The Message of the Haggadah

Following his devar Torah on the meaning and the significance of  Shabbat HaGadol, Rabbi Paul Bloom here shares with us a brief vort on the Haggadah, specifically the Ha Lachma Anya passage in which we read, “Now we are here: next year, may we be in the Land of Israel. Now we are slaves; next year, may we be free men.”

The Ya’avetz asks an insightful question: Why the repetition? If we’re praying to be in Eretz Yisrael, aren’t we already praying for freedom, for redemption? His answer is profound. First, we express our hope to be in the Land of Israel, even if the final redemption hasn’t fully arrived yet. We then pray for the complete redemption—both physical and spiritual—by the next Pesach.

This insight teaches a crucial lesson. Many Jews in the Diaspora justify their refusal to make aliyah, saying, “What’s so special about Israel today? I’ll go when Mashiach comes.” But Rav Ya’akov Emden teaches us that there is intrinsic merit in living in the Holy Land, even if things aren’t perfect yet.

There are three levels of exile: absolute exile, when Jews are far from Israel, and absolute redemption, when Mashiach comes. But there is a middle ground—living in Israel today is already a step closer to redemption, even if we’re not yet in the ultimate ge’ulah.

In Rav Emden’s time, traveling to Israel was incredibly difficult. Today, though, we have the opportunity to move to Eretz Yisrael freely. Let’s embrace that opportunity. If we make the effort to be in Israel, Hashem may just fulfill our prayer: “Next year, may we be free men.”

Sing your "Ha Lachma Anya" this year: some jolly tunes here, here and (especially for Moroccans) here.