The Mitzvah of

Haseibah
By Rabbi Joshua Flug

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I. Intro- The concept of Haseibah (what should really be pronounced hasbah) is a
theme that runs throughout the seder night. In this shiur, we will provide a
framework for explaining haseibah as well as some practical questions arise.
Discussing the topic of haseibah provides the additional benefit of being able to
discuss many of the mitzvos of the seder.
II. The basics of haseibah
a. The Mishna states that even a poor person must eat in the reclined position. {}
b. The Gemara states that haseibah is required for matzah and not for maror.
The Gemara then notes that haseibah is only required for two of the four
kosos. One opinion is that the first two require haseibah in order to elicit
feelings of cheirus while reciting the haggadah. Once the haggadah is
finished, there is no need for haseibah. The second opinion is that the first
two don't require haseibah because we are still viewing ourselves as slaves
and only after we finish the haggadah should we express our cheirus. The
Gemara concludes that since we don't have a definitive answer to this
question, we should perform haseibah on all four kosos. {}
i. Tosafos ask: How can one suggest that once the haggadah is recited
that there is no requirement for haseibah? Isn't the matzah eaten after
the recitation of the haggadah? Tosafos give three answers (they may
not be three independent answers): {}
1. Matzah is the main part of the meal.
2. The idea that there is no requirement to perform haseibah after
the haggadah only applies to the kosos because the one already
fulfilled haseibah on the first kosos.
3. Regarding matzah, the Torah already indicates that matzah is
supposed to represent cheirus.
ii. Ran (1320-1380) asks: Haseibah is a rabbinic institution. If there is a
doubt as to whether we should perform haseibah on the first kosos or
the last kosos, why not employ safek d'rabanan l'kula and choose
either of the two sets? Ran answers: {}
1. Since it is not a difficult thing to do, we don't employ safek
d'rabanan l'kula.
2. You can't arbitrarily choose two of them. Therefore,
employing safek d'rabanan l'kula would mean performing no
haseibah at all. Ran writes that we don't employ safek
d'rabanan l'kula when it means eliminating a mitzvah entirely.
 c. Are there other parts of the seder that require haseibah?
i. Afikoman
1. Tosafos write that there is a requirement for haseibah at
afikoman. {}
2. Rambam (1135-1204) implies that there is no requirement for
haseibah at the afikoman. {}
ii. Korech
1. R. Ya'akov ben Asher (1269-1343) quotes his brother R.
Yechiel who was unsure whether there is a requirement to
perform haseibah at korech being that there is maror in the
korech. {}
2. R. Yosef Karo (1488-1575) assumes that it is obvious that
korech requires haseibah because Hillel certainly performed
haseibah and if we are emulating Hillel, we should perform
haseibah. {}
3. Rambam does imply that haseibah is not required. {}
However, Beis Yosef uses Rambam's position to advance the
opposite approach.
iii. Karpas
1. R. Dovid Avudraham (14th century) writes that there is a
requirement for haseibah at karpas. {}
2. R. Tzidkiyah HaRofeh (1210-1275) rules that you are not
required to perform haseibah at karpas. {}
iv. Shulchan Orech- Rambam writes that it is praiseworthy if you eat the
entire se'udah in the reclined position. {}
III. The Brisker Rav's Chakirah and its applications
a. R. Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik (1886-1959) asks the following question: Is
haseibah an independent mitzvah or is it a portion of each individual mitzvah?
{}
i. Rambam writes that it is praiseworthy to eat the entire meal in the
reclined position. {} It is clear that haseibah is an independent mitzvah
because if it is part of each individual mitzvah, what would one gain
by reclining during the meal?
ii. Rabbeinu Asher (c.1250-1328) rules that if one eats matzah without
performing haseibah, one must eat matzah again in the reclining
position. {} R. Soloveitchik notes that he must be of the opinion that
 it is part of the mitzvah of matzah because if it were an independent
mitzvah, what would gain by eating matzah again? When one repeats
eating the matzah, there would be no actual fulfillment of the mitzvah
of matzah and it would be like eating matzah in the middle of the
meal. It must be that Rabbeinu Asher is of the opinion that one must
recline in order to fulfill the mitzvah and if one did not do so, he must
repeat the mitzvah properly.
b. Other areas where this chakirah is relevant
i. How does one understand the question regarding which kosos to use?
1. According to Rambam, hasiebah is an independent mitzvah
whose main fulfillment occurs at the mitzvos of the seder. In
order to fulfill the bare minimum requirement, haseibah can be
performed at parts of the fulfillment of each mitzvah. Just as
there is no requirement to recline at the afikoman and perhaps
at korech, there is no requirement to recline at all four kosos.
2. According to Rabbeinu Asher, any requirement of haseibah
would be the means in which the rabbis said the mitzvah must
be performed. The Gemara presents the logic of why the
rabbis would not have instituted hasiebah on the first and last
kosos.
a. The Tosafos that we mentioned earlier that shows the
difference between the requirement of haseibah for
matzah and for the kosos, seems to follow the basic
approach that hasiebah is instituted as part of each
individual mitzvah and therefore, it makes sense to
distinguish between the requirements of the two
mitzvos.
ii. The requirement to recline at karpas, korech and afikoman
1. As we mentioned in the previous paragraph, Rambam's
position is that one should ideally recline throughout the seder.
In order to fulfill the bare minimum requirement, it is sufficient
to recline for a k'zayis of the matzah and two of the kosos
(even though we require all four because of the doubt). If one
does want to suggest that Rambam requires haseibah during
additional parts of the seder, or if one wants to take Rambam's
general approach and require haseibah during these parts of the
seder, one would have to explain that these mitzvos are
included in the bare minimum necessity of haseibah.
2. According to Rabbeinu Asher, the question of whether
haseibah is required at karpas, korech, and afikoman is
 partially contingent on whether the rabbis instituted haseibah as
part of the mitzvah or not
3. In reality, each one of these mitzvos has its own unique factor:
