An Outline of the Traditional Haggadah

OUTLINE OF THE HAGGADAH

The traditional Passover Seder is organized according to a mnemonic poem usually known by its first two words “Kadesh ur’chatz” often ascribed to the “School of Rashi (d. 1105). These words are given in capital letters in this Outline. Most of the words of this poem refer to individual mitzvot or berachot. However, the Four Cups are not mentioned, since they would have been obvious to many when the poem was written, even if that might be less true today. The Four Cups come after KIDDUSH, MAGGID, BAREKH and HALLEL. I’ve added some notesto help guide you to the traditional observances.

Seth Ward

1.KADESH

Recite the Kiddush

2-3-4. URCHATZ, KARPAS, YACHATZ

Wash, without a blessing, distribute a vegetable, (often parsley or celery, sometimes potatoes) dipped in salt water. Split off a piece of matzah. This creates the “bread of affliction” – and also symbolically prepares the Matzah that now takes the place of the ancient Passover offering.

5. MAGGID

This section is “telling the story” although the Haggadah ritual has a number of ways of doing this. Formally speaking, it has an introduction; two versions of “Shame to Praise” with various other stories and passages; the retelling of the story in Midrashic form, based on Deut. 26; Rabban Gamaliel’s requirement to pronounce the names of the traditional items that used to be part of the ceremony when the Temple was standing; and a conclusion.

I. Introduction

1. 1. Ha Lachma Anya “Behold the Bread of Affliction”
   2. Mah Nishtana

Three Biblical verses refer to children asking questions relating to the Passover ritual, with words such as “your child shall ask you on that day, saying…” A fourth verse refers to telling children about Passover. This motif is taken up by the “Four sons” section, mentioned below. The recitation of the Haggadah and all its rituals is preceded by questions, traditionally asked by the youngest child in the room. Technically, the Maggid section is a response to the questions asked by children, or telling them about Passover even if they do not ask.

II. “Begin with Shame and end with Praise”

The Rabbis said the way to tell the story is to start with shame and end with praise and gave two alternates for what the “shame to praise” was. This is a reminder that, built in to our very fiber, the Jewish people is aware of multiple ways of telling the same story.

2. 1. “Our ancestors were slaves, now we are free.”

This is followed by a few paragraphs, the most famous of which is the passage about the Four Sons. Three of them ask questions—based on the verses in Scripture that talk of asking questions.

Other passages in this section include discussions about when and exactly where to hold this ceremony. Do we talk about Passover days before the Passover meal, in the afternoon before dinner, or at some other time? Answer: when the meal is already before us: symbolically, this is represented by the Matzahs and the Seder Plate.

2. 2. “In the beginning our ancestors served idols…”

The second answer to “Begin with shame” is ancestral idolatry, with a broader historical framing mentioning Abraham, going down to Egypt, and the Promise of Return. This section ends with praising God for keeping this promise, over and over, as in every generation there are those who seek our demise and destruction.

III. The Midrash on Deuteronomy

3. 1. The main vehicle for telling the story is a set of verses from Deuteronomy, that were very familiar in Temple Times, recited on the Festival of First Fruit Offerings.

Here is the full text, as it appears in Deuteronomy 26.

You shall then recite as follows before the LORD your God: “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. The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. The LORD freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents.

In Deuteronomy, the text goes on as follows: He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, O LORD, have given me.”

This passage (in my opinion) presents two slightly different responses to the “shame to praise” motif. The Biblical text itself, within its original context, suggests the first of these: “Our ancestors were wandering, landless nomads, but now we are able to offer the first fruits of our land.” The Passover ritual emphasizes freedom, though, not agricultural success, so it includes these verses only up to the “freedom” verse. The second response reflects the reinterpretation of the opening verse to mean that an Aramean (Laban) sought to destroy our ancestors–the entire people. This suggests what I think is the real message of this passage in the Haggadah context: “Our ancestors were oppressed spiritually and physically, almost to the point of destruction, and miraculously saved.”

The Midrash interprets nearly every phrase, often adding another verse from Exodus or elsewhere in the Bible.

3. 2. The final verse quoted from Deuteronomy, about the mighty hand, outstretched arm and awesome power, is elaborated in much greater detail. The Ten Plagues and Dayyenu constitute two of the highlights of the Seder narration.

1. Redemption by God alone
2. How many miracles? —3? 10?
3. Ten Plagues and the “Mnemonic”
4. How many miracles at the sea? (50? 200? 250?)
5. Even one miracle would have been enough! Dayyenu!

Dayyenu gives a review of sacred history, including the Sabbath, Torah, and Land of Israel, and is summarized in a non-poetic form after the “song.”

IV. Rabban Gamaliel: Pesah, Matzah, Umaror

After the Temple was destroyed, Rabban Gamliel is said to have decreed that no one fulfills his Passover obligations without mentioning the Passover Offering, the Unleavened Bread, and the Bitter Herbs. The Seder participants will eat Matzah and Bitter Herbs in a moment, and a piece of Matzah will remind them of the Passover Offering as well.

V. Conclusion

The direction to “begin with shame and end with praise” is completed by reciting two psalms, the beginning of the traditional Hallel service, and the concluding berachah “blessing” of this section, the “Blessing of Redemption,” with the second cup of wine.

6.,7. ,8.,9. RACHTZAH, MOTZI MATZAH, MAROR, KOREKH

Everything so far leads up to this moment, when the specific requirements of the Passover meal are performed: Participants: a. ritually wash, as is normal practice, b. recite the normal blessing over bread and c. a special blessing over Matzah, and d. Recite a special blessing over the maror “Bitter Herb.” There is some discussion as to how this last was to be consumed, so the Seder includes two methods. The first is to dip the Maror in Haroset. The second recalls practice of Hillel (d. around 10 CE), who is said to have observed the Biblical verse Ex. 12:8 literally. “They shall eat the flesh that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs.” He would bind Matzah, Maror and the Passover offering together. Today there is no Passover offering and the matzah is probably flatter than it was in Temple times. This is often called a Hillel Sandwich.

10., 11. 12. SHULCHAN OREKH, TZAFUN, BAREKH

Some families begin the Seder meal with a hard-boiled egg (often served in salt water). One of the many reasons given for this is to recall the hagiga offering at the Temple—the egg on the Seder Plate also recalls this! This would be eaten as the beginning of the meal.

The end of the meal, by tradition, is a piece of matzah, separated at the beginning of the ceremony (and hidden by children!). This is said to represent the Passover Offering, which was eaten “in satiety.” In many families, the menu for the Seder meal is well designed to ensure that this is the case. The meal is followed by the Birkat HaMazon the “blessing after meals” and the third cup.

13., 14. HALLEL, NIRTZAH, plus SONGS

The last few sections of the Haggadah invite Elijah, complete Hallel (both the Festival Hallel and the so-called “great Hallel,” Ps. 136), have a final blessing over the words of praise, the fourth cup, and some traditional and much-beloved songs—Who Knows One and Chad Gadya.