Summary: Two issues are raised here: does the study of Torah take precedence over reciting the Shema and the Amidah, and why was it necessary for the students to inform their teachers that the time for reciting the morning Shema had arrived? Apparently Rabbi Eliezer in his piety never left the Beit Midrash before the other students? Is this an explanation why the students gently remind him and the other sages that the time of the Shema had arrived. Chida weaves these issues together to create a full narrative from this brief passage. He also derives another insight from this passage: Even though converts and the Levites were not enslaved in Egypt they are still obligated to tell the story of the Exodus. He derives this teaching from the sages who stayed up all night telling the story of the Exodus even though they were Kohanim and Levites and from Rabbi Akiva who was the descendents of converts! Once, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon were celebrating Passover in B’nai Brak. They were telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt all that night. Finally, their students came and said to them: “Rabbis! The time has come to say the morning Shema!” This is the story of illustrious⁹³ sages who spoke the praise of God on the eve of Passover, arousing the hearts of common people⁹⁴ and who found strength on this holy night. Each strengthened his pure heart to properly tell the story, expanding on it, making it known to the members of his household and explaining the various foods on the table that he was able to acquire in order to praise and give thanksgiving to God. He did so in order to explain the allusions and reasons for the Exodus from Egypt. This is a great mitzvah; if it is a commandment for those who are righteous and who know so much Torah that they should deprive themselves of sleep until the morning Shema (how much more is it praiseworthy for us to do so!)

footnotes: ⁹³ See Esther 1:14 Literally, “Who occupied the first place in the kingdom.” ⁹⁴ See Job 10:4 literally, “Do you have eyes of flesh”

They were celebrating (misubin) in B’nei Brak. Our teacher, Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel explained that B’nai Brak is a term for fine wool⁹⁵ while others suggested that it was the name of a place mentioned in the Book of Joshua, “Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,” (Josh 19:45) and in Sanhedrin 32b, “Follow after Rabbi Akiva to B’nai Brak.” I also found in Shabbat 40a, Ketubot 111b, Baba Batra 154a places where B’nei Brak is mentioned as the name of a place.

footnotes: ⁹⁵ See BT Shabbat 30b

At the end of his work, the author of P’nei Shlomo offers an explanation in the name of Rabbi Moshe Galante.⁹⁶ The Haggadah states, “Their students came and said: the time of the morning Shema has arrived.” The sages wanted to resolve a difficulty (kushya). According to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, one who studies Torah should be exempt from reciting the Shema and Amida . If that is so, why was it necessary to tell the sages that it was time to recite the Shema? They explained that everyone agrees that one must still mention the Exodus in the morning.⁹⁷ But the evening prayers one didn’t have to mention the Exodus until Ben Zoma proved otherwise. After speaking of the Exodus all night, one should still recite the Shema in the morning since it contains the Exodus. Thus the students came to remind them that it was time to fulfill the obligation of mentioning the Exodus again in the morning. ‘ When I was young I asked this question based on the first chapter of Masechet Shabbat:⁹⁸ “One stops for the Shema but not for the Amida.” Based on this, the Talmud gives the example of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who stopped to recite the Shema. The Tosafot states that the incident regarding Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai states that he would dress, cover himself and pray - so he could recite the Shema. It is explicit in the Talmud, then, that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai used to stop to recite the Shema. How could they say then that one who engages in the study of Torah is exempt from reciting the Shema? Yet it is clear in the Jerusalem Talmud that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai held that one is exempt from saying the Shema since both Torah study and the Shema are both considered forms of study. We must establish the opinion of Rabbi Galante according to the opinion of the Jerusalem *Talmud….*It would seem that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was extra stringent with himself (when it came to reciting the Shema). Or possibly the incident did not happen according to him as in the case at the beginning of Berachot in the Jerusalem Talmud…. In any case the explanation is based on the opinion of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai…

footnotes: ⁹⁶ Moshe ben Mordechai Galante (died 1608 in Safed), was a 16th-century rabbi. He was a disciple of Joseph Caro, and was ordained by Caro when he was only twenty-two years old. He wrote sermons for a wedding, for Passover, and for a thanksgiving service, printed with the younger Obadiah Bertinoro's commentary on the Book of Esther (Venice, 1585). (wikipedia) ⁹⁷ So they still had to recite the Shema since it mentions the Exodus from Egypt. When the sages speak of reciting the Shema they mean not just the first line but all three paragraphs. The final paragraph regarding fringes also mentions the Exodus from Egypt ⁹⁸ BT Shabbat 11a

