How was assimilation prevented in Egypt?

When our patriarch Ya’aqob was getting ready to descend to Egypt and reunite with his son Yosef —Egypt’s second most powerful man— he feared and hesitated. HaShem them revealed to Ya’aqob and said: “Do not be afraid to descend to Egypt, Ya’aqob, there I will make you a great nation”.

What was Ya’aqob afraid of?

AVOIDING THE INEVITABLE

Our last patriarch feared that his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren would assimilate into the prestigious Egyptian culture, and end up becoming “Egyptians of Semitic origin”. The assimilation of immigrants to the land that welcomes them is not only common, but normal and in a certain way, desirable. In the United States there are grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Italian, Irish or Polish immigrants, who arrived here at the beginning of the 20th century (or before!). Today, they consider themselves 100% American. They do not have, to my knowledge, any “existential” connection with the ancient land of their ancestors, and their ancient traditions,  except perhaps in culinary matters. This was Ya’aqob’s fear. That his descendants would assimilate.

Ya’aqob did two things to prevent assimilation. Firstly,  according to our Sages, Ya’aqob sent Yehuda before the family arrived and entrusted him with the organization of a sort of a Hebrew school or Talmud Tora. In this way, they could continue to instill in their children the values ​​of Abraham Abinu.

Second, Ya’aqob asked (demanded!) Yosef to take his body and bury it in the land of Israel. In this way, his grandchildren and great grandchildren would always keep in mind that their place is in Israel.  

YOSEF JOINS FORCES

Yosef, on the other hand, also took several measures to avoid assimilation.

First, he established his family in the land of Goshen, a separated land. And he make it clear to Pharaoh, and to his own family, that they would continue to dedicate themselves to cattle raising, a job that was taboo for Egyptians, because of their religious belief (they believed, like many hindus today, that some animals embodied the spirit of gods or dead people, and need to be left alone). In this way, Yosef wanted his family to maintain a limited social relationship with the Egyptians.  And finally, Yosef, as his father did, made his descendants swear that his body will also be taken out of Egypt to the land of Israel.

CLOTHING, NAMES AND LANGUAGE

And then, there is more. At the cultural side, Jews refused to adopt certain elements of Egyptian society. The children and descendants of Israel kept the traditional Semitic dress, and did not adopt the Egyptian dress code. Most likely Jewish men would have a short beard and special colored tunics The image we see below shows a Semitic family (the Egyptians were not Semites) that came from Canaan and we can clearly see the beards and tunics, as opposed to the shaven (or beardless) Egyptians with white tunics or skirts .  The dress code of the descendants of Ya’aqob was significant enough to be visually distinguished from the non-Jews. 

Our Sages also explained that Jews did not change their Hebrew names for Egyptian names. Thus, even when a Jew was not present or seen, if someone mentioned “Levi” or “Shimon” they knew that they were referring to a Jewish individual. 

Finally, they did not change their language. This means that parents spoke Hebrew at their house and teachers probably spoke Hebrew in the schools. And perhaps, if the Jews mother language was Hebrew, when they spoke Egyptian they spoke it with a “Hebrew accent”.

EGYPT, SEEN FROM CHINA

Regarding the origin of these thee elements, my son David, who was a Rabbi in the Sepharadic synagogue in Shanghai (China), shared with me his Chiddush. He told me that these three elements were mentioned by the Tora in the story of Yosef, when forcibly he had to become part of Egyptian society. The very first thing that Egyptians did to Yosef when he was taking out of prison was shaving him and dress him like an Egyptian. Then, the  Egyptians changed his Hebrew name”Yosef” for an Egyptian name, “Tsafenat Pa’aneah” (the decipherer of the occult). And finally, we also witness that Yosef embraces  the Egyptian language as his first language, since when he communicated with his brothers, before revealing his true identity, he did so through an interpreter.  I do not think it is coincidence that these same three elements have been identified by our Sages (or perhaps by Yosef hismlef!) as key elements that lead to or accelerate the process of assimilation of a human group into its new home.

LEARNING FROM THE PAST

Summarizing and thinking about our present reality, we learn that 3500 years ago our ancestors did every possible effort to avoid assimilation by having their own Jewish education system;  maintaining a very strong connection with the land of Israel;  living in community; working in jobs with limited interaction with Egyptians; wearing something that indicated that they were Jewish (similar, for example, to a Kippa today); maintaining their Hebrew names and learning and speaking Hebrew: the language of Abraham, Yitshaq and Ya’aqob. .

IS A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT GOOD FOR THE JEWS?

