Question: I have been informed that the name of Moses has been omitted intentionally in the original Haggadah. Is this true? If so, what was the author’s rationale?

Answer: Thank you very much for your recent inquiry about the omission of Moses in the Passover Haggadah.

One of the themes of Passover in particular, and Judaism in general, is the emphasis on direct accessibility to God by each individual. Judaism emphasizes that it was God himself, and not any angels, that freed us from Egypt. This is explicitly indicated in Exodus 12:12—“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment; I am the Lord.”

The author of the Haggadah wished to emphasize that God saved us from Egypt, and not Moses. This is the simple reason for the omission of his name.

Respectfully,

Russell Jay Hendel