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The questions from the paragraph of Ha Lachma Anya are well known: 1. Why does the Haggadah open with this reference to Matzah? 2. Why do we extend an invitation for people to join us - “Kol Dichfin Yeitei VeYeichol”? This obligation is applicable every day and even more so on all of the Chagim, not just Pesach.
Rambam writes, “KeSheHu Ocheil VeShoteh Chayav LeHa’achil LaGeir LaYatom VeLa’Almanah Im She’ar Ha’Ani’im Ha’Umlalim. Aval Mi SheNo’eil Daltot Chatzeiro Ve’Ocheil VeShoteh Hu UVanav Ve’Ishto Ve’Eino Ma’achil UMashkeh La’Ani’im ULeMarei Nefesh Ein Zo Simchat Mitzvah Ela Simchat Kreiso,” “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” (Rambam Hilchot Shevitat Yom Tov 6:18). Feeding one’s family while ignoring the poverty stricken is not a Simchah of a Mitzvah but only a Simchah of one’s stomach.
Furthermore, the night of the Seder is the one night of the year when no one should be in need of any provisions for the Seder, as the Mishna in Pesachim states, “Ve’Afilu Ani Lo Yochal Ad SheYaseiv VeLo Yifchetu Lo Mei’Arba Kosot Shel Yayin Afilu Mil HaTamchui,” “Even a poor person can’t eat until he reclines and he can’t lessen then four cups of wine even from the charity-plate” (Pesachim 10:1). Everyone is to be provided with all the necessary provisions for the Seder. Why then the necessity to extend this informal invitation at the beginning of the Seder?
In addressing the second question, the Rav suggested that a slave lacks the capacity to acquire and possess anything personally as the Gemara in Pesachim says, “Kol Mah
SheKanah Eved Kanah Rabo,” “Anything a slave bought, his master bought” (Pesachim 88b). Whatever a slave acquires is automatically transferred to his master. Now that we have reached the Festival of Freedom, an individual can believe that any of his personal possessions belong to him exclusively. However, we must realize that even though we escaped the bondage of Paraoh, we are still slaves in the service of Hashem, as it is written, “Ki Li Bnei Yisrael Avadim,” “Because Bnei Yisrael are servants to Me” (VaYikra 25:55).
In order to demonstrate this idea that we recognize that all our personal possessions truly belong to Hashem, we suggest: “Kol Dichfin Yeitei VeYeichol” - let anyone who is in need join and share our meal and the provisions I have accumulated, for this meal truly belongs to Hashem and I have no personal ownership over them.” It could even be seen as self-reflective, inviting, as it were, yourself to the meal, acknowledging that you are a guest of the Owner.1
This idea can also address the first question, explaining why we emphasize at the very outset Ha Lachma Anya, referring to Matzah, describing it as the bread of the poor. Matzah actually has a dual symbolism.
Rabban Gamliel suggest later in the Haggadah that Matzah is a symbol of redemption because as the Jews were preparing to leave Egypt, they were in such a rush that their bread did not have a chance to rise. But Matzah is also a commemoration of servitude, since the Jews ate Matzah throughout their slavery in Egypt. As poor people, they never had the luxury (or leisure time) of allowing their bread to rise. Once again, we remind everyone that even though we observe the Festival of Freedom and may have accumulated enormous wealth, we eat the bread of the poor and recognize that we are still in servitude to Hashem.
Rav Yoel bin Nun adds another idea. Matzah is the bread of all slaves and poor people throughout the region. Only the free and rich ate Chametz, leavened bread. One could then ask why, in order to observe Pesach, the Torah does not legislate that we must eat Chametz and prohibit the consumption of even a morsel of Matzah. Why do we eat only Matzah and remove all Chametz products from our possession? To teach us that although we observe the Festival of Freedom, our ancestors did not attain true freedom until they reached Har Sinai and received the Torah. On the Yom Tov of Shavuot, Zeman Matan Torateinu, we will offer a special Korban Shetei HaLechem that was made into Chametz, whereas all other Korbanot remained unleavened. We eat Chametz when we are truly free, and Shavuot. But until then, on Pesach, we continue to eat matzah - Ha Lachma Anya Di Achalu Avhatanya.
Rambam’s text of this paragraph begins “BiBehilu Yatzanu MiMitzrayim,” “With great haste, we left Egypt”. This obviously is a reference to the Pasuk “Ki BeChipazon Yatzata MiMitzrayim,” “For you departed from the land of Egypt hurriedly” (Devarim 16:3), and Targum Yonatan translates it as “Arum BiBehilu Nafketun Mei’Ara DeMitzrayim”.
The Rav asked, Why is the idea of Chipazon, haste, so critical that according to Rambam it opens the Maggid section of the Haggadah? One of the laws governing the status of a slave is that he is exempt from Mitzvot Asei SheHaZeman Geraman, time-bound positive commandments.
A slave is oblivious to time. The essential character of the organic world is the cycle of birth, life, and death. The experience of time has three aspects: retrospection, an ability to re-experience the past, exploration, anticipating things yet unborn, events not yet in existence, that are still in the future, and appreciation of the present moment as a possession granted by Hashem. Without retrospection, there can be no Sippur Yetzi’at Mitzrayim. The Seder itself is reliving the past. Without a historical experience, this type of time experience is lost. Memory is more than a storehouse; it is a reliving of what is remembered. In exploration, we move from reminiscing to anticipation. To live in time to be committed to a great past and a promising future. This awareness also contains moral awareness, a readiness to mold a future which, in turn, suggests a freedom to make decisions, i.e., a moral commitment to intervene. The Haggadah starts with hindsight, “Avadim Hayinu LeParoh BeMitzrayim,” “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt” and concludes with foresight, “Nishmat Kol Chai Tevareich Et Shimcha Hashem Elokeinu,” “The Neshamah of all living things bless Your name Hashem our God”.
The above can only be achieved by those who value the present, the third aspect, namely, appreciation, prizing each moment as precious. In each fraction of a second one can realize or destroy visions. Halachah, too, is very time-conscious; the difference of one minute before or one minute after sunset can make the difference of the severest punishments for performing Melachah on Shabbat or Yom Tov or for eating on Yom Kippur. One minute can determine whether we have fulfilled the Mitzvah of Keri’at Shema or violated the prohibition of Notar in Korbanot. This time-awareness is a singular gift of free human beings, who can use it or abuse it, while to the slave it is meaningless. Free human beings who look at a watch want to slow time, while slaves couldn't care less because their time belongs not to them but to their master. Since they cannot manage their time they become
insensitive to it. Slaves feel that day and night are the same. As the Torah states, “BaBokeir Tomar Mi Yitein Erev UVaErev Mi Yitein Bokeir,” “In the morning you will say ‘if only it was evening’ and in the evening you will say ‘if only it was morning’” (Devarim 28:67). What was not done today will be done tomorrow. There is no great excitement about future opportunities, and for this reason, any time-bound Mitzvah is not for slaves.