Rebbe's Hagada #5 - Mitzvos of the Sefer, Matza, Maror, Korech accord to Chabad custom - RC Dalfin

So, today in the Haggadah this year, the Rebbi's Haggadah, I want to focus on the some of the the brochos and the mitzvahs to make sure we do them right because as as important as the telling of the story is, the Haggadah, the mitzvahs are the biblical obligation to fulfill the the the the shiurim, the measurements, and everything else. So, if you turn to the section of the Haggadah where the you know, we after we finish the blessing Ga'al Yisrael, after we finish telling the story of Mitzrayim, then we make right? We hold the cup of wine in our hand from the beginning of the brocha. The you know, the Hallel, it's interesting. Do you know that the Hallel begins, we say Hallel the night of Pesach. We praise Hashem and Moshe, right? So, first of all, the only time that we say Hallel at night is Pesach night, correct? But we do that we do that in Maariv before Aleinu. We say the entire Hallel. And then we repeat Hallel again in the Haggadah. But we only do in the Haggadah in the first part of the Haggadah, the first two paragraphs, Halleluyah Avdei Hashem and Betzeis Yisrael Mimitzrayim. Then starts the brocha, Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech Ha'olam. That's a a brocha, Asher Ga'alnu VeGa'al Es Avoseinu, that you redeemed us, you redeem redeemed our ancestors in Mitzrayim. So, that is the concluding brocha of the mitzvah of Yetzias Mitzrayim. And that's why the the the custom is to to hold the cup of wine. This uh this would be the second cup of wine, right? Because it's the second cup of wine that we say the Haggadah on. We hold it from the beginning of Baruch Ata Hashem. Uh right, we hold the we hold the cup. And we could sit. And you know, people are sitting, they don't stand for I mean, the Chabad custom is not to stand. Maybe others do stand, I don't know. And then at the end, uh after we say Baruch Ata Hashem Go'el Yisrael, we've made the Bracha, then we lean on the left, and we make Borei Pri Hagafen. Okay, so that that that's that's where we're at over there. Any questions on this, Moishe? Is it clear? Yeah, yeah, just when you said we hold we're holding the Kos. Yes. >> Um I'm just I'm just looking in the in in the text. I guess it goes back to the previous page. Um where you was we we start holding the Kos according to what's written here at the previous on the previous page >> Yeah. of the Fichat. Yeah. I'm not sure. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah, um so very good that you pointed it out. I forgot, of course. Yeah, we start Hold on. Let Let me just check. No. You see, no, I was right. Look. You You have the English or just the Hebrew, Moishe? I just the Hebrew. >> Okay. So, it it's Shulchan Aruch writes It is the custom of Beit Yisrael to raise and hold the cup only until the completion of this paragraph, that is until saying let us therefore recite before him. Hallelujah. Hallelujah is the end of the paragraph. LOOK WHAT IT SAYS NEXT. THE CUP is then replaced on the table. I was right. After the word Hallelukah this paragraph you put the cup down, Mosha. And then you say the next two paragraphs, which is the two first paragraphs of Hallel, not with holding the cup. And then when you get to the bracha after the second paragraph of Hallel you take the cup again. Okay. All right. So because because it's the it writes something different here. Okay. Make make What does he write? What He does not write. What does he write different? Show me. I'm saying here in the text right here I have it. Yes. Yep. I I get I um it it See he's I'm I'm saying Right. >> it hold after Right. But but but it it's um page 32. I I guess we have to look at we have to look up where does he take that from? And I I know we don't do it the way you're saying the way I was saying the way Shulchan Aruch says it. Yeah. Okay. Let me ask you what it says. We we spoke about this. You spoke You mentioned this in the previous year. The difference between the general Chabad minig minhagin and minig base Rav. Okay. So there are certain things that were only for base around. For example, silver tray. It's earlier you earlier on and then in the beginning of the Haggadah it speaks about the matzahs and what they should be on. So, the rabbanim had a silver tray. We don't have a silver tray. So, that would be a minhag base around, only for base around. Okay. Even though it says here to the minhag base around, as far as I remember I hear what you're asking. As far as I remember we do over here we also do it the way they the base around did it. Okay. You know, I I I I'm going to check it with the sham later and if I find something I'll I'll we can talk I'll let you know whatever. But but Okay. I I hear the point. Yeah, so it it's it's right, it's it's it's it's not clear certain minhagim base around is just for base around and some's for everybody. That's why we're going through the Haggadah. Anyway, let's go on. So, we we say the brachah asher So, we start we asher go'al asher go'al and we asher go'al yisrael then we make the borei pri hagafen. Um and we and we do it. Then we do rochzah. This rochzah is of course the um for washing the hands like throughout the year. And matzah. So, rochzah and matzah come together and here we make the special brachah of hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz. Now, which matzahs which matzahs do you hold in your hand when you make the brachah? You have to hold in your hand the first and the last. Cuz they both took me to be shleimus, complete, whole matzahs. Remember, the middle matzah we already broke, right? Yeah. But here it says that we also the broken piece between hold them in your hand. And why do we need to do that? Cuz it's it's cuz it says because because I understand. I'm asking why? What's the idea? In in in other words, if you just if Oh, you know what the answer is? The answer is because it's not just the hamotzi. If it was just the hamotzi, you would just take the first and the last, the two slaimus. But since the brocha here the the additional is matzah, motzi matzah, it's a it's a different mitzvah. So so the first two are for the for the for the the regular regular and the middle one represents the matzah cuz we said we said the haggadah on it, the lechem oini. That's why. Let me just check over here. Yeah. In in note again, you don't have it, but he says it what I just said. On every Shabbos and festival, we require lechem mishneh, two whole loaves. And on Pesach, we have to add also a broken matzah representing the lechem oini, bread of poverty. And bread of poverty which is IS THE BROKEN MATZAH. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S BROKEN. IT'S POOR. YEAH. So the So that's what we hold in our hand. Okay. And then we we we eat the matzah behaseiba. No. No. No. Okay, what is it? What is the map? No. Sorry. First you make First you make a motzi lechem in the orders on all three. Then you drop you drop the third matzah the bottom one and you recite the hamotzi the al asher kidishanu al mitzvosav al achilas matzah just on the first and the broken one. Right? Because for for a FOR THE SECOND SPECIAL BLESSING AL ACHILAS MATZAH, you don't need two complete matzahs, Moshe. But you do need a broken piece because that's THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION. That's the way to do it. It's just that this is the only time of the I think this is the only time of the year that we make hamotzi and then there's a special mitzvah Of course. It's told it's a special mitzvah. Of course. It's the Of course the only time of the year. But it's special the special mitzvah on the Seder. Yeah. Yeah, only the Seder. Mitzvah d'Oraisa achilas matzah. Absolutely. And that's why we said that one should really finish that that that that entire kazayis, which is a half to three-quarter of a of a round matzah within 9 minutes. You could swallow it once, great. We spoke about that. If not, you know, uh but at least to finish it in in the z'man in the achilas prasad time, which is usually 9 minutes or so. So, don't get distracted. Sometimes Now, what you do is you break a piece from your own matzah and you give to to your wife and if you have some other others, you know, that are being so with you they don't have their own kiyorah and then they need to add more matzah from the box. Now, what we do, I don't know if you do it this way, but what we what we we've done for years, it works out. Everyone has a bag, a plastic bag with with with with matzah at that time. We don't hold it on the table the whole time cuz we're very careful of sh- sh- shmurah, you know, it shouldn't get wet. Right? And you have, you know, wine and and and and and and water and blah blah blah. So, but then when the table is cleared, you know, and now we're going to do the mitzvah matzah. At that time you give everyone a bag with matzah so they they have, again, you fulfill the mitzvah. You you might be wondering, even if if your wife doesn't have a piece from you, she will fulfill her mitzvah. But, it it's better and, you know, if she can if you can give a piece to her, uh you know, but again, you you want to make sure that you have enough of the shiyur for yourself. And if you don't, if you don't, then take from the box more. You you have to have a shiyur, you understand? So, the the pref- preferable way is to eat from that the that matzah. And how many how many k'zayis? How many k'zayis do you take? Um do you need one k'zayis or two? I believe one. Do you have to have You have to have a a separate from the broken matzah, too? A kazayis no. Just a a piece. So, I guess between the two matzahs, the the top and the broken one, you have to have one kazayis. Would I have it over here? I thought it would say it over here. Um One minute. Now, we don't dip it into salt. Again, here it says many base ara, but we do this, too. You hear, my share? It says the many base ara is not to dip it into salt. Well, do we dip it into salt? No, we don't dip it into salt, either. Here. The both