Chasidut for Pesachim 238:6
אומר לו למשה טול וברך אומר להם איני מברך שלא זכיתי ליכנס לארץ ישראל לא בחיי ולא במותי אומר לו ליהושע טול וברך אומר להן איני מברך שלא זכיתי לבן דכתיב יהושע בן נון (דברי הימים א ז, כז) נון בנו יהושע בנו
After they have eaten and drunk, the cup of Grace<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The cup of wine over which Grace after meals is recited.');"><sup>10</sup></span> will be offered to our father Abraham, that he should recite Grace, but he will answer them, 'I cannot say Grace, because Ishmael issued from me. Then Isaac will be asked, 'Take it and say Grace.'
Kedushat Levi
The sages in the Talmud Pessachim 119 phrased it thus: “It is imperative that at the end of the seder we retain the “taste” of the matzah in our mouths when going to bed. [This halachah, of course applies only when we do not have a Passover lamb due to being in exile. Ed.] All these steps of the Passover ritual are necessary in order that we retain these impressions firmly engraved on our consciousness. These impressions are valid for every Jew, whereas the recognition of G’d and all He stands for without the ritual, prompted by one’s mind only, is something reserved for very few elitist Jews only. The importance of remembering G’d’s miracles is also at the root of the commandment that the King must have a Sefer Torah with him at all times, from which he can refresh his memory of all the miracles G’d has performed. This also answers the question why the Torah did not have the “smart” son preface his question with the words: על מה, “what for,” but has him ask מה, ”what,” i.e. what is the intrinsic value of this ritual year after year?
By reliving what our forefathers had experienced at the time of the Exodus, and what had brought them to a level of seeing the greatness of the Creator and His relationship to us by the miracles He performed for us, we hope to prevent these lofty feelings from fading into oblivion. Rabban Gamliel had therefore said that even people who serve G’d on a “higher” level, must perform the three basic mitzvoth on the Seder night by both mouth (words) and deed (eating).
By reliving what our forefathers had experienced at the time of the Exodus, and what had brought them to a level of seeing the greatness of the Creator and His relationship to us by the miracles He performed for us, we hope to prevent these lofty feelings from fading into oblivion. Rabban Gamliel had therefore said that even people who serve G’d on a “higher” level, must perform the three basic mitzvoth on the Seder night by both mouth (words) and deed (eating).
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