Starting The Seder

The haggadah opens with the passage of הא לחמא עניא  (after בבהילו יצאנו ממצרים for those that follow the Rambam's text.)  There are many questions that are asked on this small passage.  What is the connection between the three statements of the bread our father ate, inviting people and a prayer to be in Jerusalem?  Why are we inviting people after the seder has already started?  Why are we inviting people to come partake in the pesach if we don't have a korban pesach these days?  How can we invite people to eat the pesach offering if one has to have already enjoined the group to be allowed to eat the korban pesach?  What is the difference between the דכפין that we invite to eat and the יצטרך that we invite to partake in the pesach?  Why are some invited to partake of the pesach and some invited to eat?  

Sometimes one sits down to the seder feeling unprepared.  Despite all the many preparations people make for Pesach, it never seems to be enough.  Sometimes the one leading the Seder himself or those around the table need to welcome themselves to the Seder.  They need to put aside all their deficiencies and conduct the Seder.  The Haggadah attempts to introduce the Maggid section by assuaging a person's fears that they are ill prepared to have a Seder.   הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִּי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם.  This bread was eaten in Egypt, Klal Yisrael was a low level, sunk into the tumah of Egypt, yet they managed to get out.   

There are two different levels of people lacking.  There are those that know what to do at the Seder but feel that they are a little lacking.  For those we say כָּל דִּכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכוֹל, those that are hungry for spirituality, those that want more, יתֵי וְיֵיכוֹל, come and partake.  These are those that are far removed that they need a quantum leap to be ready for the Seder and for those we say כָּל דִּצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח, those that are not just hungry, but are lacking the essentials, they too can come וְיִפְסַח and jump over the prerequisites normally necessary to be ready.  

הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא – לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵּי – לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.  Just as in the past Klal Yisrael was redeemed despite the fact that they might have been 'hungry' or even 'needy', so too will happen to us.  Hence, we can sit down to the Seder, each person according to their ability and the results will take care of themselves.