Pesah - Haggada
seder - maggid - 4 sons
Torah reading - Bo
The Rasha, the wicked son, asks what is this service to you? The answer we respond to him is by striking him on the teeth and telling him that had he been in Egypt he would not have gone out with the rest of the Jews.
In Parshat Bo, in 12:26-27, the passuk says, "when your children say to you what is this service for you? You will say it is the Pesah sacrifice for Hashem who skipped over the houses of the Jews...etc.
Why is it that in the haggada when the Rasha asks this questions he is punched in the face but in the Torah we give the child an answer. What is the difference? And why in the haggada do we say the Rasha will ask this question when in the Humash it does not differentiate and it seems that it is a valid question?
I think the difference is in the attitude and the setting. In the Humash, the question is being asked out of interest and curiosity. In the haggada the question is being asked out of rejection and scoffing.
When the children ask because they really don't know but want to, the answer is about the Pesah sacrifice. Whenthe children ask and it is clear they are asking in a scoffing and rejecting manner, the answer has to be sharper.
As "they" say, it is not just what you say, but how you say it.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
difference between wise and wicked son
Pesah - Haggada
Maggid - 4 sons
What is the difference between our reponse to the wise son relative to the response to the wicked son? The wise son asked what are these rules for you and the wicked son asked what is the service for you. Why do we react so harshly to the wicked son when his question was not so different form that of the wise son?
The wise son, while maybe not being perfect, is still interested. He is searchign for answers. he is looking for the truth, in his own way.
The wicked son is a scoffer. He is a rejectionist. he is looking for ways to reject Judaism and show us that he is rejecting it. he is not lookign for answers. he is motivated and fueled by personal interests.
That is someone who you cannot give an answer to. It is wasting your breath to try. Nothing you say will be heard. So the wicked son requires a harsh response.
Maggid - 4 sons
What is the difference between our reponse to the wise son relative to the response to the wicked son? The wise son asked what are these rules for you and the wicked son asked what is the service for you. Why do we react so harshly to the wicked son when his question was not so different form that of the wise son?
The wise son, while maybe not being perfect, is still interested. He is searchign for answers. he is looking for the truth, in his own way.
The wicked son is a scoffer. He is a rejectionist. he is looking for ways to reject Judaism and show us that he is rejecting it. he is not lookign for answers. he is motivated and fueled by personal interests.
That is someone who you cannot give an answer to. It is wasting your breath to try. Nothing you say will be heard. So the wicked son requires a harsh response.
What happened to the tzaddik?
Pesah - Haggada
Maggid - 4 sons
We list 4 sons, each with his style of discussion about Pesah. The wise son, the wicked son, the simple son and the son who can't even ask a question.
Out of all these kids, one style seems to be missing. The righteous son. The tzaddik.
The wise son and the wicked son are not opposites. The wise son is an intellectual. Nothing to do with his level of piety.
We even see further that the wise son is not necessarily a tzaddik, as he asks, "What are these rules that Hashem commanded you" - similar to the wicked son, he asks about you rather than including himself. There is some sense of dissociation. It is more of an intellectual pursuit for him.
I have heard from rebbeim a number of times that a person can learn Torah all day long and not think once about Hashem. We do things by rote. We learn because we are supposed to, or even because we love to, but we do not necessrily relate to Hashem on a daily basis.
The opposite of the wicked son would be the tzaddik son, the righteous son. Why is such a child not listed among the other sons? Where is the "אחד צדיק"?
A Tzaddik is not bothered by the questions, even if he has any. He lives by his faith. We know the passuk tells us צדיק באמונתו יחיה - a tzaddik lives by his faith. He has emuna, faith, in Hashem and that he is doing the right thing. the rest does not matter.
That is why we answer the wise son with a very technical answer. he asked about the rules and we explain the rules to him. An answer based on emuna would not move him. He is technical and intellectual in nature and he is looking for that type of answer.
חנוך לנער על פי דרכו - educate each child in the way that is fitting for him.
The wise son asks detailed questions, give him detailed answers. The tzaddik son has no questions, or is not looking for answers. So he does not need to be mentioned.
