Page 33 - RMBA Upper School Haggadah 2018
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to Shabbat we thank Hashem for Blessing the Shabbat and giving it to us. When it comes to Yom
Tov we Thank Hashem for Blessing us who gave us the opportunity to set the dates up for Yom
tov and le ng us sanc fy it. We learn that Hashem gave us the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh to
cherish it and and set the dates for the holiest days of the year. It is in our power to make the
most of our faith and love Hashem and his holidays, because at the end of the day it is Hashem
who gave us the Torah as a present.
, ַוי ֹא ֶמר ְיהוֹ ֻש ַﬠ ֶאל ָכּל ָה ָﬠם: ֶשׁ ֶנּ ֱא ַמר, ְו ַﬠ ְכ ָשׁיו ֵק ְר ָבנוּ ַה ָמּקוֹם ַל ֲﬠ ֹב ָדתוֹ,ִמ ְתּ ִח ָלּה עוֹ ְב ֵדי ֲﬠבוֹ ָדה ָז ָרה ָהיוּ ֲאבוֹ ֵתינוּ
ַו ַיּ ַﬠ ְבדוּ ֱא ִהים, ֶתּ ַרח ֲא ִבי ַא ְב ָר ָהם ַו ֲא ִבי ָנחוֹר, ְבּ ֵﬠ ֶבר ַה ָנּ ָהר ָי ְשׁבוּ ֲאבוֹ ֵתי ֶכם ֵמעוֹ ָלם: ֹכּה ָא ַמר ה' ֱא קי ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל
ָו ַא ְר ֶבּה ֶאת ַז ְרעוֹ ָו ֶא ֵתּן לוֹ ֶאת, ָו ֶא ַקח ֶאת ֲא ִבי ֶכם ֶאת ַא ְב ָר ָהם ֵמ ֵﬠ ֶבר ַה ָנּ ָהר ָואוֹ ֵל אוֹתוֹ ְבּ ָכל ֶא ֶרץ ְכּ ָנ ַﬠן.ֲא ֵח ִרים
ְו ַי ֲﬠ ֹקב וּ ָב ָניו ָי ְרדוּ ִמ ְצ ָר ִים, ָו ֶא ֵתּן ְל ֵﬠ ָשׂו ֶאת ַהר ֵשּׂ ִﬠיר ָל ֶר ֶשׁת ֹאתוֹ. ָו ֶא ֵתּן ְל ִי ְצ ָחק ֶאת ַי ֲﬠ ֹקב ְו ֶאת ֵﬠ ָשׂיו,ִי ְצ ָחק
At first our forefathers worshiped idols, but then the Omnipresent brought us near to divine
service, as it is written: "Joshua said to all the people: so says the Lord God of Israel--your
fathers have always lived beyond the Euphrates River, Terach the father of Abraham and
Nachor; they worshipped other gods. I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river
and led him through all the land of Canaan. I multiplied his family and gave him Isaac. To Isaac I
gave Jacob and Esau; to Esau I gave Mount Seir to inherit, however Jacob and his children
went down to Egypt."
Why Mention Past Mistakes? - Gabri Kupferman (11th Grade)
In the Gemara (Masechet Pesachim 116a) we learn that the Seder is set up in its par cular
order, so that we start with the bad and end with the good. This is so that we can celebrate the
en re past, from start to finish. We start with the fact that our first patriarch, Abraham, came
from a family of idol worshippers, to show that we do not ignore the past, but rather we take
the me to commemorate both the good parts and rough patches in our history. Only a er we
men on that we came from idol worshippers, can we see the whole picture and appreciate the
huge shi in ideology that took place in order for our na on to be born. To fully appreciate the
future, we must understand our past. For this reason, we are able take our horrible experience
from slavery and turn it into a way to be more sympathe c to other oppressed groups. Since the
point of the Seder is to celebrate the past, we must use it as an opportunity to appreciate our
roots and every por on of our na on's rocky past. This is why we commemorate the fact that
our forefathers were once idol worshippers, despite the fact that it is not directly relevant to the
Exodus from Egypt. This dis nguishes us from other religions, because there are some that
ignore or sugarcoat their flaws, whereas we both celebrate them, and learn from them.
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