Ritual, Myth, and Eternal Return, Mircea Eliade
"In our day, when historical pressure no longer allows any escape, how can man tolerate the catastrophes and horrors of history—from collective deportations and massacres to atomic bombings—if beyond them he can glimpse no sign, no transhistorical meaning; if they are only the blind play of economic, social, or political forces, or, even worse, only the result of the 'liberties' that a minority takes and exercises directly on the stage of universal history?
"We know how, in the past, humanity has been able to endure the sufferings we have enumerated: they were regarded as a punishment inflicted by God, the syndrome of the decline of the 'age,' and so on. And it was possible to accept them precisely because they had a metahistorical meaning [...]"
בכל דור ודור חיב אדם לראות את עצמו כאלו הוא יצא ממצרים, שנאמר (שמות יג), והגדת לבנך ביום ההוא לאמר, בעבור זה עשה ה' לי בצאתי ממצרים.
לפיכך אנחנו חיבין להודות , להלל, לשבח, לפאר, לרומם, להדר, לברך, לעלה, ולקלס, למי שעשה לאבותינו ולנו את כל הנסים האלו, הוציאנו מעבדות לחרות, מיגון לשמחה, ומאבל ליום טוב, ומאפלה לאור גדול, ומשעבוד לגאלה.ונאמר לפניו, הללויה.
In every generation a person must regard themself as though theyhe personally had gone out of Egypt, as it is said: “And you shall tell your son in that day, saying: ‘It is because of what YHVH did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.’”
Therefore it is our duty to thank, praise, laud, glorify, exalt, honor, bless, extol, and adore Him Who performed all these miracles for our ancestors and us; He brought us forth from bondage into freedom, from sorrow into joy, from mourning into festivity, from darkness into great light, and from servitude into redemption. Therefore let us say before Him, Hallelujah!
(ח) וְהִגַּדְתָּ֣ לְבִנְךָ֔ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לֵאמֹ֑ר בַּעֲב֣וּר זֶ֗ה עָשָׂ֤ה ה' לִ֔י בְּצֵאתִ֖י מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
(8) And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the YHVH did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.
(ו) בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ יָצָא עַתָּה מִשִּׁעְבּוּד מִצְרַיִם(...)
(ז) לְפִיכָךְ כְּשֶׁסּוֹעֵד אָדָם בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה צָרִיךְ לֶאֱכל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְהוּא מֵסֵב דֶּרֶךְ חֵרוּת. וְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בֵּין אֲנָשִׁים בֵּין נָשִׁים חַיָּב לִשְׁתּוֹת בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה אַרְבָּעָה כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁל יַיִן. אֵין פּוֹחֲתִין לוֹ מֵהֶם. וַאֲפִלּוּ עָנִי הַמִּתְפַּרְנֵס מִן הַצְּדָקָה לֹא יִפְחֲתוּ לוֹ מֵאַרְבָּעָה כּוֹסוֹת. שִׁעוּר כָּל כּוֹס מֵהֶן רְבִיעִית:
(ח) אֲפִלּוּ עָנִי שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יֹאכַל עַד שֶׁיָּסֵב. אִשָּׁה אֵינָהּ צְרִיכָה הֲסִיבָה. וְאִם אִשָּׁה חֲשׁוּבָה הִיא צְרִיכָה הֲסִיבָה. וּבֵן אֵצֶל אָבִיו וְהַשַּׁמָּשׁ בִּפְנֵי רַבּוֹ צְרִיכִין הֲסִיבָה. אֲבָל תַּלְמִיד בִּפְנֵי רַבּוֹ אֵינוֹ מֵסֵב אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן נָתַן לוֹ רַבּוֹ רְשׁוּת. (...)
(6) In every generation, one must show himself as if he personally had come out from the subjugation of Egypt; (...)
(7) Hence when a person eats on that night, he must eat and drink while he is reclining in the way of freedom. And each and every one - whether man or woman - is obligated to drink four cups of wine on this night. We do not lessen them for him. And even for a poor person that is sustained from charity do we not lessen the four cups for him. The requisite amount of each of these cups is a reviit.
(8) Even a poor person among Israel should not eat until he reclines. A woman does not need to recline; but if she is an important woman, she does need to recline. And a child with his father; and a butler in front of his master need to recline. But a student in front of his teacher may not recline unless his teacher gave him permission. (...)
How is reclining a gesture of freedom? Who are the categories of people excluded from it according to Rambam? Why? What do they share?
אשה לא בעי הסיבה פירש רשב"ם מפני אימת בעלה שכפופה לו ולפי זה אלמנה וגרושה בעו הסיבה ובשאילתות דרב אחאי כתב דלאו דרכם דנשי למיזגי ולפי זה אפילו אלמנה וגרושה נמי אבל אשה חשובה אורחא למיזגי.
Rashbam explained women are not required to recline because of the fear she has for her husband and she is subject to him. Therefore, a widow and a divorcee are required to recline. And Rav Achai writes in his responsum that it wasn't in women's practice to pour wine and therefore widows and divorcees neither. But an important woman can pour wine.
Why does Rashbam prescribe for women not to recline? What do you think defines an important woman - then and now?
אשה אינה צריכה הסיבה אלא אם כן היא חשובה:
הגה וכל הנשים שלנו מיקרי חשובות (מרדכי ריש פרק ע"פ ורבינו ירוחם) אך לא נהגו להסב כי סמכו על ראבי"ה דכתב דבזמן הזה אין להסב (ד"ע):
A woman does not recline unless she is important.
(Rema comment: All of our women are called important, but they do not have the custom to recline because we rely on the words of the Ribah who wrote that at that time they do not recline.)
What nuance does the Rema (aka R. Moshe Isserles) add? Why does he still not want women to recline then?
Tara Sophia Mohr, "Why Women Don’t Apply for Jobs Unless They’re 100% Qualified", Harvard Business Review, August 25, 2014
You’ve probably heard the following statistic: Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them. (...)
When I went into the work world as a young twenty-something, I was constantly surprised by how often, it seemed, the emperor had no clothes. Major decisions were made and resources were allocated based not on good data or thoughtful reflection, but based on who had built the right relationships and had the chutzpah to propose big plans. (...) When it comes to applying for jobs, women need to do the same. Of course, it can’t hurt to believe more in ourselves. But in this case, it’s more important that we believe less in what appear to be the rules.