Question:
Regarding the Pesach seder, in a family that includes boys and girls of all different ages, is it better to focus on conveying the simple meaning of the Hagaddah, relaying parables and stories, which would disappoint the older children [because the older children won’t enjoy this]? Or, is it better to focus on more intellectual-type insights of the Hagaddah, which the younger children won’t understand?
Answer:
One needs to run the Seder with wisdom, and to be attentive at all times to the level of concentration [of the family]. Accordingly, one can then decide what kinds of insights can be relayed.]
(Editor’s Note: The Rav once delivered shiurim in Argentina, where he gave about 20 shiurim in different communities, of all different types. Some communities requested of the Rav to give in-depth shiurim, whereas other communities wanted the Rav to say a story and then deliver lessons from it. One Friday morning there, the Rav was invited to give a shiur on that week’s parsha. The Rav prepared the shiur, but when he began to deliver the shiur, he saw that the crowd wanted a more interactive, give-and-take kind of experience, rather than listening to a lecture, and that it wouldn’t be possible to give a derasha which required concentration and listening. Immediately the Rav changed the derasha to a give-and-take discussion on the parshah. In the course of delivering the derasha, the Rav pointed out several in-depth insights that sparked interest in the crowd, and the crowd became very involved, animatedly responding to the Rav’s words. The crowd did not realize that the Rav had quickly ‘changed gears’ for them.)
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