To begin with censure and end with praise/ and those who came to scoff remained to pray
At the beginning of his words, he spoke words of condemnation of a person or thing, and at the end of his words, he spoke in its praise.
("Of all the nights we immerse ourselves once, and this night twice, and according to the knowledge of the son of his father, he begins with censure and ends with praise, and he demands from the Aramaic, "My father is lost," until the entire passage is completed." - Mishnah Masechet Pesach 10:4)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
הִתְחִיל בִּגְנוּת וְסִיֵּים בְּשֶׁבַח
Definition (Hebrew)
בִּתְחִלַּת דְּבָרָיו אָמַר דְּבָרִים בִּגְנוּת אָדָם אוֹ דָּבָר וּבְסוֹף דְּבָרָיו דִּבֵּר בְּשִׁבְחוֹ.
("שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ מַטְבִּילִין פַּעַם אֶחָת הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים וּלְפִי דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל בֵּן אָבִיו מְלַמְּדוֹ מַתְחִיל בִּגְנוּת וּמְסַיֵּם בְּשֶׁבַח וְדוֹרֵשׁ מֵאֲרַמִּי אוֹבֵד אָבִי עַד שֶׁיִּגְמֹר כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה כֻּלָּהּ"- מִשְׁנָה מַסֶּכֶת פְּסָחִים י ד)