Pesach - what's the point?

boots

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 1:07 pm

What is the main point you try to get across when teaching your kids about Pesach? Preschool seems to focus excessively on the makos with some matza and marror thrown in. Elementary divrei torah are mostly of the "ein maftirin achar hapesach afikoman" with lots of focus on halachik details and gematria. That leaves it up to parents to make it meaningful.

What do you focus on?

amother

Jade

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 2:49 pm

hmmm. I like this question...

so off the top of my head I'd say the shared rituals, I think.

the simple beauty in holding a seder: doing specific actions, eating foods, and reciting words that generations before us have done as well. my DH and I talking about what we did in our homes growing up and when possible or if we like, incorporating those things into our new shared yom tov...

We are lean heavily to the traditional and don't do those cool toys at the table for the makkos or whatnot - although to be honest I'd love to attend a seder and see it! But I find the sameness each year to be very precious, more so as time goes by and the times, at least recently, have been challenging. I find myself looking forward to the comfort of reaching this time of the year and doing the same things again and feeling very grateful.

I like the way we try new recipes and create new favorites. the way we celebrate my son's pesach birthday. the way we take out old haggadahs and laugh at the arts and crafts and little kid handwriting... those are really concrete fun things that I find meaningful to share with my children...

I think we don't say it outright, but we impart a belief in the importance of what we are doing, that we hold a special place in the Jewish people and we are celebrating the birth of our nation, and our role in it today.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:09 pm

The mesorah.
That our great^100 grandparents went through this, and through the generations we have all experienced some type of galus, yet we keep holding on to our heritage and Hashem keeps on showing His willingness to save us, let us daven He gives the final redemption in our generation.

keym

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:18 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

A shiur I heard once said that the mesorah aspect is that technically, the seder is passed down father to son. We tell our children Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim. And I know because my father told me and his father told him and his father told him, on and on until we get to the boy who left Mitzrayim personally who told his son.
That's the mitzva of vehigadita libincha.

amother

Lemon

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 3:53 pm

I once heard a vort- the.education of a child is the obligation of the parents, but they can pay someone to do it for them.
However, the night of the seder, its the obligation/mitzvah of the *father* to teach his children. No one else can do it for him..and in that, there are the 14/15 (depends how you hold) steps to the seder, and each one is an tool in the way to educate a child. Wish I could remember how each step correlated..
I thought it was a beautiful way to add another layer of meaning to the whole seder night...its applicable always..

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 4:51 pm

keym wrote:

Correct, I was trying to bring 2 points in 2 different paragraphs 😃

imaima

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 5:12 pm

boots wrote:

I think it is good enough for preschool. The actual meaning might be too difficult

amother

Ginger

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 5:21 pm

1) That it is good to ask questions and all questions are welcome
2) That today's mitzrayim and paroh is alive and well inside each of us and we can earn our freedom through our personal avodas Hashem and celebrate just like our forefathers.
3) That minhagim are precious to us.

OOTforlife

Mon, Mar 01 2021, 5:38 pm

keym wrote:

Did the speaker mean parent to child? Or specifically only father to son, such that the girls and women are not part of the mesorah aspect at all?