Another explanation is based on what is written in Perek Hayashan (ch. 2 of Sukkot) regarding the holy qualities of Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol. He was never among those who announced that it was time to leave the house of study, The commentators explain this statement based on another statement in the second chapter of Masechet Beitzah. Rabbi Eliezer sat and expounded in the house of study on the festival. ..when the sixth group got up to leave he said, These are owners of a curse! Their faces became flushed (they were embarrassed), so he said to them, “I did not say that about you (but about those who left, because they abandon the eternal life of Torah and engage in the temporary life of eating.⁹⁹ These students were in doubt about his practice; maybe he didn’t approve of them getting up because it was his practice not to leave the house of study until others had gone out. I have written about this in my essay, Petach Aynayim.¹⁰⁰ on the Mishnah. In the present story, Rabbi Eliezer and his colleagues were sitting and discussing the Exodus from Egypt. It is not clear from Rabbi Eliezer that his practice was not to leave the house of study until others did so. Even though the group in this incident were not in the house of study, in any case Rabbi Eliezer was as careful on the eve of the festival as he was in the house of study; he would not stop until his colleagues did so. The great sages knew Rabbi Eliezer’s practice from watching him in the Beit Midrash. Since Rabbi Eliezer would not leave before others did so, on this night (of Passover) they behaved similarly. Still it was certain that it was the will of the other sages to continue their sacred gathering all that night. As a result their students were in doubt if the sages were following Rabbi Eliezer’s custom of not stopping of their own volition and waiting for someone to interrupt them, or if it was because of their passionate desire to learn the secrets of Torah regarding the Exodus.It pained them to cause their studies to cease. Therefore, their students came up with a ruse of saying, “Our teachers, the time of the morning Shema has arrived.” In other words, they said, “In the anonymous disagreement (regarding the Shema), we are informing you that it is time to recite the morning Shema - the choice is yours whether to say it or not. They did not say they should continue this learning since Rabbi Eliezer was the head of the holy gathering and this was his practice or if they should stop because the set time of the Shema caused them to stop....On this night because no one interrupted their studies to rise and go to sleep, the sages did not pay attention until their students came and said, “The time of the morning Shema has arrived,” and for this reason they stopped. If others had told them to cease (for the Shema), they would not have paid attention until their students came. This also suggests that their students had left earlier to sleep for some hours and the sages continued studying until their students rose from sleep and returned to their teachers. It is also possible that the greatest of the great sages were dealing with deep and important matters and didn’t want their students to be present that night so they were sent away until morning arrived.’

footnotes: ⁹⁹ BT Beitza 15b Well worth reading the full story here. Rabbi Eliezer mocked those who left earlier because they had food waiting for them while the last group clearly stayed because they did not have any food waiting at home for them! ¹⁰⁰ A commentary by Chida

It is also possible that when their students made their statement they were hinting at another mystery regarding the Exodus from Egypt...The sages said that the eve of the Passover in Egypt was bright as if the sun was shining. The author of Yad Eliyahu S.51¹⁰¹ writes, “Since it was bright as the day, all of the laws that were applicable in the daytime had to be observed at night. The night was like daytime since it was full of light.” However the recitation of the daytime Shema could not be fulfilled during that night since saying the Shema at night would have seemed like saying it during the day. One would have to recite it at the actual time of rising up when it is actually daytime. One must intend the daytime Shema be recited at the time of awakening even though the night was also bright like day. As a result of the night being bright, the Israelites could circumcise the males during the night even though we don’t perform circumcision at night. According to Yad Eliyahu, the daytime Shema would still have to be performed specifically during the day, which is the actual time called day. The students hinted at this aspect of the Exodus in their pronouncement

footnotes: ¹⁰¹ By Rabbi Eliyahu Yitzchak Chazan

It is also possible that the intention of the statement, “Everyone (kol) who tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt at length (marbeh) is praiseworthy,” is talking about including kohanim and levites. The sages say that even though the tribe of Levi was not subjugated in Egypt,¹⁰² they were obligated to tell the story of Exodus along with all the other commandments which we were given on Passover. The statement Kol hamarbeh… comes to include the kohanim and levites who were not enslaved and it is hinted at in the expression and abbreviation, V’chol וכל which stands for ואפילו כהן לוי V’afilu kohen levi, “even a kohen and a levi must tell the story of the Exodus at length…” This was meant to show that even though Levites weren’t enslaved by the Egyptians and were autonomous, they still could not leave Egypt. God increased their praise by making them leave Egypt with a raised hand (yad ramah). Furthermore, if Israel had delayed their departure even one second they would have become impure and entered the fiftieth gate of impurity and they would have been lost. It is possible that this defect also affected the Levites since they were part of the greater community. It is similar to what is stated in the Zohar regarding the golden calf. Even though Joshua was not found among those who worshipped the calf, the defect infected him as well. If so, the tribe of Levi including the Kohanim were the same as the rest of Israel and were included in the commandments of this night. A proof for this is brought for this from the story of Rabbi Eliezar, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon who stayed up all night telling the story of the Exodus. If we look carefully, most of them were kohanim and levites. Rabbi Yehoshua is Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania who was a levite. Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria and Rabbi Tarfon were Kohanim. If this is so, it is proof that V’chol hamarbeh includes Kohanim and Levites. These holy men were Kohanim and Levites and yet they told the story of the Exodus on that night.

footnotes: ¹⁰² See Midrash Tanhuma Vaera 6

When I offered this explanation from מחיי"ם before one who is great, he answered me by adding an additional morsel, explaining, Kol hamarbeh includes Kohanim, Levites and converts and their offspring. He was of the opinion that the tribe of Levi were not subjugated so they did not have the greater obligation of telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Also coverts and their offspring were not enslaved since they were not among those who were originally part of the exodus from Egypt. It is for them that we say, “All who are increased” to include Kohanim, Levi’im and (the descendents of) converts like Rabbi Akiva. Even though he was a descendant of converts, he elaborated on the story of the Exodus.

Indeed, the author of Sefer Yuchasin¹⁰³ claimed, based on a statement of Rabbeinu Bachya, that Rabbi Akiva was Jewish on his mother’s side. I have seen this written by Rabbi Menachem Azaria of Fano,¹⁰⁴ in his essay, Hakur Din, that Rabbi Eliezer the Great was a descendant of Moses Rabbeinu, of blessed memory.¹⁰⁵ I presume that the source of Rabbeinu Bachya¹⁰⁶ is based on statements in BeMidbar Rabbah, chapter 9:48, and in the Jerusalem Talmud in the third chapter of Sotah (16a). It states there that , “A Matrona asked Rabbi Eliezer.…” and he did not answer her. His son, Hyrcanus, said that because he refused to answer the question he lost three hundred Kur of tithes that the Matrona would have given him, proving that he was a Levite! This Midrash is also explained in the book Yedei Moshe¹⁰⁷ and in the book Korban HaEidah explains that he was a kohen. It is sufficient to say that he was a Levite as Rabbeinu Bachya and that he was a descendent of Moshe Rabbeinu.

