Tell them, it is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians. Then the people bowed down and worshipped. The answer to the child's question is the entire theology of Passover in one sentence: the Lord passed over our houses when He struck the Egyptians. The use of our houses is significant — not their houses back then, but ours. Every generation stands inside the Passover narrative by using the first-person plural. The Haggadah codifies this: in every generation, a person is obligated to see themselves as if they personally went out of Egypt. The worship response — the people bowed down — is the only appropriate response to the announcement that God passed over your house. The child who asked the question, having received the answer, worships alongside the adults.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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