INTRODUCTION:  Leave It In Egypt!

A HOLY Script, recited on a HOLY occasion in a specific order (that makes it MORE HOLY) by people who choose to be HOLY mitigates unholy equivalents. Creator's 13 Attributes of Mercy ( Exodus 34:7 ), forgive Iniquity, Willful Sin and Error. Moses restated those Attributes (Exodus 34:9) omitting "Willful Sin."

Consequently willful sins had no direct atonement through animal offerings and required steps to mitigate them to lower categories of sin for which the Great Day of Atonement could then atone. (Or in the case of the House of Joseph later removed from Covenant, a tzaddik could suffer. (Isaiah 53) .

The Seder night is all about matters dealing with "lashan hara " (the evil tongue), reciting the Haggadah -- even if it keeps us up until midnight, as it should. Shavuot, (commemorating the giving of the Torah after souls are prepared "Counting the Omer" for 49 days) mitigates willful sinful thoughts. Succot, (when we build succahs and eat and sleep in them and invite guests) mitigates willful sinful actions.

Bread made hastily (with no time to gossip) eaten with BITTER herbs by a "mouth" that "tells or converses" (PEH-SACH) redeems our speech. We dip Parsley (karPAS) is salt water -- reminding us of the garment of Joseph (PAS) dipped in blood by our gossip and slander and backbiting that led to Joseph's exile and all of Israel winding up in the Lands of Unclean Lips (Egypt or MITZRAYIM) we all return one night a year as METZORAHS (afflicted with biblical tzara'at (leprousy) for our collective "sins of the tongue."

Moses arrived with the Codewords of Joseph, "God shall surely remember you" and showed the elders of Israel his hand restored from TZARA'AT. The elders knew their deliverance from PHAROAH (Heb. PEH-RO'AH or "mouth of evil") was at hand.

May this Passover be the time we "leave it all in Egypt" so that Joseph and Judah may again sit at the same table and enjoy fellowship without enmity or vexation.

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haggadah Section: Introduction