The Seder: Part I ליל הסדר: חלק א

(3) Speak to the whole community of Israel and say that on the tenth of this month each of them shall take a lamb to a family, a lamb to a household. (4) But if the household is too small for a lamb, let him share one with a neighbor who dwells nearby, in proportion to the number of persons: you shall contribute for the lamb according to what each household will eat.

We learn in a baraita: A woman makes the first [korban] Pesach [14 Nissan] for herself. But on the second [14 Iyyar, Pesach Sheini], she is an adjunct to others; [these are] the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yosei says, a woman makes Pesach sheini for herself, and it goes without saying that she’s obligated in the first [the standard korban Pesach]. Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon says: a woman makes the first Pesach as an adjunct to others, and does not make Pesach Sheini. What is Rabbi Meir’s rationale? “Each man should take a lamb for a family” and if they want, “for a household” [i.e. wife]. What is the rationale of Rabbi Yosei? “Each man should take a lamb for a family” and how much more so “for a household” [i.e. a wife]. What is the rationale of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon? “Each man” and not a woman. How do our sages interpret it? “Man” – to exclude a minor.

And what is Rabbi Yossi’s rationale? For it is written regarding the first [Pesach], “according to the number of people” [nefashot] and [that means] even a woman.

It is a positive commandment to sacrifice the Pesach on the fourteenth of the month of Nissan after mid-day, and we sacrifice only from the sheep or from the goats, only a yearling male, and both men and women are obligated in this commandment.

(8) They shall eat the flesh that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs.

Rava said: Matza today is on a Torah level and maror is rabbinic. How is maror different – as it is written “upon matzot and merorim”! At the time when there is a [korban] Pesach, there is maror, and at a time when there is no [korban] Pesach, there is no maror. [This should be true for] matza as well – it is written “upon matzot and merorim”! [Regarding] matza, Scripture repeats it: “in the evening you shall eat matzot.”​​​​​​​

(19) No leaven shall be found in your houses for seven days. For whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a citizen of the country. (20) You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your settlements you shall eat unleavened bread.

(3) You shall not eat anything leavened with it; for seven days thereafter you shall eat unleavened bread, bread of distress—for you departed from the land of Egypt hurriedly—so that you may remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt as long as you live.

What is [the halachic status of] their [women’s] matza? He said to him: An obligation… It is said “you shall not eat upon it chametz” and it is said “for seven days you shall eat upon it matzot, the bread of affliction.” Whoever is included in the prohibition against eating chametz is also included in the positive injunction to eat matza. Women are included in the prohibition against eating chametz, so they are included in the injunction to eat matza. And that which we teach: “All positive commandments that are time-bound, men are obligated and women are exempt”!? R’ Mana said: A positive commandment that draws force from a negative commandment is more severe.

Isn’t it written “kol” [all] (Shemot 12:19)? That is necessary to include the women….I might say that they [women] are also not included in the prohibition against eating chametz. This [word] teaches us [that they are]. And now that they are included in the prohibition against eating chametz – they should also be included in eating matza, like Rabbi Elazar, as Rabbi Elazar said: Women are obligated from the Torah to eat matza, as it says “You shall not eat upon it chametz…” – whoever is included in the prohibition against eating chametz is included in eating matza. These women also, since they are included in the prohibition against eating chametz – they are included in the positive injunction to eat matza.

(10) All are required to eat matzah on the first night of Passover; this includes women...

Just as with eating matza women are obligated – so too with maror.

Both men and women are obligated… in all the mitzvot practiced on that night, such as matza and maror.

[Rava] said to him: The rabbis established the four cups in the manner of freedom; with each one, a person does a mitzva.

Our rabbis taught: Everyone is obligated in these four cups, both men and women…

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Women are obligated in these four cups, for they indeed/too (af hen) were part of that miracle.

They indeed were part of that miracle – as we say (Sota 11b) in the merit of the righteous women of that generation they were redeemed; and similarly regarding megilla reading we also say thus, because they were redeemed through Esther, and similarly regarding the Chanuka light in Tractate Shabbat (23a).

What is the mitzva [of charoset]? Rabbi Levi says: In remembrance of the apple tree. Rabbi Yochanan says: In remembrance of the mortar. Abbaye said: Therefore, it is necessary to make it sour and to make it thick. To make it sour – in remembrance of the [sour]-apple tree and it is necessary to make it thick – in remembrance of the mortar.

Rav Avira expounded: In the merit of the righteous women of that generation Israel were redeemed from Egypt. When they would go to draw water, the Holy One, blessed be He, would provide them with little fish in their pitchers and they would draw half water and half fish, and they would come and cook two pots, one of hot water and one of fish, and bring them to their husbands to the field, and bathe them and anoint them and feed them and give them to drink and have relations with them between the banks, as it is said, “If you lie between the banks…” in the merit of lying between the banks, Israel merited to plunder Egypt, as it is said, “Doves’ wings coated with silver and its feathers with yellow gold” (Tehillim 68:14) and when they became pregnant, they would come home, and when the time to give birth would come, they would go and give birth in the field under the apple tree, as it is said: Under the apple tree I aroused you…”

For they, too, were included in the miracle: Were it not for this rationale, women would not be obligated in the four cps, because women are exempt from positive time-bound positive commandments. Even though the four cups are a rabbinic-level mitzva, rabbinic commandments were established like Torah ones [so women would be exempt].

Regarding matza one could ask why it is necessary to draw the analogy [hekesh] that “Anyone who is included in the prohibition against eating chametz is included in the positive obligation to eat matza.” Why can’t it [women’s obligation to eat matza] be learned from the rationale of “inclusion in the miracle?” And one must say that it is for this reason, that this would only obligate women rabbinically were it not for the analogy. Rabbeinu Yosef of Yerushalayim suggested that one might have thought women should be exempt because of the connection between the fifteenth [of Nissan] and the fifteenth [of Tishrei] for Sukkot.

In every generation a man is obligated to regard himself as though he personally had gone forth from Egypt, because it is said, “And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: ‘It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). Therefore it is our duty to thank, praise, laud, glorify, raise up, beautify, bless, extol, and adore Him who made all these miracles for our fathers and ourselves; He brought us forth from slavery into freedom, from sorrow into joy, from mourning into festivity, from darkness into great light, and from servitude into redemption. Let us say before him, Hallelujah!

(7) They poured him a third cup, blesses over his meal. A fourth [cup], he concludes the Hallel, and recites over it the blessing of song.

This indicates that a woman is exempt from Hallel on Sukkot and Shavuot, because it is a [positive] time-bound mitzva. Yet regarding Hallel on Pesach nights, Pesachim 108a indicates that women are obligated in the four cups [of wine], and presumably the four cups were established specifically so we could say Hallel and the Hagadda over them. Hallel on Pesach is different because it is on the miracle, and they too [women] were part of that miracle …

Both men and women are obligated in them [the four cups]. Women are obligated in the four cups because of inclusion in the miracle, and for this reason one must say that women are obligated in all the mitzvot practiced on that [seder] night.