שִׁמְעוּ, כִּי-נְגִידִים אֲדַבֵּר; וּמִפְתַּח שְׂפָתַי, מֵישָׁרִים. (משלי ח:ו)
Listen, for I will speak noble things, and the opening of my lips shall be right things. (Mishlei 8:6)
In this short essay I will present an approach to understanding the mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus based on the Rambam’s presentation in the Mishneh Torah. I wrote this a few years ago and recently made some significant changes.
From Denigration to Praise
Our Rabbis tell us that we must tell the story of Pesach in a peculiar manner:
וְצָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל בִּגְנוּת, וּלְסַיַּם בִּשְׁבָח.
It is necessary to begin with denigration and end with praise.
Here’s how Rambam explains this obligation:
כֵּיצַד: מַתְחִיל וּמְסַפֵּר שֶׁבַּתְּחִלָּה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בִּימֵי תֶּרַח וּמִלְּפָנָיו, כּוֹפְרִים וְטוֹעִין אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל וְרוֹדְפִין עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה; וּמְסַיֵּם בְּדַת הָאֱמֶת, שֶׁקֵּרְבָנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לָהּ, וְהִבְדִּילָנוּ מִן הַתּוֹעִים, וְקֵרְבָנוּ לְיֵחוּדוֹ. וְכֵן מַתְחִיל וּמוֹדִיעַ שֶׁעֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרַיִם, וְכָל הָרָעָה שֶׁגְּמָלוּנוּ; וּמְסַיֵּם בְּנִסִּים וְנִפְלָאוֹת שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לָנוּ, וּבְחֵרוּתֵנוּ.
How [does one begin with scorn and end with praise]? Begin and tell that originally our forefathers in the days of Terach and before him were heretics and were swayed after vanity and chased after idolatry; and conclude with the true religion - that the Holy One Blessed is He brought us close to Him and separated us from the wayward and brought us close to His Unity.
And also, begin and inform that we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and all the evil he caused us; and conclude with the miracles and wonders that were done for us and with our freedom.
I would like to make a surprising suggestion. Specifically, that a comparison of this halakha along with a few other halakhot concerning the obligation to tell the story of the Exodus with the halakhot of lashon hara (slander) reveals some compelling insights. Rambam’s formulation of these two, quite different areas of law have deep connections in both content and terminology.
Lashon Hara at the Seder
Here’s how Rambam defines lashon hara:
יֵשׁ עָווֹן גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה עַד מְאוֹד וְהוּא בִּכְלַל לָאו זֶה, וְהוּא לָשׁוֹן הָרַע; וְהוּא הַמְּסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת חֲבֵרוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַר אֱמֶת.
There is an much greater sin than this [gossiping] … : lashon hara, slanderous speech. It is [defined as] one who tells/relates the scorn of his fellow, even if he says the truth.
Starting with the most obvious comparison, Rambam refers to both lashon hara and the mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus as a kind of sippur, story telling. He also uses the word גְנוּת (denigration) in both halakhot.
It sounds as if the Rambam is telling us that the story of the Exodus must begin with lashon hara. It’s hard to escape this conclusion. How else should we consider describing our ancestors as idolaters, heretics and slaves? We are commanded to begin the story in exactly the manner that Rambam defines lashon hara—a telling of a story about the scorn of his fellow. In the following, I will attempt to address this troubling problem.
Stories of Wonder—Stories that Make you Wonder
Let’s continue with the next halakha in the Mishneh Torah regarding lashon hara:
אֲבָל בַּעַל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע זֶה שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְאוֹמֵר ׳כָּךְ וְכָךְ עָשָׂה פְּלוֹנִי׳, וְ׳כָךְ וְכָךְ הָיוּ אֲבוֹתָיו׳, וְ׳כָךְ וְכָךְ שָׁמַעְתִּי עָלָיו׳, וְאוֹמֵר דְּבָרִים שֶׁלִּגְנַאי - עַל זֶה הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר: ״יַכְרֵת יי כָּל שִׂפְתֵי חֲלָקוֹת, לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת״ (תהלים יב,ד).
