ישתכל המשתכל וירדוף הקורא נעים למען דעת בארש מה זה היה למסדר ההגדה אשר כולה אמרה בלשון הקדוש חוץ מפסקא זו ראשית הג"ש קראה תרגום. וכבר קדמונים אחזו שער עשות ספרים במדרש הגדה זו ואני בעוניי לעת כזאת לא פניתי לעיין בדברי מפרשי ההגדה חדשי' גם ישני' רק אשר חנן אלהים את עבדו איזה גרגיר עתה אמת אגי"ד לקראת מגי"ד והיתה לבא"ר שנים שלשה גרגרים בס"ד:

Summary: In virtually all the tradition commentators ask why the opening statements in the Haggadah are in Aramaic while the rest of the text is Hebrew. There is but one statement in the Torah in Aramaic attributed to Jacob. After quoting the interpretation that Jacob was responsible for our exile to Egypt because “He brought Aramaic into the Torah,” Chida then offers a different interpretation of the statement. The Exile was not a punishment but a necessary to bring out the freeing of the divine sparks, a Lurianic notion. In each nation to which we were exiled, Israel’s subjugation served as part of the process of freeing the divine sparks. Chida offers a second explanation for this introduction of the Haggadah: Israel’s subjugation resulted from their miserliness. This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry come and eat; all who are needy come celebrate Passover. Now we are here; next year in the land of Israel. Now we are slaves, next year we will be free, in the land of Israel Let the good reader comprehend and pursue²⁹ uses this practice here. knowledge to understand why the editor of the Haggadah wrote the entire Haggadah in Hebrew except the opening passages which are in Aramaic (Targum). Many authors have written about this. I, in my humble opinion,³⁰ refers to himself as poor in his youth because he believes that his wisdom and knowledge do not add up to the giants who preceded him. will not reflect on all these commentators on the Haggadah, old and new. Instead, I will share a few insights with which God has graced me. As I review the Maggid, I will share two or three grains with the help of God.

footnotes: ²⁹ Note that the opening four words begin with letters that spell out the divine name. This is a common practice in many Hebrew works. Since this is technically the beginning of the actual commentary (and the Maggid) HaChida ³⁰ Literally, “In my poverty.” In his great modesty, HaChida

I will try to understand why the opening passage of the Maggid is in Aramaic based on what the author of Lev Arye³¹ wrote. He explains the words Arami Oved Avi according to the great sage Abraham ben Eliezer Halevi Beruchim,³² author of Galye Razya. The exile to Egypt took place because our forefather, Jacob, brought the Aramaic language to the Torah when Laban pursued him. Laban and Jacob made a mound of stones when they met. Laban called it Yegar Sahaduta while Jacob called it Gal Eid. (Gen. 31:47) Because of this, the exile to Egypt occurred. Arami oved Avi implies that it is because of the Aramaic which Jacob caused to be written in the Torah, that it was necessary “for him to go down to Egypt.” Yet isn’t the original intention of the opening passage of the Maggid to recall the exile in Egypt when the Israelites ate matzah during their subjugation? It is called “the bread of affliction” either because it was difficult to digest or because they couldn't tarry and wait for the dough to rise so they could quickly return to their forced labor, completing the quota of bricks each day, as earlier commentators said. The Galya Razya offers another explanation in addition to these. It is because of the Aramaic that our ancestors came to this level of slavery and were forced to eat the bread of affliction. This reason needs an explanation; I have already seen some who disagreed with this since Jacob used the Hebrew language as a translation of the Aramaic. Jacob explains that Yegar Sahaduta is Gal Eid. They have written at length about this which was the intention of the sages.

footnotes: ³¹ By Rabbi Yehudah Arye Leyb ben Yehoshuʻa Hoshḳi The book was published in 1673 ³² Abraham Ben Eliezer HaLevi Berukhim (c.1515–1593), pious ascetic and Safed kabbalist. Born in Morocco, he immigrated to Palestine probably before 1565. In Safed he joined Moses Cordovero's circle and became a friend of Elijah de Vidas.

