Laws of Chametz and Matzah, Chapter 8 (Auto Translated)

Rambam Laws of Chametz and Matzah Chapter 8: The Order of the Seder Night

Introduction to the Chapter

Good evening. Says the holy Torah, we are going to learn the holy Rambam, Mishneh Torah of the Rambam, Sefer Zemanim, Laws of Chametz and Matzah, Chapter 8. In the eighth chapter, here we are going to learn the order of the Seder night. He has already told us the mitzvot of the Seder night, the mitzvah of the Exodus from Egypt, the mitzvah of the manner of freedom, the mitzvah of maror, charoset, but here he is going to tell us the order. As we know it, there are the ten signs, kadesh urechatz. Fifteen signs there are, by the way. Fifteen signs, and ten signs there are for the plagues.

And we thank once again the supporters of the shiur, and Reb Yoel, and all the other supporters of the shiur, and may we all have great success.

So we are learning that this is the last chapter, yes? Here ends the Laws of Chametz and Matzah. After this there is the Order of the Haggadah. If anyone wants to express opinions, until tomorrow he still has time, he can say his opinion whether he holds that one must learn the Order of the Haggadah, or one may not. Everyone already knows the Haggadah. The Rambam has a few innovations, his versions, but I don’t know if one is obligated to learn it. Ask the poskim. If anyone wants to quickly say whether we should say yes or no, he can send in and make a vote.

Law 1: The Order of Performing These Mitzvot

First Cup, Kiddush, Washing Hands

Okay. Says the Rambam thus: The order of performing these mitzvot, the order, the arrangement of performing these mitzvot, the mitzvot that we mentioned earlier that there are mitzvot of the four cups and so forth, it’s the last two chapters, how does one do it? Matzah, maror, four cups, performing these mitzvot on the night of the fifteenth is thus.

The Rambam tells us the order: First one brings a cup for each and every person, one brings a cup for each person. As he told us that also the women and the minors are also obligated in the four cups, one brings for each person, not only for the father, unlike the usual kiddush. Very good. And he blesses borei pri hagafen, and each person… I don’t know if the one who blesses says it, a singular language. The father says, and says over it the kiddush of the day, he says the text of kiddush, asher bachar banu, whatever, the language of kiddush, shebachar banu, mekadesh Yisrael vehazemanim, uzeman. Afterwards one makes the blessing of time, that is shehecheyanu, and drinks, one drinks. He already said earlier that one drinks reclining, yes. And afterwards he blesses on washing hands. Yes, interesting, he doesn’t mention it again. He already said when one sits reclining. He doesn’t say what one must do. He’s not going to say again what the situation must be. He only says what one must do, what are the details? What comes looking earlier? The list, like what comes after what.

Unlike how we conduct ourselves not to say the blessing on washing hands, the Rambam rules that one should say the blessing on washing hands. Very good. You know what? I conduct myself like the Rambam, let them tell me a blessing, yes, the blessing on washing hands.

Bringing the Table: Maror, Vegetable, Matzah, Charoset, Two Types of Meat

And after he has washed his hands, one brings the set table, one brings the prepared table with the food. And on it, what lies on the table? Maror and another vegetable, maror with another vegetable, another vegetable, and matzah and charoset.

And here he speaks about when the Temple existed, he also tells us about the two types of meat that lie on the table, and the body of the Pesach lamb itself. And together with the Pesach offering one brought another offering called the meat of the chagigah, which one eats at the beginning of the Seder. At the end of the Seder one eats the Pesach offering, but the Pesach offering must already be eaten al hasovea, therefore one eats the meat of the chagigah. And the other offering, that is meat, which one brought…

Says the Rambam, nowadays, in the good times, in the good times, when the Temple existed, nowadays, one brings on the table also two types of meat, one in memory of the Pesach, and one in memory of the chagigah. We don’t have this custom, we lay a zeroa, but one specifically doesn’t want it to be… We lay a zeroa and an egg, we do more or less like this. And what we lay is a tavshil, the Ashkenazic custom. I think that there are those who bring, we don’t bring roasted, but two types of meat one may bring even according to our custom.

But our keara, this is as if the keara that we call a keara. The Rambam says one brings a table, the Rambam says one brings two pieces of meat. I think, if I remember, in the Shulchan Aruch it says that one brings a meat, with an egg. That is, we bring the zeroa, that’s a piece of meat, and an egg. An egg is in place of the other type of meat. Yes. What if one was around, one didn’t have two types of meat. That’s what I think, perhaps there are other meanings of this.

There is a hint, egg, the egg means prayer, the house of mercy, or language. There are many hints in the remez. Mizbachecha, al kir mizbachecha, mizbachecha is the acronym for maror, zeroa, beitzah, charoset. Okay, yes.

Law 2: Karpas — Borei Pri Ha’adamah, Dipping, Eating a Kezayit

Okay, and he begins, he begins, and he begins, and one begins the Seder, and blesses borei pri ha’adamah. There already lies the maror and vegetable, one makes a borei pri ha’adamah, and takes the vegetable, one takes the vegetable, not the maror, the other vegetable that one took on the table, and dips it in charoset. One dips the… one dips it in charoset. We do, we dip it in salt water. One speaks of the dipping, the dipped. So therefore one made all the washing of hands before one eats a davar shetibbulo bemashkeh.

And eats a kezayit, one eats a whole kezayit, he and all who recline with him, each person eats, each and every one no less than a kezayit, one doesn’t eat less than a kezayit, because eating, if there is a mitzvah of eating, it’s a whole kezayit.

