Pesach Shiur - Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

This shiur analyzes the Rambam’s presentation of the Pesach Seder in Hilchos Chametz U’Matzah, focusing especially on why he appends a full Haggadah text and how his version differs from the commonly used נוסח. The Rav explores the meaning of the Rambam’s phrase “נוסח ההגדה שנהגו בו ישראל בזמן הגלות,” contrasting the Seder as practiced in exile with its original form בזמן הבית, when the Korban Pesach was central and the experience was more complete and communal. Through close comparison, the lecture develops a broader conceptual framework: the Seder is not just a fixed ritual text, but an evolving halachic and experiential structure shaped by historical reality—shifting from a Temple-centered reenactment of redemption to a text-driven reenactment in exile—while still preserving the core obligation of reliving יציאת מצרים. __Chapters__ 00:00:00 The Rambam’s נוסח ההגדה 00:29:02 “בזמן הגלות” vs. בזמן הבית — Two Sedarim 00:58:04 The Structure of the Seder as Halachic Experience 01:27:06 Continuity and Transformation — Reliving Yetziyas Mitzrayim