footnotes: ¹⁰³ By Abraham Zacuto 1452 – 1515 was a Spanish astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, rabbi and historian who served as Royal Astronomer to King John II of Portugal. The crater Zagut on the Moon is named after him. His book Sefer Hayuchasin is a history of the Jewish people. (wikipedia) ¹⁰⁴ 1548-1620 He was an Italian, Rabbi and Kabbalist ¹⁰⁵ Suggesting that he was also a Levite. ¹⁰⁶ Rabbeinu Bachya Ben Asher, 1255–1340 was a commentator on the Hebrew Bible. He was one of two people now known as Rabbeinu Behaye, the other being philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda. He is considered by Jewish scholars to be one of the most distinguished of the biblical exegesis of Spain. ¹⁰⁷ Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Ashkenazi Composed in (c.1650 - c.1700 CE)

Summary: The controversy of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah and the sages about remembering the Exodus at night actually is borrowed from the Mishnah (Berachot 1:5) and is not related to Passover. Rather, the issue here is whether one must mention the Exodus in the evenings as part of the Shema. Chida is further troubled by the fact that the emphasis is placed on Rabbi Elazar and Ben Zoma even though the majority opinion of the sages is that, “All the days,” refers to Messianic times. Chida analyzes the legal ramifications of this conversation and goes on to relate it to an idea that frequently appears in his commentary. He claims that we mention the Exodus at night because the nights were counted as days so that Israel completed the full four hundred and thirty years of the Exodus in half the time. Finally, Chida suggests that mentioning the Exodus at night was a means of comforting Israel during their many years of exile - even in the darkness of exile, God’s promise of redemption would eventually be fulfilled. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: “Though I am like a seventy year old, I was not yet worthy of offering a proof for mentioning the Exodus from Egypt at night until Ben Zoma came and expounded it: “In order that you may remember the day of your going out of Egypt all the days of your life.” (Deut. 15:3) “The days of your life” refers to the days. “All the days of your life” includes the nights.” The sages said: “The days of your life” refers to this world. “All the days of your life” includes the world to come.” It would appear that the Maggid included this Mishnah¹⁰⁸ because it contains the statements of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah and Ben Zoma. As a result, it also included the statement of the sages. Further, why bring the statements of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah and Ben Zoma in a place where the majority opinion seems to disagree with them? Rambam states at the beginning of the laws of the Shema, chapter 3, “It is a commandment to mention the Exodus from Egypt both day and night, as it states, “That you may remember the day of your going forth from Egypt all the days of your life.” The Lechem Mishnah¹⁰⁹ concludes that the law is according to Ben Zoma, as does the Tosefot Yom Tov.¹¹⁰ (1614–1617). Heller was one of the major Talmudic scholars in Prague and in Poland during the "Golden Age" before 1648. (wikipedia) In the book, Lechem Yehudah, Rabbi Yehudah Aya’ash¹¹¹ writes, “All the days of your life” means the day, and “All'' refers to the nights. This is the decision of Ben Zoma and Rabbi Elazar, while the sages say that we do not mention the Exodus at night since the word kol, “All,” refers to the days of the coming of the Messiah.” From here we can conclude that the opinion of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah and Ben Zoma is the law, and it would have been sufficient if the Maggid had only brought their opinion which is the correct interpretation of the law. So why quote the sages’ opinion which is more difficult since it is not the law?

footnotes: ¹⁰⁸ See Mishnah Berachot 1:5 ¹⁰⁹ Abraham Hiyya de Boton (c. 1560 – c. 1605) was a rabbi, a pupil of Samuel de Medina, who later dwelt for the most part at Salonica as rabbi and leader of a Talmudic academy. The name "Ḥiyya" was given him during a dangerous sickness. He was for a time rabbi at Polia; in 1601 he lived in Palestine, and in 1603 was at Constantinople, He died between 1603 and 1609. (wikipedia) ¹¹⁰ Rabbi Gershon Shaul Yom-Tov Lipmann ben Nathan ha-Levi Heller (c. 1579 – 1654), was a Bohemian rabbi and Talmudist, best known for writing a commentary on the Mishnah called the Tosefet Yom-Tov ¹¹¹ Leon de Modena or in Hebrew name Yehudah Aryeh Mi-Modena (1571–1648) was born in Venice to a family whose ancestors migrated to Italy after an expulsion of Jews from France. (Wikipedia)

Furthermore, one must explain why Rambam ruled according to the opinion of Ben Zoma or how Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Mi-Modena said that Rabbi Elazar ben Zararia established the law like Ben Zoma when there were many sages who disagreed with them. Also, Rambam should have said the law is according to the first opinion in the Mishnah which states that one must remember the Exodus from Egypt at night. But even this would not be right because the Mishnah would have had to to present this as an anonymous statement (stam) followed by a controversy. But there is no need for all this since the law was established in this way and all Israel recites the Shema at night. There is no need for a source in this matter since it is common for all Israel to practice in this way. This is the opinion of the Rif and the Rosh in their compendiums of law. They do not mention this Mishnah (as the basis of this practice) since the Jewish people already had this custom. Certainly it is the opinion of Ben Zoma!

