Siman 472, Se'if 2 · Se'if 2 - Preparing the Place for Haseibah

Shulchan Aruch, Siman 472, se'if 2

"He should arrange his table nicely with attractive vessels, according to his means, and he should prepare his seat so that he can sit reclining, in the manner of freedom."
(Shulchan Aruch, se'if 2)

Se'if 2 - Preparing the Place for Haseibah

• The preparations continue: Once the table is set with attractive vessels so that the Seder can begin immediately, a person must also prepare the place where he will sit, so that he will be able to sit there reclining (haseibah).
• Haseibah as one of the night's novelties: Reclining is one of the great innovations of the night, to the point that it was fixed as one of the Four Questions: "On this night we all recline."
• Knowing the obligation in advance: The fact that one must prepare the place teaches that a person is expected to know beforehand that there is an obligation of haseibah, and not to be caught off guard when the moment arrives.

"That he sit reclining - meaning that his head is inclined to the left side, on a bed or on a bench, with cushions under his head, next to the table."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 7)

Which Parts of the Seder Require Haseibah

• Requiring haseibah: Eating the matzah, the four cups, korech and the afikoman.
• Exempt from haseibah: Eating the maror does not require reclining.
• The Haggadah and the meal: There is no obligation to recline while reading the Haggadah or during the meal itself.
• During the berachos: Some say that one should not recline even while reciting the berachos, since a berachah must be said with concentration, and reclining is not conducive to that.

How People Ate in Ancient Times, and What Haseibah Represents

• The eating style of the wealthy and prominent: In the times of Chazal, the wealthy and prominent ate lying down. We find this in Megillas Esther, "couches of gold and silver" at the feast, and it is also evident from Roman practice.
• The practical arrangement: Each person had a small table with a couch beside it on which he reclined. People did not all sit around one table as we do today.
• Reclining as a sign of freedom: Since on the night of the Seder one must conduct himself like a free man and a wealthy man, it was established that we adopt that very style of eating, even though it is not comfortable for us today.

A Poor Man, One Sitting on the Ground, and Haseibah Under Pressure

"And even a poor man who has no cushions should recline on the bench."
(Shulchan Aruch, se'if 2)

• The precise wording: Some editions print "he should sit on the bench," and the Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 8) corrects this: it should read "he should recline on the bench." A poor man is obligated in haseibah even though he cannot do it in a regal fashion.
• One who sits on the ground: A person who has no bench and sits on the floor, as was the custom in eastern lands, must also lean to his left side; sitting on the floor does not exempt him.
• Leaning on a friend's knees: The poskim write that one who supports himself on his friend's knees is considered to be reclining, but only where there is no alternative. The Gemara relates that in the yeshiva there was not room for all the students to sit in the manner of those reclining, so one would lean on his friend's knees.
• Leaning on one's own knees: One who props himself up with his hands on his own knees is not considered reclining, since that is not the manner of freedom.

Se'if 3 - On Which Side Do We Recline

"When he reclines, he should not lean on his back, nor on his face, nor on his right side, but rather on his left side. And there is no difference between a left-handed person and anyone else."
(Shulchan Aruch, se'if 3)

• What counts as valid haseibah: According to most poskim, tilting the body in midair is not enough. Leaning with nothing to lean on is not considered haseibah at all, and is really nothing more than self-affliction.
• A cushion or an armrest: It is sufficient to have a cushion or an armrest on which the person leans, since nowadays we hardly ever recline on a couch, and this is the accepted form.
• Not on the back and not on the face: The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 9) explains that a person lying on his back or on his face is not doing anything that reflects freedom.

The Reasons One May Not Recline on the Right Side

• The reason of convenience: One who reclines on his right side cannot use his right hand. Therefore he leans to the left, so that his right hand remains free to serve him.

"Another reason: lest the windpipe take precedence over the esophagus. The esophagus is on the right side, and when he tilts his head to the right, the covering over the opening of the windpipe opens on its own."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 10)

• Explaining the reason: The trachea is the air passage leading down to the lungs, while the esophagus leads down to the stomach. While eating, the passage to the trachea is sealed off, and leaning to the right may open that valve slightly, in which case there is a concern that food will enter the windpipe. For that reason one may not recline on the right side.

The Law for a Left-Handed Person

• The two reasons clash: Based on the reason of convenience, a left-handed person should recline on his own side, so that his left hand remains free. But based on the reason of danger there is no difference, and everyone must recline on the left side, the left of any person.

"And this reason is preferable, because it involves danger, and danger is treated more stringently than a prohibition."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 11)

• The ruling: Concern for physical health takes precedence over inconvenience, and therefore even a left-handed person reclines on the left side.
• What "a prohibition" means here: The prohibition in question is transgressing the words of the Sages, who determined on which side one must recline.
• After the fact: If a person did recline on the right side, he has fulfilled his obligation.
• Eating with both hands: Since there is no obligation of haseibah during the meal itself, there is nothing wrong with eating with a knife and fork, using both hands. The obligation applies only to the four cups, the matzah, korech and the afikoman, and nowadays many people do not recline during the meal at all.

