Page 2 - RMBA Upper School Haggadah 2018
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The Power of Stories - Sippur vs. Zechirah - Rabbi Aaron Levitt
Welcome to the 5th annual RMBA Haggadah. We hope you enjoy the Divrei Torah and Art work
compiled by our wonderful students and teachers. Special thank you to Rabbi Asher Block,
Rabbi Ari Kellerman, Mrs. Colleen Bryant, and Mrs. Tania Levenstein for all their contributions,
and to Dr. Paul Oberman for his guidance and support.
The name Haggadah comes from the famous pasuk (Ex. 13:8):
:ְו ִה ַגּ ְד ָ ֣תּ ְל ִב ְנ ֔ ַ ֥בּיּוֹם ַה ֖הוּא ֵלא ֑ ֹמר ַֽבּ ֲﬠ ֣בוּר ֗ ֶזה ָﬠ ָ ֤שׂה ֙ה ִ֔לי ְבּ ֵצא ִ ֖תי ִמ ִמּ ְצ ָֽר ִים
On that day you shall tell your child, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out
of Egypt
We are commanded to tell the Pesach story (Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim) to our children each year
on Pesach. And Rambam (Hilchot Chametz U’Matzah 7:1) even considers this as one of the
613 Biblical Mitzvot:
ִמ ְצ ַות ֲﬠ ֵשׂה ֶשׁל תּוֹ ָרה ְל ַס ֵפּר ְבּ ִנ ִסּים ְו ִנ ְפ ָלאוֹת ֶשׁ ַנּ ֲﬠשׂוּ ַל ֲאבוֹ ֵתינוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצ ַר ִים ְבּ ֵליל ֲח ִמ ָשּׁה ָﬠ ָשׂר ְבּ ִני ָסן
It is a positive mitzvah from the Torah to tell of the miracles and wonders which our ancestors
experienced in Egypt on the night of the 15th of Nissan
The question is, what is this special mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim and how does it differ
from the daily mitzvah of Remembering the Exodus (Zechirtat Yetziat Mitzrayim) which we fulfill
by reciting the Shema?
I would like to suggest that the two mitzvot have very different purposes:
Zechira = Commemorate
Therefore it is done quickly, individually, and simply.
Sippur = Celebrate
Therefore we are given very specific guidelines how to do it:
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