מְנַיִין לְאַרְבָּעָה כוֹסוֹת. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי בְנָייָה. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבַּע גְּאוּלוֹת. לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֘ אֲנִ֣י יְי וְהֽוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם וגו׳. וְלָֽקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וגו׳. וְהֽוֹצֵאתִ֣י. וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י. וְגָֽאַלְתִּ֤י. וְלָֽקַחְתִּ֨י. רִבִּי יְהֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבַּע כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁלְּפַּרְעֹה. וְכ֥וֹס פַּרְעֹ֖ה בְּיָדִ֑י. וָֽאֶשְׂחַ֤ט אֹתָם֙ אֶל־כּ֣וֹס פַּרְעֹ֔ה. וָֽאֶתֵּ֥ן אֶת־הַכּ֖וֹס עַל־כַּ֥ף פַּרְעֹֽה׃ וְנָֽתַתָּ֤ כוֹס־פַּרְעֹה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ. רִבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבַּע מַלְכִיּוֹת. וְרַבָּנִן אָֽמְרֵי. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה כוֹסוֹת שֶׁלְפּוּרְעָנוּת שֶׁהקְּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עָתִיד לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת אוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם. כִּ֣י כֹה֩ אָמַ֨ר יְי אֱלֹקֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֵלַ֔י קַ֠ח אֶת־כּ֨וֹס הַיַּ֧יִן הַֽחֵימָה וגו׳. כּֽוֹס־זָהָ֤ב בָּבֶל֙ בְּיַד־יְי. כִּ֤י כ֪וֹס בְּֽיַד־יְי. יַמְטֵ֥ר עַל־רְשָׁעִ֗ים פַּ֫חִ֥ים אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִ֝לְעָפ֗וֹת מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃ מָהוּ מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם. רִבִּי אָבוּן אָמַר. דִּיפְּלֵי פּוֹטֵירִין. כְּדִיפְּלֵי פּוֹטֵירִין אַחַר הַמֶּרְחַץ. וּכְנֶגְדָּן עָתִיד הַקְּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְבַּע כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁלִּנְחָמָה. יְֽי מְנָת־חֶלְקִ֥י וְכוֹסִ֑י. דִּשַּׁנְ֭תָּ בַשֶּׁ֥מֶן רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י כּ֘וֹסִ֥י רְוָיָֽה׃ וְהָדֵין כּוֹס־יְשׁוּע֥וֹת אֶשָּׂ֑א תְּרֵיין.
From where the Four Cups? Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Benaiah: Corresponding to the four deliveries: Therefore, say to the Children of Israel, I am the Eternal, and I shall take you out, etc. And I shall take you as My people, etc. I shall take you, I shall save you, I shall free you, I shall take you. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, corresponding to the four cups of Pharao: The cup of Pharao was in my hand; I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharao ’s cup, and gave the cup in Pharao ’s hand. You will give the cup in the hand of Pharao. Rebbi Levi said, corresponding to the four kingdoms. But our teachers say, corresponding to the four cups of doom that the Holy One, praise to Him, will make the nations of the world drink at the end of days. Truly, so said the Eternal, the God of Israel, to me: take this cup of the wine of wrath. The golden cup of Babylon is in the hand of the Eternal. Truly a cup is in the hand of the Eternal, intoxicating wine, fully to be mixed; He shall sprinkle from it but its dregs shall be drunk, squeezed to the last, by all the wicked of the earth. He shall let coals rain on the wicked; fire, sulphur, and burning wind is the portion of their cup. What does the portion of their cup mean? R. Abun said: a double cup like the double cup taken after a thermal bath. And in accordance with this correspondingly the Holy One, praised be He, will let Israel drink four cups of consolation at the End of Days: The Eternal is the portion of my part and my cup. You anointed my head with oil; my cup is overflowing. I shall lift up the cup of salvations counts for two.
