Sharing the Story of Faith
Yael Eckstein | March 31, 2021
…that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD. — Exodus 10:2
This week, my family and I join Jews around the world in celebrating the most important event in Jewish history — the Exodus and redemption of the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. These devotions based on my book, Generations to Generations: Passing on the Legacy of Faith to Our Children, were prepared for you in advance to help you discover the many lessons in faith Passover has for you.
One of my first childhood memories is at our family seder, the ritual Passover meal. I am the youngest of three daughters, and so once I was old enough to read, it was my job to ask the traditional “Four Questions” at the outset of the seder. I can remember standing on a chair in my nice new dress while the entire family looked at me in proud expectation. After I recited the four questions in Hebrew, everyone cheered, and the seder began.
At the time, I didn’t understand that what I was doing had been performed by the youngest child for thousands upon thousands of years. I was simply the next in a long line of ancestors to ask these questions on Passover eve. For centuries, this simple ritual has been essential to sharing the story of our faith.
Sharing the Story of Faith
The Four Questions highlight four unusual aspects of the Passover seder. The text begins, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” and specifies four unusual aspects of the seder – that we eat matzah (unleavened bread), bitter herbs, dip our vegetables, and eat reclining like royalty.
These questions provide a springboard to tell the Passover story and teach others about God. As we read in the Bible, “that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD” Through the Exodus story, we talk about the fundamental ideas of the Jewish faith — that God is with us in our suffering, that He hears our prayers, that He cares about His people, and that He intervenes in human history to bring about salvation.
Sharing our stories — both collective and personal — is the lifeblood of faith. When we tell how God’s hand has directed our lives, we remember His presence in our own lives and inspire others to see Him in theirs. Children and adults alike love to hear stories — and as part of the chain stretching all the way back to the Exodus, we have the privilege and responsibility to share the story of our faith with them.