Hello,
I hope all the readers of this blog are feeling healthy in these trying times. The 2020 version of my commentary on the Haggadah (73 pages) is now available. It has some additions/ corrections/ revisions from the previous versions. Below is the table of contents to enable people to see what topics are discussed in the commentary. The numbers on the right of each topic are the page numbers in the commentary. If you are interested in receiving the commentary, please send me an email, ajayschein@gmail.com, and I will send you the file. Also, if you would like to read my commentary on the Torah (five separate files), on Pirkei Avot, on Jewish festivals and customs, please send me an email, and I will send you the files you are interested in. I wish everybody a chag kasher ve-samaech and good health.
Andrew Schein
Table of Contents:
Introduction to the Haggadah 3
Bedikat hametz 3
Two systems: Burning and annulling 3
Hiding bread in the house before doing the bedikat hametz 4
The blessing on bedikat hametz 5
The Seder plate 6
The history of the Seder plate 6
How many matzot? 11
The mnemonic of the Seder 12
Kiddush 13
The four cups of wine 13
The four words or verses of redemption (parshanut) 14
Leaning 15
Do women need to lean at the Seder? 17
Karpas 18
Why is karpas part of the Seder? 18
How much karpas should a person eat? 19
Dipping the karpas 20
Yachatz and ha lachma anya 21
Maggid 24
The obligation to re-tell the story of the exodus from Egypt 24
Structure of the Maggid 25
Mah nishtanah: Covering the matzah by the mah nishtanah 26
Mah nishtanah: Popularity and source 27
Mah nishtanah: Who says the mah nishtanah? 28
Mah nishtanah: How many questions compromise the mah nishtanah? 29
Mah nishtanah: The order of the mah nishtanah? 30
Mah nishtanah: The answers 30
Lowly states: We were slaves and our forefathers were idolaters 32
The four sons: Why four? 33
The four sons: How can one identify the traits of each son? 34
The four sons: The answers to evil son’s question 35
The four sons: The answer/ statement to the son who cannot ask a question 35
The drush: Introduction 35
The drush: Connections between the mikra bikurim and other verses in the Torah 36
The drush: Arami oved avi (parshanut) 36
The drush: Va-yered Mitzraymah 38
The drush: Va-yagar sham 38
The drush: And the Egyptians with evil intent treated us harshly (parshanut) 38
The drush: We cried to G-d (parshanut) 40
The drush: And G-d saw our affliction and our burdensome suffering (parshanut) 41
The drush: And G-d took us out Egypt (parshanut) 42
The drush: The plague of the firstborn (parshanut) 43
The drush: Sixteen drops 43
The drush: The ten plagues 45
The drush: Dzakh adash beachav (parshanut) 45
R. Yosi ha-Galilee, R. Eliezer and R. Akiva 47
Dayenu 48
Rabban Gamliel 49
Matzah (parshanut) 49
Maror 50
Dividing Hallel 52
Differences between Hallel all year round and by the Seder 53
The blessing at the end of the Maggid 54
Matzah 55
How much matzah does one need to eat by the Seder? 55
Shemurah matzah 57
Charoset 59
Eating eggs by the beginning of the meal 61
Afikoman 62
The history of the term afikoman 62
Eating the afikoman before midnight 64
Shefokh hamatcha 65
Conclusion of Hallel in the Haggadah 67
Birkat ha-Shir 67
Hallel ha-Gadol 69
Songs at the end of the Seder 69
Bibliography 71