Discussion: The Measure of a Kezayit for Karpas — Rambam Versus Our Custom

And we have the custom that one eats less than a kezayit, because one doesn’t know about… one doesn’t want to make another blessing, because afterwards there will be an interruption between the karpas and the other things. But the Rambam’s position is… one must know, the fact is that I don’t know anyone who eats less than a kezayit, because one who eats less than a kezayit is imagining that a kezayit is as big as a cow. But a kezayit is as big as an olive. It comes out that each person who convinces himself that he eats less than a kezayit, eats anyway more than a kezayit. Therefore one may already anyway eat like this. I hold the same enhancement of the mitzvah that a person has to eat matzah a whole matzah for a kezayit, eats a tiny piece, eats literally a drop of the karpas. It’s just affliction of the soul, just don’t eat, it comes to be the manner of freedom.

So, oy, this is a doubt about the after-blessing? The answer is, one doesn’t make another blessing and one goes on further. Already. Okay, I’m dragging into the world of doubts, the world of freedom. It’s a preparation for the rest of the freedom of the Seder. It’s not so dangerous, yes. It’s very dangerous. From now one can sit for two hours and may not eat anything. True, one does eat the nuts and treats that one gave earlier to the children. The father may also snack a bit. Well, that’s why one made the karpas. I actually feel, especially when I have younger children, I actually bring snacks, as it says in the Rambam, that one eats somewhere after kiddush, one eats a bit of Pesach cookies or something for the smaller children, like the matter of nuts and treats. But the Torah already gave karpas for this, why does it need to be candy? Okay, let’s not get into politics now. Let’s learn what it says. Each person, if he eats a kezayit, because it’s a mitzvah for everyone. That’s how he learns. It’s just a student of a student of a student…

There is a question here, what could mean that only one can fulfill with the karpas? No, each person. It’s not really an obligation. Our custom is not charoset, but our custom is salt water. I have it hinted here. We use the charoset only for the… We don’t deny the mitzvah of charoset for the maror, that’s the main thing. But here it’s a remembrance. I remember, the Rambam doesn’t have a source that it says “dips in charoset”. It says in other places, it says “dips in vinegar”. Salt water has no taste, by the way. One must bring something more to the thing. But I was once with a sick person in the hospital, and I gave chicken soup with a bit of vegetables, and that fulfilled it for me. That is, I truly properly fulfilled the thing, that one gave to eat with a bit of a piece of food, some thing that is not tirosh and not wine, and not vinegar.

Removing the Table, Second Cup, The Son Asks

Okay, anyway, and afterwards one removes the table from before the one who reads the Haggadah alone. So that’s yes, but there is one who says the Haggadah. The one who reads the Haggadah for the people, one takes away his table and one puts there a stand for him. I know, one gives him… No, one takes away his table, one gives him nothing. This is the mitzvah that we learned earlier, one makes a change, removing the table. How old his Haggadah is I don’t know. I say, one takes away the table, the keara, the whole… Yes.

Already, and one was on the second cup, one pours the second cup which one will later make the blessing on, but the cup is already full during the whole telling of the Haggadah. Why? He says, not the Rambam. That is, does one say it over the cup? He says yes. He says it over the cup, okay. And here, here is the good opportunity, the son asks. Also because one has now removed the table, one has done a changed thing, as the Rambam said earlier, this is a strange thing, you will take away the table. And here the son asks and the reader says. The child is also the second cup that one already pours. And the reader says, the son asks, the son asks the questions, and the reader, the one who reads the Haggadah, says over his questions, or he lays down his questions in a more organized way. I don’t know what’s going on here, because the point is like this, because the son asking means what we learned earlier, whatever he’s going to ask, he’s going to ask exactly about what he is, and here already comes a whole text of Mah Nishtanah. About this the commentators are precise, says the Rav, and the reader says, the whole text of Mah Nishtanah, and this is already not a thing. You can’t expect that every son should know the whole four questions, the whole thing. This is already a text. Afterwards is the son asking, that is he doesn’t say what the son asking is. But he elaborates a bit on the son’s question. The son asks whatever he asks. He says, Rabbi, you know? There are many more things that are different, and he learns about this. Could be, but I say that the son asking means the one who asks whatever, he doesn’t understand what, but the reader says Mah Nishtanah. Yes.

The Text of Mah Nishtanah: Five Questions

And he asks thus: Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot? What is different? And he lists the changes. Shebechol haleilot ein anu matbilin afilu pa’am echat. It’s not the custom to dip vegetables in vinegar or in charoset. Why is it not a custom? Or one doesn’t seek it. Okay, he says one is not so meticulous about this. Vehalailah hazeh shtei pe’amim. Yes, and tonight twice. It’s interesting, because he has meanwhile only seen once, but he knows that one prepared in the kitchen later. The reader knows everything, hello. The son doesn’t ask this, but this is the answer that the reader is the answer to all the questions. The reader says what it says in the Torah, what it says in the siddur.

The second question is, shebechol haleilot anu ochlim chametz umatzah, sometimes chametz, sometimes matzah, vehalailah hazeh one is particular specifically about matzah.

The third question is, the Rambam has five questions. The Rambam adds the question that one can ask when the Temple existed, shebechol haleilot anu ochlim basar tzli shaluk umevushal. One has freedom, one can, let’s say, every night one eats all three, but one doesn’t have freedom, sometimes this way, sometimes that way. Because halailah hazeh there is a requirement that it should be kulo tzli. And it’s also a thing that was very known, because there are many laws to make sure that it’s roasted, there shouldn’t be any moisture, the way how one does it, it’s obvious that one seeks here that it should be specifically roasted. He asks about this.

Further, shebechol haleilot anu ochlim she’ar yerakot, vehalailah hazeh kulo maror. And the fifth question is, shebechol haleilot anu ochlim… One does eat yes other vegetables. Further, it means to say that one eats specifically maror also, besides what one eats simply, one seeks specifically that there should also be maror. Must be, but one did eat karpas. Not that one doesn’t eat maror, therefore there is what the text is kulo maror in the machzorim, because it’s not all maror. But apparently, kulo maror means like kulo… Okay, kulo matzah one indeed doesn’t eat any chametz, but kulo tzli also, one may eat cooked, one doesn’t eat the chagigah offering. Yes, what does this mean? One eats specifically, one seeks.

Shebechol haleilot anu ochlim bein yoshvim bein mesubin, vehalailah hazeh kulanu mesubin. Sitting we… This is further a kol, kulanu. It means further apparently, although one is not reclining, it doesn’t mean kulanu. It means further that one is specifically reclining. Could be, the Rambam said that it’s an enhancement to be a whole night reclining. I want to say that kulanu, apparently, all of us, even the servant, I don’t know, even the one who is a complete pauper of Israel who usually is not reclining, today he is indeed reclining. But it’s not necessarily, because it means specifically, one seeks specifically, one drags benches, one drags the cushions, whatever.

Nowadays — One Doesn’t Ask the Question of Roasting

Says the Rambam, nowadays, one doesn’t… one doesn’t ask the question of halailah hazeh kulo tzli, because we have no offering. Very nice.

The Rambam’s order also writes the whole order of when the Temple existed. Why not? Although the mitzvah of the Pesach offering, for example, doesn’t stand here in the law, it stands in the Laws of the Pesach Offering extra in Sefer Korbanot, but the order does come with this, he writes the order.

Digression: The Rambam’s Mishneh Torah for the Future

The Rambam wrote a book, one shouldn’t need, all the others are very interesting. And when Mashiach will come, one shouldn’t come with Rishon. He needs to throw out the Shulchan Aruch, because very much of the Shulchan Aruch is only nowadays. We need to make a new Shulchan Aruch, from Zeraim, Taharot, we need to buy other halacha books. The Piskei Teshuvot, all the contemporary halacha books one won’t be able to use. Except for the Rambam, all Rambam Jews will remain with their old book, it will look, ah, the Rambam says, what about this? One won’t need to change his book. It’s good for that, in the Shulchan Aruch it doesn’t say so one knows who is Mashiach. But in the Rambam one also doesn’t need to stand, one should know who is Mashiach.

Beginning with Disgrace — After the Questions

Then he does this beginning with disgrace. This we learned earlier, now is the time, the story begins with disgrace. After the questions one begins with the answers, one begins with disgrace, as he said earlier, one begins that the Jews were idol worshippers and were slaves, and reads until he finishes expounding the entire passage of Arami oved avi. He said earlier that there one elaborates and expounds, learning how the Jews discovered the true faith.

Returning the Table — Pesach Matzah and Maror

One returns the table before him, but brings back the table that one carried away. And says, because the Order of the Haggadah one must point to the certain materials that lie on the table, one must bring back the table.

And says, this Pesach that we eat is because the Omnipresent passed over the houses of our fathers in Egypt, as it says and you shall say it is a Pesach offering to Hashem because He passed over. No, good. So one doesn’t say the whole verse, but he means he should say the whole verse.

Why Doesn’t One Lift the Pesach?

English Translation

Speaker 1:

And he lifts the maror in his hand. The meat he doesn’t lift, he lifts this. Interesting, yes. Why don’t we do it today? Because we don’t have a korban Pesach. Every simple thing is because it’s a huge… It’s a large piece. It strikes on the table a huge piece. We don’t tell him now to drag this here. Maror! He takes a little leaf of the maror. Also, the Pesach is in the center of the table. Everyone sees the Pesach. Maror is a small leaf. He needs to show it.

And he says, “This maror that we eat is because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our fathers in Egypt, as it says, ‘And they embittered their lives.’” Interesting, earlier in the text of the previous chapter it said the verse, simply “the Egyptians embittered,” here he adds the verse, “and they embittered their lives,” it’s a language of maror. Interesting, here it says “etc.,” except that what’s here isn’t so important, because “and they embittered their lives” already says everything, because the giving of this is in the verse. It could be that here also comes an “etc.” truly, here they forgot to write.

Further, “and he lifts the matzah in his hand,” also afterwards he lifts the matzah, and says: “This matzah that we eat is because the dough of our fathers did not have time to become leavened,” there wasn’t enough time for the dough to become chametz, “until the Holy One, Blessed be He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them immediately, as it says: ‘And they baked the dough,’” where it says “cakes of matzot because it did not leaven,” because he couldn’t, “they could not delay,” yes, “because in haste.”

“That the Omnipresent Passed Over” vs. “The Holy One Revealed Himself”

But interesting, earlier it said “because the Omnipresent passed over,” here he says “until the Holy One, Blessed be He, revealed Himself to them.” Ah, “that the Omnipresent passed over.” Perhaps why did he say the word “Omnipresent”? It could be that when there’s a matter of place, there was a matter of place, this place so, that place so, there the language “Omnipresent” fits.

This is also, earlier he said more briefly, earlier it said “matzah because they were redeemed,” and here it says more at length, “because there was no time.” Seemingly, this is an explanation of that, not two different explanations. But earlier he said more briefly, now he says more the language that we say.

“Until the Holy One, Blessed be He, revealed Himself to them” — I don’t really know, what does “the Holy One, Blessed be He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them immediately” mean? That means quickly, that’s what “immediately” means, “immediately” means “immediately.” I took a chance. Earlier, “that the Omnipresent passed over”? I don’t know. Okay.

The Order of Pesach-Maror-Matzah

Speaker 1:

And in this time, when he doesn’t have Pesach, he doesn’t say “this Pesach.” It’s a bit interesting, no, just a small thing. The Pesach and the matzah are in good order, because first was the Pesach, and the next, later at night, was when they were redeemed. But the maror was entirely before that. But I can understand that the maror comes with the Pesach, we eat “Pesach, matzah and maror.”

In This Time — “The Pesach That Our Fathers Ate”

Speaker 1:

In this time he says, in this time one cannot say “this Pesach that we eat,” because we don’t eat it. The Rambam is particular here that one cannot say a lie, also earlier, one cannot say a lie. It must be accurate. “The Pesach that our fathers ate when the Holy Temple existed” — it doesn’t say “was,” “existed.” Right. “Were” goes back to both, “that they ate,” “that they,” yes. “Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, passed over the houses of our fathers.”

