Blog: Ari Enkin 08 - Reclining at the Seder

28 Elul 5770

September 7 2010

Reclining at the Seder

Among the regulations of the Pesach Seder is the obligation to recline while eating the Matzah and drinking the four cups of wine. The reason for this custom of reclining is because in ancient times reclining while eating was the practice of those who were free and of royal stock. As the Talmud teaches: “Rabbi Levi said: Since it is the way of slaves to eat standing, here we eat reclining to show that we were released from bondage and are free." Passover is none other than a celebration of freedom where each person has the ability to behave like royalty in his home without any fear of government persecution. Additionally, the Jewish people, being in the “immediate family” of the King of Kings, as it were, are further entitled to the customs of royalty. It is interesting to note, that the Talmud requires us to lean for only two of the four cups of wine. Just one problem though - the Talmud is not clear as to which two cups of wine it is referring to! As such, we recline for all four cups of wine “to be safe”. (Pesachim 108a).

While it is obligatory for men, many women, especially Ashkenazi ones, choose not to recline at the Seder, and the practice is with some rabbinic sanction, as it says: “A woman at her husband’s table need not recline” (Pesachim 108a). Make no mistake, reclining is so essential a component of the mitzvah of eating matzah, that those who did not recline may not have fulfilled the mitzvah. Sephardic women should be sure to recline at the Seder (Rabbi Ovadia Yosef).

What if, however, someone forgot or otherwise did not recline while eating the matzah or drinking the wine? Must they “go back” to that place in the Haggada and eat/drink these things again?

There is a well known dissenting but minority view, which takes into account that the “royalty” of our day and age do not recline while eating, and as such, argues that this practice may legally be dismissed or otherwise applied with leniency. Rabbi Eliezer Ben-Joel, one of the great Ashkenazi rabbis of the 12^th century, known as “The Raavyah” is the originator of this idea (Tur 472). While King Herod was known to recline while eating, Queen Elizabeth does not. Some more modern day authorities cite the Raavya in order to allow those who forgot to recline to forgo backtracking in the Seder and re-eating/drinking the required foods while reclining. Nevertheless, virtually all halachic authorities urge one to make every effort to recline, and not to turn to the Raavya’s opinion unless absolutely pressing.

Bottom line and lesson: Pesach is the celebration of freedom and should be observed in royal style. While many of the practices of old are no longer majestic today, one should be sure to indulge wherever possible at the Seder. This includes wearing one’s best clothing, eating off the finest dishes, and ensuring the most delicious and elaborate meals, to name but a few.