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In Magid in the Hagada, it says,

אני ולא מלאך..., אני ולא שרף..., אני ולא השליח

A grandson asked who is the shaliach (messenger) who is referred to with the specific letter ה?

Please help the grandpa.

Avrohom Yitzchok
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    It probably means any messenger. The ה likely doesn't mean to refer to a specific person. Indeed, Mekhilta: הכה כל בכור בארץ מצרים לא על ידי מלאך ולא על ידי שליח doesn't have it, nor do Mekhilta D'Rashbi, Sifrei, Midrash Tannaim, Sh'mot Rabba, other Midrashim, Seder Rav Amram Gaon, Rashi to Exodus (12:12). The particular article is used more frequently in Hebrew than in English, such as Meilah 6:1: השליח שעשה שליחותו , we would probably write שליח שעשה שליחותו without the ה, but that was the style. (Not that any of this precludes some recent derushy explanation). – mevaqesh Apr 13 '17 at 19:56
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    FYI I saw in Rabbi Kasher's Haggadah Sheleimah that many manuscripts contain השליח, and he brings the girsa from Rav Sadya Gaon's Siddur which contains השליח – robev Apr 12 '18 at 16:04

2 Answers2

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In my Haggadah(s), I have the word שליח without the definite article, and in others it is present, nonetheless, here are some interpretations.

The Villna Gaon in his commentary that שליח refers to משה. And that שליח, מלאך, שרף (in that order, see there where he changes the order different that everyone else) correspond to the three worlds of עשיה, יצירה, בריאה respectively.

The Ritva in his commentary says שליח is the known the angel מטטרו״ן and that he is שר של ישראל השומר אותם.

The Maharal Miprag in ספר גבורת השם seems to say that שליח refers to טבע העולם and that nature is the messenger.

‏שהטבע הוא שליח של הקדוש ברוך הוא לפעול בעולם הזה, וכל דבר בעולם השם יתברך פועל על ידי הטבע והוא שליח המקום.

Dr. Shmuel
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The Mekubal Rabbi Menachem Tziuni/Tzioni suggests in his Sefer Tziuni/Tzioni that it is Metatron.

(Note: see here for some discussion of his commentary, which Rav Moshe Feinstein apparently banned.)

The Tefilah Lemoshe here (no idea who that is) suggests, as Mevaqesh did, that it is Moshe.

רבות מחשבות
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