English translation — חה"פ

A.

The Rambam wrote¹

and this is his language: In every generation and generation a person is obligated <b>to show</b> himself as if he himself now went out from the bondage of Egypt.

(And brings a proof to this from what is said "and He took us out from there" and from what is said "and you shall remember that you were a slave",

as below section 3).

And behold the source of this law

("in every generation and generation a person is obligated etc.")

is

(as the Maggid Mishneh notes)

from the Mishnah in Pesachim².

And it requires explanation: the wording of the Mishnah

(according to the version before us.

And so also is the version in the Mishnah of the manuscript of the <b>Rambam</b>³)

is "a person is obligated <b>to see</b>⁴

etc."

And this is also a practical difference for the law,

for the language of the Rambam "a person is obligated <b>to show</b>⁵

etc.",

its meaning is that it is not sufficient that the person sees

(by himself)

as if he went out from the bondage of Egypt,

but rather he is obligated to show this also to others?

And even more so it is not understood,

for seemingly the words of the Rambam himself contradict each other: in the text of his Haggadah he writes "In every generation a person is obligated <b>to see</b> himself etc.",

whereas in the Laws of Chametz and Matzah he writes as above "a person is obligated <b>to show</b> etc."?

And that same difficulty is also in the words of the Alter Rebbe: in the text of his Haggadah

(and likewise in Tanya⁶)

he writes "a person is obligated <b>to see</b> etc.",

whereas in his Shulchan⁷

he writes "a person is obligated <b>to show</b> etc."?

2.

Another change in the language of the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe from the language of the Mishnah

(and their Haggadah)

: In the Mishnah

(and in the Haggadah)

it states "as if he himself left <b>Egypt</b>",

and the language of the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe is "as if he himself⁸

left⁹

now <b>from the bondage of </b>Egypt".

And apparently:

The addition of the words "himself" and "now" — at any rate is not a change <b>in the essence </b>of the matter,

but only an added emphasis on "as if <b>he </b>left",

that the explanation of this is: "as if he <b>himself </b>left <b>now</b>".

(a copy)

of the language of the Mishnah

(and like the passage "Therefore we are obligated etc." that follows it),

and consequently there is no place to change],

But regarding that which they wrote "now he went out from the bondage of Egypt",

it is puzzling: the language of the Mishnah "A person is obligated to see etc. as if he went out from Egypt" its meaning is that he must see himself as if he went out from the land of Egypt,

unlike the bondage of Egypt, for one can say also it was

also outside the land of Egypt?

3.

In the Rambam there: "In every generation and generation etc. from the bondage of Egypt",

concludes and says: "as it is said&lt;sup&gt;11&lt;/sup&gt;

and He took us out from there etc.

And concerning this matter the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded in the Torah&lt;sup&gt;12&lt;/sup&gt;

and you shall remember that you were a slave, meaning as if you yourself were a slave and went out to freedom and were redeemed."

And it is not understood:

a)

The proof in the Mishnah

(according to the version before us)

on "In every generation and generation etc." is "as it is said&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;

and you shall tell your son on that day saying: For the sake of this, Hashem did for me when I went out of Egypt."

And even though in the Mishnah of the manuscript of the Rambam

(the aforementioned),

and also in the text of his Haggadah which he copied from the Mishnah¹⁴,

<b>not </b>was brought at all a proof for this law,

nevertheless it requires explanation: what is the reasoning of the Rambam that the proof for this law is

(specifically)

from the verse "and us He brought out from there,"

and not from the verse "and you shall tell etc. the L-rd did for me etc."

(according to our version in the Mishnah)?

b)

Why does the Rambam not suffice with his proof from the verse "and us He brought out from there etc." and brings also "and you shall remember that you were a slave"?

3)

The halacha "in every generation etc." in the Rambam there is

(like all the halachos in this chapter)

Regarding the obligation <b>of the night of the fifteenth of Nissan</b>

: "Therefore when a person dines <b>on this night</b> etc."].