Let us look more carefully at this passage. If one looks closely, one will see that while this passage is in Aramaic, the concluding part of the passage, Lishana haba’ah b’nei chorin is Hebrew! What is the reason that the two parts of this passage are in different languages? One sees that the main purpose of exile was to free the holy sparks in each person from its place. This was the reason for the exile; to liberate the holy sparks trapped in Egypt which were spread about there. That is why Egypt is referred to as the iron furnace; (Deut. 4:27) it was like a furnace that refined gold and silver and separated and purified the dross. So Egypt served to separate the holy sparks of the Israelites through subjugation with bricks and mortar, thus separating the dross, allowing the holy light to be freed, clean and pure. It is known that the diaspora was given to seventy³³ angelic princes, each ruled over its own nation, while Israel was ruled by a higher authority, the mighty Shechinah, Kingdom of heaven (malchut shamayim). The Shechinah is also referred to as Shanah. It is related to the husk (kelipah) of Noga.³⁴ distinguishes four kelipot, three of which are entirely evil. The fourth, kelipat noga, is the shell which actually envelops the spark of holiness. It thus has direct contact with holiness and is not entirely evil. The other three kelipot surround kelipat noga and are therefore further removed from holiness.” See chabad.org, https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380687/jewish/The-Other-Side.htm The concept of “Scripture should be read twice in Scripture and once in Aramaic (targum)”³⁵ 8a is the Jewish practice of reading the weekly Torah portion in a prescribed manner. In addition to hearing the Torah portion read in the synagogue, a person should read it himself twice during that week, together with a translation usually by Targum Onkelos and/or Rashi's commentary. See Shulchan Aruch, Orech Chaim 285:1 For its mystical significance see Pri Etz Hadar Gates of Shabbat 3:3. is a means of separating the husk of Noga and gathering the divine sparks in holiness. All of this is explained clearly to the reader in the holy writings of the students of the Ari, of blessed memory**.** This might explain why the opening passage of Maggid is in Aramaic (alluding to Israel’s past). Israel established a settlement in Egypt because it was God's intention for there to be a presence in exile so that the holy sparks could be redeemed just like the Aramaic reading of Scripture. The princes were similar to the Aramaic since they, too, speak in a foreign tongue. From there each Israelite could seek out the sparks just as silver and gold are smelted and refined. It is similar to the other exiles and persecutions and it is happens when when we read Scripture twice in Hebrew and once in Aramaic.

footnotes: ³³ I believe this is an error. It should say seventy princes. ³⁴ “The Zohar ³⁵ See BT Brachot

Therefore, the expression “L’shana haba’ah” alludes to Malchut of the firmament which comes to unite with its lover³⁶ (Tiferet) in redemption. It is this promise that upheld our ancestors and us. It is for the sake of Zot (זא"ת),³⁷ is hebrew for this, It refers to the Shechinah or the tenth Sefirah of Malchut. the Shechinah, that the salvation of the people of Israel, and their nation shall go forth, as the Zohar states. Redemption is alluded to in the expression, L’shanah haba’ah. We will be in the land of Israel, under the rule of Shechinah. That is why the whole passage is in Aramaic including ארעא דישראל, “in the land of Israel.” In our time of affliction Mother Shechinah is ruled over by the enemy also in the land of Israel. Not only that, but Jewish exiles in Israel are smitten and beaten with a hammer from Jerusalem to Hebron, and they cry out in terror in the Galilee. The purpose of the exile is to free the sparks which are trapped in its portion and the many who are here, because of the grave sins which were performed in our holy land. It is for this reason that there is suffering and subjugation in the land of Israel for the sins are more severe here than the sins of the community and the individual. This is just one of the many reasons for this great mystery - there isn’t room to explain all the reasons! But the language לשנה הבאה בני חורין, “Next year may we be free,” is in the holy language. It has been clearly demonstrated³⁸ how deep are the thoughts of the Maggid and how profound the language of this entire passage in Aramaic and in Hebrew, “Next year may we be free.” When the fallen booth of David and Israel is freed, they shall be holy and they shall come to holiness for then the land of Israel will be pure and holy and their language shall go forth holy.

