3 March 2026
Children Knocking on the Door at Pesach
Early in the Passover Seder, during Maggid (the storytelling section), Sephardic and Mizrachi families send their children outside the house to knock on the door. Then, the people inside the house open the door and a dramatised dialogue ensues:
Inside: Who are you?
Outside: We are the Children of Israel.
Inside: Where are you coming from?
Outside: From Egypt.
Inside: Where are you going?
Outside: To the Land of Israel.
The children are then invited into the house.
Some families use costumes and props like walking sticks or sacks to better embody the reenactment.
Why is this important to you/your community?This tradition is important because it transforms the Exodus from a story into a lived experience. When children stand outside and declare, “We are the Children of Israel, we come from Egypt,” they embody the journey from slavery to freedom. This fulfills the Seder’s central idea: each generation must see itself as personally leaving Egypt. The ritual strengthens identity, intergenerational transmission and emotional memory.
