An initiative supported by Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky has been launched in Israel to lessen the loneliness of those spending the Seder alone, including the elderly. According to Harav Yitzchak Zilberstein: “the roots of the idea are found in the Gemara.”

Tens of thousands of Israeli children will venture out to their porches on Seder night at 8:30 p.m. to ask “Mah Nishtaneh” for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of Jews celebrating the seder alone this year, without children or grandchildren.

Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky was told about the initiative and expressed that it was “a good idea” and gave a bracha that the initiative will be successful and a kiddush Hashem.

Harav Yitzchak Zilberstein noted that this type of idea is already found in the Gemara, in Masechtas Pesachim (פ”ה ע”ב), which accounts that the roofs of Yerushalayim broke from the sounds of Hallel in the city. Harav Zilberstein quoted the Maharsha that it was wasn’t the roofs of the city that broke but the roofs in Shamayim since everyone sang Hallel together l’sheim Shamayim.

In light of the above, the Gedolei Yisrael have called to the public to have their children sing Mah Nishtaneh together on the porches to be zochech to a double mitzvah and so every Jew sitting alone will feel as part of Am Yisrael and be zocheh to experience simchas ha’Chag.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)