๐ Hunt the Wabbit โช (full article)
In many old Haggadot, around Kaddesh, there is a picture of a rabbit hunt. The reason for this is that, when the Seder night begins at the close of Shabbat, as it does this year, five blessings are recited in a particular order, which the Talmud gives as ืึทืงึฐื ึฐืึธืดื, YaQNeHaZ. These five blessings are: (Y) yayin, the wine, (Q) kiddush, sanctifying the day, (N) ner, for the flame for havdalah, (H) havdalah for the end of Shabbat, and (Z) zman, that is, Shehechiyanu for reaching this occasion. This mnemonic sounds like the German sentence jag den Has1, which means โhunt the hareโ, which is why many old haggadot include this visual mnemonic.
Hunting Hares in MS 444
Now, this particular YaQNeHaZ order was not a foregone conclusion. In Pesachim 103a, eight Sages, ranging from third-generation Tanna, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania until fourth-generation Pumpeditan Amora Mar b. Ravana, promote eight different permutations of yayin, kiddush, ner, and havdalah. Then, Abaye and Rava, fourth-generation Amoraim in Pumbedita, accept Ravโs version of ืึทืงึฐื ึถืดื and debate the placement of zman. With few exceptions, we rule like Rava, giving us ืึทืงึฐื ึฐืึธืดื.
Each permutation isnโt arbitrary, but the result of careful thought and prioritization within pairs of elements. The sugya doesnโt flesh it out, though Rashbam provides a fairly comprehensive analysis. For instance, Rav / ืึทืงึฐื ึถืดื maintains that kiddush, sanctification of the day, is more important and should precede havdalah; alternatively, bidding farewell with havdalah first makes it appear as if Shabbat is a burden. Also, wine should precede kiddush because of the Beit Hillel ordering, based on giving precedence to the tadir / more frequent. The flame precedes havdalah like any motzaโei Shabbat. Shmuel / ืึดื ึฐืึทืดืง meanwhile places havdalah before kiddush because weโd first escort out the king before greeting the arriving governor.
Much of our Seder is fixed. Thatโs good, because we thereby take the right action. We see the rabbit and practice ืึทืงึฐื ึฐืึธืดื. Still, I donโt feel that any of the Sages acted improperly. These Amoraim didnโt just mindlessly echo a fixed practice, but thought through the halachic priorities and decided what order was best. We see similar fluidity with Rabba and Rav Nachman accepted variations in the Mah Nishtanah (Pesachim 115 and Pesachim 116), Rav and Shmuel with different approaches to describing movement from disgrace to glory, or Rabban Gamliel stating minimal concepts to be discussed in maggid, assuming that it could take many forms. We should aspire to be similarly mindful as we progress through Kaddesh and the Seder in general. As we say in bentching (Tehillim 34:10), yiru et Hashem kedoshav, โfear Hashem, His holy onesโ, ki ein machzor liyreiโav, โfor those who fear him donโt use a machzor.โ
An Unprepared Tipesh
The way to be mindful of such details and meaning is to prepare beforehand. Now, you might point to the Wise Son, who asks ืึธึฃื ืึธึฝืขึตืึนึืช and is told of the laws of the (korban) Pesach. That would perhaps be fine if that were our actual focus on the Seder night, an intensive study session / post-Temple fulfillment of korban Pesach by learning its laws, ร la ืื ืฉืืื ืคืจืื ืฉืคืชืื ื. (In my Haggadah, the Haggadah of the Ri mโJosh, I point out that some Tannaim took this approach.)
