Mishnah Pesahim 10:6

Date: 200 CE to 220 CE

Centuries: 3rd CE

Languages: Hebrew

Category: Jewish

Literary Genre: Legal text

Reference: Pesahim 10:6

Title: Mishnah

Commentary:

This passage from the Mishnah discusses the recitation of Hallel during the Seder, which is held on Passover eve. The Hallel refers to a group of psalms (Ps. 113-118) that were recited on certain festivals and special occasions to offer thanks to God (as in this case, on Passover for Israel's delivery from Egypt). During the Second Temple period, the Passover sacrifice was eaten in Jerusalem. After its destruction, the Seder feast, which has evolved over time, began to be performed at home and it included drinking four cups of wine, eating foods whose symbolic meanings illustrate the Exodus narrative, and reciting liturgical passages that include biblical verses, benedictions and Hallel.

Mishnah Pesahim10:6 discusses which sections of the Hallel shouldbe recited before the third cup. First the Mishnah describes an argument between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel, which were both active during the first century (up to the destruction of the Temple), over where Psalm 114 should be included. According to the next mishnah (Pesahim10:7), after the Passover feast one should conclude the entire Hallel. Thus, the argument between these two schools concerns the placement of Psalm 114, which explicitly describes the exodus of Israel from Egypt: should it precede or follow the meal? Tosefta Pesahim 10:9 conveys the discussion between these two schools:

...אמרו בית שמיי לבית הלל וכי כבר יצאו שמזכירין יציאת מצרים אמרו להם בית הלל אפילו הוא ממתין עד קרות הגבר הרי אילו לא יצאו עד שש שעות ביום. היאך אומר את הגאולה ועדין לא נגאלו.

The School of Shammai said to the School of Hillel: “Have they already departed, that [they should] mention the exodus from Egypt [here]?” The School of Hillel answered (lit: said to) them: “Even if he waited until the crowing of the cock, they would have not departed until the sixth hour of the day…”

After mentioning the positions of the two schools regarding the Hallel, the Mishnah states that one should conclude this recitation with a benediction of redemption (ge’ulah), “Blessed are You our Lord who redeems(go’el) Israel.” Or, alternatively, “Blessed are You our Lord who redeemed (ga’al) Israel.”

Indeed, manuscripts transmit variations of the verb in this blessing, which is cited by Rabbi Akiva at the end of this Mishnah. In MS Paris, we find ga’al;in MS Parma, we find go’el; finally,in MS Kaufmann, the initial scribe wrote go’el but the one who added vocalization changed it to ge’al. However, Barak Dan (“ga’al Israel,” p. 172) asserts that, in tannaitic Hebrew, both forms of this verb mean “(he) who redeems.” Thus, God not only delivered Israel from Egypt but He will deliver them in the future too.

At that point, the Mishnah cites Rabbi Tarfon who, like Rabbi Akiva, lived during the late first century CE and the early decades of the second century. Rabbi Tarfon states that the following line should be recited: “[He who] redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt and brought us [to] this night,” but without concluding with a benediction that recalls redemption (ge’ulah). In this comment, it seems that Rabbi Tarfon is focusing on past redemption. As Debra Reed Blank writes: “Tarfon’s version … is exclusively past-oriented; Tarfon not only omits any reference to a future redemption, he includes no ḥatimah” (the term ḥatimah refers to a concluding benediction), (Reed Blank, “The Curious Theological Grammar of ga’al Yisra’el, p. 18).

After citing Rabbi Tarfon, the Mishnah quotes Rabbi Akiva saying that one should not only recite the benediction of redemption, but he also proposes an addition: “So the Lord our God, God of our fathers will bring us to the festivals that are approaching us peacefully, rejoicing in the eternal Temple (lit. Building) to partake of (lit: eat from) the Passover sacrifices and the [other] sacrifices whose blood will reach the wall of your altar according to [your] will and we will thank you for our redemption. Blessed are You our Lord who redeems (go’el or ga’al) Israel.” This formulation indicates trust in God as the redeemer of Israel not only in the past but also in the present. Rabbi Akiva’s version thus articulates a belief in an imminent rebuilding and, furthermore, it vividly describes impending festivals in the new Temple, referred to as “the eternal Temple.” Despite the fact that Rome is not mentioned here, it seems that this depiction of deliverance, which results in a final, permanent Temple in Jerusalem, implies a challenge to Roman rule.