The Origin of the Haggadah
By HARRY CUSHING
1932. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Inc.)
The beauties of the Passover eve celebration
and its exciting experiences is influenced pri-
marily by the' Haggadah.
The name of the tiny liturgical collection is
derived from the word "Hagged" which in He-
brew means to "tell."
In other words, the reading of the Haggadah
is meant to serve as the narrative of the Exodus
from Egypt and the accompanying feast is to
fulfill the Biblical command that Jews must al-
ways remember their going forth from Egypt
and to make sure that each succeeding genera-
tion is aware of this impressive incident in
Israel's history.
The Haggadah, as the tiny anthology of pray-
ers. legends and commentary on the significance
of Passover, gives a graphic account of the birth
and growth of the Jewish people as well as their
destiny in all ages down to the present time.
Inspiration for Haggadah
The inspiration for the text wl.lich became
the Passover Haggadah is found in the simple
precept in Exodus 13.8. which states: "And thou
shalt tell thy son in that clay, saying, 'it is be-
cause of that which the Lord did for me, when
I came forth out of Egypt.' " Of course, the
present Haggadah was not created by one person
nor by one generation. It was preceded, no doubt,_ '
by the oral narrative of the miracles of the Ex-
odus from Egypt by the head of each household,
as members of the family ate of the Paschal
lamb sacrifice.
As the centuries drew on, there developed a
definite need for a more uniform liturgy. Thus,
the Passover eve liturgy began to take form
during the same period when the early forms
were developing for the daily, Sabbath and fes-
tival prayers during the era of the second Tem-
ple. We can find the first mention of such
ritual in the Mishnah (Pesachim X, 5) which
provides such rituals as the Four Cups of Wine,
the wording of the Four Questions, etc.
The Mishnah credits Rabbi Gamaliel with
formulating the Seder eve ritual. It was also
Gamaliel who had arranged the ritual for the
daily prayer service and the grace after meals.
Four Questions Ritual Explained
The ritual for the Four Questions is explained
in the Mishnah as follows: ". . . the son asks
his father (and if the son has not enough under-
standing his father instructs him how to ask),
'why is this night different from all other
nights? For on other nights we eat seasoned
food once, but this night twice; on other nights
we eat leavened or unleavened bread, but this
night all is unleavened; on other nights we eat
flesh roast. stewed, or cooked, but this night all
is roast.' " 1Pesachim X, 4).
It is to be noted that the text for the Four
Questions has been changed since the original
wording expressed in the Mishnah. The last
question which refers to the eating of roast meat
has been changed to the query as to why one
leans on Passover eve. The change was needed
inasmuch as after the destruction of the Temple
the rite of offering the Paschal lamb was abol-
ished. Hence, the sages changed the question to
read: "Why on other nights we eat while either
sitting alp or leaning but on this night we lean?"
The Kiddush, the Sanctification over the wine
of the Passover Seder as recorded in the Hagga-
dah, had its origin in the Haggadah of Saadia
Gaon who died in 1942.
Among the oldest items of the Haggadah is
the "Ha Lachma Anya" the passage with which
the Haggadah reading begins. It is among the
tt .r) right.
0 0 AP
oldest selections of the Passover eve liturgy. The
verses are in the true spirit of Judaism which
teaches that the poor and hungry must_ be fed.
The passage is written not in Hebrew, but in
Aramaic, the mass language of the Jewish people
during the centuries immediately preceding and
following the beginning of the Christian era.
The language, which in its day enjoyed a
status similar to that of Yiddish among the
European Jews in the modern era, had its source
in Babylonia where a spiritually and materially
prosperous Jewish community developed over a
period of several centuries.
There is a strong contention that "Ha Lach-
ma" was written in the sixth century before the
common era, during the days of Babylonian cap-
tivity, following the destruction of the first Tem-
ple and the exile of the Jews from their home-
land by the Babylonians.
By the time of the completion of the Mishnah
1200 C.E.), the Passover Haggadah had already
been developed to a fixed order.
During the course of the long centuries modi-
fications, changes and expansions were made in
the Passover Haggadah text. Some of the songs
with which the reading is concluded did not
come into the Haggadah text until the 16th
century. As with the Hebrew Prayer Book, there
emerged a definite, universal and almost un-
changeable text. A description of this is found
in Heinrich Hein's "Der Rabbi von Bacharach"
in which the Haggadah is painted as "a rare
conglomeration of legends handed down from
antiquity, miraculous tales from Egypt, curious
narratives, debates, prayers and hymns."
Originally, the entire Haggadah was recited
before the meal. But as time went on, the long
and detailed reading was regarded as tedious.
There thus came into practice the procedure of
reading part of the Haggadah before the meal
and to complete the reading after the meal.
It has already been indicated that some of
the material in the Haggadah originated in the
Mishnah. Much of the material, however, had its
beginnings in many other sources. The greater
portion of this material is found in the various
Midrashic literature. Thus, some of the important
parts of the Haggadah have been lifted literally
from the Mekiltah, one of the oldest Midrashim.
The Mekiltah represents a tannaitic • exposition
of a large part of the Book of Exodus, and deals
with practically all the laws contained in that
book as well as with some of its most important
narrative portions.
Thus, if one goes to the sources, it will be
found that the comparison of the Four Sons is
found originally in the Mekiltah. The story about
Jose the Gallilean and his colleagues who seek
to prove that the Egyptians actually were af-
fected by 250 plagues instead of the recorded
ten is also found in the Mekiltah (Mekiltah
Parsha B'Shalach).
Although the Haggadah is a separate collec-
tion of liturgical material, it may be classified
as part of that larger collection, of material
found in the Siddur, the daily prayer book; the
Machzor the' prayer book for festivals; the
T'chinah, the special collection of prayers recited
by pious women; the Slichot as well as some
lesser items of Hebew liturgical literature.
Israel's devotion to all these liturgical gems
has assured the survival of the Jewish people.
Israel's love for the Haggadah has kept up the
warmth within the souls of Jews and has kept
alive their love of liberty. It was—and continues
to be—the faith of Jews in the ideals expressed
by the Haggadah that has strengthened their
devotion to the ideals of freedom.
•—THE JEWISH NEWS—April 11, lfS2
tCopyright, 1952, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jae.)
Recipe for Matzo Balls
12 tablespoons matzo crumbs . . . tmatao meek)
2 eggs
4 tablespoons of chicken fat .. . bard fat not melted
2 tablespoons soup (hot)
1 teaspoon salt
Stir fat and egg together. Add seasoning. soup and then meat Shape Into balls.
Put in refrigerator for one-half hour to swell. Drop into boiling soup for IS
minutes.
.
.
•
Jello Mold
2 bunches of beets, cooked and cleaned
1 envelope of gelatin
cup cold water
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon horseradish
Use the juice from the beets. Boil. Add 1 envelope of gelatin that has bee*
soaked in I-, cup cold water for 5 minutes. Stir until dissolved in boiling juice.
Cool. Add. chopped celery. sugar and horseradish. and the beets that have bees
grated. together and place in ring mold. Serves 6.
•
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Sponge Cake
7 egg yolks
9 egg whites
1 1, cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup potato flour
1/2 cup matzo flour
juice and grated rind of 1/2 lemon
Beat egg whites very stiff. Boil sugar and ..,ter until syrupy, then pour slowly
on beaten egg whites, beating until slightly cool. Beat egg yolks with lemon juice.
Add rind. Fold this mixture into whites. Then gently fold in the cup of combined
sifted flours. Dampen an angel-food tin with water_ Pour in cake mixture. Bake
45 to 50 minutes in 375° oven, turning down heat to 350° toward the end of baking.
•
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Matzo Cake
8 eggs
1/2 cup Passover cake meal
As cups potato starch
1)4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon rind and juice
flavoring.
Separate eggs. Beat yolks until thick and almost cream coke, add
Beat whites until they are stiff and stand' up in peeks 'not too dry). Add yolks is
whites. sift dry ingredients together. fold carefully into egg mixture until flour is
absorbed. Do not beat. Bake in ungreased tube pan. 300' oven for about one hour.
Turn over and suspend on cups until cold.
•
I
An FDR 'Brain Truster'
Benjamin V. Cohen was one of the original members of President Roosevelt's
"brains trust," and with Thomas G. Corcoran tremember, the much publicized
"firm" of Cohen and Corcoran) drafted such controversial New Deal legislation
as the Securities and Exchange Act, the Public Utility Holding Company Act,
and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
't
Later he played the same kind of behind the-scenes lole in
international affairs. He went to London du--ring the war as an
aide to Ambassador Winant; he was an adviser at various inter-
?, ;,,r national conferences, including the Bretton Woods Conference.
<aari&During the New Deal days, he worked closely with Jimmy Byrnes
..7; and when Mr. Byrnes became Secretary of State, Mr. Cohen was
appointed Counsellor of the State Department.
Born in Muncie, Ind., Mr. Cohen attended the University of
,Chicago and Harvard Law School and was admitted to the
Bar in 1916 when he was twenty-two years old. From 1919
'to 1921, he acted as counsel for the American Zionists at the
various peace conferences in London and Paris.
Mr. Cohen was one of the first of the "brains trust" to be
taken on, and one of the last to leave. He was appointed assist-
B. A. Cohen ant general counsel of the Public Works Administrption in 1933,
and resigned as Counsellor of the State Department in 1947.
He returned to his private law business, but the administration could not do
•
•
Chosen Pearls
•
Partial Success
On the Sabbath before Passover one year. Rabbi Naphtali
Rapshitzer returned home greatly fatigued after having delivered
a sermon in the local synagogue.
"Why are you so tired?" his wife asked him.
