Let me take you through one of the deepest secrets hidden in the Haggadah: Eliyahu HaNavi is actually its author.
We begin the seder with Ha Lachma Anya – “this is the bread of affliction,” written in Aramaic. The first two letters of that opening word, Hei and Aleph, are an acronym for HaNavi Eliyahu – Elijah the Prophet. Eliyahu placed his own signature right at the very entrance of the Haggadah.
Now, who is Eliyahu? Go all the way back to Moshe standing before Hashem at the burning bush. Moshe pleaded, “Please send by the hand of the one You will send.” The Midrash says Moshe was asking for someone else – and the Targum reveals that Moshe was actually requesting Pinchas. But Hashem answered that it would be Eliyahu. And here’s the key: it is rabbinically established that Pinchas and Eliyahu are the same character. That means the one who received the covenant of peace – Pinchas – is the very same prophet who will come to answer all unresolved questions.
You’ve probably heard the Talmudic expression Teiku when a difficult question has no answer. Teiku stands for Tishbi Yetaretz Kushiyot V’abayot – “The Tishbi, Eliyahu, will resolve all difficulties and problems.” Eliyahu is the ultimate answerer. So who better to write the Haggadah, a book full of questions and their hidden answers?
Now look at the structure of the seder itself. It is split into two halves. The first half recalls the original exodus from Mitzrayim. The second half is not just more storytelling – it is designed to create the energy for the second redemption. The Haggadah is not ancient history. It is a manual for redemption. And the one who authored that manual is the one who will lead that final redemption: Eliyahu.
We even see this in the cup named after him – the cup of Eliyahu. And the custom of opening the door? That’s not just a child’s game. It’s a real expectation: is Eliyahu here yet? Because when he comes, he will answer everything.
There’s another layer. Yaakov Avinu shamar et ha-davar – he guarded the matter – when Yosef shared his dreams. Yaakov understood that Yosef was a messianic figure who would elevate the consciousness of the nations. That is the role of Mashiach ben Yosef. And who is connected to that same energy? Pinchas – Eliyahu.
So when we recite L’shana Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim at the beginning and end of the Haggadah, we are not just hoping for a future trip. We are activating the very redemption that Eliyahu wrote the Haggadah to unlock. The seder night is not a replay of the past. It is a rehearsal for the future, guided by the hand of Eliyahu himself.
Thus, Eliyahu explains when mashiach will come in Sanhedrin 98a: “Hayom im bekolo tishma’u” — “Today, if you will listen to His voice.”
“Rabbi Akiva did not write the Haggadah; rather, he became its final living, breathing embodiment, and in that sense, the Haggadah is divided in two.” — RaDEY