Pesach | Dayyenu?! by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
Would it really have been enough?
One of the most popular hymns included in all Haggadot is the two-part paean "Dayyenu", which is a relative latecomer to the evening - it first appears in R. Saa'diah's Machzor as a song that some sing at the end of the evening. Its popularity, in a sense, clouds the myriad difficulties that these lines raise: Why does this praise extend far beyond the spatial and temporal bounds of "Yetziat Mitzrayim" to include the building of the Mikdash? Why are the unusual terms "Ma'alot" and "Makom" used here? Why is the list of kindnesses for which we thank Hashem repeated here? Why does the author seemingly double-up on certain events, as if to deliberately extend the list? And, the bottom line question is: "Dayyenu"? Would it really have been enough for us had Hashem stopped before any of these stages? Enough intro - to the shiur...