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Text Excerpt
גמ׳ אמר ריש לקיש: זאת אומרת מצות צריכות כוונה. כיון דלא בעידן חיובא דמרור הוא דאכיל ליה, ב״בורא פרי האדמה״ הוא דאכיל ליה. ודילמא לא איכוון למרור, הלכך בעי למהדר לאטבולי לשם מרור. דאי סלקא דעתך מצוה לא בעיא כוונה, למה לך תרי טיבולי? והא טביל ליה חדא זימנא!
Talmud: Reish Lakish said: That is to say that mitzvot require intent. One who performs a mitzva must do so with the intent to fulfill his obligation. The proof of this from the Mishnah is that since one does not eat the lettuce at the time of his obligation to eat bitter herbs, he eats it after reciting only one blessing: Who creates fruit of the ground. And clearly the reason is that perhaps he did not intend to fulfill his obligation to eat bitter herbs, and therefore he needs to dip it again for the purpose of bitter herbs. For if it could enter your mind that mitzvot do not require intent, why do you need two dippings? But he has already dipped the lettuce once.
ממאי? דילמא: לעולם מצות אין צריכות כוונה, ודקאמרת תרי טיבולי למה לי? כי היכי דליהוי היכירא לתינוקות.
The Talmud rejects this contention: From where do you know that this is the case? Perhaps I can say that actually mitzvot do not require intent. And that which you said, why do I need two dippings, perhaps the reason is so that there should be a conspicuous distinction for the children, which will cause them to inquire into the difference between this night and all others.
וכי תימא: אם כן לישמעינן שאר ירקות? אי אשמעינן שאר ירקות, הוה אמינא: היכא דאיכא שאר ירקות הוא דבעינן תרי טיבולי, אבל חזרת לחודה לא בעי תרי טיבולי, קמשמע לן דאפילו חזרת בעינן תרי טיבולי, כי היכי דליהוי ביה היכירא לתינוקות.
And if you say: If so, let the tanna teach us this halakha with regard to other vegetables as well, as there is no obvious reason that lettuce is chosen for this distinction. In response, I would say that had the Mishnah taught us about other vegetables, I would have said that it is only where there are other vegetables that one requires two dippings, one for the other vegetables and one for the bitter herbs; however, if one has only ḥazeret, he does not require two dippings, as one dipping is sufficient. Therefore, the Mishnah teaches us that even if one has just ḥazeret he requires two dippings, so that there be a conspicuous distinction for the children.