a. Regarding Karpas, according to R. Yosef Dov
Soloveitchik (1903-1993), there is a dispute among the
Rishonim as to whether Karpas is a mitzvah:
i. Rambam writes that one must eat a k'zayis of
karpas. {}
ii. Hagahos Maimonios questions why there is a
need to eat a k'zayis if the whole purpose is to
elicit questions from the children. {}
iii. R. Soloveitchik explains that according to
Rambam, Karpas is one of the mitzvos of the
night relating to eating and as such, it requires a
k'zayis like all food related mitzvos. The other
Rishonim are of the opinion that it is not an
actual mitzvah. {}
iv. In applying this to haseibah, if Karpas is an
actual mitzvah, it is arguable that hasiebah could
be required regardless of which approach one
takes regarding haseibah. If however, Karpas is
not a mitzvah, it is difficult to assume that
haseibah is a requirement.
b. Regarding Korech there are two unique factors:
i. Is there a prohibition against reclining for
maror?
1. Beis Yosef assumes that there is no
prohibition which is part of his argument
why one should recline during korech.
{}
2. R. Avraham Gombiner (c. 1633-1683)
implies that it is not appropriate to
recline during maror. {} As such, it is
arguable that one should not recline for
korech.
ii. R. Yosef D. Soloveitchik notes that there is a
dispute whether korech is a fulfillment of
matzah and maror on rabbinic level or whether
 it is a fulfillment of our obligation to remember
the mikdash? {}
1. According to Tosafos, korech is a
fulfillment of the mitzvah of matzah and
maror on a rabbinic level. Therefore,
one should not really speak between the
berachos on matzah and maror and
korech because the berachos cover the
korech as well.
2. According to Rambam, the purpose of
korech is a fulfillment of the general
requirement to remember the practices
of the mikdash and there is no specific
fulfillment of matzah or maror.
3. Applying this dispute to haseibah, if
there is a fulfillment of matzah, it is
arguable that it should be performed
with haseibah similar to the requirement
for matzah (according to Rambam,
perhaps there is only a requirement on
the first k'zayis). If it is a fulfillment of
zecher lamikdash, the only reason to
perform haseibah is to emulate the way
it was done in the mikdash and there is
no inherent obligation of haseibah.
c. Regarding Afikoman, there is an additional factor as
well:
i. According to Rashi and Rashbam, the main
fulfillment of the mitzvah of matzah is at the
afikoman and the only reason why we recite the
beracha earlier is because that is technically the
only place to recite the beracha. {}
ii. According to Rabbeinu Asher, the main
fulfillment of the mitzvah of matzah is the first
k'zayis. {}
iii. If the main fulfillment of matzah is at the
afikoman, one would certainly require haseibah
at the afikoman. If the main fulfillment is at the
first k'zayis, then it would depend on what we
presented earlier.
c. The position of Shulchan Aruch and Rama regarding the original chakirah {}
 i. Shulchan Aruch rules that if one eats matzah without haseibah, he
must repeat the mitzvah with haseibah. This implies that he views
haseibah as part of the mitzvah of matzah and not an independent
mitzvah. Rama seems to concur with this idea.
ii. Rama nevertheless rules that it is preferable to recline throughout the
meal. This implies that haseibah is an independent mitzvah.
iii. One can simply resolve this problem by stating that there are two
approaches and Rama is machmir for both approaches.
IV. Is Haseibah applicable nowadays?
a. Ra'aviah (d. 1225) writes that since it is not customary nowadays for
important people to eat in a reclined position, there is no requirement for
haseibah nowadays. {}
b. Beis Yosef notes that most Rishonim disagree and maintain that even
nowadays we must recline. {}
c. Do we totally reject Ra'aviah's idea or do we accept it partially?
i. Rama writes that one can rely on Ra'aviah b'dieved. {}
1. Rama writes that women can rely on the opinion of Ra'aviah
{}- R. Mordechai Willig quotes a nice idea explaining Rama's
ruling {}:
2. Women should technically be exempt from the mitzvah of
haseibah because it is a mitzvas aseh shehaz'man gerama.
3. Nevertheless, they are obligated because of the principle of af
hen hayu b'oso ha-nes.
4. R. Moshe Soloveitchik (1879-1941) suggests (this idea is
developed throughout this article) that af hen hayu only
obligates women in pirsum ha-nes and not zecher la-nes.
5. Applying this to haseibah, haeibah has two components
a. The zecher la-nes component which requires us to
recline in a manner similar to the way they reclined in
earlier times.
b. The pirsum ha-nes component which requires us to
publicize the miracle by reclining in a way that
demonstrates our cheirus.
6. Nowadays, there is no pirsum ha-nes by reclining because that
is not the way we normally eat. The only component that
exists nowadays is the zecher la-nes component. However,
 since women are not obligated in zecher la-nes, they are not
required to recline.
ii. This explanation of haseibah helps us understand a puzzling ruling
regarding lefties and haseibah.
1. The Gemara states that if one leans on the right side it is not
considered haseibah.{}
2. Rashbam (c. 1085-1158) quotes a dispute regarding the reason
for it: {}
a. Rashi is of the opinion that the concern is that it is not
considered cheirus because people normally eat with
their right hand.
b. Rashbam is of the opinion that the concern is that
someone may choke when leaning on the right side
because it may cause the epiglottis to expose the
windpipe.
3. R. Yisrael Isserlin (1390-1460) notes an important difference
between the two explanations regarding lefties: {}
a. According to Rashi, a lefty should lean on his right side
because he eats with his left hand.
b. According to Rashbam, he should lean on his right side
because leaning to the left presents a danger.
c. R. Isserlin concludes that it better to lean on the right
side because chamira sakanta me'issura and safek
nefashos l'hakel.
d. One can question this ruling because after all, what
does one gain by leaning on the right if he will not be
able to eat normally? Maybe he shouldn't recline at all
and he should be exempt from the mitzvah altogether.
e. Based on the aforementioned idea, one can suggest that
in truth, there is no fulfillment of pirsum ha-nes because
he is not eating normally. However, even if he is not
comfortable, he can still fulfill zecher la-nes.
 ‫ר"ן פסחים כג‪.‬‬ ‫‪ .1‬פסחים צט‪:‬‬

