- By Rabbi Dr. Aaron Adler
President, YBA Ner Tamid, Hashmonaim

שמות פרק יב

(ח) וְאָכְלוּ אֶת הַבָּשָׂר בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה צְלִי אֵשׁ וּמַצּוֹת עַל מְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ: (ט) אַל תֹּאכְלוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נָא וּבָשֵׁל מְבֻשָּׁל בַּמָּיִם כִּי אִם צְלִי אֵשׁ רֹאשׁוֹ עַל כְּרָעָיו וְעַל קִרְבּוֹ:

          In conformity with the Talmudic dictum (Pesachim 6a) requiring an annual review of the Pesach laws and customs for a two or four week period prior to the festival - ''שואלין ודורשין בהלכות הפסח קודם הפסח שלשים יום, רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר: שתי שבתות'' – our Sages have instituted the special Parshat HaChodesh reading (Shemot 12:1-20) as the Maftir reading for this Shabbat. This section deals with timely Pesach preparations including the Biblical commandment to eat Matzah along with the various prohibitions revolving around Chametz. Yet, the bulk of this section (verses 3-14) focuses upon the laws of the Pascal sacrifice which, due to unfortunate circumstances, are not practiced today. This, however, does not make these laws irrelevant. A detailed study of the Pascal sacrifice contributes greatly to our overall understanding of Pesach.

One such detail can be found in Shemot 12:9 (above). The Pascal sacrifice could not be eaten raw, nor could it be cooked or boiled. Rather it had to be roasted over the open fire.''אַל תֹּאכְלוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נָא וּבָשֵׁל מְבֻשָּׁל בַּמָּיִם כִּי אִם צְלִי אֵשׁ'' The reason for this - according to Sefer HaChinuch, Commandment 7- is two-fold. The poverty-stricken population would normally cook or boil its meat in order to obtain the maximum edible food from the piece of meat. The wealthy class, however, would choose to roast its meat opting for better flavor, while not being particularly concerned about having an ample supply of meat. On Pesach eve, the nation is to demonstrate a royal posture exhibiting its newly-acquired freedom. Hence, the meat would be eaten roasted in the royal fashion. Furthermore, the roasting of meat is immensely quicker than cooking meat. This would serve as a further reminder that the Exodus from Egypt was a hasty affair. [See, Devarim 16:3,''כִּי בְחִפָּזוֹן יָצָאתָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם''] These are the words of the Sefer HaChinuch: ''וזהו שנצטוינו לאכלו צלי דוקא, לפי שכך דרך בני מלכים ושרים לאכול בשר צלי, לפי שהוא מאכל טוב ומוטעם, אבל שאר העם אינם יכולים לאכול מעט בשר שתשיג ידם כי אם מבושל, כדי למלא בטנם. ואנו שאוכלים הפסח לזכרון שיצאנו לחירות להיות ממלכת כהנים ועם קדוש ודאי ראוי לנו להתנהג באכילתו דרך חירות ושרות. מלבד שאכילת הצלי יורה על החפזון שיצאו ממצרים ולא יכלו לשהות עד שיתבשל בקדרה''.

          Analyzing further the Biblical commandment for roasting the Pascal sacrifice, one notices the interesting use of the phrase, ''כי אם צלי אש'' – ''but only roasted over fire''. This phrase, ''but only'', denotes exclusivity to the exclusion of all others. The exclusivity factor of roasting (''צלי אש'') has Halachic ramifications. The famous ''Four Questions'' of the Haggadah have their source in the Mishnah Pesachim 10:4. There, a question unfamiliar to our children is to be found.''שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלין בשר צלי שלוק ומבושל הלילה הזה כולו צלי'' On all other nights we eat meat roasted, boiled, or cooked. But on this night it is all (and only) roasted. [Rambam, Hilchot Chametz U'Matzah 8:3, teaches that in the post-Temple era, we delete this question for lack of practical relevance. ''בזמן הזה אינו אומר והלילה הזה כולו צלי שאין לנו קרבן'' However, a Cairo Geniza fragment of the Haggadah has revealed an 'updated' version of this question as follows,''שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלים בין בשר צלי שלוק ומבושל, והלילה הזה היינו אוכלים בבית המקדש כולו צלי''.]

