How to make your Seder the ultimate chinuch experience
During the Seder, we fulfill “V’higadeta l’vincha,” the mitzvah to teach our children about Yetzias Mitzrayim and infuse them with emunah. Our Chachamim designed the Seder as the ultimate chinuch experience, with the Haggadah structured around children’s questions. Here are a few meaningful ways to bring this night alive for our children:
Divide up the divrei Torah so that there’s no tension over who says what when, and we don’t ask the kids to concentrate for too long. You could divide the divrei Torah up by topic or time, or allow certain kids to share at different points during the seder. Maybe divide it up using a raffle. Another idea? Offer treats/goodies/points to any child who asks a question on a sibling’s devar Torah! This helps kids to stay engaged while their siblings are speaking.
Sometimes, imagining things “long ago” can feel out of reach. Make history come alive! Get a box of 150 paper clips. When discussing the generations from Matan Torah until today, help the kids calculate how many links represent each generation from Matan Torah. (If we say a generation is about 25 years, that would be 3300 divided by 25!) Make a 132 paper clip chain (yes, this keeps the little ones busy while everyone reads.)
Suddenly, abstract history becomes a tangible chain they can touch and understand.
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