The Fifth Question: Telling the Exodus Story
There are two commandments for the Seder in the Torah: retelling the story (Exodus 13:8, 13:14-15) and eating matzah (Exodus 12:18). The Seder begins with the story of our freedom and concludes with the reminder to be more committed Jews. Our sages later added eating bitter herbs, drinking four cups of wine, and reclining.
The Seder and Haggadah exist to fulfill the role of telling our story and to help us identify with our ancestors. Our history is the glue that binds us with one another today and to countless generations before us, including those Israelites who fled Egypt.
A central element of our Haggadah is the Maggid, telling the story. We remind ourselves of the bread of affliction. We confirm that it was God who took the Jews out of Egypt (even though Moses plays an extraordinary role, he is not mentioned in the Haggadah). We owe our freedom to God alone.
We then hear from the Four Children. We ask—and respond to—The Four Questions. We are reminded “… in every generation, they arise to annihilate us. But the Holy One rescues us from their hand.”
And yet there is another important question. Perhaps the Fifth Question we might ask at our Seder.
Why? Why does God take us out of Egypt? A clear and inspired response is even today vital to the future of Judaism and the Jewish people. To my mind, the answer is clear: God needed a people to bring Judaism and its values to the world.
We were chosen for this task, to bring the Ten Commandments and the values of the Torah to humanity, to be an or lagoyim—a light to the nations—and to teach the imperative that God wants us to act ethically. “Chosen” does not imply superiority. “Chosen” means “singled out” for a task.
The last four words of the Seder—Next Year in Jerusalem (L’shana haba’ah b’yerushalyim)—can be taken literally, i.e., next year may we have Seder in Jerusalem. I believe the message transcends this. Jerusalem—our holiest city—aspires to be the embodiment of Judaism. It represents Judaism to Jews and humanity. So next year, may we be closer to Jerusalem in being better, deeper, and more committed Jews.
When a Jew embraces ‘chosenness’ it is life changing. It gives a sense of purpose to being a Jew and a reason for us to survive as a people. We have something special to bring to the world. If more Jews found this sense of purpose, more would be committed to living a Jewish life.
We tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt to every generation, every year, because otherwise it so easily could become simply another “moment” of forgotten history. We tell the story of the Exodus so that we embrace a sense of gratitude for what God did for us. We tell the story, lest we—and others—forget the blessings of freedom we received.
Imagine not telling your children about their family members who preceded them—their grandparents or great-grandparents. By skipping telling one generation, the story of your family can be lost. It is true for a family, true for a people, and true for a nation.
At your Seder, tell the story, ask the Four Questions, engage in lively conversations, and consider a fifth question: Why? Why did God free us from Egyptian slavery? I can almost guarantee it will lead to an interesting discussion and make our freedom and gratitude all the more meaningful.
Rabbi David Woznica
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