Questions to Inspire Discussion at the Seder Table
Some people find that going through the Haggadah leaves all the talking for the leader. Print this out and get your friends, children, and relatives talking Torah with these questions.
None of these have only 1 answer. Some answers have been provided at the end.
8 Haggadah Questions
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G-d punishes the Egyptians and Pharaoh in particular for his choices, despite having ‘hardened Pharaoh’s heart’. G-d is just so how is this possible?
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There is an uninterrupted strip of land connecting Egypt to the rest of Asia, meaning G-d would not have had to split the Sea of Reeds, and they would have been even closer to the Land of Israel. Why did they not take this route?
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In general, we know that Passover is all about freedom, yet in terms of cleaning, cooking and so on it is one of the most restrictive days of the year. How do we make sense of this?
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Passover is not the only time that the Jewish nation has been rescued from peril, both in terms of physical harm and assimilation. Why has Passover been made a holiday and not the rest?
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The generation who left Egypt were the worst generation in Jewish history. They were ungrateful, wished to do idolatry and to return to Egypt, and did not merit to enter the Land of Israel. Why did they get to leave Egypt and receive the Torah?
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Moshe, the leader of the Jewish people and the greatest prophet of all time was also the most humble person of all time. What makes humility—as opposed to say, oratory given he had a speech impediment—such an important quality for a leader?
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Compared to all other holidays, Passover is the most participated in, even when people aren’t observing all or even most of Passover. What makes Passover stand out like this?
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We know the Egyptians gave gifts of gold to the individual Israelites as they left, yet we celebrate the matzah, also known as ‘lechem oni’ (bread of the poor). Why might this imbalance be?
Some answers:
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G-d does harden Pharaoh’s heart, but not all the time. We see in the early plagues he did not yield after which G-d hardens his heart. After the 7th plague again Pharaoh was free and willing to make a deal but went against his word. G-d gave him a chance.
It is also not certain that political leaders would have 100% free will in an ordinary circumstance, since they effect change around the world on such a big scale.
Ultimately, some of the “big questions” like free will, afterlife, and so on are not discussed whatsoever in the Torah, so they are clearly not the foundation for Jewish spiritualism.
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There are a few significant reasons the splitting of the sea was necessary. For one thing, even considering the plagues, this was the clearest sign that the Israelites would be the Chosen People, being rescued from Egypt. All the other nations were able to see this, as we see with Yitro.
Consider also that that land was populated with nations hostile to the Jews. While they would eventually be attacked by Amalek, etc. if this happened immediately, the people would have been even more deterred.
Moreover, we see the people did want to go back, so if they had an obvious route back like the way they came, they may have tried to run back into Egypt.
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Freedom does not exist in a vacuum. A child has to go to school in order to have an education that gives a clear, logical way of thinking, and even more simply an adult works a job to have money to freely spend. Freedom gained at Passover time was and is the freedom to observe Torah away from oppression and foreign ideas. Only a man who is free can take the time to stop working and observe Passover, unlike a slave. We are given a task to remember the Jews throughout history who were not free, or were needy in a material way to enhance our sense of national freedom.
Further, having this volume of restrictions is to prove our free will is still directed by G-d will. A free person is free to make the right decision, but also the wrong decision, unlike an animal who just acts on instincts without the capacity for a moral compass.
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Consider that thematically, Hanukkah is in many ways similar: a struggle to maintain the sanctity of the Temple and Jewish autonomy in the Land of Israel. It marks a time of physical and spiritual dedication and freedom. Hanukkah is not a chag though and one can do work on those days, unlike Shabbat and Yom Tovs. This is partly because it came after the time of Moshe, and therefore no new biblical holidays were established.
More to the point, Pesach is so much greater, because this was the time G-d took us out in order to give us the Torah and the Land of Israel. Nothing can compare to the reception of the Torah, as this created the Jewish nation out of simply Israelites.
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The generation who left Egypt needed to leave Egypt, for (at least) 2 reasons. On the one hand, they would not have lasted any longer in Egypt before totally assimilating. Keep in mind they were supposed to be in Egypt for 400 years but only lasted 210. Also mind that only ⅕ actually left, and the vast majority already had sunk too low. In this way, it is less that they merited it, as it was the last chance.
On the other hand, it proves that no one is too far gone to accept the Torah which adds perspective to our lots now. This generation was given a second chance after theft left Egypt. They chose to squander the opportunity, thus not being allowed into Israel, but their children were. Everyone is given a chance, and everyone has the freedom to make the wrong decisions and accept those consequences. Sometimes, someone receives what is not (only) necessary for him, but that is intended to give someone else.
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Moshe had the most to be humble about given his unmatched connection to G-d and the Torah. This is, in general, true for leaders who wield more power and therefore have the greatest chance for pride. For anyone else this would have gone to his head, while Moshe was able to accept this heavy responsibility G-d chose him for. In fact, when we first see him speaking to G-d, he suggests that his brother, Aaron, would be a better leader, and often delegates power to those who are particularly suited, instead of wielding his clout.
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A plain answer is that since it has the most laws and customs, if one even keeps 1% of them it’s some amount of participation, unlike Shvauot that has no special laws, or Sukkot that requires a lot of infrastructure and outdoor space.
It is also the most observed at home—only outdone by Sukkot if you count a sukka as a home—as a fairly generic time of year for family gatherings, similar to Thanksgiving in the United States. The Haggadah is far less centralized than formal services, which Pesach also has of course, with very clear messages of gratitude, freedom, and accepting the Torah, to which anyone can connect.
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This is really two questions: why isn’t the gold mentioned at the seder and why so much focus on the matzah?
The gold was in part used for the Golden Calf, the reason the generation who left Egypt couldn’t enter the Land of Israel. It was also used for the construction of the menorah and other parts of the service in the Temple, but the memory will always be tainted. It also did not fundamentally change the lives of the Israelites.
The matzah represents the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, but if one were to have tried to make bread normally, it would not inadvertently become matzah. They intended to make matzah from the start, which is made in 18 minutes, using a style normally used by the poor. The Israelites left Egypt in equal circumstances that even the rich were eating the same as the poor. All the gold was either squandered or used to fund the Mishkan (tabernacle).
