&st=&pgnum=75&hilite= Rodelheim Haggadah].</ref>

===''Nirtzah''===
{{Main|Passover songs}}
The Seder concludes with a prayer that the night's service be accepted.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mercava |url=https://www.themercava.com/app |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Mercava |language=en-US}}</ref> A hope for the Messiah is expressed: "''[[L'Shana Haba'ah]] b'Yerushalayim!'' –&nbsp;Next year in Jerusalem!" Jews in [[Israel]], and especially those in [[Jerusalem]], recite instead "''L'shanah haba'ah b'Yerushalayim hab'nuyah!'' – Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem!"

Although the 15 orders of the Seder have been completed, the Haggadah concludes with additional songs which further recount the miracles that occurred on this night in Ancient Egypt as well as throughout history. Some songs express a prayer that the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Beit Hamikdash]] will soon be rebuilt. The last song to be sung is ''[[Chad Gadya]]'' ("One Kid [young goat]"). This seemingly childish song about different animals and people who attempted to punish others for their crimes and were in turn punished themselves, was interpreted by the [[Vilna Gaon]] as an [[allegory]] of the retribution God will levy over the enemies of the Jewish people at the end of days.

Following the Seder, those who are still awake may recite the [[Song of Songs]], engage in Torah learning, or continue talking about the events of the Exodus until sleep overtakes them.

==See also==
* [[The Exodus Decoded]]
* [[Szyk Haggadah]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson#Scholarship and works|Schneerson, Rabbi Menachem M]]. (1946),  ''[http://hebrewbooks.org/15713 Haggadah for Passover with Collected Customs and Reasons]'': [[Kehot Publication Society]] 
* [[Nosson Scherman|Scherman, Rabbi Nosson]] and [[Meir Zlotowitz|Zlotowitz, Rabbi Meir]], ''Artscroll youth haggadah'': [[Mesorah Publications]] ({{ISBN|0-89906-232-6}})
* {{cite book |last=Yerushalmi |first=Yosef Hayim |year=1974 |title=Haggadah and History |publisher=Jewish Publication Society of America |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-0-8276-0046-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/haggadahhistory00yeru }}
* {{cite book |last=Mishkin |first=Edwin |year=2010 |title=A Haggadah For The Nonobservant |publisher=lulu |location=Raleigh |isbn=978-0-557-28494-8}}

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|Passover Haggadah/Kadesh}}
{{Commons category}}
{{NIE Poster|year=1905|Haggada}}
* [http://www.haggadot.com/ Haggadot.com: Let's Make Your Passover Haggadah Together]
* [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-haggadah/ My Jewish Learning: The Haggadah]
* [http://ph.yhb.org.il/en/category/pesah/15-the-hagada/ The Hagada – Peninei Halakha, HaRav Eliezer Melamed]
* [http://www.library.yale.edu/judaica/site/exhibits/children/index.html Yale University Haggadah Exhibit] – ''You Shall Tell Your Children''
* [https://blog.nli.org.il/en/pesach_haggadot/ A Special Collection of Haggadot for Passover at the National Library of Israel]
* [https://www.sefaria.org/Pesach_Haggadah?lang=bi Several English translations of the Haggadah], hosted by [[Sefaria]]

{{Passover footer}}
{{Jews and Judaism|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Haggadah of Pesach| ]]
[[Category:Positive Mitzvoth]]
[[Category:Sifrei Kodesh]]