Pesach: National & Personal Redemption

(8) And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the YHVH did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.

In every generation a person must regard himself as though he personally had gone out of Egypt, as it is said: “And you shall tell your son in that day, saying: ‘It is because of what YHVH did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.’”

Therefore it is our duty to thank, praise, laud, glorify, exalt, honor, bless, extol, and adore Him Who performed all these miracles for our ancestors and us; He brought us forth from bondage into freedom, from sorrow into joy, from mourning into festivity, from darkness into great light, and from servitude into redemption. Therefore let us say before Him, Hallelujah!

(23) And we were brought by Him from there [Egypt] that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers.

Rava said: One [is additionally] to say 'and we [too] were taken from that place [Mitzrayim], not only our ancestors were redeemed but we too were redeemed'.

(83) In each and every generation, a person is obligated to see himself as if he left Egypt, as it is stated (Exodus 13:8); "For the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt." Not only our ancestors did the Holy One, blessed be He, redeem, but rather also us [together] with them did he redeem, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:23); "And He took us out from there, in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers."

(6) In each and every generation, a person must present himself as if he, himself, has now left the slavery of Egypt, as [Deuteronomy 6:23] states: "He took us out from there."

Regarding this manner, God commanded in the Torah: "Remember that you were a slave [Deuteronomy 5:15]" - i.e., as if you, yourself, were a slave and went out to freedom and were redeemed.

(7)Therefore, when a person feasts on this night, he must eat and drink while he is reclining in the manner of free men...

(8) Even one of Israel's poor should not eat until he [can] recline.