לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִים לְהוֹדוֹת: “Therefore we are obligated to thank…” Seven types of praises are brought here to the One who made all the signs, wonders, and miracles for the seven days of the week, and for the seven decades in a person’s life.²⁸² לְהוֹדוֹת. לְהַלֵּל. לְשַׁבֵּחַ. לְפָאֵר. לְרוֹמֵם. לְהַדֵּר. וּלְקַדֵּשׁ֙. The Haggadah of Eidot HaMizrah has yet another version of this text: לְהוֹדוֹת. לְהַלֵּל. לְשַׁבֵּחַ. לְפָאֵר. לְרוֹמֵם. לְהַדֵּר. וּלְקַלֵּס This teaches that a person is obligated to set his eyes on all the kindnesses that God does. These acts were not meant to bring vengeance on Pharaoh because he refused to listen to the word of God but for our sake. Either it was because the Egyptians brought the weight of the world upon us, as Scripture states, “I will execute judgment on the nation they shall serve.” (Gen 15:14) (That is, God punished them because they subjugated the Israelites with more rigor.), or if it was because the Egyptians made them turn aside from the service to God, The Torah speaks of, “signs, wonders and miracles.” This is to teach that there are otot which are a sign to the world and are unlike the wonders which (had the power to) convince people to believe in God, like the plague of lice. When the Egyptian magicians saw this plague they said it was “the finger of God.” This was not the case with the blood and the frogs which were called signs (but not wonders). The wonders and miracles which involved overturning nature. God did all of these things in order to bring us out from slavery to freedom, from being slaves to Egypt and to enter into the service of God which is complete freedom.

footnotes: ²⁸² לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, לְבָרֵךְ, לְעַלֵּה וּלְקַלֵּס are the nine words of praise are found in the Ashkenazi Haggadah while only seven are in Rabbi Foa’s text.

מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה “From sorrow to joy” The Israelites constantly worried about when the Egyptians would place a new decree on them making servitude harder on the people, since that is what the Egyptians did so regularly.

וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב “From mourning to festivities” When the Egyptians took their sons against their will, the would mourn over them.

וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל “From darkness to a great light” This was the darkening of their intellect which became dense and covered so that they were unable to recognize our God, God’s ability, and the meaning of Torah which gives us the enlightenment to know God’s wonders as King David prayed, “Open my eyes, that I may perceive the wonders of Your teaching.” (Ps. 119:18) Since we are obligated in this, we should say Hallelujah” This refers to the Hallel prayers which follow that includes all the details that are mentioned.