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64-693: Known as the "Great" or "Big" Sabbath, it is the Sabbath immediately preceding Passover. It is customary for the rabbi to deliver an address to the congregation on this day. In the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, the first half of the haggadah (Passover liturgy) is recited in the afternoon. In the Ashkenazic rite, piyyutim including many Laws of the Seder are recited. In most communities, the Haftarah

128-508: A majority of a cup of wine. On Shabbat, it is preceded by a reading from the Book of Genesis recounting God's rest on the seventh day of creation and includes an extended doxology on the blessings of Shabbat. Partakers wash their hands in preparation for eating wet fruit and vegetables, which happens in the next stage. Technically, according to Jewish law , whenever one partakes of fruit or vegetables dipped in liquid, one must wash one's hands, if

192-506: A means of producing texts, the general adoption rate of printed Haggadot was slow. By the end of the sixteenth century, only twenty-five editions had been printed. This number increased to thirty-seven during the seventeenth century, and 234 during the eighteenth century. It is not until the nineteenth century, when 1,269 separate editions were produced, that a significant shift is seen toward printed Haggadot as opposed to manuscripts . From 1900 to 1960 alone, over 1,100 Haggadot were printed. It

256-503: A question or represent Jews who have drifted so far from Jewish life that they do not participate in a Seder. Four verses in Deuteronomy (26:5–8) are then expounded, with an elaborate, traditional commentary. ("5. And thou shalt speak and say before the L ORD thy God: 'A wandering Aramean was my parent, and they went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6. And

320-653: A standardized form by the end of the medieval era on the Ashkenazi (Eastern European) and Sephardi (Spanish, North African, and Middle Eastern) communities. The Karaites and also the Samaritans developed their own Haggadot which they use to the present day. During the era of the Enlightenment the European Jewish community developed into groups that reacted in different ways to modifications of

384-527: Is Shabbat haGadol mevorach , ("a blessed Shabbat haGadol'). This Judaism -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Haggadah The Haggadah ( Hebrew : הַגָּדָה , "telling"; plural: Haggadot ) is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder . According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of

448-464: Is a blessing similar to that which is recited on all of the pilgrimage festivals , but also refers to matzot and the exodus from Egypt. Acting in a way that shows freedom and majesty, many Jews have the custom of filling each other's cups at the Seder table. The Kiddush is traditionally said by the father of the house, but all Seder participants participate by reciting the Kiddush and drinking at least

512-550: Is alone at the seder he is obligated to ask himself and to answer his own questions. Why is this night different from all other nights? The traditional Haggadah speaks of "four sons—one who is wise, one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who does not know to ask". The number four derives from the four passages in the Torah where one is commanded to explain the Exodus to one's son. Each of these sons phrases his question about

576-560: Is not uncommon, particularly in America, for haggadot to be produced by corporate entities, such as coffee maker Maxwell House – see Maxwell House Haggadah – serving as texts for the celebration of Passover, but also as marketing tools and ways of showing that certain foods are kosher. The earliest Ashkenazi illuminated Haggada is known as the Birds' Head Haggadah , made in Germany around

640-423: Is rebuked by the explanation that " It is because God acted for my sake when I left Egypt. " (This implies that the Seder is not for the wicked son because the wicked son would not have deserved to be freed from Egyptian slavery.) Where the four sons are illustrated in the Haggadah, this son has frequently been depicted as carrying weapons or wearing stylish contemporary fashions. The simple son, who asks, " What

704-602: Is taken from the prophet Malachi which foretells the second coming of Elijah the prophet to announce the "great and terrible Day of the Lord ". The Babylonian Talmud, citing Exodus 12:42, states, “That was for the Eternal a night of vigil for bringing them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is a night of vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations.” A customary greeting in some Sephardic communities

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768-522: Is the latest tanna to be quoted therein. Abba Arika and Samuel of Nehardea ( c.  230 CE ) argued on the compilation of the Haggadah, and hence it had not been completed as of then. Based on a Talmudic statement, it was completed by the time of Rav Nachman. There is a dispute, however, to which Rav Nachman the Talmud was referring: according to some commentators, this was Rav Nachman bar Yaakov ( c.  280 CE ), while others maintain this

832-518: Is this? " is answered with " With a strong hand the Almighty led us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. " And the one who does not know to ask is told, " It is because of what the Almighty did for me when I left Egypt. " Some modern Haggadot mention "children" instead of "sons", and some have added a fifth child. The fifth child can represent the children of the Shoah who did not survive to ask

896-711: Is told. At this point in the Seder, Sefardic Jews (North African) have a custom of raising the Seder plate over the heads of all those present while chanting: Moroccan Jews sing "Bivhilu yatzanu mimitzrayim, halahma anya b'nei horin" (In haste we went out of Egypt [with our] bread of affliction, [now we are] free people), Algerian Jews sing "Ethmol 'ayinu abadim, hayom benei 'horin, hayom kan, leshana habaa bear'a deYisrael bene 'horin" (Yesterday we were slaves, today we are free, today we are here -in exile-, next year we will be in Israel free". The matzot are uncovered, and referred to as

960-653: The Birds' Head Haggadah and the Washington Haggadah . It is believed that the first printed Haggadot were produced in 1482, in Guadalajara, Spain ; however, this is mostly conjecture, as there is no printer's colophon . The oldest confirmed printed Haggadah was printed in Soncino, Lombardy in 1486 by the Soncino family . Although the Jewish printing community was quick to adopt the printing press as

1024-681: The Mishnah , gave rise to the Talmud , and while the Saboraim definitively edited it, the Geonim's task was to interpret it; for them it became the subject of study and instruction, and they gave religio-legal decisions in agreement with its teachings. During the geonic period the Babylonian schools were the chief centers of Jewish learning; the Geonim, the heads of these schools, were recognized as

1088-656: The mitzvah to each Jew to tell their children the story from the Book of Exodus about God bringing the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt , with a strong hand and an outstretched arm . According to Jewish tradition, the Haggadah was compiled during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods, although the exact date is unknown. It could not have been written earlier than the time of Judah bar Ilai ( c.  170 CE ), who

1152-458: The "bread of affliction". Participants declare in Aramaic an invitation to all who are hungry or needy to join in the Seder. Halakha requires that this invitation be repeated in the native language of the country. The Mishnah details questions one is obligated to ask on the night of the Seder. It is customary for the youngest child present to recite the four questions. Some customs hold that

1216-468: The "ordained scholars who take the place of the great sanhedrin". (A regular ordination (" semichah ") is of course not implied here: that did not exist in Babylonia, only a solemn nomination taking place.) Gaon Ẓemaḥ refers in a responsum to "the ancient scholars of the first row, who take the place of the great sanhedrin". The seven masters, or "allufim" and the "ḥaberim", the three most prominent among

1280-669: The 1320s and now in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Rylands Haggadah (Rylands Hebrew MS. 6) is one of the finest Haggadot in the world. It was written and illuminated in Spain in the 14th century and is an example of the cross-fertilisation between Jewish and non-Jewish artists within the medium of manuscript illumination. In spring and summer 2012 it was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York, in

1344-435: The 19th century "genius" as in modern Hebrew . As a title of a Babylonian college president it meant something like "His Excellency". The Geonim played a prominent and decisive role in the transmission and teaching of Torah and Jewish law . They taught Talmud and decided on issues on which no ruling had been rendered during the period of the Talmud. The period of the Geonim began in 589 CE ( Hebrew date : 4349), after

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1408-518: The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. 7. And we cried unto the L ORD , the God of our parents, and the L ORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the L ORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm , and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders .") The Haggadah explores

1472-452: The Geonim was Saadia Gaon , who wrote Biblical commentaries and many other works: he is best known for the philosophical work Emunoth ve-Deoth . Two months of the year were denoted as yarchei kallah , or "months of the bride" (referring to the Talmud ) – the Hebrew months of Adar and Elul . During this time, foreign students assembled in the academy for common study. During

1536-410: The Geonim, members of the schools are mentioned who belonged to the "great sanhedrin", and others who belonged to the "small sanhedrin". In front of the presiding gaon and facing him were seated seventy members of the academy in seven rows of ten persons each, each person in the seat assigned to him, and the whole forming, with the gaon, the so-called "great sanhedrin". Gaon Amram calls them in a responsum

1600-470: The Haggadah. The oldest surviving complete manuscript of the Haggadah dates to the 10th century. It is part of a prayer book compiled by Saadia Gaon . It is now believed that the Haggadah first became produced as an independent book in codex form around 1000 CE. Maimonides (1135–1204) included the Haggadah in his code of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah . Existing manuscripts do not go back beyond

1664-717: The Jews of Spain in response to a question about the laws of prayer, and the Epistle of Sherira Gaon , which sets out the history of the Mishnah and the Talmud in response to a question from Tunisia. Some of the responsa that have survived are in their original form, while others are extant only as quotations in later works. Many have been found in the Cairo Genizah . Examples of responsa collections are: Individual Geonim often composed treatises and commentaries. Three handbooks on Jewish law are: The most notable author among

