Our Sages were aware that children don’t always have the longest attention spans, and the best way to grab children’s attention is to awaken their natural curiosity. In fact, we are specifically commanded to tell the story of the Exodus to our children, not just to recount it for ourselves. The passing down of the story of the Exodus from parent to child represents the forging of these links.
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More than just remembering a story from the past, we reaffirm our unbroken tradition, linked generation by generation. On Passover, we commemorate the Exodus from Egypt. Ma Nishtana: Dvar Torah: The Passover Questions & The Youngest Child Prepare further for the Seder with our thought-provoking videos that dive into the deeper meaning of Passover and the Haggadah. If you're new to the holiday, this Pesach 101 guide covers all the basics, or you can print a copy of our Passover Seder guide for free. The Sephardi tradition is for everyone at the seder to recite the Four Questions together. The Haggadah’s text is in Hebrew, but it may be read at the Seder in any language, and the Four Questions are often sung in Hebrew, English or Yiddish. In some communities, the leader of the Seder repeats Ma Nishtana as well. The four rituals mentioned are eating matzah, eating bitter herbs, dipping our food twice, and reclining.Īccording to Ashkenazi tradition, the Four Questions are sung or recited by the youngest child present. This is followed by an additional four questions that spotlight specific rituals we perform on Passover, which ask why we undertake each of these unusual behaviors on this night. It opens with the title question: “Ma nishtanah, ha-laylah ha-zeh, mi-kol ha-leylot?” “Why is this night different from all others?” Ma Nishtana, otherwise known as the Four Questions, is the second paragraph of Maggid. Rabbi Fohrman takes you step-by-step through Maggid so you don't miss the best parts. Maggid is a compilation comprised of various biblical and rabbinical texts which recount and expound upon the Exodus from Egypt, the meaning of Passover, the value of freedom, the gift of Divine providence and the importance of Jewish tradition. The heart of the Seder, however, is the Maggid section.
Four questions transliteration full#
Jewish Child: "Dad's in a bad mood today.The Passover Seder is full of unique and memorable rituals and traditions. The phrase "ma nishtanah" is sometimes used colloquially by some Jewish families in an ironic sense, to express the opinion that some behavior or situation under discussion is not unusual. Much of the seder is designed to fulfill the biblical obligation to tell the story to your children, and many of the customs that have developed around the four questions are designed to pique a child's curiosity about what is happening in order to hold their attention. The four questions are traditionally asked by the youngest person at the table that is able to do so. One of the current tunes widely used for the Ma Nishtana was written by Ephraim Abileah in 1936 as part of his oratorio "Chag Ha-Cherut." Current text English Ultimately the question of reclining was maintained, in part to create a parallelism between the number of questions and the other occurrences of the number four in the hagaddah. The Rambam and Saadia Gaon both add a new question to the liturgy to replace it: "why do we recline on this night". As the paschal sacrifice was not eaten after the destruction of the temple the question about the meat was dropped. The version in the Jerusalem talmud is also the one most commonly found in manuscripts.
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The Babylonian talmud quotes four questions - why matza is eaten, why maror is eaten, why meat is eaten exclusively roasted, and why food is dipped twice. (The last question is a reference to the paschal sacrifice which was fire roasted). The Jerusalem talmud only records three questions - why two foods are dipped, why matzah is eaten, and why meat is eaten exclusively roasted.
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The questions originate in the mishna, but are quoted differently in the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds. The questions are included in the haggadah as part of the Maggid (מגיד) section. In English, it is referred to as "The Four Questions." Traditionally, the Four Questions are asked by the youngest child at the table who is able. Called "ma nishtanah" in Hebrew, meaning "What has changed?", is taken from the first line of the song. Ma Nishtana ( Hebrew: מה נשתנה) are the four questions sung during the Passover seder.