Shabbat Hagadol 5781 Hospitality During COVID and Beyond: Symbolic Gestures and Meaningful Actions Source Sheet by Elliot Kaplowitz
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Shabbat haGadol 5781 Hospitality During COVID and Beyond: Symbolic Gestures and Meaningful Actions Source Sheet by Elliot Kaplowitz הגדה של פסח, מגיד, הא לחמא עניא Hagadah, Ha Lachma Anya .1 מגלה את המצות, מגביה את הקערה ואומר בקול רם: ָהא ַל ְח ָמא ַע ְניָא ִּ ּדי ֲא ָכלוּ ַא ְב ָה ָת ָנא ְב ַא ְר ָעא ְד ִּמ ְצ ָר ִּים. ָּכל ִּד ְכ ִּפין יֵי ֵתי ְויֵיכֹל, ָּכל ִּד ְצ ִּרי ְך יֵי ֵתי ְו ִּי פְסַח. הָ ּ שַתָּא הָכָא, לְש ָנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְ עָא דְ יִּש ְרָ אֵ ל. הָש ּ ַתָּ א עַבְדֵ י, לְש ָנָה הַבָּאָה בְּ נֵי חוֹרִּ ין. 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. ׳משנה תורה, הלכות קרבן פסח ב׳:א Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Paschal Offering 2:1 .2 )א( ֵאין ש ֹו ֲח ִּטין ֶאת ַה ּ ֶפ ַסח ֶא ָּלא ִּל ְמנוּיָיו ֶש ּנֶ ֱא ַמר )שמות יב ד( " ָּתכֹ ּסוּ ַעל ַה ּ ֶ שה" ְמ ַל ֵּמד ֶש ִּּמ ְת ַמ ִּּנים עָלָיו כְּשֶהוּא חַ י. ְו ֵא ּלוּ ַה ִּּמ ְת ַמ ִּּנים ַעל ַה ּ ֶפ ַסח ֵהם ַה ִּּנ ְק ָר ִּאים ְּבנֵי ֲחבוּ ָרה: The Paschal sacrifice should be slaughtered only for the sake of those who were enumerated for partaking of it, as Exodus 13:4 states: "Everyone... should be enumerated on the lamb." The implication is that one should be enumerated on it while it is alive. Those enumerated on a Paschal sacrifice are referred to as "the members of the company." 3. The Questions: ,שבלי הלקט על הגדה של פסח ,a. Shibolei HaLeket on Pesach Haggadah )ג( כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח. רבינו ישעיה זצ"ל כתב דלא גרסי' ליה ]לפי[ שאין לנו פסח עתה ואפי' אם היה לנו פסח עתה לא היינו מזמנין אותם שאין הפסח נאכל אלא למנוייו כשהוא חי כמו שדרשו חכמים מהיות משה מחיותיה דשה רשאין לפחות ולהוסיף אבל לאחר שנשחט לא ועל כן לא גרסי' ליה: All who are needy come and celebrate the Pesach: Rabbi Yeshiah said we do not say this statement since we do not eat the Pesach offering anymore on the eve of Passover. Even if we did we could not invite anyone to join us since they have to be assigned to the group before hand as the sages have explained. b. Erica Brown. Seder Talk - The Conversational Haggada. "This is the Bread of Affliction" 14-17 What kind of hosts are we? We invite guest at the last minute and then when they join us, we give them the bread of affliction? No one wants to join us for that. c. The Jonathan Sacks Haggadah. This is a strange invitation...What hospitality is it to offer the hungry the taste of suffering? 1 d. New American Haggadah. Ed. Jonathan Safran Foer. Jeffrey Goldberg "Nation" Commentary If there is a moment in the seder that should leave us feeling self-conscious, it is now. "This is the bread of affliction," we read. True enough: matzah is the quintessential discomfort food. But what follows is a problem: "All who are bent with hunger, come and eat." What's the problem, exactly? Judaism, after all, is not opposed to feeding the hungry (Jews even excel at feeding those who are already full). In fact, feeding the hungry is in some ways the mother all mitzvot. And precisely because it is the most fundamental form of charity, this invitation to the hungry seems empty and hypocritical. Why? Because it comes too late. By the time we read this passage, we are seated, out hands are washed, the wine is poured, the table is crowded with fine dishes. And only now we invite the poor to join us? Maybe this passage should be read a week, or a month before Passover, when there would still be time toissue a meaningful invitation to a hungry person But there is no provision in Judaism for such a pre-seder seder -- and tampering with the seder would mean negating the very idea of seder. משנה תורה, הלכות שביתת יום טוב ו׳:י״ ח Mishneh Torah, Rest on a Holiday, 6:18 .4 )יח( ֵּכי ַצד. ַה ְּק ַט ִּּנים נ ֹו ֵתן ָל ֶהם ְק ָלי ֹות ֶו ֱאג ֹו ִּזים וּ ִּמ ְג ָּדנ ֹות. ְו ַה ָּנ ִּשים קוֹנֶה לָהֶן בְּ יםגָדִּ וְתַ כְש ִּיטִּ ין נָאִּ ים כְּפִּ י מָמוֹנוֹ. ְו ָה ֲא ָנ ִּשים א ֹו ְכ ִּלין ָּב ָ שר ְו ש ֹו ִּתין יַ ִּין ֶש ֵאין ִּ ש ְמ ָחה ֶא ָּלא ְּב ָב ָ שר ְו ֵאין ִּ ש ְמ ָחה ֶא ָּלא ְּביַ ִּין. וּ ְכ ֶשהוּא א ֹו ֵכל ְו ש ֹו ֶתה ַח ּיָב ְל ַה ֲא ִּכיל ַל ֵּגר ַל ּיָת ֹום ְו ָל ַא ְל ָמ ָנה ִּעם ְש ָאר ָה ֲע ִּנ ִּּיים ָה ֻא ְמ ָל ִּלים. ֲא ָבל ִּמי ֶש ּנ ֹו ֵעל ַּד ְלת ֹות ֲח ֵצר ֹו ְוא ֹו ֵכל ְו ש ֹו ֶתה הוּא וּ ָב ָניו ְו ִּא ְש ּת ֹו ְו ֵאינ ֹו ַמ ֲא ִּכיל וּ ַמ ְש ֶקה ַל ֲע ִּנ ִּּיים וּ ְל ָמ ֵרי נֶ ֶפ ש ֵאין ז ֹו ִּ ש ְמ ַחת ִּמ ְצ ָוה ֶא ָּלא ִּ ש ְמ ַחת ְּכ ֵרס ֹו. ְו ַעל ֵא ּלוּ נֶ ֱא ַמר )הושע ט ד( " ִּז ְב ֵחי ֶהם ְּכ ֶל ֶחם א ֹו ִּנים ָל ֶהם ָּכל אֹ ְכ ָליו ִּי ַּט ָּמאוּ ִּּכי ַל ְח ָמם ְל ַנ ְפ ָשם". ְו ִּ ש ְמ ָחה ָּכז ֹו ָקל ֹון ִּהיא ָל ֶהם ֶש נֶּאֱמַ ר )מלאכי ב ג( "וְזֵרִּ יתִּ י פֶרֶש עַ ל פְּ נֵיכֶם פּ ֶרֶש חַ גֵּיכֶם": The children, for example, should be given parched grain, nuts, and sweetmeats; the womenfolk should be presented with pretty clothes and trinkets according to one's means; the menfolk should eat meat and drink wine, for there is no real rejoicing without the use of meat and wine. While eating and drinking, one must feed the stranger, the orphan, the widow, and other poor unfortunates. Anyone, however, who locks the doors of his courtyard and eats and drinks along with his wife and children, without giving anything to eat and drink to the poor and the desperate, does not observe a religious celebration but indulges in the celebration of his stomach. And about such is it stated (Hosea 9:4), "their sacrifices are like the bread of mourners, all who eat it will be contaminated; for their bread is for their own appetites." Such joy is a disgrace for them, as it is stated (Malakhi 2:3), "I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your festivals." Ancient Practice ׳תענית כ Ta’anit 20b-20a .5 ִּּכי ֲה ָוה ָּכ ֵר ְך ִּרי ְפ ָּתא ֲה ָוה ּ ָפ ַתח ְל ָב ֵבי ּה ְו ָא ַמ ר ׇּּכל ַמאן ִּ ּד ְצ ִּרי ְך ֵלי ֵתי ְו ֵליכ ֹול ָא ַמר ָר ָבא ּכוּ ְּלהוּ ָמ ֵצי ָנא ְמ ַק ּיַי ְמ ָנא ְל ַבר ֵמ ָהא דְּ לָא מָצֵינָאלְמִּ יעְבַּד מִּש ּ וּם דִּּ נְפִּיש ִּי בְּ נֵי חֵילָא דְּ מָחוֹזָא The Gemara further relates: When Rav Huna would eat bread, he would open the doors to his 2 house, saying: Whoever needs, let him come in and eat. Rava said: I can fulfill all these customs of Rav Huna, except for this one, which I cannot do, due to the fact that there are many soldiers in the city of Meḥoza, ׳רש"י על תענית כ״א א:א Rashi .6 משום דנפישי בני מחוזא - דאיכא עניי טפי וקא מיכלי קרנא: Since there are many residents of Mehoza -- There are many poor who will consume everything. ׳בן יהוידע על תענית כ״א א:א Ben Yehoyada on Ta’anit 21a .7 מִּשּ וּם דִּּ נְפִּיש ִּי בְּ נֵי חֵילָא דִּּ מְ חוֹזָא. עיין פירוש רש"י, והקשה מהרש"א לשון 'בְּ נֵי חֵילָא' לא משמע על עניים, ולכן פירש על חיל המלך עיין שם. ועדיין קשא לפירוש מהרש"א למה אומר 'מִּש ּ וּם דִּּ נְפִּיש ִּ י' אפילו דלא נפישי ליחוש דאיך יאכיל פיתו לעכו"ם? ונראה לי בס"ד ליישב פירוש המהרש"א ז"ל, דאי לא נפישי אין נמצאים ברחובות היהודים כדי שישמעו דברים אלו ויבואו יען כי רחובות היהודים הם בפני עצמו ומה יעשו חיל המלך שם?! אך כיון שהם רבים דנפישי טובא אז ימצאו גם ברחובות היהודים ויראו דבר זה ויבואו לאכול גם הם. ועוד נראה לי כיון דנפישי לא תתן להם הממשלה כדי סיפוקם ומחמת רעבונם יעברו חק ונימוס המלכות ליכנס לבית היהודים לאכול. See Rashi. The Maharsha asks, the phrase b'nei cheila does not imply poor people, therefore he translates it as the king's army. And there is still a difficulty, why does it say "since there are many"; even if they weren't many, we should wonder how he could feed his bread to non-Jews? It seems to me to resolve the explanation of the Maharsha, that if they were not many, they would not be found in the streets of the Jews so that they would hear their proclamation and come [to eat], since the Jews lived in their own neighborhood and why would the king's soldiers be there?! But since they were many, then they would also be found in the streets where the Jews lived and come to eat.