Ma Nishtana Halayla Hazeh?
Why is this Passover Night Different From all Other Passovers?
by Rabbi Naomi Levy

1.  On all other Passovers we eat leavened or unleavened bread and food to our hearts’ content – But tonight we are keenly grateful for every morsel of food we eat. With supermarket shelves running low and a fear of even going to shop in a market we recognize our frailty tonight and we give thanks for the blessing of this sumptuous meal on our table. We give thanks for those who grew our food, we give thanks for those who risked their lives to sell us our food. We give thanks to those who did the shopping. We give thanks for those who prepared our feast. And we give thanks to our Creator who sustains us each day and is beside us in this challenging time.

2.  On all other Passovers we eat maror to cause ourselves to understand the bitter, we eat what’s bitter to remind us of the torments our ancestors endured – But tonight, we don’t need to be reminded of the bitter. Every headline speaks to us of bitter maror stories. As we eat maror tonight we pray for the day when our lives will return to normal so that we once again have to be reminded of the bitter.

3. On all other nights we don’t dip things in water – But this Passover night we must remind ourselves to wash and to wash, to disinfect and to wash some more.

4.  On all other Passovers we sit surrounded by family and dear friends – But tonight we FaceTime and we Zoom, and together we pray for the day when our homes will be filled once more with the sweet sound of voices rejoicing and feasting in love to sing Your praise, God.


haggadah Section: -- Four Questions