          The Tosephot (Pesachim 116a, s.v. כולו צלי) explain the use of ''כולו צלי'' – ''all roasted'' – for all other meats served on Seder night with the Pascal sacrifice should also be roasted.''חגיגה הבאה עם הפסח אינה נאכלת אלא צלי'' This is all in contradistinction to the question relating to the eating of the bitter herbs (''מרור''). The Mishnah reads,''שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלין שאר ירקות הלילה הזה מרור''. On all other nights we eat various vegetables. But on this night – bitter herbs. [Rambam's version (Hilchot Chametz U'Matzah 8:2) reads,''והלילה הזה מרורים'' – in the plural – based upon the Biblical requirement (Shemot 12:8, above) to eat the Pascal sacrifice together with Matzah and Bitter Herbs. ''ומצות עַל וּמְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ'' Furthermore, as the Mishnah Pesachim 2:6 teaches that a variety of vegetables can be used as ''bitter herbs'',  the plural, ''מרורים'', would be more appropriate. ''ואלו ירקות שאדם יוצא בהן ידי חובתו בפסח [ בחזרת ובעולשין ובתמכא ובחרחבינה ובמרור'' The Tosephot (Pesachim 116, s.v. הלילה הזה מרור) emphatically delete the word, ''כולו מרור'', - ''only bitter herbs'' for we eat Karpas earlier in the Seder using other vegetables as well.''הא דלא אמר כולו מרור משום דאכלינן שאר ירקות בטיבול ראשון''. [It is quite possible that the popular version, ''כולו מרור'', found its way into many Haggadot today in order to balance the rhyme scheme with the previous line relating to Matzah. ''הלילה הזה כולו מצה''  Another idea may be suggested that considering the fact that the bitter herbs is not an independent commandment, but rather it is linked directly to the eating of the Pascal sacrifice, and that today we eat the bitter herbs only as a rabbinic requirement in order to remember the Pascal sacrifice, the language of the question relating to the bitter herbs – ''כולו מרור''-  was adjusted to reflect the language of the omitted question relating to the Pascal sacrifice – ''כולו צלי''.]

          The exclusivity factor, as noted in the Biblical phrase''כי אם צלי אש'' (''but only roasted over fire''), may have inspired the Roke'ach (12^th Century R' Elazar of Worms, Hilchot Pesach, 283) in his own formulation explaining the question relating to Matzah. ''אבל גבי מצה אומר כולו מצה שאין אוכלין כי אם מצה'' Clearly, the use of ''כי אם מצה'' – ''but only Matzah'' – rules out the use of all Chametz products.

          The phrase, ''כי אם'' – ''but only'', is found in 156 places throughout the Bible. In practically all of the cases, its meaning denotes exclusivity. There seems to be one notable exception. In Bereishit 32:29 (and repeated in 35:10) Ya'akov is blessed with a name change to Yisrael.''וַיֹּאמֶר, לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל'' In this rare case, however, the phrase, ''כי אם'', cannot possibly mean ''but only''. Throughout the entire Bible, both names are used interchangeably. In this exceptional case, the phrase, ''כי אם'', seems to mean ''but also''. However, Sefer HaChinuch (Commandment 3) views the local conflict with Ya'akov and Esau in eschatological terms.''כמו שמצינו באב שזרחה לו השמש לרפואתו ונושע מן הצער. כן יזרח לנו השמש של משיח וירפאנו מצערנו ויגאלנו, אמן במהרה בימינו''. The name changing can also signify the end of the ''Ya'akov'' exilic existence and the emergence of the exclusive ''Yisrael'' redemptive state. It is to this era of ''כי אם ישראל'' that we long for as we prepare for our upcoming Seder hopefully integrating the Pascal sacrifice into our Pesach experience.

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