Therefore — The Blessing of Redemption

Speaker 1:

And he says, and he concludes, this is the… until here is the Haggadah. Now we carry out, the end of the blessing is “Therefore we are obligated to thank, to praise, to laud, to glorify, to exalt, to honor, to bless, to extol” — or “to extol,” “to extol,” “to bless.” Different languages of thanksgiving and praise. “The One who performed for us all these miracles.” Interesting, here is the word “for us,” just as he said earlier, “a person is obligated to see himself.” “And He brought us out from slavery to freedom,” “to our fathers and to us.”

And we shall say before Him, and we will say before Him, the following chapters. And here we say the chapters of Halleluyah, praise, servants of Hashem. And the next piece, until He turns the rock into a pool of water, it means the first half of Hallel, first two pieces.

And he concludes with the blessing. And he concludes, we end with the blessing, Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who redeemed us — this he says yes clearly, redeemed us, us — and redeemed our fathers from Egypt. And brought us — this is like Shehecheyanu, sustained us and brought us — to this night to eat in it matzah and maror. Very good.

In This Time — Additional Request

Speaker 1:

And in this time he adds. This he said from Rabbi Akiva. Interesting, he doesn’t say matzah, Pesach and maror, here he has already updated to our language.

In this time he adds, “So Hashem our God and God of our fathers, may You bring us to festivals and holidays that come toward us in peace.” That means, after the praise comes a request, comes and You brought us to this night, but it’s not good this night, something is missing, this is already. And the holiday itself Mashiach won’t come, because he doesn’t come on the night of the holiday, but the next holiday we should merit that the coming Shavuot should already be after the redemption, “So Hashem our God and God of our fathers, may You bring us to festivals and holidays that come toward us in peace,” and then it should already be “rejoicing,” now the joy is lacking, but then it should be “rejoicing in the building of Your city,” happy with the fact that Jerusalem has already been built, “and joyful in Your service,” with joy in the Temple service, the service of Hashem.

And we shall eat goes back to “may You bring us.” “May You bring us to eat,” with joy we should then be “to eat from the offerings,” that means the offerings will then be the korban chagigah, or perhaps there will be a special offering for the redemption, I don’t know, “and from the Pesach offerings, whose blood will reach the wall of Your altar favorably,” the main thing that makes the offering favorable is the blood that we sprinkle on the wall of the altar. It means, now we also have meat, but he doesn’t have meat that a bit of it was on the altar.

“A New Song” — A New Song in the Future

Speaker 1:

And then “and we shall thank You with a new song,” we will make a new song. It means, besides the Hallel that we said, we will say a new song, yes? So it seems, there is a concept of a new song, a miracle upon renewal. It says “Sing to Hashem a new song” etc., many verses for the redemption. There will be a new kind of note that we don’t have yet. “For our redemption and for the deliverance of our soul,” a new piece of Hallel, we will make a new chapter of Psalms. “For our redemption and for the deliverance of our soul,” and we conclude “Blessed are You, Hashem, who redeemed Israel.”

That means, then we will make a greater Seder, then the Seder will be more, it should have a new song. Yes, it shouldn’t be the Exodus from Egypt primarily, that’s the whole thing. And we conclude “Blessed are You, Hashem, who redeemed Israel.”

The Second Cup — Borei Pri Hagafen

Speaker 1:

And this is stated in the Rambam, that one makes borei pri hagafen, “and drinks the second cup.” Do you see that one must make another borei pri hagafen? Why? Seemingly we would have interrupted with the Haggadah, we no longer think of the previous one. And afterwards we ate a kezayit. What does it have to do with the kezayit? We didn’t need to make an after-blessing. He doesn’t say an after-blessing. It seems that one doesn’t need to.

Second Hand Washing

Speaker 1:

“And afterwards,” afterwards, he also does again, because he was distracted seemingly when he washed his hands. “And he washes his hands a second time,” he washes again. Why? The blessing is after washing the hands, no? No, by us we learned… well, yes, yes, yes, one must remember the laws of blessings. The Rambam ruled in the laws of blessings that the blessing of one should do it before. Yes, not the thing that one should do the blessing with clean hands. No, there’s no such thing that one must do.

Law 8 (Continued) — Second Hand Washing

And he washes his hands a second time, he washes his hands again.

Why? Because… the blessing is after washing the hands, no?

No, by us we learned… yes, yes, yes, one must remember the laws of blessings. The Rambam wrote in the laws of blessings that the blessing of hand washing one makes before. This is a novelty of Tosafot, of Hagahot Maimoniyot, and so they brought there that there is such a… our custom is so. But the Rambam holds that only immersion, or perhaps even only immersion of a convert, the blessing comes after. All other mitzvot one makes before their performance.

And he washes his hands a second time, he washes his hands again, because he was distracted during the reading of the Haggadah. He will need hand washing anyway, if not he couldn’t say that he already washed earlier. He was distracted during the reading of the Haggadah, therefore he makes a new blessing, a new hand washing.

Law 8 (Continued) — Yachatz, Hamotzi, Lechem Oni

And he takes two wafers, he takes two matzot. It’s interesting he calls them “wafers” here. He knows to exclude loaves of matzah seemingly. Why I don’t know. Soft perhaps? Maybe, I don’t know.

He breaks one of them, one breaks one of them, and places the broken piece inside the whole one. We do yachatz before the Haggadah, and the Rambam does yachatz right before hamotzi matzah. Not known. Not because we want to be able to do the snatching of matzah, there is perhaps the snatching of matzah that one must already very much.

He breaks one of them, one divides one of the matzot, and places the broken piece inside the whole one, one places the broken matzah in the living one, I know, “inside,” it’s not really applicable literally inside, but on the whole matzah, and blesses hamotzi lechem.

