(ח) וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם.
(8) And you shall explain to your child on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I went free from Egypt.’
(14) And when, in time to come, your child asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to them, ‘It was with a mighty hand that the LORD brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage.
(20) When, in time to come, your children ask you, “What mean the decrees, laws, and rules that the LORD our God has enjoined upon you?” (21) you shall say to your children, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and the LORD freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand. (22) The LORD wrought before our eyes marvelous and destructive signs and portents in Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household; (23) and us G-d freed from there, that G-d might take us and give us the land that G-d had promised on oath to our ancestors.
(ב) מִצְוָה לְהוֹדִיעַ לַבָּנִים וַאֲפִלּוּ לֹא שָׁאֲלוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג-ח) "וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ". לְפִי דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל בֵּן אָבִיו מְלַמְּדוֹ. כֵּיצַד. אִם הָיָה קָטָן אוֹ טִפֵּשׁ אוֹמֵר לוֹ בְּנִי כֻּלָּנוּ הָיִינוּ עֲבָדִים כְּמוֹ שִׁפְחָה זוֹ אוֹ כְּמוֹ עֶבֶד זֶה בְּמִצְרַיִם וּבַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה פָּדָה אוֹתָנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ לְחֵרוּת. וְאִם הָיָה הַבֵּן גָּדוֹל וְחָכָם מוֹדִיעוֹ מַה שֶּׁאֵרַע לָנוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם וְנִסִּים שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לָנוּ עַל יְדֵי משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ הַכּל לְפִי דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל בֵּן:
(2) It's a mitzvah to make it known to children, even if they didn't ask, as it is said (Exodus 13:8) "and you shall tell your child." The father should teach according to the understanding of his child. How? If the child is young or foolish, he should say to them, 'My child, we were all slaves like that handmaid, or like that servant, in Egypt, and on this night, the Holy One, blessed be G-d, redeemed us and brought us out to freedom.' And if the child is older and wise, he should teach them what happened in Egypt and about the miracles that were done for us through Moses--all is according to the understanding of his child.
The Sages taught in a baraita: All are obligated in these four cups, including men, women, and children. Rabbi Yehuda said: What benefit do children receive from wine? They do not enjoy it. Rather, one distributes to them roasted grains and nuts on Passover eve, so that they will not sleep and also so they will ask the four questions at night. They said about Rabbi Akiva that he would distribute roasted grains and nuts to children on Passover eve, so that they would not sleep and so they would ask. It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: One grabs the matzot on the nights of Passover on account of the children, so they will not sleep and they will inquire into the meaning of this unusual practice.
The Story of the Four Questions
Why is this night different from all other nights? ~ The Haggadah
A Jew is going to be knighted by the Queen of England, and as part of the ceremony he must say a phrase in Latin. At the ceremony each person is knighted by the queen and says their phrase in Latin. The Jew is knighted and then suddenly forgets the phrase. He quickly says the first non-English phrase that comes to mind, "Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot?" The queen turns to her advisors and asks, "Why is this knight different from all other knights?"
“Ma Nishtana”, or “The Four Questions”, is one of the highlights of the Seder, when the spotlight turns to the youngest child who can pose these questions. They ask:
Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights we eat leavened bread and matzah; on this night we eat only matzah.
On all other nights we eat other vegetables; on this night we eat bitter herbs.
On all other nights we dip vegetables once; on this night we dip twice.
On all other nights we eat sitting up or reclining; on this night we recline.
Where did this text come from?
There are four times in the Torah where we are told to explain the Exodus from Egypt when our child(ren) ask us about why Passover is different (this is the origin of The Four Children). The Talmud poses the question about how to get children to ask about why Passover is different. Rabbi Akiba would give kids nuts at the Seder, and Rabbi Eliezer would grab the matzahs off the table, both so that the kids would ask about why the night is different.
The Mishnah recognizes that sometimes kids have their own things that interest them, and if you really want them to ask a certain question you have to tell them to ask the question (“What a great question! So glad you asked.”). The Mishnah then provides “The One Question and the Four Reasons for This Question”, or “The Four Questions” for short. Here’s the Mishnah’s version:
Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights we eat leavened bread and matzah; on this night we eat only matzah.
On all other nights we eat other vegetables; on this night we eat bitter herbs.
On all other nights we eat roasted, stewed, or cooked meat; on this night we eat roasted meat.
On all other nights we dip vegetables once; on this night we dip twice.
The dipping question underwent an evolution. During the time of the Mishnah (200 BCE-200 CE), the Greco-Romans were the freest people in the world and thus their symposia was the model for the Seder. Just as they dipped their hors d’oeuvres, so too did we dip karpas in salt water and our horseradish in charoset. By the time of the Babylonian Talmud (200-500 CE), the rabbis were not in a society where dipping was so common, so they changed the wording to “On all other nights we do not even dip once; on this night we dip twice”.
Other than that, the other three things mirror what Rabban Gamliel said we must mention at the Seder: Matzah, Maror, and the Roasted Passover Lamb. Meat was roasted on Passover as part of the Passover sacrifice. This sacrifice was only offered in the Temple, indicating that these questions date back to pre-70 CE, before the Temple was destroyed. By the time of Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi (“the Rif”), a North African rabbi from the 900s, this question was no longer being asked.
As for the reclining question, that was added by Rabbi Saadia Gaon in Babylonia in the 900s. There was no need to ask it in the time of the Mishnah, because everybody knew why we reclined - that’s what the Greco-Romans did, so that’s why it was in the Seder. By Saadia Gaon’s time, they were still doing it but now they needed to ask about it since this was not common practice anymore.
The order of the questions is not standard. The Jerusalem Talmud (200-400 CE in the Land of Israel), has a different order for the questions: Dipping, Matzah, and Roast Meat. The “Dropsie Haggadah”, written in the Land of Israel in the 900s and looted from the Cairo Geniza, has the order as: Dipping, Matzah, and Roast Meat. After the Reclining Question gets added, Maimonides (1035-1104) put the questions in this order: Dipping, Matzah, Maror, Reclining. Even Sefardic Haggadahs today have the order as: Dipping, Matzah, Maror, Reclining.
In the end, the order of the questions is not crucial. What is important is that questions are asked. According to the Babylonian Talmud, if there is no child present, the adults should ask the question(s). And if you are doing the seder by yourself, you should ask yourself the question(s). Why are questions so important on Passover? Steven Greenberg points out that autocrats hate questions. For example, Nikita Khrushchev, former leader of the Soviet Union, said that he hated Jews “because they always ask ‘why’!”
Oh, and the tune? It’s easy to assume that the tune came down with Moses from Mt. Sinai. Actually, for many centuries “Ma Nishtana” was sung with a tune used to study from the Talmud, and the common tune only was written in 1936 by Ephraim Abileah for an oratorio called “Chag HaCheirut”. The show was only performed once, but the tune became a hit and eventually spread throughout Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and even Ethiopian Jewish communities.
Isidor I. Rabi, the Nobel laureate in physics who died Jan. 11 (1988), was once asked, ''Why did you become a scientist, rather than a doctor or lawyer or businessman, like the other immigrant kids in your neighborhood?''
His answer has served as an inspiration for me as an educator, as a credo for my son during his schooling and should be framed on the walls of all the pedagogues, power brokers and politicians who purport to run our society.
The question was posed to Dr. Rabi by his friend and mine, Arthur Sackler, himself a multitalented genius, who, sadly, also passed away recently. Dr. Rabi's answer, as reported by Dr. Sackler, was profound: ''My mother made me a scientist without ever intending it. Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: 'So? Did you learn anything today?' But not my mother. She always asked me a different question. 'Izzy,' she would say, 'did you ask a good question today?' That difference - asking good questions -made me become a scientist!''
