Passover 2006

This Wednesday night we all join in ushering the holiday of Passover, and celebrating the Passover Seder. Although we all eat Matzah, Marror, and drink 4 cups of wine, we often miss the beauty and deeper meaning of the seder. If we want to experience a Seder that is more than just a family get together, and more than just a holiday meal, we must examine the Haggadah more carefully than a mere storybook. The relevance and meaning that it provides to each one of us cannot be under estimated. In the beginning of the Haggadah we open with the famous question Ma Nishtanah. We are taught that even if a person is alone on a deserted island, he must ask the four questions to himself. Why? What is the point of asking a question to oneself? Wouldn’t it suffice to just read the story of the Exodus? In the Haggadah we mention the fact that every day, we have a mitzvah to mention the Exodus from Egypt in our prayers. This is so important that we must mention it twice a day – once in the morning, and once in the evening. We do this daily when we say the Shema. If so, what is so special about discussing the Exodus on Passover night? Don’t we talk about it every night? Why is the Exodus so Important anyway? Isn’t this an event of thousands of years ago? Of what relevance is this to us in our daily lives? The answer is, there is a basic difference between mentioning something, and discussing it. All year around, we mention the Exodus from Egypt. On Passover night this is not enough; we must discuss it. What’s the difference between discussing something, and mentioning it? In Jewish law, we define discussion as conversation in a question and answer form. Passover night it is not enough for us to just mention the Exodus from Egypt. We must arouse the curiosity of those by our Seder table. We must wake up our interest. The concept so central to Jewish belief, that G-d not only created this world, but also actively directs it afterwards, is demonstrated to us clearly in the story of the Exodus. This is the message that must be vibrant and alive at our Seder table. It’s not enough to believe in a G-d Who once upon a time created the world. We arouse conversation to delve into our belief that G-d directs everything that goes on. Hopefully with this we walk out of the Seder as stronger Jews, more closely connected to our Creator.