חָרוּת עַל הַלֻּחֹת, מַהוּ חָרוּת, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יִרְמְיָה וְרַבָּנָן, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר אַל תִּקְרֵי חָרוּת אֶלָּא חֵרוּת מִן גָּלוּיוֹת. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר חֵרוּת מִמַּלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אוֹמְרִים חֵרוּת מִן הַיִּסּוּרִין.
"Engraved on the tablets." What is the meaning of Harut (engraved)? This was discussed by Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Jeremiah, and the Sages. Rabbi Judah said: do not read it as "Harut" (engraved), rather as "Heirut" (freedom) from captivity. Rabbi Nehemiah opined that it means free from the Angel of Death. The Sages were of the opinion that it means free from suffering.
(כ) כִּֽי־יִשְׁאָלְךָ֥ בִנְךָ֛ מָחָ֖ר לֵאמֹ֑ר מָ֣ה הָעֵדֹ֗ת וְהַֽחֻקִּים֙ וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּ֛ה יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ אֶתְכֶֽם׃ (כא) וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ עֲבָדִ֛ים הָיִ֥ינוּ לְפַרְעֹ֖ה בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וַיֹּצִיאֵ֧נוּ יְהֹוָ֛ה מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם בְּיָ֥ד חֲזָקָֽה׃ (כב) וַיִּתֵּ֣ן יְהֹוָ֡ה אוֹתֹ֣ת וּ֠מֹפְתִ֠ים גְּדֹלִ֨ים וְרָעִ֧ים ׀ בְּמִצְרַ֛יִם בְּפַרְעֹ֥ה וּבְכׇל־בֵּית֖וֹ לְעֵינֵֽינוּ׃ (כג) וְאוֹתָ֖נוּ הוֹצִ֣יא מִשָּׁ֑ם לְמַ֙עַן֙ הָבִ֣יא אֹתָ֔נוּ לָ֤תֶת לָ֙נוּ֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֵֽינוּ׃ (כד) וַיְצַוֵּ֣נוּ יְהֹוָ֗ה לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כׇּל־הַחֻקִּ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה לְיִרְאָ֖ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ לְט֥וֹב לָ֙נוּ֙ כׇּל־הַיָּמִ֔ים לְחַיֹּתֵ֖נוּ כְּהַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ (כה) וּצְדָקָ֖ה תִּֽהְיֶה־לָּ֑נוּ כִּֽי־נִשְׁמֹ֨ר לַעֲשׂ֜וֹת אֶת־כׇּל־הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֗את לִפְנֵ֛י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּֽנוּ׃ {ס}
(20) When, in time to come, your children ask you, “What mean the decrees, laws, and rules that our God יהוה has enjoined upon you?” (21) you shall say to your children, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and יהוה freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand. (22) יהוה wrought before our eyes marvelous and destructive signs and portents in Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household; (23) and us [God] freed from there, in order to take us and give us the land promised on oath to our fathers. (24) Then יהוה commanded us to observe all these laws, to revere our God יהוה, for our lasting good and for our survival, as is now the case. (25) It will be therefore to our merit before our God יהוה to observe faithfully this whole Instruction, as [God] has commanded us.”
You Gotta Serve Somebody, Bob Dylan, 1979
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes, you are
You're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be livin' in another country under another name
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא THIS
IS THE BREAD OF OPPRESSION [Poverty]
our ancestors ate
in the land of Egypt.
Let all who are hungry
come in and eat;
let all who are in need
come and join us for the Pesaḥ.
Now we are here;
next year in the land of Israel.
Now – slaves;
next year we shall be free.
THIS NIGHT UNLIKE ALL OTHER NIGHTS,
so that every other night we eat either bread or matza,
but tonight there is only matza?
And that every other night we eat many different greens,
but tonight we will eat bitter herbs?
And that every other night we do not dip [our food] at all,
but tonight we will dip it twice?
And that every other night some sit to eat and some recline,
but tonight we are all reclining?
to Pharaoh in Egypt,
and the LORD our God brought us out of there
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.
And if the Holy One, blessed be He,
had not brought our fathers out of Egypt –
then we, and our children, and the children of our children,
would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.
And even were we all wise, all intelligent,
all aged and all knowledgeable in the Torah,
still the command would be upon us
to tell of the coming out of Egypt;
and the more one tells of the coming out of Egypt,
the more admirable it is.
מַעֲשֶׂה בְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָה וְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן שֶׁהָיוּ מְסֻבִּין בִּבְנֵי־בְרַק וְהָיוּ מְסַפְּרִים בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם כָּל־אוֹתוֹ הַלַּיְלָה, עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ תַלְמִידֵיהֶם וְאָמְרוּ לָהֶם רַבּוֹתֵינוּ הִגִּיעַ זְמַן קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית.
מַעֲשֶׁה ONCE,
Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria
and Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon
reclined [for the seder] in Benei Brak.
And they told of the Exodus from Egypt all that night;
until their students came in and said,
“Teachers –
the time for saying the Shema of the morning has come.”
I am almost seventy years old,
and never have I merited to find the command
to speak of the Exodus from Egypt at night –
until Ben Zoma interpreted:
It is written,
“SO THAT YOU REMEMBER
THE DAY OF YOUR EXODUS FROM EGYPT
ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE.”
“The days of your life” would mean in the days;
“all the days of your life” includes the nights.
But the sages say,
“The days of your life” would mean only in this world;
“all the days of your life” brings in the time of the Messiah.
blessed is He.
Blessed is the One
who gave His people Israel, the Torah –
blessed is He.
כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָּנִים The Torah relates
to four types of sons –
one who is wise,
one who is wicked,
one with a simple nature,
and one who does not know how to ask.
WISE SON
what does he say?
“What are the testimonies, the statutes and laws,
that the LORD our God commanded you?”
And you must tell him the laws of Pesaḥ:
“After eating the Pesaḥ offering
one does not eat anything more.”
WICKED SON
what does he say?
“What is this service to you?”
“To you,” he says, not to him.
When he sets himself apart from the community,
he denies the very core of our beliefs.
And you must set his teeth on edge and tell him,
“Because of this
the LORD acted for me when I came out of Egypt.”
“For me,” and not for him;
had he been there he would not have been redeemed.
SIMPLE-NATURED SON
what does he say?
“What is this?”
And you must tell him,
“With a strong hand the LORD
brought us out of Egypt,
from the grip of slavery.”
ONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW
HOW TO ASK
you must open [the story] for him,
as it is said:
“And you shall tell your child
on that day,
‘Because of this the LORD acted for me
when I came out of Egypt.’”
(5) You shall then recite as follows before your God יהוה: “My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. (6) The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. (7) We cried to יהוה, the God of our ancestors, and יהוה heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. (8) יהוה freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents, (9) bringing us to this place and giving us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. (10) Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, יהוה, have given me.” You shall leave it before your God יהוה and bow low before your God יהוה.
בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם
In every generation one is supposed to view oneself as if he/she left Egypt.