וַיָּ֥קָם מֶֽלֶךְ־חָדָ֖שׁ עַל־מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע אֶת־יוֹסֵֽף

A new king arose over Egypt, who did not recognize Joseph. Shemot, Exodus, 1:8

We have already explained (Exodus 1: 7) that after two or three generations of arriving in Egypt, the Jews born there began to feel at home: the first thing they did was to leave their community, Goshen, and venture into Egyptian territory looking for new economic opportunities (see here). The next verse tells us how the situation of the Jews began to get worse. Exodus 1: 8 says, “And then a new king arose in Egypt, who did not recognize Yosef.” A NEW DYNASTY There were two ways to become a new Pharaoh in Egypt: inheriting the throne from the father (or grandfather), or leading a coup against the monarch on duty. Everything seems to indicate that in this case it was the latter, a military revolt that produced a new dynasty, something not uncommon in Egypt. As usual in these cases, the allies of the previous government are now the enemies of the government in power. The Jews enjoyed a privileged position with the Pharaoh of Yosef’s time. This new King, however, “did not recognize” Yosef. This is not to say that he had never heard of him: Yosef was extremely famous. He saved Egypt’s economy with his prophetic predictions of the famine years and served Egypt loyally. The Egyptians deeply thanked Yosef for saving their lives and giving them food and seeds to plant. Yosef was a national hero. But now the new Pharaoh decides to rewrite history and sentence Yosef not to oblivion but to disgrace. Why? THE NEED FOR AN ENEMY The Italian philosopher Umberto Eco explained in his essay “Building an enemy” that for many rulers, especially dictators, an enemy, real or imagined, is an essential necessity. It serves the dictator to consolidate his power by creating a feeling of national unity based on hatred for a common foe. The enemy will be blamed for all the ills of the state. Which will serve the tyrant as a perfect distraction from internal problems that he cannot solve. For centuries, humanity’s favorite enemy has been the Jewish people. And this phenomenon, which still persists — for example, in the United Nations’ obsession against Israel — was born in Egypt. The new Pharaoh redefined Yosef and his descendants as “enemies of the people.” And for a long time I asked myself how did it happen? Was it possible to rewrite history, erase the national memory of a people and turn heroes into villains? NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN I’ve seen some similarities between what happened with Yosef and some events that took place in America during recent months. There are some extremist groups in the United States who are dedicated, among other things, to erasing the historical memory of this country, by demonizing “national heroes.” Take, for example, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; who served as the third president of this country, and was, among other things, the main author of the Declaration of Independence and a defender of democracy and individual rights. But since he was a slave owner, which in those days was the accepted norm, he is criticized and demonized as if he “would own slaves today, in 2021”. Or Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the president who put an end to slavery in the United States! The statues of these heroes have been destroyed or vandalized. Schools that bear their names will be renamed. And the same is happening with Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, or in England with Captain James Cook and others. These radical revisionist are trying to rewrite history in an anachronistic way, based on a political agenda, turning the heroes of the past into the new villains of the present. A MIDRASH AND CURRENT EVENTS Despite the obvious differences what one sees today sheds light on what happened then. It gets clearer for me to understand what transpired in Egypt, and what were the tactics Pharaoh used to “demonize” Yosef and make believe the Egyptians that all their problems were caused by him. And that now his descendants will have to pay for it! The Midrash Tanchuma presents an opinion that seems surreal for its unbelievable contemporaneity. It says the new Pharaoh “had Yosef’s remains unearthed from his luxurious tomb and thrown into the Nile, as a show of contempt on the part of the new Egyptian ruler for the great Jewish leader.” The Tora is not a collection of ancient myths or stories. Some times the present helps us to better understand the Tora; and the Tora allows us to better analyze and grasp present events, showing us patterns of behavior from the past that we can identify even today.

Antisemitism Began In Egypt

  ויאמר אל עמו הנה עם בני ישראל רב ועצום ממנו הבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה והיה כי תקראנה מלחמה ונוסף גם הוא על שנאינו ונלחם בנו ועלה מן הארץ   In two fundamental and extremely condensed passages, the Tora describes Pharaoh’s idea of the final solution: to exterminate the Jews. Pharaoh had in mind a four-steps plan: (וירעו אותנו המצרים ויענונו)   1. Demonization and defamation of the Jews. 2. Debilitating the Jews. Taken their assets. Imposing on them taxes as foreigners. 3. Enslavement of the Jews. 4. Extermination of the Jews   We will refer now to the first part of Pharaoh’s plan: anti-Semitic defamation.  

CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT

Some time after Yosef’s death, there was a change of government in Egypt, a coup d’état. A new dynasty of Pharaohs, who took over the government by force. As it commonly happens in politics, the new Pharaoh was antagonistic to the friends of the previous Pharaoh, his enemy. And that included the people of Israel, friends of the former Pharaoh, because they were always faithful to the Pharaoh in government.  To justify his animosity toward the Jews and enlist the people against the Jews, Pharaoh rewrote Egyptian history and presented Yosef as a tyrant, that enslaved the people and benefitted his own family, giving them the best lands of Egypt. The attitude of this new Pharaoh, blaming the past administration for the present crisis, or creating imaginary enemy as a political distraction, is not the exception but the most common law of the land in politics, ancient and modern. Pharaoh must have to have invested a lot of resources in his revisionist endeavor, because Yosef, the most prominent member of the Jewish people in Egypt, was a national hero who saved Egypt from a tremendous famine.   In the end Pharaoh succeeded in his campaign of hatred and in characterizing Jews as abusers, xenophobes and traitors.   Very briefly, but with chilling precision, the Tora records Pharaoh’s speech. What is terrifying about this speech is that, in some incredible way, its arguments are still the usual repertoire of modern anti-Semites   

Let’s see: ויאמר אל עמו הנה עם בני ישראל רב ועצום ממנו Exodus 1:9 “and [Pharaoh] said to his people: “There is  a people [among us], the children of Israel, who are more numerous and stronger than us”.DEMAGOGYAnd [Pharaoh] said to his people.

Note that Pharaoh does NOT address his advisers  or his cabinet, as a normal King usually does, or as he himself did on other occasions, for example, during the plagues. In this speech Pharaoh speaks directly to the people, something really uncommon. Why did he do that? Because he needed all possible leverage to change the Egyptians’ opinion of the Jews. The effect of this direct speech seemed to have been highly beneficial for his propaganda.  

A SEPARATE PEOLE”And [Pharaoh] said to his people: There is  a people [among us]: the children of Israel”. Although Jews lived in Goshen and followed their own traditions, they were not disloyal to Egypt. Pharaoh cynically mentions the isolation of the Jews (probably hinting to endogamy) to claim that Jews did NOT consider themselves part of the Egyptian society. These are the first seed he plants in people’s mind about Jews being xenophobic and elitist.    

TOO MANY JEWS Then Pharaoh says that the Jews were too many. “They are more than us”. Pharaoh lies here, in the same way that modern anti-Semites systematically exaggerate the number of Jews in positions of power, political or finical, to show the world that Jews are a threat. Ironically, the only time the number of Jews is minimized by anti-Semites is when Jews are the victims. “In the Shoah only 1 million Jews died, the other 5 million is Jewish propaganda,” a modern anti-Semite would contend.  

JEWS ARE RICH Pharaoh characterizes Jews as powerful and rich. And he repeats the anti-Semitic mantra: Jews are way richer than we are. In addition, if we see this Hebrew word more deeply but without twisting Hebrew semantics,  Pharaoh is not only saying that Jews are richer than us , but is also hinting “the Jews got rich from us” (ממנו), that is to say: Jews became rich because they took our money! .     Let’s see now the next verse  

Pharaoh continues his hate speech:   הבה נתחכמה לו פן ירבה והיה כי תקראנה מלחמה ונוסף גם הוא על שונאינו ונלחם בנו ועלה מן הארץ  

EXODUS 1:10 “Let us be more clever than them, lest they keep multiplying and in case of war, they would join  our enemies, fight against us, and we will have to leave the land. “JEWS ARE ASTUTELet us be more clever than them: Pharaoh indirectly suggest that the Jews are evilly intelligent, “cunning”. Insinuating that thru their shrewdness they exploited the Egyptians and took their money. The only way to deal with Jews is to be more cunning than them. Then he explains that now is payback time A time to recover form the Jews what is legitimately ours.   

JEWS ARE DISLOYAL They will join our enemies.

And then comes Pharaohs punch line. The best known anti-Semitic accusation. “In the event of a war, Jews will betray us. They will join our enemies and fight against us”.   This horrific demonization campaign, which the Tora exquisitely summarizes in only two verses, reached its goal.   Two verses later, Exodus 1:12 we see the results. vayaqutsu “… the Egyptians felt contempt / hatred for the children of Israel.”  Once the mind’s soil is sown with anti-Semitic propaganda the Egyptians are ready to accept the final solution.    A few verses later Pharaoh discloses his endgame and orders a genocide. Exodus 1:16: “Kill the newborn males…but leave the female”.  Eliminate the Jews, and at the same time, take their women.   The hatred and defamation that we suffered (and continue to suffer) at the hands of Antisemites began in Egypt. Pharaoh’s speech and these false accusations, directly or indirectly, inspired the “The protocols of the sages of Zion” and all the anti-Jewish conspiracy theories until our own days .   HaShem helped us and He rescued us from the hands of Pharaoh and his diabolical propaganda.  