(יא) וְכ֥וֹס פַּרְעֹ֖ה בְּיָדִ֑י וָאֶקַּ֣ח אֶת־הָֽעֲנָבִ֗ים וָֽאֶשְׂחַ֤ט אֹתָם֙ אֶל־כּ֣וֹס פַּרְעֹ֔ה וָאֶתֵּ֥ן אֶת־הַכּ֖וֹס עַל־כַּ֥ף פַּרְעֹֽה׃ (יב) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ יוֹסֵ֔ף זֶ֖ה פִּתְרֹנ֑וֹ שְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙ הַשָּׂ֣רִגִ֔ים שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת יָמִ֖ים הֵֽם׃ (יג) בְּע֣וֹד ׀ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֗ים יִשָּׂ֤א פַרְעֹה֙ אֶת־רֹאשֶׁ֔ךָ וַהֲשִֽׁיבְךָ֖ עַל־כַּנֶּ֑ךָ וְנָתַתָּ֤ כוֹס־פַּרְעֹה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ כַּמִּשְׁפָּט֙ הָֽרִאשׁ֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיִ֖יתָ מַשְׁקֵֽהוּ׃
(11) and Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.’ (12) And Joseph said unto him: ‘This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; (13) within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine office; and thou shalt give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
(1) In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream; his spirit was agitated, yet he was overcome by-a sleep. (2) The king ordered the magicians, exorcists, sorcerers, and Chaldeans to be summoned in order to tell the king what he had dreamed. They came and stood before the king, (3) and the king said to them, “I have had a dream and I am full of anxiety to know what I have dreamed.” (4) The Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Relate the dream to your servants, and we will tell its meaning.” (5) The king said in reply to the Chaldeans, “I hereby decree: If you will not make the dream and its meaning known to me, you shall be torn limb from limb and your houses confiscated. (6) But if you tell the dream and its meaning, you shall receive from me gifts, presents, and great honor; therefore, tell me the dream and its meaning.” ... (10) The Chaldeans said in reply to the king, “There is no one on earth who can satisfy the king’s demand,-c for great king or ruler—none has ever asked such a thing of any magician, exorcist, or Chaldean. (11) The thing asked by the king is difficult; there is no one who can tell it to the king except the gods whose abode is not among mortals.” (12) Whereupon the king flew into a violent rage, and gave an order to do away with all the wise men of Babylon. (13) The decree condemning the wise men to death was issued. Daniel and his companions were about to be put to death ...(24) Thereupon Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to do away with the wise men of Babylon; he came and said to him as follows, “Do not do away with the wise men of Babylon; bring me to the king and I will tell the king the meaning!” (25) So Arioch rushed Daniel into the king’s presence and said to him, “I have found among the exiles of Judah a man who can make the meaning known to the king!” (26) The king said in reply to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar), “Can you really make known to me the dream that I saw and its meaning?” (27) Daniel answered the king and said, “The mystery about which the king has inquired—wise men, exorcists, magicians, and diviners cannot tell to the king. (28) But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what is to be at the end of days. This is your dream and the vision that entered your mind in bed: (29) O king, the thoughts that came to your mind in your bed are about future events; He who reveals mysteries has let you know what is to happen. (30) Not because my wisdom is greater than that of other creatures has this mystery been revealed to me, but in order that the meaning should be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. (31) “O king, as you looked on, there appeared a great statue. This statue, which was huge and its brightness surpassing, stood before you, and its appearance was awesome. (32) The head of that statue was of fine gold; its breast and arms were of silver; its belly and thighs, of bronze; (33) its legs were of iron, and its feet part iron and part clay. (34) As you looked on, a stone was hewn out, not by hands, and struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. (35) All at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were crushed, and became like chaff of the threshing floors of summer; a wind carried them off until no trace of them was left. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (36) “Such was the dream, and we will now tell the king its meaning. (37) You, O king—king of kings, to whom the God of Heaven has given kingdom, power, might, and glory; (38) into whose hands He has given men, wild beasts, and the fowl of heaven, wherever they may dwell; and to whom He has given dominion over them all—you are the head of gold. (39) But another kingdom will arise after you, inferior to yours; then yet a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule over the whole earth. (40) But the fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; just as iron crushes and shatters everything—and like iron that smashes—so will it crush and smash all these. (41) You saw the feet and the toes, part potter’s clay and part iron; that means it will be a divided kingdom; it will have only some of the stability of iron, inasmuch as you saw iron mixed with common clay. (42) And the toes were part iron and part clay; that [means] the kingdom will be in part strong and in part brittle. (43) You saw iron mixed with common clay; that means: they shall intermingle with the offspring of men,-e but shall not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. (44) And in the time of those kings, the God of Heaven will establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, a kingdom that shall not be transferred to another people. It will crush and wipe out all these kingdoms, but shall itself last forever— (45) just as you saw how a stone was hewn from the mountain, not by hands, and crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has made known to the king what will happen in the future. The dream is sure and its interpretation reliable.” ...
~ What other story does this reminds you of?
~ The four kingdoms in Daniel also mentioned or hinted at on Chapters 7 and 8, so it's not surprising that there is no proof texts - it is one of the basic understandings of the Book of Daniel.
~ Why do you think the Jerusalem Talmud is interested in the origin, whereas the Babylonian Talmud is not?
~ Notice that there are four explanations for the four cups: Exodus, Pharaoh, Kingdoms, Doom for the kingdoms and consolation for Israel.
~ What origin story of the four cups appeals to you, and why?
(לב) יקח כרפס פחות מכזית, שלא יתחייב בברכה אחרונה ויברך עליו בפה"א, ויכוין לפטור המרור ויטבול אותו בחומץ ויאכלנו בלא הסיבה, וכמ"ש הגאון חיד"א ז"ל וכן מנהגינו מזמן עט"ר הרה"ג מור זקני זלה"ה לאכלו בלא הסיבה, וטילול ראשון זה שהוא כרפס בחומץ, הוא זכר לסיבת קושי השעבוד שהיה בשביל מכירת יוסף הע"ה ושהטבילו כתונת פסים שלו בדם ומכרוהו וגרמו צער ליעקב אע"ה, וזה נרמז בכרפס והיינו אותיות כ"ר הם סוף מכר ואותיות פס הם ראש פסים, וטיבול שני שהוא מרור בחרוסת הוא זכר לקושי השעבוד עצמו... ויזהר שלא יאכל כל הכרפס שיש בקערה אלא ישאר בקערה מהכרפס עד אחר המוציא, דצריך שיהיה סוד הקערה שלם עד לאחר אכילת מצה ומרור:
He takes Karpas, less than a kazait, so that he will not need a blessing afterwards, and says the blessing "who brought forth from the ground," and has in mind to include the Maror. He dips it in vinegar and they eat it without reclining...this first dipping is the reminder of the harshness of the servitude which was because of the sale of Joseph, and when they dipped his colorful coat into blood..and caused pain to Jacob their father. This is hinted to in the Karpas because the letters "kaf"-"resh" are the end of "machar" [sold] and the letters "peh-samakh" are from the beginning of the word "pasim" [stripes, colors].
The second dipping, which is the Maror in Charoset, is the reminder of the harshness of the servitude itself... and one should be careful not to eat all the karpas of the seder plate, but leave some until after hamotzi, so that the secret of the seder plate is complete until the end of eating matzah and maror.
~ Yosef Hayim (Baghdad, 1 September 1835 – 30 August 1909) was a leading Sephardi hacham.
~ To what does he connect the Karpas? How does he do that?
(ב) מתחיל ומברך בורא פרי האדמה ולוקח ירק ומטבל אותו בחרוסת ואוכל כזית הוא וכל המסובין עמו כל אחד ואחד אין אוכל פחות מכזית.
(2) Begin with the blessing "who brought forth from the ground" and take a vegetable and dip it in charoset and eat a kazait, he and everyone reclining with him should not eat less than a kazait.
~ Just a side note about how much you should eat of karpas.
Some authorities see the function of the karpas is merely symbolic, and so, you shouldn't eat a kezayit (olive size amount) so you don't need to say the closing blessing, as the Haggadah brings none.
Other authorities see that you need to eat at least a kezayit because you are making a first blessing, brought in the Haggadah, and there is a minimum amount that you have to eat to say the blessing.
Others see the function of the karpas to tide you over to telling the story, and so you continually eat karpas until the meal arrives.
Lastly, there are haggadot in which the blessing for the karpas is not only "bore pri ha-adamah", but several others are offered, keeping with the spirit of a Greek symposium.
(ב) פסים. לשון כלי מלת, כמו (אסתר א ו) כרפס ותכלת, וכמו (שמואל ב' יג יח) כתנת הפסים, דתמר ואמנון ומדרש אגדה על שם צרותיו שנמכר לפוטיפר ולסוחרים ולישמעאלים ולמדינים:
(2) פסים. expression for garment of fine wool, like“green wool (כַּרְפַּס) and blue” (Esther 1:6), and like the k'tonet passim of Tamar and Amnon (2 Sam. 13:18). But Midrash Agadah references pasim to his troubles, that he was sold to Potiphar, to the sochrim, to the Yishmaelim, and to the Midyanim.
Balashon Blog
http://www.balashon.com/2006/04/karpas.html
We all know karpas כרפס is the vegetable - often parsley or celery - eaten as a sort of appetizer at the Pesach Seder. What is the origin of the word?
