Rabbi Howard Morrison

On one level, it has been theorized that Chad Gadya is a typical children's story or poem borrowed from other cultures. In our own time, it reads like a Dr. Seuss kind of story for children.

There are, however, many adult oriented theories as to the origin and importance of Chad Gadya:

It is a poetic restatement of the ten plagues. The references to goat, cat, and dog mirror the animals mentioned in the Ten Plagues, such as frogs, lice, and wild beasts. The references to natural objects, like fire and water, mirror the mentioning of hail, boils, and darkness in the Ten Plagues. A key difference is that in the Ten Plagues, the angel of death wields power, but in the Chad Gadya poem, God does away with the angel of death, a precursor to Messianic times.

A more prevalent theory has it that while the words were composed in Aramaic, the poem originated with Ashkenazim around the fourteenth century, long after Aramaic was used as a vernacular. Before that, Chad Gadya did not appear in Haggadot, and has never appeared in Sephardic or Yemenite Haggadot. In this theory, the objects represent nations through time who have tried to rid the world of the Jewish people.

 The cat is Assyria from the 700's BCE during which time ten of the twelve tribes lost their identities. 

The dog is Babylonia from the 500's BCE during which time the First Temple was destroyed, and the Jews were exiled to Babylonia.

The stick is Persia from the 400's BCE during which time Haman tried to kill the Jews of his time and place.

The fire is Greece from the 300's BCE to 165 BCE during which times Alexander the Great dominated Israel and Antiochus attempted to Hellenize or wipe out the Jewish people there.

The water is Rome from the Second Temple period during which time the Temple was destroyed, Jerusalem was taken over, thousands upon thousands of Jews were murdered, and a remnant of our people escaped to Yavneh to plant the seeds of Talmudic Judaism.

The Ox is Mecca from the sixth century CE, denoting the beginnings of Islam, the Koran, and a religious opposition to Jews and Judaism.

The slaughterer is medieval Europe, including the Crusades, forced disputations,  and the Inquisition perpetrated by Christians against Jews and Christianity against Judaism.

The angel of death represents the Turkish and Ottoman Empires from the 16^th century through the 19th century, preventing Jewish autonomy in the land of Israel.

Ultimately, the Holy One blessed be God is our eternal hope of a Messianic future and the correct standing for this little goat called the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. This little nation was acquired by God via two zuzim, either the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, or the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 

Ultimately, we are here to stay. Despite the adversity imposed upon us from one oppressor to another and from one era to another, we have either eliminated ancient nations or have endured their threats.

Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome are gone. For the most part, Jews and Christians have come to modernize their relationships with each other. With Islam, our history has been filled with ups and downs. The alliance a year ago with the United Arab Emirates was an upswing, which in the last half year has been downturned by Hamas and Iran.

Chad Gadya concludes the Seder and reminds us to be vigilant for sure, but also to have faith and optimism. Ancient Persia is today's Iran - We will overcome one as we did the other. If new empires and dictatorships emerge, over time, they will be vanquished liked the ancient empires of yesteryear. 

Yes, in the Chad Gadya poem, we may be envisioned as a little goat, but we also know that in English, GOAT is the GREATEST OF All TIME.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison