The Matzoh Story

Many ask why is there no blessing recited on the mitzvah of סיפור יצ"מ?  The Rosh (24:2) answers that there are many mitzvot that function to remind us of the Exodus and yet we don’t say a blessing on it for example separating the first-born animal.  The question is what is the comparison of the Rosh to other mitzvot, there it is a side detail in the mitzvah but here the mitzvah itself is to say the story of the Haggadah?

The Ramban in his attacks on the Rambam mitzvah #15 says that birchat hatorah should be counted as a separate mitzvah just as the reading of the parsha of Bikkurim isn’t included in the mitzvah of Bikkurim and like Haggadah isn’t included in the mitzvah of pesach.  We understand that the reading of the parsha of Bikkurim goes hand in hand with the Bikkurim itself but what does the mitzvah of סיפור יצ"מ have to do with the pesach? 

We see from here that סיפור יצ"מ comes to complete the mitzvot of the night.  The Smag goes so far as to not even count it as its own mitzvah.  The other Rishonim don’t go that far and do count it as its own mitzvah but they agree as well that the yesod of the mitzvah is part of the mitzvah of matzah and pesach  (Bad Kodesh volume 5 siman 9.) 

Based upon this, we can gain an understanding in the din of Rabban Gamliel (116a cited in Haggadah) that one who doesn’t say the reason of pesach, matzah and maror hasn’t fulfilled their obligation.  Why is there a din of mentioning the reason over here?  Because we see that the Torah makes the saying of the story part of the mitzvah itself.