Bo: The Legacy Project

The people of the exile brought the pesach-offering on the fourteenth day of the first month.

Ezra 6:10

In the throes of the Exodus, the Torah Portion Bo commands the Children of Israel to celebrate Passover. Not only was this meal to be of the moment, it was to be something for the future.

Bo states “And you shall observe this thing as a law for you and your children forever. And it will be, when you will come to the land that the Lord will give to you as He has spoken, that you shall observe this service. And it will be, when your children say to you, “What is this service to you?” that you say, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, because He halted at the houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt when He struck Egypt, and He saved our houses.” Exodus 12:24-27.

Based upon these instructions, the next Passover celebration reported in the Hebrew Bible is in the Promised Land. The Book of Joshua recounts the event.

Joshua notes “On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.” Joshua 5:10-12

Absent from Joshua’s passage is reference to a child’s inquiry.

Another memorable Hebrew Bible Passover celebration occurred during King Josiah’s reign. It was reported that “The king gave this order to all the people: ‘Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.’ Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.” 2 Kings 21-23.

Absent from this passage as well is any reference to a child’s inquiry.

Moving forward through the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Ezra reports on another significant Passover celebration. The Book of Ezra also tells of the Children of Israel return to Jerusalem from Persian captivity. In Ezra, those returning rebuilt their religious practice in accordance with the “Book of Moses.”

After that, at the designated time, “[t]hey celebrated the Festival of Matzos joyfully for a seven-day period.” Ezra 6:22. This celebration marked the culmination of literally a second Exodus.This celebration occurred sometime after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem about in 458 BCE.

Despite the remarkable event, this passage as well has lacks any reference to a child’s inquiry.

Prior to the Hebrew Bible being canonized, there is also extra-biblical Passover celebration source. The Passover Papyrus from Elephantine, 419 BCE See COJS. A letter found at the Egyptian Elephantine Island is believed to reference the Passover holiday. The reported date of the document is 419 BCE. It is a letter from Hananiah to Yedaniah which seem to explain the observance of the Passover holiday.

” The fragment of the letter has been translated: “Translation- Because the papyrus is so fragmentary, the reconstructions offered here should be considered conjectural, especially the italicized portions of text- [To my brothers, Ye]daniah and his colleagues the Jewish ga[rrison,] your brother Hanan[i]ah. May God/the gods [seek after] the welfare of my brothers [at all times.] And now, this year, year 5 of King Darius, it has been sent from the king to Arsa[mes ……… …] Now, you thus count four[teen days in Nisan and on the 14th at twilight ob]serve [the Passover] and from the 15th day until the 21st day of [Nisan observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Seven days eat unleavened bread. Now,] be pure and take heed. [Do] n[ot do] work [on the 15th day and on the 21st day of Nisan.] Do not drink [any fermented drink. And do] not [eat] anything of leaven [nor let it be seen in your houses from the 14th day of Nisan at] sunset until the 21st day of Nisa[n at sunset. And b]ring into your chambers [any leaven which you have in your houses] and seal (them) up during [these] days. …[To] my brothers, Yedaniah and his colleagues the Jewish garrison, your brother Hananiah s[on of ??].” COJS

This passage, like those from Joshua, Second Kings, and Ezra, still makes no reference of any child’s inquiry.

Sometime after 170 CE, and into third century of CE, the Haggadah was compiled and published. The Haggadah was written to be used to conduct the Passover Seder. This text included the Torah Portion Bo’s generational mandate. The question “what is this service to you?” was combined with other similar passages.

The Haggadah incorporated the following additional Torah passages addressing to the child’s query. This included the passage Deuteronomy 6:20, “When your child will as you tomorrow, saying, “What are these testimonies and the laws and the judgments that the Lord, our God, commanded you?” It also included the passage, “And it will be, when your child will ask you tomorrow, saying ‘What is this?'” Exodus 13:14. Finally, it included: “And you shall tell your child in that day…” Exodus 13:8.

The Haggadah transforms these passages into an observation of children. Different children ask different questions. Thus, the Haggadah reduces children into four types. There are the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one not knowledgeable to ask. Further, the publication apparently cured a problem that may have lasted for over a thousand years.

Conclusion

The Haggadah’s publication, in a time of burgeoning literacy, arguably cemented Bo’s Passover vision. A child’s query was to be forevermore present at Passover celebrations. This query would then be answered in accordance with the Torah’s mandate. While it may have taken over a thousand years to achieve, there is one conclusion that can be made. The Haggadah’s success is approximately 1800 years old and counting.

Be well!!

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