To eat the Paschal Lamb with Matzah and Maror on the night of the 15th of Nissan

Pesach – פֶּסַח

• Sefer HaChinuch (6) explains that eating the Pesach with matzah and maror ensures the Exodus is remembered in fullness: the lamb recalls Hashem’s salvation, matzah recalls the speed of redemption, and maror recalls the bitterness of slavery. Talmud (Pesachim 120a) requires eating all three together, teaching that redemption is never separated from its struggles.

Temple – בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ

• Rambam (Korban Pesach 8:3) rules this mitzvah applies fully only in the Mikdash, where korban, matzah, and maror were united. Ramban emphasizes that the Temple provided the space for Israel to reenact covenantal memory through food and ritual together.

Sacrifices – קָרְבָּנוֹת

• Talmud (Pesachim 120a) emphasizes that the Pesach sacrifice is distinct in requiring communal eating with accompaniments, unlike most korbanot. Sefer HaChinuch highlights that the eating itself was part of the avodah, showing that Israel’s redemption was meant to be “tasted” and internalized.

Community – קְהִלָּה

• Ramban (Ex. 12:8) explains that Pesach groups (chaburot) were required to eat together, binding each household into the covenant. Mishnah (Pesachim 7:2) details how group assignments ensured everyone participated in the mitzvah, making matzah and maror communal symbols as much as sacrificial ones.

Faith – אֱמוּנָה

• Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 18:10) links matzah to faith: Israel trusted Hashem enough to leave Egypt with unrisen dough. Eating matzah with Pesach reaffirms that faith. Rambam (Guide for the Perplexed III:43) adds that maror recalls slavery, ensuring faith isn’t abstract but tied to lived memory of deliverance.

Gratitude – הוֹדָיָה

• Talmud (Pesachim 116b) places the Haggadah narrative within this meal, transforming Pesach with matzah and maror into a thanksgiving ritual. Sefer HaChinuch stresses that eating in memory of both bitterness and redemption leads to deeper gratitude for Hashem’s compassion and salvation.

Compassion – רַחֲמִים

• Midrash Tanchuma (Bo 6) teaches that Hashem redeemed Israel in compassion, relieving them from the bitterness symbolized by maror. By eating Pesach with matzah and maror, Israel recalls not only suffering but the compassion that turned slavery into redemption.

Holiness – קְדֻשָּׁה

• Zohar (II:39a) explains that combining Pesach, matzah, and maror creates a mystical unification of judgment and mercy, sanctifying Israel’s meal. Rambam emphasizes that holiness here is expressed in detail — roasting, timing, and unity of foods.

Bein Adam L’Makom – בֵּין אָדָם לְמָקוֹם

• Ramban comments that publicly eating the lamb — Egypt’s deity — with matzah and maror was an act of loyalty to Hashem alone. Talmud (Pesachim 120a) stresses that this mitzvah was a covenantal declaration before Heaven, binding Israel directly to G-d.