footnotes: ³⁶ The Sefira of Tiferet ³⁷ Zot ³⁸ See Deuteronomy 4:35

I will now explain why Ha lachma anya appears before, “All who are hungry.” It would have made more sense to open with the pronouncement, “All who are hungry,” and “All who are needy,” and then to return to the words, “This is the bread of affliction.” The answer can be found in the first Mishnah of Baba Metzia, Ch. 7 (Hasokher et hapoalim) concerning Rabbi Yohanan ben Matya. He told his son to hire workers. “He went, hired them, and pledged to provide sustenance for them as terms of employment. When he came to his father, Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Matya said to him: “My son, even if you were to prepare a feast for them like that of King Solomon in his time, you would not have fulfilled your obligation to them, as they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Rather, before they begin their labor, say to them: ‘The stipulation that food will be provided is on the condition that you only receive a meal of bread and legumes.’”³⁹ Now if one wishes to invite guests (to the Seder), our brethren who are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose status is great even if they are in exile and very poor. One’s true status is not determined by material wealth which is not attached permanently to a person since all is vanity.⁴⁰ Any person’s status that is not based on a person’s essential nature, doesn’t count. This is not what gives Jacob’s offspring their status. Even in their poverty and lowliness, their soul is considered to be like a precious pearl, a portion of God from above, because they are the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Before the time of Abraham, all the holy souls came from one treasury. Afterwards special status was given to Abraham and his offspring. This was their true status and was not based on wealth or fine clothes. This was the implication of Rabbi Matya ben Cheresh's statement to his son. He was saying: “Even if you hired these workers because you perceived that they were needy, don’t look at their clothes or lack of money. They are the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their souls are truly great. Even if you gave them the type of meal that Solomon would have served, you would not have given them enough.” This is what the Maggid implies. Before you invite them to the Seder with, “all who are hungry,” you should be careful, for how can you place before them the bread of poverty? This is not respectful of who they are. Even the type of meal King Solomon served would be considered too small for them. Begin by saying, “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.” We are making this meal as a remembrance of the type of meal they ate in Egypt. Just the opposite, our bread of affliction is a reminder of exile and we are not being disrespectful of the children of Abrahm, Isaac, and Jacob!” We are required to serve this bread of affliction at this table and cannot serve an elaborate meal. (Deut. 8:9) Rather it is brought as a reminder of the bread our ancestors ate. Afterwards when we have informed them of this, we invite them by saying, “All who are hungry.”

footnotes: ³⁹ BT Baba Metzia 86b ⁴⁰ As in Ecclesiastes 1:2 literally means wind, breath - something not lasting and ephemeral.

I saw another interpretation in my father’s notebook: my teacher and the crown of my head wrote in the name of the honorable David Hazan that it would have been fitting to smite Israel with the plague of Arov (wild animals) but the blessed Holy One smote Egypt instead of them, as it is written, “I gave Egypt as a ransom for you.” (Is. 42:3) Why was Arov singled out for the Israelites from the other plagues and why was this proof text brought from Scripture; a more generic reference to all the plagues in general would have been appropriate? An answer is offered in what Rabbeinu Bachya, of blessed memory, wrote. The reason Israel was subjugated in Egypt was because “They did not support the hand of the poor and needy.” (Ezek. 16:49) and they hid their eyes from acting with charity. The Israelites were miserly (tzarei ayin).⁴¹ The gematria of tzarei ayin is 430, like the years of their exile in Egypt. The Zohar states that one who doesn’t act with tzedakah, charitably, the divine image is removed from him. So it was with Nebuchadnezzar. As long as he followed the words of Daniel who advised him, his sins were redeemed through generosity and his iniquities forgiven by beneficence. His divine image did not disappear. (Dan. 4:24) As soon as he refused to give tzedakah, his image disappeared, and wild animals ruled over him. (Dan. 4:24-27) When wild animals see the image of a man, terror falls upon them, and the animals are afraid to approach, as Scripture states, “Fear and dread shall be upon all the beasts of the earth,” (Gen. 9:2) The sages conclude from this that it was fitting for Israel to be stricken with arov, wild animals,⁴² since they did not perform acts of tzedakah and as a result, their divine likeness ceased. Israel was prepared for arov, wild beasts, to rule over them, because they were miserly and did not perform acts of tzedakah but the Egyptians replaced them. This was because Israel had learned to be miserly by mingling with the Egyptians. (Ps. 106:35) Israel’s fate was sweetened, as the sages wrote in Midrash Abkir:⁴³ is one of the smaller midrashim, the extant remains of which consist of more than 50 excerpts contained in the Yalkut Shimoni and a number of citations in other works. It dealt, according to all accessible evidence, only with the first two books of the Torah. When Israel left Egypt they promised to perform acts of kindness with one another. Why was it necessary for them to make this promise when they left Egypt? Since Israel is a holy people they saw that the reason for their slavery was that they avoided doing acts of tzedakah and loving-kindness. For this reason they made a promise to practice kindness with one another.

footnotes: ⁴¹ See BT Sota 38b ⁴² There are different interpretations of the fourth plague - this is the most common one in rabbinic literature. ⁴³ Midrash Abkir

This is what the Maggid means when he says, “This is the bread of affliction…” It is a reminder of our ancestors who ate the bread of hard labor ⁴⁴ in Egypt. They ate the bread of affliction but did not share bread with others who were afflicted. Because they were miserly, they were punished, measure for measure. It caused them to remain in Egypt. This is the meaning of the statement: This is the bread of affliction, a reminder of what our ancestors ate, being punished, measure for measure, because they refused to share their bread with the needy. This happened to them in the land of Egypt. From it they learned that one must say, “All who are hungry, come and eat.” One should be generous and hospitable, and one should open one’s door wide. “Come and eat,” alludes to the statement in Sotah 38b, “Anyone who derives benefit from miserly people transgresses a prohibition, as it is stated: “Do not eat the bread of one who has an evil eye...for as one that has reckoned within himself, so he is...” (Pro. 23:6–7).” The Maharsha⁴⁵ was a Polish rabbi and Talmudist whose chiddushim (Talmudic novellae) on both halachic and aggadic passages are found in almost every edition of the Talmud. Sefaria,org says, that one who eats from the miserly doesn’t enjoy the taste of bread but rather tastes bitterness. For this reason one says, “Come and eat” so that it will taste like food and exclude the miserly whose food is bitter. Rather one should make a covenant of kindness, calling out loudly, “All who are hungry come and eat, all who are needy come celebrate Passover!” This will lead to, “This year we are here; next year in the land of Israel.” Through the merit of tzedakah, the redemption will be brought close.

footnotes: ⁴⁴ See Psalms 127:2 for this expression Lechem Atzavim ⁴⁵ Shmuel Eidels (1555-1631) the Maharsha