From a letter to the editor in the NYTimes by DONALD SHEFF New York, Jan. 12, 1988
(א) מוזגים כוס שני ומסלקים את הקערה כאלו כבר אכלו כדי שיראו התינוקות וישאלו
(ב) מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה. מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת: שֶׁבְּכָל-הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אֲנַחְנוּ מְטַבְּלִין אֲפִילוּ פַּעַם אַחַת. וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים: שֶׁבְּכָל-הַלֵּילוֹת אֲנַחְנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ אוֺ מַצָּה. וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מַצָּה: שֶׁבְּכָל-הַלֵּילוֹת אֲנַחְנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת. וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר: שֶׁבְּכָל-הַלֵּילוֹת אֲנַחְנוּ אוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֺתִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין. וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָּנוּ מְסֻבִּין:
(1) We pour the second cup and remove the Seder plate as if we have finished the Seder so the children will wonder and ask.
(2) Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights we don’t even dip once, and on this night, twice.
On all other nights we eat chametz and matzah, and on this night, only matzah.
On all other nights we eat many vegetables, and on this night, maror.
On all other nights we eat and drink sitting and reclining, and on this night we all recline.
1.מה נשתנה הלילה הזה מכל הלילות
2.שבכל הלילות אין אנו מטבילין פעם אחת והלילה הזה שתי פעמים
3.שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלים חמץ ומצה
הלילה הזה כלו מצה
4.שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלים בשר צלי שלוק ומבשל הלילה הזה כלי צלי
from the "Dropsie Haggadah"
1. Why is this night different from all other nights?
2. On all other nights we don't dip things one time; this night, two times.
3. On all other nights we eat leaven and matzah; this night, only matzah.
4. On all other nights we eat meat roasted, grilled, and boiled; this night, only roasted.
(ב)... וּמוֹזְגִין הַכּוֹס הַשֵּׁנִי וְכָאן הַבֵּן שׁוֹאֵל. וְאוֹמֵר הַקּוֹרֵא מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִלּוּ פַּעַם אַחַת וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְּעָמִים. שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מַצָּה. שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין בְּשַׂר צָלִי שָׁלוּק וּמְבֻשָּׁל וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ צָלִי. שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מְרוֹרִים. שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין בֵּין מְסֻבִּין וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָּנוּ מְסֻבִּין:
(ג) בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר וְהַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ צָלִי שֶׁאֵין לָנוּ קָרְבָּן.
(2) ... We [then] pour the second cup; and here the child asks. And [then] the reader says, "What differentiates this night from all [other] nights? On all other nights we don't dip even once; but tonight twice. On all other nights we eat chametz and matzah; but tonight it is all matzah. On all other nights we eat meat roasted, boiled, or cooked; but tonight it is all roasted. On all other nights we eat other vegetables; but tonight it is all bitter herbs. On all other nights we eat whether sitting or reclining; but tonight we are all reclining."
(3) At this time, one does not say "tonight it is all roasted" - since we do not have a sacrifice.
(ב) הלילה הזה כולו צלי. בזמן שבית המקדש קיים היה הבן שואל כך:
This night, we only eat roasted meat. While the Second Temple stood, this is how the child was instructed to ask.
(א) עַרְבֵי פְסָחִים סָמוּךְ לַמִּנְחָה, לֹא יֹאכַל אָדָם עַד שֶׁתֶּחְשָׁךְ. וַאֲפִלּוּ עָנִי שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יֹאכַל עַד שֶׁיָּסֵב. וְלֹא יִפְחֲתוּ לוֹ מֵאַרְבַּע כּוֹסוֹת שֶׁל יַיִן, וַאֲפִלּוּ מִן הַתַּמְחוּי:
A person may not eat until it gets dark on the eve of Pesach [from] close to [the time of] the afternoon offering. Even the poorest person in Israel may not eat [on the eve of Pesach] until reclining [at the night's Seder]. And [the communal officers] must give them no fewer than four cups of wine, and [they must do so] even [if they receive funds] from the charity plate.