And it is not understood: the command "And you shall remember that you were a slave...

as if you yourself were a slave and went out to freedom and were redeemed" has no specific time in the year

(which is a reason for keeping Shabbos¹⁶

or for "you shall surely give him etc."¹⁷),

whereas the obligation of "to show etc. as if he himself just now went out from the bondage of Egypt" is specifically on the night of the fifteenth of Nissan?

4.

And behold the aforementioned law in the Rambam,

that in every generation a person is obligated

(not only <b>to see</b> but also)

<b>to show</b> etc.,

is also brought by our master the Alter Rebbe in his Shulchan

(as brought above at the end of section 1).

Except that regarding <b>the source</b> of this law in the Torah

(namely: the verse from which this law is derived)

- our master the Alter Rebbe differs from what the Rambam wrote

(even though

(the general)

this law our master the Alter Rebbe copied from the Rambam,

as noted in the margin there)

: the Rambam writes

(brought above in section 3)

that the source of this law is from the verse "And He took us out from there etc."; whereas our master the Alter Rebbe writes: "as it is said¹³

'Because of this the Lord did for me when I went out of Egypt.'"

And behold, the reason for this change — is understood simply: our Rebbe, the Elder, holds

(and as he cites in the text of his Haggadah¹⁴)

that the version

(the main one)

in the Mishnah

(the aforementioned)

is like the version <b>that in most books</b> "In every generation, etc., as it is said: 'And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: Because of this, the Lord did for me when I went out of Egypt.'"

(<b>and not like</b> the version of the Rambam,

that in the Mishnah a proof for this law was not brought),

and therefore he also writes in his Shulchan that this law is learned from the verse "Because of this, the Lord did for me when I went out of Egypt."

But — this very thing

(that they differ regarding the version)

requires a reason.

And further it is puzzling: Why does the Alter Rebbe bring only "Because of this, the L-rd did for me when I went out of Egypt,"

<b>and omits </b>the words "And you shall tell your son on that day¹⁸

saying" <b>which are brought in the Mishnah</b>?

And one cannot say that the proof of the Alter Rebbe is

(<b>not </b>for the obligation <b>to show </b>in every generation,

but rather)

only about this <b>that the reality </b>of the Exodus from Egypt exists in every generation,

and therefore he omits "And you shall tell your son" - because

(besides that it is not understood: why does he not also bring the proof about the obligation,

after all)

according to this, he should have brought only "the L-rd did for me when I went out of Egypt,"

and also omitted the words "Because of this"?

5.

Another difference in Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe regarding the Rambam: The wording of the Rambam is "And about this matter the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded in the Torah: 'And you shall remember that you were a slave,'

meaning as if you yourself were a slave etc.": Whereas the wording of the Alter Rebbe is: "And about this matter the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded: 'And you shall remember that you were a slave <b>in Egypt</b>,'

as if you yourself were <b>in Egypt</b> a slave etc."

And based on the known fact that our master, the Elder, was precise in his golden language in every word and letter — it seems clear,

that in that our master, the Elder

(<b>changes</b> from the words of the Rambam,

and)

adds the word "in Egypt"

(both in the citation of the verse "And you shall remember etc." and in the explanation "as if etc."),

his intention in this¹⁹

is to inform us,

that the obligation of "to show oneself" is

(not only that he should see "as if you yourself were a slave" simply,

but rather)

that he should see "as if you yourself were <b>in Egypt</b> a slave",

that the slavery of Egypt is a unique slavery — with hard labor etc.

that this detail

(according to our master, the Elder)

is also essential,

that if he imagines in himself that he was redeemed from slavery in general — he has not fulfilled his obligation].

And it is puzzling: from where does our master the Alter Rebbe derive to disagree with the Rambam and to innovate that a person is obligated to show himself as if he was redeemed from a unique servitude of Egypt²⁰?

Also one must understand: the wording of the Rambam is "and you shall go out to freedom and be redeemed"²¹,

whereas our master the Alter Rebbe <b>changes</b> from the wording of the Rambam and writes "and be redeemed and go out to freedom"?

