The Haggadah’s Baffling Invitation

Toward the beginning of the Haggadah, there is a paragraph that states: “Anyone who is hungry—come and eat! Anyone who needs—come and celebrate Passover. Now we are here—next year in the land of Israel. Now we are slaves—next year free people.” Elli Fischer notes the anomalous placement of this paragraph, its odd phrasing, and the fact that, unlike the rest of the seder’s liturgy, it is in Aramaic rather than Hebrew. While some have argued that the choice of language was intended to keep demons away from the festive meal, Fisher believes the entire paragraph must be understood in reference to the paradoxes of celebrating a holiday of liberation while in exile, and where the key Passover ritual—the sacrifice and consumption of the paschal lamb—is not being observed: