PESSAH
04/14/2022 03:41:19 PM
Why is This Night Different?
מה נשתנה הלילה הזה
In many homes with young children, parents and siblings may feel a little overwhelmed when a kid comes back from school with a small tome of Torah ideas to say at the table. As the child lays out pages and pages of ideas from their teacher, parents silently sigh to themselves, “Do they really plan on reading all of that?”
Interestingly, Rav Kook explains that the whole point of the questions at the seder is not to find answers but rather to instill an excitement in a child for the question itself.
In fact, Rav Kook understands that the questions of מה נשתנה are not even for the standard child – they were created for the child who does not know how to ask (שאינו יודע לשאול). The Passover Hagaddah designed questions even for those can’t ask in order to give each child the firsthand experience of questioning.
Unlike answers, questions demonstrate the vast potential and possibilities that lie within Jewish learning. On Passover, we give each child a voice – not so much in order to facilitate the answers, but more to demonstrate the excitement and empowerment of questions.
SHABBAT SHALOM!!