The Theological Statements of the Seder

Along side Qontroversial Questions on the Parashah I’m also going to be sending out eight Haggadah ideas in the run up to Pesaḥ

The statement of Rabban Gamliel, that it is not enough for us to retell the story of our Exodus from Egypt on Seder night if we don’t also mention the relationship between the korban pesaḥ, matzah, and maror to Yetziat Mitzrayim is taken from the Mishnah (mPes. 10:5) and placed in the Haggadah to serve as the effective conclusion to Maggid.

And, in a nutshell, I see it as serving as some sort of Maggid backstop: just in case you failed to connect the korban pesaḥ, matzah, and maror and the Seder, the Haggadah spoon-feeds you the connection.

But this means that every year, I look for new interpretations on the symbolism of these objects – a way of deepening the connection between the korban pesaḥ, matzah, and maror and our celebration of Pesaḥ.

And I came across a fascinating perspective by Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Ferber (1879–1966), who spent most of his life in London – where he served as the rabbi of a shul there – in his Haggadah entitled Kerem Ha-Zvi.

In it, he connects the korban pesaḥ, matzah, and maror to three fundamental principles of faith – thus transforming Rabban Gamliel’s statement into an opportunity to not just reflect on our Exodus, but also as a way to recognize the core beliefs of what it means to be a servant of the Ribbono Shel Olam.

The korban pesaḥ expresses God’s relationship to us: As Moshe declares (and it serves as one of the answers to the four children), the korban pesaḥ is observed because God was pasaḥ – which either means “passed over” or “protected” – the houses of the Jewish people as He destroyed the Egyptians (Ex. 12:27). Our recollection of the korban pesaḥ thus reinforces God’s protection of His people.

The matzah symbolizes the obligations God expects of us: Despite the clear connection between matzah and our Exodus, the ultimate reason we eat matzah on Seder night is because the Torah demands it.

After all, despite the fact that the Jewish people originally ate their korban pesaḥ, matzah, and maror in a state of haste – “This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly” (Ex. 12:11) – does not mean we must replicate that. Those things that we do at the Seder are done, first and foremost, because God demands them. Our recollection of the matzah thus reinforces our need to observe God’s laws.

The maror symbolizes our belief in reward and punishment: Because the Egyptians “embittered our lives,” vaymareru et ḥayyeihem (Ex. 1:14), they were punished with even stronger punishments than those they inflicted upon us. Our recollection of the maror reminds us of how God will punish those who harm us – as well as the rewards and punishment He will give to us.