Maggid - 4 sons
We list 4 sons, each with his style of discussion about Pesah. The wise son, the wicked son, the simple son and the son who can't even ask a question.
Out of all these kids, one style seems to be missing. The righteous son. The tzaddik.
The wise son and the wicked son are not opposites. The wise son is an intellectual. Nothing to do with his level of piety.
We even see further that the wise son is not necessarily a tzaddik, as he asks, "What are these rules that Hashem commanded you" - similar to the wicked son, he asks about you rather than including himself. There is some sense of dissociation. It is more of an intellectual pursuit for him.
I have heard from rebbeim a number of times that a person can learn Torah all day long and not think once about Hashem. We do things by rote. We learn because we are supposed to, or even because we love to, but we do not necessrily relate to Hashem on a daily basis.
The opposite of the wicked son would be the tzaddik son, the righteous son. Why is such a child not listed among the other sons? Where is the "אחד צדיק"?
A Tzaddik is not bothered by the questions, even if he has any. He lives by his faith. We know the passuk tells us צדיק באמונתו יחיה - a tzaddik lives by his faith. He has emuna, faith, in Hashem and that he is doing the right thing. the rest does not matter.
That is why we answer the wise son with a very technical answer. he asked about the rules and we explain the rules to him. An answer based on emuna would not move him. He is technical and intellectual in nature and he is looking for that type of answer.
חנוך לנער על פי דרכו - educate each child in the way that is fitting for him.
The wise son asks detailed questions, give him detailed answers. The tzaddik son has no questions, or is not looking for answers. So he does not need to be mentioned.
Torah or Egypt?
Pesah - Haggada
Maggid - Baruch Ha'Makom
The father begins his answer to the children by talking about how we were slaves in Egypt. Then, after some discussion on slavery in Egypt, we suddenly announce "ברוך המקום ברוך הוא. ברוך שנתן תורה לעמו ישראל" - Blessed is the Ever-Present, blessed is He.Blessed is He who gave the Torah to His nation Israel...
This night is not about celebrating the giving of the Torah. That is what we do on Shavuot. Why do we suddenly break out in song praising the giving of the Torah? We are in the middle of relating about the exodus from Egypt! We should maybe at this point be blessing Hashem for taking us out of Egypt??
The prupose of the exodus from Egypt was to become a nation under Hashem with the Torah. Without the Torah, none of the exodus would have happened. So now we are discussing the exodus, it is appropriate to bless Hashem for the Torah, because the Torah was the whole point of the events.
Maggid - Baruch Ha'Makom
The father begins his answer to the children by talking about how we were slaves in Egypt. Then, after some discussion on slavery in Egypt, we suddenly announce "ברוך המקום ברוך הוא. ברוך שנתן תורה לעמו ישראל" - Blessed is the Ever-Present, blessed is He.Blessed is He who gave the Torah to His nation Israel...
This night is not about celebrating the giving of the Torah. That is what we do on Shavuot. Why do we suddenly break out in song praising the giving of the Torah? We are in the middle of relating about the exodus from Egypt! We should maybe at this point be blessing Hashem for taking us out of Egypt??
The prupose of the exodus from Egypt was to become a nation under Hashem with the Torah. Without the Torah, none of the exodus would have happened. So now we are discussing the exodus, it is appropriate to bless Hashem for the Torah, because the Torah was the whole point of the events.
why so many questions?
Pesah - Haggada
Maggid - Mah Nishtana
We have the children ask the series of 4 questions pondering why this night is different than all other nights.
Why do we have to ask this question? It is different because it is Pesah! Every holiday has its special laws.
How come we do not make the kids ask on Sukkos why we are sitting in a sukka and waving a palm branch? Why on Shavuot do we not make the kids ask why we stay up all night?
What is different about Pesah that we require such questions, when every holiday has its "different" customs?
The difference is in the point of the night. On Pesah, the whole mitzva is "והגדת לבנך" - and you should tell to your children. The mitzva of the night is education. The transmission of tradition and history.
That mitzva of education is best accomplished by having the participation of the child. Having him ask questions.
It is true that during the other holidays we also wish to transmit tradition and teach our children, but on those holidays that is not the ultimate goal.
