By Rabbi Daniel Roselaar, Alei Tzion
One of the most important mitzvot on the first nights of Pesach is to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Though there is a requirement to mention the Exodus every day throughout the year, the mitzvah on the Seder nights is substantially different – throughout the year it is sufficient to merely make a brief reference to the Exodus, whereas on Pesach the story must be told in detail.
Several rabbinic commentators express their surprise that prior to reading the Haggadah we do not recite a beracha (blessing) recognising the mitzvah, as we do with so many other mitzvot. Numerous answers have been advanced to explain this omission, including the following:
- The mitzvah has already been fulfilled with the recitation of Kiddush, which mentions Zecher litziyat mitzrayim / a memorial to the Exodus. (Rabbenu Peretz)
- A slave who is freed from servitude naturally wants to give praise to the Almighty for releasing him. Thus, since we would be naturally inclined to thank God in any event for redeeming our ancestors from Egypt, there is no requirement to recite a special beracha. (Sfat Emet)
- The Baruch Hamakom passage that precedes the Four Sons is actually a form of beracha over the Maggid section of the Haggadah, in which the story of the Exodus is told. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik)