2. רחץ “Wash,” scil., your hands.—Only the head of the family does so at this part of the Service.[77]
3. כרפס “Vegetables.” A piece of parsley or salad or bitter herb is dipped in salt water, and eaten after the recitation of the blessing: ברוך … בורא פרי האדמה “Blessed art thou … who hast created the fruit of the ground.”[78]
4. יחץ “He divides.” Of the three matsoth before him, the head of the family breaks the middle one, part of which is laid aside, to be eaten at the end of the meal.[79]
5. מגיד “Relating,”[80] scil., the history of the departure [[383]]from Egypt. The reader, pointing to the broken מצה before him, exclaims, “Such was the bread of poverty which our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt;” as if to say, “We are all alike descendants of those who ate the bread of poverty in Egypt.” In the same sense, the reader continues, “We all alike should rejoice in the kindnesses shown by the Almighty to our nation, and all alike should seek and find true comfort in the hope of the Messianic blessing promised by Him for the future.”[81] One of the company, usually the youngest, puts to the reader four questions, as formulated in the paragraph beginning מה נשתנה “Why is different?”[82] Additions and alterations may, of course, be made by the inquirer according to his knowledge and intellect. The object of these questions is to obtain an explanation of the rites that distinguish this evening from others. In answer to these questions, the reader refers to the past history of Israel in three different forms,[83] viz.:—
(1.) The first answer begins, עבדים היינו, “We were [[384]]slaves;” and ends, בשעה שיש מצה ומרור מונחים לפניך “When unleavened bread and bitter herbs lie before thee.” Here the reader restricts himself, without any comment, to the one fact that our forefathers were at first slaves in Egypt, and were then delivered, and illustrates the duty of speaking that night more fully concerning the departure from Egypt, by precedent, by the authority of the Mishnah, and by the Midrashic interpretation of the law commanding us to tell our children this event.
(2.) The second form of the answer begins, מתחלה עבדי עבודה זרה היו אבתינו “Our forefathers were at first worshippers of idols,” and ends, מצילנו מידם “delivers us out of their hand.” Here the exodus from Egypt is described as the fulfilment of the promise made by God to Abraham, that his descendants would be delivered out of the hands of their oppressors.
(3.) The passage from Deut. xxvi. 5–8 is recited with its Midrashic interpretations,[84] and in conclusion all the benefits received by the Israelites from the [[385]]departure from Egypt till the building of the Temple are enumerated, and our duty of gratitude is shown.
In all these three forms no notice has been taken of the particular questions. Rabban Gamaliel insists that this should be done, and a section is therefore added, containing the explanation why the Passover-offering, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs were to be eaten; this, like the three other sections, concludes with the emphatic declaration that we—after so many generations—are still bound to praise and to thank God for the benefits bestowed upon our nation so long ago. Hereupon follows the Hallel, of which the first two paragraphs, containing special reference to the departure from Egypt, are sung before supper; the first part of the Seder-Service concludes with a blessing, in which we praise God for our past deliverance and pray for the approach of our future redemption.
6. רחץ “Washing.” All those who partake of the meal wash their hands, as is ordinarily done before meals.
7. מוציא מצה. Two pieces of מצה are taken; one piece, broken off the whole cake, representing the bread eaten at ordinary meals for מוציא, and the other piece taken from the broken one, representing the מצה we are commanded to eat on the Seder-night. Before eating the two pieces two blessings are recited ברוך … המוציא לחם מן הארץ “Blessed art thou … who bringest forth bread from the earth,” and ברוך … אשר קדשנו ּּּ על אכילת מצה “Blessed art thou … who hast sanctified us by Thy commandments and hast commanded us to eat מצה.”[85] [[386]]