Rabbi Eliezer posed a question that shaped Passover observance for all generations: How do we know that a gathering of sages or students must occupy themselves with the laws of Pesach (Passover) until midnight?
His proof comes from the Torah's own framing of the Passover story. The verse introduces the question of the wise son: "What are the testimonies and the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord our God has commanded you?" (Deuteronomy 6:20). This question, Rabbi Eliezer argued, implies an extended discussion — not a brief summary, but a thorough exploration of every detail.
The connection to midnight is significant. The original Exodus occurred at midnight, when God struck down the firstborn of Egypt. By studying the laws until that same hour, the sages reenact the intensity of that night. They do not merely recall the story — they inhabit it.
This teaching from the Mekhilta became the foundation of the Passover Seder as practiced to this day. The Haggadah (non-legal rabbinic narrative) itself records the famous story of Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon sitting in Bnei Brak, discussing the Exodus all through the night until their students came to tell them it was time for the morning Shema. The obligation is not to finish quickly. The obligation is to go deep.