He says, he asks, why indeed does one break it before making the blessing? Wouldn’t it seemingly, there is a concept that it should be lechem mishneh, it should be whole matzot when one makes the blessing. And why doesn’t he bless over two loaves like other holidays?

And the Rambam says we already take lechem oni. They already learned lechem oni means bread of the poor. What is the way of a poor person? With a broken piece? A poor person eats broken bread. So too here with a broken piece, they eat broken bread. Already?

And the Rambam didn’t say “who sanctified us regarding eating matzah.”

Law 8 (Continued) — Wrapping Matzah and Maror Together (The Rambam’s View in Temple Times)

And now, this is the Rambam’s version, first one makes a lechem… ah, excuse me, one doesn’t eat yet, excuse me, one makes hamotzi lechem, and afterwards… still before eating, together with the matzah one places maror, and dips it in charoset.

Where do you see? One moment. Again, first we ate, one makes hamotzi, one hasn’t eaten yet. One hasn’t eaten yet. And afterwards one places maror on the matzah, and dips in charoset, one dips the maror with the matzah it seems in charoset, and blesses first on eating maror, “who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us on eating maror,” and eats them, one eats them together, and one fulfills, as we learned earlier that when one eats both one fulfills both, one can fulfill all three, as if with charoset also, with both at once.

But if one ate matzah by itself and maror by itself, if one doesn’t do this custom, it seems this was open to discussion, just as open to customs, then one makes two blessings, I ate this by itself and I ate that by itself.

So why does the Rambam say more ideally that one should do so? So that one shouldn’t make an extra blessing? Perhaps because he says more ideally. So he says as if, so he says. And if is such an option, and if.

Raavad’s Objection: This is Like Hillel

What does the Raavad say? “Abraham said, this is like Hillel, and in any case this is the precise order.” The Raavad says indeed that this is only Hillel’s opinion, and we don’t do so, we must yes do as the Rambam says that it’s only a second option, because Hillel said that so one must do. Right? And so Hillel interpreted. But the Sages say that one doesn’t need to do so. So the Rambam held that the best thing is to do ideally like Hillel, and that’s it. The Raavad says that it’s not correct like Hillel.

The simple meaning is seemingly because they held that Hillel is only when one has a korban Pesach.

The Rambam’s View: Even in Temple Times One Doesn’t Put the Pesach in the Wrap

And the Rambam however didn’t hold so. The Rambam says he held that when there is a korban Pesach, besides that one eats matzah and maror together. Therefore in this time also the same thing. One continues the custom, unfortunately the Pesach is missing from it.

No, even in the time when there was yes the Pesach, one doesn’t need to put the Pesach in the matzah and maror. So says the Maaseh Rokeach. So it seems here, because here comes extra afterwards the eating of meat. The Rambam is speaking even in Temple times now. That means, one will already see that the Rambam says, the entire order that the Rambam says is in Temple times. In this time the Rambam also agrees that one doesn’t do so. In this time one doesn’t do so. This is what one learns in Temple times.

In Temple times the Rambam rules like Hillel. Although seemingly this is only Hillel’s opinion, and the Sages say that one doesn’t need to, the Rambam says, well, what does it matter to you that he should do like Hillel? One doesn’t have to, but what does it matter to you?

Afterwards one will see what one does in this time when one doesn’t hold a korban Pesach. But even in Temple times, the Rambam says, that one doesn’t put the korban Pesach in this. He first makes a blessing on eating matzah and maror, and afterwards he will say that one makes on eating the offering and he eats the chagigah and the Pesach. So one sees that even in Temple times the Rambam doesn’t put the Pesach into the sandwich, into the wrap.

Raavad’s Objection: In Temple Times One Must Put Everything In

And on this seemingly the Raavad objects that no, that if you’re already speaking of Temple times you must put everything in the same thing, that you make a blessing on everything, one blessing, on eating Pesach, matzah and maror. It’s correct so, because in the verse “on matzot and maror they shall eat it” it says that the main thing is the Pesach, and the Pesach one should eat on matzot and maror.

So the question is so, the question of the interpretation is “on matzot and maror” literally, because simply “on” doesn’t mean that one must eat on us on us, “on” means more, the same meal. So the other commentators, take indeed that Hillel is yes literally that literally “on.” But the Rambam says, no, the Pesach would eat “on,” but it says “matzot and maror” together, the matzah goes together with the maror.

Law 8 (Continued) — Blessings on the Offering and Pesach (In Temple Times)

The Rambam says, “And afterwards he blesses, Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us on eating the offering.” The offering means the meat of the chagigah of the fourteenth, the extra offering that one brings along with the korban Pesach. “And he eats from the meat of the chagigah of the fourteenth first.”

And afterwards, “and he blesses,” one makes the blessing, after eating from the meat of the chagigah of the fourteenth one eats the korban Pesach. One makes the blessing before, “who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us on eating the Pesach, and he eats from the body of the Pesach,” one eats from the korban Pesach. There is the language of “from the body of the Pesach.” The meat of the Pesach. Perhaps the soul of the Pesach? No. Okay.

The Rambam says, “And the blessing of the Pesach doesn’t exempt that of the offering, and not that of the offering” — there are two pieces of meat, there is meat from the chagigah and there is meat from the Pesach. You shouldn’t think that one fulfills one with the other, because Pesach can also be called an offering essentially. And you might perhaps think that the chagigah is there for the korban Pesach, so that one should eat before the korban Pesach, but one doesn’t fulfill, they are two extra mitzvot and two extra blessings. So this is a yoke that is world.

Law 9 — In This Time: Separate Eatings

But now, and in this time when there is no offering, after he blesses hamotzi lechem, he returns and blesses on eating matzah, and dips matzah in charoset. This is the version of the Rambam, one dips matzah in the charoset, and eats. And he returns and blesses on eating maror, and dips maror in charoset, and eats. Like the Rambam, and he should not leave it in the charoset, one shouldn’t let it lie in the charoset too much, lest it nullify its taste. What is the charoset’s sharpness, it will take away the taste.

