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Link to Transcript here: https://madlik.com/2025/04/02/matzahs-hidden-meaning/
(ג) לֹא־תֹאכַ֤ל עָלָיו֙ חָמֵ֔ץ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֛ים תֹּֽאכַל־עָלָ֥יו מַצּ֖וֹת לֶ֣חֶם עֹ֑נִי כִּ֣י בְחִפָּז֗וֹן יָצָ֙אתָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לְמַ֣עַן תִּזְכֹּ֗ר אֶת־י֤וֹם צֵֽאתְךָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃
(3) You shall not eat anything leavened with it; for seven days thereafter you shall eat unleavened bread, bread of distress—for you departed from the land of Egypt hurriedly—so that you may remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt as long as you live.
(א) וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יהוה אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אָדָ֗ם כִּֽי־יַקְרִ֥יב מִכֶּ֛ם קׇרְבָּ֖ן לַֽיהוה מִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה מִן־הַבָּקָר֙ וּמִן־הַצֹּ֔אן תַּקְרִ֖יבוּ אֶת־קׇרְבַּנְכֶֽם׃
Anyone—when [*Anyone: Including both men and women. As these texts unfold, I will be using “he,” as the Hebrew does, but both Hebrew and English should be understood as including both sexes in these contexts.] [one] among you brings near a near-offering for YHWH
from domestic-animals: from the herd or from the flock you may bring near your near-offering.
(א) אדם כי יקריב מכם. כְּשֶׁיַּקְרִיב; בְּקָרְבְּנוֹת נְדָבָה דִּבֵּר הָעִנְיָן: (ב) אדם. לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר? מָה אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן לֹא הִקְרִיב מִן הַגָּזֵל — שֶׁהַכֹּל הָיָה שֶׁלּוֹ — אַף אַתֶּם לֹא תַּקְרִיבוּ מִן הַגָּזֵל (ויקרא רבה):
(1) אדם כי יקריב מכם IF A MAN OF YOU OFFER [AN OFFERING] — This means, when he offers: Scripture is speaking here of free — will offerings (cf. Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Section 2 4). (2) אדם — Why is this term for “man” employed here? Since אדם also means Adam, its use suggests the following comparison: what was the characteristic of the first man (אדם הראשון)? He did not offer sacrifice of anything acquired by way of robbery, since everything was his! So you, too, shall not offer anything acquired by way of robbery (Leviticus Rabbah 2:7).
(א) וְנֶ֗פֶשׁ כִּֽי־תַקְרִ֞יב קׇרְבַּ֤ן מִנְחָה֙ לַֽה׳ סֹ֖לֶת יִהְיֶ֣ה קׇרְבָּנ֑וֹ וְיָצַ֤ק עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ שֶׁ֔מֶן וְנָתַ֥ן עָלֶ֖יהָ לְבֹנָֽה׃ (ב) וֶֽהֱבִיאָ֗הּ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹן֮ הַכֹּהֲנִים֒ וְקָמַ֨ץ מִשָּׁ֜ם מְלֹ֣א קֻמְצ֗וֹ מִסׇּלְתָּהּ֙ וּמִשַּׁמְנָ֔הּ עַ֖ל כׇּל־לְבֹנָתָ֑הּ וְהִקְטִ֨יר הַכֹּהֵ֜ן אֶת־אַזְכָּרָתָהּ֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה אִשֵּׁ֛ה רֵ֥יחַ נִיחֹ֖חַ לַה׳׃ (ג) וְהַנּוֹתֶ֙רֶת֙ מִן־הַמִּנְחָ֔ה לְאַהֲרֹ֖ן וּלְבָנָ֑יו קֹ֥דֶשׁ קׇֽדָשִׁ֖ים מֵאִשֵּׁ֥י ה׳׃ {ס}
(1) When a person presents an offering of meal to ה׳: The offering shall be of choice flour; the offerer shall pour oil upon it, lay frankincense on it, (2) and present it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest shall scoop out of it a handful of its choice flour and oil, as well as all of its frankincense; and this token portion he shall turn into smoke on the altar, as an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to ה׳. (3) And the remainder of the meal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from ה׳’s offerings by fire.