On pesah the ultimate goal is education. Education requires questions and answers.
Maggid - Mah Nishtana
We have the children ask the series of 4 questions pondering why this night is different than all other nights.
Why do we have to ask this question? It is different because it is Pesah! Every holiday has its special laws.
How come we do not make the kids ask on Sukkos why we are sitting in a sukka and waving a palm branch? Why on Shavuot do we not make the kids ask why we stay up all night?
What is different about Pesah that we require such questions, when every holiday has its "different" customs?
The difference is in the point of the night. On Pesah, the whole mitzva is "והגדת לבנך" - and you should tell to your children. The mitzva of the night is education. The transmission of tradition and history.
That mitzva of education is best accomplished by having the participation of the child. Having him ask questions.
It is true that during the other holidays we also wish to transmit tradition and teach our children, but on those holidays that is not the ultimate goal.
On pesah the ultimate goal is education. Education requires questions and answers.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
merciful matza
Pesah - Haggada
seder - maggid
Ha Lachma Anya... Kol Dichfin Yaisai V'yaichol.. hashata hacha l'shana habaa b'ar'aa d'yisrael.
We announce at the beginning of maggid that the matza is the poor man's bread and we invite anyone who wants to join us and partake in the meal and we wish for next year to be in rebuilt Jerusalem in Eretz Yisrael.
We are imaging ourselves as poor people by eating poor people's bread, but we are, at the same moment, inviting anybody who wants to come partake in our food! That is not the behavior of poor person. Poor people are carefull with their food and generally do not share it. They do not know when they will have food again so they are careful with the food they do have.
Maybe that is why we are inviting people at a time when they cannot hear and accept the invitation! We are poor so we are not really offering the invitation!
In all seriousness, how does this jibe with our attitude represented by the matza?
We are meant to remember the days of slavery by eating "poor man's bread". But we also want to show that we are not selfish but are generous and רחמנים - merciful and gracious. Even though we are "poor" we still offer to share our little food with other people.
We are all famiiar with the stories from the time of the Holocaust. You know - those stories where someone just had a crust of bread and he shared it with someone else who was weaker than himself. Why are thos stories retold in awe? Because that is not the natural action of someone who himself is needy. It is exceptional and is a sign of great rachmanus and care that one person has for another, despite the hardships he himself is enduring.
We try to show Hashem that we are now in the situation of slavery and destitution and only have "poor man's bread" to eat, but we would be so willing to share it with anybody else who might need a morsel of food. We wish to arouse the mercy of hashem by doing so and hope that He would show us the same compassion.
That is why we conclude the paragraph by a wish for next year in rebuilt eretz Yisrael. That has nothing to do with the beginning of the paragraph, so why is it said here? Because after we show the extreme mercy we would show others by offering them part of our little food, we wish Hashem would also show such mercy to us and allow our return to rebuilt Jerusalem.
seder - maggid
Ha Lachma Anya... Kol Dichfin Yaisai V'yaichol.. hashata hacha l'shana habaa b'ar'aa d'yisrael.
We announce at the beginning of maggid that the matza is the poor man's bread and we invite anyone who wants to join us and partake in the meal and we wish for next year to be in rebuilt Jerusalem in Eretz Yisrael.
We are imaging ourselves as poor people by eating poor people's bread, but we are, at the same moment, inviting anybody who wants to come partake in our food! That is not the behavior of poor person. Poor people are carefull with their food and generally do not share it. They do not know when they will have food again so they are careful with the food they do have.
Maybe that is why we are inviting people at a time when they cannot hear and accept the invitation! We are poor so we are not really offering the invitation!
In all seriousness, how does this jibe with our attitude represented by the matza?
We are meant to remember the days of slavery by eating "poor man's bread". But we also want to show that we are not selfish but are generous and רחמנים - merciful and gracious. Even though we are "poor" we still offer to share our little food with other people.
We are all famiiar with the stories from the time of the Holocaust. You know - those stories where someone just had a crust of bread and he shared it with someone else who was weaker than himself. Why are thos stories retold in awe? Because that is not the natural action of someone who himself is needy. It is exceptional and is a sign of great rachmanus and care that one person has for another, despite the hardships he himself is enduring.
