Jewish Moments
When the Four Children Aren’t There to Ask Questions at the Seder
Based on the traditional “Four Children” of the Haggadah, and the ritual of the “Four Questions”, this unit provides suggestions for ways we might adopt the question-asking element of the Seder to provoke timely, thoughtful questions and discussion at our Seder this year.
Questions are the order of the seder night, and it is the children present who are envisioned asking them. This year, many families will be missing their children, or their parents, or their siblings, or their cousins. Some of those individuals were murdered, some fell in battle, and some are still being held hostage, after more than six months, in Gaza. So this year, at your seder, consider asking questions on their behalf, since they can’t do it themselves. This unit includes question-related activities that you could consider including in your Seder. These could also be adapted as a Pre-Pesach unit in a classroom setting which students could engage with in preparation for Pesach and bring home to their family Seders.
We’re interested in learning about how you’ve implemented this resource in your community. Please share your experiences by completing a brief form here >
For deeper insights and further reading on “Why Is This Year Different From All Other Years?”, please see the Pardes Companion on celebrating Passover post October 7th, here.
Dedicate this activity in honor of
Amiram was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Hamas released a video of him while in captivity as part of the psychological terror. After eight months, on June 3, 2024, the IDF confirmed that Cooper was killed while in captivity, along with three other hostages: Chaim Peri, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, and Nadav Popplewell, 51. Their bodies are being held in Gaza by Hamas.
