Seder Handbook

בס''ד
The Shomre Hadas Seder Handbook
enactments were made with the explicit purpose of “keeping the
children awake.” A child, furthermore, is customarily singled out to
ask the Four Questions, and the Haggadah makes explicit reference
to four sons, each of whom is addressed in turn.
One needs to be innovative in order to keep the children awake.
It is said that Rabbi Akiva would give out nuts on Erev Pesach so that
the children should not fall asleep, but would ask questions. Rabbi
Eliezer stated, “One grabs [and hides] the matzah on the night of
Pesach in order that the children should not fall asleep.” (Talmud Bavli
(Babylonian Talmud), Pesachim 109a)
Many of the customs at the Seder are designed to go against the
norm in order to pique the curiosity of the children. Washing hands
at the table, dipping food in salt water, breaking the matzah and
putting it away for later – all these elements of the Seder serve to
catch the attention of the children.
Part of the reason that the Passover Seder is such a powerful
educational tool is that it doesn’t rely on mere storytelling to convey
its point. Instead, it presents children with tangible experiences and
actions to cement its powerful lessons. A popular expression states
that a picture is worth a thousand words. An action or example may
be worth much more than that. The following story illustrates an
incident in which parents communicated their values to their children
through actions rather than words, creating a lasting experience that
their children would remember forever.
The Lovitz family was a fine family, and their children were
outstanding students and an asset to the yeshivah where they
attended school. Their parents had raised them with incredible
strength of character and a clear sense of right and wrong. The
family, however, was poor, and barely able to pay the private school’s
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