(א) ונפש כי תקריב. לֹא נֶאֱמַר נֶפֶשׁ בְּכָל קָרְבְּנוֹת נְדָבָה אֶלָּא בַּמִּנְחָה, מִי דַּרְכּוֹ לְהִתְנַדֵּב מִנְחָה? עָנִי. אָמַר הַקָּבָּ"ה, מַעֲלֶה אֲנִי עָלָיו כְּאִלּוּ הִקְרִיב נַפְשׁוֹ (מנחות ק"ד):
(1) ונפש כי תקריב AND WHEN A PERSON (or “A SOUL”) WILL OFFER — Nowhere is the word נפש employed in connection with free-will offerings except in connection with the meal-offering. For who is it that usually brings a meal-offering? The poor man! The Holy One, blessed be He, says, as it were, I will regard it for him as though he brought his very soul (נפש) as an offering (Menachot 104b).
The Gemara cites another comment about the fact that the Torah introduces the voluntary meal offering by emphasizing that it is brought by an individual. Rabbi Yitzḥak says: For what reason is the meal offering different from other offerings in that the term “an individual [nefesh]” is stated with regard to it? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: Whose practice is it to bring a meal offering? It is that of a poor individual; and I will ascribe him credit as if he offered up his soul [nafsho] in front of Me.
§ The Gemara cites another comment made by Rabbi Yitzḥak about meal offerings. Rabbi Yitzḥak says: What is the reason that the meal offering is differentiated from other offerings in that the Torah stated these five types of preparations with oil with regard to it? The five types of voluntary meal offerings are: A meal offering of fine flour, a meal offering in a shallow pan, a meal offering in a deep pan, a meal offering of loaves baked in an oven, and a meal offering of wafers baked in an oven. All are brought with oil.
This can be explained by a parable of a flesh-and-blood king whose friend made a festive meal for him, but the king knows that the friend is poor. The king said to him: Make for me foods from five types of fried dishes, so that I may benefit from you.
ונפש כי תקריב. נפש אדם והזכיר הנפש שהמנחה נדבה גם הנפש תקרא נדיבה ורוח נדיבה תסמכני:
AND WHEN ANY ONE BRINGETH. The word nefesh (anyone) means a person. Scripture mentions nefesh because the meal offering is a free will offering and nefesh is called “willing.” Compare, And let a willing spirit uphold me (Ps. 51:14).
ונפש כי תקריב קרבן מנחה. ... ולא נאמר נפש בכל הקרבנות אלא במנחה, מי דרכו להתנדב מנחה עני אמר הקב"ה מעלה אני עליו כאלו הקריב נפשו. והזכיר כאן אשה ריח ניחוח לה׳, כשם שנאמר בעוף כך נאמר בבהמה, ובכולן נאמר כן, ודרשו, רז"ל לומר לך אחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים.
ונפש כי תקריב קרבן מנחה “When a person offers a meal-offering, etc.” ... It is remarkable that the Torah introduces the subject of the meal-offering by writing נפש כי תקריב. What kind of person volunteers a meal-offering, i.e. a very inexpensive offering? It is the poor. By introducing the subject of the meal-offering with the word נפש, the Torah teaches that in the eyes of G’d a poor man who offers a meal-offering is considered as if he had offered his very life, i.e. נפשו.
The Torah also describes this offering here as “a fire-offering of sweet smelling odor for the Lord.” This expression occurs with all kinds of offerings to teach that quantity does not determine the value of an offering in the eyes of the Lord. All that matters is the intention of the donor to dedicate it to G’d. (Compare Menachot 110, אחד המרבה ואחד ההמעיט, “both the one who offers a great quantity and the one who offers a small quantity, etc.”)
מנחה: עיקרו שרש נוח, כטעם ריח ניחוח, אע"פ שאח"כ נתקבלה המ"ם כאילו שרשית, ואמרו מנחה בנו"ן נחה, גם אמרו מְנָחות בפלס שְפָחות.
Mincha - The primary root is Noach (pleasing) such as a "pleasing smell", even though that later the M'em was seemingly added to the root...
(יד) וַיָּ֥לֶן שָׁ֖ם בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֑וּא וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִן־הַבָּ֧א בְיָד֛וֹ מִנְחָ֖ה לְעֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִֽיו׃
(14) After spending the night there, he selected from what was at hand these presents for his brother Esau:
(יא) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֜ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל אֲבִיהֶ֗ם אִם־כֵּ֣ן ׀ אֵפוֹא֮ זֹ֣את עֲשׂוּ֒ קְח֞וּ מִזִּמְרַ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ בִּכְלֵיכֶ֔ם וְהוֹרִ֥ידוּ לָאִ֖ישׁ מִנְחָ֑ה מְעַ֤ט צֳרִי֙ וּמְעַ֣ט דְּבַ֔שׁ נְכֹ֣את וָלֹ֔ט בׇּטְנִ֖ים וּשְׁקֵדִֽים׃
(11) Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your baggage, and carry them down as a gift for the man—some balm and some honey, gum, ladanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
THE GRAIN OFFERING (MINHAH) (v. l-16)
The subject of chapter 2 is the minhah, "grain offering." Like the burnt offering of chapter 1, it was appropriate for a variety of occasions and often served as a less costly alternative to animal sacrifices. Like the burnt offering, the minhah was also considered a "most sacred offering," and this status imposed special restrictions.
Chapter 2 outlines the different types of minhah, listing them according to their different methods of preparation. The ingredients were usually the same for the various offerings: The minhah was made of semolina, the choice part of wheat that was taken from the inner kernels; olive oil was mixed into the dough or smeared on it; and frankincense was applied to it, enhancing the taste. The minhah could be prepared on a griddle, in a pan, or in an oven. A fistful of the dough, with the oil and frankincense added, was burned on the altar. The rest was prepared in one of the accepted ways, to be eaten by the priests in the sacred precincts of the sanctuary. Since the fistful of dough was burned on the altar, grain offerings could not be made with leavened dough, as is discussed further on, and they had to be salted. (The JPS Torah Commentary, Leviticus Baruch A. Levine)
Actually, the term minhah has an interesting history. It does not relate to the substances used in preparing the sacrifice. Its basic sense is that of "tribute, gift." Like many names given to sacrifices, the term minhah was appropriated by priestly writers from the administrative vocabulary because it effectively expressed the subservient relationship of the worshiper toward God. At the same time, it conveyed the duty of the worshiper to present gifts to God, often in the form of sacrifices.
In the first stage, minhah served as a generic term for any type of sacrifice. In Genesis 4:3-5 the different sacrifices of Cain and Abel, one consisting of grain and the other of animals, are both called minhah. (The JPS Torah Commentary, Leviticus Baruch A. Levine)
(ג) וַֽיְהִ֖י מִקֵּ֣ץ יָמִ֑ים וַיָּבֵ֨א קַ֜יִן מִפְּרִ֧י הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה מִנְחָ֖ה לַֽיהוה׃ (ד) וְהֶ֨בֶל הֵבִ֥יא גַם־ה֛וּא מִבְּכֹר֥וֹת צֹאנ֖וֹ וּמֵֽחֶלְבֵהֶ֑ן וַיִּ֣שַׁע יהוה אֶל־הֶ֖בֶל וְאֶל־מִנְחָתֽוֹ׃ (ה) וְאֶל־הַ֥יִן וְאֶל־מִנְחָת֖וֹ לֹ֣א שָׁעָ֑ה וַיִּ֤חַר לְקַ֙יִן֙ מְאֹ֔ד וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ פָּנָֽיו׃
(3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to יהוה from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. יהוה paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but to Cain and his offering [God] paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell.
Just how the term came to signify grain offerings, in particular, is not entirely clear, Perhaps the answer lies in the manner of presenting some grain offerings and in the derivation of the term minhah. It probably derives from the root n-b-h, “to lead, conduct," and so the term minhah would signify “what was set before, brought to a deity or ruler. Biblical evidence indicates that from early times offerings of grain and fruit were not burned on the altar but, rather, placed or set before God. Leviticus 24:5-6 ordain that the “bread of display" was to be presented in this way. According to Leviticus 7:12-13, the thanksgiving offering (todah) included two loaves of bread, no part of which was burned on the altar. Deuteronomy 26:I-4 describes how the “first fruits" were placed before God.
What we perceive in chapter 2 is the gradual adaptation of presentation offerings to the prevailing mode of the burnt offerings; that is, a small portion of the dough from the minhah was burned on the altar. Even the bread of display was not unaffected by such developments. Pure frankincense was burned near the loaves of the bread of display when they were placed on the tables in the sanctuary, as we read in 24:7. It is the older, unadapted method of presentation, however, that accounts for the name minhah in the first place. Once applied to grain offerings, it is understandable that the term minhah should refer to sacrifices of the evening or late afternoon, since grain offerings were customary in evening rituals. Indeed, evening became known as the time of the minhah. (The JPS Torah Commentary, Leviticus Baruch A. Levine)
(ב) תִּכּ֤וֹן תְּפִלָּתִ֣י קְטֹ֣רֶת לְפָנֶ֑יךָ מַֽשְׂאַ֥ת כַּ֝פַּ֗י מִנְחַת־עָֽרֶב׃
(2) Take my prayer as an offering of incense, my upraised hands as an evening sacrifice.
(ד) וְכִ֥י תַקְרִ֛ב קׇרְבַּ֥ן מִנְחָ֖ה מַאֲפֵ֣ה תַנּ֑וּר סֹ֣לֶת חַלּ֤וֹת מַצֹּת֙ בְּלוּלֹ֣ת בַּשֶּׁ֔מֶן וּרְקִיקֵ֥י מַצּ֖וֹת מְשֻׁחִ֥ים בַּשָּֽׁמֶן׃ {ס}
(4) When you present an offering of meal baked in the oven, [it shall be of] choice flour: unleavened cakes with oil mixed in, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.
The law here distinguishes between the two customary varieties of baked goods: hallah, "a thick, round cake," according to Ibn Ezra's translation; and rakik, *a thin cake, cookie, or wafer." The basic meaning of matsah remains uncertain. Its functional sense, however, is quite specific. It means "unleavened dough" - the opposite of hamets, "leavening, leavened dough. "
Cf. Greek. madza, “barley cake," derived from the verb
mássô, “to knead dough." (Liddel-Scott, Greek-English Lexicon,
s.v. madza, and s.v. mássô). Gk. madza was a barley cake inferior in quality to wheat bread and was normally eaten by slaves and
other poor folk. (The JPS Torah Commentary, Leviticus Baruch A. Levine)
(ה) וְאִם־מִנְחָ֥ה עַל־הַֽמַּחֲבַ֖ת קׇרְבָּנֶ֑ךָ סֹ֛לֶת בְּלוּלָ֥ה בַשֶּׁ֖מֶן מַצָּ֥ה תִהְיֶֽה׃ (ו) פָּת֤וֹת אֹתָהּ֙ פִּתִּ֔ים וְיָצַקְתָּ֥ עָלֶ֖יהָ שָׁ֑מֶן מִנְחָ֖ה הִֽוא׃ {ס} (ז) וְאִם־מִנְחַ֥ת מַרְחֶ֖שֶׁת קׇרְבָּנֶ֑ךָ סֹ֥לֶת בַּשֶּׁ֖מֶן תֵּעָשֶֽׂה׃ (ח) וְהֵבֵאתָ֣ אֶת־הַמִּנְחָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר יֵעָשֶׂ֛ה מֵאֵ֖לֶּה לַה׳ וְהִקְרִיבָהּ֙ אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְהִגִּישָׁ֖הּ אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃ (ט) וְהֵרִ֨ים הַכֹּהֵ֤ן מִן־הַמִּנְחָה֙ אֶת־אַזְכָּ֣רָתָ֔הּ וְהִקְטִ֖יר הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חָה אִשֵּׁ֛ה רֵ֥יחַ נִיחֹ֖חַ לַה׳׃ (י) וְהַנּוֹתֶ֙רֶת֙ מִן־הַמִּנְחָ֔ה לְאַהֲרֹ֖ן וּלְבָנָ֑יו קֹ֥דֶשׁ קׇֽדָשִׁ֖ים מֵאִשֵּׁ֥י ה׳׃ (יא) כׇּל־הַמִּנְחָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר תַּקְרִ֙יבוּ֙ לַה׳ לֹ֥א תֵעָשֶׂ֖ה חָמֵ֑ץ כִּ֤י כׇל־שְׂאֹר֙ וְכׇל־דְּבַ֔שׁ לֹֽא־תַקְטִ֧ירוּ מִמֶּ֛נּוּ אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַֽה׳׃
(5) If your offering is a meal offering on a griddle, it shall be of choice flour with oil mixed in, unleavened. (6) Break it into bits and pour oil on it; it is a meal offering. (7) If your offering is a meal offering in a pan, it shall be made of choice flour in oil. (8) When you present to ה׳ a meal offering that is made in any of these ways, it shall be brought to the priest who shall take it up to the altar. (9) The priest shall remove the token portion from the meal offering and turn it into smoke on the altar as an offering by fire, of pleasing odor to ה׳. (10) And the remainder of the meal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons, a most holy portion from ה׳’s offerings by fire. (11) No meal offering that you offer to ה׳ shall be made with leaven, for no leaven or honey may be turned into smoke as an offering by fire to ה׳.
