Understanding Aramaic at the Seder
Rabbi Yitchok Lubchansky
In his commentary on the הגדה, the ויגד משה of סערדאהעלי (otherwise known for his extensive work by the same name on the דינים and מנהגים of the סדר) has a fascinating observation about the layout of the סדר. He notes that both the introductory and the concluding sections of the הגדה are in לשון ארמית, Aramaic, whereas everything in between is in לשון הקודש. That is, we begin מגיד with הא לחמא עניא and we conclude נרצה with חד גדיא. The ספרים tell us that Aramaic represents concealment, as opposed to לשון הקודש which represents that is revealed. When we read the פסוקים of the תורה, we see the words as they are written, but behind them is the explanation that is found in the תרגום which is not be explicitly read in the פסוק itself.
The ויגד משה explains that the goal of the סיפור יציאת מצרים on פסח is to bring us to אמונה שלמה, complete belief in the רבונו של עולם. We see from the discussion of our departure from מצרים how He watches over us and is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives with His tremendous kindness, and it is only Him who has dominion over the land and the heavens to do as He sees fit.
Therefore, says the ויגד משה, we begin and conclude the סדר with Aramaic, because through the מצוות of the night we come to the realization that even when we are living in times of concealment and we do not clearly see the יד השם, through the “revealed” words of the discussions of the ליל הסדר, in between the “concealment” of לשון ארמית, we reinforce our אמונה שלמה that the רבונו של עולם is indeed involved in our lives at all times with tremendous kindness.
In the הגדה הלל נרצה, authored by the ערוגת הבושם (the grandfather-in-law of the ויגד משה) there is another explanation for why we recite הא לחמא עניא in לשון ארמית. He cites that some have the מנהג to recite a piece from the זוהר before the סדר (which happens to be another introductory section of the הגדה in לשון ארמית) which tells us that the רבונו של עולם Himself comes to every סדר on ליל פסח and He declares the pride He has in His children who are fulfilling the מצוות of פסח and telling over the סיפור יציאת מצרים. He cites the גמרא in מסכת שבת that tells us that while it is usually preferred to daven in לשון הקודש, if we are in the presence of a חולה we can pray in לשון ארמית. Although the מלאכים who usually assist in bringing up our תפילות do not understand לשון ארמית, since the שכינה is present at the bedside of a חולה, we do not need the services of the מלאכים. Says the ערוגת הבושם, we begin the סדר with a declaration in לשון ארמית to show that we recognize the רבונו של עולם Himself is present with us for the ליל התקדש חג.
Perhaps we can be כורך these two concepts together. We say הא לחמא עניא in a way that reflects the concealment we experience, but this expression is said in a way that reminds us that the רבונו של עולם is truly with us on the ליל פסח, and בעזרת השם we will carry this lesson with us to קבלת התורה and throughout the year.