There are those that claim it comes from the Persian word karafs (or karats, according to Klein), meaning parsley. Others claim that it derives from the Greek karpos, meaning "fruit of the soil." Karpos originates in the Indo-European root kerp, meaning "to gather, to harvest." Other words from the same root include "harvest", and "carpet", because it was made of unraveled, "plucked" fabric.
One very similar word that does not appear to have any etymological connection (some interesting drashot notwithstanding) is the word karpas appearing in the Book of Esther (1:6), meaning "fine cotton or linen".
I won't go into detail about that meaning of karpas, since a big post on cotton should be coming up soon. However, Mar Gavriel presents an interesting theory here, that the pronunciation of karpas the vegetable was influenced by karpas the fabric:
According to Prof. Guggenheimer (in his book The Scholar's Haggadah), the words karpas (fine white linen) and karafs (celery) are both Farsi. Whoever provided the vowel-points for the mediaeval song "Qaddêsh u-Rechatz" only knew the consonants KRPS from the Meghilla, so he vocalized them as he had found them there.
Obviously this only fits the theory that כרפס the vegetable derives from the Persian and not Greek, but it's interesting in any case.
Hidden in the Afikoman
Rabbi Shlomo Kluger
Haggadah - מעשה ידי יוצר
In siman 477 of the Shulchan Aruch, the Acharonim bring in the name of the Maharshal, in Teshuvah 86, that one should take out the Afikoman wrapped in a cloth, and throw it over his shoulder, and walk four cubits with it in the house, and say: Thus did our forefathers go, with their leftovers bound in their garments on their shoulders.
We need to understand the reason for this custom - do we need to make an allusion to every movement that they did at that time?! Is it not enough of a reminder of our exodus from Egypt all that Chazal fixed for us on this night, that we have to add also that which they happened to do because of the particular needs of a particular time? Also, where is this custom hinted to in the Torah?
But it seems to me that we can explain all this, by examining that which is written (Shemos 3,21) “and it will be, that when you go, you will not go empty handed. Each woman shall ask from her neighbour and the dweller in her house silver and gold objects and garments, and you shall put them on your sons and your daughters, and you shall empty out Egypt”. The words “when you go, you will not go empty handed” appear to be superfluous - since it says immediately afterwards “each woman shall borrow…and you shall empty out Egypt”, it follows that they would not go empty handed, so why does it need to state it?
But it seems to me that there is a special intention behind these words. Behold, it is written (Shemos 12,34) “The people picked up their dough before it was leavened, their leftovers bound in their garments on their shoulders. And the children of Yisrael did according to the word of Moshe, and they asked from the Egyptians objects of silver, and objects of gold, and garments”. What is the connection between the two posukim?
At the end of the fifth perek of the gemora Pesachim, it says: It was taught, each person takes his Pesach sacrifice in its skin, and throws it over his shoulder. Said R. Illish, like an Arab. Rashi explained that this is the way of Ishmaelite merchants. It was always a puzzle to me - what was R. Illish coming to teach, and why did Chazal see a need to fix this teaching in the gemora? Also, the Baraissa itself is appears to be superfluous, because what’s the difference how they carried the Pesach sacrifice to their houses? But in order to understand the words of the sages and their riddles, we can say as follows:
There are many reasons given to explain the cause of the enslavement in Egypt, and the opinion of many commentaries is that it resulted from the sin of the sale of Yosef. And it seems to me that this is Chazal’s intention here. Because in all the matters of Pesach there are allusions both to the redemption and to the enslavement - the bitter herbs allude to the enslavement, and the Pesach sacrifice and the matzos allude to the redemption, but there is no allusion as to why the enslavement came about. Therefore, they made an allusion that it was through the sin of the sale of Yosef, because it says there (Bereishis 37,25), after the brothers had thrown Yosef into the pit, “and they raised their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and laudanum, going to take it down to Egypt”. And afterwards it says (37,28) “And Midianite men, merchants, passed by, and they pulled and raised Yosef from the pit, and they sold Yosef to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver coins, and they brought Yosef to Egypt”. So by carrying the Pesach sacrifice thrown over their shoulder, which, as R. Illish (who had the same question that we had, which was why Chazal informed us about how they carried the sacrifice) explained, was the way of Ishmaelite merchants, they alluded to the sale of Yosef, which involved such merchants, and thereby they reminded us that the slavery came about because of this sin.
With this we can understand the continuation of the matter above. It is well known that the Rabbis explained that the spoils of Egypt was wages for their years of slavery. But this really depends on whether the slavery had been deserved or not. Because if they had not deserved it, then, since they had been enslaved for no reason, they deserved to be paid wages. But if had deserved to be enslaved, because of a previous sin, then they did not deserve to be paid.
