The Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria of Safed, 1534-1572) taught that on the night of the Seder, a great spiritual light descends from the heavens as a result of the Misvot that we perform. Although we always bring down spiritual light through our performance of Misvot, the Arizal explained that the lights come down on the night of the Seder in a special way. Normally, the lights of "Katnut" ("youth") descend first, before the lights of "Gadlut" ("adulthood"). (More specifically, there is first "Katnut Rishon" and then "Gadlut Rishon," which is followed by "Katnut Sheni" and then "Gadlut Sheni.") On Pesah, however, it is reversed: the great lights of "Gadlut" come down before the smaller lights of "Katnut." It is explained that the order is reversed on this night because it had to be reversed at the time of Yesi’at Misrayim (the Exodus from Egypt). If the smaller lights would have descended first, the negative spiritual forces in Egypt, which were exceptionally powerful, would have been able to withstand this power. G-d therefore sent down the great lights of "Gadlut" first, which the negative spiritual forces were unable to withstand, and this phenomenon repeats itself each year on the night of the Seder, when we commemorate Yesi’at Misrayim.
The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work Od Yosef Hai (Shana Rishona, Parashat Sav; listen to audio recording for precise citation), explains the deeper meaning of the Ma Nishtana on the basis of this concept. He writes that the lights of "Gadlut" come down to the Seder table through the recitation of Kiddush, and then when we dip the Karpas, the "Katnut" lights come down. The children, who are "Ketanim" ("minors") and thus sense the reversal of the sequence of "Gadlut" and "Katnut," ask why things are different on this night, how it is possible for the "adult" lights to come before the "child" lights, resembling an adult turning into a child. The answer to this question is "Abadim Hayinu Le’Pharaoh Be’Misrayim" – we were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, a place with a very strong "Kelipa" ("outer shell"), meaning, powerful negative forces. The impurity in Egypt was so strong that if G-d had not redeemed us on the night of Pesah, we would still be there even today. We therefore needed the unusual sequence of "Gadlut" before "Katnut" to break those forces and enable us to leave, and this sequence occurs again each year when we fulfill the Misvot of Pesah.
One might naturally wonder whether the child at the Seder is really aware of this sequence of spiritual lights at the Seder, such that he can ask this question. Many adults cannot comprehend these esoteric concepts, and certainly these topics lie well beyond the grasp of the young child asking the Ma Nishtana. The Ben Ish Hai writes that Hazal nevertheless established that the child should ask this question because his soul indeed understands these concepts and senses the changes that occur on the night of the Seder. The soul of a "Katan," a child, is especially sensitive to the "Katnut" lights and detects that the "Gadlut" lights come first on this night. Indeed, the Gemara in Masechet Megila (3) comments that oftentimes a person’s soul is able to discern things which we are not consciously able to perceive.
The Ben Ish Hai’s comments emphasize the depth and significance of each word of the Haggadah, and even the section which is read by the young children. This is why we make the children recite the Ma Nishtana, as this recitation, whereby the children involve themselves in deep concepts, serves as a Tikkun (rectification) of their souls. And thus we should be aware that beyond the straightforward meaning of the text of the Haggadah, there are many additional layers of depth and profundity which lend to this night a special dimension of spiritual significance.