When I was young, I suggested that Ben Zoma’s controversy with the sages was not about whether one should recite the Shema at night since everyone acknowledges that we do so. They disagreed regarding whether one must do so in the messianic era. The sages interpreted “the days of your life” to mean the entire day - that is, day and night, while the word, “All” to be inclusive of the days of the messiah. Ben Zoma was of the opinion that the word, “All'' implies the evenings and we learn that one must recite the Shema from the commandment to “remember.” Therefore, it was appropriate for the Maggid to bring the opinion of both Ben Zoma and the Sages. Some years later I received a copy of the book, Yavin Shemuah by the *Rashbatz,¹¹² first published in Livorno. In his commentary on the Haggadah he writes that there is no disagreement with Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and Lo zachiti, does not mean, “I did not succeed,” since “days of your life” implies the days and the night. I was overjoyed that I had the same opinion as this great sage. It is also possible to say that Rambam’*s intention in bringing the verse was to say that whether you interpret the verse according to Ben Zoma or the sages, it includes the nights. That is why Rambam brings this opinion anonymously.

footnotes: ¹¹² Simeon ben Zemah Duran, 1361–1444, was a Rabbinical authority, student of philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, and especially of medicine, which he practiced for a number of years at Palma (de Majorca). A major 15th century posek, his published decisions in matters of halacha have been widely quoted in halachic literature for hundreds of years. (wikipedia)

It is possible that Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah quoted this scholar (ben Zoma) to show explicitly that only one who has received his teaching at Sinai can bring such words to light. Even the wisest of the wise sages cannot teach it on his own.This is what he meant when he said, “I am like a seventy years old man.” According to its plain meaning, this means that he labored greatly in learning and his strength had diminished¹¹³ 26b and Gittin 70a until he became like an old man as Rambam explains in his commentary on the Mishnah. According to a Midrashic explanation which appears in the *Talmud,*¹¹⁴ “a miracle transpired and eighteen rows of his hair turned white.” According to the mystical meaning of this story, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was the reincarnation of the prophet, Samuel, who lived fifty two years. At the time Rabbi Elazar was eighteen years old, so he was like a man of seventy years, as the Holy Ari said.This was his intention: Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was a wise person like one who labored greatly in Torah and to whom miracles occurred. As a result he was appointed the head of the Sanhedrin. Despite the fact that his greatness would have atoned for wrongs and he was filled with the light of the soul of the prophet, Samuel, who was equal to both Moses and Aaron, he did not merit to reveal this teaching until Ben Zoma taught it to him. This comes to teach that unless something is part of one’s portion of the Torah it is impossible for him to teach it unless it is his portion.

footnotes: ¹¹³ See Sanhedrin ¹¹⁴ BT Brachot 28a

I heard from a great teacher that the intention of the Maggid in bringing this Mishnah here was to prove that, “Even if we are all wise...has an obligation to tell the story…” He already brought the story of Rabbi Eliezer and the other sages. They were among the greatest members of the Sanhedrin and yet they studied the story of the Exodus all night, As a second proof we find the sages saying that the word “Kol” to mean that one must even do so in Messianic times, a time when the whole world will be filled with knowledge of God.¹¹⁵ According to both interpretations, the verse makes it an obligation to remember the Exodus. We can conclude that even in this time of the bitter exile, even if we are all wise, it is incumbent upon us to tell the story of the Exodus. These two passages are proof texts of how we should fulfill these statements and the truth of their words. So I have heard!

footnotes: ¹¹⁵ See Isaiah 11:9

It appears that we can now explain Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah. Before I do, I will introduce the words of the sages with a statement in the Holy Zohar, Parshat Bo 38a about the night of the Passover before the Exodus from Egypt. This is what it says: “It has been taught: The night of Passover was as bright as a day during Tammuz so that the people saw the judgments of the blessed Holy One, as it is written, “Night is as light as day; darkness and light are the same.” (Psalm 139:12)”” In the book Nachalat Yaakov¹¹⁶ and Avnei Shoham, Parshat Bo, say, “The sages of blessed memory, taught that on Passover eve at midnight a miracle occurred and the sun shined like day…” I did not find the source in the book of Midrashim which I have. The language of the Zohar implies that the whole night the land lit up like daytime from God’s glory. (Also see Sefer Yad Eliyahu) Since that night was as bright as day, all the laws of the Torah applied on that night. One could even perform circumcision on that night according to those who say that one does not perform circumcision at night; that night was different. This suggests that Passover eve was so bright that they could perform circumcisions before eating the Passover offering. See Midrash Chazit¹¹⁷ on the verse, “My nard gave forth its fragrance,” (Song of Songs 1:12) and the Shemot Rabbah, the end of Parshat Bo. I saw among the commentators that the sages said that the night was as radiant as day. It is sufficient that in Bereshit Rabbah we learn, “God called the light day and the night was called night.” (Gen. 1:5) - God does not associate His name with evil. Regarding the good, it is written, “God called the light day,” but regarding the dark it does not say, “God called.” Also here it states “It was for Adonai a night of vigil,” (Ex. 12:42), mentioning the name of God in connection with the night. Based on this, they said that this night was bright like the sun and therefore it was a night associated with God, just as it says and “God called the light day.” I heard this explanation in the name of the our teacher, Rabbi Aaron Alfandari¹¹⁸; הר"ח אלפאנדארי but it is possible that the chet and the aleph are so close to one another in the Rashi script that the editor made a mistake here. Aaron ben Moses Alfandari (c. 1700 – 1774 in Hebron). He emigrated to the Land of Israel in his old age, where he met Chida. In his book Shem HaGedolim, Chida states he "got to meet the Rabbi in his old age in the holy city of Hebron, enjoying the radiance of his light…” Rabbi Alfandari was the first to sign Chida's documents affirming him as an emissary to represent the Jewish community in foreign lands.[2] Chida lists him as one of the sages buried in the ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron. (wikipedia), of blessed memory. He explains the meaning of the verse, “The day is Yours, the night also; it was You who set in place the orb of the sun,” (Ps. 74:16): “The day is yours,” applies to God for God protects the sun and it is also written, “And God called the light day.” That is, it is specifically in connection to the day that God’s name is associated. That is the meaning of “The day is Yours.” But the “Darkness is called night,” It is not worthy of God’s glory to associate the divine name with darkness as is stated in Bereshit Rabbah. Now it states, “Also the night is Yours;” we find that there was one night that is connected to God. It is the night of Passover when the Israelites went out of Egypt, as is written, “It is a night of vigil to Adonai.” If you were to ask, “How was this night different,” one might answer, “It was You who set the orb of the sun in place.” In other words it was on that night that the night was bright like the sun and therefore it was associated with God, as is stated, “The night is also Yours.” I had heard this and after some time I came across it in Sefer Dat Vadin and Sefer Mishpatim which explains it in this way in the name of the commentators.

