The celebration of Passover begins this night.  As Jewish people mark the beginning of Pesach/Passover which begins with a Seder (a special meal with various rituals), the youngest Jewish child present will ask the same question which has been asked for centuries by Jewish people in times of despair, in times of joy, in times of knowing, in times of unknowing: “Why is this night different from other nights?  Ma nishtanah ha-laylah ha-ze mi kol ha-leylot?” And then the same child will then ask the Four Questions which emerge from that first question. 

Each of the answers to those questions will explain why something is done differently this night. 
* Why is there no leavened bread, only matzoh? 
* Why are only bitter herbs eaten this night?   
* Why are the vegetables dipped twice, not once, in salt water? 
* Why is eating done, reclining on one elbow?

The same answers will come each year on this night
* matzoh because there was no time for the dough to rise
* bitter herbs as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery
* vegetables dipped in twice as a reminder of tears shed
* eating while reclining on one elbow to symbolize freedom.

I find myself wondering …“Can Passover be a teacher for people not ascribing to Judaism?  If so, what?”  As I thought about it, some answers began to emerge.

First – we can learn to ask questions.   
While I’m not Jewish, I love the tradition of having a child begin the Passover Seder with a question.  Children love to ask questions (oh wow, do they ever!), but as we grow older, many stop asking questions and take what others believe to be their truth. 

Not asking questions has sometimes led to broken relationships, illness, political uncertainty and war. Why don’t we ask more questions?  Curiosity is a wonderful attribute!

When I had questions of the teachers at the particular church my family attended, I heard the same response, over and over again:  “All answers are in our two books.  Look there.”  I did.  I didn’t see answers.  I saw more questions.   Every time I had a question, the response was the same – year after year, after year. 

When I was fifteen, I spoke with my parents, telling them that I wanted to leave that church.  “Why?” they asked.  I told them that not only wasn’t I finding the answers I was seeking in the two books, I was not being allowed to question at all.  I remember telling my parents that I believed that I had been given a brain to use, and that because I wasn’t allowed to question anything in the church because all of the answers were supposedly in one of the two books, I believed that I was refusing a gift:  my intellect. 

My parents agreed and I was given permission to leave that religion, even though my mother continued for many years afterward.  How blessed I was to have the parents I had.

I have never stopped asking questions.  I hope I never will.  I consider myself to be a lifelong learner.  I ask questions of religion, history, the Bible, politics, God, the environment, the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the situations in so many countries.  I ask questions of  myself. 

I ask questions to political leaders, religious leaders, social media journalists.  Sometimes I get answers.  Sometimes my questions lead me to more questions.  And sometimes, my questions lead me to answers. 

But without the questions … So I love the Passover tradition of having a child ask the question.

Second – we can learn to face life’s challenges. 
The Christian Season of Lent and the Jewish observance of Passover speak of people long ago who faced challenges.  As difficult as they were then, those challenges were profound teachers.   

Today, each of us faces challenges in our lives.  As difficult as they are for us, they too can be profound teachers.   Facing challenge is not always easy, but it can be a profound way to learn about life, ourselves, God, this world where we live.

Third – we can learn to take action.
The Israelites left Egypt in such haste that they could not wait for their bread dough to rise so they took action with the dough they had, and created unleavened bread – the matzoh – which sustained them.  Action! 

In another religion – Christianity, the life and story of Jesus is a motivator of action of a literal understanding of ‘love of neighbour’ by those who followed the man Jesus.  That story continues to motivate people today into ‘love of neighbour’ as advocacy and action. 

To those who follow the path of Judaism, may the miracle of Passover live in your hearts forever.  Chag Pesach Sameach!   

© June Maffin
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