Pesach, matzah and maror … and Hashem

The Haggadah is a multi-layered historical document that is the product of numerous Jewish cultures, in both Israel and the Diaspora. As a result, it may legitimately be viewed as one of the preeminent post-Tanach works, since it so effectively captures the hopes and visions of our people. Excluding actual quotes from the Tanach, one of the most ancient and fundamental sections of the Haggadah is the portion popularly known as “Rabban Gamliel hiyah omare” (“Rabban Gamliel used to say”), which is originally found in the following Mishnah (Talmud Bavli, Pesachim 116a-b):

“Rabban Gamliel used to say: Whoever does not mention these three things on Passover does not fulfill his obligation, and these are they: the Passover-offering (pesach), unleavened bread (matzah), and bitter herbs (maror). [The] Passover-offering [is offered] because (al shum) the Ever-present One passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt. … Unleavened bread [is eaten] because (al shum) our forebears were redeemed from Egypt. …

“[The] bitter herb is [eaten] because (al shum) the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt.”

Rabbi Shmuel Halevi Eidels zatzal, known by his Hebrew acronym as the Maharsha, is renowned for his detailed two-part commentary on the Talmud Bavli that systematically examines both halachic and aggadic passages. He applies his exegetical acumen to Rabban Gamliel’s assertion, and asks a fundamental question:

“We never find regarding other mitzvot that we are obligated to ask, “al shum mah?” [“why?”] as is explicitly found in the Haggadah’s version of Rabban Gamliel’s [statement], for in all other instances it is sufficient to recite a blessing [before performing the mitzvah; why, however, do we need to ask and answer this question regarding the mitzvot of pesach, Mmatzah, and Maror?] (Maharsha, Chidushei Aggadot, Pesachim 117b)