May HaShem continue to protect us from all those who rise up to defame, demonize and harm our people and our State of Israel.

DID ANTISEMITISM SAVE US FROM ASSIMILATION?

From Prosperity to Slavery

PHASE 1: Forced labor

EXODUS 1:11 Then the Egyptians assigned over them taskmasters to weaken them with hard work. And the Jews built for Pharaoh the fortified cities of Pitom and Ramses.

In the first phase of Pharaoh’s “final solution”, the people of Israel were not yet technically enslaved by Pharaoh. In fact, in Exodus Chapter 1:11-12, the word “slavery” or “enslavement” is not mentioned in the text. However, the text emphasizes the word “taxes”. The Israelites indeed worked for Pharaoh, building Pitom and Ramses. But at this point, this form of forced labor was a legal and legitimate procedure. The Egyptian monarch– ironically since the time of Yosef– was the Lord and Master of all Egyptians, Jews included. Pharaoh, therefore, had the absolute right to demand from his subjects any kind of service: joining the army to defend his territories, or working on the construction projects that the sovereign deemed necessary. As we saw in Pharaoh’s speech, Jews were foreigners, and were not trusted by the Egyptians; therefore they had to contribute with labor in lieu of, for example, serving in the Egyptian army. In this first phase, the work of the Jews consisted in building the cities of Pitom and Ramses, which according to the most accepted interpretation, were fortifications for military use- garrison cities. These fortifications were not built with common mud-bricks as houses or temples were, rather they were built with carved stones. We could asume that Jews worked in the quarries extracting the rocks, carving them, carrying the heavy stones, and mounting them on top of each-other. 

We also need to keep in mind that, although taxing the Jews was seemingly a completely legal act, the true ultimate purpose behind this forced labor was not the building of the garrison cities. When Pharaoh delivered his infamous speech (Exodus 1: 9-10) warning his people about the threat that Jews represented to Egypt due to their increasing growth and wealth, he proposed a strategic plan to outsmart (הבה נתחכמה לו) and weaken the Jews both physically and financially. Forcing them to work in construction and abandon their own jobs; as well as forcing them to sleep in the fields far from home, would do the job. In this sophisticated, non-violent way, the power and the birth-rate of the Jews would be significantly reduced.

However, as the Tora explicitly says in the following verse, Pharaoh’s plan did not produce the expected results.

EXODUS 1:12. But the more they oppressed [the Jews] the more the Jews multiplied and grew. And the Egyptians felt threatened by the children of Israel.

Pharaoh’s plan failed. The people of Israel did not become weaker, rather they grew stronger, and continued to reproduce. It is at this point that Pharaoh decides to start Phase 2 of his plan: slavery.

EXODUS 1:13 And then the Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel with chattel (parekh).

CHATTEL SLAVERY

Here for the first time our text mentions “enslavement”, vaya’abidu, redefined with a crucial word: “parekh”, meaning “chattel slavery”. That is, unconditional and indefinite submission of the slave to the master.

To better understand this phase let us remember that in the first phase, “forced labor”, Jews had to fulfill an assigned mission: building Pharaoh’s projects. I believe that at this point Jews did not necessarily have to work directly for Pharaoh. Surely, they had to pay for the building material, but perhaps they were allowed to hire workers to do these constructions for them. And more importantly, once the building project was finished, they could return to their lives and routine.

However, in the second stage, “parekh” the Israelites were not assigned a specific job. We see that the Egyptians were intimidated by the Jews, therefore it would not have been difficult for Pharaoh to declare them as “the enemies” of Egypt. Jews were probably captured and taken as war prisoners —probably chained— and forced to work endlessly for the Egyptians- 24 hours a day. They were now at the complete mercy of their masters, who controlled their lives.

Visualizing this scenario is very difficult to do in our comfortable lives nowadays. I was only able to think more realistically about this by remembering what I know from the Shoah. The first time I read a comparison between Egyptian slavery  and the Holocaust was in Elie Wiesel’s book, “Job: Ou Dieu dans la tempête” (French). Following Wiesels line of thought, I imagine that at this second phase; the houses, property and assets of the Jews were confiscated by the government, and handed over to Pharaoh or to the common Egyptian man. Jewish men, women and children, must have been forcibly captured and removed from their homes and taken into “ghettos” or fortifications. Similar to the European Jews in 1940. But instead of being taken into labor camps, many of them were probably given over to the Egyptian civilians as free laborers. This fact- not very well known- that the Jews were handed over to the Egyptians, was mentioned by Rabbi Wisser, the Malbim (Russia, 1809 – 1879). He explains the word “Egypt”, Mitzrayim, mentioned in this verse: “And the Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel.” In other words, similar to how Daniel Goldhagen describers in his book “Hitler’s Willing Executioners”, ordinary Egyptian civilians were accomplices of Pharaoh’s regime. The Malbim writes:  “ Jews were taken as chattel slaves, but they no longer worked for the monarch [the government], but for the population in general. The Israelites were now the slaves of the slaves [of Pharaoh] and were obligated to do any work that any Egyptian asked of them“.

Exodus 1:14: “And [the Egyptians] embittered the life [of the children and Israel, forcing them to do] the hardest works, [such as the extraction of the] mud and [the making of] the bricks …

This verse describes the special and brutal way which the Egyptians treated their Jewish slaves.  The biblical text mentions here the word vayimareru, “and they embittered their lives”. From this Hebrew word comes the word “maror” the bitter herbs that we eat the night of  the Pesach Seder to remember the bitterness of Egyptian slavery. But what was the source of this animosity? A Master usually takes care of his or her slave. For the sake of comparison, think about the African slaves taken into America in the 18th and 19th centuries. These slaves were traded at a high price. The masters, indeed, exploited them in the cotton or tobacco plantations but they also took care of them. This was not done out of compassion for the slaves, rather out of the master’s convenience. Taking care of the slaves was similar to taking care of one’s assets . In some sense, the masters treated these slaves as well as they treated their animals.

But our text describes bitterness… there seem to be something personal about this mistreatment. One possible explanation is this: For several decades, from the time of Yosef until the new Egyptian dynasty that ruled over Egypt, Jews had a privileged life. They lived in a safe and fertile area, Goshen, where they enjoyed wealth and prosperity. And it is very possible that many wealthy Hebrews had Egyptian servants working for them! And remember that Pharaoh’s speech included the accusation that Jews gained their wealth from exploiting ordinary Egyptians!  Now, Pharaoh is gifting the common Egyptians with Jewish slaves, their wealthy former masters. The resentment is now unleashed into the most terrible revenge: the “rich” Jews were now absolutely vulnerable, free laborers beneath their feet of resentful Egyptians.

THE HARDEST JOBS

The enslavement of the Jews in Egypt was not the classic type of slavery in which the master buys and sells slaves in the market. Jews were treated like enemies, and potential traitors who would be willing to join the enemy in the event of a war. The Egyptians must have felt therefore that their job was not only to take revenge. Jews, ultimately, had to be eliminated. How could they do that?  Our text briefly mentions that the Egyptians assigned the Jews to the most unhealthy and risky jobs. Tasks that nobody else in Egypt was willing to do. The example mentioned in the Tora is “chomer ulbenim”, mud and bricks. Probably the most exhausting and lethal job in Egypt. These mud-bricks were made by mixing the mud with the Nile’s silt, and perhaps with manure, stirring it with their hands and feet for 4 or 5 days, until the it reaches the point of fermentation. Then, the straw is mixed into this mud to make the bricks stronger, more solid and durable. All this work was done in the swamps of the Nile, a river infested with crocodiles, hippos, mosquitoes; and under a scorching desert sun that burned the skin.

Maimonides explains that the Sages introduced the Mitsva of Charoset to bring to memory these terrible times. The brown paste recalls the color and texture of the mud. The vinegar the bitterness or tears. And the tebalin, edible herbs or spices , cut in thin and long pieces, which were part of Maimonides’ Charoset recipe, remind us visually of the straw mixed in the mud, a national memory of a slavery that we can not forget.

GENOCIDE

Understanding the nature of what the Charoset represents (the mud-bricks) is key to comprehend the ultimate goal of our slavery in Egypt. Same as in the Europe of the Shoah, in Egypt, we were treated as enemies. A Jewish life in Egypt, like in Europe, had no value. Not even labor value. Jewish slavery in Egypt can only be understood when thinking about concentration camps. Those who were not killed upon arrival had to work endlessly. In those camps there were no infirmaries to care of the sick or wounded laborers. If they got sick they were executed, or left to die. And were then replaced by the next prisoner. In Egypt and in Germany, there was an endless supply of Jewish workers. Jews were absolutely disposable.

The prisoners were “used” as free laborers until they died of hunger, disease or exhaustion. Jewish prisoners were deliberately subjected to the most dangerous and unhealthy jobs, such as the extraction of slit from the Nile or coal from the Mauthausen mines. Because for Germans as well as for Egyptians, the aim was not the product of the Jew’s labor. The ultimate goal was the final solution. This type of labor with purpose to kill has a unique name in Hebrew: “abodat parekh”, and it has a unique name in German: Vernichtung durch Arbeit, “extermination through work”, an expression that to the best of my knowledge, was used exclusively to describe the practice of the Nazi’s in concentration camps, killing the Jewish prisoners by means of forced labor.