Interpreted kabbalistically, this statement may allude to Rabbi Moses Cordovero’s⁴⁶ explanation. Mitzvah is made up of the letters of the blessed Divine name. The letters ו"ה are revealed aspects of Torah and the letters י"ה (are hidden).⁴⁷ refer to Tiferent and Malchut while Yud Hay refer to Chochma and Binah. They stand for מ"צ in atbash⁴⁸; when the letters are are combined they spell מצוה, Mitzvah. In the Zohar, Parshat Vayetze⁴⁹r Volume One, 157a The translation adapted from The Zohar, Pritzker edition by Daniel Matt, Page 373. we find, “ When Israel was in Egypt..and the blessed Holy One desired to bring them closer, He gave them the realm of lechem ani, impoverished bread. Who is impoverished? King David (Shechinah)... Impoverished bread is called matzah, unleavened bread; female without male is poor. First they approach matzah. When they draw close, the Holy One draws them onto other rungs and male is united with the female. Then matzah - supplemented with vav - is united with the female and it becomes mitzvah, commandment, .” This is discussed at length in, Zekan Aharon… but I will explain it in a different way from Rabbi Cordovero. The meaning of the word ה"א in Ha lachma anya should be read Hei anya lachma; that is the final hei in the four letter name of God. The lower hei is the kingdom of heaven (malchut shamayim), the bread of poverty, the domain of David which hasn’t anything of its own, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. There they only merited matzah, female without male, as the Zohar suggested. “All who are hungry come and eat” since it is a commandment. Afterwards we will merit through the commandment to have the male unite with the female. That is why we now perform the commandment. Every commandment unites the blessed Holy One and the Shechinah in fear and with compassion. It is possible that it was for this mitzvah that the letters ו"ה are revealed for we seek her through the performance of the commandments uniting the Holy One and his Shechinah. Since this is done through the higher Father and Mother,⁵⁰ of Chokhmah and Binah they are hidden through atbash with the letters י"ה as מ"ץ. As Scripture states, “Concealed are the acts of the Lord our God,” the Mother and Father⁵¹ while the vav hay are revealed, so that it applies to “All the provisions of this Torah.”⁵² With all the Torah one must have the correct intention to unite them in fear and love, especially in the case of the commandment of giving tzedakah whose general meaning and its details are meant to unite Blessed Holy One and the Shechinah in fear and love, as the Ari, of blessed memory stated. Therefore, we say,”All who are hungry,” to gain the merit of combining the male and the female. “Now we are here; next year in the land of Israel” for the commandments are laws of the God in the land. Being in exile takes away from the performance of the commandments for the essence of the commandments is fulfilled in the land of Israel. That is what is stated, “Now we are slaves here” that is to say, there is also an exile for the soul since we are unable to fulfill the commandments completely. What we do perform is not done properly as a result of the place we are in. “Next year (may we be) in the land of Israel,” where we can fulfill the mitzvot properly. Not only that but we will be free since God’s name and God’s throne will be complete and we will be free in the place of freedom⁵³ since none of the husks will rule over us. God’s name and God’s throne will be complete and from there God will command the blessing of a flow of spiritual energy.

footnotes: ⁴⁶ Moses ben Jacob Cordovero (1522–1570) was a central figure in the historical development of Kabbalah, leader of a mystical school in 16th-century Safed, Ottoman Syria. ⁴⁷ Vav Hay ⁴⁸ Atbash is a monoalphabetic substitution cipher originally used to encrypt the Hebrew alphabet.In the most common system Alef and Taf interchangeable, Beit and Shin, Gimel and Reish, etc. ⁴⁹ See Zoha ⁵⁰ Father and Mother refer to the Sefirot ⁵¹ See Deuteronomy 29:28 the two names of God refer to the two aspects of God in the Sephirotic system, male and female, compassion and justice. They are also connected to the first two letters of the divine name - Yud and Hay. ⁵² Deuteronomy 29:2 ⁵³ This is a reference to the Sefirah of Binah