However, this slanderer sits and says, “this is what so-and-so did,” “this is how his ancestors were,” “this is what I heard about him,” and says scornful words—concerning this individual the verse says, “May God cut off all smooth lips, the tongue that speaks great/big things.”
The verse quoted from Tehillim describes the slanderer as a מדברת גדולות, a speaker of great/big things. The slanderer makes big claims, he makes big promises, he presents himself as big and powerful. In the next halakha Rambam cites the next verse in Tehillim. Here he makes clear that the slanderer’s defect is not just on the interpersonal level:
וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים: כָּל הַמְּסַפֵּר בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרַע, כְּאִלּוּ כָּפַר בָּעִקָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ לִלְשֹׁנֵנוּ נַגְבִּיר, שְׂפָתֵינוּ אִתָּנוּ, מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ?״
Furthermore, the sages say, anyone who relates slanderous speech, it is as if he denies the most fundamental principles of the Torah. As it says, “Who said, ‘With our tongue we will overpower; our lips are with us. Who is lord over us?’”
This description of the slanderer as a speaker of “big things” is picked up in Rambam’s long exposition regarding the evils of slanderous speech at the end of the laws of tzaraat. In his description of the lesson one should learn from Miriam’s tzaraat, the resonance with the halakhot of sippur yetziat Mitzrayim comes out.
וְעַל עִנְיָן זֶה מַזְהִיר בַּתּוֹרָה וְאוֹמֵר (דברים כ״ד:ח׳) הִשָּׁמֶר בְּנֶגַע הַצָּרַעַת (דברים כ״ד:ט׳) זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְמִרְיָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ. הֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר הִתְבּוֹנְנוּ מָה אֵרַע לְמִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה שֶׁדִּבְּרָה בְּאָחִיהָ שֶׁהָיְתָה גְּדוֹלָה מִמֶּנּוּ בְּשָׁנִים וְגִּדְלַתּוּ עַל בִּרְכֶּיהָ וְסִכְּנָה בְּעַצְמָהּ לְהַצִּילוֹ מִן הַיָּם וְהִיא לֹא דִּבְּרָה בִּגְנוּתוֹ אֶלָּא טָעֲתָה שֶׁהִשְׁוַתּוּ לִשְׁאָר נְבִיאִים וְהוּא לֹא הִקְפִּיד עַל כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר י״ב:ג׳) וְהָאִישׁ משֶׁה עָנָו מְאֹד וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן מִיָּד נֶעֶנְשָׁה בְּצָרַעַת. קַל וָחֹמֶר לִבְנֵי אָדָם הָרְשָׁעִים הַטִּפְּשִׁים שֶׁמַּרְבִּים לְדַבֵּר גְּדוֹלוֹת וְנִפְלָאוֹת.
Concerning this matter [lashon hara] the Torah says, “Take guard regarding the tzaraat affliction,” “remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way.” It is saying to deeply contemplate what occurred to Miriam the prophetess who spoke against her brother. She, who was greater than him in years, raised him on her lap, risked her life for him to save him from the Sea. And she didn’t speak about his scorn, rather, she made a mistake and compared him to other prophets. And he was in no way mindful of these things, as it says, “and the man Moshe was very humble.” Even so, she was immediately punished with tzaraat.
All the more so, evil, foolish people who excessively speak about big/great and wondrous things.
Tellingly, Rambam adds the word נפלאות/wonders to his description. While the m'sapeir lashon hara in his foolishness speaks excessively about what he considers to be great and wondrous, the m'sapeir b'y'tziat Mitzrayim is commanded to expand upon the truly wondrous and great deeds of the Almighty (Hilkhot Chametz uMatza chapter 7):
מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁלַּתּוֹרָה לְסַפַּר בְּנִסִּים וְנִפְלָאוֹת שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם
It is a positive commandment from the Torah to tell of the miracles and wonders that were done for our forefathers in Egypt.
