Page 20 - RMBA Upper School Haggadah 2018

Why Is Ma Nishtana On Passover? - Alina Goldfine (7th Grade)
One of the most extraordinary sec ons of the seder is Ma Nishtana, which is where the
youngest child or children come together and sing this song. It is translated in English as “The
Four Ques ons”.
Have you ever wondered why we sing Ma Nishtana or Passover? Why not on any other Jewish
holiday such as Sukkot, Purim or Rosh Hashana?
Rabbi Chaim Meir Bukiet answers this by saying that on Passover we commemorate being freed
from the Egyp ans. A slave is not allowed to express their opinions, make their own decisions,
and is forced to obey their masters. A er we were freed we were given the opportunity to voice
our thoughts, show interest in the subject, and have our own independent asser on about it,
such as asking ques ons. Not just every holiday celebrates freedom. For example, Rosh
Hashana: we celebrate it because it's the new year; not because we were freed from anybody.
This gives us the message that Passover symbolizes freedom. Hashem gave us the freedom of
choice and that is why we sin. We do whatever we want, not knowing if it will end up good or
badly. Passover symbolizes freedom and freedom reminds us that all of our ac ons count and
can’t be taken back.
Why Do We Lean At The Seder? - Shelly Binjamin (7th grade)

There are some Mitzvot and requirements associated with the Jewish holiday of Pesach. One of
the requirements is to lean to the le when drinking the four cups and ea ng Matzah. There are
a few main reasons for leaning. One reason is because most people hold their food in the right
hand and leaning toward the le leaves the right hand free. The Gemara gives another reason,
that leaning on the right is a choking hazard. By leaning to the le you are allowing the food to
enter the stomach safely. In the past, kings and royalty used to lean while ea ng and on this
special night the people of Israel should behave like royalty because they were finally free from
the Egyp an slavery. I found it interes ng to learn that according to the Kabbalah, leaning to the
le side is also associated with ligh ng the menorah on the le and the wearing tefillin on the
le arm.

Chametz and Matzah On A More Spiritual Level - Jacob Plumb (9th Grade)
Chametz is the term for any food product made from wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt that has
come into contact with water and been allowed to ferment and rise. We are very picky in terms
of what makes something Chametz. Chazal state that regardless of which of the five grains you
use to make your dough, if you leave your dough in the oven for over 18 minutes then it
becomes Chametz. There are also ma ers concerning how the Matzah is supervised, as well as
ma ers concerning whether the Matzah comes in contact with flour at any point during its

19