מַגִּיד
מגלה את המצות, מגביה את הקערה ואומר בקול רם:
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִּי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַּׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַּׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.
The Recitation [of the exodus story]
The leader uncovers the matsot, raises the Seder plate, and says out loud:
This is the bread of destitution that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Anyone who is famished should come and eat, anyone who is in need should come and partake of the Pesach sacrifice. Now we are here, next year we will be in the land of Israel; this year we are slaves, next year we will be free people.
Consider:
1. What do you think of the insistence that "this year we are slaves, next year we will be free people?"
2. We know in classic Jewish text, time is often measured differently: for example, the Torah lists Abraham's age as 175 years when he died. How do you interpret the timeline of "next year we will be free" here?
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ הָיִינו. עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין
Pesach Haggadah, Avadim Hayinu
We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. Now we are free.
Consider:
1. In the Passover Haggadah, we encounter texts that insist we are both free, and not free. What do you make of this contradiction?
(טז) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה.
(16) He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say: It is not incumbent upon you to finish the work, but neither are you free to neglect it;
Consider:
1. This text is often referenced in connection to the work of social justice, the work of pursuing a more just world, through both acts of righteousness and through ongoing study of Torah. What is the argument this text presents?
2. What meaning do you derive from this text?