כָל הַמַּאֲרִיךְ בַּדְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵרְעוּ וְשֶׁהָיוּ, הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.
Anyone who expands upon the matters that happened and that were - this is praiseworthy.
At this point, one significant difference emerges between the scorn we are required to speak on the night of Pesach and the scorn of the slanderer. When it comes to describing the miracles and wonders of the Exodus we are adjured to speak at great length, when it comes to describing the scorn of our ancestors there is no such imperative (and it would probably be prohibited). The slanderer views the mundane scorn of his fellow man as that which is great and wondrous. The teller of the story of the Exodus has no such delusion. Only the works of God are worthy of expansive description—only God’s deeds are truly great and wondrous.
I Am the Lord!
All of this begs the question: even without being expansive, why begin with scorn at all? Why not skip over the lashon hara and launch into what Rambam himself defines as the essential mitzvah: telling of the miracles and wonders done for our forefathers in Egypt!
I believe only one thing can explain this strange halakha. The purpose of Sippur Y'tziat Mitzrayim is exclusively the knowledge of God.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, בֹּא אֶל-פַּרְעֹה: כִּי-אֲנִי הִכְבַּדְתִּי אֶת-לִבּוֹ, וְאֶת-לֵב עֲבָדָיו, לְמַעַן שִׁתִי אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה, בְּקִרְבּוֹ. וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן-בִּנְךָ, אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם, וְאֶת-אֹתֹתַי, אֲשֶׁר-שַׂמְתִּי בָם; וִידַעְתֶּם, כִּי-אֲנִי יְהוָה.
God said to Moses, 'Come to Pharaoh, for I have made heavy his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I would be able to place these, My signs in his midst. And in order that you tell it in the ears of your children and grandchildren how I made a mockery out of Egypt, and My signs that I placed on them. And you will know that I am God.'
We must engage in scorn because to do otherwise would be too great a risk. We must tell the story in this manner because on this night we cannot let anything distract us from recognizing God's greatness. We must make a clear declaration that we were nothing—we were idolater, heretics and slave—we had no role in our redemption. On the night of Pesach we must realize that God alone redeemed us. The exclusivity of God’s redemptive power is the apex of the Haggadah.
ויוציאנו ה', ממצריים--לא על ידי מלאך, לא על ידי שרף, לא על ידי שליח, אלא הקדוש ברוך הוא בכבודו: כמו שנאמר "ועברתי בארץ מצריים, בלילה הזה, והכיתי כל בכור בארץ מצריים, מאדם ועד בהמה; ובכל אלוהי מצריים אעשה שפטים, אני ה'" (שמות יב,יב).
And the Lord took us out from Egypt—not through an angel, not through a saraf, not through a messenger, rather, the Holy One, blessed is He, in His glory. As it says, “And I passed through the land of Egypt on this night, and struck every first-born in the land of Egypt, from man to beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I wrought justice, I am the Lord.
Then those who fear God conversed… and God listened and Paid Heed
Finally, I believe the very structure of the Haggadah and the meal enables the use of scorn as a means to an end. Everything is structured and directed to an enlightening purpose. The slippery slope described in great detail by Rambam at the end of the laws of tzaraat depicts the exact inverse of the intended outcome of sippur yetziat Mitzrayim:
לְפִיכָךְ רָאוּי לְמִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לְכַוֵּן אָרְחוֹתָיו לְהִתְרַחֵק מִישִׁיבָתָן וּמִלְּדַבֵּר עִמָּהֶן כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִתָּפֵס אָדָם בְּרֶשֶׁת רְשָׁעִים וְסִכְלוּתָם.
וְזֶה דֶּרֶךְ יְשִׁיבַת הַלֵּצִים הָרְשָׁעִים בַּתְּחִלָּה מַרְבִּין בְּדִבְרֵי הֲבַאי כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת ה׳:ב׳) וְקוֹל כְּסִיל בְּרֹב דְּבָרִים. וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ בָּאִין לְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּת הַצַּדִּיקִים כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים ל״א:י״ט) תֵּאָלַמְנָה שִׂפְתֵי שָׁקֶר הַדֹּבְרוֹת עַל צַדִּיק עָתָק. וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ יִהְיֶה לָהֶן הֶרְגֵּל לְדַבֵּר בַּנְּבִיאִים וְלָתֵת דֹּפִי בְּדִבְרֵיהֶם כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים ב ל״ו:ט״ז) וַיִּהְיוּ מַלְעִבִים בְּמַלְאֲכֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וּבוֹזִים דְּבָרָיו וּמִתַּעְתְּעִים בִּנְבִאָיו.
וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ בָּאִין לְדַבֵּר בֵּאלֹהִים וְכוֹפְרִין בָּעִקָּר כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים ב י״ז:ט׳) וַיְחַפְּאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא כֵן עַל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. וַהֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהילים ע״ג:ט׳) שַׁתּוּ בַשָּׁמַיִם פִּיהֶם וּלְשׁוֹנָם תִּהֲלַךְ בָּאָרֶץ מִי גָּרַם לָהֶם לָשִׁית בַּשָּׁמַיִם פִּיהֶם לְשׁוֹנָם שֶׁהָלְכָה תְּחִלָּה בָּאָרֶץ. זוֹ הִיא שִׂיחַת הָרְשָׁעִים שֶׁגּוֹרֶמֶת לָהֶן יְשִׁיבַת קְרָנוֹת וִישִׁיבַת כְּנֵסִיּוֹת שֶׁל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ וִישִׁיבַת בָּתֵּי מִשְׁתָּאוֹת עִם שׁוֹתֵי שֵׁכָר.
Therefore a person who seeks to structure his course of conduct should distance himself from their gatherings and from speaking to them so that he will not become caught up in the web of their wickedness and foolishness.
This is the path followed by the gathering of wicked fools: In the beginning, they speak excessively about empty matters, as Ecclesiastes 5:2 states: "The talk of a fool is characterized by a multitude of words." As a result of this, they come to speak negatively of the righteous, as reflected by the verse Psalms 31:19: "May the lying lips be silenced; those which speak falsehood about a righteous man." As a consequence, they will become accustomed to speaking against the prophets and casting aspersions on their words, as reflected by the verse II Chronicles 36:16: "They would abuse the messengers of God, scorn His words, and mock His prophets." And this would lead them to deny God's existence entirely, as reflected in the verse II Kings 17:9: "And the children of Israel spoke in secret things that were not true against God, their Lord."
In this vein, Psalms 73:9 states: "They set their mouths against Heaven and their tongues strut on earth." What caused them to "set their mouths against Heaven"? Their tongues which previously were given free reign on earth. This is the speech of the wicked that is caused by loitering on the streetcorners, frequenting the assemblies of commoners, and spending time at the parties of drunkards.
Rambam concludes the halakhot of tzaraat with a description of the proper path:
אֲבָל שִׂיחַת כְּשֵׁרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא בְּדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָה וְחָכְמָה. לְפִיכָךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹזֵר עַל יָדָן וּמְזַכֶּה אוֹתָן בָּהּ. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג׳:ט״ז) אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי ה׳ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וַיַּקְשֵׁב ה׳ וַיִּשְׁמָע וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן לְפָנָיו לְיִרְאֵי ה׳ וּלְחשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ:
In contrast, the conversing of the legitimate (kasher) of Israel only concerns words of Torah and wisdom. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, assists them and grants them merit because of it, as Malachi 3:16 states: "Then those who fear God conversed, each person with his fellow and God listened and paid heed. And a book of remembrance was composed before Him for those who fear God and contemplate His name."
Speaking of B'nei Yisrael's scorn is only meant as a means to recognizing and praising God. On the night of Pesach we converse with each other about God and nothing else. He alone is our focus.
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