[Avodah] They and Them, or We and Us

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Apr 05, 2009 at 12:47:51PM +0000, kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:
: I had been planning on beginning our Seder with something like...
:> I often hear people saying things like "The Bnai Yisrael left Mitzrayim",
:> or "80% of them died during the Choshech." It drives me crazy when I
:> hear such things. We should not say "Bnai Yisrael" and "them". We should
:> be saying "we" and "us". ...                               But on this
: night, the whole point of which is to re-experience Yetzias Mitzrayim,
: as if we ourselves we were, I feel that it is very important to use
: these words. It will inevitably help us to get into that mindset...

: But upon reviewing the Hagada, I find that even on this night, even
: the Hagada itself does not go to the extreme that I've suggested. Just
: one example would be in the remark "shehayu Yisrael m'tzuyanim sham -
: Israel was distinctive there." ...

Much of Maggid wasn't written for Maggid. For example, you're quoting
the Sifri on Devarim 26:5. Rabban Gamliel omeir is a mishnah in Pesachim
(10:5).

Avadim hayinu, and Bitechilah ovedei AZ OTOH, are in first person and as
AFAIK were written for the Hagaddah. (Dayeinu too, for that matter.)

(I didn't go through all of Maggid to see if this answer fully works.
Worload is such that I went in to the office on ch"m.)

:-)||ii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 4th day
micha at aishdas.org        in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Netzach sheb'Chesed: When is Chesed an
Fax: (270) 514-1507                           imposition on others?