Arami Oved Avi

The central core of the Haggadah is an extended Midrashic reading of Deuteronomy 26:5-8. These verses are part of a declaration. They were recited by the individual when he brought the Bikkurim, the first fruits, to the temple on the festival of Shavuot. Why were these particular verses chosen for the Seder? First, they offer a brief and personal retelling of the Exodus, thus fulfilling the obligation to see oneself as if one personally went forth from Egypt. Second, since the First Fruit Ceremony was no longer observed, this is an appropriate place to reuse this passage. By reciting only a portion of this declaration (verses 5-8), the passage called the reader's attention to our unfulfilled state of being. Verse 9 (the end of the declaration) focuses our attention on the purpose of redemption: "He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey." The declaration focuses on redemption from slavery but fails to speak of the conquest of the land. The absence of the final verse is a reminder that the promise is not yet fulfilled in our day. It parallels the fifth cup of wine and the fifth promise of redemption in Exodus, Chapter six. (Deuteronomy 26:5-8) 5. You shall then recite as follows before the Lord your God: "My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. 6. The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. 7. We cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. 8. The Lord freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents. And he went down to Egypt: He was compelled by divine decree. According to Simeon ben Zemah Duran, (1361–1444), the sale of Joseph had to occur prior to Jacob’s descent into Egypt. This was for Jacob’s own good. This may be compared to the way things are done in a slaughter house. The calf is sent ahead of its mother so that she will follow it into the slaughter house. So too, Jacob went down to Egypt out of respect and love for Joseph, in order to see how his son had risen to a position of greatness. These verses are taken from Deuteronomy 26, which describe the custom of bringing the first fruits to the Temple. This was recited in a time of joy. We make mention of Israel’s suffering in this time of rejoicing in order to recall how God brought light into the darkness and brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey. We merited the privilege of bringing the first fruits of our land for this reason, and mention it on Passover eve as well. We perform customs to show our royalty on this night such as dipping, drinking four cups of wine, leaning and rejoicing. Let me explain: Why was Jacob compelled to go down to Egypt? Had it not been for Joseph’s presence in Egypt, Jacob would not have gone there on his own. His presence was necessary, however, for Israel’s eventual redemption. It was necessary for Jacob and his family to enter the crucible of suffering, for the people of Israel to be refined and become worthy of receiving the Torah. Like the mother calf who follows his child into the slaughter house, Jacob had to be given a compelling reason to go down to Egypt since he knew this would be the beginning of Israel’s enslavement.