footnotes: ¹¹⁶ Uncertain - Could be Rabbi of Mayence and Offenbach at the end of the eighteenth century. He was the grandson of Jonah Te'omim, the author of "Ḳiḳayon de-Yonah." Naumburg wrote: "Naḥalat Ya'aḳov," commentary on the smaller tractates (Fürth, 1793); "Ḥiddushim 'al ha-Torah," notes on the Pentateuch; "Ḥiddushim 'al ha-Midrash," notes on the Midrash; and "Derushim," sermons preached in Mayence and Offenbach between 1770 and 1781; the last three works are in manuscript. If this is correct then he would have been a contemporary of Chida, ¹¹⁷ Another name for Shir HaShirim Rabbah ¹¹⁸ In the Hebrew text, the first letter of the name is a chet

This is the meaning of, “Darkness is not dark for You; night is as light as day; darkness and light are the same.” (Ps.139:12) This verse is mentioned in the Zohar. It means that darkness cannot make God obscure nor is it connected to God because God’s name is never associated with evil. However, when the verse says, “Night is as light as day,” it is speaking about the night of Passover which was as bright as day. Then, “Darkness and light are the same,” means, they were equally connected to God, as is stated, “The same is the Lord’s, a night of vigil.” (Ex. 12:42) That is, as the night is a time of darkness and as day is a time of light, so are the two connected to God since the night of the Passover was full of light and it became the same as daytime. So it is stated, “Darkness and light are the same.” Further, because we find that the night of the Passover was as bright as daytime, people still observed the evening commandments such as the eating of the Passover offering which should not have been consumed during the day and other daytime mitzvot such as circumcision which should only be observed in the daytime, at night, as the Yad Eliyahu writes. It would seem that this night rose up these two commandments and was permitted for daytime and evening commandments, as is stated, “Night is as the light of day;” when the night is as bright as day. This is according to that which is taught in Midrash Tehillim (Midrash Shochar Tov) in Psalm 92.¹¹⁹ 22:3 Also, Bereshit Rabbah 92:13 At the end of the Sabbath, when darkness arrived Adam began to strike his own face, as it states, “Surely, darkness will conceal me,” (Ps. 139:11) and explained why he was so afraid, “Since I know that “For darkness is not dark for you.” (Ps. 139:12) On the eve of the first Sabbath the night was like day and “darkness and light were the same.” This is why Adam was afraid: he said, “Erev Shabbat and the Sabbath have already passed and I have not seen darkness. I began to think that God would darken the world because I had sinned until He sent a pillar of fire,” as is written in Shochar Tov.”

footnotes: ¹¹⁹ See Midrash Tehilim

The Scriptural verses state, “The day is Yours, the night also.” (Ps. 74:16) The continuation of this psalm illustrates this idea in a different way. “For you will not abandon me to the nether world;” This is why God caused the night to be as bright as day. There is no doubt that there are many answers to this mystery. And we with our limited understanding have interpreted it according to the opinion of the author of Amudeha Shiva.¹²⁰ (Her Columns Are Seven), containing homilies on the Bible; divided into seven parts, each of which bears the title of a Biblical expression connected with the name of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, David, or Solomon (Lublin, 1666). This work was published by the order of the Council of the Four Lands and of the Lithuanian Rabbinical Assembly, held at Lublin in 1666. (Jewish Encyclopedia) Regarding the verse, “Know therefore this day and keep in mind that Adonai alone is God in the heavens above and on earth below, there is no other,” (Deuteronomy 4:39) he writes that we may find three proofs from the sun contradicting those who deny God. From the sun we recognize that there is a cause for all things. Just as a person knows that there is a cause that allows him to walk, so too, there is a cause for the sun. This is what is stated: “Know therefore this day,” which is the sun. “And keep in mind that Adonai alone is God in the heavens.” This statement is meant to exclude foolish philosophers who deny God and who say that there is no power conducting the lower world. The sun blinds their eyes from recognizing that God created and fashioned everything to bring light to the earth, as the verse states, “And on the earth below;” that is, God oversees the earth. And in opposition to those who say that the one who does good is not responsible for bad, the sun contradicts them. The sun can dry up the wet and sweeten the dry and harden. These are opposites but the difference lies in how one receives the power of the sun and not in the sun itself. Similarly, bad things don’t come from above but good or bad is in how the act is received, as the verse states, “There is no other.” This is the essence of the Rabbi’s words.¹²¹ This is also hinted at in the statement, “The face of Moses was as bright as the face of the sun.”¹²² Our teacher Moses taught the people in the land of Egypt that God could take a nation out of a nation even though Pharaoh had already denied everything. Therefore it was necessary for our teacher Moses to enlighten Israel against these opinions and to remove the husks of impurity of Egypt within the land. So, the face of Moses was bright like the sun. Similarly Moses was like the sun and proved the three opinions that were mentioned were vanity and those who believed that did not see the light. Similarly, the above-mentioned rabbi mentions the sages’ statement that Abraham wore a bright pearl around his neck so that all who were sick and looked upon it were healed. Later it hung in the circle of the sun so that it proves all his words.

