'Passover: A Holiday for Kids'

02:22 Sep 23
'The first Passover Seder is almost here! At the Seder we try to involve the children as much as possible. Why is there such an emphasis on children during the Seder? Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald, Director of NJOP, explains that the Seder features the Four Questions, the Four Sons, the covering and uncovering of the Seder plate and the searching for the Afikomen all to keep the children interested. The real story of Passover was that Pharaoh was after the Jewish children. He knew that by getting the children, he controlled the future of the Jewish people. It first started with a decree. Pharaoh asked all the midwives to kill all the newborn Jewish children. When they refused, he then demanded that the male children be thrown into the river. According to the Midrash, the legendary interpretation of the Bible, when there weren\'t enough bricks to fill the quota of the Jewish slaves, children were used instead of bricks. Pharaoh was obsessed with stopping the Jewish future and that is why Jewish children play such a key role at Passover. We must remember that. On a personal note, Rabbi Buchwald shares his joy in announcing the birth of a new grandson and prays that lots of \"little Jews\" are born to all of our families so that the future of the Jewish people will be ensured.  To learn more about how Passover is a Holiday for Kids, see the below post taken from our Jewish Treats blog (http://www.jewishtreats.org).  A Holiday for Kids  Why is this night different from all other nights? Ask the kids! Or better yet, let the kids ask you.  It might surprise you to know that Passover, more than any other Jewish holiday, is focused on the children. The retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt to the next generation is actually a Biblical commandment. \"And you shall tell it to your child on that day saying: \'This is done because of that which God did for me when I went out of Egypt\'\" (Exodus 13:8).  The essence of the commandment to retell the story of the Exodus is fulfilled by educating the children. The method for doing so is set out in the Talmud and is built into the framework of the Haggadah itself. (Thus the Four Questions about eating matzah and bitter herbs, dipping vegetables and reclining, as well as other special Passover Seder rituals, are included in order to inspire the children\'s curiosity.)  One of the best known and most interesting sections of the Haggadah is the section concerning the Four Children: the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child and the child who does not even know how to ask. This section helps us understand that at the seder, we must all view what is going on as if through children\'s eyes: with awe, wonder and, most importantly, with questions. The Haggadah thus provides four questions, the Mah Nishtanah, with which to begin!  This Treat was last posted on April 3, 2012.' 

Tags: jewish , Judaism , Passover , Matzah , Rabbi , pesach , njop , ephraim buchwald

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