pieces are put into the mouth simultaneously. This way, there will be no inter- interval between the the blessing for eating matzah and eating the and eating of the relevant kazayis, which has to be from the first matzah according to some authorities or from the second one according to others. Hm. Oh, well, that answers my question. It's a dispute. From which of the two matzahs, the broken and the whole one, do you eat the kazayis? It's it's a dispute. So, I think we eat if we eat from both, but what you don't need to eat two kazayisn. You do not need to eat now two half matzahs. One between the two. And of course, women are obligated to say Hallel cuz they're part of the the miracle. So they need to eat that well as well. So this is something that's important. We have guests at the table to to to to to share with everybody that these mitzvahs of matzah and maror and the four cups, Misha, are for women as much as men. Right? That's why the women make the you know they they they drink four cups and and and and they make they can make their own kiddush, you know, quietly when the when the husband makes kiddush, um they make the bracha and then they they eat the matzah and then the maror. There's no cuz tonight, Pesach, the Seder night, they're they're they're obligated. Okay. Then we go to the next mitzvah, which is the mitzvah of maror. Yes. >> quick question. The third >> matzah the third matzah, the bottom one. It's going to be for korech. You don't you don't touch it. You don't touch it. You make sure it's complete. And if it's not complete, you should switch it out with a complete one. It needs to be a a shleima cuz you're going to make a sandwich out of it. Actually, I take that back. Even if it's not complete, you Once you made the bracha, if it was complete at the time when you made hamotzi lechem min haaretz and then later it breaks and you haven't yet done korech, it's fine. It's a mistake. You picked it up right and it broke. It's very thin. You don't have to switch it out for a whole matzah cuz YOU'RE MAKING A SANDWICH. SO WHAT'S the difference? I mean, you know, it Yeah, if you want to you can, but I would say you use use these matzahs, kohen, levi, yisrael. You use them. So, um yeah. So you you're going to get there in a moment. So now we're at maror. Maror we eat, of course, the lettuce without inclining because it's not pleasurable. Now, with maror, even if you grind your maror, cover up well, as much as possible not to lose its sharp taste. Habat customs to take both the stalks of the romaine lettuce and some maror. And what we do is we put like the maror and it should be like a ball made in your hand, that size, onto the stalk. You have to wash the stalk very well because there could be bugs in it, okay? And if you want the leaves of the of the romaine lettuce to surround, you know, to like wrap it up, then you could do that. I do that if there if I have clean leaves and they're not wet. And again here, uh so and then you dip it into some charoset. And you shake off the you shake off the charoset, it says in the in the custom minhagim, because you don't want the charoset dampen the taste of the maror, right? Cuz it's supposed to be bitter. A lot of people Some people put on a lot of maror, a lot of charoset, they shouldn't feel contrary to the concept. I'm not saying they didn't do the mitzvah. I'm not I'm not going to say those words, but in in theory in in idea, it's it's ridiculous. You either want to eat MAROR OR YOU DON'T. AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO EAT MAROR, so yeah. So of of course, you know, I don't know, you know, the the rebbe would eat a My father was at the rebbe's seder in 1959 or so, and he remembers seeing how the rebbe and he didn't, you know, bite an actual uh piece of maror. You know, they sliced a piece of maror and he that and he that's in it, burned and he coughed, teared, um and he didn't have teeth. It was It was uh you know, most people don't do it that way. They grind it. We grind it as well. Um and that's maror. Any questions on the maror? Yeah, okay. And again here, you take from your you take some of your maror and give to your wife. Now, if that reduces the shear that you need for maror, you have to add some more maror. I It's hard to say, you know, for me at least, I can't I you know, the shear, right? I I take a a big ball of maror and I put it on and I believe I have the shear and even if I give a little bit to my wife, which I do, um then she adds her own maror. That's the idea. The The other people, anyone that's being yoitzei with your kairah, will need to uh supplement what you give them from on their own matzah maror. You follow? Cuz she she's not going to have enough maror to be yoitzei the mitzvah, and she's not going to from your from your unless you take a gigantic amount of maror. Yeah, I mean but then it becomes messy and it becomes messy on the seder plate. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so so In In other words, you can give her a little bit of your maror, but then she should be adding her own maror from the maror plate. You got it? Cuz cuz she needs that shear. She needs that amount, whatever that amount is. Yes. >> Yeah. I I wanted to ask you a trick question. Can I go back for a second to the matzah? Is okay? Reb An, is there a particular um minig, how do we keep the matzos the the the matzos? In other words, you have the the you have the simanim on the on the karah. You have the karah. The question is, you know, how how how do you do it those How do you do with the matzos and how do you do with the Okay, well, first of all, as it says in the beginning, the first thing we do is we we take the matzos. We set the matzos up first. And whether you're using a cloth with three dividers or napkins or paper, okay? I all my life growing up I used paper cuz my father used paper. You know, lot we used to buy large sheets of paper, divide them in three, kohen, levi, yisrael. Kohen is the first, levi is the middle, yisrael is the third. All this is in the beginning when you set your karah up. And the rebbe writes that you should actually say, "Now I'm putting in the kohen. Now I'm putting in the levi. Now I'm doing the yisrael." So much so that that's the setup of of of the karah of the matzos. Is that clear or not? Yeah. Okay. Then on top of the top matzah, which is the kohen, you have a layer a cloth or an a paper, and on top of that you put the the simanim. Now, you could put the simanim directly on, but then if you have charoses, you make sure it it's not leaking cuz it'll go into the matzah and you're causing shruyah. Yeah. Yeah. So, what we do is we use a little cup, you know, the the little But you don't have to. You don't have to. You could put In other words, the idea is that the simanim are on top. Either directly on top or in in something. Um, when I was growing up also, I think we used a napkin. We We We used a napkin to put, I think, some of the charoses on. So, Yeah. And And the idea What about like, you know, you see sometimes like a very nice ka'arah that's elevated and there's space to put matzos underneath. >> Fine? You You know, you're asking if it has to If If If If the simanim need to be directly on No. I don't think so. >> Okay. I don't think so. You know, we have to We have to, you know, see if there's anything in here. I I don't believe so. Uh, and that's fine. And that And that's fine the way I I know what you're talking about, those nice ones. Yeah. The main The The The main thing is that they they they shouldn't, you know, leak through if you you know, you cuz you know, yeah. And so, for the the stalks, the for maror, also they're not dry well, they're wet. Right? They still could be wet. And if you put it directly on the top of the matzah with the separation and if just the paper, it'll leak through. Oh, those are okay. And Yeah. >> Exactly. Exactly. So, again, you know, technically there's a separation. It You know, BUT WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE CAREFUL. We're more careful. Okay. Yeah. And the last thing is the korech. And here we take the the make a sandwich, we break the middle matzah. We put in it the maror. And And we We have the maror sticking out from the head of the of the sandwich. And the reason we do that And And then we dip the head of the sandwich, just the maror part, into a little charoset. Because again, if you if if if not, you're going to get the matzah wet with the charoset. I I is Can you say Can you say that again? Can you say that last part Say that again. When you make the sandwich, right? So, you got a a piece of matzah on the bottom, piece on top. Inside, you have maror. And our custom is to have both the the the maror, the grinded maror, with the with the romaine lettuce, both together. What I'm suggesting is that you make that stick out. This is let's say the matzah This is the matzah. It should stick out over protrude. Because And and and you hold And with that, you you you you immerse the maror only into the charoset, not the matzah. OTHERWISE, THE MATZAH BECOMES WET. RIGHT. But But, by the way, the the leaves themselves, the romaine lettuce themselves, as we talked about before >> You have You have to make You have to make the You have to dry them well. You have to dry them well. It's very important. It's a hot It's It's a little, you know, Yes, you have to dry them well. I I 100%. But, assuming that, you know, they're dry, which they should be, like we said, don't When you When you do the into the charoset, make sure that no charoset gets onto the matzah. Otherwise, you're doing shruya. Again, if if you you want to be careful that Right. Right. You know, by the way, so when we talk about the maror, you You don't need a lot of maror. A drop IS ALSO FINE. A LITTLE BIT, you know. I find that the maror is not sharp because it's been grinded, even if unless it's made in tight packed and and and whatever it whether it is or isn't whether you know, whether it is or isn't it you know, it it cannot interfere with the matzah not becoming wet. If and after you you you have it already, then you say "K'ein os Hillel." K'ein os Hillel so Hillel did with matzah because he because he he made a sandwich of pesach, matzah, and maror and he ate them together. Of course, we don't have the pesach, but that's what he did. And and and then you say and and you eat them all three together. Now, do you eat it behaseibah? Yes, you do. Uh there's there's a glass in the Alter Rebbe's siddur from the Tzemach Tzedek that we also eat that behaseibah, leaning. And that's it for the for the mitzvahs and then begins the Shulchan Aruch. And uh the recommendation again is to take away all matzah from the table when you have Shulchan Aruch. And you can have matzah but either to have it in a bag and to eat it away from the table because remember, now you're starting to eat and there's all kinds of liquids and and wine and and water and soda, whatever whatever. It's very, very easy for crumbs to get in. Yes. The sorry, the the korech, the sandwich should be a kazayis. Not Yes. Yes. Uh It should be a kazayis. Correct. Thank you for for saying that. Absolutely. So, they might share by having two pieces you have a kazayis. You should have a kazayis, the top and bottom, right? But again there, remember you know, you might give a piece to you for there for sure your wife and and others will have to take out matzah from the box. They they they won't have a kazayis otherwise, you know. Cuz they have to make their own sandwich. Now, you know, one has to really We spoke about this pace themself, but we spoke about pacing ourselves with with with with the matzah and the haggadah and people saying and commenting, but here too These are the mitzvahs. You know, THE SHULCHAN ARUCH PART THAT'S NICE, but it's not a mitzvah. I I mean to say you know, matzah, maror, and charoset, that's the ikar. So, you really need and now you remember now by by this time you have eaten basically one full matzah, if not one and a you know, one to one and a half matzahs. You know, so you can get pretty full and you drank wine and and So, you have to really pace yourself. What happens many times we get into shulchan aruch we just eat regularly and then and then we have a very hard time after with benching and you know, so you got to really um regulate and and kind of focus on the mitzvahs and then have some shulchan aruch and I would say not to overeat, but you know, and and then you should be fine to be able to drink the other kosays and and finish the seder in in in a decent way, you know, not wiped out and uh uh Yeah. That's pretty much it. This Any end of Any other thought questions that you have going through the as far as the the Seder the mitzvah parts somebody should comes to mind? Remember we don't remember we and we don't When I we don't put we don't dip into into the salt. Right? Um We don't dip into the wine. This is all of course after the Seder last day is different. Not for you, right? For you guys it's because it's only it's free. Yeah, also and and and plus there's also because there's only one Seder. So the first Seder you know, the Seder is going to be now it'll be around 12:45. Oh, okay. Excuse me, which Thursday night or tomorrow night we're changing the clocks. >> Right. >> Here. Right, I know. I know. I know that I know that. Um You know, look. It's it's it's Some people feel if they don't have a long Seder you know, they they they're sinners. It's not that way. It's not that way. You know, the the main thing is the quality and and the and and the conversation with especially with children and you know, you know, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, um we'll finish here and and tomorrow we'll have we'll we'll continue. Hopefully we'll get to as much as the last part of the Seder, few more things and uh So is until now you haven't had the Rebbe's Haggadah? I I You bought it yesterday. You never had the Rebbe's Haggadah? I I bought yesterday very simple simple Hebrew >> original The The original. >> The original. The original. I have I have in the house many many different haggadahs that would have like the Rebbe's, you know, like this one. Oh, it just came out now? Well, this this this this has been out sometime. This is actually Ushers. We have I have many in the house different have Rabbi Bogomilsky's, you know, they have Shai Lampert for a number of years ago. >> But by the way, did you did you did you ever think about, you know, designing a haggadah with your art? Yeah. Yeah. Yes, yes, I have. But you but you have but it has you haven't done it yet. No. No, I've not, but it is definitely definitely something that I've been thinking about for a long time. I I I I'd give you a bracha and encouragement to do it because it would be a nice a nice addition to the world of haggadahs. I'm serious. Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Okay, Menashe. Um, how are you? Baruch Hashem. We'll see everyone tomorrow bright and clear. What you say? Hashem. Hashem. And Moishe Zaim will see everyone tomorrow. Bye-bye. Thank you.