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AS: Why did you choose emunah as the theme of your Haggadah commentary?
RBP: Although emunah is something we must work on throughout the year, Seder night is truly the “Night of Emunah,” the most opportune time for us to reaffirm our belief in Hashem and reeducate ourselves and our children in the basics of emunah. The sefarim relate that Pesach is referred to as the chag he’emunah. As I began to delve into the Haggadah, it became clear to me that this was the message I wanted to convey.
AS: How can we bring the Seder to life for our children? How can this Haggadah help?
RBP: On Seder night parents become their children’s greatest teachers. On this night Hashem empowers parents to inspire their children — no matter which of the “four sons” they may be. My goal in this Haggadah was to relate the lessons of Chazal to our modern world through inspirational Torah thoughts and incredible stories that both parents and children can relate to and enjoy. This Haggadah helps make the Seder come to life. It gives parents plenty of material to keep the children entertained and inspired throughout Seder night and Yom Tov.
AS: What is the special power of a story?
RBP: A story is one of the most powerful ways to convey a lesson; perhaps that is why our Seder revolves around the telling the story of Yetziyas Mitzrayim. It can make lessons become real. When you read a story about someone who performed an extraordinary act of kindness or displayed unusual emunah, you begin to realize, “I, too, can reach such heights.” The story inspires us to reach higher.
AS: Do you have any favorite stories from this Haggadah commentary?
RBP: It’s hard for me to pick one. There are stories of gedolim, such as when a young boy makes a prank call to Rav Moshe Feinstein and learns the lesson of his life, or how Rav Shneur Kotler helped a child cross the street every day to make sure the boy went to yeshivah. There are also many stories of ordinary people who did amazing things, like the father who reached out to an off-the-derech boy, which led to the father’s own son being miraculously saved from drowning! There is no one story — you have to read them all!
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