The Shabbat Before Pesach

HaShabbat Shelifnei Pesach

הַשַּׁבָּת שֶׁלִּפְנֵי פֶּסַח

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Hebrew

אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה:
הֲרֵי אֲנִי כְּבֶן שִׁבְעִים
שָׁנָה, וְלֹא זָכִיתִי שֶׁתֵּאָמֵר
יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם בַּלֵּילוֹת, עַד
שֶׁדְּרָשָׁה בֶּן זוֹמָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת יוֹם צֵאתְךָ
מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ.
"יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ" הַיָּמִים, "כֹּל יְמֵי
חַיֶּיךָ" לְהָבִיא הַלֵּילוֹת.
וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: "יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ"
הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, "כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ"
לְהָבִיא לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ.

Sephardi

Amar Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah:
Harei ani k'ven shiv'im
shanah, v'lo zachiti shetei'amer
yetziat Mitzrayim baleilot, ad
shedarashah ben Zoma, shene'emar:
Lema'an tizkor et yom tzeit'cha
mei'eretz Mitzrayim kol yemei chayecha.
"Yemei chayecha" hayamim, "kol yemei
chayecha" lehavi haleilot.
Vachachamim omrim: "Yemei chayecha"
ha-olam hazeh, "kol yemei chayecha"
lehavi limot haMashiach.

English

Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah said to them, "I am like a man of seventy years old, because I am weak from learning day and night. Nevertheless, I did not succeed in proving that in addition to the obligation to mention the Exodus from Egypt during the day, there is also an obligation to mention the Exodus from Egypt during the night, until Ben Zoma explained it as follows: The Torah says, 'Eat the matzah and the Pesach-offering so that you will remember the day you left Egypt throughout all the days of your life.' The words 'the days of your life' teach us that we must mention the Exodus from Egypt during the daytime. The extra word 'all (the days of your life)' is written to include all times of the day—the nights as well as the days. The Sages, however, explain the verse differently: The words 'the days of your life' teach us that we must mention the Exodus from Egypt these days, during exile. The extra word 'all (the days of your life)' teaches us that we will be mentioning the Exodus from Egypt even after the coming of Mashiach."

Hebrew

בָּרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם,1 בָּרוּךְ הוּא,
בָּרוּךְ שֶׁנָּתַן תּוֹרָה
לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּרוּךְ הוּא,
כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָּנִים דִּבְּרָה
תּוֹרָה: אֶחָד חָכָם, וְאֶחָד
רָשָׁע, וְאֶחָד תָּם, וְאֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ
יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל.

Sephardi

Baruch haMakom,1 baruch Hu,
Baruch shenatan Torah
le'amo Yisrael, baruch Hu,
k'neged arba'ah banim dibrah
Torah: echad chacham, v'echad
rasha, v'echad tam, v'echad she'eino
yodea lish'ol.

English

Blessed is God, Who is called "The Place" because He is in every place;1 blessed be He. Blessed is God, Who gave the Torah to His nation, the Children of Israel; blessed be He. The Torah speaks of four sons: One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple, and one does not know how to ask.

Hebrew

חָכָם מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר:2
מָה הָעֵדֹת וְהַחֻקִּים
וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְיָ
אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֶתְכֶם. וְאַף אַתָּה
אֱמֹר לוֹ כְּהִלְכוֹת הַפֶּסַח, אֵין
מַפְטִירִין אַחַר הַפֶּסַח
אֲפִיקוֹמָן.

Sephardi

Chacham mah hu omer:2
Mah ha'edot v'hachukim
v'hamishpatim asher tzivah Adonai
Eloheinu etchem. V'af atah
emor lo k'hilchot haPesach, ein
maftirin achar haPesach
afikoman.

English

What does the wise one say?2 "What are the eidot (mitzvot that are to commemorate something that happened), the chukim (mitzvot that have no reason that we can understand), and the mishpatim (logical mitzvot), which the Lord, our God, has commanded you?" When responding to his question, in addition to telling him the story of the Exodus from Egypt, you should also teach him the rest of the laws of Pesach, up to the last law: One is not allowed to eat any dessert after eating of the Pesach-offering so its taste will remain in his mouth.

Hebrew

רָשָׁע מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר: מָה
הָעֲבֹדָה הַזֹּאת
לָכֶם. "לָכֶם" וְלֹא לוֹ, וּלְפִי
שֶׁהוֹצִיא אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִן
הַכְּלָל, כָּפַר בָּעִקָּר. וְאַף
אַתָּה הַקְהֵה אֶת שִׁנָּיו
וֶאֱמֹר לוֹ: בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה
יְיָ לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם,
"לִי" וְלֹא לוֹ, אִלּוּ הָיָה שָׁם
לֹא הָיָה נִגְאָל.

Sephardi

Rasha mah hu omer: mah
ha'avodah hazot
lachem. "Lachem" v'lo lo, ul'fi
shehotzi et atzmo min
haklal, kafar ba'ikar. V'af
atah hakeh et shinav
ve'emor lo: Ba'avur zeh asah
Adonai li b'tzeti miMitzrayim,
"li" v'lo lo, ilu hayah sham
lo hayah nig'al.

English

What does the wicked one say? "What is this service of yours?" He says "of yours," and does not include himself. By excluding himself from the community and not considering himself involved with this mitzvah, he shows that he denies his obligation to fulfill God's mitzvot, the most important part of living as a Jew. When responding to his question, in addition to telling him the story of the Exodus from Egypt, you should also "blunt his teeth," (speak harshly to him) and say to him as follows: The Torah says that a father should tell his son, "The Lord performed miracles for me when I left Egypt, in order that I keep His mitzvot, such as these mitzvot of Pesach, eating matzah, and eating marror." The Torah says "for me," meaning the father, but does not include the wicked son. If the wicked son would have been there, he would not have been redeemed.

Hebrew

תָּם מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר: מָה
זֹּאת, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו:
בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ יְיָ
מִמִּצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים.

Sephardi

Tam mah hu omer: mah
zot, v'amarta elav:
Bechozek yad hotzi'anu Adonai
miMitzrayim mibeit avadim.

English

What does the simple one say? "What is this celebration about?" When responding to his question, you should say to him: We are celebrating the fact that the Lord took us out from Egypt, from the house of slaves, with a strong hand.

Hebrew

וְשֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל, אַתְּ
פְּתַח לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא
לֵאמֹר: בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה יְיָ
לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם.

Sephardi

V'she'eino yodea lish'ol, at
petach lo, shene'emar:
V'higadeta levinkha bayom hahu
leimor: Ba'avur zeh asah Adonai
li b'tzeti miMitzrayim.

English

As for the son who does not know how to ask, you must open up the conversation for him, as it says in the Torah: You should tell your son on that first day of Pesach. Say to him, "The Lord performed miracles for me when I left Egypt, in order that I keep His mitzvot, such as these mitzvot of Pesach, eating matzah, and eating marror."