The Jew's responsibility is to never forget where he came from. The salt water is to remind us of the tears from when we were slaves in Egypt. It is so important to remember that we have suffered. Another example of that is that at the peak of a Jewish wedding, the custom is to break a glass.
The glass is to symbolize that, no matter how happy we are, we always remember that we are missing something. We are missing our temple.
We are not where we would like to be as a nation. We never allow ourselves to over celebrate. Why is it that on all other nights we eat leavened bread or matzah, and on this night only matzah? Matzah is made out of plain flour and water in a short period of time. The maximum amount of time that we allow the dough to be out of the oven is 18 minutes, so we do not allow it to rise. Leavened bread is is like the ego. Ego is to puff ones self up with hot air.
Matzah unleavened bread a symbol of humility. The more basic reason is that when the Jewish nation left Egypt they left in such a rush that they didn't have time to let the dough rise. They ate matzah because that was the bread available for them.
We remember that. Why is it that on all nights we eat various vegetables, and on this night, bitter herbs? It was an ancient custom to eat herbs after they had been dipped as a type of appetizer. In the Passover ritual, the herbs were dipped twice, once right after the blessing over the wine, in commemoration of the dipping of the hyssop in blood, and the second dipping referring to the bitter herbs that were eaten with the paschal lamb at the conclusion of the meal.
The questions were therefore addressed to these three rituals. Since the paschal lamb was no longer available, preference was given to a new version of the questions:. The last question, that of double dipping, had originally been the first because it was one of the first differences that a child would have noticed on the night of the seder.
In the Geonic period 6th to 11th centuries , the form of the questions was changed again. The reference to the roasted meat was omitted for lack of a paschal lamb, and a reference to the custom of reclining was substituted in order to preserve the traditional number of questions in vogue during the Talmudic period.
Thus, the latest version of the questions is:. What is the meaning behind each of these acts? For the full duration of Passover, Jews are commanded to refrain from eating any leavened bread and may eat only matza, unleavened bread. This commemorates how the Jews were in such a hurry to leave Egypt they could not wait for their bread to rise. They made matza instead, and we do the same today. Matza also has symbolic significance.
The eating of bitter herbs is likewise symbolic. It represent the bitter difficulties of life as a slave in Egypt. Rabbi Fohrman argues an interesting point about slavery in this video course: Why God did allow slavery in the first place? Dipping our food represents the exact opposite idea. At the Seder, we dip a vegetable into salt water and bitter herbs into charoseth.
Many answers are given to explain the specific symbolic importance of each item dipped, and the two dips themselves. However, the very practice of dipping at all, and especially twice, is meant to reflect freedom. Dipping food was a luxury reserved only for the aristocracy and upperclass in ancient times. Reclining while dining was also a luxurious behavior historically, and its inclusion at the Seder further helps us embody and actualize a robust sense of freedom throughout the night.
There is no shortage at the Passover seder of confusing, bewildering or thought provoking rituals. Why does eating matza and bitter herbs, the number of times we dip our food and the way we sit deserve the honor of being included in Ma Nishtana? You may have noticed, two out of four questions in Ma Nishtana bring our attention to the suffering of slavery, while two out of four questions bring our attention to the freedom and privilege of redemption.
Passover is equally about slavery and about freedom, so Ma Nishtana purposefully includes questions that provoke us to think about both. Ultimately, this adds up to reinforcing that first, original question itself: Ma Nishtana? Why is this night different? Why is Passover so special? The answer to this larger question is the one the Haggadah actually gives.
Ma Nishtana is followed by the passage Avadim Hayinu:. In other words, all these rituals, strange as they may seem, add up to one thing: remembering the Exodus from Egypt and re-experiencing our transition from slavery to freedom, some of the most well-known themes of Passover. Rabbi Fohrman takes this explanation further to argue that there's an even deeper meaning behind Passover: Becoming God's chosen people.
Shebb'khol hallelot anu okh'lin sh'ar y'rakot, vehallayla hazze maror. Even with a basic understanding of Passover , some difficult questions arise. And why was the Exodus so complicated? Why were there 10 plagues? Doesn't that seem counteractive? When you're ready to dive deeper into Pesach, Rabbi Fohrman reveals a side of the Exodus story that illuminates not just our past, but also our destiny. This book will uncover secrets that lay hidden in this ancient and sacred saga; it tells the tale of the Exodus you thought you knew.
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