6.

And the explanation of all the above:

In this law

(in the Rambam and in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe)

"In every generation and generation a person is obligated to show himself as if he himself now went out from the bondage of Egypt" — innovates several matters:

a)

<b> The reality.</b>

And it is - that the redemption of Yetzias Mitzrayim is an ongoing action "in every generation."

Because "had the Holy One, blessed be He, not taken our ancestors out of Egypt, then we and our children and our children's children would be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt": this is what <b>we </b>are <b>now </b>in a state of freedom - it is because the redemption of Yetzias Mitzrayim continues²²

even now.

b)

<b> The obligation.</b>

that

(by day and by night)²³,

which this commandment he fulfills even when he mentions

(only)

the Exodus from Egypt that was for our ancestors²⁴]

- there is an obligation upon a person to see

(to feel)

"as if he <b>himself </b>went out <b>now </b>from the slavery of Egypt."

3)

The obligation of <b>"to show".</b>

And it is,

And it is,

that it is not enough that a person see

(feel)

in himself "as if he himself just now came out of the bondage of Egypt",

but he is obligated also <b>to show </b>

(the feeling)

this.

4)

The obligation "to show etc. as if he himself just now came out of the bondage of Egypt" is not only at the time of <b>the recitation of the Haggadah</b>,

but also in "all the actions of this night".

That is to say, that although he says in the Haggadah "in every generation etc. as if <b>he </b>came out of Egypt"

nevertheless the obligation of "to show" is not yet fulfilled

as will be explained below section 8],

because rather he must also "<b>eat and drink </b>..

in a manner of freedom",

in order to express and show this feeling of "as if he himself etc." in "all the actions of this night".

7.

And based on this will be understood that which the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe needed to bring also "And you shall remember that you were a slave" — and they are not satisfied with the proof from the verse "And He took us out from there etc.",

or from the verse "Because of this, the Lord did for me when I went out of Egypt" — because the proof from these verses is only about <b>the reality</b>,

that the redemption of the Exodus from Egypt is an ongoing action in every generation.

But from this there is no proof that there is <b>an obligation</b> upon a person to see himself "as if he himself now went out from the slavery of Egypt."

For even though the reality of the Exodus from Egypt is in every generation,

nevertheless, it could be said that the obligation of remembering the Exodus from Egypt is only to remember the Exodus from Egypt as it was simply — for our ancestors

and likewise "<b>and us</b> He took out from there etc." comes in continuation of what is stated before this²⁵

"And you shall say to your son" — behold, this is only regarding the telling and saying,

that in the story of the Exodus from Egypt one must also say "for me" and "us".

But from this there is no proof that a person is obligated to see himself

(to feel)

as if he now went out from the slavery of Egypt,

and certainly there is no proof from this that there is an obligation upon a person to see himself "as if he now went out from the slavery of Egypt" also in the rest of the actions of this night,

not at the time of saying the Haggadah],

And therefore the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe add "And about this matter the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded in the Torah: 'And you shall remember that you were a slave, etc., as if you yourself, etc.'"

that the commandment

(and particularly that it comes on the night of the holiday)

"And you shall remember, etc." is

(not only to remember the Exodus from Egypt that happened to our forefathers,

but also)

"about this matter",

about the matter "Who &lt;b&gt;us &lt;/b&gt;He took out, etc." and "The Lord did &lt;b&gt;for me &lt;/b&gt;etc."

And after we know from the verse "And you shall remember, etc." that a person is obligated to remember

(and to see himself)

"as if you yourself, etc." — we learn from this,

that this obligation on the night of Passover must be not only "to see" but also "to show",

and that this obligation is

(not only at the time of reciting the Haggadah,

but)

also "when a person reclines on this night",

as is known.

Ch.

