Background It has been suggested that the opening statement of the Haggadah is similar to an overture before a great opera or show. It is not part of the telling of the story and yet it contains many of the dominant themes of the Passover, beautifully expressed through poetry. So what does this statement say and how does it fit into the Haggadah? Notice that this statement ties together past, present and future. We begin “This is the bread of affliction;” speaking in the past. We continue “All who are hungry come and eat”, speaking in the present. And then we look toward the future: “Now we are here…next year…” Rabbi Lorberbaum picks up on this time frame and discusses not only past redemption, but future redemption as well in his commentary.

This is the bread of affliction. Why does the Haggadah begin in the Aramaic language? Why does Maimonides make a point of saying, in his version of the Haggadah, that this passage was not recited when the Temple was still standing? This statement was added to the Haggadah after the destruction of the Second Temple. It is meant to be read as a statement that expresses sorrow. Despite the fact that we were redeemed from Egyptian slavery, we are now living in exile once again, “like the Jews subjugated to Ahasveros”. This bread which we eat at the Seder is like the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt….” The use of the Aramaic language at the beginning of the Seder is a reminder that we are still in exile and that this is not the true Passover. By referring to Matzah as the bread of affliction, we are also reminded that we are not yet redeemed. There is an implicit ambivalence in our celebration of Passover and our recalling of the Exodus. After all, why celebrate past redemptions when we are currently unredeemed and in exile? The author explains this with a parable: Usually, someone who is liberated from prison has reason to rejoice not only in the fact that he was liberated but also to mark the day of his liberation as a time of celebration of an important event in his life. If the person is put back in prison, however, he has little cause to celebrate his original liberation. He would not want to celebrate past liberations if the present one has not yet taken place. This is not the case in recalling the Exodus from Egypt. By telling the story of the Exodus we gain the hope that God will redeem us again. We still have reason to celebrate because the original Exodus gives us reason to hope that God will redeem us again. Past redemption gives us hope for future redemption.

Why do we make the statement, “All who are hungry come and eat,” specifically on the festival of Pesach? Aren’t we obligated to help the needy on all of our festivals and not just Passover? Since there is still hope for redemption, our response should be to invite others to join us in celebrating this moment. Why are we inviting others to join us in celebration? We are celebrating because, “Now we are here and next year we will be in the land of Israel!” Telling the story of the Exodus is our way of expressing our hope in future redemption. This statement, “All who are hungry,” appears to be out of place and time. It should have been said outside the door of one’s house so the needy would hear it and before the Kiddush so that the needy would have already joined the Seder. Why do we recite this passage indoors and after we have already begun the Seder? The opening statement of the Haggadah, “This is the bread of affliction…” is not a true invitation to the needy as much as it is an explanation of the purpose of telling the story of the Exodus and celebrating the Passover. As a result, it appears before the actual telling of the Exodus.

Why is Matzah referred to as Lechem Oni, “the bread of affliction?” Why do we say, “This is the bread of affliction…which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt?” Later in the Seder we explain that the Israelites ate Matzah when they left Egypt according to the Torah! While the Jews ate Matzah when they fled from Egypt, we refer to it as “the bread of affliction” because this was also the food that they ate while they were living and toiling in the land of Egypt. The Egyptians worked the Israelites so hard that they did not even have time to allow their bread to rise.

Why does the Haggadah include the double language at the end of this passage? “Now we are here….Now we are slaves.” The two phrases at the end of this passage reflect a controversy in the Talmud about when the final redemption will take place: Tishri or Nissan. According to one point of view, the final redemption will take place in Nissan at the same time of year that we celebrate Passover, and according to the other point of view, the redemption will be in Tishri. These two points of view reflect different perspectives on the focus of the final redemption. Is redemption for Israel alone or for all humankind? If the final redemption is associated with Nisan and Passover then it is associated more with the destiny of the Jewish people since Passover marks the birth of the Jewish people. If the redemption is to occur in Tishri when we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world, then the focus of redemption is more universal. The sages also believed that similar to the Exodus from Egypt, the subjugation of the Jewish people would conclude six months prior to the final redemption. The Talmud says that Israel no longer had to serve the Egyptian six months prior to the Exodus. If we assume that the same thing would happen when the final redemption takes place then there are two possible scenarios for how this will occur. When you assume the redemption will occur will effect what you mean when you say, “Now we are….” If, on the one hand, the redemption takes place in Tishri, then we must assume that the final redemption will take place one year from the upcoming month of Tishri. That would mean that the release of the Israelites from slavery would not occur until next Nissan and the final redemption the following month of Tishri. This would mean that at this time as we read the Haggadah the redemption has not yet begun, so the statement “Next year, in the land of Israel,” is not yet true. We can say, however, “Next year we will be free” since we will already be released from slavery, though not yet redeemed. If, on the other hand, the redemption begins in the month of Nisan, then the release from slavery would occur on the upcoming Tishri and “next year” would refer to one year from now. The second statement would be true for the person who believes the redemption will take place in Nissan. Next Passover we would not only be free, but we would be in the land of Israel as well.