And this is a mitzvah from the words of the Sages, that the maror should be specifically sharp. No, he means that the charoset’s mitzvah is the charoset’s mitzvah earlier. Ah, therefore we don’t want the mitzvah from the words of the Sages to take away the taste from the main mitzvah. Although the maror is also a mitzvah from the words of the Sages. No, mitzvah from the words of the Sages means both, both the maror and both the maror and the charoset the mitzvah from the words of the Sages. Perhaps the maror itself he means? The reason… he says that we should know that all this eating of maror is from the kinds of blessings which means to say a rabbinic blessing, who sanctified us to hear from him that the congregation stands not to do.

Right, this is truly the reason why in this time one doesn’t do ideally like Hillel. Why? Because it’s not clear. It wasn’t clear that the Rabban says so earlier, but in any case, so it says in the Gemara, because if the matzah is from the Torah and the maror is rabbinic, one can yes say that the matzah nullifies the maror, because the maror is yes, it’s not essential. So therefore one cannot eat at once, one must eat eat extra.

But besides that, he returns. But Rabbeinu Manoach says here that the mitzvah from the words of the Sages he means to say so, as we learned earlier that when one eats matzah and maror one fulfilled, at least according to the letter.

Question from Rabbeinu Manoach: Why Not by Matzah?

English Translation

But why not matza with charoset then? So that maror with charoset should have the same strong taste? No, we want that we should feel much more the taste of maror, because maror is a more important mitzvah. So the mitzvah d’rabbanan (rabbinic commandment) goes up on charoset. That is, maror is actually d’oraita (biblical), in our time it’s a weaker mitzvah, but charoset is altogether only a mitzvah d’rabbanan, and we don’t want that you should have the same from both at the same time, and we want that one should remember what is important.

Rabbeinu Manoach asks, why can one indeed dip the matza in charoset, and there he doesn’t worry that it’s nullified? No, he also says because in reality, matza is a hard thing, it won’t become nullified in charoset, which is not so with a leaf that can lose its taste. The point is that the maror has a sharpness, and the charoset takes away the sharpness, and we want that there should remain a bit of the bitterness of the maror. Okay.

Law 9 (continued) — Koreich in Memory of the Temple

And he returns and wraps matza and maror, afterwards one does the koreich, the custom of Hillel, and dips in charoset, and eats them without a blessing in memory of the Temple. That is, it’s only in memory of the Temple, because the entire maror is only in the time of the Temple, and in our time the rule doesn’t truly hold that one must do so, but as a memory that in the time of the Beit HaMikdash Hillel did so, they also still do so. Even though today one cannot do so, because one is not fully yotzei (fulfilling the obligation), one did so, because the maror is nullified, they nullify each other. But one does a memory, so one also makes matza.

Law 10 — Shulchan Oreich and Eating the Pesach Last

The Rambam says further, and afterwards he is drawn into the meal, afterwards drawn, it’s a certain expression, he gets dragged into the meal, one lets oneself into a long meal, one eats, and eats all that he wants to eat, drinks all that he wants to drink. It’s the time, because one is already holding here after eating two k’zeisim of meat… yes. A k’zayis, how much did we speak? How big is it? As big as everything? But korban Pesach one eats already al hasova (on satiation). No, no, no, one goes afterwards to eat the Pesach. One ate a k’zayis, just as one does with the matza. Okay. Eat a piece.

And at the meal one eats as much as one wants to eat, and drinks all that he wants to drink. That means, this is not part of the number of cups. One can drink more wine here. And at the end, when one finishes the meal, after shulchan oreich, he eats from the meat of the Pesach even a k’zayis. One doesn’t need to eat a lot, a k’zayis is enough.

Law 10 (continued) — Afikoman — And He Tastes Nothing After It

And afterwards he is drawn into the meal, and eats all that he wants to eat, and drinks all that he wants to drink. And at the end he eats from the meat of the Pesach, even a k’zayis, and he tastes no other food after it at all. And in our time – he eats a k’zayis of matza, and tastes nothing after it, so that his meal should end and the taste of the meat of the Pesach or the matza be in his mouth, for their eating is the mitzvah.

Speaker 1: In our time he eats a k’zayis of matza, and one does it in the same manner as the korban Pesach, that what one eats at the end, and he tastes nothing after it, so that his meal should end, the eating should end when the meal should be more the meat of the Pesach when it exists, in the time when the Beit HaMikdash exists, or matza in our time should be in his mouth.

But what is the importance of the mitzvah, so that it should be clear? No, because a mitzvah is beloved, one wants that one should remain with the taste of the mitzvah.

What does it mean one begins and ends with the mitzvah? No, I mean that the taste itself of the mitzvah means it. That is, one wants that the taste of the mitzvah should remain until the end, because the eating, the kugel, is not a mitzvah, it’s just a tasty thing in honor of Yom Tov. One wants that the main mitzvah of today should remain the taste.

It appears that every meal has a certain concept of taste, what does it mean one leaves with a good taste, just as before one eats dessert at the end, let’s leave a certain sweet taste in the mouth. Here one wants that the sweet taste that remains in the mouth should be the Pesach or the matza.

Law 11: Third Cup — Birkat HaMazon

Speaker 1: The Rambam says, and afterwards he washes his hands, when one finishes the shulchan oreich one washes one’s hands again, mayim acharonim, and here there is no blessing.

Speaker 2: Right, it’s already learned, and the Rambam has, mayim acharonim has no blessing, because it’s only for health, for the salt of Sodom, and the Rambam says that it’s similar to someone who cleans himself in water, and he already has no blessing.

Speaker 1: Ah, very good, I remember that one.

And he blesses Birkat HaMazon over the third cup. Now one holds the third cup of the four cups, it’s not that one drinks it after Birkat HaMazon.