According to the allegorical interpretation, “This is the bread of affliction” is an allusion. Anya (affliction/poverty) has the same numerical value, as Samael (סמאל).⁵⁴ Although he condones the sins of man, he remains one of God's servants.” (wikipedia) In rabbinic and later literature Samael is associated with the evil inclination and the angel of death. Matzah’s purpose is to eradicate Samael, “Which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt, the source of impurity, abomination of the land. God commands us to eat matzah in order to eradicate Samael so Israel could enter beneath the rule of the Shechinah. It is called lechem oni; Oni has the same gematria as Samael counting the word as one.⁵⁵ is one form of Gematria in which the word itself counts toward the numerical value of the letters. Wikipedia: Kolel is the number of words, which is often added to the gematria. In case of one word, the standard value is incremented by one. The main letters in matzah are Mem-Tzadi (130 plus the addition of the word) to eradicate Samael (131). Mem-tzadi are united with the letter Hei to become matzah since they were saved when they entered beneath the authority of the Shechinah which is represented by the final hei in the word *matzah. “*All who are hungry,” - everyone in whom the evil inclination burns and does battle, as in the verse, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat.” (Prov. 25:21) The sages interpreted this verse as referring to the evil inclination;⁵⁶ 52a Therefore, they said, “come and eat '' matzah which eradicates the evil inclination, Samael, and his entourage. “All who are needy (tzarikh),” One who is a righteous person (tzadik)⁵⁷ plays on the closeness of the words Tzarikh and Tzadik. is not necessarily free of any sins in the land, “For there is no one who is righteous on earth who does what is best and doesn’t sin,” (Ec. 7:20) or needs food to support himself. Therefore, “Let him come and observe Passover,” the laws of Passover in all their details, such as not allowing chametz to be found in one’s home, by examining and searching, nullifying and removing it. One should do the same with the evil inclination. Then God will watch over him. If we do this to save ourselves from the evil inclination, then we can say, “Now we are here, next year in the land of Israel where we will rise up to observe all the commandments in the palace of the king. Then we can certainly say, “Now we are slaves; next year we will be free people in the land of Israel. God will redeem us with eternal redemption which depends upon repentance!

footnotes: ⁵⁴ Both are 131. Samael. “He is considered in Talmudic texts to be a member of the heavenly host with often grim and destructive duties. One of Samael's greatest roles in Jewish lore is that of the main angel of death and the head of satan. ⁵⁵ Im HaKolel ⁵⁶ See BT Sukkot ⁵⁷ Chidah

I heard from the pious teacher, Shabbati Halevi Yediah Ge’uel, that the sages interpreted the verse, “Judah has gone into exile because of misery (oni),” (Lam. 1:3) means that they were exiled because they did not observe the commandment of matzah, lechem oni.⁵⁸i because of matzah which is called lechem oni or because of not caring for the poor - oni. Others say that they were exiled because they did not observe the commandments of tzedakah and *tithes.*Thus, when we say ha lachma anya, “This is the bread of poverty,” we say that we will observe the commandment of tzedakah. “Now we are here; next year in the land of Israel'' - there we will observe the laws of tithes and all the mitzvot of the land such as shemita, etc. In this way we will fix what has become corrupted and we will observe the commandments for which we were exiled from our land. In this way there will be hope for Israel: “Now we are slaves but next year in the land of Israel we will be free” and it brings about redemption. (I have seen that Shibbolei HaLeket⁵⁹ reached this conclusion in the name of his brother, Rabbi Benjamin.)

footnotes: ⁵⁸ The sages understood the verse גלתה יהודה מעוני to mean mei-on ⁵⁹ Zedekiah ben Abraham Anav was an Italian rabbi and posek. He studied in Wurzburg, Germany, under students of the great Ba'al Tosafot, R. Shimshon miShantz. Later, he returned to Rome, the city of his birth, and continued his studies under his uncle, R. Yehudah ben Binyamin. In his old age, he studied mystical interpretations of Rambam's Moreh Nevuchim with the famous itinerant kabbalist and mystic, R. Avraham Abulafia. His work, Shibbolei Haleket, was referenced extensively by subsequent poskim. (Sefaria)

Rabbi David Abudraham⁶⁰ explained, “All who are hungry,” means, “All those who have fasted on the eve of Passover.” According to his interpretation, “All who are needy come celebrate the Passover” refers to finicky people who fast on Passover eve. The Jerusalem Talmud says that Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi would fast because if he ate during the day he couldn't eat at night. Because of this, we say, “All who are in need,” will be acceptable (to God). Even though I said “All who starve themselves” by not eating on Passover eve, this does not exclude those who fast because they are finicky and those who are first born - they should come and celebrate Passover.

footnotes: ⁶⁰ David ben Yosef Abudraham (mid. 14th century) was a Spanish rabbi and commentator on Jewish liturgy. His best known work is Sefer Abudraham, one of the earliest and most widely accepted commentaries on Jewish liturgy. He was closely connected to the Rosh and his son, R. Yaakov Ba'al HaTurim.(Sefaria)

