Q. See question above. Would that apply also to the women?
A. Shulchan Aruch (O.H. 472: 14) rules that women are obligated to keep all the mitzvos of the Pesach night. Mishna Berura (44, 45) explains that it includes not only the four cups of wine, matza and maror but also the reciting the Hagada. Although these are mitzvos that have a distinct established time, since they were also saved by the miracles of Pesach, they have to keep them all.
Although all agree that women are obligated in the mitzva of telling the story of the redemption of Mitzrayim, there is a dispute as to whether the mitzva is a Biblical obligation or only a Rabbinic one. Chayei Adam (130: 12) maintains that since this is after all a time based is a mitzva (Mitzva Shehazman Gerama), on a Torah level women are exempt. However, the Chinuch (Mitzvah 21) maintains that the Torah obligation applies to women as well.
HoRav Elyashiv (Kovetz Teshuvos 1:52) explains why the Chinuch does not exempt women from this mitzva of Sipur which is time-based: The exemption of time-based mitzvos for women was first established with the giving of the Torah at Sinai. Therefore, the exemption only applies to mitzvos that were given at Sinai or later. Since the mitzva of telling the story of the redemption of Mitzrayim was given while the nation was still in Mitzrayim, women were included at that time, and it remained for the future also.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit'a
Important Numbers