Discussion: Does One Make Borei Pri HaGafen on the Third Cup?

Speaker 1: He doesn’t say that one makes borei pri hagafen. It doesn’t appear that one makes it. Because it’s the continuation of the meal. That is, every time in between, so, people argue. If it would have said that one must make it, he would have had to make it.

Speaker 2: Right, earlier he said that one makes the blessing.

Speaker 1: It appears to me that generally, that it’s very strange to me when one makes… in Shulchan Aruch it says that borei pri hagafen is not… I don’t agree. I mean that generally, when one eats a meal and benches on a cup, it seems very strange to me that one should make a borei pri hagafen afterwards again at Birkat HaMazon. This is part of the meal, you’re coming… I don’t understand why one should make another blessing.

But he does indicate yes, I don’t know if you can find it, in Berachot chapter 7, he says that it does say yes that one makes a blessing if one has benched in between.

Speaker 2: On another cup, yes, wine after the meal, if one has interrupted the meal.

Speaker 1: And the cup for benching doesn’t mean wine after the meal?

Speaker 2: No, what? Why should it be wine after the meal? It comes from the meal, it comes with the… how is it called? I don’t see that it should be so.

Speaker 1: Another blessing on the wine.

Speaker 2: Ah, that’s if one hasn’t drunk wine before.

Speaker 1: But I do drink wine, because…

Speaker 2: Who told you?

Speaker 1: I don’t know, it’s customary that a meal comes with wine, no? Every meal comes with wine.

Speaker 2: Yes, one brings now a new cup. If one has been hesech hada’at (distracted) from the previous cup, whatever, that it was yes. I don’t know if in a normal meal that one has…

Speaker 1: And furthermore, it seems to me from the opinion of the Rishonim that the fourth blessing of Birkat HaMazon, HaTov VeHaMeitiv, is actually a blessing on wine. Think about it, a second cup comes, one makes HaTov VeHaMeitiv. Here we mean another cup for Birkat HaMazon.

And you see, we have a text of Birkat HaMazon, that is Tzur Mishelo, yes? Tzur Mishelo is a piyut (liturgical poem) which is actually a text of Birkat HaMazon, one can be yotzei Birkat HaMazon according to the Rama, there are those who say one can be yotzei. And there it says at the fourth blessing what? A cup of wine full? I don’t know, there’s something there. It says, one speaks of the… one makes that it’s a blessing on the cup.

You see that the one who made the piyut understood that HaTov VeHaMeitiv is the blessing on the cup. It’s the law that HaTov VeHaMeitiv one makes on wine, when one drinks with other people.

So it seems to me that the… apparently, here it doesn’t say in the Mechaber borei pri hagafen, and what you bring from Berachot, I don’t know if it’s a proof, because that speaks of when he hasn’t drunk before, or has been hesech hada’at. You understand? I’m not sure that…

Fourth Cup — Hallel and Birkat HaShir

Speaker 1: And afterwards he pours the fourth cup and completes on it the Hallel, and says on it Birkat HaShir. The blessing that one says, as you say that the Mishna is Birkat HaShir, Yehalelucha Hashem Elokeinu kol ma’asecha. That is that every time when one says Hallel one ends with Birkat HaShir.

The Rambam in Perush HaMishnayot says that there are those who say that Nishmat is Birkat HaShir, and there are those who say that Nishmat is Birkat HaShir also means to include because it’s appropriate. It also ends on a blessing, Melech mehulal batishbachot. It also has the same conclusion.

Speaker 2: Yes.

Speaker 1: But it’s a different opening like Yishtabach, basically.

And He Tastes Nothing All Night Except Water

Speaker 1: The Rambam says, and he tastes nothing after that all night except water. Because when we learned here that what… the entire night one doesn’t taste with the taste.

Interesting, because there are other places that say that the prohibition is as long as one is still… a part of the… as long as one is still drinking, still eating. Once one has finished the seder, one can…

Speaker 2: No, who says so. I don’t know if anyone says so. Why should there be a difference? All night!

Speaker 1: You can ask if someone goes to sleep and gets up in the morning?

Speaker 2: I don’t know if it means that, but… anyway, one must be for a whole night, we’ll see.

Fifth Cup — Hallel HaGadol

Speaker 1: Okay, the Rambam says, and he may pour a fifth cup… He can, if he wants. Yesh lo is not… Yesh lo is not…

Speaker 2: Yesh lo is the entire Rambam, always means one may.

Speaker 1: Yesh lo is the entire Rambam, always means one may. Yes.

He can pour a fifth cup, and say on it Hallel HaGadol. And what is Hallel HaGadol? Hodu LaHashem ki tov, from Tehillim, until Al Naharot Bavel. That is, Hallel HaGadol, yes, the entire Olam Chasadim.

Speaker 2: Yes.

Speaker 1: And this? And this cup is not obligatory like the four cups. This is already a… this has to do with what we call the cup of Eliyahu. There are those who mean all five five five that is if one wants to go to the Rebbe’s tisch and there make the last Hallel, one can. It’s not part of the meal, it’s a matter of extra Hallel.

There used to be such a thing in the customs, one would go… perhaps say it publicly? Hallel comes publicly? Hallel one sings… it has a tune that one sings…

Speaker 2: Right, and there comes a… Ana Hashem hoshi’ah na, yes.

Speaker 1: Now, now the Rambam will give us certain laws in the order of the night that he told us.

Law 12: Eating Roasted Meat on Pesach Night in Our Time

Speaker 1: The Rambam says, a place where they are accustomed to eat roasted meat on Pesach night in our time, when there is no longer a Beit HaMikdash, there were those who were accustomed yes to eat roasted meat as a remembrance of the korban Pesach, they eat. But if there is a place where they are accustomed not to eat, and the reason why in those places they had this stringency was a decree lest they say it is the meat of the Pesach, no one should think that one is offering sacrifices outside and one has a korban Pesach, they do not eat. One should go with this according to the custom.