From the additions in the mitzvah of telling the Exodus from Egypt on the night of the 15th of Nissan to the mitzvah of remembering the Exodus from Egypt every day,

it is — "And you shall tell your son",

meaning: that it is not sufficient that he mention the Exodus from Egypt to himself,

but he must also say it

(to his son or)

&lt;b&gt;to another&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;.

that if he has no son or wife etc. who would ask him, "he &lt;b&gt;asks &lt;/b&gt;himself" — because since the obligation on the night of Passover is to tell the Exodus from Egypt to another,

therefore

(when there is no one who will ask him)

he must &lt;b&gt;ask &lt;/b&gt;himself,

for by his asking himself he becomes an "other" with regard to himself,

and by answering his question and telling the "other" within himself&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;,

he thereby fulfills the mitzvah of "And you shall tell etc."].

And since we find in a particular detail from the general categories of the matter of remembering the Exodus from Egypt

(the story)

- the night of the Exodus from Egypt adds in it the obligation "after" only,

from this

(according to the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe)

upon the entire general principle,

also upon the particular detail that one must see himself as if <b>he</b> went out etc.,

that one must say after only - to show: and so in "all the actions of this night"²⁹.

9.

Based on the above, will also be understood the precision of the golden language of our elder Rebbe in what he writes "that it is said 'Because of this, the Lord did for me when I went out from Egypt'"

- Even though ostensibly as above: If the proof is about <b>the reality</b>

(that Yetzias Mitzrayim is in every generation),

he should have copied only "Hashem did for me when I went out of Egypt" and not the words "because of this"; and if the proof is about <b>the obligation</b> of "to show etc.",

he should have copied also the words "and you shall tell your son"

(for that the obligation on the night of Pesach is not only "to see" but also "to show",

we know from what is written "and you shall tell your son",

as above)

For by this he emphasizes that the connection of the obligation "to show" to the verse "and you shall tell etc. from Egypt" is <b>not</b> to the command

(and the detail)

of "and you shall tell",

but to "because of this" — to the entirety of <b>the time</b>

(about which it is said "and you shall tell your son" — afterwards)

- "at the time that matzah and bitter herbs are placed before you"³⁰

must be all the action of the remembrance of Yetzias Mitzrayim in a manner of "afterwards".

10.

According to the above, that the obligation "to show etc." is only on the night of Passover,

but the obligation throughout the year

(which is learned from the command "and you shall remember etc.")

is only "to see" — this will be resolved, that in the Mishnah and consequently in the text of the Haggadah of the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe it says "a person is obligated to see etc."

(even though the obligation is also "to show"),

because the intention in this paragraph is — an introduction and reason for the following paragraph: therefore

(that which is explained before this)

we are obligated to thank etc.

(on this night)

; not to explain the obligations of the night,

but rather the greatness of the matter of the Exodus from Egypt — that this exodus is "in every generation" — without distinction and in all the days of every generation — therefore "a person is obligated to see himself"

(always ³¹)

"as if he himself went out of Egypt"³².

And that which they do not mention in the Haggadah the obligation of "to show" which is on the night of Passover — it is analogous to that they do not mention the obligation of the four cups etc.

And the reason simply is because they do this in practice,

and it is the reason regarding the obligation of "to show" — because the speech and the telling etc. to another

(as above sec. 8)

this is the actualization of "to show"³³.

11.

And it is still not understood: for the source of the law that "in every generation a person is obligated etc." is from the Mishnah,

and since the language of the Mishnah

(according to the version of the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe)

is "a person is obligated to see etc.",

from where did the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe derive from the Talmud that there is also an obligation to show?

And the explanation of this:

In the Gemara there: "Rava said: One must say 'And us He took out from there.'"

And seemingly, what does this add to his saying—that in the Mishnah: "In every generation etc. to see oneself as if he himself went out of Egypt."

And the explanation of this: the wording "And us"

(plural language)

indicates that at the time of his saying it there is another who is.

And this is "One must say 'And us He took out from there'"—according to the explanation of Rashbam: One must show himself as if he went out from there.