Se'if 4 - A Woman and Haseibah

"A woman does not need to recline, unless she is a woman of distinction."
(Shulchan Aruch, se'if 4)

"And all our women are considered distinguished, yet they did not have the custom to recline, because they relied on the words of the Ravyah, who wrote that nowadays one need not recline."
(Rema)

• Her obligation in the other mitzvos: A woman is obligated in all the mitzvos of the Seder night: the four cups, matzah, maror and reading the Haggadah. It is specifically from haseibah that she was exempted.
• The reason for the exemption: The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 12) writes, "an ordinary woman is never in the habit of reclining." Haseibah commemorates what our ancestors did, and even in their times it was not the way of women to recline.
• The Ravyah's position: Rabbi Eliezer ben Yoel HaLevi, one of the Baalei HaTosafos, holds that nowadays one need not recline at all, and his reasoning is: "since it is not customary in our lands to recline during the rest of the year, and a person simply sits in his normal way." In his view, reclining today does not express freedom and even causes discomfort.
• The halachic conclusion: The Ravyah stands alone in this opinion, and therefore it was not accepted as halachah, and indeed the text "on this night we all recline" was fixed in the Four Questions. Nevertheless, with regard to women, people relied on him in practice not to recline.
• Women who did recline: It is related of the wives of certain rabbanim that they did recline, since they were considered women of distinction.

Who Is Considered a Woman of Distinction

• The Shulchan Aruch's view: The Shulchan Aruch also agrees that a woman of distinction must recline, but he does not spell out the definition, and from here opinions diverge.
• Definitions that have been suggested: One who comes from distinguished lineage, one who is wealthy, one who has servants, and one who is a scholar.
• A practical explanation: The reason a woman does not recline is that she is constantly getting up and running about. A woman who has servants and does not move from her place is included in the law of haseibah.
• "Eishes chayil": Even this definition itself is disputed, and there is no agreed-upon standard.
• A widow who runs the Seder herself: Many opinions hold that she must recline. Some say the exemption was stated specifically where her husband is with her, but a woman who runs the household herself is considered distinguished and must recline.

Se'if 5 - A Son in the Presence of His Father

"A son in the presence of his father must recline, even if his father is his primary teacher."
(Shulchan Aruch, se'if 5)

• The difficulty: Haseibah expresses freedom, whereas a son is obligated to honor his father and is subordinate to him: if his father instructs him to bring something, he must do so. How, then, can he recline in his presence?

"Even though a son is obligated in his father's honor and reverence, and all the more so with his teacher, nevertheless he must recline, since presumably a father forgoes his honor for his son."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 14)

• The basis of the leniency: A father who waives his honor, his honor is waived, and presumably he is not particular about it. Similarly, strictly by law the members of the household should stand when the father enters the house, and the practice is not to do so, because presumably he waives it.
• The limits of that waiver: We do not say "he presumably waived" about everything. There are matters in which the halachah establishes that there is no automatic waiver, such as the prohibition against a son calling his father by his first name. The presumed waiver applies mainly to matters that involve bother and exertion.

A Student in the Presence of His Rebbi

"A student in the presence of his rebbi need not recline, even if he is not his primary teacher, unless his rebbi gives him permission."
(Shulchan Aruch, se'if 5)

"Need not recline - since in the first clause it said 'must,' here it uses the phrase 'need not,' but in truth there is also a prohibition to recline in his presence."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 15)

• Subordination, not merely honor: A student is obligated to serve his rebbi, and this is not merely a gesture of respect. The Gemara (Bava Metzia) records that Rabbi Yochanan said of whoever would resolve a Mishnah for him that he would carry his garments after him to the bathhouse, which is work a student does for his rebbi, similar to what a servant does for his master.
• The practical implication: Since the student is subordinate to his rebbi, he is not a free man in his presence, and therefore he does not recline. "The reverence of your rebbi is like the reverence of Heaven," and therefore a rebbi does not automatically waive his honor the way a father does.

"His rebbi gives him permission - meaning that he permitted him explicitly, and then it is effective even with his primary teacher."
(Mishnah Berurah, s.k. 16)

• Once permission is given: Once the rebbi has given explicit permission, the student is obligated to recline.
• A teacher of a trade: The Gemara distinguishes between a student of Torah studies and a student learning a craft or profession from his teacher. In the latter case there is no subordination, and therefore he must recline.

Practical Guidance for the Seder Night

• Giving explicit permission: Most poskim write that it is proper for the father to state explicitly that he permits everyone to recline in his presence, since it is possible that he taught his sons Torah and is considered their primary teacher. If he did not say so, nothing is invalidated, but it is preferable to say it.
• A father who is his son's primary teacher: Although the Shulchan Aruch states that a son reclines even when his father is his primary teacher, still, when parents teach their children Torah the matter is not so simple, and this is largely why the custom is to give explicit permission.
• Eating at a separate table: The law regarding a student was stated specifically where they eat at one table. Where the student eats at his own separate table, some say he must recline, since he is not in his rebbi's presence, and others disagree.

In passing · The Health Aspect of Reclining

• Reclining on the left while eating: A medical opinion was cited that reclining on the left side aids digestion, since the stomach is on the left side and the food descends into it directly, and one can even eat more that way than while sitting normally.
• Another opinion: Some have said that the benefit of lying on the left side applies specifically during sleep, since the liver rests on the stomach and this has a positive effect on digestion.
• Sleeping after eating: It is agreed that one should not go to sleep on a full stomach, since this is harmful to the body.
• The conclusion: No conclusion was reached here, since this is not a halachic question but a medical one, in which there are differing opinions.

Wearing a Kittel for a Mourner

• The mourner's custom: The custom is that a mourner does not wear a kittel on the Seder night. This refers to a mourner within the thirty days, and to one mourning a father or mother within twelve months.
• The reason for the custom: The kittel is viewed as a garment of joy and importance, worn on Shabbos, on Yom Tov and on Rosh Hashanah, whereas a mourner must minimize things that display importance and freedom.
• A dissenting view: Some say that the kittel is essentially like shrouds, and therefore it does not constitute a garment of joy and there is nothing preventing him from wearing it.
• The Mishnah Berurah's ruling: He ruled not to wear it, but nevertheless concluded, "one who does wear it is not to be protested," since there are differing opinions on the matter.