Four Frequently Asked Questions

מגיד

A Maggid is an itinerate preacher, a storyteller, and this is where we tell the story.

Here's where I enlist the help of the youngest kid who can read -- preferably in English AND Hebrew. Would that be Zoe or Diego?

This illustration comes from a web site for enfants juifs. Les enfants juifs do elegant things like faire le kiddouche or manger les herbes amères or casser la matza. Of course, the whole thing begins with the allumage des bougis. No wonder he is wearing a bow tie.


So a child asks the general question, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Then a child asks the four specific questions:

On all other nights, we eat chametz and matzah. Why on this night do we only eat matzah?

On all other nights, we eat many vegetables. Why on this night do we eat maror?

On all other nights, we do not dip even once. Why on this night do we dip twice?

On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining. Why on this night do we all recline?

You can go here if you'd like to read the four questions in Yiddish: http://www.davka.org/what/haggadah/fourqsy.html.

Here's why this night is different: We eat matzah to remind us of our hasty departure from Egypt. We eat bitter herbs to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. We dip our bitter herbs twice, once in salt water and once in sweet charoset, to remember both the tears of our ancestors and the sweetness of their hope for freedome.

As to the last question, the one about reclining, the answer is that we recline at the seder as a symbol of freedom. But we don't. In fact, it's been hundreds of years since I've seen anyone recline at a seder. It's horrible for the digestion. Surely there are other ways to symbolize our freedom. Please send in replacement ideas.