And it is understood,

that the law "one must say 'and us'

(plural)

etc.'",

is <b>not</b> a detail in "And you shall tell your son" - because in "And you shall tell <b>your son</b>",

even when one says in the singular

(and me He took out)

there is another who is,

but rather - it is a matter in its own right.

And from this the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe learn the obligation of "to show",

and that this obligation is regarding "all the actions of this night".

12.

The explanation in this that the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe write that the obligation is as if he went out

(only)

“from the bondage of Egypt” — even though the language of the Mishnah is

(and so they copied in the text of the Haggadah)

“went out from Egypt”:

Since the intention of the Mishnah in “a person is obligated to see himself as if he went out from Egypt” is

(as the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe explain)

that he should see himself as if he went out now

(i.e., a moment ago he was in Egypt,

and only now he went out from there)

— it is impossible to say,

that the intention in “went out from Egypt” is that he went out

(now)

from the place of the land of Egypt³⁴,

for this is contrary to the obvious³⁵.

— not to return to Egypt — then from this commandment it is not relevant

(and all the more so there is no place for an obligation)

that he should see himself a moment ago in Egypt³⁷].

Therefore it must be said,

that the intention in “went out from Egypt” is the going out from the bondage of Egypt³⁸.

13.

The reason for the changes

(above sec. 4 and 5)

between the language of the Alter Rebbe in his Shulchan Aruch and the language of the Rambam

(a)

The Rambam brings the verse "And us He took out" etc.,

and the Alter Rebbe brings the verse "Because of this" etc.:

(b)

The Rambam writes "slave" simply,

and the Alter Rebbe adds "&lt;b&gt;in Egypt &lt;/b&gt;slave":

(c)

The Rambam writes "you shall go out to freedom and be redeemed" and the Alter Rebbe writes "and be redeemed and go out to freedom" -

One could say,

that these changes are in accordance with the difference between them in the version of the Mishnah:

According to the version of the Rambam - the proof from the verse "In every generation a person is obligated etc." from the verse "The L-rd did for me when I went out of Egypt" was <b>not</b> brought in the Mishnah.

And one could say his reason - because one could say,

that the verse is according to its simple meaning,

that it was said to the generation of the Exodus from Egypt.

And therefore, also in his book, the Rambam brings the verse "And He took us out from there etc.",

for in it is explained

(And they say this also in the Haggadah)

"in order to bring us &lt;b&gt;to give us &lt;/b&gt;the land etc.",

And behold, the vast majority of those who came to the land were not from the Exodus from Egypt.

But according to the version of the Alter Rebbe in the Mishnah "as it is said, and you shall tell your son etc." — behold, it is explained in the Mishnah that also from the verse "Hashem did &lt;b&gt;for me &lt;/b&gt;etc." it applies to "in every generation".

And therefore the Alter Rebbe brings in his Shulchan Aruch this verse

(which is brought in the Mishnah).

14.

And behold this distinction — if the concept of "in every generation etc." is learned from the verse "Hashem did for me etc.,"

or is learned from the verse "and us He took out from there etc." — it can be said that it also affects the law.

And the explanation of this: From the verse "and us He took out from there" we know only that the concept of "He took out from there"

(in general)

is also in later generations — "us".

But from this there is no proof,

that this "that us He took out from there" is in the same manner that He took out our forefathers.

But not so from the verse "The Lord did for me when I went out of Egypt" — since it says "for me" and not "for us"³⁹,

that is: that the verse emphasizes that it speaks about such a matter that only the father

can feel and not the son,

it is proven that the intention is to that same exodus from Egypt that was for our forefathers.

And since the verse speaks also about later generations

(as it says "on that day"⁴¹)

— thus it is proven,

that the exodus from Egypt in every generation is like "that the Lord did <b>for me</b>",

in the same manner as it was the first time.

