Excerpting: “A Most Meaningful Seder” by Rabbi Yechiel Spero. ArtScroll Mesorah Publications. 2025. 324 pages. ISBN-10: 1422641392

(Courtesy of Artscroll) Rav Shmuel Yerachmiel Kaufman, the famous mecha-nech from Detroit, loved telling stories from his early days in yeshivah. Each one was filled with humor, warmth, and memorable lessons. One of his favorites came from his time as a young talmid in Telshe Yeshivah. This story taught him—and many others—the power of a question.

It all began one ordinary day after shiur. Shmuel was new to the yeshivah and full of youthful energy. He was heading down the main staircase, not expecting anything unusual. But as he reached the landing, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, the rosh yeshivah.

“Nu, Shmuel,” Rav Eliyahu Meir greeted him with a warm, fatherly smile. “What are you learning in shiur? Do you have any questions?”

Questions? Shmuel hadn’t thought about that. He was just trying to keep up with the shiur like any regular bachur! But here was the rosh yeshivah himself, patiently waiting for an answer. Feeling the pressure, Shmuel managed to fumble out a small point from the shiur—just enough to “speak in learning” with Rav Eliyahu Meir.

The rosh yeshivah nodded thoughtfully, gave him an encouraging smile, and sent him on his way.

Shmuel thought that was the end of it. But the next day, as he made his way down the same staircase, there stood Rav Eliyahu Meir again. It was as if he’d been waiting for him.

“Nu, Shmuel,” the rosh yeshivah asked, his eyes twinkling with warmth. “Do you have any questions from today’s shiur?”

Shmuel was caught off guard again. Quickly, he thought of something to say, and once again, he managed to “speak in learning.” Rav Eliyahu Meir nodded, smiled, and wished him hatzlachah.

By the third day, Shmuel had a new plan. Not that he didn’t enjoy speaking to the rosh yeshivah—he did—but the surprise encounters were starting to feel a little intense. He decided to use a different staircase, hoping to avoid another “meeting.”

But Rav Eliyahu Meir wasn’t so easy to avoid. At the bottom of the different staircase, there he was, smiling as ever.

“Nu, Shmuel,” Rav Eliyahu Meir asked, “any questions from today’s shiur?”

This time, Shmuel decided to be honest and say it like it is. He took a deep breath and said, “Rosh Yeshivah, I don’t have any questions from today’s shiur.”

Rav Eliyahu Meir’s smile grew even warmer. “Ay, Shmuel,” he said. “But how can you learn without having any questions?”

Rav Eliyahu Meir was teaching Shmuel—and all of us—a timeless lesson. Questions are the key to true learning. A talmid who asks questions shows that he’s thinking, that he’s curious, and that he’s truly involved in the shiur.

And here’s another secret: When you ask a question, you carry your learning around with you all day long. The question keeps you thinking. It keeps you searching. It makes the Torah a part of you.

And that’s why the Seder is full of questions. From the Mah Nishtanah to the Four Sons to all the unusual things we do—like dipping the karpas or breaking the middle matzah—it’s all designed to make us ask.

Why? What’s the reason for this? What does it teach us?

Even if you can’t think of something that’s really on your mind, don’t give up. Try your best to come up with a question, because even a simple question shows you want to learn more and understand more.

Tonight, at the Seder…

… Be curious. Ask what’s on your mind. Don’t be shy. And if you’re stuck, try to think of a question anyway. Because the more you ask, the more you’ll connect to the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim—and that’s the whole idea of the Seder.

It’s not just to tell the story. It’s for us to live it, one question at a time.

Reprinted from ”A Most Meaningful Seder” by Rabbi Yechiel Spero with permission from the copyright holder, ArtScroll Mesorah Publications.