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Dvar torah by Judy Weisz,

Everyone knows that the key players at the seder are the children. The entire Hagada is a response to the questions asked by the children, right?

It is true that Purim is great fun for the kids, getting dressed up and receiving/giving packages of goodies and that we gather the children round the menorah on Chanuka for the lighting. However it is only Pesach that requires the participation of the youth and actually makes them the featured centre of attention.

Each festival has an important message to convey to our children but why is Pesachs message considered more important for the children than any other festival?

And maybe that’s it… that all the other festivals have messages and themes to teach our youth but on Pesach we are supposed to take a message from our children.

We are trying to reenact the Exodus, a time which symbolized our nations youth.

Adults may have maturity, the wisdom gained from lifes’ experiences and more, but in the realm of truth they have a lot to learn from the young.

As adults we lead very complex lives, decision making is colored by many factors: how will this decision affect my family, career, vacation plans etc

Youth on the other hand naturally seek truth, and when they find it – or when they think they found it – they will leave all behind to follow their inner compass.

On Pesach, the Jews showed a youthful disposition.

They were willing to leave behind their homes, lives and habits to go in to a barren desert.

In our personal lives we too seek liberation. We wish to experience true freedom, to escape the many bonds of habit and nature which limit us.

The lesson we learn from Pesach is that in order to do this we must reconnect with our inner child.

This is especially true with regard to our pursuit of spirituality. Leading a spiritual life demands courage – to

Follow Gd into the desert leaving behind a lifestyle that we may have been comfortable with and jump in to Gds embrace through a dedication of Torah and Mitzvot.

Yes, its great to be an adult with wisdom, maturity and experience but much can be learnt from our children in our quest for freedom.

May we all take a youthful and truthful leap of faith at the Seder to embrace goodness, kindness and honesty in our lives and homes


haggadah Section: -- Four Questions
Source: Picture by Ari Oshman Devar Torah by Judy Weisz