For those of you who are not familiar with Passover, it is a Jewish festival commemorating the Hebrews’ escape from enslavement in Egypt. The Seder is the ceremonial meal that is observed the first two nights of the festival.
When I think back on the Seders of my childhood all of my senses come into play: the smells floating through the hallways of my grandparents’ Chicago apartment complex, the pattern of the pillow my Papa Joe reclined on as he lead the Seder, the hard chair I always got stuck with at the children’s table, the beautiful songs and prayers sung by my huge family, and of course, the amazing tastes of my Nana Libby’s cooking.
Essentially, for me Passover has always been about tradition and culture rather than strictly religion. So this year, when my daughter Giana (age three and a half) showed a genuine interest, I jumped at the chance to build those cultural memories for her. I had no idea how much she would rise to the occasion.
In years past, Giana has been too young to really appreciate the holiday. We have several storybooks (her favorite being Sammy Spider’s First Passover) explaining the meaning of the holiday and the symbols of the Seder, but this year something clicked and she wanted in. She wanted to be part of the process: the cooking, setting up the Seder plate, and to my joy, she wanted to sing “The Four Questions”.
When cooking time came around, we pulled up a chair to the counter and I told her, “All good cooks wash their hands before they touch anything.” She replied with,”Mama, we’re not cooks, we’re Jewish.” I knew we were off to a banner start at creating memories. I’ll remember that line for a long time.
She helped mix the matzo balls and the charoset, then proclaimed it was time to practice “The Four Questions.” ”The Four Questions” is the part of the Seder when the youngest child asks,” Why is this night different than all other nights?” or, in Hebrew, “Mah nishtanah ha-lahylah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-layloht, mi-kol ha-layloht?”. We had sung it in the past, but I was amazed at her determination to remember every word.
Research has shown that music can be a very effective memorization tool. Songs and chants enhance content retention through rhyme, rhythm, and melody. This method of memorization was one I used throughout school. School House Rock‘s “We The People” was soley responsible for me passing my eighth grade Constitution test. I was amazed at how well it worked for Giana. She sang “The Four Questions,” IN HEBREW, without a mistake. I was so proud, I almost burst!
As the guests started to arrive, I thought Giana would explode with excitement. She explained how she helped, but her baby brother couldn’t, because “he’s just a baby.” She sat through the first part of the Seder and when it was her turn to sing, she was clear as a bell and just perfect. There wasn’t a dry eye at the table. I truly believe if the questions didn’t have a melody, it would have been much more of a challenge, but she rocked it!
After everyone had left and I was tucking her into bed, I asked her if she had a good time. She told me she did. I asked her why she thought this night was different from all other nights. She told me, “’Cause Passover is awesome!”. I think she’s right.
-posted by Miss Steph, proud momma of the singing Giana.
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