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4 Questions
Contributed by Channah VanRegenmorter

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Question 1

Child 1: מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילות Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot? Why is this night different from all other nights?

Oldest Guest: {your answer}

Question 2

Child 1: שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכלין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה  הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מצה  Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah. On all other nights we eat both leavened bread and matzah. Tonight we only eat matzah. Why?

Child 2: Because we were slaves -- but when given a chance to escape, took it. When you have a chance to become free, you don't wait for bread to rise & you don't ask your slave owner for fancy ingredients. You mix flour & water, get it flat so it'll cook faster, & stick in a hot oven for a few minutes. That's how matzah is still made today. 

Question 3

Child 1: שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror. On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but tonight we eat bitter herbs. Why?

Child 2: Because when our ancestors were starving & they saw fresh bitter herbs come out of the ground while walking to the pyramid brick pits, they ate them to help themselves stay alive.

Child 3: Because slavery was bitter & eating bitter vegetables reminds of us slavery.

Adult 4: Because they're good for your liver! Bitter herbs are very healthful. You should eat them at every meal!

Question 4

Child 1: שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָֽנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּֽעַם אחָת  הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעמים Shebichol haleilot ain anu matbilin afilu pa-am echat. Halaila hazeh shtei fi-amim. On all other nights we aren’t expected to dip our vegetables one time. Tonight we do it twice. Why?

Older Guest 1: We dip in salt water because when we were enslaved and sad, we cride and tears got in our food. Dipping food in salt water reminds us that our ancestors used to cry due to the pain of slavery. It also reminds us that they still kept eating -- even when life was very hard. Sometime when you're older, you will have a really hard time. Remember to always eat and nourish your body -- even if the food you're eating is covered in tears.  The strong people that came before you survived war, famine, broken hearts, travelled thousands of miles, and lost all of their possessions many times over -- and they kept on eating & nourishing themselves and their children so that you could survive.

Older Guest 2: We dip a second time in charoset to remember the mortar our ancestors had to make in the desert to hold the bricks together for the pyramids. We make the charoset nourishing -- with nuts & fruit -- to remind us that our ancestors chose to be hopeful. They believed a life of freedom was possible -- and they made sacrifices to make freedom a sweet reality happen for us.

Child: שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין.  :הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָּֽנוּ מְסֻבין Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin bein yoshvin uvein m’subin. Halaila hazeh kulanu m’subin. On all other nights we eat either sitting normally or reclining. Tonight we recline. Why?

Older Guest 3: In ancient times, slaves had to stand at attention and not sit or recline if an owner was in the room. We have no owners, and we get to sit & relax how we wish!

Older Guest 1: It's so important to relax and enjoy life. Tonight we are storing up food to nourish our bodies -- but also stories & memories to nourish our minds. When life gets hard, those memories and stories give us energy to keep going. 
haggadah Section: -- Four Questions

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