“Have you asked a good question today?”

Rabbi Adam F. Miller

Sitting around our Seder table, my eyes fell on one of my favorite stories added into the Haggadah we use, “A Different Night,” just opposite the Four Questions.

When Isidor Rabi turned 5, his parents sent him off to attend school for the first time. On the first day of school, Izzy was so excited that he woke up early, rushing to dress and leave for school. On his way out the door, his mother kissed him goodbye and said she would see him after school.

Izzy nearly ran home that first day, so excited by the people he met and the friends he made. His mom greeted him and said, “So, nu, Izzy, did you ask a good question today?”

Izzy paused, realizing that, in all of his excitement, he could not remember having asked a single question.

Seeing his hesitation, his mother said, “Tomorrow, I want you to ask a good question.”

The next day, they were learning about fruit. Izzy raised his hand, “Why do apples have stems?”

Surprised by the question, the teacher explained that apples come from trees.

When Izzy got home, his mom greeted him and said, “So, nu, Izzy, did you ask a good question today?”

Izzy repeated his question and his teacher’s answer. His mother smiled and nodded while she listened.

Each day Izzy came home, his mom asked whether he posed a good question. Several years went by and finally, Izzy decided to ask his mom a question, “Why do you always ask me if I asked a good question?”

She replied, “I wondered when you were going to ask that one. I want to make sure that you learn as much as you can. When you ask a good question, it means that you are not only listening, but you are thinking about what you are learning.”

Izzy’s mother’s zest for learning through questions made a significant impact on him. He kept asking questions throughout his life and was eventually recognized with the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in nuclear magnetic resonance, the groundwork for the MRI of today, as well as the modern microwave.

The authors of the Haggadah used Izzy’s story to emphasize that Passover is a time for questions. Yet, the message of asking questions goes well beyond our Seder table. Questions serve an invaluable role in our lives. A good question seeks to learn something we don’t yet know.

Over the course of this last year, our questions helped us navigate the fluid situation of the pandemic as we asked, “What is safe to do in COVID-19? How does the virus spread? When will the vaccine arrive? Where can I find toilet paper or yeast?”

More than a source for gathering information, questions also help us appreciate life. When we ask questions, we take notice of what is happening, and gain a renewed sense of mindfulness. We are conscious of the blessings around us. In this time of COVID-19, reaching out to ask how others are doing also strengthens our sense of community.

While Passover is drawing to a close, take your questions beyond the confines of the Seder table. Be like Izzy and employ questions to explore the world around you. You never know what you might learn, what connections you will create or where the answers may take you.

Nu, have you asked a good question today?

Rabbi Adam F. Miller serves at Temple Shalom.