Therefore, for this reason, Hashem commanded that they ask for the riches, but not to take them forcibly. Because to all appearances, they did not deserve any wages, since they were liable for the sin of selling Yosef. But this was only in deed, but not in thought, because really the sale of Yosef did not happen because of their intentions, but rather Hashem caused it to happen, as it brought in the Midrash, parshas Vayeishev. According to this, they did deserve to be paid for their years of slavery. So the payment had to be parallel to the sin. Thus, in practice they could not take their wages forcibly, since in practice they had sinned, and so did not deserve wages, and therefore they took only by way of request. But since, in the realm of thought, they did deserve wages, therefore they really intended to take the spoils.
With this we can understand what is written in Megillas Esther, where it says (9,16) “but upon the spoils they did not send forth their hands”, and yet Mordechai and Esther had written in the second set of letters (8,11) that they were “to plunder their spoils” - could it be that the people were on a higher level than Mordechai and Esther!
But the intention is like we just explained, because the command of Mordechai and Esther to plunder the spoils was just like the taking of the spoils from Egypt. There, they were compensation for their years of slavery, and here too, they could take the spoils as compensation for the distress of the decree of Haman which had hung over them. However, this is only if they had not been deserving of the decree. But if they had deserved the decree, then they would not deserve compensation.
Now, Chazal said that this decree of Haman was for the sin of their bowing down to the idol that Nevuchadnetzar had erected, and the reason why Hashem is not considered to have shown favoritism in this matter, by annulling the decree of Haman in the end, was because they had bowed down only in outward appearance, but in their thoughts they were bowing to Hashem. Therefore, here also Hashem only punished them outwardly. Accordingly, in the realm of deed they did not deserve compensation, since in practice they had bowed down, and so they deserved the decree, but in the realm of thought, in their hearts, they did not sin, and so deserved compensation.
Therefore, Mordechai told them that in their hearts they should intend to plunder the spoils, in order that they would recognise that in the realm of thought they deserved compensation, and to recognise that the decree was only in appearance, and so there was no favoritism here. But in practice they should not take. This is why it says “and upon the spoils they did not send forth their hands”, that is, in their hearts they desired to plunder the spoils, and their hearts sent forth to plunder, but their hands they did not send forth to the spoils, because with their hands, that is, in practice, they did not deserve it.
And now we can understand the connection between the two posukim that we brought earlier. Behold, if Yisrael had not remembered the sale of Yosef, then they would have thought that they deserved to be paid wages, and they would not have been concerned to take them by way of request, because they would have said to themselves: Why do we need to ask for it? We deserve wages by right! But since they carried the remainder of their dough, tied up in their garments, like the way of Ishmaelite merchants, as Rashi explained, they remembered that this enslavement was for the sin of the sale of Yosef, and automatically they would know that they did not deserve by rights any compensation. Therefore, they took it only by way of request. This is what it says, “the people picked up their dough…their leftovers bound up in their garments on their shoulders”, and therefore “the children of Yisrael did according to the word of Moshe, and asked the Egyptians” - they took specifically by way of request, because they understood the reason for the matter.
But why did they carry the leavening on their shoulders bound up in their garments? It seems certain that they had horses and donkeys to carry it, just like they carried all their possessions! But the reason they did this was because they were thus commanded from the mouth of Hashem. This is what Hashem said to Moshe in the posuk that we began with, “and it will be, that when you go, you will not go empty handed”, that is, that they themselves should not go empty handed, and put the leaven on their donkeys, but rather they should carry it on themselves, like the way of the Ishmaelites, in order that they recognise that the enslavement was because of the sale of Yosef, and from this they will recognise that they do not deserve by rights any payment, and so they will only take their wages by way of request. Therefore, the Torah continues “and each woman will ask from her neighbour” - request, and not plunder, since they understand the truth.
And since Yisrael were commanded to do this, so the word of the truthful G-d was in the mouth of the Maharshal, that it is therefore fitting for everyone to do this, in order that they will have a reminder of from what cause the enslavement in Egypt sprouted. Thus, there is support for this custom from both the gemora and the Torah.
תנא כל אחד ואחד נותן פסחו בעורו ומפשיל לאחוריו אמר רב עיליש טייעות:
It is taught: Each person would first skin the Korban Pesach, then he would place the animal into the skin, and then finally he would throw it over his shoulder. Rav 'Ilish said: "Te'ayos"
טייעות - דרך סוחרים ישמעאלים הוא זה:
It is the way of Ishmalite merchants