Eliyahu Hanavi Authored the Haggadah:
Rav Aharon Menachem Mendel of Radzimin zy”a writes the following in the introduction to his commentary on the Haggadah, Tzemach Menachem:
“My father, Rav Shlomo Yehoshua of Radzimin zy”a, said that his grandfather, Rav Yaakov Aryeh of Radzimin zy”a, told him that he heard Rav Bunim of Peshischa zy”a say that he could tell from the way that the Haggadah is written – especially from the wording of the paragraph “Baruch Hamakom Boruch Hu” – that the same wording is used numerous times in Tana D’Bei Eliyahu. This is a proof that the Haggadah Shel Pesach was written by none other than Eliyahu Hanavi.”
Knowing the Mah Nishtana Through the Avodah of Eating:
Sefer Siach Zekeinim relates that Rav Yissochor Dov of Belz zy”a once was sitting at the Seder and saw that the following words were printed in Yiddish in the Hagaddah before Mah Nishtana: “Mir rikt avek dem shissel un mir fregt Mah Nishtana.” (The ke’arah is removed and Mah Nishtana is recited.)
The Rebbe declared, “Of course! Of course! If one is able to remove himself from his bowl of food (if one can put aside his eating), he will know how this night is different.”
It Only Spilled Three Times:
Sefer Gan Yosef (page 142) relates the story of a traveler who spent Pesach as the guest of a miserly rich man. The host put large cups in front of all his family members but he only gave the guest a very small cup. During the Seder, the host asked his guest if he knew why Rav Yehuda abbreviated the makkos by giving them the simanim of “detzach adash b’achav”. The guest cleverly answered, “Rav Yehuda was very smart. He knew that hosts would give their guests very small cups and if they had to spill out a bit of wine for each of the 10 makkos, they would be left with almost nothing in their cups. Therefore, he abbreviated the makkos so that they would only need to spill out wine three times. However, you and your family have big cups, so you can keep all 10 makkos.”
The Heavenly Host Came to Hear the Kinnos:
When Rav Yitzchok of Radvil zy”a was a young man, he lived in the city of Nadvorna. One year, when he was ready to start his Seder, he told his shamash to bring him water from the well for netilas yadayim. A long time passed, but the attendant failed to come back with the water. The Rebbe sent his Rebitzen to see what was taking so long, but she also failed to return. Finally, he went himself to see what was going on.
When he got outside, he saw a large crowd peering into the window of a home. They were looking at a Jewish man and listening to how he recited the Hagadah. He saw his shamash and wife amongst the crowd, and he too walked over to see what was so interesting. He saw that the man was reciting one page of the Hagadah and then one page from Megilas Eicha. He continued doing this, page by page, and the crowd was watching this and laughing at how funny it was.
The real story was that this man had given his Hagadah to a bookbinder, whom he asked to bind it for him. He also brought his copy of Kinos and Megilas Eicha to the bookbinder at the same time. The binder made a mistake and mixed up the pages, binding every other page from the Hagadah together with every other page from the Kinos. This unlearned Jew didn’t know what the words meant in any case, so he hadn’t realized that anything was amiss.
The Rebbe later said that the entire Pamalia Shel Maaloh had come down to hear this Jew recite the Hagadah with temimus. That is why everyone was so captured by it and were unable to stop watching. There neshamos felt the kedusha and they were unable to walk away.
