The Four Cups – ארבע כוסות
The Talmud Yerushalmi (Pesachim 10a) informs us that
the four cups that we drink at the seder are based on the four expressions
of redemption that are found at the beginning of Parshat Vaera (Shemot
6:6-8):
ו.לכן אמור לבני ישראל: אני ה'. והוצאתי
אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים, והצלתי אתכם מעבדתם, וגאלתי
אתכם בזרוע נטויה ובשפטים גדולים.
ז. ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם והייתי לכם לא-לקים, וידעתם
כי אני ה' א-לקיכם המוציא אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים.
ח. והבאתי אתכם אל הארץ אשר נשאתי את ידי
לתת אותה לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב …
(6) Say therefore to the children
of Israel: I am the L-rd. And I will take you out
from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will save you
from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an
outstretched arm and with great judgements.
(7) And I will take you to me as a people (this refers
to the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai) and I will be your G-d, and
you shall know that I am the L-rd your G-d who takes you out from
under the burdens of Egypt.
(8) And I will bring you to the land, concerning
which I swore with an uplifted hand to give to Avraham, Yitzchak,
and Yaacov…
1) Explain
the gradual change that takes place from the first expression to the
second, then to the third, and to the fourth.
Suggested Answer: The
sequence of the four expressions of redemption reflects the changing
relationship between Bnai Yisrael and both the Egyptians and G-d,
as follows:
1) “And I will take you out from
under the burdens of Egypt” – Bnai Yisrael are at this
point in total subjugation to the Egyptians.
2) “And I will save you from their bondage” – Here
the Egyptian bondage is still a factor, but the Egyptians are not
mentioned by name. This reflects a lessening of the subjugation.
3) “And I will redeem you” – Here the Egyptians
and the bondage are not referred to at all, reflecting a liberation
from Egyptian subjugation.
4) “And I will take you to me as a people” – After
being completely liberated from the Egyptians, Bnai Yisrael can forge
a new relationship with G-d.
2) It has been noted that this section actually includes
a fifth expression of redemption, והבאתי – “ And I will
bring (you to the land…)”. According to many commentators,
this cup is reflected in the cup of Elijah.
The Or Hachaim noted another difficulty in this section:
Why is the consequence “and you shall know that I am the L-rd
your G-d” placed after the four promises (והוצאתי, והצלתי, וגאלתי, ולקחתי)
and before the fifth (והבאתי) ? Shouldn’t it come at
the conclusion of all of the promises ? The following is his answer:
The statement “you shall know that I am the L-rd
your G-d” is deliberately placed before that of “I shall
bring you to the land” to stress that this was the precondition
for the fulfillment of the “I shall bring you to the land”.
Failing this (the acknowledgement of G-d), they would not enjoy the
fulfillment of the subsequent promises.
Questions:
1) How does Or Hachaim solve the textual difficulty ?
2) How does his solution diverge from the generally accepted meaning
of the text ?
Suggested Answers:
a) Or Hachaim suggests that the placement of this phrase indicates
that the recognition of G-d is a precondition for the fulfillment
of the latter promise, the entry into Eretz Yisrael. In other words,
the fulfillment of that aspect is not only dependent on G-d, but also
on the faith and recognition demonstrated by Bnai Yisrael. Without
this recognition, G-d would not fulfill the promise of entry into
Eretz Yisrael.
b) This interpretation differs from the
usual understanding of the expression, which seems to be a consequence
of the promises. Or Hachaim interprets it as a condition, rather than
a consequence.
3) There are those who solve the difficulty raised
by the Or Hachaim alternatively based on the famous dictum of R. Akiva
in Pirke Avot 3:14:
He used to say: “Beloved is man that he was created
in the image of G-d; but it was by a greater love that it was made
known to him that he was created in the image of G-d.
Question: Why, according to this opinion, does the phrase “and
you shall know that I am the L-rd your G-d” come specifically
where it does ?
Suggested Answer: According
to this explanation, the statement “and you shall know that
I am the L-rd your G-d” represent a blessing that is a consequence
of the previous promise, the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. It
is a special gift given by G-d rather than a condition placed on Bnai
Yisrael before entering the land. According to Nechama, the knowledge
of G-d was the primary goal of the exodus of Egypt. That recognition
would give greater meaning and purpose to the entry into Eretz Yisrael.
4) How do these commentaries help to explain why we drink four rather
than five cups of wine at the seder ?
Suggested Answer: Both
of these commentaries demonstrate that the Torah text itself separates
the first four expressions of redemption from the fifth expression
(והבאתי) with the statement “and you shall know that I am the
L-rd your G-d”.
According to Or Hachaim, the statement
divides between those aspects that are solely within G-d’s purview,
and the aspects that require the involvement of Bnai Yisrael.
According to the second commentary, the placement of the phrase “and
you shall know that I am the L-rd your G-d” indicates that the
fourth expression (ולקחת – the giving of the Torah at Sinai
and the subsequent recognition of G-d) represents the primary goal
of the redemption from Egypt.
Nechama herself explained that the fifth expression
“והבאתי” is not reflected in a cup of wine at the seder
because, although the promise would be fulfilled, the Jews would subsequently
go into exile. While the impact of the first four promises was eternal,
the fulfillment of the fifth would be interrupted. Nechama added that
when the State of Israel was established, Rav Menachem Kasher (author
of the תורה שלמה) tried unsuccessfully to convince the Rabbinate to
institute a fifth cup.
1. Interestingly, Rav Soloveitchik made a similar comment
on the fact that the Mishna (Pesachim 10:4) requires that the seder include
a study of the section of the Torah that begins with ארמי אובד אבי (Devarim
26:5) "until he completes the entire section." He points out that the section
actually ends with verse 9 that reads: "And he brought us (ויביאנו) to this
place, and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey." This
verse, however, is not included in the text of the Haggadah. Just as the
final expression of redemption (והבאתי) is not included in the cups of wine
at the seder, so too the final verse (ויביאנו) is excluded from the Haggadah.
From this, Rav Soloveitchik similarly concluded that the giving of the Torah
was the primary goal of the exodus from Egypt, and a necessary step that
would give meaning to entering Eretz Yisrael.