מָה נִשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכׇּל הַלֵּילוֹת שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ מַטְבִּילִין פַּעַם אֶחָת הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים מַתְקֵיף לַהּ רָבָא אַטּוּ כׇּל יוֹמָא לָא סַגִּיא דְּלָא מְטַבְּלָא חֲדָא זִימְנָא אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא הָכִי קָתָנֵי שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָנוּ חַיָּיבִין לְטַבֵּל אֲפִילּוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים
מַתְקֵיף לַהּ רַב סָפְרָא חִיּוּבָא לְדַרְדְּקֵי אֶלָּא אָמַר רַב סָפְרָא הָכִי קָתָנֵי אֵין אָנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילּוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים
קָמַשְׁמַע לַן דַּאֲפִילּוּ חֲזֶרֶת בָּעֵינַן תְּרֵי טִיבּוּלֵי כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלֶיהְוֵי בֵּיהּ הֶיכֵּירָא לְתִינוֹקוֹת
Therefore, the mishna teaches us that regardless [of the vegetable used] one requires two dippings, so that there be a conspicuous distinction for the children.
Context: Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman wrote an explanatory series about the siddur called My People’s Prayerbook, which brings together a wide range of commentaries about each prayer. My People’s Haggadah is an addition to that series.
What have you learned about the Seder and its development from this text?
(ה) רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים אֵלּוּ בְּפֶסַח, לֹא יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פֶּסַח, מַצָּה, וּמָרוֹר. פֶּסַח, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁפָּסַח הַמָּקוֹם עַל בָּתֵּי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם. מַצָּה, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁנִּגְאֲלוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם. מָרוֹר, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁמֵּרְרוּ הַמִּצְרִים אֶת חַיֵּי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרָיִם. בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג), וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם. לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִין לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, לְבָרֵךְ, לְעַלֵּה, וּלְקַלֵּס, לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ אֶת כָּל הַנִּסִּים הָאֵלּוּ, הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת, מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. וְנֹאמַר לְפָנָיו, הַלְלוּיָהּ:
(5) Rabban Gamliel would say: Anyone who did not say these three matters on Passover has not fulfilled his obligation: The Paschal lamb, matza, and bitter herbs. When one mentions these matters, he must elaborate and explain them: The Paschal lamb is brought because the Omnipresent passed over [pasaḥ] the houses of our forefathers in Egypt, as it is stated: “That you shall say: It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Paschal offering for the Lord passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when God smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses” (Exodus 12:27). Rabban Gamliel continues to explain: The reason for matza is because our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt, as it is stated: “And they baked the dough that they took out of Egypt as cakes of matzot, for it was not leavened, as they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual” (Exodus 12:39). The reason for bitter herbs is because the Egyptians embittered our forefathers’ lives in Egypt, as it is stated: “And they embittered their lives with hard service, in mortar and in brick; in all manner of service in the field, all the service that they made them serve was with rigor” (Exodus 1:14). The tanna of the mishna further states: In each and every generation a person must view themselves as though they personally left Egypt, as it is stated: “And you shall tell your child on that day, saying: It is because of this which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). In every generation, each person must say: “This which the Lord did for me,” and not: This which the Lord did for my ancestors. The mishna continues with the text of the Haggadah. Therefore we are obligated to thank, praise, glorify, extol, exalt, honor, bless, revere, and laud [lekales] the One who performed for our forefathers and for us all these miracles: God took us out from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to a Festival, from darkness to a great light, and from enslavement to redemption. And we will say before God: Halleluya. At this point one recites the hallel that is said on all joyous days. Since one does not complete hallel at this point in the seder, the mishna asks:
(יא) וְזֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת זֶ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַקְרִ֖יב לַה' (יב) אִ֣ם עַל־תּוֹדָה֮ יַקְרִיבֶנּוּ֒ וְהִקְרִ֣יב ׀ עַל־זֶ֣בַח הַתּוֹדָ֗ה חַלּ֤וֹת מַצּוֹת֙ בְּלוּלֹ֣ת בַּשֶּׁ֔מֶן וּרְקִיקֵ֥י מַצּ֖וֹת מְשֻׁחִ֣ים בַּשָּׁ֑מֶן וְסֹ֣לֶת מֻרְבֶּ֔כֶת חַלֹּ֖ת בְּלוּלֹ֥ת בַּשָּֽׁמֶן׃
(11) And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one may offer unto the LORD. (12) If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and (leavened) cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour soaked.