Mitchilat ovdei avodah zarah, Originally our ancestors worshipped idols: The Haggadah states, “Originally, our ancestors worshipped idols but now God brought us close to His service.” The proof text for this statement, however, only proves the first part of the statement, “Originally, our ancestors worshipped idols,” and not the second half of the statement, “But now God brought us close to his service.” So why does the Haggadah bother to include the second half of the statement? The proof text to this statement is also problematic. It states, “In olden times your forefather, Terach, the father of Abraham and the father of Nachor, lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods…” But if we are talking about worshiping other gods, then the verse should have mentioned Terach and Nachor and not Abraham. Furthermore, why was it necessary to say “I brought your father, Abraham?” It wasn’t necessary to tell us that Abraham was our father. Finally the passage from the book of Joshua states, I took your father Abraham...and led him (b’chol) though the whole land of Canaan.” It would have been fine to say, “I led them to the land of Canaan.” The word b’chol, “through the whole,” was unnecessary. The Talmud says that when we tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt we should begin with shame and end with exaltation. The sages disagree about what accounts for the “shame:” One says that it is slavery and the other says it is a reference to idolatry. When we say “we were slaves in Egypt,” we conclude the statement, “God took us out of there.” So, here, when we say make reference to the shame of slavery, we also make mention of worshipping the One God in the Temple. The point of this statement is that not only did Nachor and Terach worship idols, but that even Abraham originally worshipped idols long ago before he came to a belief in the true and eternal God.