Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat
转诇诪讜讚 讘讘诇讬 驻住讞讬诐 拽讬讗:讗-讘
专讘谉 讙诪诇讬讗诇 讛讬讛 讗讜诪专: 讻诇 砖诇讗 讗诪专 砖诇砖讛 讚讘专讬诐 讗诇讜 讘驻住讞 诇讗 讬爪讗 讬讚讬 讞讜讘转讜. 讜讗诇讜 讛谉: 驻住讞, 诪爪讛, 讜诪专讜专. 驻住讞 志 注诇 砖讜诐 砖驻住讞 讛诪拽讜诐 注诇 讘转讬 讗讘讜转讬谞讜 讘诪爪专讬诐, 诪爪讛 志 注诇 砖讜诐 砖谞讙讗诇讜 讗讘讜转讬谞讜 诪诪爪专讬诐, 诪专讜专 志 注诇 砖讜诐 砖诪专专讜 讛诪爪专讬讬诐 讗转 讞讬讬 讗讘讜转讬谞讜 讘诪爪专讬诐. 讘讻诇 讚讜专 讜讚讜专 讞讬讬讘 讗讚诐 诇专讗讜转 讗转 注爪诪讜 讻讗讬诇讜 讛讜讗 讬爪讗 诪诪爪专讬诐, 砖谞讗诪专 (砖诪讜转 讬讙) 讜讛讙讚转 诇讘谞讱 讘讬讜诐 讛讛讜讗 诇讗诪专 讘注讘讜专 讝讛 注砖讛 讛壮 诇讬 讘爪讗转讬 诪诪爪专讬诐. 诇驻讬讻讱 讗谞讞谞讜 讞讬讬讘讬诐 诇讛讜讚讜转 诇讛诇诇 诇砖讘讞 诇驻讗专 诇专讜诪诐 诇讛讚专 诇讘专讱 诇注诇讛 讜诇拽诇住 诇诪讬 砖注砖讛 诇讗讘讜转讬谞讜 讜诇谞讜 讗转 讻诇 讛谞住讬诐 讛讗诇讜, 讛讜爪讬讗谞讜 诪注讘讚讜转 诇讞专讜转 诪讬讙讜谉 诇砖诪讞讛 讜诪讗讘诇 诇讬讜诐 讟讜讘 讜诪讗驻诇讛 诇讗讜专 讙讚讜诇, 讜诪砖注讘讜讚 诇讙讗讜诇讛, 讜谞讗诪专 诇驻谞讬讜 讛诇诇讜讬讛
BT Pesachim 116a鈥揵
Rabban Gamaliel did state, “Whoever has not referred to these three matters on Passover has not fulfilled his obligation, and these are they: the Passover [offering], unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. ‘Passover’鈥攂ecause the Omnipresent passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt. ‘Unleavened bread’鈥攂ecause our ancestors were redeemed in Egypt. ‘Bitter herbs’鈥攂ecause the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt.”
In every generation, a person is duty-bound to see him/herself as if he/she personally went forth from Egypt, as it is said, “You shall tell your child in that day saying, ‘It is because of what Hashem did for me when I went free from Egypt.’” (Exod. 13:8). Therefore we are duty-bound to thank, praise, glorify, honor, exalt, extol, and the One who made for our ancestors and for us all these miracles, [the One who] brought us forth from slavery to freedom, anguish to joy, mourning to festival, darkness to great light, subjugation to redemption, so we should say before Him, “Hallelujah!”
One of my favorite customs for Shabbat Hagadol is to read the Maggid section of the Passover Haggadah in advance of the first seder. Just as I often feel that I need the second seder to explore all of the great ideas in our retelling of the Exodus narrative, so too does this preview of the ritual meal offer a way to deepen our immersion in liberation consciousness. When given serious attention beyond the seder itself, the Passover Haggadah offers us a message for transforming the way we eat and the way we conduct ourselves every day of the year.
The mishnah above explains how we must meet two very different obligations鈥攐ne ritual, one psychological鈥攊n order to fulfill our duties for the Passover seder. Rabban Gamliel’s teaching presents discussing and then eating symbolic foods as the most important part of the seder. Each food item involves midrashic wordplay and also signifies a stage in our people’s journey from slavery to freedom. From that relatively concrete approach, the latter part of the mishnah advances a much more abstract requirement that we see ourselves personally as having gone forth from Egypt. While Rabban Gamliel’s task is mostly self-explanatory, the subsequent duty begs the fundamental question of how one might accomplish such a feat of spiritual imagination. For that reason, some editions of this mishnah and of the Haggadah record the obligation as one of outward demonstration as well as inner contemplation.
Indeed, both parts of this mishnah address a combination of inner and outer expressions of gratitude for our redemption from bondage, a theme that Jewish Food Movement advocates have highlighted as our heritage’s unique contribution to discussions of food security and sustainability, global poverty, and injustice. We must heed the charge of our Haggadah鈥�”Let all who are hungry come and eat!”鈥攁s a call to action for true social change.
