Page 15 - RMBA Upper School Haggadah 2018

Another example of this is given by an eighteenth century rabbi, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of
Kotzk, when he said, “There is nothing more whole than a broken heart,” which means that
wholeness does not mean perfec on, and in order to become truly whole, we must incorporate
our brokenness.
From all of these examples, we learn that nothing cannot be truly whole without some small
part having been broken. Just as we see that the seder plate and the Aron have broken pieces in
them, so too do we to remember our slavery and embrace our own brokenness in order to
become more whole.

Maggid – ‫מגיד‬

Why Don’t We Recite A Bracha On Maggid? - Alex Yellin (7th Grade)
A main part of the seder is Magid, which is the remembrance of Yetziat Mitzraim, and every Jew
is obligated to do this. It is a specific Mitzvah that must be done during the Seder. When a Jew
performs a Mitzvah, generally they make a Bracha to indicate their intent to perform the
Mitzvah and to exalt Hashem’s name. Telling the story of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt is a
posi ve commandment and Mitzvah that all Jews must do. If Magid is a Mitzvah, why don’t we
make a Bracha?
There are a few opinions as to why we don’t say a Bracha on the mitzvah of Magid. Usually we
say a Bracha for other mitzvahs, like the mitzvah of Tzitzit, or washing your hands before ea ng
bread. One opinion says that we don’t say a bracha on Magid because remembering Yetziat
Mitzraim is mitzvah with no limit - we are supposed to think about it all day everyday according
to the Rambam - and we do not say Brachas for mitzvahs with no limit. Another opinion is that
some people hold that the mitzvah of remembering Yetziat Mitzraim is fulfilled when saying the
Kiddush over the wine before the Seder, and therefore it would not get a separate Bracha.
Something we learn from this is that we should always be thinking of when Hashem took us out
of Egypt and always do the mitzvah of Zechirat Yetziat Mitzraim. Also, when doing a mitzvah
that we want to become part of our lives, the need to make a Bracha goes away because don’t
want to have to stop ourselves to recognize we are about to serve Hashem. Rather, we will
always have it on our mind.

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