He says, and in every place it is forbidden to eat a whole lamb roasted as one on this night, this means that one should not roast at all, not roast at all, is a stringency, there is the custom of the place. But there is indeed yes a law that one should not take a whole lamb and roast it as one on this night, because this is truly a custom that appears like eating sacrifices outside. It’s not just lest they say, but this is indeed looking too strongly similar.

Therefore indeed the prohibition is only when it appears like eating sacrifices outside, but if it was cut up, he roasts a cut-up animal, or a limb is missing from it, or something is missing, or a limb was cooked in it and attached, or a part of it he cooks, this is permitted in a place where they are accustomed, because the prohibition is only when it looks exactly like offering sacrifices outside.

In the Magen Avraham it says that in these lands they are accustomed not to eat roasted meat. We don’t eat any roasted meat on Pesach. One sees a roast, but one doesn’t eat it.

Law 13: One Who Has No Wine on Pesach Night

Speaker 1: The Rambam says further, one who has no wine on Pesach night, what happens? One who has no wine on Pesach night, what should he do? He makes kiddush on bread as he does on Shabbat, we already learned this. If one prefers the bread, one can do so on Shabbat. Shabbat is optional. Yom Tov one must have wine, even the charity collector must give wine, but here we speak in a case when there isn’t any, then one should make kiddush on bread.

And he does all the things in order, that one does further the same order without the four cups. That is, the order is not dependent on the four cups, the order is an order in itself.

One Who Has No Vegetable Except Maror Alone

Speaker 1: What happens if one has no vegetable except maror alone? He doesn’t have another vegetable. There is, he still holds to the custom of eating vegetables at the beginning of the seder. But what does he do? He only has maror.

At first he blesses on the maror two blessings, borei pri ha’adama and al achilat maror. And eats. Because the first piece that one eats maror, one is yotzei with this the mitzvah of maror. You can’t make the blessing afterwards, one must make the blessing then.

And eats. And when he completes the Haggadah he blesses on the matza and eats it, and returns and eats from the maror without a blessing. This is still fulfilling the order, because one must eat twice. There is a matter to eat vegetables twice, so he does it backwards, or one still holds to the order, but he was already yotzei actually maror earlier.

Law 14: One Who Has Only a K’zayis of Guarded Matza

Speaker 1: The Rambam says, one who has only a k’zayis of guarded matza, we learned earlier in the previous chapters, that for the matza of the mitzvah of the night of the fifteenth one should have guarded matza, matza that is guarded from the time of harvest. As it says in u’shemartem et hamatzot.

The Rambam says, if he only has a k’zayis of this, and he must have it, but we discussed that one eats one k’zayis at the beginning, and afterwards one eats another k’zayis, a k’zayis one eats together with maror, and afterwards one eats a k’zayis at the end. So when does one take it? At which of the three does one use the k’zayis?

The Rambam says, when he completes his meal with matza that is not guarded, such a person should begin making al achilat matza. Not excuse me, he should say HaMotzi lechem min ha’aretz and eat. And at the end of the…

Law 8 (continued) — Eating Matza at the End

“He blesses al achilat matza and eats that k’zayis, and tastes nothing after it”

That is, rather one should have that the same piece should be the k’zayis of matza at the end with the matza that is the mitzvah, than to begin with it. And the koreich, which is only a custom, one should make with the matza that is not guarded.

—

Law 9 — One Who Slept During the Meal

The Law of an Individual Who Slept

The Rambam asks another question: What happens with “one who slept during the meal and woke up”? He slept and woke up.

The Rambam says, “he does not return and eat”, he should not continue the meal.

The Rambam says, when he has already finished his meal, he can no longer continue.

The Objection of the Ra’avad

The Ra’avad will say that he doesn’t know what he wants, that this is only at Pesach there is a problem, that one cannot eat so with two groups. But what is the problem with matza?

Explanation of the Rambam’s Opinion

It could be the Rambam means this, it could be not, I don’t know. Ah, could be the Rambam speaks indeed, “at shulchan aruch” means shulchan aruch. It doesn’t appear so.

It appears that the Rambam holds in a general way, one cannot, why? That the Pesach must be like when there is a Pesach? No, because the reason would be that he has already eaten matza now, and now he fell asleep, he has already finished his meal. After eating matza one may not eat more matza, because “one does not have dessert after the Pesach.” That he slept has finished his meal. He cannot now add.

Are we speaking here specifically in a case when the last thing he ate was matza? No difference. When one falls asleep, the meal has ended. More meal, finished. He cannot make another meal, because after the meal one may not make another one. So the Rambam learned.

The Ra’avad argues. The Ra’avad says that this is only at korban Pesach there is such a law, because the law is one can only be in one group.

The Law of Members of a Group When Some of Them Slept

Very good. The Rambam says further, the members of a group does sound yes a bit like he’s speaking of the group of korban Pesach. Members of a group when some of them slept during the meal, but when part of the people sleep, even if he dozed off, but the meal hasn’t ended, because only he dozed, then he returns and eats, one can yes continue eating.

So one who slept during the meal means when a lone person, one who eats the meal alone. Very good. When the people eat, the meal is still going on, he checked out for a bit. Very good.

The Law When All Slept / All Dozed

But if all of them fell into deep sleep and woke up, if the entire group fell asleep and woke up, then they should not eat, one should not continue eating, because this is the same law as one person suddenly.

But if all of them dozed, but if not sleeping but one kind of half-dozed, it’s not a deep sleep, then they may eat, because this is not an interruption of the… it hasn’t made the meal be called finished.

—

Conclusion of the Laws of Eating Matza

Thus far, blessed is the Merciful One who has helped us. We have completed the laws of eating matzah.

If the people will indeed want that we should not learn the Seder HaHagadah, so blessed is the Merciful One who has helped us, we say it conditionally. No, the Rambam has already written it here, so… the text is an appendix, so after such a…