“The art and science of asking
questions is the source of all knowledge.” – Thomas Berger
“A Wise man’s question contains half the answer.” – Solomon Ibn Gabirol
Last night was the first night of
Pesach when Jews commemorate and celebrate our ancestors’ "Exodus" from Egypt,
and the liberation from slavery. The “Seder,” is the festive meal that opens this
especially important Holy Day, recalling, reminding, and educating our younger
generation about the significant chain of events which preceded that momentous outcome.
It is chronicled in the “Haggadah,” the book we read during that occasion.
I remember my childhood “Seders.” Being a curious child, I wanted to know
everything about it. I sought to learn why the Seder plate had certain foods on
it or why the table was arranged the way it was. I also
wanted to know why we eat "Matzah," "Charoset," and other kinds of food which are
consumed only on this night and this Holy Day. I was curious about some of the
terms and the logic behind some of the customs. I was eager to learn why this
night was different than any other night. In short, I had many questions.
“What a great question,” I remember my father commenting on some of my queries.
“And another good one,” he would remark on others as he was caressing me with
his soft eyes. “Don’t ever stop asking,” he kept encouraging me, “we learn
about our world and our life by asking questions.”
As I grew older and delved deeper into
the content of the “Haggadah,” I realized that it was not my wisdom or dexterity
that prompted me to ask all those “good questions” which made my father so
proud of me. Rather, it was the ingenuity of those who, so prudently, crafted
the art of asking questions - the essence, and the fabric of the “Haggadah.”
The way they outlined the “Seder” (order in Hebrew), sparked my strong sense of
curiosity, and led me to ask those questions.
A bird’s eye view of the “Haggadah”
will reveal to us that it is laced with distinctive symbolic acts and food. It
is not happenstance. They were deliberately created and aimed at raising
curiosity, interest and stimulating inquisitiveness.
The directive to tell and retell the
story of the “Exodus” is mentioned in the Torah. Moreover, it is provided in
the form of a commandment weaving a hypothetical conversation between parent
and child: “If your son asks you in time to come . . . you shall say to your
son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and G-d took us out of Egypt with a
strong hand.’” D’varim (Deuturonomy)
6:20-21. The wise rabbis understood that the telling over of the story of the “Exodus”
is meant and should be in a question-and-answer format.
These
sages, obviously, recognized that at the core of asking questions is the desire
to know, learn and understand. Questions are the fuel of growth and the best way
to gain deeper acumens. Asking questions is, in itself, a creative activity, perhaps
the epitome of human creativity. The skill of asking questions is, according to
Jerome Brunner, the ability to go “beyond given information.” It grants us the
opportunity to examine issues from a different angle. The greatest inventors
and scientists in human history, people such as Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein
and many others asked fundamental questions which eventually led to their marvelous
breakthroughs. Philosophers and thinkers
devote their whole lives to asking questions about the meaning of life,
morality, truth, human behaviour and the divinity of G-d.
Realizing
the significance and developmental benefits of asking questions and since the “Seder”
is all about provoking questions, the sages have also instituted a few unique rituals to be performed at the Seder table for the mere
purpose of arousing curiosity among children, teaching and triggering them to probe
for answers. The very fact that we are doing something different, they discerned,
will lend itself to an additional question, answer, and further growth.
What a
great legacy and what a blessing it is to be part of it.
Happy and meaningful Pesach.
