[Avodah] No Simcha on Pesach?

[Daas Books]

Here¹s a related Q

Why does the Passuk by Pesach say (16:3), ³so that you will remember...²
(lmaan tizkor) - what is this end of the passuk modifying? The eating of the
matza, or the departing in haste?

Rashi says it¹s the eating of the matza. How is eating matza in April going
to help me remember in November?
Sforno agrees that it¹s eating the matza, and he connects it to the
springtime requirement, which will require us to adjust the calendar and
therefore always be cognizant. But according to this, the goal of
remembering every day only applies to the Sanhedrin and by the way, there is
no reason to worry about it every day, because they only had to start
worrying about the calendar in Adar.

If however we say that the ³in order² is going on the leaving in haste, then
it makes sense - ³I made you leave in haste in order that you would remember
every day of your life² - and indeed, that event made such an impression
that when we mention it in our daily prayers and Shabbos Kiddush etc one has
a very strong memory of it.

This is not necessarily going against Rashi. Maybe Rashi means eating matza
etc. as part of the annual re-enactment that we do in order that we should
revitalize that memory and enable our daily memory of it to remain fresh.

If so, then this may also answer Micha¹s question. When I am reliving the
Exodus, there is no greater joy than that! This memory is what gives my life
meaning! No commandment needed. The other two holidays don¹t have the
reliving-the-Exodus aspect. They are commemorations, but not re-enactments.
After all, the first passuk of Dayenu is ³If He had only taken us out of
Egypt² - so that¹s the starting point of appreciation.

My 2-bits, as my grandfather would have said.

Alexander Seinfeld


On 4/15/12 9:41 PM, "avodah-request at lists.aishdas.org"
<avodah-request at lists.aishdas.org> wrote:

> From: Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org>
> 
> I noticed something odd about the leining for the 8th day of Pesach.
> (Devarim 16).
> 
> Pesach and Matzos are not called a chag, nor is there any mention
> of simchah. Shavuos is "chag Shvuos" (v 9) and "vesamachta lifnei H'
> E-lokekha" (v 10). Similarly "chas haSukos" (v 13) and "vesamachta
> bechagekha" (v 14). But Pesach is just about the qorban, matzah and
> chameitz. No notion of holiday or of joy -- although there is in Emor.
> Why not?
> 

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