One might ask, since the actual exodus happened during the day, as Scripture states, “None of you shall go outside of his house until morning.” (Ex. 12:22) and, “For on that very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt,” (Ex. 12:17), why do we remember the Exodus at night? The sages sought a reason from the following verse, “‘It is because of whatAdonai did for me when I went free from Egypt.” (Ex 13:8) Even though the Haggadah explains, “One only says this at the time when matzah and maror are before the person,” the main event was during the day. However, since the first part of the obligation is for a person to behave⁶⁷ of the Rambam and used by most Sephardic Jews. In other texts it says “A person is obligated to see himself/herself (lirot) as if…” בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ יָצָא עַתָּה מִשִּׁעְבּוּד מִצְרַיִם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְאוֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיא מִשָּׁם as if one personally went forth from Egypt, this is best done in the evening when one eats the Passover sacrifice.⁶⁸ Therefore it is an obligation to go on at length before the meal and afterwards recall the miracles that were performed. Or (one might explain), the remembrance of the suffering in Egypt should happen at night, as Scripture states, “Arise, cry out in the night at the beginning of the watches,” (Lam. 2:19) and it is also stated, “Bitterly she weeps in the night,” (Lam. 1:2). Since, “the sound of which could be heard from afar.” (Ezra 3:13) it is fitting to announce the redemption at night. The redemption from Egypt hints at the future redemption and “night” arouses compassion for our redemption, and that “Merit is brought about by means of one who is meritorious.”⁶⁹ 119b One might also explain that since the people engaged in much singing, praise, and rejoicing in Egypt, on the night before the Exodus, as is written, “For you, there shall be singing, as on a night when a festival is hallowed,” (Is. 30:29) they offered supplications to God, that He might have compassion on them and not listen to the one who prosecuted them, asking permission to enter their homes to cause destruction. As Scripture says, “Nor let the Destroyer enter and smite your home.” (Ex. 12:23) From this we may conclude that the Destroyer had to ask permission to enter (their homes). So, too, we also behave as if we went forth from Egypt as our ancestors did, singing, praising, and speaking of God’s wonders in order to arouse God’s compassion so that the Holy One may again do with us as He did with our ancestors. The sages say, “The days of your life,” refers to this world; “All the days of your life,” refers to the coming of the Messiah. The sages interpreted this verse as referring to the future with a *Gezera shawa,*⁷⁰ “equal category,” according to which an obscure passage might be illuminated by reference to another containing the same key term. (Britannica) with the verse, “And dirt shall you eat/all the days of your life.” (Gen. 3:14) Everyone admits that this also refers to the messianic period, since Scripture also states, “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together/And the lion shall eat straw like the ox/And the serpent’s food shall be earth.” (Is. 65:25) “One may heal oneself with any substance except for it…”⁷¹

footnotes: ⁶⁷ This text follows the version of the Haggadah ⁶⁸ Even though they had not yet been liberated from Egypt on the night of the first Passover, they acted as if the liberation had already taken place. ⁶⁹ BT Baba Batra ⁷⁰ Gezera shawa, ⁷¹ See Pesachim 25a, I am not certain what the connection here is to this passage to the Gezera shawa.