What are the four questions of Passover in Hebrew?

Answer 1

1 - Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzah, but on this night we eat only matzah?

Answer: We eat only matzah because our ancestors could not wait for their breads to rise when they were fleeing slavery in Egypt, and so they took the breads out of their ovens while they were still flat, which was matzah.

2 - Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?

Answer: We eat only Moror, a bitter herb, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery that our ancestors endured while in Egypt.

3 - Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?

Answer: We dip twice - 1- green vegetables in salt water, and - 2- Moror in Charoses, a sweet mixture of nuts and wine. The first dip, green vegetables in salt water, symbolizes the replacing of tears with gratefulness, and the second dip, Moror in Charoses, symbolizes sweetening the burden of bitterness and suffering to lessen its pain.

4 - Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

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, and so we recline in our chairs at the Passover seder table to remind ourselves of the glory of freedom.

Answer 2

The four questions asked at a Jewish Seder are as follows:

• Why is this night so different that we eat matzoh instead of bread?
• Why do we eat bitter herbs?
• Why do we dip the parsley in salt water?
• Why do we recline at the table instead of sitting in chairs?

They eat matzoh because they aren't supposed to have any yeast during Passover. They eat bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. Salt water is a reminder of the tears that slavery caused. And reclining was a sign of freedom, since slaves weren't able to relax that way.

More info:

The third question is Why do we dip twice: parsley in salt water, and maror (bitter herbs) in charoseth.

Answer 3

Why is this night different from all other nights?

1. On all other nights, we eat leavened bread and matza, on this night only matza

2. On all other nights, we eat all kinds of herbs, on this night - Marror (bitter herb)

3. On all other nights, we don't dip even once, on this night, we dip twice

4. On all other nights, we eat either sitting straight or reclining, on this night we all recline

Answer 4

1. Why do we eat matzah on this night?
2. Why do we eat bitter herbs on this night?

3. Why do we dip vegetables twice in salt water on this night?
4. Why do we recline on this night?

Answer 5

1. On all other nights we may eat bread or matzah, while on this night we eat only matzah.

2. On all other nights we may eat all kinds of vegetables, but on this night we eat bitter herbs.

3. On all other nights we don't need to dip our foods, but on this night we dip them twice.

4. On all other nights we eat while sitting (upright), but on this night we eat while reclining.

Answer 6

During the Passover seder, which is a special dinner held on the first night (or two nights) of Passover, the 5th out of 15 parts is the Maggid ()מגיד section, the retelling of the Passover story and asking of questions by children. These questions are the Ma Nishtana (מה נשתנה‎), meaning "what has changed" in Hebrew (it is the first line of the song).

Traditionally, the ma nishtana are sung by the youngest child at the table who is able to do so. The traditional questions go:

EnglishTransliterationHebrew

What has changed, this night,

from all the other nights?

Mah nishtanah, ha-laylah ha-zeh,

mi-kal ha-leylot-

מה נשתנה, הלילה הזה

מכל הלילות

That in all other nights we eat both

chametz and matzah,

on this night, we eat only matzah.

She-b'khal ha-leylot 'anu 'okhlin

chameytz u-matzah,

ha-laylah ha-zeh, kulo matzah?

שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלין

חמץ ומצה

הלילה הזה, כלו מצה

That in all other nights we eat

many vegetables,

on this night, only maror.

She-b'khal ha-leylot 'anu 'okhlin

sh'ar y'raqot,

ha-laylah ha-zeh, maror.

שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלין

שאר ירקות

הלילה הזה, מרור

That in all other nights we do not

dip vegetables even once,

on this night, we dip twice.

She-b'khal ha-leylot 'eyn 'anu

matbilin 'afilu pa'am 'achat,

ha-laylah ha-zeh, shtey f'amim?

שבכל הלילות אין אנו

מטבילין אפילו פעם אחת

הלילה הזה, שתי פעמים

That in all other nights

some eat sitting and others reclining,

on this night, we are all reclining.

She-b'khal ha-leylot 'anu 'okhlin

beyn yoshvin u-veyn m'subin,

ha-laylah ha-zeh, kulanu m'subin?

שבכל הלילות אנו אוכלין

בין יושבין ובין מסובין

הלילה הזה, כולנו מסובין

(cited from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_four_questions)

Answer 7

1. On all other nights we may eat bread or matzah, while on this night we eat only matzah.
2. On all other nights we may eat all kinds of vegetables, but on this night we eat bitter herbs.
3. On all other nights we don't need to dip our foods, but on this night we dip them twice.
4. On all other nights we eat while sitting (upright), but on this night we eat while reclining. See also the Related Link.

Passover and the Seder

Answer 8

While the questions supplied by my colleague Dan Galilee are the official questions that are ritually asked at the Passover Seder, in addition any appropriate question can freely be asked at the Seder table in order to better learn about the experience of leaving Egypt and how we as Jews currently celebrate that momentous event.

Such questions may include:

• Why do we take droplets out of our wine glasses on a night of celebration?
• Why do we sing songs like Chad Gadya (One Goat) that ostensibly have no relation to the celebration?
• How was Moses able to develop a rapport with God without quaking in fear of Him?
• Why did God choose to harden Pharaoh's heart when He knew that this would result in more punishment and harm to the Egyptian people as well as the revocation of Pharaoh's free will?
  
• In what ways are we still slaves and how can we become emancipated?

As for the answers to the traditional questions, please see these related questions:

• Why do Jews only eat matzah on Passover?
• Why do Jews specifically eat bitter herbs and not other vegetables on Passover?
• Why do Jews dip their foods twice on Passover?
• Why do Jews eat the Passover meal while reclining instead of sitting up straight?

Answer 9

Why do we eat matza and avoid leavened bread? Why do we dip our food twice? Why do we eat bitter herbs? Why do we lean/recline at the Seder (festive meal)?

Answer 10

It is one answer to all four. Since "we were slaves in Egypt and Hashem (God) took us out with a strong hand..."

meaning: the entire contents of the Hagadah is the answer.