I always found the questions we’re supposed to ask on Pesach kind of annoying. Would children really ask all of those same old questions year after year if they weren’t taught to ask them in school? Would they really say things like “why is this night different from all other nights?” or “Why do we dip this in that, or eat that or do that?” It seems highly unlikely that these questions we teach our children to ask would ever be asked, which got me thinking about any Jerwish holiday or even shabbos. Why don’t children ask these questions about shabbos, we do tons of strange things on shabbos that I nor most children know the answer to. Like why do we make a little incision in the challah before cutting it (fine I know the answer, but I bet you most children don’t) so why don’t they ask?
Why does mommy get the end piece of the challah?
Why can we make noises, hand motions and grunts, but not talk between washing our hands and eating the bread?
Does God really care that we have a slotted spoon in the coleslaw or not?
What do you mean it has no use on shabbos, I can find plenty of uses for that tool that wouldn’t violate shabbos?
Is it respectful to God to save shabbos for the day in which we destroy our bodies by eating oily foods, drinking soda and eating nosh?
Why don’t the women do mayim achronim too?
Why do women think shabbos candles is their mitzvah, don’t single men have to light them too?
Shouldn’t women be learning hilchos shabbos in depth?
Why is shabbos the only day of the week that women go to shul?
What is the significance of eating chicken soup on shabbos?
Is it halacha to eat cholent on shabbos?
If challah is a big mitzvah, why doesn’t anyone make it anymore?
What is the significance of eating brown foods on shabbos?
Is Deli Roll part of the mesorah?
Since when did moscato diasti become the official shabbos wine? I thought it had to be sweet and dark red?
They usually have the questions and they’ll get answers if 1)they aren’t afraid to ask and 2)their parents aren’t afraid to be asked.
And I think 2 usually causes 1.
Reminds me of the joke “why do we have the soup before the main course on Friday night?”
In case Mashiach comes in the middle of the meal……the main course you can always put in your pocket!
At some point in the past, I’m sure these were reasonable questions that kids might have asked but now it’s just part of the larger effort to channel kid’s questions now. Don’t ask just any question, we don’t want you to look like an apikorus from thinking too much, just ask these pre-scripted and pre-approved questions so you can hear the answers we’ve prepared for you. It helps mold the 80% or whatever that will just do what they’re told regardless.
why do we make an incision in the challah on shabat
Supposed to be to make it easier / quicker to cut once you’ve made the bracha, less of a hefsek.
Doesn;t that make a larger hefsek between washing and hamotzi then? You’re just shifting the hefsek, not removing it.
Moses,
I think the hefsek after washing is less stringent, don’t know for sure…
What about the extra 5 seconds it takes to futz around to find that same incision after you make the bracha? if you didn’t make that incision you can just cut anywhere, now you have to spend extra time finding it.
Also, i’m don’t mean to offend anyone who may not be of the same physical capacity that I am, but for me, cutting through the challah isn’t actually that physically challenging and it only takes me 3-4 times moving the knife back and forth. that extra incision doens’t really save me any time or make the challah easier to slice in that spot. I’m sure many other people who take 10-15 times moving the knife back and forth may save a cut or two by making that incision beforehand but for the vast majority of the people i’m not sure it makes a difference.
The reason is because there’s a machlokes whether you’re supposed to cut the bread before the bracha or after. Therefore we do a bit of both
Just use pull-apart challah, for crying out loud!!
Some of us explained things to our kids as we made Shabbos, so they came up with other questions.
And what questions do Sephardi kids ask? They don’t eat brown food on Shabbos from what I’ve seen.
Actual reason: In the time of the Mechaber, challot were baked in communal ovens and had the texture of country bread, with a very thick crust. You can’t precut the bread, because you need to bentsch over two whole loaves. If you cut the bread after the bracha of hamotzi, you make a hefsek between saying the bracha and eating the bread. So, you score through the thick crust before you say the bracha, so that when you have said the bracha you can easily cut the bread. Now that we all buy Zomick’s, this has no value other than ‘mesorah’
Its not only on shabbos any time a person makes hamotzi on a full loaf of bread a cut should be made.
Anon,
That same section of S.A also talks about not eating directly from a loaf, says one should cut of break little pieces off to eat to avoid looking like a glutton.
So much for eating burgers and subs. And here I was laughing at those brits for using a fork and knife to cut their pizza.
it is ideal to make a bracha on a whole/complete food as opposed to a cut up piece of it. it is also ideal to eat the food immediately after making the bracha, no hefsek. since we have a conflict, the custom is to make an incision before the bracha- still making bracha on whole loaf- while “speeding up” process of cutting your own piece to minimize hefsek.
Moreover, there is concern for lechem mishna on Shabbos + Yom Tov, so for during the week, the slice should be made nearly all the way, while on S + YT, the piece should be left attached enough so that grabbing it can support the entire loaf.
The popular knife scratch is merely a misunderstanding of the rationale discussed in the halacha seforim.
Chazal wanted that pesach night everything should be taught with “shaaila uteshuva” question and answer. The reason is that since the lessons taught that night are so fundemental, we want it taught in a way which most peaks the interest, especially for children. It is much easier to be taught when you are bothered and want an answer.
You have this funny obsession with slotted spoon in coleslaw 🙂
He must realy hate the cole-slaw juice and if you have to take cole-slaw with the juice it gets all over your plate and ruins other food you have on your plate at the time (ever taste challah soaked with cole-slaw juice???). I totally understand.
i think these questions must only be relevant to american frummies.
i don’t eat the end piece of challah, or have coleslaw at my shabbos table. we don’t eat much oily food, drink soda or have much nosh at our place. i bake my own challah, and sweet potato, broccoli ,green beans, carrots, mushrooms, red peppers, zuchinni, gefilte fish, chicken soup etc. etc. are not brown. never have that moscato whatever and have never served deli roll. come visit and broaden your horizons
What are you Modern Orthodox or something?
chabad
And you can always drain food before Shabbos so you can use the clotted spoon, or use the unslotted one and no juice to separate.
My husband loves the end of the challah when we don’t have pull-apart, so he gets it.
Heshy, what makes you un-modern?
What do you mean it has no use on shabbos, I can find plenty of uses for that tool that wouldn’t violate shabbos?
In which case you would be allowed to use it for those purposes, usually.
Shouldn’t women be learning hilchos shabbos in depth?
In frum high schools, they do.
Do they learn the gemara, shulchan aruch and other commentaries on it – or just the generic stuff.