Arami Oved Avi: Why is the Bikkurim Proclamation Recited in the Haggada?
Arami Oved Avi:
Why is the Bikkurim Proclamation Recited in the Haggada?
Rav Yosef
Why did the rabbis choose to relate the Exodus from Egypt by analyzing verses
which appear in the Torah as a proclamation recited when bringing bikkurim, the
first fruits?
Why do we expound on verses from Devarim and not from Shemot?
At first blush, it would seem that the book of Shemot would be the best
way to tell the story of the Exodus from
A technical answer to why this was chosen is that had we utilized the verses in
the book of Shemot, it would have made the Haggada much longer and we
might have been obliged to skip certain verses. When we use the verses that were
chosen, dealing with the first fruits, we can cover the complete story with a
relatively short passage. Thus by reciting this passage, one can more readily
fulfill the exposition, in the words of the Mishna, that “He expounds... until
he completes the whole section.”
Another reason for choosing these verses is related to the fact that the verses
in Devarim are recited as part of the ceremony of bringing one’s first
fruits to the
One can add another reason: the commandment of bringing the first fruits to the
We can offer yet another reason why the Haggada uses the verses in Devarim
instead of those in Shemot. While it is true that the text regarding the
first fruits is much shorter than that in Shemot, the former text does
not look only at the Exodus from
This principle of the importance of reviewing the past in order to thank God at
present, is manifest not only in the proclamation recited on bringing the first
fruits, but it is indeed implicit in the very notion of the first fruits. The
first fruits are the first crops, “the first fruits of the land.” The first
fruits return the person to his beginnings, to the source. The person takes the
first fruit which reminds him to think about his primary principles, his
foundation, and he thus begins to think of the beginnings of the Nation of
Israel, the forefathers of our nation, and the good which God granted to them
and to us.
One may combine the last two ideas mentioned in the verses about the first
fruits: the thankfulness brought out in this commandment, and our examination of
the past. Thankfulness causes us to thank God for all the good He is giving us
right now, but at the same time, when we look back to the past we are grateful
to Him for all that He has done for the Nation of Israel, from its founding
until now. This emerges from the word of the Sefer Ha-chinukh (mitzva
606):
An underlying principle [behind the
commandment of the first fruits] is for a person to turn his thoughts to arrive
at the truth in his heart and actualize it verbally. Thus when God has helped
him and has blessed him and his land by bearing fruits, and he has merited to
bring the fruits to the House of our God, it is fitting for him to think and
verbally express that everything came to him from the Master of the Universe,
and he should speak of His kindness to us and to all of Israel in general. That
is why the declaration begins with our forefather Yaakov, whom God rescued from
Lavan, and from our servitude to the Egyptians, with God saving us from their
hands. After the praise, the person asks God to perpetuate the blessing upon
him.
By being grateful to God for all the good He has done for us throughout the
generations, we will internalize within ourselves that everything is from God:
“because everything came to him from the Master of the Universe” (ibid.).
General thanks:
In the entire section in the Torah about the first fruits, the description of
the slavery in Egypt and of the Exodus from Egypt are formulated in language
which includes the entire nation, throughout all the generations – particularly
the time of the person making the declaration at the time. Thus, one who brings
first fruits states: “the Egyptians treated us cruelly,” “and afflicted us,” “we
cried out to the Lord,” and “the Lord brought us out from
Giving thanks in the Land of Israel:
The first fruits ceremony is especially
uplifting, as the Torah tells the Nation of Israel how to thank God for the
Exodus from Egypt when they entered the Land of Israel. Entering the land (using
the root bet-yud-alef) is stressed four times in the section of
the first fruits: “when you come (tavo) to the land,” “you shall bring (tavi)
from your land,” “I came (ba’ti) to the land,” “He brought us (va-yevi’einu)
to this place.” Also, the bringing of the first fruits themselves is described
in terms of bringing, “I have brought (heiveiti) the first fruits of the
land.”
We are privileged to have come to the land, and to bring our first fruits from
it. When we finally come to our land and can live peacefully and in harmony, we
must always remember, by bringing the first fruits, our roots and origin,
namely, to remember the Exodus from
To summarize:
What is uniquely appropriate about the proclamation of the first fruits for the
Haggada?
a) It is a complete unit, which we can learn completely at one time and
succinctly.
b) In these verses, the Torah teaches us how to tell the Exodus from
c) The section on the first fruits deals with gratitude (it uses a number of
different constructs with the root nun-tav-nun related to
“giving”), and from our own personal gratitude we will learn to thank God for
all of the good which He does.
d) The section on the first fruits describes not only the Exodus from
e) The first fruits themselves are “first,” which reminds us to look and give
thanks for the roots from which we came.
f) The proclamation over the first fruits is recited in the plural, including
the entire Nation of Israel, throughout all the generations, including all the
difficulties which it has faced and its redemption ever since it was founded.
Each individual knows that his success, too, is part of the community! In every
generation - a person must regard himself as if he had left
g) The proclamation over the first fruits is made within the
Translated by Rabbi Dr.