HAGGADAH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
We learn things when we are young, and often continue to understand it in the same way even years later. We hardly question them or take a step back and think about the logic behind them.
This is especially true with stories in the Torah. We understand many of the stories or values in the Torah in the same way we learned it in elementary school. Every now and then it can be a powerful exercise to step back and view what we learn as if we were a youngster, or perhaps a ba’al teshuva, who never learned or heard these ideas or read these texts before. Then we can think about them and try to understand for ourselves the deeper message we can personally glean from it.
Tonight, as we read the Haggadah, let’s learn it as if we never learned it before. Let’s think about the passages in the Haggadah as if we were learning it for the first time. Tonight, we can temporarily “forget” all the insights and explanations we have learned in the past and read the Haggadah as if we were reading it together for the first time. Let’s put aside all the fancy haggados with explanations and use one that only has the basic text.
Together, with everyone else at the Seder, let us reflect, ponder and wonder on the timeless words of the Haggadah. This will help us think of some new insights and personal lessons.
Remember there are no right or wrong answers (as long as they don’t conflict with Torah values). The goal is to think about how these words resonate with us personally. It’s about generating thought and conversation and developing ideas together.[1]
I hope it’s an enriching and uplifting experience.
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הא לחמא עניא
Why do we invite people now with the doors closed and the Seder already in full swing? Obviously, it’s not an invitation for people outside. So, who/what are we inviting?
מה נשתנה
Why are we trying so hard to show that this night is different? If we wanted we could note four unusual things about Succos and ask Mah Nishtana on Succos too? It seems that tonight we WANT to be different and bring out the unusualness of the night. What are we trying to emphasize and why?
עבדים היינו… אילו לא הוציא הקב”ה את אבותינו ממצרים
Who says that if Hashem hadn’t taken us out then, we would still be enslaved to Pharoah today, thousands of years later? Obviously, it means that even if we wouldn’t be physically slaves there is no doubt that in some way we would still be enslaved. In what way would we still be enslaved to Pharoah?
וכל המרבה לספר הרי זה משובח
The gemara (Berachos 33b) says that a person is not allowed to praise Hashem using his own adjectives. This is because he will never say enough and by not saying enough it will be considered insulting. (Of course, Hashem will not be insulted. But if will be disrespectful for the person saying it.)
If so, why tonight do we declare that the more one says in praising Hashem the more praiseworthy he is? How is the Haggadah different than praising Hashem generally?
חכם…רשע
What is the difference between the wise son and the wicked son? They both use an expression of “you”. So why do we praise the wise son and censure the wicked son for not wanting to be part of it? It’s noteworthy that the wise son does say “Hashem OUR G-d”. But if so, why does he say “that Hashem our G-d has commanded YOU?”
חכם מה הוא אומר
If he is called the wise son, why does he seem to be so ignorant? If he’s so smart why doesn’t he already know about the laws, judgements and testimonies of Seder night? Why wasn’t he listening when his teacher taught it in class?
ד’ בנים
Which son do you think is in the most spiritual danger? The wicked son speaks harshly but at least he is engaged. The simple son seems content with naivete and, the child who doesn’t know seems apathetic.
יכול מראש חודש
Why would we think we should start the mitzvah of Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim from Rosh Chodesh Nissan? Obviously, to get the most out of an experience you need to prepare for it. The more you prepare the more meaningful the experience will be. If so, why indeed is the mitzvah only on the night of the 15th and not Rosh Chodesh Nissan?
מתחילה עובדי עבודה זרה… תרח אבי אברהם…
Why is Terach in the Haggadah? Who invited him to the Seder? When we recount the past, we should stop with Avrohom. Why mention his idolatrous father? Itt may be true that he did teshuva t the end of his life, but he was the one who gave his son to Nimrod to be burned in the fire and he is definitely not considered one of our nation’s Avos. It seems clear that it is important not just to remember the yichus (lineage) we are proud of, but even the shadier parts of our past as well. Why?
ברוך שומר הבטחתו לישראל
Why in the world are we blessing and praising Hashem for keeping his promise? Doesn’t any decent person keep his word? Would we expect anything less from G-d Himself? Obviously, it must be that G-d didn’t have to keep His promise because things changed, but He did anyway. Why shouldn’t Hashem have been bound by the promise He made to Avrohom?
והיא שעמדה
How have the Jews survived throughout the generations when we have so many enemies? We always hear about how our more powerful enemies are gone and only remembered in history books, while we are still here. As Shwekey sings, “We are a miracle!” But we need to wonder how and why did that happen? Of course, the answer is because we have the Torah and mitzvos. But how does Torah guarantee our eternity?
צא ולמד מה ביקש לבן הארמי
Why are we emphasizing the wickedness of Lavan? Isn’t Pharoah the villain of the night?[2] Why are we trying to minimize how terrible Pharaoh was on the night when qwe emphasize how terrible he and his people were?
ואמר לך בדמיך חיי
I once saw a quote “Give blood. Play hockey.” But what does it mean in the Haggadah when the prophet said, “by your blood you shall live”? What does that mean? How do we live by our blood?
וירעו אותנו המצרים
How did the Mitzrim make us bad? How can one person influence another person? Do our friends really affect us? What about our neighbors?
ואת לחצנו זו הדחק
The Haggadah says that oppression refers to pressure. The Egyptians made us feel unbearably pressured and harried. In what way does that relate to us in the 21st century?
ויוציאנו ה’ ממצרים – לא על ידי מלאך…
Why is it significant that Hashem took us out Himself? Wouldn’t we have been just as happy if He sent an angel to take us out, so long as we eventually got out of there? What is added by the fact that Hashem did it Himself?
דם ואש ותמרת עשן
Although this pasuk (from the prophet Yoel) refers to the future redemption, the fact that we mention it in the Haggadah means those things must have been preset in Mitzrayim too. When was there Blood, Fire and Columns of Smoke?
אלו עשר מכות שהביא הקב”ה
When we read the parshios about the exile and redemption from mitzrayim during the winter months, we see that the overwhelming focus of the Torah is on the makkos. Yet, in the Haggadah, the makkos are almost an afterthought. We barely mention them and when we do we mention them, we quickly say the names of the plagues and that’s it! Why is our focus at the Seder not on the makkos. What are we focusing on?
רבי יהודה היה נותן בהם סימנים דצ”ך…
What is Rabbi Yehuda’s great insight? I can also come up with an acronym to remember things? (For example, I’m going to the store to buy STAUM – Soda, Tomatoes, Apples, Unsweetened Chocolate Chips[3] , and Macaroni. Or to buy KRAUS – Kiwi, Radishes, Artichokes, Unsweetened Butter, and Strawberries)
רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר
Why are Rabbi Yosi Haglili, Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Akiva trying to calculate that there were more Makkos? What does it matter how many there were?
דיינו
What is with the Dayeinu song? Why can’t we just thank Hashem for everything He did for us (like we do in the next paragraph)? What is the meaning behind this pattern of presenting it with the style of – “if he only did this and not that”?
At a person’s wedding does he thank his parents in such a manner. If they only did this and not that…. or does he just list all the things he is grateful for?
רבי גמליאל היה אומר כל שלשה אומר דברים הללו בפסח
What is Rabbi Gamliel trying to emphasize and why is it so important? We have been talking about Yetzias Mitzrayim for a long time by now. If someone read everything until now but missed these three paragraphs, why should it be considered insufficient?
פסח מצה ומרור
Pesach reminds us of how Hashem saved us from Makkas Bechoros, and Matzah reminds us of how quickly we left Mitzrayim, and marror reminds us of the bitterness of the slavery. If so, why is marror mentioned last? Shouldn’t marror be mentioned first because the slavery was before we went out?
It seems to be teaching us that we need to think about and reflect on the slavery and the terrible times, after we speak about the redemption. Why?
חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים
How can we to view ourselves as if we went out of Mitzrayim? What does that even mean? Am I supposed to be like Walter Mitty who was able to go to every place he imagined?
הלל – הללו עבדי ה’
Why do we split Hallel at the Seder? Why do we recite the first two paragraphs at the end of Maggid and the rest after bentching?
This format means that the entire process of eating matzah, marror, korech and the seudah are all eaten in the middle of Hallel. What is the symbolism and meaning of that?
בצאת ישראל ממצרים
At the beginning of Hallel in the second paragraph, we speak about the sea running away, mountains jumping and hills dancing. What does this mean and how are we supposed to understand it?
אשר גאלנו וגאל אבותינו…. שיר חדש
We end Maggid with a beautiful beracha in which we speak about the new song we will sing in the future when Moshiach comes. What does it mean that we will sing a new song? What if I can’t sing like Avrohom Fried or MBD?
- Perhaps the ideas discussed at the Seder can be written down after Yom Tov and be a precious family Haggadah… ↑
- It’s like Gru from Despicable Me trying to be the villain of the century and being overshadowed by Vector… ↑
- Fascinatingly, there is almost nothing that starts with the letter U that you would buy in a grocery store. Go ahead and think about it…. ↑