If that person had been in Egypt, he would have never been worthy to be redeemed from there." cleverness. This rearrangement, in turn, brought with it a different perspective on the wise son, who now represents not only wisdom, but also religious piety. A third will inch a little closer and wonder, observing the other two opposite responses, and inquire more generally, Who is Napoleon? His question 'What's this?' 8 Comments. In the Haggada, the son asking this question wishes to learn the content of the laws that must be observed. Four questions posed by one son . When asked his opinion on the matter hell shrug his shoulders, his look will say, Who cares who this guy is?! Firstly, whereas regarding the wise son the Torah writes, "When your son asks you…," the verse presenting the wicked son's question reads, "When your sons say to you…"  Even if on the level of peshat the intent in both verses is the same, the homiletic reading could base itself on the distinction between a question posed out of a sincere desire to hear an answer, and "saying" something without necessarily anticipating a response. The answer is that there are two types of fools. You should then say to him, "The Lord took us from Egypt, from the house of bondage, with a mighty hand. "What are the testimonies, statutes and laws that the Lord our God commanded us?" Do you produce content on the Torah Portion? The verse used to answer the wicked son is the same verse used to answer the one who In the Mekhilta De-Rabbi Yishmael, the ancient halakhic Midrash on Sefer Shemot (Massekhta De-pischa, 18), we find a slightly different text of the passage concerning the four sons (based on several manuscripts, including the Oxford edition, and on Yalkut Shimoni, Parashat Bo 425): It thus emerges that there are four sons: one is wise, one is ignorant, one is wicked, and one does not know how to ask. knowledge. It was therefore compelled to rearrange the sequence, such that the counterpart of the wise son would be the wicked son. The simple one doesnt know whats flying but is willing to take some risks to discover what the real story is although the price of knowledge might be required action. silent. When Pharaoh persistently refused to release us, the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborns to animal firstborns. It would seem that the nature of the response depends on whether it is given to the wise son or to the ignorant son. third person? "borrowed" for this purpose the response that is originally brought for the son that does not ask, and transferred it to the wicked son. Why, then, did the Haggada establish "Ke-neged arba banim dibera Torah," that the Torah refers to the questions of four different sons? point where real discussion becomes possible. Another will be automatically repelled. All questions signify an attempt to understand the reasons behind the mitzvot, and thus in all four instances, the response is a direct explanation of either all the Torah's commands (in the first case) or one specific mitzva (in the other three cases). him personally. This question appears to address the exertion entailed in fulfilling the mitzvot each year, and likely reflects the Christian approach, which tended to undermine the importance of mitzva acts. There are areas in which we are growing from strength to strength and others in which we are at risk of shrinking. The willingness to accept the mitzva without any questions does not necessarily stem from intellectual limitations; it may also result from a refusal to raise questions about the divine command before proceeding to fulfill it. everything. Does the simple one stand in contradistinction to the one who does not know how to ask? The Haggada therefore changed the wording, and rather than using the derogatory term "ignorant," it enlisted the gentler term "tam" ("simple"). The passage of the four sons raises many questions: The wise and wicked sons seem to be opposites, but then why isn't the wise son called Could there not be more types than this? communication we can have an impact on him. The Maharal asks why the word one appears before the name of each category of child and he says that they are really one person. In four places the Torah addresses the need to explain to one's children the importance of observing the mitzvot. Am Yisrael lived as slaves in Egypt for many years, and now, as they finally emerge from bondage to freedom, they are commanded to eat lechem oni – "bread of poverty" (Devarim 16:3)! introduces the wicked son before the "simple" son. Submit your piece for review, and if approved we will publish it on our site as ", Bar Mitzvah – Keeping the Right Perspective, Bar and Bas Mitzvah – A Special Celebration, Bar/Bat Mitzvah: A Re-enactment of "Kabolas Hatorah", Shavu'os and Bar Mitzvah: Causes For Celebration, Marital Partners – Compatibility of Missions, Compliments -- In The Presence And Outside The Presence Of A Person. irretrievably lost. What is so significant about this historic incident that warrants its pervading […] As for the son who does know how to ask, hes paralyzed with fear to venture out of his comfort zone or maybe just to be found ignorant. Not only are we obligated to fulfill the mitzvot and is mitzva fulfillment inherently beneficial, but we will also be rewarded for it. Lets imagine, for example, someone would enter a University cafeteria and claim to be Napoleon. This of course applies throughout the year, as well, to the entire educational approach one should take in teaching his children, but it bears particular significance on this night when one's attention is primarily focused upon his children and their education. And you shall say to him, "The Lord took us from Egypt, from the house of bondage, with a mighty hand. Judaism encourages inquiry. is recited as the children sit around the table. The wicked son's 'question' is merely rhetorical - it deserves no response at all. chose to change the original wording and structure. "What is the service for you? The This difference in approach is described in the book of Proverbs (26:4,5): "Do not You should blunt his teeth by saying to him: "It is for the sake A fourth fellow sitting self-absorbed, in a corner, will glance occasionally at the excitement but retreat again to whatever else hes doing. For him, discussion is merely an opportunity to show off his 'superior' Several verses earlier, we find the passage identified in the. must not wait for his initiation. The question posed by the wise person is: Why are so many and varied mitzvot related to the Exodus? The Haggada speaks not of a son who simply ridicules Torah observance, but rather of a son who has rejected the Torah and joined a different faith. The sons ask why one must observe the mitzva of the korban pesach (paschal offering), and the answer is simple and straightforward, explaining the concept underlying this sacrifice. Indeed, the classical title for a Torah scholar is 'Talmid Chacham' - a wise The book of Proverbs the one who does not know how to ask is sitting at the table listening to the wicked son's he was there he would Peel away the layers of the “wicked” child and the question is quite chilling. and foolish, but he's not completely closed to instruction. What In four places the Torah addresses the need to explain to one's children the importance of observing the mitzvot. And you shall say to him: "The Lord took us from Egypt, from the house of bondage, with a mighty hand. In this essay we will first examine the verses and identify the various situations in which the son poses his question. He is liable to quickly turn into a son who does know how to ask, but not because of simple belief, but because of lethargy. In any event, the two most obvious differences between the version of the Mekhilta and that which appears in the Haggada pertain to the Mekhilta's reference to the "simple" son as tipeish ("ignorant"), and to the sequence of presentation: the Mekhilta addresses the "ignorant" son's question before that of the wicked son, whereas the Haggada introduces the wicked son before the "simple" son. One obvious difference is that the answer provided in the earlier sources for the wise son is given here specifically for the ignorant son. dessert after [partaking of] the paschal offering, so that he will not leave one group and join a different group. There are two types of responses of those who have some knowledge base, and two possible responses by those who dont. the response to the wise son reads, "You shall tell him the laws of Pesach, until 'One does not partake of an, dessert after [partaking of] the paschal offering.'"). The Torah speaks to four children: one wise, one bad, one simple, and one who does not know how to ask. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the first of every womb among the males, and all the firstborns among my sons I shall redeem. and the declaration of the Ten Commandments, and then proceeds to present a discourse enumerating many of the Torah's, God commanded, but rather in the sense of "why," meaning, the son questions why one must perform the. He's in danger of being influenced. As he rejects our insights We do not exclude him or reject

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