Questions Are B'Seder

I remember well, as a young child, sitting around the Seder table with my family, a magical feeling in the air, the table set for a royal feast, with Seder Plate, Haggadot, and pillows on which to recline. My father would begin to recite the Haggadah and would call on everyone around the table to take turns reading. We would hide the Afikoman and try our best to stay up late until the end so that we could sing Who Knows One and Chad Gadya. It was all so different and interesting. Of course, as the youngest in my family, my starring role was reciting the Ma Nishtanah questions: Why is this night different than all other nights?

You know, as an educator, questions are at the heart of everything we do. Sometimes we ask our students questions, pushing them to think deeper and trying to pique their curiosity. And other times our students ask us questions. These questions can include everything from “why do we have to learn this?” to “how do we know there is a G-d?” Some people are afraid of questions, seeing them as distracting or perhaps even disrespectful. But if you really think about it you will recognize that questions are at the heart of learning. In Educational circles this is known as Inquiry-Based Learning, and it means very simply that we tend to be more motivated to work hard and learn when we have questions that we want to answer, problems that we want to solve. One of the fun challenges of parenting and teaching is recognizing the unique personalities and learning styles of each child so that we can support their search for meaning and understanding. And maybe that’s the idea behind the Four Children mentioned in the Haggadah. Every child is unique and therefore learns differently. Our job is to help each child, in their own way, develop their curiosity and desire to learn.

This Haggadah represents the 2nd straight year that we as an Upper School have collaborated to make a Haggadah made up of Student Divrei Torah. We asked each student to ask a question and share one approach to answering their question. The answers are insightful and thought provoking, but to be honest, to me a good question is almost always more interesting than a good answer.

In Judaism we have an expression: “שבעים פנים לתורה – There are 70 faces to the Torah.” This means that for any question there are numerous possible approaches, each with its own validity and meaning. The specific answer that speaks to you does not necessarily have to speak to me. But what is important is that we all (adults and children alike) ask questions.

So, on behalf of our wonderful Upper School teachers and students, please enjoy this year’s RMBA Haggadah. And when you are sitting around the table at your Seder, maybe put down the Haggadah every few minutes (after all, it is not just a script to read) and ask the people you are with a question that peeks your interest. The youngest ones may recite the Ma Nishtana, but asking questions is something every one of us should do, on Seder night and throughout our lives.

Chag Sameach!!!

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