Four Questions with a new tune!
The formal telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with lots of questions and answers. The tradition that the youngest person asks the questions reflects the centrality of involving everyone in the seder. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us the Four Questions to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. The Four Questions all begin with the line,"Mah-nish-tanah-ha-layla hazeh", which means "Why is this night different than all other nights"? Tonight we ask that everyone join together to ask the questions in a new way:
Mah-nish-tanah-ha-lahy-lah ha-zeh song
to the tune of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
Um diddle um diddle um diddle ay Um diddle um diddle um diddle ay
(Chorus)
Mah nish-tanah ha-lahy-lah ha-zeh mi- kol ha-lay-loht?
See if you can sing it when each word is on a new note!
With an unexpected tune, the questions never sound rote.
Mah nish-tanah ha-lahy-lah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-lay-loht?
Um diddle um diddle um diddle ay Um diddle um diddle um diddle ay
There is a time when older kids complain they’re too mature.
They do not want to chant the Mah Nishtanah any more.
But here is something you can do when older kids complain:
Just try to chant the Mah Nishtanah to a new refrain.
(Chorus)
Mah nish-tanah ha-lahy-lah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-lay-loht?
See if you can sing it when each word is on a new note!
With an unexpected tune, the questions never sound rote.
Mah nish-tanah ha-lahy-lah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-lay-loht?
Um diddle um diddle um diddle ay Um diddle um diddle um diddle ay
Why on this night do we only eat unleav- ened bread?
Why do we eat bitter herbs when we like sweets instead?
Why do we dip two times on this Pesach when we dine?
Sitting at the seder table, why do we recline?
(Chorus)
Mah nish-tanah ha-lahy-lah ha-zeh mi- kol ha-lay-loht?
See if you can sing it when each word is on a new note!
With an unexpected tune, the questions never sound rote
Mah nish-tanah ha-lahy-lah ha-zeh mi- kol ha-lay-loht?
©2008 Barbara Sarshik
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