Mah Nishtanah (Four Questions) -  מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה

 

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת?

Mah nishtanah ha-laylah hazeh mikol ha-leilot?

Why is this night of Passover different from all other nights of the year?

1.  שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה. הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מַצָּה:

Sheb'chol ha-leilot anu och'lin chameitz umatzah. Ha-laylah hazeh kulo matzah.

On all other nights, we eat either leavened or unleavened bread, why on this night do we eat only matzah?

The Jewish people left Egypt in such a hurry that their bread wasn’t given time to rise. We eat Matzah to remind us of the trial of the Jews as they left Egypt with a limited time to gather food.

2.  שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר:

Sheb'chol ha-leilot anu och'lin sh'ar y'rakot. Ha-laylah kulo maror.

On all other nights, we eat herbs of all kinds, why on this night must we eat bitter herbs?

We eat bitter herbs to remind ourselves of the bitter times that the Jewish people have encountered. Persecution, prejudice, and the horrors of the Holocaust are not forgotten at this Seder tonight.

Together: We remember the suffering. We will not forget.

3.  שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָֽנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּֽעַם אֶחָת. הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים:

Sheb'chol ha-leilot ein anu matbilin afilu pa-am echat. Ha-laylah hazeh sh'tei f'amim.

On all other nights, we do not dip vegetables even once, why on this night do we dip greens into salt water and bitter herbs into sweet charoset?

We dip karpas in salt water to remind us of the tears our people cried. We dip the maror in the charoset to remind us that the Jewish slaves worked very hard in Egypt.

4. שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין. הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה

כֻּלָּֽנוּ מְסֻבִּין:

Sheb’khol ha-leilot anu okhlim bein yoshvin uvein m’subin, halailah hazeh kulanu m’subin.

On all other nights, everyone sits up straight at the table, why on this night do we recline and eat at leisure?

In Egyptian times, only royalty was allowed to recline while eating. In the time of the Rabbis, reclining on couches was a sign of being as free man. We lean on pillows to remind us that once we were slaves but now we are free.


haggadah Section: -- Four Questions