Pesach Publications- Part 10: The Rebbe's Haggada (4)

00:01 This is Behemshech, in continuation to the earlier installment regarding the Haggadah with the Rebbe's commentaries, which was published in the year tav shin vav, nineteen forty-six, and its various editions. We now continue with installment number ten in shedding light on two selected insights of the Rebbe in his Haggadah. The first topic is: what does Haggadah mean? The origin of the name Haggadah. As mentioned above, the Rebbe selected Pirushim in the Haggadah from am-among many Rishonim and Acharonim, and he left many explanations out. Sometimes he brings only one explanation when many others exist. From the Rebbe's correspondences, we see that this was done with a tremendous precision, that if something was omitted, there was a very good reason for that. For example, around the time that the Rebbe's Haggadah was published, Dr. Aaron, Aaron Hillman was writing articles in the Sign and Magazine about the Haggadah, and he included his notes on the Rebbe's Haggadah. One of them was regarding the name Haggadah Shel Pesach. The Rebbe cites three explanations for the name Haggadah, but Dr. Hillman felt that there was a better explanation. As the Rebbe himself notes multiple times, most of the Haggadah is built as a midrash on psukim, hence the name Haggadah is the Midrash of Pesach. In a letter, in the Rebbe's Igris Kodesh volume two, page two sixty-four, the Rebbe responded to him that this was difficult to accept. According to this explanation, the term only applies to one section of the Haggadah, from Avadim Hayyinu until Venemar Lefano Halelucha.

02:26 And the Rebbe says that is not what it stems from the Rishonim and Acharonim. The implication is that the entire Haggadah is called the Haggadah, not only the section that explains psukim. Dr. Hillman also felt that the Rebbe had missed a better explanation for why the four cups of wine isn't included in the Ma Nishtana. And thereto, the Rebbe responded that his explanation wasn't sufficient. From these letters and others, we see how much precision the Rebbe invested in every word of the Haggadah and also in what he left out. A second topic, a Rashi which was long misunderstood. After Mincha on Erev Pesach, we read a description of the Korban Pesach in the Beis Hamikdash, which took place on Erev Pesach. In the description, it tells us that as the Yidden were bringing the korbonos and bringing them to Mizbeach, Hallel was read. The Rebbe adds a very short note quoting the Tosefta that the Leviyim were the ones who were reading the Hallel. The four-word comment is one of the most famous sugyas in the Rebbe's Haggadah. It began with a letter from Rabbi We can add at this point an article that was just published this previous week in the Kol Chabad in the issue two thousand and six on page forty-four. A new discovery, a Sefer which is Tes Huva HaRosh on Sukkah, the tractate of Sukkah fifty-four A, where he states very clearly that it was recited by the Leviyim. And it's interesting to note because the Sefer was never published

05:42 before. Nevertheless, the Rebbe insistently held that this is also the Pirush in the commentary of Rashi, that the Hallel was recited by the Leviyim. We'll Bli Ayin Hara continue in the next installment.