footnotes: ¹²⁰ Betzalel ben Solomon of Kobryn Preacher at Slutzk, government of Minsk, Russia; later at Boskowitz, Moravia; died before 1659. He was the author of Amudeah Shib'ah ¹²¹ Chida appears to only offer two of the three challenges of the philosophers here! ¹²² BT Baba Batra 75a

It is possible that this is the very reason that the Holy One caused the Israelites to merit light in the night. Before they left Egypt, the Israelites’ bodies and souls were polluted by idolatry and false beliefs. God performed a miracle for Israel so that they would see who rouses the sun from the East.¹²³ 41:2, Midrash Tehillim 1:3 On the eve of Passover, God enlightened their eyes like the afternoon sun in order to contradict the false beliefs of Egypt. This happened so that they would learn that God is Sovereign in heaven above and on earth below, and there is none but God and so that they would be ready to receive the Blessed One as the Divine as well as God’s commandments and they would guard God’s teachings. This is generally the reason for remembering the Exodus from Egypt ; the sun came to offer an ethical foundation for belief in God.

footnotes: ¹²³ See Isaiah

Now the following verses can be explained: “O God, my King from old, who brings deliverance throughout the land.” (Psalm 74:12) “O God my King,” is meant to refute those who deny God. “Who brings deliverance,” God brings good deliverance to one and evil to those who oppose God. Both good and evil come from the same source but it depends on the recipient. Because of their sins, it may seem like evil. This is meant to refute the evil ones who say that the One who does good but does not also perform evil acts. “Throughout the land,” refutes those who say that there is no one who watches over those in this world. The proof of this is, “It was You who drove back the sea with Your might,” (Ps. 74:13) referring to the plagues which struck Pharaoh and Egypt at the Red Sea. It has already been said that if the wicked Aristotle had been in Egypt and had seen the wonders in the land of Ham, he would have acknowledged the renewal of the earth (by God.) That is why all those miracles and wonders are mentioned for they are true witnesses that Adonai is God. “It was You who released springs and torrents, who made mighty rivers run dry.” (Psalm 74:15) These are opposite acts to teach us that the One who performs good acts can also perform destructive acts because God is one. “The day is Yours, the night also; it was You who set in place the orb of the sun.” (Ps. 74:16) “The day is Yours,” the sun which You made speaks the truth; “The night also,” the night of the Passover offering also speaks the truth about God. The Psalmist then gives a reason for this, “It was You who set in place the orb of the sun.” The sun which recognizes its cause that established all of the boundaries of the earth and that you watch over those below. You created summer and winter even though they are opposites from the perspective of the ones who receive its power. Their standing on the earth either increases heat or cold according to the conditions of the earth and those who dwell on it. We learn all this from the sun. The nation which goes forth in darkness that saw the great light, which lit up the earth like the sun was meant to enlighten them so that they would proclaim the divinity of God.

Some commentators gave a different reason why the One of Blessing performed a miracle on that night, causing the night to be as bright as the day. The sages explained that the Israelites left Egypt after 210 years because they worked day and night. As a result the nights were added to the count of the time that they served Egypt. It was as if they worked 430 years because they subjugated them during the days and the nights. As a result the nights were part of the count. They should have only enslaved them during the day as is the practice with slaves who work during the day and are allowed to rest from their labors at night. Because they treated them so poorly, the nights were numbered separately. To teach this, God made the night of the Passover as bright as if the sun were shining. It is God’s way to make known that He is just to all and that he would free them in half the time since the nights were considered to be like days… The teachings of the sages of blessed memory, that the nights were considered part of the count of their subjugation is from Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer, chapter 48 in the discussion between Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria,Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, and Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. They said that Israel dwelled in Egypt 210 years. It was five years earlier before Jacob came to Egypt and Ephraim and Menashe were born, making 215 years. Together with the evenings, this makes 430 years.

Based on what has been said, let me explain the allusions based on the verses,¹²⁴ generally means “holy convocations” or “holy days” but here I believe it is used as a reference to the scripture citations which he now notes. It is but one of the many puns that appear in Chida’s writings. in Parshat Bo. This is how Passover is described: “The length of time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years; at the end of the four hundred and thirtieth year, to the very day, all the ranks of Adonai departed from the land of Egypt. It was for Adonai a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is the Adonai’s, one of vigil for the children of Israel throughout the ages. Adonai said to Moses and Aaron: This is the law of the Passover offering: (Ex. 12:40-42) Based on these verses one might think that, “to that very day,” means that the amount of time was greater. And even if one says that it comes to make known that since the end (of their subjugation) had arrived, that God did not delay their leaving at all, as the sages say, Vayehi, “And it came to pass”¹²⁵ at the end of the four hundred and thirtieth year, to the very day…” refers to an exact time. Furthermore, the passage states, “A night of vigil,” twice. Also, the connection of the passage dealing with the rite of the Passover to it which took place on the fourteenth day and what follows.¹²⁶ However based on what has been said it is possible that this text alludes to the interpretation we have offered. It begins, “The length of time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years,” comes to exclude what the elders taught Ptolemy and what they translated Scripture in Egypt and among other nations. Scripture specifically wrote “In Egypt;” one should not presume that the count of years of enslavement began from the Covenant of the Pieces or from the birth of Isaac, or that the years of the patriarchs were included in the count. This number only includes the years in Egypt. This was the place of the exile; it was in Egypt that they were to dwell 430 years.¹²⁷ Now scripture itself states, “(Vayehi)¹²⁸ is often translated as “And it was,” or “And it came to pass” at the end of the four hundred and thirtieth year, (vayehi) to the very day they went out…” One notices two contradictory statements here. You say to me: “Count all the time in Egypt and if so it adds up to 430 years, but I also see, “And it came to pass on (b’etzem) that very day,” which refers to half of the 430 years they went out.¹²⁹ as meaning in the middle of the time... To explain this, Scripture states, “It was a night of vigil to Adonai” to bring them out of the Land of Egypt.” Since I already know that one cannot associate God’s name with evil, as Scripture states, “And darkness is called night,” how can we say that the night of vigil belongs to God? It is necessary that the night (of Passover) was as bright as daytime to make known that the nights were considered like days. In that way they would know that the judgment was a true judgment and that the 430 thirty years was cut in half and they left after 215 years. This is the meaning of the expression that this night was a vigil to God to take them out before their allotted time , and that God could make the nights like days in counting the time. There is another reason that the Holy One caused the night to be as bright as day. He did so in order to distance the Israelites from the false beliefs that have been mentioned. This is stated: “That same night is the Adonai’s, a vigil for all the Israelites throughout the ages,” in order that they and their offspring may know the truth of their God. It would keep them from false beliefs. Juxtaposed to this is the statement regarding the rite of the Passover offering, about which it is written, “And the uncircumcised shall not eat it.” It was necessary to circumcise them during the night. And if one questions this - since one does not perform circumcision at night, that is why “night of vigil to Adonai appears first. Since it was bright like day it was permissible to fulfill this commandment which must be performed in the daytime since this was the rite of Passover. They were able to perform both acts at the same time. They ate the Passover offering because it was night and they could circumcise themselves because it was bright like day. It was a bright night of vigil to Adonai, with the sun appearing in all its might!

