Not Standing During Hallel of the Seder

Question

Shulchan Aruch Harav Orach Chaim 473:48 says we don’t need to stand during hallel

לְפִי שֶׁכָּל מַעֲשֵׂי לַיְלָה זֶה הוּא דֶּרֶךְ חֵרוּת, לְפִיכָךְ אֵין מַטְרִיחִין אוֹתוֹ לַעֲמֹד.

How come, according to SA”H, in expressing our freedom we don’t need to stand during the Seder Hallel in order not impose on others, yet by heseibah which is also an expression of freedom and a halachic requirement we DO impose on others in requiring them to lean (of course those who are halachikly required to do so)?  Leaning while eating (especially if you hold of the opinion that it be done throughout the meal) might even be more of a tircha than standing for hallel. It may not be the most comfortable or convenient way of eating.

Answer 1

Joel K gave a good answer, but to answer it more straightforwardly:

The question seems premised on an incorrect translation. The questioner translated

לְפִי שֶׁכָּל מַעֲשֵׂי לַיְלָה זֶה הוּא דֶּרֶךְ חֵרוּת, לְפִיכָךְ אֵין מַטְרִיחִין אוֹתוֹ לַעֲמֹד.

as

"in expressing our freedom we don’t need to stand during the Seder Hallel in order not impose on others"

but that is inaccurate. The Shulchan Aruch is not saying that standing would have been an expression of freedom, but we don't want to impose, so we don't require that expression of freedom, which is what the English I cited is saying. Rather, the accurate translation is:

"Since all the acts of the night are a way of expressing freedom, therefore we don't require him to stand."

Standing would generally be a requirement for Hallel, not a requirement for freedom.

In terms of leaning being a tircha, that is a separate question. We don't really "lean" like Chazal did. They reclined on pillows on the floor or on couches, and this was an expression of freedom. The fact that we consider it a tircha is more an issue of our awkwardly perching at an angle on chairs.

Answer 2

I’m not sure that there is all that much of a contradiction.

As part of expressing our freedom on Seder night, we are:

1. Required to lean (as was the way of free people);

2. Not required to stand for Hallel, because requiring one to stand in the middle of his meal would not look like the way free people behave.