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The Mishnah

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The final chapter in tractate Pesachim in the Mishnah (codified c. 200 CE) provides instructions for conducting the Passover Seder that are reflected in the Haggadah. The instructions begin with the pouring of the first cup of wine, followed by bringing out the Seder plate foods. Following the pouring of a second cup, the Mishnah declares the child asks his father and provides the text of rhetorical questions about the Seder rituals. These questions are parallel but not identical to the Mah Nishtanah a.k.a. Four Questions included in the Haggadah. Following the questions, the Mishnah continues, according to the ability of the child, his father instructs him; begin with disgrace and conclude with praise; and expound Arami Oved Avi (Deuteronomy 26:5) until the end of the passage. The exposition of Deuteronomy 26:5-8, the biblical passage of miqra bikkurim, the declaration of the first fruits, consititutes a large portion of the Haggadah's text. The Mishnah next cites the opinion of Rabban Gamliel, which is quoted and elaborated in the Haggadah. Finally, the Mishnah mandates riciting Hallel and drinking two further cups of wine, one in conjunction with birkat hamozon, i.e. grace after the meal, and the other with completion of Hallel. The text of birkat hamazon and Hallel are also typically included in the Haggadah.

Avadim Hayinu

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The opening line of Maggid following the Four Questions reads: עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם, וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה, We were slaves (Avadim Hayinu) to Pharoah in Egypt, and the Lord our God took us out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. This is not a scriptual verse, but rather a combination of two verses from Deuteronomy, 6:12 (which precedes the question of the Wise Son), and 5:15 (part of the Ten Commandments).[1][2] A respona of Natronai Gaon mentions that this traditional opening sentence is not in the Torah, drawing the objection of Karaites.[3] According to the Scholar's Haggadah, the intentional mistranslation of Deuteronomy 6:12 in the Septuagint, the 3rd century BCE Greek translation of the Torah, makes specific reference to Avadim Hayinu.[4]

One of the book's major contributions to Haggadah scholarship was the identification of references to key sections of the Haggadah's text in verses from the Septuagint, the earliest extant Greek translation of the Pentateuch[5][6]. Specifically, the Septuagint's mistranslation of Deuteronomy 6:20 makes reference to the pedagogical baraita of the Four Sons, and the following verse, 6:21, makes reference to the opening line of the Exodus narrative, Avadim Hayinu i.e. עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם, וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה. This evidence demonstrates that sources of the Haggadah date back to at least the 3rd century B.C.E., many centuries before Avadim Hayinu was mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud.

References

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  1. ^ Ben Harush, Eliyahu (1938). Haggadah Kos Eliyahu. Djerba.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Rovner, Jay Evan (2024). In every generation: studies in the evolution and formation of the Passover Haggadah. Judaism in context. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press LLC. ISBN 978-1-4632-4376-0.
  3. ^ Safrai, Shmuel; Safrai, Ze'ev (1998). Haggadah of the Sages. Jerusalem, Israel: Carta Jerusalem. ISBN 9652207063.
  4. ^ Guggenheimer, Heinrich (1998). The Scholar's Haggadah: Ashkenazic, Sephardic, and Oriental Versions. Northvale NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7657-6040-1.
  5. ^ Stefon, Matt, ed. (2012). Judaism: history, belief, and practice. The Britannica guide to religion. New York: Britannica Educational Pub. in association with Rosen Educational Services. ISBN 978-1-61530-487-5.
  6. ^ "Dodge, John Vilas, (25 Sept. 1909–23 April 1991), Senior Editorial Consultant, Encyclopædia Britannica, since 1972; Chairman, Board of Editors, Encyclopædia Britannica Publishers, since 1977", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, retrieved 2024-12-27