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Dear friend,
As you may know, the Passover Haggadah provides four paradigms for
the kinds of children we might encounter on seder night. The first
three children pose a distinct question, but the last of the four does
not know how to ask. Even for this child, though, the Haggadah
provides us with an answer, prompting us to engage with all types of
learners:
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| וְשֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל
– אַתְּ פְּתַח לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא
לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם. |
| And [regarding] the one who doesn't know to ask, you will
open [the conversation] for him. As it is stated (Exodus 13:8), "And
you will speak to your son on that day saying, for the sake of this
did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt." |
| Passover Haggadah |
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Explaining this further, Rabbi Zedekiah ben Avraham Anav writes in
his 13th-century Haggadah commentary Shibbolei
Haleket: "Construct an opening for them, so that they will
understand and ask."
It is hard to formulate a question until you have a certain
amount of understanding, some solid footing from which to start. When
we construct openings into learning, we enable pathways for people to
enter.
But how do we create those openings? The answer, the Haggadah tells
us, is to share a story that is personal — I was taken out of Egypt; this is what
happened to me. By creating a sense of connection, we
invite one who does not know how to ask into the
conversation.
This sense of opening and individual connection is core to the
Passover experience. At the beginning of the seder, we say: "Let all
who are hungry come and eat." Towards the end of the seder, we open
the door of our home and invite Elijah the Prophet to join us. And in
between, the story of the four children shows us how to extend the
open door to all.
Everyone inevitably comes up against walls in their
learning — even the chacham, the wise child, and even the parent, who in
this text is the source of wisdom. No matter how much we
know, at some point we encounter a word, a teaching, or an idea that
we don't understand, and we search for a way forward.
Our goal at Sefaria is to provide those next
steps, the openings, the road markers that show where there's
a way forward. And not only that, but we hope that the library
can be a tool for you to create openings for others.
Whatever your pathway and whatever kind of doorway you are
looking for, we welcome you in and thank you for being here.
Together, may we have a meaningful Passover filled with
questions and answers that make up the great Jewish conversation.
Chag Pesach Sameach,
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Sara Wolkenfeld
Chief
Learning Officer
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