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Matchila Ovdei Avodah Zara
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Matchila Ovdei Avodah Zara by Heidi

“At first our forefathers worshiped idols, but then the Omnipresent brought us near to divine service, as it is written: "Joshua said to all the people: so says the L-rd G-d of Israel--your fathers have always lived beyond the Euphrates River, Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor; they worshipped other gods. I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through all the land of Canaan. I multiplied his family and gave him Isaac. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau; to Esau I gave Mount Seir to inherit, however Jacob and his children went down to Egypt."

This section of the seder begins the Passover narrative after deciding when the real story of our Exodus begins. The main question is deciphering when and how we should relate the details of our past and our whole story as a nation. The Mishnah in Pesachim 116 states that we should begin with mentioning the Gnut - dishonourable events and conclude with the Shevach - praiseworthy events. There is a debate in the Gemara as to what constitutes Gnut and what is Shevach (the redemptive process). Shmuel claims that Gnut was a purely physical state. For example, the Israelites were "slaves in Egypt; they worked very hard and then Hashem gave granted their freedom". This refers to the section in the Haggada "Avadim Hayinu" meaning "we were slaves.” Rav contrasts this view with Gnut being a spiritual process. He says that the Israelites worshipped idols in Egypt and Hashem led them out of Egypt, not to free them from slavery but rather to publicize Hashem to the Israelites and to give them the Torah. Ein Lecha Ben Chorin – the real free person is one who studies Torah. Therefore, Pesach is not a celebration of freedom from slavery but of freedom to worship Hashem. This is known in the Haggada as "Matchila Ovdei Avodah Zara Hayu Avoteinu" which translates to "at the beginning our ancestors worshipped idols". It appears as though Rav and Shmuel are arguing about which factor needs to be stressed, the servitude of the soul or the servitude of the body. Yet when delving deeper, we can assume that the two ideas actually agree with one another. In fact when looking in the Haggada, we notice that we mention both notions. After Ma Nishtana we say we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and Hashem took us out of there with a strong hand in Avadim Hayinu, and this combines with Shmuel’s thought process. Later, however, we mention the fact that our ancestors started out as idol worshippers in this section--Ovdei Avoda Zara Hayu Avotenu--and Hashem brought us closer to Him when He granted us with the Torah. It would seem that from this that in the Haggada we wish to apply both understandings and hence mention both themes of physicality and spirituality.
haggadah Section: -- Four Children

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