Why is the Seder at Night?

saw50st8

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 2:25 pm

Why can't we do sedarim during the day?

At night, everyone is tired. Everyone has to stay up late and it effects the next few days.

Why not have a seder during the day? Daven at shul in the morning, come home and start the seder. Its daytime, everyone can participate much easier and enjoy it more.

Signed,

Really exhausted

boysrus

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 2:41 pm

saw, I was fascinated to see your thread: for the first time that I can ever remember, I asked dh the same qustion at the seder, everyone falling asleep. and I said that we would do a much better job of it during the day. so, he had no answer. if anyone has an answer, please post!

amother

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 2:58 pm

Its in the Hagada:

Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryah said: "I am like a man of seventy years old, yet I did not succeed in proving that the exodus from Egypt must be mentioned at night-until Ben Zoma explained it: "It is said, `That you may remember the day you left Egypt all the days of your life;' now `the days of your life' refers to the days, [and the additional word] `all' indicates the inclusion of the nights!"

saw50st8

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 3:00 pm

Amother, if we had a seder at night AND during the day, that would make sense. But we only have the seder at night.

amother

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 3:04 pm

We asked this question at the Seder. I was told it's because the Karban Pesach was eaten at nite

5*Mom

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 3:15 pm

You need to put Pesach into historical perspective. Until quite recently, Pesach was not a 1-month-of-intense-preparation affair. Homes were tiny, possessions and even food options were severely limited, and lives in general were so much simpler and less hectic and pressured. People woke with the sun and went to bed at sundown, so they had less sleep-debt overall. Pesach was at most a few days of prep and voila! A seder. This problem I think is unique to the last 2-3 generations at most.

And yes, it is because the korban Pesach was eaten at night.

DrMom

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 3:35 pm

"Vayehi bachatzi ha'layla..."

PinkFridge

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 3:41 pm

I think it's a lot more evocative. And as mentioned, there is that chiddush of remembering at night; it's very powerful "lehagid emunascha baleilos," to feel and remember even in the darkest times.
And today, everyone would be looking at their watches by day...

heidi

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 4:43 pm

That's so funny, this very idea occurred to me for the first time ever this Pesach.

amother

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 6:29 pm

That's like asking, why does Purim have to be four weeks before Pesach, even in a leap year? Imagine if we could get all the junk out of the house 2 months before?

But evidently there's some spiritual connection between the miracles of Purim and Pesach & they need to be in proximity.

So you might as well ask, why do we have to separate meat & milk, and not wear shatnez.

It's all chukim & we can't necessarily understand, and it's not necessarily meant to be convenient or easy.

Or as Abie Rotenberg puts it
The purpose of this song is not to question why this mitzvah was given to me,
The reward will be beyond my comprehension, and I'll do it 'til Moshiach sets me free.

Although we were discussing whether there will still be a mitzvah of biur chometz in Yemos haMoshiach, and the men seem to say probably yes.

Or, to put it another way:
In exercise class once, one of the women said, wouldn't it be easier to do this exercise this way? And another (charming Englishwoman) answered "It's easier still to stay home."

IOW, the point is not necessarily what's easier.

greenfire

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 7:28 pm

well we certainly couldn't converse deep into the night until
זמן קריאת שמע של שחרית

isn't that when you have the best buddy talks with your friends too - till the wee hours of the morning

StripedFlower

Thu, Apr 17 2014, 10:32 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

This reminds me of Yankel Miller's joke.

Why pinkt during this time of the year when people are so busy did the yidden have to leave mitzrayim?

Raisin

Fri, Apr 18 2014, 5:35 am

I don't think a daytime seder would be less exhausting for me personally. Its hard for the kids though. I wish we would change the clocks after pesach. Earlier in the evening would be ideal.

little_mage

Fri, Apr 18 2014, 6:30 am

Because we don't wait to do a mitzvah?

Sanguine

Fri, Apr 18 2014, 8:10 am

You're not going to change the seder (you're also not going to get to go to the mikva in the day Very Happy

), So you may as well find ways to make it easier at night

You can make your seder shorter (especially if you have little kids) - I remember as a kid going to shul the next morning and it was like a competition whose seder ended later (if it's still important to you - lie!)

1 - Make everyone nap that day. Everyone stays up late the night of Bedikat Chametz finishing cleaning... so just make sure to get a nap time into the day. Buy your kids presents for napping (more important than afikoman present). The whole house MUST nap at the same time - Make the house dark, take the phone off the hook. (AND THIS INCLUDES YOU).

2 - Don't over discuss. Yes, you're supposed to discuss all night but you can limit. If your kids come home with notebooks full of divrei Torah. Split it up. If you're in Chu"l, you have 2 nights. Some stuff of the Hagadah Divrei Torah can be saved for lunch plus Shabbat Chol HaMoed and Shvii Shel Pesach. Plan it carefully (who gets to say something about the makot, who Pesach- Matza-Maror) - The other stuff is for different meals. Set a time - ex. - Food at 10 PM (or whatever works). Plan it with your husband. There's no point in dragging it out with everyone asleep. Keep it age appropriate. After the Seder or after the meal the grownups can discuss more if they really want to.

3-Keep the food simple and keep clean up easy (this is for you) - People are tired and full from all that Matza and Maror so don't overdue the meal. Make only one type of meat. Only one salad... Try to use paper - There's beautiful stuff out. Move all the food to foil pans before chag so you can throw out. You shouldn't be cleaning up at midnight

Honestly, no one gains by dragging the seder out.

Last edited by Sanguine on Fri, Apr 18 2014, 8:18 am; edited 1 time in total

grace413

Fri, Apr 18 2014, 8:15 am

StripedFlower wrote:

This reminds me of Yankel Miller's joke.

Why pinkt during this time of the year when people are so busy did the yidden have to leave mitzrayim?

Is Yankel Miller a tax accountant? LOL

StripedFlower

Sat, Apr 19 2014, 8:12 am

Raisin wrote:

I don't think a daytime seder would be less exhausting for me personally. Its hard for the kids though. I wish we would change the clocks after pesach. Earlier in the evening would be ideal.

Move to Australia Smile

Raisin

Sat, Apr 19 2014, 6:12 pm

StripedFlower wrote:

Move to Australia Smile

then it is not chag haaviv! (seriously, I always wonder how it is ok to have pesach in the southern hemisphere)

Sanguine

Sat, Apr 19 2014, 6:16 pm

One year they changed the clocks Motzei the first chag - it was perfect - The seder was earlier and then chol Hamoed was longer days

StripedFlower

Sat, Apr 19 2014, 11:51 pm

Raisin wrote:

then it is not chag haaviv! (seriously, I always wonder how it is ok to have pesach in the southern hemisphere)

I guess Hashem knows what he's doing.