And based on this it is understood that according to the opinion of the Rambam — the obligation to see is only "as if you yourself were a slave",

a slave <b>in general</b>; but not so according to the opinion of the Alter Rebbe — the obligation to see is "as if you yourself were <b>in Egypt </b>a slave",

a specific slavery of Egypt — because from the verse "and He took us out from there etc."

(cited in the Rambam)

it is proven only that in every generation there is the matter of "He took out from there" in general,

but not so from the verse "The Lord did for me etc."

(cited in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe,

from the Mishnah)

it is proven also that the exodus from Egypt in every generation is equal to the exodus that was the first time.

15.

Based on the above, it will also be understood that the Rambam writes "she goes out to freedom and is redeemed,"

while the Alter Rebbe [writes] - "and is redeemed and goes out to freedom".

And the explanation of this:

In the Rambam, Laws of Shemittah and Yovel⁴²

and this is his language: From Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, slaves were not released to their homes, nor were they enslaved to their masters ..

Since Yom Kippur arrived, the court blew the shofar, slaves were released to their homes.

And from this it appears,

that also in every going out from servitude - there are &lt;b&gt;two &lt;/b&gt;matters:

(a)

going out &lt;b&gt;from subjugation &lt;/b&gt;

(labor and the like).

(b)

return &lt;b&gt;to his place &lt;/b&gt;and his ownership in everything; except that in Yovel - these two matters,

are divided also in time; and in redemption from servitude through a get of release and the like - the two matters are at once.

And it can be said that in every release it is so - except that it is not a law,

but not so in Yovel - and the Torah mostly speaks: first he is released and afterwards he goes out from the house of the master and returns to his home.

And this is that the Rambam

(in Hilchos Chametz and Matzah there)

after "and you shall go out to freedom" adds "and you shall be redeemed"

(for it is a mitzvah to recount and explain the Exodus from Egypt)

- because "and you shall go out to freedom" is explicit

(only)

that he is not subjugated to his master and adds "and you shall be redeemed" - that

(also)

he is freed to his home,

for "redemption" its explanation is separation&lt;sup&gt;43&lt;/sup&gt;,

and in our subject: separation from the place and ownership of the master

(namely: that he is freed to his home).

16.

And behold, among the matters in which the slavery in Egypt differs from other slavery is — that as long as the slave was located in the land of Egypt, it was not possible for him to be freed and become a free man.

And only when the slave would flee from Egypt and arrive at the “Piy HaCheirus” — then he would become a free man⁴⁴.

And accordingly, it is found,

that the order of “going out to freedom,”

and “redemption” in the redemption from slavery in Egypt,

was in a manner opposite from that in redemption from ordinary slavery: In redemption from ordinary slavery — at first is the “going out to freedom”

(“they are not enslaved to their masters”)

and afterwards — the “redemption”

(“they are dismissed to their homes”)

; but not so in the redemption from Egyptian slavery — since as long as the slave was located in Egypt it was not possible for him to become a free man,

behold it is found,

that at first is the “redemption,”

namely: the departure from his place and domain of the master,

and only after this does the “going out to freedom” take place.

And based on this, the difference between the language of the Alter Rebbe and the language of the Rambam is understood - that the Rambam writes "she goes out to freedom

(and afterwards)

and is redeemed",

and the Alter Rebbe writes "and is redeemed

(and afterwards)

she goes out to freedom" - because according to the words of the Rambam,

the obligation of "and you shall remember etc." is "as if you yourself were a <b>slave</b>"

(a <b>simple</b> slave),

and in the departure from simple slavery - first is the "going out to freedom" and afterwards - the "redemption"; unlike according to the view of the Alter Rebbe that the obligation of "and you shall remember etc." is "as if you yourself were a <b>slave in Egypt</b>",

therefore the order is "and is redeemed

(and afterwards)

she goes out to freedom" - because in the departure from Egyptian slavery,

first - "redemption" and afterwards "going out to freedom".

* * *

And may it be His will that very soon we merit the freedom of the true and complete redemption through our righteous Mashiach.

(From the talks of 11 Nissan and the intermediate days of Pesach 5735)