footnotes: ¹²⁴ Mikra’ei Kodesh ¹²⁵ The verse states, “Vayehi, ¹²⁶ All of this suggests that in fact the 430 years of subjugation should be taken literally. ¹²⁷ Interestingly, the Septuigent and the Samaritan version of the Torah state, “they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan, was 430 years,” in various places. See https://www.thetorah.com/article/how-many-years-were-the-israelites-in-egypt for a full discussion of the problematic dating of the Exodus. The reference to Ptolemy may be a reference to the letter of Aristas. ¹²⁸ Vayehi ¹²⁹ Chida interprets b’etzem

This is a good reason why the plague of the first born occurred at midnight, neither before or afterwards, and why it occurred in the night. All of this hinted that they left Egypt in half the allotted time. They knew that Adonai is righteous in heaven above and on earth below; and that God is faithful and all His ways are just. God took us out in half the time because the Egyptians acted with their perverseness and with abomination they transgressed their agreement that the slaves should only serve by day.... The wicked oppressors sought to exterminate the offspring of Israel completely and subjugated them even at night. As a result the judgment was that the nights should be considered like a second exile. Therefore, the final plague is mentioned first as the most terrible and stringent, the plague of the first born right in the middle of the night. This hinted that the exile in the middle of the night was caused because the Egyptians subjugated them at night. For this reason midnight was their second exile.

It is for this reason that I would like to look at the statement of the sages, of blessed memory, “In the middle of the night,” (Ex. 12:29) The sages disagreed about this. One said that God divided the night and one said only God knew the exact measure of times and hours (when the middle of the night would occur).¹³⁰ The Radbaz,¹³¹, rosh yeshiva, chief rabbi, and author of more than 3,000 responsa as well as several scholarly works. (Wikipedia) of blessed memory, already asked about this in his responsa (S. 814) in an effort to explain the controversy of the sages. The Radbaz answered that it would be impossible to limit half the night or half the day since globe of the sun is constantly turning and in the blink of an eye it passes beyond midnight (or midday) so that a person could never say, “this is the moment of chazot, midnight , before it had already passed. If so, how could one divide the day or night? Yet according to the first tanna the sphere in God’s hand is like clay in the hands of the potter so that one can recognize the world as divided in half. The second tanna holds that one does not need a miracle for this to happen. Rather the sphere turns according to its nature. If one can track the passage of time one can limit midnight to that second when the first born were stricken in a second according to God's word. Even though we are not able to limit time to a mere second, God knows how to do so and to identify the point when it is the middle of the night and at that moment God could strike them down. This is the opinion of the Radbaz.

footnotes: ¹³⁰ Pesikta D’Rav Kahana 7:5 ¹³¹ David ben Solomon ibn (Abi) Zimra (1479–1573) also called Radbaz after the initials of his name, was an early Acharon of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who was a leading posek

We still need to know why it was necessary for each point of view and what is the essence of this controversy. Why should this matter? It appears that the sages disagreed if the reason for the Exodus from Egypt before the allotted time was because the nights were considered like days and 215 years doubled would make 430 years as has been said. Or if the time of the exodus was because of the harshness of the subjugation as I said earlier. The reason the nights are mentioned as part of the count is because the nights could be clearly counted. That is why the plague of the first born occurred in the middle of the night. But if the harshness of the subjugation was the reason for the exodus, this could only be calculated as a generalization while the actual counting of the extent of the subjugation each day would depend on the amount of suffering (they experienced). This would have been something for which there was no exact measure. It is a well known fact that no day is the same as the next that figuring out exactly when four hundred years (would occur). That is why the two sages disagreed with each other. One said that “God divided the night,” was of the opinion that the reason that they left Egypt before the completion of the four hundred years was because they were subjugated at night. This would have been a reason that was easily discernible and it is why the plague of the first born occurred in the middle of the night. It was appropriate to say then that God divided up the night and caused the sphere of the sun to be recognizable as part of this division. But the other sage said that God knows the division of hours and time. He felt the reason for Israel’s premature exodus was because of the severity of the subjugation. This is hinted at - just as only God knows how to define and to point to the moment of the middle of the night, so too only God could know when the subjugation was complete in half of its time.