The Yerushalmi Pesachim 10:4 has a variant text of the Four Sons, which reads:
ืชึผึทื ึผึตื ืจึดืึผึดื ืึดืืึธื. ืึผึฐื ึถืึถื ืึทืจึฐืึผึธืขึธื ืึผึธื ึดืื ืึผึดืืึผึฐืจึธื ืชืึนืจึธื. ืึผึถื ืึธืึธื ืึผึถื ืจึธืฉืึธืข ืึผึถื ืึดืืคึผึตืฉื ืึผึถื ืฉืึถืึตืื ืึน ืืึนืึตืขึท ืึดืฉืึฐืึธื. ืึผึถื ืึธืึธื ืึธืืึผ ืืึนืึตืจ. ืึธึฃื ืึธึฝืขึตืึนึืช ืึฐืึทึฝืึปืงึผึดืืึ ืึฐืึทืึผึดืฉืึฐืคึผึธืึดึืื ืึฒืฉืึถึฅืจ ืฆึดืึผึธึื ืโ ืึฑืึนืงืื ืึผ ืืึนืชึธื ืึผ. ืึทืฃ ืึทืชึธึผื ืึฑืืึนืจ ืึนื. ืึฐึผืืึนืึถืง ืึธึื ืึฝืึนืฆึดืืึธึงื ืึผ ืโ ืึดืึดึผืฆึฐืจึทึืึดื ืึดืึตึผึฅืืช ืขึฒืึธืึดึฝืืื ืึผึถื ืจึธืฉืึธืข ืึธืืึผ ืืึนืึตืจ. ืึธึื ืึธึฝืขึฒืืึนืึธื ืึทืึนึผึืืช ืึธืึถึฝื. ืึทื ืึทืึผืึนืจึทื ืึทืึถึผื ืฉืึถืึทืชึถึผื ืึทืึฐืจึดืืึดืื ืขึธืึตืื ืึผ ืึฐึผืึธื (ืฉึธืืขึธื ืึฐืฉึธืืขึธื) [ืฉึธืื ึธื ืึฐืฉืึธื ึธื]. ืึดืึผึตืืึธื ืฉืึถืืึนืฆึดืื ืึถืช ืขึทืฆึฐืืึน ืึดื ืึทืึผึฐืึธื ืึทืฃ ืึทืชึผึธื ืึฑืืึนืจ ืืึน. ืึผึทึฝืขึฒืึฃืึผืจ ืึถึื ืขึธืฉืึธึคื ืโ ืึดึืื ืึดื ืขึธืฉืึธื. ืึฐืืึนืชืึน ืึธืึดืืฉื ืึนื ืขึธืฉืึธื. ืึดืืึผืึผ ืึธืึธื ืืึนืชืึน ืึฐืึดืืฉื ืึผึฐืึดืฆึฐืจึทืึดื ืึนื ืึธืึธื ืจึธืืึผื ืึฐืึดืืึผึธืึตื ืึดืฉืึผึธื ืึฐืขืึนืึธื. ืึดืืคึผึตืฉื ืึธืืึผ ืืึนืึตืจ. ืึทืึพืึผึนึืืช. ืึทืฃ ืึทืชึผึฐ ืึทืึผึฐืืึน ืึดืืึฐืืึนืช ืึทืคึผึถืกึทื. ืฉืึถืึตืื ืึทืคึฐืึดืืจึดืื ืึทืึทืจ ืึทืคึผึถืกึทื ืึฒืคึดืืงึดืืืึนื. ืึทืืึผ ืึฒืคึดืืงึดืืืึนื. ืฉืึถืึผึนื ืึฐืึตื ืขืึนืึตื ืึตืึฒืืึผืจึธื ืืึน ืึฐื ึดืึฐื ึทืก ืึทืึฒืืึผืจึธื ืึฒืึถืจึถืช. ืึผึถื ืฉืึถืึตืื ืึน ืืึนืึตืขึท ืึดืฉืึฐืึธื ืึทืชึผึฐ ืคึผึฐืชึทื ืืึน ืชึฐืึดืืึผึธื.
Thereโs so much to analyze and contrast here, but note that the Wise Son asks ืึธึฃื ืึธึฝืขึตืึนึืช, perhaps meaning โwhat is the import of these lawsโฆ which Hashem has taught us2?โ The answer is ืึฐึผืืึนืึถืง ืึธึื, that is, the actual tale of the exodus from Egypt and Hashemโs might. Meanwhile, the Tipesh / Foolish Son still asks ืึทืึพืึผึนึืืช, perhaps even โwhat is happening here?โ In Rabbi Chiyaโs brayta variant, rather than focusing on the story, this Tam must be taught the Laws of Pesach, because he comes utterly unprepared.
This Pesach, let us prepare a bit before the Seder, maybe by reading through relevant portions of the 10th perek of Pesachim. Also, maybe we can introduce some fluidity and wake people up, for instance by swapping in Rabbi Chiyyaโs brayta and discussing its meaning.
German โjโ is pronounced /y/ and โsโ is pronounced /z/.
Their version of the verse is also ืืึนืชึธื ืึผ instead of the Masoretic textโs ืึถืชึฐืึถึฝื.
In 1000 years the archaeologists will discover these old haggados and conclude that medieval jews didn't keep kosher and actually used rabbit meat for kiddush