Summary: Readers of the Haggadah often wonder why the text never explicitly answers the “four questions.” Instead the text continues with what appears to be a more generic answer, “Our ancestors were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and God took us out…” Also, the four queries seem to state the obvious, telling us what makes this night different. Chida looks more carefully at these statements, arguing that there is nothing obvious about them. He then suggests that the opening of the Maggid, “Our ancestors were slaves….” is actually an answer to each query. The reader should note that the order of the four queries is different from the one more familiar to Ashkenazic readers. It begins with dipping and then follows with matzah, maror and leaning. This order makes perfect sense since it follows the order of the various customs in the Seder. The four inquiries⁶¹ about which the wise child asks, “My father, how different is this night,” need to each be explained fully based on what each one says. (Job 38:6) Each is answered with the statement, “We were slaves to Pharaoh…” so that this statement gives a sufficient answer to all the child’s questions. And we will explain each inquiry and its answer in a summary.

footnotes: ⁶¹ While it is common to refer to this statement as the “four questions” this understanding is not correct. Chida refers to them as inquiries, examinations, or possibly as problems. We refer to four things that make Seder night different and then wonder about why we do things in this way. These four inquiries are statements and not questions.

One opens with a question regarding dipping.⁶² text the first of the “four inquiries” is not matzah but dipping! It is possible to explain this question based on what the author of P’ri Chadash,⁶³ ch. 473 writes. He states, “Rashbam and Rashi explain that the first dipping was to call attention (to the differences of the night) since people do not regularly eat vegetables before the meal. The Rokeach⁶⁴ in ch. 283. adds another reason; it is a reminder that subjugation began when the Israelites had to gather straw for bricks. Some explain that dipping is a sign of the practice of free people who dip vegetables before the meal to enhance their appetite. This is the intention of the wise child’s question. He asks, on all other nights we do not dip even once before the meal. One would find dipping during the meal in order to add taste to the food, but before the meal they did not dip. On this night, however, we dip twice before the meal. Thus, when one begins by asking, “How is this night different from all other nights,” he implies that certainly people do not act the same on all nights, all of them eating the same portions. Rather on weekdays they act in one manner and on the Sabbath and holidays in another manner. Not only that, but on weekdays one day is not the same as the next. One plans the meal based on one's health, according to his actions on that day whether it is good or not. Similarly, on the eve of Sabbaths and holidays there are differences based on whether one is standing or sitting on that night and based on the joy in his heart. This is not lost to the individual on one night or another. Stil,l he is aware that this night is different since on the other nights the reasons for the differences are recognizable to the person. This night is completely different from all other nights since there is no dipping at all normally and when there is, it is during the meal. This is a surprising difference since there is nothing like dipping before the meal. What’s more, dipping even once is not enough since we must dip twice before the meal begins.

footnotes: ⁶² Note that in the Sephardic version of the Haggadah ⁶³ Rabbi Hezekiah da Silva (1659–1698‎) was an author born in Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany. He was the son-in-law of the dayan Mordechai Rafael Malachi. This work was completed by his son, David. (Wikipedia) ⁶⁴ Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymos, also known as Eleazar of Worms or Eleazar Rokeach, was a major Talmud scholar, mystic, and the last major member of the Hasidei Ashkenaz. He was a prolific author, providing most of the movement's extant pietistic and ethical literature. He also wrote Tosafot to many Talmudic tractates, which were referred to by Bezalel Ashkenazi in his Shiṭṭah Meḳubbeẓet. (Sefaria)

When one answers, “We were slaves…” one is stating, “listen bright son. It is for this reason that we dip twice before the meal. It is to teach that the dippings are not for the purpose of the meal. Rather the first dipping is an allusion to the beginning of Israel’s subjugation, the gathering of straw while the second is a reminder of freedom since it is the way of free people to dip before the meal to enhance the desire for food. Thus, we say, “We were slaves,” (as a reference to the first dipping) and “God took us out” (as an allusion to the second dipping).