In order to come to our understanding of the words of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, we must introduce what the commentators taught. Zohar taught that Adam, the first human being, gave King David, Z”L, seventy years of his life.¹³² Volume 1, 91b; also Parshat Vayishlach The sages also taught that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Joseph together gave King David seventy years. If this was so then he should have lived 140 years. Yet because King David “never experienced the taste of death,” he was called, “living,” and the measure of his life was doubled. He did not live like other people; even at night his heart did not rest so that he lived fully both day and night. As a result his life was like a hundred and forty years. As a result of this I have explained the verse, “By day may Adonai vouchsafe His faithful care, so that at night a song to Him may be with me, a prayer to the God of my life, “ (Ps 42:9) as follows: what is the reason it says, “The God of my life?” The Zohar explains that the days carried the thread of Hesed, lovingkindness. And since he rose at midnight and “sang a song with me.” Now through his great fear of God King David merited the thread of lovingkindness and through his learning at night it was as if he lived then twice - adding up to 140 years even though he lived only seventy years.

footnotes: ¹³² Zohar Bereshit

Based on this discussion, it is possible that it was from of controversy Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Elazar ben Arach and Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai that we learn the reason when the Exodus from Egypt occurred, in Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer, Ch. 48:2-3. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah accepted the opinion that the nights counted as days. There were others of the generation when Rabbi Elazar was appointed the Nasi who did not follow this approach. Each one followed the reasons he liked just as there are many opinions today. To the sages who asked why the Israelites had not completed their four hundred years, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah opened and said, “I am like a man of seventy years.” I am like King David who lived seventy years even though he received seventy years from Adam and another seventy years from the Patriarch, giving him 140 years. Rabbi Elazar believed that the reason he only lived seventy years was because he did not sleep so that nights were counted as days. Yet there were those also taught that this explanation was not necessary. Some say that Adam’s years were impaired and therefore he also needed years from the Patriarchs and from Joseph. To this, he said, “I did not merit to praise the Exodus at night,” The word sh’te’amer “to recite,” is borrowed from the expressions, ה' האמרת “You have affirmed this day that Adonai is your God” (Deut 26:17) and ה' האמירך, “And Adonai has affirmed this day.” (Deut 26:18) This implies praise, so that the expression in the Haggadah means, “I did not succeed in praising God because of the nights since they caused them to leave Egypt in half the time (until Ben Zoma taught it). I came to explain it as one who interprets, “I did not succeed,” as the sages did not merit it. The sages did not merit to praise the Exodus because of the nights. The sages came up with other explanations until Ben Zoma said that the All-Merciful said, “In order that you may remember the day of your going out from the land of Egypt all the days of your life.” This was meant to include the nights. What is the reason we remember the Exodus at night? It was to make known that it was part of the essence of the reason. After some time I saw this in Lev Arye, Parshat Bo...

It is possible to explain the controversy of Ben Zoma and the sages in the following way: Ben Zoma holds that the primary reason for remembering the Exodus is to comfort Israel. When they left Egypt, they saw the wonders that took place despite suffering and exile. My grandfather and teacher,¹³³ of blessed memory, wrote in Hesed L’Avraham, “The reason that Israel was enslaved in Egypt was because God knew that in the future Israel would be subjugated to four kingdoms. The Exodus from Egypt was meant to reassure them so that they would not despair of God’s promise of redemption. They should not think that Egypt’s heavenly prince was more mighty (than God) so that it was impossible to go forth from there. With great wisdom, God decreed that Israel should be enslaved in Egypt, a land second to the land of Israel. Egypt was ruled over by Rahab and Samael, who also ruled over all the other nations and heavenly princes.” Based on this, one can explain the passage: “Praise Adonai, for He is good; His steadfast love is eternal! Thus let the redeemed of Adonai say, those He redeemed from adversity, whom He gathered in from the lands, from east and west, from the north and from the south.” (Ps. 107:1-3) “Praise Adonai, for He is good,” means that God’s goodness comes from Gods’ attribute of Hesed that He performs constantly. He redeemed us from Egypt who were first among all the angelic rulers. This was kindness that God set us at ease that we would be redeemed from the four kingdoms. This is the meaning of, “Thus let the redeemed of Adonai say, those He redeemed from adversity,” of Egypt. This was a sign for the four kingdoms, that God would gather them “from east and west, from the north and from the south.” God would gather us because God’s promise is as good as His deeds. As it is written in the Holy Zohar about the verse: “I have made his hills a desolation,” (Malachi 1:3) And also in Midrash Shocher Tov on this verse. That which is said, “For His loving kindness is forever,” means that the loving kindness that God shows shall exist forever, like the Exodus from Egypt which was a sign for the four kingdoms that Israel would face.

footnotes: ¹³³ Abraham ben Mordecai Azulai (c. 1570–1643) Grandfather of Chida, was a Kabbalistic author and commentator born in Fez, Morocco. In 1599 he moved to Palestine and settled in Hebron. (wikipedia)

Ben Zoma was of the opinion that the reason for remembering the Exodus was meant to comfort us, and reassure us that God would redeem us from suffering and exile. It is an obligation also at night an allusion to exile which was similar to the night that Israel would face in exile. According to this, in the future with the coming of the Messiah there would be no reason to remember the Exodus from Egypt since the purpose was to calm the minds regarding the subjugation to the kingdoms. Once they were already redeemed and the Messiah had come, the suffering would now be over. But the sages believed that the reason for remembering the Exodus from Egypt was to remember God’s loving kindness. When we nearly died, were lost and became impure through the fifty gates of impurity, had it not been for God’s great mercy, when God took us out through the power of freed, the fifty gates of understanding. During the days of the Messiah we must remember God’s acts of loving kindness in the Exodus and also in the coming of the Messiah.