‫‪ .2‬פסחים קח‪.‬‬

‫רמב"ם הל' חמץ ומצה ז‪:‬ח‬

‫טור או"ח ס' תעה‬

‫תוס' פסחים קח‪.‬‬

‫בית יוסף או"ח ס' תעה‬

‫אבודרהם פירוש ההגדה‬

 ‫רא"ש פסחים י‪:‬כ‬ ‫שבלי הלקט ס' ריח‬

‫חידושי מרן רי"ז הלוי הל' חמץ ומצה ז‪:‬ז‬

‫רמב"ם הל' חמץ ומצה ח‪:‬ב‬

‫מתחיל ומברך פרי האדמה ולוקח ירק‬
‫ומטבל אותו בחרוסת ואוכל כזית הוא וכל‬
‫המסובין עמו כל אחד ואחד אין אוכל פחות‬
‫מכזית‪.‬‬

‫הגהות מיימוניות הל' חמץ ומצה ח‪:‬ד‬

‫הגדת שיח הגרי"ד ס' ה‬

 ‫רא"ש פסחים י‪:‬לד‬ ‫שלחן ערוך או"ח תעה‪:‬א ומגן אברהם ס"ק ו‬

‫הגדת שיח הגרי"ד ס' סה‬

‫שלחן ערוך ורמ"א או"ח תעב‪:‬ז‬

‫אבי העזרי ס' תקכה‬

‫רש"י פסחים קיט‪:‬‬

‫בית יוסף או"ח ס' תעב‬

‫שלחן ערוך או"ח תעב‪:‬ד‬

‫תרומת הדשן א‪:‬קלו‬ ‫זכרון הרב )מאמרו של הרב וויליג(‬

‫פסחים קח‪.‬‬

‫רשב"ם פסחים קח‪.‬‬

‫הסיבת ימין לאו שמה הסיבה‪ .‬שהרי‬
‫בימינו הוא צריך לאכול‪ .‬שמא יקדים‪.‬‬
‫אפרקדן קאי שמתוך שצוארו שוחה‬
‫לאחוריו שפוי כובע הסותם את פי הקנה‬
‫נפתח ומתקפל למעלה וקנה פושט למעלה‬
‫והמאכל נכנס לתוכו ונחנק כך פירש רבינו‬
‫שלמה‪ .‬וקשיא לי אמאי לא סמכיה להאי‬
‫ולא אהסיבת ימין‪ .‬ורבותי פירשו שמא‬
‫יקדים קנה לושט דושט הוי על )דרך( ]צד[‬
‫ימין ונפתח הכובע שעל פי הקנה מאיליו‬
‫כשהוא מטה כלפי ימין ואם יכנס בו‬
‫המאכל הרי סכנה שאין אוכלין ומשקין‬
‫נכנסין אלא דרך הושט ולכך נראה בעיני‬
‫דאהסיבת ימין קאי מדסמכיה לדידיה‪.‬‬