I fell into this hole while whipping thru nodal space. It looked so empty I just had to fill it!
The word comes from the opening line of the four questions asked at the
Pesach Seder service by the
youngest at the table:
Ma nishtana ha-laila ha-zeh mi-kol ha-leilot?
Why is this night different from all other nights?
A large number of
Jewish men, even if they have wandered far from their
roots, will still will remember this
question, if not the
answer. Either he remembers the
pride in executing a
serious responsibility, or the
disgust in getting
suckered into asking the question which will take all
night to answer (at least it feels like all night).
First Question
She-be-chol ha-leilot ah-nu oh-chlin chametz u-matza, ha-laila ha-zeh kulo matza?
On all other nights we eat all kinds of chametz or matzah, why do we eat only matzoh tonight?
Second Question
She-be-chol ha-leilot ah-nu oh-chlin sh-ahr yerakot, ha-laila ha-zeh maror?
On all other nights we eat any kinds of vegetables, why do we eat marror (bitter herbs), tonight?
Third Question
She-be-chol ha-leilot ayn ah-nu mat-bilin ah-feelu pa-am eh-chat, ha-laila ha-zeh sh-tay p-amim?
On all other nights we don't usually dip one food into another, why tonight - twice? We dip the karpas vegetable in salt water and the maror in Charoses?
Fourth Question
She-be-chol ha-leilot ah-nu oh-chlin bayn yosh-vin u-vain m-subin, ha-laila ha-zeh ku-lahnu m-subin?
On all other nights we eat either sitting or leaning, why do we lean on a pillow tonight?
While I am not
Jewish, I have attended many
Seders and have always been conscious of the
pride of both the parents and
child as these questions are asked. Maybe this is one of the reasons why
Jews have persisted in the face of
prejudice and
systematic attempts at total
extermination of a people (= Rus.
pogroms).