Responsa Pesach: Shortening the Haggadah Rabbanit Debbie Zimmerman

The haggadah is a collection of biblical texts, rabbinic expositions (midrashei Chazal), blessings, prayers, poems and songs compiled over centuries to guide us through the mitzvot of the first night of Pesach (and second night outside of Israel), including the biblical mitzvot of sippur yetziat mitzrayim (telling the story of the exodus from Egypt) and Hallel (praising God).^[2]

Many sections of the haggadah are required to fulfill the Torah and rabbinic mitzvot that comprise the seder: Kiddush and the other blessings before and after the four cups of wine, large sections of Maggid that tell the story of the exodus, mentioning and eating matzah and maror, eating Afikoman, Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals), and Hallel HaGadol (the extended or Great Hallel).

Other sections such as Urchatz, Karpas, Yachatz, Mah Nishtana (the Four Questions that begin Maggid), and Korech are described in the earliest rabbinic tracts, the mishna and gemara. Following the text of the haggadah is a custom in and of itself, but it also ensures we adhere to customs that are all over 1,500 years old, some dating back to the Second Temple Period.

For example, Ha Lachma Anya, the Aramaic statement that precedes Maggid and invites everyone who is hungry to come and eat, is generally dated to the Second Temple Period or shortly thereafter. Is it necessary to fulfill any of the formal mitzvot of the evening? No. Yet I doubt anyone wants to exclude it, as the curious but kind declaration is generally beloved.

What’s actually necessary?

I understand why you might think other portions are “omittable.” There are many sections that seem to discuss the parameters of the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzrayim – the agadatot about the rabbis you mentioned, and possibly the four sons. These sections are not included in the mishnayot that outline the seder and specifically Maggid:^[3]

“The second cup is poured for them, and here the child asks their parent, and if the child does not know their parent teaches them ‘Mah Nishtana’… and the parent teaches the child according to the child’s understanding. They begin with disgrace and end with praise, and expound from ‘Arami oved avi’ (translated as ‘My father was a wandering Aramean’ or ‘An Aramean tried to destroy my father’) until they finish the entire section.^[4]

Rabban Gamliel would say: Anyone who has not said these three things on Pesach has not fulfilled their obligation, and they are: Pesach (the Paschal offering), matza, and maror (bitter herbs)…”^[5]

The omission of certain sections makes it seem like they are unnecessary to fulfill the mitzvah to tell the story of the Exodus. The gemara teaches us “in each and every generation a person is obligated to see themselves as if they themselves left the enslavement in Egypt.”^[6] While the gemara text uses the word “lir’ot” – to see, Rambam writes that the obligation is “l’har’ot” – to show or perhaps act. He teaches that this is a Torah mitzvah based on the verse, “remember that you were slaves in Egypt.”^[7]

Chazal (the Talmudic sages) give rabbinic directions on how to accomplish the mitzvah:

* Begin with questions (from children to adults or less knowledgeable to more knowledgeable, or even to yourself)^[8]

* Tell the story, in first person, beginning with disgrace and culminating in praise (which seems to include Hallel)

* Focus on the children and engage them

It seems that many of the particular mitzvot and primary directives of the seder night can generally be fulfilled in other ways. For example, the mishna teaches that the table is cleared after the second cup is poured. The gemara explains that this is so the children notice something strange is going on and ask. It then brings an example: Abbaye was at Rabba’s seder and asked why they were clearing the table before eating. Rabba answered that they were no longer obligated to say Mah Nishtana.^[9] Apparently, the text of Mah Nishtana is not necessary, any question about the strangeness of the night is sufficient.

While the verses from Devarim beginning with Arami Oved Avi are specifically mentioned in the mishna, and may be required, it seems that one still fulfills the mitzvah to tell the story and “expound” on the verses if they substitute their own explanations for the specific midrashim included in the haggadah.^[10]

“Our parents’ custom”

I can provide you with a technical list of the sections necessary to fulfill the biblical and rabbinic mitzvot, but you did not ask what sections are necessary to fulfill the mitzvot of the night.^[11] You asked if skipping sections is permitted, and in my humble opinion, in absence of significant necessity, it is not. The haggadah may be the most edited Jewish book, but once these edits and additions are accepted by Jewish people all over the world, they should not be abandoned.

The authority of minhag, custom, is widely discussed. Several sources in Chazal quote the proverb, “My child, listen to the teachings of your father and do not abandon the Torah of your mother.”^[12] Sometimes a minhag is the ideal way to fulfill the halakha – it’s the directive of rabbinic sages or the result of collective wisdom or norms – and even if we can’t understand every aspect, in most cases one may not diverge from the minhag.^[13]

As we’ve noted, this is true for much (if not all) of the haggadah. Indeed, without comprehensive knowledge of all the halakhot of the seder night, it’s unlikely that someone who omits any more than a couple of paragraphs of the haggadah will fulfill even their minimum obligations.

According to Chatam Sofer, diverging from a minhag in itself is a halakhic violation of a Torah law. He claims that minhag is like a neder, vow, undertaken by previous generations or own practice, and therefore binding according to Torah law.^[14] While there are circumstances that allow for a vow to be nullified, there is a certain procedure to follow.

Yet, perhaps the most relevant explanation of the significance of minhag does not concern our relationship with God, but rather our relationship with the rest of the Jewish people. Where would we be without the knowledge and practice passed down from one generation to another?^[15]

As Rabbi Dr. Hayim Soloveitchik explains so eloquently in Rupture and Reconstruction, Judaism is largely a mimetic tradition. While some of our traditions and practices have been lost due to persecution and secularism, the Pesach seder has not only persisted – it has flourished. Who are we to change this in the name of edutainment and shortened modern attention spans?

“Moshe commanded us the Torah, it is the inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov.”^[16] We were given the Torah, but it is not an individual possession. Since the Torah, the written and oral teachings that guide our lives, is the inheritance and birthright of all Jewish people, throughout time and space, there needs to be widespread consent to adapt any practices.

The haggadah you have is almost identical to the one Rambam included in the Mishneh Torah almost a millennium ago.^[17] It is the same text found in haggadot from every corner of the world, haggadot that have annotated, translated, explained, and added to the customary text –  but not omitted.

There are a couple of texts that Rambam does not include, which are also not as universally accepted, such as the multiplication of the plagues that follow the recitation of the ten plagues and removal of wine from the glass and the poems and songs that follow “Next year in Jerusalem.” If you insist on skipping some parts, these are somewhat acceptable.