Pesachim 10:3 - 10:4

הביאו לפניו – the vegetables so that a young child will recognize them and ask, for it is was not the manner to bring vegetables [to the table] before the meal.

מטבל בחזרת – not specifically lettuce, for this first dipping is with other vegetables, other than if he lacked other vegetables, he would dip with lettuce in place of other vegetables. And the language of “dipping” means eating, and because all of their eating was done by dipping, which is called eating by dipping. However, this dipping was not with lettuce, as it is taught further on [in our Mishnah] that they would bring before him unleavened bread and lettuce and Haroset, it follows that they had not yet been brought.

עד שמגיע לפרפר את הפת – to the eating of the unleavened bread. And this comes to inform us that no other eating interrupts between the eating of the vegetables and the eating of the unleavened bread. For before that he would arrive to that lettuce which was commanded, upon which he recites the blessing “on the eating of bitter herbs,” he eats unleavened bread first, as it is written (Numbers 9:11): “They [shall eat it] with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.” Matzot/unleavened bread first and afterwards bitter herbs/Maror.

וחרוסת – which we make from figs, and nuts, peanuts and almonds and several kinds of fruits and we place in it apples and we clean them with a mortar and mix them in vinegar and put spices, reed stalks, cinnamon, like thin, long wicks, in memory of the straw (used by the Israelite slaves to build the treasure-cities for the Pharaoh) and it needs to be thick, in memory of the plaster.

שאין חרוסת מצוה – but rather for medicinal purposes to nullify the burning of the lettuce which is bad and hard on the body like poison.

ר"א ברבי צדוק אומר מצוה – in memory of the apple that women would give birth to their sons there (i.e., in Egypt) without pain, and in memory of the plaster.

וכאן הבן שואל – In all the books, it is not written, "וכאן"/”and here,” but rather [it is written], "וכן"/and similarly, like (Numbers 27:6): “The plea of Zelophehad’s daughters is just/"וכן בנות צלפחד דברות" , that is to say, and it is the law that when pouring the second cup [of wine] is when the child asks, “Why is [this night] different?”

הלילה הזה כולו צלי – At the time when the Temple existed, the child would ask as such.

מתחיל בגנות – at the outset our ancestors were idolaters and they were slaves.

ומסיים בשבח – that God (literally, “the place”) brought us close to His service and redeemed our ancestors from Egypt.