Mishneh Torah, Leavened and Unleavened Bread 7

Sugya Map

• Issue: The nature of the mitzvah of Sippur Yetziat Mitzrayim on the Seder night—how it differs from the daily obligation to recall the Exodus.
• Nafka Mina: Whether the obligation is essentially "remembrance" (zichron) or "narrative elaboration" (sippur), and how this defines the structure of the Seder (questions, dialogue, and changes).
• Primary Sources: Exodus 13:3, Exodus 13:8, Pesachim 116a, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chametz U’Matzah 7:1-6.

Text Snapshot

Rambam states: "It is a positive commandment... to relate the miracles and wonders... as it states: 'Remember this day' Exodus 13:3... just as it states: 'Remember the Sabbath day' Exodus 20:8." Leshon Nuance: The comparison to Shabbat is pivotal. As Ohr Sameach notes, just as Shabbat has a Torah-level "remembrance" (rest) and a rabbinic-level "remembrance" (Kiddush over wine), so too, the Sippur is the Torah-level core, while the Haggadah/wine are the rabbinic structures to ensure the narrative is told effectively.

Readings

• Yad Eitan: Argues the Rambam derives the comparison to Shabbat from Midrash Rabbah (Bo 18), equating the zichron of Creation with the zichron of the Exodus to establish that miracles must be recalled as proof of Divine sovereignty over nature.
• Sefer HaMenucha: Emphasizes that the "changes" instituted (snatching matzah, removing the table) are strictly functional: they are pe’ulot (actions) designed to pique curiosity, transforming the evening from a passive lecture into an interactive dialogue.

Friction

Kushya: If the mitzvah is to "tell your son" Exodus 13:8, why does Rambam insist that even a solitary individual must ask himself? Terutz: The essence of Sippur is not just the transmission of information, but the experience of dialogue. By asking "Why is this night different?", one moves from the intellectual realm to the existential, fulfilling the mandate to "see himself as if he left Egypt" Pesachim 116b. The question is the vehicle for the empathy required to bridge the gap between memory and identity.

Intertext

• Deuteronomy 5:15: "Remember that you were a slave..." This is the structural anchor for the personal identification required by Rambam (7:6).
• Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 473: Codifies these Rambamian heuristics, specifically regarding the need for wine to catalyze the narrative.

Psak/Practice

The Rambam’s meta-psak is clear: The Seder is a theatrical mitzvah. If the children are not asking, the parent must invent the friction. If one is alone, the internal dialogue is mandatory. The psak is that the "story" is not a reading, but an experiential reconstruction.

Takeaway

The Seder is not a lecture; it is a laboratory of empathy. If the narrative isn't provoking a question, the mitzvah is not yet being fulfilled.