[Par-reg] DAYENU - (another shiur for MAGID)

[Menachem Leibtag]

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER [http://www.tanach.org]
          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem Leibtag
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                 "DA'YENU"  -

         shiur for Pesach & for Yom Atzmaut

     How could an observant Jew say, let alone sing, that -'it
would have been enough'- even had God not given us the Torah?
    And how could a Zionist say, let alone sing, that -'it would
have been enough'- even if God had not given us the Land of
Israel?
    Nevertheless, every year at the Seder, we all sing the
popular song of "dayenu", which seems to convey precisely that
message!
    In the following shiur, we attempt to answer this question.

INTRODUCTION
     "Dayenu" is a very simple, yet beautiful poem -
containing fifteen stanzas describing acts of God's kindness -
each stanza stating that it would have been 'enough' had God
only helped us in one way.
     For example, we begin by saying it would have been enough
had He only taken us out of Egypt, and not punished the
Egyptians.  The poem continues stage by stage through the
process of redemption from Egypt (until we arrive in the Land
of Israel and build the Temple), saying how each stage would
have been 'enough', even had God not helped us with the next
stage.
     However, some of those statements appear very strange,
for they include that it 'would have been enough had we not
received the Torah', which simply doesn't make sense!
     To understand what we are 'really saying' in "dayneu", we
must consider its context, as well as it content.

A PREP FOR HALLEL
     In the Haggadah, "dayenu" does not 'stand alone'.
Rather, we recite (or sing) "dayenu" towards the conclusion of
Maggid; after we tell the story of the Exodus, but before we
sing the Hallel.
     Following the guidelines of the Mishna (in the tenth
chapter of Mesechet Pesachim), in Maggid - we tell the story
of the Exodus by quoting (and then elaborating upon) the
psukim of "arami oved avi" (see Devarim 26:5-8).  But that
very same Mishna also instructs us to begin the story with a
derogatory comment, and conclude it with praise ["matchilin
b'gnut - u'msaaymim v'shevach"/ see Pesachim 10:4).
     Taking this Mishna into consideration, we find that
"dayenu" is recited in Maggid - precisely when we finish
telling the story of the Exodus (with the discussion of the
Plagues) - and right at the spot where we are supposed to
begin our "shevach" [praise].

   Therefore, "dayenu" should be understood as a poem that was
written as a form of praise, to conform with the guidelines
set by the Mishna.  This consideration will allow us to
explain its full meaning - in a very simple manner:
   Within this context, the refrain of "dayenu" has an implicit
suffix.  In other words, - "dayenu" should not be translated
simply as 'it would have been enough'; rather, "dayenu" means
'it would have been enough - to PRAISE God, i.e. to say Hallel
- even if God had only taken us out of Egypt, or only if He
had split the Sea, etc.

    In this manner, the poem poetically summarizes each
significant stage of redemption, from the time of the Exodus
until Am Yisrael's conquest of the Land - stating that each
single act of God's kindness in that process obligates us to
praise Him: e.g.
   - Had He only taken us out of Egypt and not punished the
  Egyptians, it would have been reason enough to say Hallel
  -  Had He split the sea,but not given us the 'manna', that
  alone would have been reason enough to say Hallel...
    ...  And so on.
     With this background, the next paragraph of that poem
makes perfect sense:
  "`al achat kama vekhama," - How much more so is it proper to
  thank God for performing ALL these acts of kindness, as He
  took us out of Egypt, and punished them, and split the sea,
  and gave us the manna etc.

  "Dayenu" relates a total of fifteen acts of divine kindness,
each act alone worthy of praise - even more so we must praise
God, for He had performed all of them!
  From this perspective, "dayenu" serves a double purpose.
First and foremost, it concludes the story with "shevach"
[praise]. and qualifies the Hallel that we are about to sing.
However, it could also be understood as a continuation of the
story of the Exodus.  Let's explain why and how:

SIPPUR & SHEVACH
  Recall that the last "drasha" [elaboration] on the psukim of
"arami oved avi" led into a lengthy discussion of the Ten
Plagues.  To fulfill our obligation at the Seder' to tell the
story', we could (and do) finish right here.  But the poem of
"dayenu" actually continues that story, picking up from the
Ten Plagues ["asa bahem shfatim" refers to the Plagues], and
continuing through all the significant events in the desert
until our arrival in the Land of Israel.  This is also
congruent with the last pasuk of "arami oved avi", that
includes arriving in Israel (see Devarim 26:9! - "va'yvi'einu
el ha'Makom ha'zeh, va'yiten lanu et ha'aretz ha'zot"), which
we don't elaborate upon in our version of Maggid, even though
according to the Mishna it appears that we really should!
     In this manner, "dayneu" is both "shevach" [praise] and
"sippur" [story] - at the same time!

The 'HASHKAFA' of DAYENU
     According to our explanation thus far, "dayenu" sets the
stage for Hallel, as we will now praise God [by singing
Hallel] not only in gratitude for taking us out of Egypt, but
also in appreciation for each significant stage of the
redemptive process.  We thank God not only for the Exodus, but
also for the 'manna', for shabbat, for coming close to Har
Sinai, for the Torah, for the Land of Israel..., and finally
for the building of the Bet HaMikdash.
      From a certain perspective, this poem may allude to a
very profound 'hashkafa' [outlook on life], and a message that
is very applicable to our own generation.
    Today, there are those who focus at the Seder only on the
first stanza of "dayenu," viewing 'freedom from slavery' as
the final goal, and hence the ultimate goal of redemption.
For them, this first stanza of "dayenu" is 'enough' - and to
them, that is the entire meaning of Passover - a holiday of
Freedom.
    Others focus only upon the last stanza, that without the
entire land of Israel in our possession, and without the re-
building of the bet-ha'Mikdash, the entire redemptive process
is meaningless.  In their eyes, Hallel should only be sung
when the entire redemption process is complete, and Am Yisrael
reaches its final goal.

    The beautiful poem of "dayenu" seems to disagree with both
approaches.  Instead, each significant stage in the process of
redemption deserves our recognition and for requires that we
praise God for it, even though it is 'not enough'!
     It is this hashkafic message, i.e., the understanding and
appreciation of each step of the redemptive process, which
"dayenu" can teach us.  "Ge'ulat Yisra'el" - the redemption of
Israel - even in our time, is a process which is comprised of
many stages.  Every significant step in this process, be it
simply sovereignty, or partial borders, or victory in battle;
or freedom to study Torah, even without complete redemption,
requires our gratitude and praise to Hashem.

    For each stage in that process, it is incumbent upon Am
Yisrael to recognize that stage and thank Hashem accordingly,
while at the same time recognizing that many more stages
remain yet unfulfilled - and reminding ourselves of how we
need act -to be deserving of that next stage.

     "Dayenu" challenges us to find the proper balance.

                              chag samayach,
                              menachem

[P.S. - Save this shiur! You can 're-use' it for Yom Atzmaut.]