{"id":5712,"date":"2011-03-15T03:00:08","date_gmt":"2011-03-15T01:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=5712"},"modified":"2021-03-22T12:31:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T10:31:02","slug":"04-15-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-15-03\/","title":{"rendered":"03.\u00a0The Mitzva to Begin the Seder with a Question"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There is a mitzva to tell the story of the Exodus by way of question and answer, as it is stated: \u201cWhen in the future your child asks you\u2026say to your child, \u2018We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt\u2026\u2019\u201d (Devarim 6:20-22). It is likewise stated: \u201cWhen your children ask you, \u2018What is this service to you?\u2019 say, \u2018It is a Paschal sacrifice to God\u2019\u201d (Shemot 12:26-27). And: \u201cWhen in the future your child asks: \u2018What is this?\u2019 Say to him, \u2018With a mighty hand God took us out of Egypt\u2019\u201d (<strong>ibid<\/strong>. 13:14).<\/p>\n<p>Questions open the heart and mind to accept answers. The message we need to convey on the Seder night is so important and fundamental that we are commanded transmit it in the most effective way \u2013 by way of question and answer.<\/p>\n<p>This is the main reason for the unique <strong>mitzvot<\/strong> of the Seder night: eating matza, the Paschal sacrifice, and <strong>maror<\/strong>. They cause the children to ask \u201c<strong>Ma nishtana<\/strong>?\u201d \u201cWhy is this night different?\u201d and helps them understand that this is a special night whose essence must be understood. As a result, the Sages instituted several unusual practices in order to inspire children to wonder and enquire further. We begin by giving the children nuts and roasted grain, through which they realize that this is a special, festive night. The Sages instituted washing hands and eating <strong>karpas<\/strong> dipped in a liquid after <strong>kiddush<\/strong>, something we never do throughout the year. Furthermore, instead of starting the meal at this point, we pour the second cup of wine and remove the Seder plate and the <strong>matzot<\/strong> from the table, all to cause the children to realize that this is a very special night. They will thus truly be interested in its meaning, and they will sincerely ask: \u201cWhy is this night different?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps it can be said that this question, \u201c<strong>Ma nishtana<\/strong>?\u201d embodies a bigger and deeper question about the Jewish people: Why are we different from all other nations \u2013 in our faith, in our <strong>mitzvot<\/strong>, in our suffering, in our spiritual achievements, in our exile, and in our redemption? There is no complete answer to this question. Only by contemplating the Exodus from Egypt and the election of Israel can we understand that this is a divine matter; we are capable of understanding part of it, but we will never understand it all. This same question spurs us on, toward infinitely deeper and more sublime understanding. Perhaps this is why the Torah instructs us to tell the story of the Exodus and of Israel\u2019s singularity using questions and answers: the ideological basis of Jewish peoplehood lies in a question that opens us to an endless profusion of ideas. If we do not impart the Torah and the story of the Exodus to the children, no new questions would be asked and we would be unable to continue rising higher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is a mitzva to tell the story of the Exodus by way of question and answer, as it is stated: \u201cWhen in the future your child asks you\u2026say to your child, \u2018We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt\u2026\u2019\u201d (Devarim 6:20-22). It is likewise stated: \u201cWhen your children ask you, \u2018What is this service to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-15-the-hagada"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>03.\u00a0The Mitzva to Begin the Seder with a Question - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/04-15-03\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"03.\u00a0The Mitzva to Begin the Seder with a Question - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is a mitzva to tell the story of the Exodus by way of question and answer, as it is stated: \u201cWhen in the future your child asks you\u2026say to your child, \u2018We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt\u2026\u2019\u201d (Devarim 6:20-22). 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