1728-516: The Mishnah and Talmud, but used the decisions and responsa of their predecessors, whose sayings and traditions were generally regarded as authoritative. These responsa of the later geonim were often essays on Talmudic themes, and since a single letter often answered many questions, it frequently became book-length in size. Two important examples of such books are the Siddur of Amram Gaon , addressed to

1792-624: The Passover ritual; ... biblical and rabbinic elements that actually appear in the Haggadah text; and scenes and figures from biblical or other sources that play no role in the Haggadah itself, but have either past or future redemptive associations". Other illuminated Haggadot include the Sarajevo Haggadah , Washington Haggadah , and the 20th-century Szyk Haggadah . Kadeish is the Hebrew imperative form of Kiddush . This Kiddush

1856-624: The Redemption is to be said. This blessing, according to Rabbi Tarfon , runs as follows: "Praised art Thou, O Lord, King of the Universe, who hast redeemed us, and hast redeemed our fathers from Egypt." Another part of the oldest ritual, as is recorded in the Mishnah, is the conclusion of the "Hallel" (up to Psalms 118), and the closing benediction of the hymn "Birkat ha-Shir", which latter the Amoraim explain differently, but which evidently

1920-459: The Seder, is traditionally the last morsel of food eaten by participants in the Seder. Each participant receives an at least olive-sized portion of matzo to be eaten as afikoman . After the consumption of the afikoman , traditionally, no other food may be eaten for the rest of the night. Additionally, no intoxicating beverages may be consumed, with the exception of the remaining two cups of wine. The recital of Birkat Hamazon . The drinking of

1984-456: The Talmud received care in other lands. The inhabitants of these regions gradually began to submit their questions to the heads of the schools in their own countries. Eventually they virtually ceased sending their questions to Babylonian Geonim. The title gaon came to be applied to the heads of the two Babylonian academies of Sura and Pumbedita, although it did not displace the original title of Rosh Yeshivah Ge'on Ya'akov ( Hebrew , head of

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2048-421: The Talmud, and often a refutation of any possible objection. More discursive were the responsa of the later geonim after the first half of the 9th century, when questions began to be sent from more distant regions, where the inhabitants were less familiar with the Talmud, and were less able to visit the Babylonian academies, then the only seats of Talmudic learning. The later geonim did not restrict themselves to

2112-717: The Third Cup of Wine. Note: The Third Cup is customarily poured before the Grace after Meals is recited because the Third Cup also serves as a Cup of Blessing associated with the Grace after Meals on special occasions. In many traditions, the front door of the house is opened at this point. Psalms 79:6–7 is recited in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions, plus Lamentations 3:66 among Ashkenazim. Geonim Geonim ( Hebrew : גאונים ; Hebrew: [ɡe(ʔ)oˈnim] ; also transliterated Gaonim , singular Gaon ) were

2176-433: The academy, pride of Jacob). The Aramaic term used was Resh metivta. The title gaon properly designated the office of head of the academy. The title became popular in use around the end of the 6th century. As the academies of Sura and Pumbedita were invested with judicial authority, the gaon officiated as supreme judge. The organization of the Babylonian academies recalled the ancient Sanhedrin . In many responsa of

2240-474: The college who was not up to the standard of scholarship. At the end of the yarchei kallah the gaon designated the Talmudic treatise which the members of the assembly were obliged to study in the months intervening until the next gathering took place. The students who were not given seats were exempt from this task, being free to choose a subject for study according to their needs. During the yarchei kallah ,

2304-507: The compiler of the Mishnah . The Malbim theorized that the Haggadah was written by Judah ha-Nasi himself. One of the most ancient parts is the recital of the "Hallel", which, according to the Mishnah (Pesachim 5:7), was sung at the sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem , and of which, according to the school of Shammai , only the first chapter shall be recited. After the Psalms a blessing for

2368-513: The contents of a sandwich are placed between two slices of bread, and eaten. This follows the tradition of Hillel , who did the same at his Seder table 2,000 years ago (except that in Hillel's day the Paschal sacrifice, matzo, and maror were eaten together.) The festive meal is eaten. Traditionally it begins with the charred egg on the Seder plate. The afikoman , which was hidden earlier in

2432-536: The exhibition 'The Rylands Haggadah: Medieval Jewish Art in Context'. The British Library's 14th century Barcelona Haggadah (BL Add. MS 14761) is one of the most richly pictorial of all Jewish texts. Meant to accompany the Passover eve service and festive meal, it was also a status symbol for its owner in 14th-century Spain. Nearly all its folios are filled with miniatures depicting Passover rituals, Biblical and Midrashic episodes, and symbolic foods. A facsimile edition

2496-401: The first three weeks of the yarchei kallah the scholars seated in the first row reported on the Talmud treatise assigned for study during the preceding months; in the fourth week the other scholars and also some of the pupils were called upon. Discussions followed, and difficult passages were laid before the gaon, who also took a prominent part in the debates, and freely reproved any member of

2560-408: The fruit or vegetable remains wet. However, this situation does not often arise at other times of the year because either one will dry fruits and vegetables before eating them, or one has already washed one's hands, because one must also wash one's hands before eating bread. According to most traditions, no blessing is recited at this point in the Seder, unlike the blessing recited over the washing of

2624-457: The gaon laid before the assembly a number of the questions that had been sent in during the year from all parts of the Diaspora. The requisite answers were discussed, and were finally recorded by the secretary of the academy according to the directions of the gaon. At the end of the yarchei kallah the questions, together with the answers, were read to the assembly, and the answers were signed by

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2688-433: The gaon. A large number of the geonic responsa originated in this way; but many of them were written by the respective Geonim without consulting the kallah assemblies convened in the spring. Chananel Ben Chushiel (Rabbeinu Chananel) (990–1053) and Nissim Gaon (990–1062) of Kairouan , though not holders of the office of Gaon, are often ranked among the Geonim. Others, perhaps more logically, consider them as constituting

2752-479: The hands before eating bread. However, followers of Rambam or the Gaon of Vilna do recite a blessing. Each participant dips a sprig of parsley or similar leafy green into either salt water (Ashkenazi custom said to serve as a reminder of the tears shed by their enslaved ancestors), vinegar (Sephardi custom) or charoset (older Sephardi custom; still common among Yemenite Jews ). Three matzot are stacked on

2816-454: The highest authorities in Jewish law . Despite the difficulties which hampered the irregular communications of the period, Jews who lived even in most distant countries sent their inquiries concerning religion and law to these officials in Babylonia. In the latter centuries of the geonic period, from the middle of the tenth to the middle of the eleventh, their supremacy lessened, as the study of

2880-511: The last part of the text. Some of these additions, such as the cumulative songs "One little goat" (חד גדיא) and "Who Knows One?" (אחד מי יודע), which were added sometime in the fifteenth century, gained such acceptance that they became a standard to print at the back of the Haggadah. The text of the Haggadah was never fixed in one, final form, as no rabbinic body existed which had authority over such matters. Instead, each local community developed its own text. A variety of traditional texts took on

2944-610: The meaning of those verses, and embellishes the story. This telling describes the slavery of the Jewish people and their miraculous salvation by God. This culminates in an enumeration of the Ten Plagues : With the recital of the Ten Plagues, each participant removes a drop of wine from his or her cup using a fingertip. Although this night is one of salvation, the sages explain that one cannot be completely joyous when some of God's creatures had to suffer. A mnemonic acronym for

3008-515: The neighboring lands. Jewish communities in these regions had religious leaders who were somewhat acquainted with the Talmud, and who could on occasion visit the Jewish academies in Babylon. A literature of questions and answers developed, known as the responsa literature. The questions were usually limited to one or more specific cases, while the responsum to such a query gave a ruling, a concise reason for it, together with supporting citations from

3072-755: The other in Pumbedita. The Sura Academy was originally dominant, but its authority waned towards the end of the Geonic period and the Pumbedita Gaonate gained ascendancy ( Louis Ginzberg in Geonica ). The Geonim officiated, in the last place, as directors of the academies , continuing as such the educational activity of the Amoraim and Saboraim . For while the Amoraim, through their interpretation of

3136-414: The other members of the college, sat in the first of the seven rows. Nine sanhedrists were subordinated to each of the seven allufim, who probably supervised the instruction given during the entire year by their subordinates. The members of the academy who were not ordained sat behind the seven rows of sanhedrists. Early in the Geonic era, the majority of the questions asked them were sent from Babylonia and

3200-406: The other participants recite them quietly to themselves as well. In some families, this means that the requirement remains on an adult "child" until a grandchild of the family receives sufficient Jewish education to take on the responsibility. If a person has no children capable of asking, the responsibility falls to the spouse, or another participant. The need to ask is so great that even if a person

3264-634: The period of the Sevora'im , and ended in 1038 (Hebrew date: 4798). The first gaon of Sura, according to Sherira Gaon , was Mar Rab Mar , who assumed office in 689. The last gaon of Sura was Samuel ben Ḥofni , who died in 1034 CE; the last gaon of Pumbedita was Hezekiah Gaon , who was tortured to death by zealots of the Buyid dynasty in 1040; hence the activity of the Geonim covers a period of nearly 450 years. There were two major Geonic academies, one in Sura and

