מה נשתנה

Why Ask Questions?

- Maya Capua

 

As a child, we all look forward to this day. We wait and hope and practise for it. It is the night of the Passover Seder. The children, particularity the youngest child, are given the privilege to ask the four questions of the Ma Nishtanah.

All of the four questions stress the gratitude we owe to HaShem by contrasting our time of slavery to the freedom which HaShem has provided to us.  We had to eat matzah in our haste to leave Egypt; now we have the leisure to wait for the bread to leaven.  The bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of slavery from which HaShem has freed us. The salt water into which we dip represents the tears we cried; the haroset represents the mortar with which we slaved.  We recline as we eat, a symbol of free people in a free land.

But why, one may ask, must it be the child who asks the questions?

            Most people do not break through the superficial reason behind this. Most just assume it is given to the children to make them part of the Seder, to interest them in the events of the evening. The main objective, however,  of the Ma Nishtanah is to train the child in asking questions, because only through questions does one truly learn. Questions stimulate the mind and make the person look deeper and analyze the issue.  

All of Judaism is based on questions. The Talmud asks infinite questions, even rhetorical ones, only to stimulate the learner’s mind and make them think in an in-depth way. The Torah does this as well. Yet, it seems that the more questions we answer, the more questions are created. For instance, as a Jew a person is taught to believe in G-d.  G-d created the universe. This answers the question of who created the universe. However, by answering this question, countless questions are raised such as how, when and why.

And that, of course, is the point.

Thus, the whole concept of Ma Nishtanah really symbolizes the beginning of a quest for knowledge. This is why the youngest child is encouraged to recite the song. Each question leads to more questions, and the answers to each of these succeeding questions leads to greater and greater knowledge.  And, as the knowledge increases, so does the appreciation of the G-d. We find that there are so many inexplicable Divine creations in this world that there must be a Higher Power.  By allowing the children to recite this enjoyable song, we are in fact helping continue the exploration for a deeper meaning.

 

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