פתות אתה פתים. לְרַבּוֹת כָּל הַמְּנָחוֹת הַנֶּאֱפוֹת קֹדֶם קְמִיצָה לִפְתִיתָה (שם ע"ה):
פתות אתה פתים — THOU SHALT SUNDER IT INTO MORSELS — This is stated to include all meal-offerings that are baked before the קמיצה (i. e. all mentioned here with the exception of מנחת סלת; cf. לחם משנה on Maim. הל' מעשה קרבנות פי״ג ה"י) in the law of breaking into pieces (Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Chapter 12 5; Menachot 75a).
the pledge was frequently cut in two, half kept by one party and half by the other. ... The magic sanction can intervene. It is not the sole bond. The thing itself, given and committed in the pledge, is a bond by virtue of its own power. First, the pledge is compulsory. In Germanic law any contract, whether for sale or purchase, for loan or deposit, includes the constitution of a pledge. An object, generally of little value, is given to the other contracting party; a glove, a coin (Treugeld), a knife—or
(as in France today) pins that will be returned when payment for the thing handed over has been made. Huvelin already notes that the thing is of little value, and normally is personal. He rightly compares this act with the theme of the ‘life-token’. The thing passed on in this way is indeed very much infused with the individuality of the donor. The fact that it is in the hands of the recipient stimulates the contracting party to carry out the contract, to redeem himself by redeeming the thing. Thus the nexum is in the thing, and not merely in the magical acts, or only the solemn forms of the contract, the words, the oaths, the rituals exchanged, or the shaking of hands. It is in it, as it is in the documents, the ‘acts’ of magical value, and the ‘tallies’ that each contracting party retains, the meals taken in common, in which everyone partakes of the substance of everybody else.
Marcel Mauss - The Gift, The form and reason for exchange in archaic societies pp 79-80
and this token portion The precise meaning of Hebrew 'azkarah, "token portion," is difficult to ascertain. Some have explained it as “reminder," analyzing this unusual word as an Afel form. On this basis, 'azkarah would mean that which calls to mind." The fistful of dough is reminiscent of the complete offering from which it was taken. The translation “token portion" relates the word 'azkarah to the same verbal root, z-kh-r, and to the noun zekber, which can mean a commemorative object." The Akkadian cognate zikru has the specialized connotation of "effigy,
double," that is, an object that resembles the original. It is this analysis that produced the translation "token portion." (The JPS Torah Commentary, Leviticus Baruch A. Levine)
When we attempt to explain the prohibitions against leaven and honey, we confront ancient attitudes that are far from clearly understood. It is not typical of either the Levitical laws or the law
codes of the Torah generally to explain the basis for their requirements or prohibitions. Nevertheless, it is clear that leaven and honey were not unsuitable for all offerings, only for those burned on the altar. Only what God was intended to inhale could not contain these substances. It is logical, therefore, to seek an explanation that is tied in specifically with burnt offerings. The explanation that "lcavening," or "souring," spoiled foodstuffs is hardly convincing because the best foods were often subjected to leavening. Conversely, matsah was poor man's bread. Wine was fermented, and yet it was proper for libations poured onto the altar.
As regards leaven, a connection between the prohibition
stated here and the Passover laws is certainly to be assumed. And yet nowhere is the matsah of Passover explicitly associated with the requirements of grain offerings.
The requirement to eat matsah and to avoid hamets on Passover is given an historical or commemorative explanation. It is obvious, in any event, that there was a general aversion to leaven in altar offerings, although, as has been noted, this attitude did not affect offerings presented in other ways. (The JPS Torah Commentary, Leviticus Baruch A. Levine)
See also text from Abarbanel at end of sheet
יַחַץ
חותך את המצה האמצעית לשתים, ומצפין את הנתח הגדול לאפיקומן
YAHATZ / SPLITTING
The middle matza is broken in two. The bigger portion is then hidden away to serve as the afikoman with which the meal is later concluded. The smaller portion is placed between the two whole matzot.
מַגִּיד
מגלה את המצות, מגביה את הקערה ואומר בקול רם:
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִּי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַּׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַּׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.
MAGGID / TELLING
During the recital of this paragraph the seder plate is held up and the middle matza is displayed to the company.
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא THIS IS THE BREAD OF OPPRESSION our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come in and eat; let all who are in need come and join us for the Pesaḥ. Now we are here; next year in the land of Israel. Now – slaves; next year we shall be free.
