Rabbi Shulman explains the halachah of **not eating or drinking after the fourth cup**, rooted in **“אין מפטירים אחר הפסח אפיקומן,”** so that the taste of the מצה (as זכר לקרבן פסח) remains in one’s mouth. He clarifies why the **third and fourth cups** do not contradict this rule—because they are themselves **mitzvah-drinking**—and why additional flavored drinks (even more wine) are still prohibited, with **water** as the primary exception. Rabbi Shulman concludes by emphasizing the larger רוח: the seder night should be lived with **simchah, clarity, and song**, ideally extending through the night for those able to do so.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65i-20260920-190925-outline-20260920-190950.pdf

Rabbi Shulman learns a passage (פרק ס״ו) from the Maharal (אמר יהודה בן בצלאל) arguing that any great divine act must have a correspondingly great purpose. He shows how the Torah itself defines the telos of Yetziat Mitzrayim: that Hashem be our God and that His שכינה dwell among us—seen through the sequence of redemption, Aseret HaDibrot, Mishpatim, and finally the Mishkan. Rabbi Shulman then addresses the philosophical challenge: if “השמים כסאו והארץ הדום רגליו,” why would Hashem choose to dwell in the lowly physical world, and he begins explaining that the deepest קשר is specifically between the עילה (Bestower) and the עלול/מקבל (recipient).

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-66a-20260920-190630-outline-20260920-190706.pdf

Rabbi Shulman analyzes the Maharal’s approach to the “fifth cup” at the Seder, framing it as a *reshut* precisely because it represents a higher, more subtle category of Hashem’s kindness—especially *parnasah*—beyond the baseline gratitude owed for *geulah*. He then tackles a practical-nusach problem: if *Hallel HaGadol* belongs to the fifth cup (parnasah), why do many Hagados place it on the fourth cup, even interrupting between Hallel and its concluding *berachah* (*Birkat HaShir*)? Rabbi Shulman clarifies the Maharal’s preferred structure: keep the formal Hallel framework intact, and place additional praises (like Nishmat and Hallel HaGadol) only afterward—either with a fifth cup or without.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65h-20260906-220531-outline-20260906-220603.pdf

Rabbi Shulman explains the closing progression of *Hallel HaGadol*—from Hashem remembering us in our lowliness, to redeeming us from our oppressors, and culminating in Hashem providing food to all flesh. He develops the Maharal’s idea (based on Pesachim) that **פרנסה** is “greater” than **גאולה** because it is the ongoing, direct divine sustaining of all existence without intermediaries. This frames the **fifth cup** at the Seder as a (non-obligatory) elevation beyond the four cups of redemption, tied to *Hallel HaGadol* and to a deeper structure of “four directions” unified by a “fifth” central point.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65g-20260830-160503-outline-20260830-160537.pdf

Rabbi Shulman continues unpacking *Hallel HaGadol* (Tehillim 136) through the lens of the Maharal, showing how its sequence is a guided descent from Hashem’s transcendent governance—mediated through distinct classes of מלאכים—down into the created physical order of שמים וארץ and their details. He explains why “לעושה נפלאות גדולות לבדו” is placed before the description of the heavens: miracles flow from realms beyond the physical. Finally, Rabbi Shulman frames the transition from creation to יציאת מצרים as the “tenth,” sanctified stage—because the emergence of כלל ישראל is itself a completion of מעשה בראשית, giving the world its purpose.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65f-20260816-160429-outline-20260816-160508.pdf

Notes go hereRabbi Shulman explains the Maharal’s approach to the structure of the cups at the Seder, emphasizing that the Gemara’s primary girsa points to two distinct cups beyond the basic four: the fourth for Hallel (with ברכת השיר) and an additional fifth connected to הלל הגדול. From there, Rabbi Shulman develops the Maharal’s central theological idea: why הלל הגדול is “great”—because it highlights Hashem not only as Creator but as the constant Sustainer, the “עילה” upon which all “עלולים” (dependent beings) rely for ongoing existence and פרנסה. He then connects the 26 refrains of “כי לעולם חסדו” to Shem Havayah (יהוה), and begins unpacking the hierarchy of angelic roles implied by “אלהי האלהים” and “אדוני האדונים.”

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65e-20260802-160430-outline-20260802-160514.pdf

Rabbi Shulman analyzes the closing structure of Hallel as it appears in *Nishmat* and *Yishtabach*, focusing on why some sections emphasize **eight** praises “from our side” while *Yishtabach* enumerates **fifteen** praises “from Hashem’s side.” He explains the conceptual difference between **הלל** (praise for Hashem’s beneficence) and **שירה** (song about Hashem’s might), and why the “big finish” of Hallel must culminate with a heightened form of praise. He then transitions to the sugya of a possible **fifth cup** at the seder, why it’s absent from the Mishnah’s required cups, and why *הלל הגדול* is called “great” as it highlights Hashem’s ongoing providence—especially sustaining all creation with food.

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65d-20260729-121702-outline-20260729-121750.pdf

Rabbi Shulman analyzes why the Mishnah in Pesachim refers to the concluding berakhah after Hallel on the seder night with the unusual title **ברכת השיר** rather than the standard **יברך אחריו** (i.e., *Yehallukha*). He explains the Maharal’s approach: on leil Pesach, Hallel functions as **שירה**, and that “song-status” creates an added requirement for a formal concluding berakhah. From there, Rabbi Shulman explores Rabbi Yochanan’s position that **נשמת** (culminating in **ישתבח**) is “the song,” highlights the theme of **eight praises**, and then presents the Maharal’s critique of the practical Ashkenazic compromise (saying *Yehallukha* without its closing and then finishing with *Nishmat/Yishtabach*).

Outline: https://danielggordon.github.io/ateresami/gvuros-hashem-65c-20260719-160533-outline-20260719-160610.pdf