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3328-419: The plagues is also introduced: "D'tzach Adash B'achav", while similarly spilling a drop of wine for each word. At this part in the Seder, songs of praise are sung, including the song Dayenu , which proclaims that had God performed any single one of the many deeds performed for the Jewish people, it would have been enough to obligate us to give thanks. After this is a declaration (mandated by Rabban Gamliel) of

3392-461: The present ritual. Other rabbinic quotes from the aggadah literature are added, as the story of Eliezer ben Hurcanus , who discussed the Exodus all night with four other rabbis, which tale is found in an altogether different form in the Tosefta . While the main portions of the text of the Haggadah have remained mostly the same since their original compilation, there have been some additions after

3456-731: The presidents of the two great Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita , in the Abbasid Caliphate . They were generally accepted as the spiritual leaders of the Jewish community worldwide in the early medieval era, in contrast to the Resh Galuta ( exilarch ) who wielded secular authority over the Jews in Islamic lands. Geonim is the plural of גאון ‎ ( Ga'on ) [ɡaˈ(ʔ)on] , which means "pride" or "splendor" in Biblical Hebrew and since

3520-491: The reasons of the commandments concerning the Paschal lamb , matzah , and maror , with scriptural sources. Then follows a short prayer, and the recital of the first two psalms of Hallel (which will be concluded after the meal). A long blessing is recited, and the second cup of wine is drunk. The ritual hand-washing is repeated, this time with all customs including a blessing. Two blessings are recited. First one recites

3584-426: The seder in a different way. The Haggadah recommends answering each son according to his question, using one of the three verses in the Torah that refer to this exchange. The wise son asks " What are the statutes, the testimonies, and the laws that God has commanded you to do? " One explanation for why this very detailed-oriented question is categorized as wise, is that the wise son is trying to learn how to carry out

3648-483: The seder table; at this stage, the middle matzah of the three is broken in half. According to the custom of the Vilna Gaon and others, only two matzot are used, and the top one is broken. The larger piece is hidden, to be used later as the afikoman , the "dessert" after the meal. The smaller piece is returned to its place between the other two matzot. The story of Passover, and the change from slavery to freedom

3712-447: The seder, rather than asking for someone else's understanding of its meaning. He is answered fully: You should reply to him with [all] the laws of pesach: one may not eat any dessert after the paschal sacrifice. The wicked son, who asks, " What is this service to you? ", is characterized by the Haggadah as isolating himself from the Jewish people, standing by objectively and watching their behavior rather than participating. Therefore, he

3776-500: The standard blessing before eating bread, which includes the words "who brings forth" (motzi in Hebrew). Then one recites the blessing regarding the commandment to eat Matzah. An olive-size piece (some say two) is then eaten while reclining. The blessing for the eating of the maror (bitter herbs) is recited and then it is dipped into the charoset and eaten. The maror is placed between two small pieces of matzo, similarly to how

3840-486: The thirteenth century. When such a volume was compiled, it became customary to add poetical pieces. The earliest surviving Haggadot produced as works in their own right are manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Golden Haggadah (probably Barcelona c.  1320 , now British Library ) and the Sarajevo Haggadah (late fourteenth century). Other significant medieval illustrated haggadot are

3904-478: Was Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak (360 CE). However, the Malbim , along with a minority of commentators, believe that Abba Arika and Samuel were not arguing on its compilation, but rather on its interpretation, and hence it was completed before then. According to this explanation, the Haggadah was written during the lifetime of Judah ha-Nasi (who was a student of Judah bar Ilia and the teacher of Abba Arika and Samuel)

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3968-582: Was published by Facsimile Editions of London in 1992. Published in 1526, the Prague Haggadah is known for its attention to detail in lettering and for introducing many of the themes still found in modern texts. Although illustrations had often been a part of the Haggadah, it was not until the Prague Haggadah that they were used extensively in printed text. The Haggadah features over sixty woodcut illustrations picturing "scenes and symbols of

4032-583: Was similar to the benediction thanking God, "who loves the songs of praise," used in the present ritual. These blessings, and the narrations of Israel's history in Egypt, based on Deuteronomy 26:5–9 and on Joshua 24:2–4, with some introductory remarks, were added in the time of the early Amoraim in the third century CE. In post-Talmudic times, during the era of the Geonim , selections from midrashim were added; most likely Rabbi Amram Gaon ( c.  850 )

4096-530: Was the originator of the present collection, as he was the redactor of the daily liturgy in the siddur . Of these midrashim one of the most important is that of the four children, representing four different attitudes towards why Jews should observe Passover . This division is taken from the Jerusalem Talmud and from a parallel passage in the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael ; it is slightly altered in

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