BEHOLD THE MAZZAH, SYMBOL OF THE BREAD OF
POVERTY our ancestors were made to eat in their
affliction, when they were slaves in the land of
Egypt! Let it remind us of our fellowmen who are
today poor and hungry. Would that they could
come and eat with us! Would that all who are in
need could partake with us of this Pesah feast!
Let us here resolve to strive unceasingly for that
blessed day when all will share equally in the joy of
Pesah--when poverty will be no more, when Erez
Yisrael will be upbuilt, and when all mankind will
enjoy freedom, justice and peace.
LET MY PEOPLE GO
We have dedicated this festival tonight to the
dream and the hope of freedom, the dream and the
hope that have filled the hearts of men from the
time our Israelite ancestors went forth out of Egypt.
Peoples have suffered, nations have struggled to
make this dream come true. Now we dedicate
cirselves to the struggle for freedom. Though the
sacrifice be great and the hardships many, we shall
not rest until the chains that enslave all men be
broken.
But the freedom we strive for means more than
broken chains. It means liberation from all those
enslavements that warp the spirit and blight the
mind, that destroy the soul even though they leave
the flesh alive. For men can be enslaved in more
ways than one.
Men can be enslaved to themselves. When they
let emotion sway them to their hurt, when they
permit harmful habits to tyrannize over them-
they are slaves. When laziness or cowardice keeps
them from doing what they know to be the right,
when ignorance blinds them so that, like Samson,
they can only turn round and round in meaningless
drudgery-they are slaves. When envy, bitterness
and jealousy sour their joys and darken the bright-
ness of their contentment they are slaves to them-
selves and shackled by the chains of their own
forging.
Men can be enslaved by poverty and inequality.
When the fear of need drives them to dishonesty
and violence, to defending the guilty and accusing
the innocent they are slaves. When the work
men do enriches others, but leaves them in want of
strong houses for shelter, nourishing food for them-
selves and for their children, and warm clothes to
keep out the cold-they are slaves.
Men can be enslaved by intolerance. When
Jews are forced to give up their Jewish way of life,
to abandon their Torah, to neglect their sacred
festivals, to leave off rebuilding their ancient home-
land-they are slaves. When they must deny that
they are Jews in order to get work they are
slaves. When they must live in constant fear of
unwarranted hate and prejudice-they are slaves.
How deeply these enslavements have scarred
the world! The wars, the destruction, the suffer-
ing, the waste! Pesah calls us to be free, free from
the tyranny of our own selves, free from the enslavement of poverty and inequality, free from the
corroding hate that eats away the ties which unite
mankind.
Pesah calls upon us to put an end to all slavery!
Pesah cries out in the name of God, Let my people
go." Pesah summons us to freedom.
The New Haggadah, edited by Mordecai M Kaplan, Eugene Kohn and Ira Eisenstein, Berman House 1942 see also The New American Haggadah (English and Hebrew Edition) Paperback – January 1, 1999
See: The Excommunication of Mordecai Kaplan, Zachary Silver
הטעם החמישי אמרו שקראו לחמא עניא מפני העיסה שתקנו שתהיה מעשירית האיפה כמו קורבן העני, שנאמר "וְאִם לֹא תַשִּׂיג יָדוֹ לִשְׁתֵּי תֹרִים אוֹ לִשְׁנֵי בְנֵי יוֹנָה וְהֵבִיא אֶת קָרְבָּנוֹ אֲשֶׁר חָטָא עֲשִׂירִת הָאֵפָה" (ויקרא ה', י"א), וכן הייתה עיסת המן במדבר שהיה כל אחד מלקט ממנה עשירית האיפה. אבל רחוק הוא שיכוון המגיד לזה, שאם כן היה ראוי שיאמר "הא קורבנא דעניא" או "עיסא לעניא", אם נקראת כן על שם כמות העיסה, לא ראוי שיאמר "הא לחמא עניא", המורה היות העוני בטבע הלחם ומהותו ולא בכמותו ומקריו.
Others suggest that it was called it “lechem oni,” because of the dough which they decreed should be a tenth of an ephah, like the poor person’s offering (in the temple), “If his means do not suffice for two turtledoves or two pigeons, he shall bring as his offering …a tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a sin offering; he shall not add oil to it or lay frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.” (Lev. 5:12) This was the same measure as the mana which everyone collected in the wilderness. But it is farfetched to think that this is what the Maggid had in mind. If that was so, then it would have been called, “The dough of the offering,” or “The dough of the needy,” if the amount of dough is why it received this name. It would not have called it, “The bread of affliction” which suggests that it is commenting on the poverty in the character of the bread and its quality.