We try to show Hashem that we are now in the situation of slavery and destitution and only have "poor man's bread" to eat, but we would be so willing to share it with anybody else who might need a morsel of food. We wish to arouse the mercy of hashem by doing so and hope that He would show us the same compassion.
That is why we conclude the paragraph by a wish for next year in rebuilt eretz Yisrael. That has nothing to do with the beginning of the paragraph, so why is it said here? Because after we show the extreme mercy we would show others by offering them part of our little food, we wish Hashem would also show such mercy to us and allow our return to rebuilt Jerusalem.
why is our matza different from the original matza?
Pesach - Haggada
Matza
The matza presents an interesting question. We eat the matza because when the Jews left Egypt they quickly threw dough into the oven and took it out without leaving it enough time to rise properly and ended up with matza. It was the resut of haste and no planning. It was done at the last possible moment.
We eat our matza to commemorate that. But how do we prepare our matza? Do we just take some dough and under-prepare it?
No we do not. We worry for months to grow and guard the wheat. We require special water for the kneading. We clean all the machinery between every run of matza. We are very specific in how it is baked.
You would think "poor man's bread" would be much simpler and cheaper to make that it actually is. There is a funny joke that matza is called "poor man's bread" because it is so expensive to buy that it makes you poor.. How could that be and why is it so?
I would like to suggest that the matza is extremely symbolic in nature. We eat the matza to commemorate what they ate when leaving Egypt. In essence the whole seder night is really commemorative in nature. We are told that we must see ourselves as having left Egypt.
When we left Egypt we were poor slaves. Now we are [relatively] wealthy free people. It is not easy for someone who grew up in [relative] wealth to really honestly imagine himself as being poor. He cannot even picture it in his head. And don't fool yourself, our society is a wealthy one. Even our poor are better off than the poor of previous times.
Via the matza we are able to come to some sort of understanding. We have to work very hard to jolt our imagination. It is not enough to just throw the dough in and pull it out like a poor person. We have to work hard to achieve the same results.
If we just sit at our table and say that we are leaving Egypt and are poor and eating poor man's bread, we are fooling nobody but ourselves. We do not really understand what they went through. What they felt. What they experienced.
By toiling hard to make the matza properly (and other aspects of the seder) we can then achieve some sort of understanding. That is why making our matza is much more difficult than the original matza.
Matza
The matza presents an interesting question. We eat the matza because when the Jews left Egypt they quickly threw dough into the oven and took it out without leaving it enough time to rise properly and ended up with matza. It was the resut of haste and no planning. It was done at the last possible moment.
We eat our matza to commemorate that. But how do we prepare our matza? Do we just take some dough and under-prepare it?
No we do not. We worry for months to grow and guard the wheat. We require special water for the kneading. We clean all the machinery between every run of matza. We are very specific in how it is baked.
You would think "poor man's bread" would be much simpler and cheaper to make that it actually is. There is a funny joke that matza is called "poor man's bread" because it is so expensive to buy that it makes you poor.. How could that be and why is it so?
I would like to suggest that the matza is extremely symbolic in nature. We eat the matza to commemorate what they ate when leaving Egypt. In essence the whole seder night is really commemorative in nature. We are told that we must see ourselves as having left Egypt.
When we left Egypt we were poor slaves. Now we are [relatively] wealthy free people. It is not easy for someone who grew up in [relative] wealth to really honestly imagine himself as being poor. He cannot even picture it in his head. And don't fool yourself, our society is a wealthy one. Even our poor are better off than the poor of previous times.
Via the matza we are able to come to some sort of understanding. We have to work very hard to jolt our imagination. It is not enough to just throw the dough in and pull it out like a poor person. We have to work hard to achieve the same results.
If we just sit at our table and say that we are leaving Egypt and are poor and eating poor man's bread, we are fooling nobody but ourselves. We do not really understand what they went through. What they felt. What they experienced.
By toiling hard to make the matza properly (and other aspects of the seder) we can then achieve some sort of understanding. That is why making our matza is much more difficult than the original matza.
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