The Symbolism of Five in the Haggadah

A well-known feature of the Haggadah is the prominence of the number four: the four questions, the four sons, the four languages of redemption, the four cups of wine. Fascinatingly, on deeper analysis, these sets of four all have hints of actually having a fifth member!

The most glaring example is the requirement to drink four cups of wine. In the early versions of the Talmud that discusses this, there is a very surprising comment: “Rebbe Tarfon says: We recite Hallel HaGadol over the fifth cup of wine at the Pesach seder.”¹ This statement is very hard to understand, given that we all know that the obligation is only to drink four cups of wine. Seemingly, because of this difficulty, Rashi and the Rashbam revise the words to state: “We complete the Hallel on the fourth [cup] and say Hallel HaGadol.” According to this version, the problem falls away as Rebbe Tarfon never discussed a fifth cup.

However, other Early Commentaries disagree with this approach and understand that Rebbe Tarfon did intend to include a fifth cup. The Ramam writes: “And one should pour a fifth cup of wine and recite Hallel HaGadol.”²

What then is the difference between the four cups and the fifth? The Rambam explains that the four cups are an obligation, but the fifth is optional. Because of that, although there is an obligation to ensure that poor people can have four cups of wine, there is no need to provide for the fifth. The Ra’avad goes even further than the Rambam and holds that the fifth cup is not merely optional, rather there is a mitzvah to drink it, although it is not an obligation.

Thus, there are three opinions regarding the fifth cup. Rashi and Rashbam rule that it is actually forbidden to drink the fifth cup as it is adding to the mitzvah: the Rambam holds it is permitted to drink it, and the Ra’avad maintains that it is a non-obligatory mitzvah to drink it. The final halacha is to respect all the opinions – we don’t drink the cup in deference to Rashi and the Rashbam but we do pour it out of respect for the Rambam and Ra’avad.

As is well-known, this cup is called the Kos shel Eliyahu – the Cup of the Prophet Eliyahu. The technical reason for this is because when the Talmud has no definitive conclusion to a question, it often says, ‘Teiku’ which is an acronym for “The Tishbi [Eliyahu] will resolve all questions and disputes.” Thus, in the case of the dispute about the fifth cup, it will be resolved by Eliyahu.

It is still unclear what the nature of this enigmatic fifth cup is, and the question arises as to where are other allusions to fives in the Hagaddah that may help understand the fifth cup? As we know, the four cups of wine correspond to the four languages of redemption. Yet, in truth, there is in fact a fifth lashon as well. The four are, “I will take out, I will save, I will redeem, and I will take [to Me for a people].”³ In the very next verse, the Torah continues, “And I will bring you to the Land…”⁴ This refers to God bringing the Jewish people into Eretz Yisrael which is the final stage of redemption. It seems that this fifth lashon corresponds to the mysterious fifth cup, but this just makes the problem more difficult – if there is a fifth language then why isn’t it explicitly mentioned as such, and why is the corresponding fifth cup not an obligation like the others?

There is yet another allusion to a five with regard to the questions of Mah Nishtanah. In the version we say in the Hagaddah there are four questions, but in the Mishna in Pesachim there is a fifth question – “On all other nights we eat either roasted, stewed or cooked meat, but on this night all the meat is roasted.” This question was included in the Mah Nishtana’ in the early manuscripts of the Hagaddah that were found in the Cairo genizah. It was asked when the Temple was still standing and they ate from the roasted Pascal Lamb at the Seder. After the Churban, this question was removed and replaced by the question about leaning.

We have now seen three sets of five but the fifth of each one is absent from the Hagaddah. The common denominator between them is that they all represent the final level of redemption that we have not yet reached. Rabbi Daniel Glatstein points out that we are not yet at the point where can drink the fifth cup, the cup of complete redemption. We cannot articulate the fifth expression of redemption about bringing us to the Land because we are still in Exile⁵. There is a missing fifth question about the Pascal Lamb. We hope that we will merit to be able to bring the Pascal Lamb and ask his question soon.”⁶

This explains the enigmatic nature of all the fives – we cannot drink the fifth cup because we have not fully reached the final redemption, we cannot say the fifth term of redemption because we have not yet attained the full redemption in the Land; and we cannot ask the question about the Pascal Lamb until we merit to eat it. This also provides a deeper reason as to why the fifth cup is called the Cup of Eliyahu. It alludes to the fact that when Eliyahu will come and resolve our doubts, that will be when he is bringing the tidings of the final redemption.

The commentaries add another possible ‘fifth’ in the Haggadah. They suggest that in addition to the ‘Four Sons’ there is a fifth son – he is the one who is not present at the Seder due to his disconnection to Torah. However, this negative interpretation does not seem to fit with the other positive fifths that allude to the final Redemption. Accordingly, perhaps it is possible to suggest that the fifth son is indeed the one who at present is not interested in even coming to the Seder, but as we approach the final redemption he will come back along with all the other lost Jewish souls. In this way, the fifth son is also a harbinger of the final redemption when we will all find Torah.⁷

This is not a mere pipe dream – especially since the events of the past years with the war in Gaza and the rampant anti-Semitism, many distant Jews have been awakened to the fact that there is something different about the Jews and that the world does not accept us if we just try to be like them. Thus, these difficult times are also full of potential to hasten the return of the Jews to God.

May we merit on this Pesach to drink the fifth cup of wine and reach the final redemption.

Many of the ideas in this article are taken from “Magid HaRakiah” written by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, pp.169-174.

1. Pesachim, 118a.
2. Rambam, Hilchot Chametz U’Matz0, 8:1.
3. Shemot, 6:6-7.
4. Ibid, 6:8.
5. Even though there is a Jewish state, we are still considered as being in Exile until the building of the Temple and the return of all Jews to the Holy Land.
6. Ibid, p.173.
7. See ibid, p.174 for an alternative explanation from Rav Glatstein.

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