You might suppose that we ought to begin retelling the story of the Exodus from Rosh Hodesh.....the words “Ba’avur zeh” teach that we only have an obligation to tell the story when the Matzah and Maror are before us: Rabbi Epstein wonders why anyone would have thought that one should begin telling the story of Pesach from the beginning of the month of Nissan? He explains that since one might assume the redemption began with “This month (Nissan) shall be the beginning of months to you,” (Exodus 12:1) one might also assume that the first of Nissan is when the obligation of telling the story of Passover begins. Exodus 13:8 teaches us that the mitzvah of telling the story of Exodus begins when the symbols of Passover are on the table before us as well. The Rabbi is still disturbed by this concept. What loss, after all, is there in telling the story of the Exodus at other times as well? Why did the Torah have to specify a set time for telling the story of the Exodus? Rabbi Epstein explains that attitudes are best reflected in concrete actions. He points to a discussion in the Talmud in which a person lost in the wilderness who does not know when the Sabbath falls should still set aside one day a week for Shabbat. But what makes such a day distinct as the Sabbath? Not the passive act of rest or the assumption that this particular day is the Sabbath but rather the recitation of the Kiddush and Havdalah. By welcoming and concluding the day with these rituals the Sabbath becomes more concrete. Similarly, the story of Passover becomes more real not simply because we recall but because we do so with concrete symbols that represent the day. “When the Matzah and Maror are before him on the table.”

At a time when there is Matzah and Maror placed before you: The choice of words here emphasizes this point. The word “Sh’yesh, there is” is unnecessary here. The text could have said “At a time when Matzah and Maror are before you.” The apparently extra word emphasizes the idea that the story of the Exodus must be made more real with concrete symbols that add power and meaning to the story of the Exodus.

When the Matzah and Maror are before you: Why is Matzah always mentioned before Maror? Since Maror symbolizes slavery, and Matzah symbolizes freedom, the Maror should have have been mentioned first so that the two symbols are in chronological order. The Maror came before the Matzah! The Maror is a reference to the fact that Israel’s exile in Egypt was shorter than it was supposed to be. Originally God promised Abraham that his offspring would be in Egypt four hundred years. Instead God shortened the time of the exile but increased the intensity of the subjugation so that they would be able to leave sooner. The intensity of the Maror, oppression, then, was for the sake of the Matzah, the freedom. Matzah is listed first to teach us that the Maror existed for the sake of the Matzah. The hope for redemption, then, pre-existed the bitterness of the oppression and slavery in Egypt so we mention the Matzah first.