<HTML><BODY><DIV style='font-family: "Verdana"; font-size: 10pt;'><DIV> I still have two questions. 1. What are we to make of the apparent softening in this passage of the apparent biblical injunction to eat the paschal sacrifice in the bosom of one's family--without guests?Softening the Torah's strictness seems to me something the Rabbis do, from time to time. Are you suggesting that the Rabbis accepted here a "lenient" reading by vox populi? 2. My father used to chant the beginning of this passage as <EM>Ke-ha lahma anya</EM>. Is this a commonly known variant? Does it have a metaphysical meaning? We say "<EM>matza zo</EM>" and <EM>"maror zeh"</EM> but don't say "<EM>pessah zeh</EM>." Is my father's version a way of taking away the "<EM>zo"</EM> from matza? If it is, why so?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Joe Lowin</DIV>
<DIV><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: Avigdor Shinan <shinan@mscc.huji.ac.il><BR>To: ngfp-bookclub@lists.ngfp.org<BR>Sent: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 14:03:55 +0200<BR>Subject: [NGFP-BookClub] HLA - final letter from avigdor shinan<BR><BR></DIV>
<STYLE>
.AOLPlainTextBody {
margin: 0px;
font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif;
font-size: 12px;
color: #000;
background-color: #fff;
}
.AOLPlainTextBody pre {
font-size: 9pt;
}
.AOLInlineAttachment {
margin: 10px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader {
border-bottom: 2px solid #E9EAEB;
background: #F9F9F9;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .Title {
font: 11px Tahoma;
font-weight: bold;
color: #666666;
background: #E9EAEB;
padding: 3px 0px 1px 10px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldLabel {
font: 11px Tahoma;
font-weight: bold;
color: #666666;
padding: 1px 10px 1px 9px;
}
.AOLAttachmentHeader .FieldValue {
font: 11px Tahoma;
color: #333333;
}
</STYLE>
<DIV id=AOLMsgPart_3_910c9bc8-aa2f-4795-b1b6-5fd49e51ddda>
<STYLE></STYLE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Shalom to you all -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have in front of me around 24 communications regarding the HLA piece in the Haggadah. I must admit that I have learned from your remarks a lot, especially regarding the various ways you understand the use of this text in our Sedarim these days. I tried nonetheless to shift the discussion toward historical - more than sociological or theological - aspect.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As you must be aware of, the Haggadah was not composed in one day and not by one person. It has a real history. Reading the Haggadah one has always ask himself or herself: regarding each unit in the Haggadah:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1 - when and by whom was it composed (usually the answer is: we are not sure)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2 - when and why was in added into the Haggadah (and here usually we can answer at least the "when" question, based on our available data).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So, who composed HLA?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I do not know. I am afraid that nobody does.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When was it added to the Haggadah?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Well, it is not found or hinted at, not in the Mishnah and not in the two Talmuds, it is not found in Midrashic literature and not even in the earliest Haggadah that we posses. We are aware of this text only from Geonic literature (7th century onward). and It is in Aramaic, the language of the common people.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What is HLA all about?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For me - and I would love to hear your reactions - it is not a prologue to the Haggadah, nor a mnemothecnic device but it is a full Haggadah by itself for those common people who could not do more than that!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Let us remember, today we all know to read and buying a Haggadah is so easy that we are not aware of the fact that in the ancient world most people could not read (they knew a lot, but orally) and that buying an Haggadah was an expensive enterprise. So, what can I tell a simple man who wants to celebrate the Passover night:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>a - speak about the past, the history of Passover, using the Matzah as a point of departure (that is what we do actually today till the meal!)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>b - sit down to eat</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>c - finish by messianic expectations and looking forward for a better future (that what we actually do after the meal)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Haggadah is composed of 3 parts - speaking about the past, eating in the present, and speaking about our hopes for the future.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>HLA for me, therefore, is the table of content of the Haggadah and - for those who knew very little, and spoke Aramaic - a short summary of the whole Haggadah!!!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Please - let me read your reaction.!!!!!!!!!!!!!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tomorrow (Thursday) we shall proceed with the 2nd riddle of the Haggadah!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>shalom from Jerusalem</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>avigdor</FONT></DIV></DIV><!-- end of AOLMsgPart_3_910c9bc8-aa2f-4795-b1b6-5fd49e51ddda -->
<DIV class=AOLPlainTextBody id=AOLMsgPart_4_910c9bc8-aa2f-4795-b1b6-5fd49e51ddda><PRE><TT>________________________________________________
Post to NGFP-BookClub by sending email to: <A href="mailto:NGFP-BookClub%40lists.ngfp.org">NGFP-BookClub@lists.ngfp.org</A>
Course Reading Assignments: <A href="http://members.ngfp.org/Courses/Shinan/reading_assignments" target=_blank>http://members.ngfp.org/Courses/Shinan/reading_assignments</A>
Course Email Archives: <A href="http://lists.ngfp.org/pipermail/ngfp-bookclub/" target=_blank>http://lists.ngfp.org/pipermail/ngfp-bookclub/</A>
Mailing List Settings: <A href="http://lists.zoteca.com/mailman/listinfo/ngfp-bookclub" target=_blank>http://lists.zoteca.com/mailman/listinfo/ngfp-bookclub</A>
</TT></PRE></DIV><!-- end of AOLMsgPart_4_910c9bc8-aa2f-4795-b1b6-5fd49e51ddda --></DIV></BODY></HTML>