A Thousand Questions

#fourquestions #mahnishtana #passoverseder #askingquestions #onequestionisnotenough

#keepaskingquestions

Today was the Siyum for Masechet P'sachim as part of the Daf Yomi cycle. The cycle began last January and so far we have learned Masechet Brachot, Masechet Shabbat, Masechet Eruvin and now Masechet P'sachim. Tomorrow we will begin a new Masechet, Masechet Shekalim.

Over the past year I have reviewed things I have learned with you, but in the interest of time I won't share this today, but will leave it for another post. In the meantime, I wrote this poem to share with the other learners regarding questioning at the Seder.

It pertains to Pesachim 116 a

GEMARA: The Sages taught: If his son is wise and knows how to inquire, his son asks him. And if he is not wise, his wife asks him. And if even his wife is not capable of asking or if he has no wife, he asks himself. And even if two Torah scholars who know the halakhot of Passover are sitting together and there is no one else present to pose the questions, they ask each other.

מָה נִשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכׇּל הַלֵּילוֹת, שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ מַטְבִּילִין פַּעַם אֶחָת, הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה — שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים. מַתְקֵיף לַהּ רָבָא: אַטּוּ כׇּל יוֹמָא לָא סַגִּיא דְּלָא מְטַבְּלָא חֲדָא זִימְנָא? אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא, הָכִי קָתָנֵי: שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָנוּ חַיָּיבִין לְטַבֵּל אֲפִילּוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת, הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה — שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים. The mishna states that one of the questions is: Why is this night different from all other nights? As on all other nights we dip once; however, on this night we dip twice. Rava strongly objects to this statement of the mishna: Is that to say that on every other day there is no alternative but to dip once? Is there an obligation to dip at all on other days, as indicated by the wording of the mishna? Rather, Rava said that this is what the mishna is teaching: As on all other nights we are not obligated to dip even once; however, on this night we are obligated to dip twice.

This is my opportunity to add to my teacher's thoughts about asking questions at the seders.

A Night of a Thousand Questions

Mah Nishtana?

Enter into the illuminated doorway into a night of questions,

bridging generations with the sweet sounds of freedom.

You are young, you are old and every age in between.

You know much or you know little,

but you are not a slave to others.

You are not beaten down as you recline at this table of freedom,

so ask!

You have a voice!

You have the freedom to question, the right to wonder,

 to ponder, disagree.

 Welcome to a discussion that has lasted thousands of years!

This is a table of four cups, a hundred plus generations

and a thousand questions

You are each of the four children

You are the rabbis seated in B'nei Barak.

It was you who was freed from Egypt.

It was you who stood at the base of shaking mountain.

It was you who followed the cloud by day and the fire by night.

This is your debate and your story

It is your voice swimming in a sea of voices,

so ask and ask again.

Questions open the gates of wisdom

So, argue, exchange ideas

Be passionate!

Do not ask others to think for you

You have the freedom to think, so ask and delve.

Knowledge flows and grows

 For two nights a year you are royalty

you revel not in a story of riches

but of miracles,

of freedom;

a tale of the hopeless given hope.

Symbols surround you

Maror, charoset, karpas,

all connected by questions.

You are the story and the story is you.

So ask and ask again.

Mah Nishtana Halayla Hazeh?

It is a night of questions.