The Chad Gadya

Everyone grew up with it and it signifies the end of the Pesach Seder. Father bought the kid (a sheep or
goat) for two zuzim. But the bobcat came and ate the kid. The dog came and bit the bobcat. The stick hit
the dog. The fire burned the stick. The water extinguished the fire. The ox drank the water. The
slaughterer shechted the ox. The Malach HaMaves slaughtered him. And the Holy One came and
slaughtered the Malach HaMaves. We are all familiar with it, but what does it really mean?
The standard explanation that most of us grew up with was that the nation of Israel was the Gadya, the
little sheep and the rest of the stanza refers to the vicissitudes of the exiles that we had experienced.
They may be hard to identify but each stanza would refer to one of the great world powers – either the
Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans and more.
But there are other explanations too. Indeed, the Chasan Sofer quotes the Tashbatz who says that the
reason this was written so enigmatically is so that we would spend time providing explanations to it and
we would thus fulfill the Mitzvah of Sipur Yetzias Mitzrayim.

RAV BONDI’S EXPLANATION
Rabbi Yonah Tevlei Bondi of Frankfurt Germany in his Be’er Minyan Hagaddah, a good friend of the
Chsam Sofer, however, provides a different explanation of this piut. He identifies it with the Midrash
Rabbah in Parshas Noach which relates a conversation between Nimrod and Avrohom Avinu. Nimrod
suggests to worship fire. Avrohom responds that water is more powerful. Nimrod acquiesces but them
Avrohom comes back a suggestion to worship clouds which carry the water. After Nimrod acquiesces,
Avrohom changes it to wind which disperses the clouds. Then to man who can withstand the clouds.
The Chad Gadya revisits the same conversation between the Jews and the Mitzrim. In essence, it pokes
fun at the idol-worship of the Mitzrim.

THE VILNA GAON’S EXPLANATION
The Vilna Gaon (explained in Sefer Lail Shimurim) has the Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya as really two goats –
the goats that Yaakov Avinu to Yitchok Avinue, one for the Korban Pesach and one for the Korban
Chagiga. D’zabin Abba refers to the blessings that Yaakov obtained, which were given to Yoseph. The
bobcat refers to the brothers who were jealous of Yoseph, as it is the nature of cats to be jealous. Ate
the bobcat means that they sold him to the Ishmaelites. The dog is Paroh who bit the brothers of Yoseph
– he enslaved them. Then came the stick – Moshe Rabbeinu’s stick which punished Paroh. The fire is the
yetzer harah for Avodah Zara. It destroyed the stick at the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash which was
felled by Avodah Zarah. The water is prayers of Knesses Yisroel which overcame the desire for Avodah
Zarah. But the ox was Rome that put the nation of Israel into exile. The Shochet is Moshiach Ben Yoseph.
But then he will die. But Hashem will ultimately destroy the Malach HaMaves.

RABBI TZVI HIRSCH OF HORODNA’S EXPLANATION
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch, the Av Beis Din of Horodna (died 1830) in his Zera Gad explanation of the Hagaddah
explain that the Chad Gadya is a depiction of the battle between the forces of holiness and those of
Tumah. The Gadya depicts the nation of Israel. The father is Hashem. The two zuzim are the two tablets.
The bobcat is Mitzrayim. The stick is Moshe who killed the Mitzri. The fire refers to Dosson and Aviram –the evildoers who follow the Yetzer Harah. The water is the angel Gavriel (See Avos D’Rav Nosson
chapter 2 where he is referred to as such), who saved Moshe Rabbeinu from the Mitzrim by appearing
in his form, allowing Moshe to escape Egypt (see Talmud Yerusalmi, Brachos 9:1 for the narrative, but
the name of the Malach is not identified there). The ox refers to the destructive angels that pursued
Moshe Rabbeinu to kill him – undoing the power of the water (See Nedarim 32a). The Schochet refers to
Tzipporah, Moshe Rabbeinu’s wife who performed the Bris Milah on her son thus negating the power of
the destructive angels.
The Malach HaMaves tried undoing that by acting as a prosecutor against Moshe Rabbeinu in that he
delayed doing the Milah until the angels Michoel and Gavriel came to give testimony on his behalf. And
finally, Hashem will undo the power of the Malach HaMaves.

YAAVETZ’S EXPLANATION
The Yaavetz explains that the entire piut refers to the travails of the Neshama- the soul here on earth
and has nothing to do with the exodus from Mitzrayim. The Gadya is the soul. The bobcat is days of
youth, where we entertain all sorts of desires, like a bobcat. The dog is the Yetzer Harah which bites the
soul in addition to the bobcat. The stick refers to the bad character traits (Midos) that come later as one
grows – which further afflict the Neshama. The fire refers to purposeful evil intent which further afflicts
the Neshama. The water is hergel or habit which extinguishes the soul. The ox is the Satan which further
complains against the soul. The Shochet refers to the destructive angels caused by all of his sins. The
Malach haMaves separates the soul from the body. And ultimately, Hashem will punish the Neshama
further for all of its sins. This is all, of course, if the person does not follow the path of Hashem and does
good and His Will.
A wise person once explained that the Chad Gadya was written on many levels. On the one hand it is
written in a form that the child would enjoy and be encouraged to stay up until the very end of the
Seder, with its remarkable phrases and the tune in which it is sung. On the other hand, it was also
written with remarkable insights into the travails of Klal Yisroel, the history of the world unfolding, and
the plight of the Neshama.