Pesach Through The Haroset

The multiple symbols of the Haroset 

תחת התפוח עוררתיך. דרש רב עוירא, בשכר נשים צדקניות שהיו באותו הדור נגאל ישראל ממצרים

Sota 11a

One of the foods that we serve in the Pesah Seder is the Haroset. A paste typically made with a mixture of fresh fruits, nuts and wine.

Unlike other foods that are served during the Seder, such as the Maror or the Matza, the Haroset is not mentioned in the Tora. The Mishna — the work that records the oral tradition of the Jewish people, written around the year 200 of the common era — indicates that the Haroset should be served at the Seder table, but it does not indicate what the function of the Haroset is.

This is not uncommon: many times a tradition, or even a Mitzva from the Rabbis (midibre soferim), was widely practiced, while the reason for that Mitzva was lost or forgotten, and the rabbis of the Talmud attempted to rediscover the original reason again. 

HAROSET AS AN ACCESSORY

The Rabbis debated the reason of the Haroset. According to some opinions the Haroset is not a Mitsva per se but an accessory to the bitter herbs or Maror.  The Talmud records five different herbs, like lettuce,  that could be consumed as Maror to remember the bitter flavor of slavery. Some of these plants contained an acid that could be harmful for digestion (geonim). Some Sages explained that the Maror was dipped in the Haroset in order to neutralize the harmful effects of the acid. According to another opinion, one of the herbs that can be used for Maror (chazeret) contained a worm, that the Haroset was able to eliminate.

A TRIBUTE TO JEWISH WIVES 

According to Ribbi Eliezer bar Ribbi Tsadoq the Haroset, although eaten with the Maror, is not a mere accessory to alleviate the effects of the Maror but a mandatory food (mitsva) to have at the Seder. And as such, the Haroset has “a meaning in its own”. The Haroset, Ribbi Elazar said, usually prepared with apples, reminds us of a very significant event. Pharaoh decreed the death of all newborn Jewish children. But this did not discourage the heroic women of Israel to be with their husbands and become pregnant. At the time of delivery, the Jewish mothers would go to the apple fields and give birth hidden “under the apple trees”. Miraculously, the Midrash explains, God mitigated their pain at the time of giving birth and the Egyptians guards did not hear the crying babies. According to this opinion, the Haroset is a tribute and a reminder to the women of Israel who acted with bravery and heroism. Thanks to their  wisdom and sacrifice, the Jewish people grew stronger instead of “disappearing” for lack of procreation, as Pharaoh intended.

HAROSET and the BRIKCS 

Another opinion, the best known and the most accepted, is that the Haroset represents the mud (טיט) that every day Jewish slaves had to gather with their hands to produce the bricks, used for the construction’s projects of Pharaoh. This was a very arduous and humiliating. The images of our hands and feet soaked  in the mud, are part of the collective memories of our people. A reminder of the slavery and oppression we suffered  for more than a century. Maimonides echoes this last opinion. And thus, in his recipe for Haroset he does not include “apples” as one of the required ingredients. What Maimonides does say is that the Haroset paste should be made with tebalin, herbs, to visually represent the straws that were added into the mud in the process of building the mud-bricks.

JEWISH BLOOD

There is also an opinion in the Talmud of Yerushalayim that says that the Haroset symbolize the blood of Jewish children killed by Pharaoh and his proxies.  This idea was mentioned by Rabbi Moshe Isserles (Ram”a, 1530-1572) as the reason for the Ashkenazi custom of adding red wine to the Haroset. It is possible to connect all these above mentioned reasons (procreation; the making of bricks, and the killing of Jewish children) recalling a tragic Midrash (which in a post-Shoa time, I see no reason for not to taking it in its literal sense) that says that when a Jewish slave did not produce his due quota of bricks, the Egyptians would take one of his children and replaced the missing bricks with his or her little body.

THE VISUAL EFFECT OF THE HAROSET

To understand the original meaning of the Haroset, and its profound educational value, we will have to forget for a few moments the recipe of our own Haroset, and focus our attention on the three basic ingredients indicated by the Sages.

When Maimonides mentions the Haroset he says first that we prepare a paste with figs, dates, raisins or similar fruits. These soft fruits (or softened with cooking) are mushed, and then mixed with vinegar. And to this paste we then add the tebalín, or herbs.