"I had a most difficult time of it with the rich," he replied.
"It is so hard to awaken in them a feeling of pity so that they
would give something for the poor!"
"Well, did you accomplish anything?" his wife further queried.
"Yes, I succeeded fifty per cent. The poor are now prepared
to receive. But whether the rich are prepared to give, I still
question."
•
•
Better Than Moses
There was a rich skinflint in town who refused to give his
contribution even for matzoth. The head of the community per-
sisted, however, until the niggard finally came across with a dona-
tion. Thereupon the head of the community said:
"I can now boast that I am a bigger man than Moses. Moses
merely drew water from a stone, but I draw money from a stone."
•
•
a
Absolved from Chometz Cleansing
A Rabbi once noticed a wealthy miser performing the cere-
mony of turning his pockets inside out on the Eve of Passover in
order to get rid of all the chometz. The Rabbi called out to him:
"Mister, you are absolved from this deed."
'`Why? - asked the parsimonious man in astonishment.
"Because," replied the clever Rabbi, "you are a Jew only up to
your pockets."
a
•
Good Holiday
A rabbi once visited a rich miser to get a donation from him
for a charitable cause. The miser turned the rabbi down. At
parting the rabbi said: "Good holiday to you!"
Astounded, the miser remarked:
. "As far as I know—today is no holiday!"
"Well," the rabbi said smilingly, "when I leave you without
getting any contribution from you it's- surely a holiday to you,"
Cohens Outnumber Kellys at UN
UNITED NATIONS—There is no doubt about it—the Cohens outnumber the
Kellys here. For instance, in the UN telephone book, six Cohens are listed, and -
only one Kelly;
There are two Benjamin Cohens who add to the confusion at
the UN by receiving each others' mail, being mistaken for each
other, and even getting into each others' biographies.
They are Benjamin V. )for Victor) Cohen, the' perennial al-
ternate delegate of the United States, and Benjamin A. t for Al-
berto) Cohen, the Chilean journalist and diplomat, who is As-
sistant Secretary General of the UN.
Of course, they know each other; it would be almost impos-
sible for them to be brought together in the course of their
work, but if it had not been for this, it would be doubtful if they
would have met, for Benjamin V. Cohen is so shy, he is almost
a recluse. Yet, this is the "terrible" Mr. Cohen who used to send
shudders down the backs of the industrialists and financiers and
was pictured as a loud-mouthed, tub-thumping radical by the
B. V. Cohen Hearst press.
Pa33over
By TERRY ELMAN
By ARTHUR LEWIS
cepN right, 1956. J.T.A.
without him. Ever since 1948, he has received successive appointments as an
alternate representative of the United States delegation at each of the United
Nations Assemblies.
Perfect Public Relations Man
The other Benjamin Cohen is a bouncing extrovert, who would as soon slap
you on the back as shake your hand. As such, he is the perfect public relations
officer for the UN, and that is what he is, for he is Assistant Secretary General
in charge of the Department of Information here.
"You can say this about me," he once told a reporter, "I like to live well, eat
well, and I like good parties and night clubs whenever I can find time. I enjoy
living and I'm an optimist, and I think the world as getting better, despite fevs
to the contrary."
The Assistant Secretary General was born in Chile of parents who came
from Russia but was educated partly in the United States, at the School of For-
eign Service in Georgetown University, Washington, D. C. For 11 years, he was
a dashing, daring reporter, who had a car riddled by bullets while covering a
strike, before, as he says, being "dragged into diplomacy." His first foreign
assignment was to Washington, and from being a lowly second secretary there,
he rose post by post until he became Chilean Ambassador to Bolivia and later
to Venezuela during the war years.
The Other Cohens at UN
What about the other Cohens at the United Nations."
There is Dyer Cohen. a thick-set genial man, who somehow survived 10 years
of university education. He studied at Swarthmore and Yale and at Cambridge
University in.England, and received, from Yale, the degree of Doctor of Philo-
sophy in International Relations. He has had a successful career in humanitarian
international organizations as UNRA, and the International Refugee Organi-
zation. He rose to be assistant Director General of the latter and now that it has
folded, he has been appointed the 'Jason officer of the Technical Assistance
Board of Yugoslavia.
Then, there is Maxwell Cohen, a lean, tall, quick witted lawyer who is hor-
ribly addicted to puns. He acted as a legal consultant to Dr. Hugh Kennlyside, the
director general of the Technical Assistance Administration, helping him to draft
agreements with the various countries wanting technical assistance, and has gone
back to being professor of law at McGill University, Montreal, although he
threatens to return to the UN.
Maxwell, is a Canadian, while Myer is an American, and so is Isadore, who
has been with the United Nations since it moved to New York, in varibus jobs and
now is preparing documents for microfilming Isadore Cohen says that the
microfilming is due to start soon—and It had better otherwise the whole 30
stories of the secretariat building will be needed for documents.