Passover Seder - Meditations on the Glasses of Wine (Exodus 6:6-8)

 בס"ד

In the opening lines of parshat VaEra the Holy One Blessed be He tells the nation of Israel that he is taking them out of Egypt, taking them for himself, and settling them in the land of Israel. This is typically brought as the reason for drinking four cups of wine at the Passover Seder. 

It is brought in halacha to drink a glass of wine after a meal which had bread during grace after meals. On Shabbat and Yom Tov a second is drunk on Kiddush at the beginning of the meal. On Passover a third cup is drunk in the middle of the Psalms of Hallel specifically concerning redemption and a fourth one at the conclusion of the seder.   

Exodus 6:6 brings three phrases expressing the idea of departure with increasing intensity. The first וְהוֹצֵאתִי is simply the language of exit. So to speak Israel is leaving Egypt and its attendant sufferings. The second וְהִצַּלְתִּי is the language of being rescued from a bad job. It conveys the idea of being trapped and in danger. The third is גָאַלְתִּי redeem which gives the impression of a period of convalesence. Each of these is deserving of a glass of wine. 

Exodus 6:7 for which a cup of wine is drunk is a bit different. This one is in honor and thanksgiving for being taken to be the unique nation of G-d. Exodus 6:8 is about being settled in the land of Israel. A cup of wine is not drunk for this, rather it is set aside for Elijah the prophet, who will come to herald in the messianic era. 

So to speak we are clay in the hands of a potter or plants in the field of a gardener. The direction of the Jewish people is towards religion and the land of Israel. From the standpoint of the text it is more a description of the way the world is operating. The Almighty and all powerful G-d is telling us what He is doing. From the standpoint of religious philosophy these are viewed as blessings. The blessing of getting out of a miserable situation is clear. The blessing of religion is clear, too, for a person of perception. The land of Israel is also a blessing but it comes with a lot of work.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

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