Now that we know what the three ingredients of the Haroset are – fruits, vinegar and herbs – we will try to understand the reason of each one of them.

FRUITS, FOR THE TEXTURE OF MUD

Maimonides says (see text below) that the Haroset should remind us of the mud with which (or “in” which, as we shall see later) our fathers worked day and night, in the horrific Egyptian slavery. When you mush these fruits, part of that paste will surely remain in your hands. In a a similar way, the hands, feet and probably the entire body of the Hebrew slaves was never clean of mud. It always remain in their body. The fruits we use for the Haroset, dates, figs, etc. are soft and easy to mush, because the mission is to recreate a meal representing the mud (חרוסת זכר לטיט).

VINEGAR, FOR THE FLAVOR OF SLAVERY 

The Sages also indicated that sourness should be perceived in the flavor of Haroset. That’s why in the original recipe vinegar, and not wine, is added to the Haroset. The sour taste of vinegar, obviously, is reminiscent of the bitter taste of our slavery, something that is explicitly mentioned in the Tora (וימררו את חייהם “And the Egyptians made the life of the Jewish slaves bitter…”. It is interesting to notice that originally, in the Talmud, the sweet taste of Haroset is not emphasized, although it is recognized as the expected flavor of a paste made from the mentioned fruits, which are sweet. Actually the rabbis emphasized that we should not be used too much Haroset to dip the Maror, the bitter herb, in it so that the sweetness of the Haroset does not neutralize its flavor.

HERBS (TEBALIN) FOR THE VISUAL MEMORIES OF SLAVERY

The least known ingredient of the Haroset is the one that Maimonides calls tebalin, that is, herbs. Herbs are generally used as aromatic additives or flavorings, sometimes they are mentioned as tablinín, spices. But in the specific case of the Haroset, Maimonides indicates that the herbs should not be ground or cut into small pieces, as is usually done when one uses spices for cooking. The best Kept secret of the Haroset is to introduce in it pieces of herbs that would resemble the “straw” (in Hebrew teben) that was used with the mud to produce there mud-bricks. The purpose of the tebalín, then, is not to add flavor or aroma to the Haroset, but to recreate a visual effect: “mud with straw” (טיט ותבן). The presence of the herbs / tebalin, is then essential to recreate the symbolic meaning of the Haroset. On this point the Talmud does not register any debate. To the extent that the Gemara in Pesahim relates (see text above) that when people came to the markets to shop for Pesah, the traders of Jerusalem announced: “Come and take (for free) the herbs to fulfill the mitzva [rabbinic commandment of Haroset]”

THE FUNCTION OF THE TEBALIN

Since the effect of these herbs must be visual, there is no specific indication as to what type of herbs or vegetables to be used. Some rabbis mentioned cinnamon, ginger, or hyssop twigs, but making it clear that they should not be powdered but cut into pieces. The Maharil (136-1427) was perhaps the most explicit, saying that herbs or spices should be cut into long, thin pieces (מחותכין ארוכין) to represent the “straw”.

Nowadays, for some reason (that I still ignore) almost all recipes of Haroset include ground spices an/or aromatic herbs and the visual effect that the Haroset must awake in our memory has fallen into oblivion.

HOW DID MAIMONIDES USE HAROSET IN THE SEDER?

Imagine a formal dinner in an upscale restaurant. The table will include the customary condiments:  salt, pepper, and perhaps some olive oil. Now imagine Maimonides’ table for the Pesah Seder. On his table, there is ONE element that literally replaces “all” other condiments and dressings that night: Haroset, the exclusive dip meant to accompany all the symbolic foods that we consume on the Seder night. The Haroset is “bittersweet” condiment or dressing. And “bittersweet” is also what best defines the general flavor of the Seder. On the one hand, we remember and reenact the bitter memories of the slavery, oppression and genocide that we suffered in Egypt. And on the other hand, we also celebrate our freedom. Each of the elements of the Seder meal represents either a gesture of joy and freedom or a gesture of pain. The bittersweet Haroset is special in that it simultaneously represents the two.

Let us examine how and when the Haroset is consumed at the Pesah Seder according to Maimonides: 

KARPAS WITH HAROSET

After inaugurating the Pesah Seder with the Kiddush, the first thing we eat is a piece of Karpas, or celery. In ancient times, it was common for a festive dinner to begin with an aperitif (celery or other fresh vegetables) before serving the main dish in order to stimulate the appetite. Now, the general custom in the Seder is to dip the karpas in vinegar (or water with salt) to remind us of the bitter tears that we shed in our Egyptian captivity. According to Maimonides, however, the karpas should be dipped in the Haroset! Anyways, remember that for Maimonides’ Haroset recipe included a significant amount of vinegar, which gave his Haroset an acidic flavor.

MATSA WITH HAROSET

The second time Haroset is used, as per Maimonides, is when we recite the blessing for the Matsa (Motsi-Matsa). We dip the Matsa in the Haroset instead of using salt as we usually do when we say haMotsi for bread. This gesture reminds me of a beautiful custom that is practiced in some families during Rosh haShana: to express our wishes for a good and sweet year, when saying haMotsi, the bread is dipped in honey or sugar instead of salt. However, while dipping the bread in honey or sugar in Rosh haShana is a popular tradition or folklore, the dipping of the Matsa in the Haroset, for Maimonides, is a formal, practically an “halakhic”, requirement.

MAROR WITH (A LITTLE BIT OF) HAROSET

Nowadays, the Haroset is used firstly to dip the Maror, the bitter herb. In this case, the rabbis indicate that the amount of the Haroset should be minimal, so that the flavor of the Haroset does not deprive us of experiencing the bitter taste of the Maror. Some rabbis wrote that after dipping the Maror in the Haroset, the Haroset must be removed from the Maror so that only a superficial layer remains on it. Maimonides clarifies that in this case, when spreading the Maror with Haroset, we are fulfilling a rabbinic precept, although we do not say a specific blessing for it. According to some opinions, this is because of the rulings of iqar and tafel, which determine that we say blessings on the main food -in this case, the Maror (‘al akhilat maror) as opposed to its accessories– in this case, the Haroset.

MATSA AND MAROR WITH HAROSET

Finally the Haroset is also added to the Korekh, the sandwich of Matsa and Maror that reminds us of the qorban pesah, the lamb that was consumed during the Seder of Pesah with Matsa and Maror in the times of the Bet haMiqdash. As in the case of the Maror, the use of the Haroset in the Korekh is also practiced by all the Jewish communities. As we already explained, the Haroset is not mentioned in the Tora, and is rather a ritual food related to the Pesah Seder which was established by the rabbis. The Haroset carries a tremendous meaning in its taste, its texture and its looks, and it conveys a very tangible representation of the slavery we want to remember in the Seder.

MY MAIMONIDEAN HAROSET

Dedicated to my Monday Night class students

Usually, I’m not allowed into the kitchen a few days before Pesach… But this year (2019) I wanted to prepare a Haroset that would resemble the new recipe I learned from reading Maimonides a little more seriously than previous years.

According to Maimonides, the Haroset is made with dry fruits (figs, dates, or raisins)  and wine vinegar and tebalin. The color and texture of mud, a sour flavor , and “tebalin”, an herb or a spice that looks like straw.

Following Maimonides I prepared without any difficulties a paste with dry dates, dry figs, and vinegar.

Then, the most challenging element to figure out was the tebalin. Something to be put into the Haroset that would visually resemble the “teben” or straw.

I went shopping. Looking for something long that would resemble straws. Following the advise of my wife, Coty, I went to a Chinese supermarket. I checked alfalfa and other exotic sprouts. Then, I thought “eureka” , I found the “straws”: Kosher certified “Japanese Enoki Mushrooms”: long, white and thin. Perfect for the visual effects. I bought a small bag. But my wife wasn’t happy with Japanese mushrooms in the Seder. I had to pick a side between my wife and Maimonides…

And then, I went to “Everfresh” to look for an alternative. Cinnamon sticks, perfect shape , but too dark, too similar to the color of the Charoset. And we need the special effects of the contrasting colors of mud and straw. I looked into other staff like orange dry peels, but they were too short.  “Frozen Zucchini Spirals”, but they too much like spaghetti.  Lemon-grass was my next choice. Or lavender branches. They looked cute but not perfect. It should be something edible, she reminded me.

I came home with a few items: edible, non edible, frozen and i was still, undecided what I could use.   Then, a small miracle happened! Coty brought me a small package of Rosemary Leaves to check if they were Kosher for Pesach. And when I was looking at them, I had a “vision”. Rosemary leaves are short, that’s why i would not have considered them in the first place. But their color is perfect. Light, between white and yellow. They were herbs like Maimonides required, and not Japanese mushrooms, and they were edible, like my wife required. As I’m looking as these leaves and how not to get them inside the Haroset I had an epiphany: I visualize the Moroccan Charoset, prepared with the shape of small balls, the size of falafel or meatballs. In my vision, I saw the rosemary leaves mixed with the Haroset balls. And I saw the mud with the straws!

And this is what I got.

This year, BH, I will do my best not just to remember but to “feel” the hardship of our captivity in Egypt, with the help of my experimental Maimonides’ Haroset.