9. The 4 Traditional Questions

“Ma Nishtanah?” – “Why is this night different?”

The youngest child present asks these four questions. Tradition has it that it is really only one question in four parts.
This is all part of the Haggadah – The telling. The biblical command is to ‘tell your son’ – Exodus 13:8. The Haggadah is the book which relates the Passover story through readings, songs and prayers.

1) Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights we can eat leavened or unleavened bread, why on this night do we eat only unleavened bread?
Answer – We only eat the Matzah bread because our ancestors could not wait for their breads to rise when they were fleeing slavery in Egypt. Consequently the Matzah baked flat.

(Another question should be added here. Why is the Matzah striped and pierced? The only answer to this is found in Isaiah 53:5 and Zechariah 12:10.)
‘With His stripes we are healed” and “They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced”. Our Messiah is at the centre of the Passover Meal and in Him we receive eternal freedom and shalom.

2) On all other nights we may eat all kinds of herbs and vegetables, why on this night do we only eat bitter herbs and why do we dip them twice?
Answer – We only eat the Maror, a bitter herb, which reminds us of the bitterness of slavery that our ancestors endured whilst in Egypt. We dip twice – (1) green vegetables in salt water, and (2) Maror in Charoses, a sweet mixture of apple sauce, nuts and cinnamon. (Some also use honey, raisins and wine). The first dip is with green vegetables into salt water, this symbolizes the replacing of tears with gratefulness, and the second dip with Maror into the Charoses, this symbolizes sweetening the burden of bitterness and suffering to lessen its pain. (The biblical command is to dip with bitter herbs – plural, so we dip twice. Numbers 9:11)

3) On all other nights we may eat roasted, stewed or boiled meat, why on this night only roasted meat?
Answer – The Passover lamb according to God’s instructions had to be roasted and eaten by all before morning.

4) On all other nights we may eat sitting or reclining, why on this night do we recline with a cushion?
Answer – We recline at the Seder table because in ancient times, a person who reclined at a meal symbolized a free person, free from slavery. We therefore recline in our chairs at the Pesach Seder table to remind ourselves of our freedom that God brought about.

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THE THREE QUESTIONS IN JOHN 14

and their answers in verse 6

Yeshua saith unto him, “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”

1. Thomas, did not know THE WAY – vs 1 to 17.

The Way to God is through Messiah’s Work – v 6.

2. Philip, did not know THE TRUTH – vs 8 to 21.

The Truth of God is in Messiah’s Word – v 6.

3. Judas, did not know THE LIFE – vs 22 to 31.

The Life of God is in Messiah’s Will – v 6.

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Yeshua/Jesus is The Way for the Lost,
The Truth for those who want to Learn,
and The Life for those who have a Longing.

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