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At our seders, we speak of four “sons.” These are better understood as four “children,” or even four “students” or “disciples”.
I
Although the hagadah attributes this to Torah (as above), it’s not found there at all. Its actual source is a Hebrew text known as the Mekilta of Rabbi Yishmael, 1 in which it says:
”There are four types of sons: one is wise, one is simple, one is evil, and one does not [even] know how to ask [a question].
The wise one — what does he say? ‘What mean the testimonies, statutes and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you? (Deut. 6:20). You explain to him, in turn, the laws of Passover and tell him that no one should leave immediately after [eating] the Pesach/paschal lamb. There should follow the afikomen.
The simple one — what does he say? ‘What is this’? You shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand God brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.’ (Deut. 26:8).
The evil one — what does he say? ‘What do you mean by this service?’ (Ex. 12:26). Because he excludes himself from the group, you should also exclude him from the group and say to him, ‘It’s because of that which God did for me — for me, but not for you. Had you been there, you would not have been redeemed/liberated.’
As for the one who does not know enough [even] to ask, you should [proactively] begin and explain to him, as it says, ‘You shall tell your son in that day…’. (Ex. 13:8).” 2
The Mekilta builds the parable of the four varying sons, applying quotations from Torah for reference. The hagadah can therefore say, “Torah speaks of four sons…” (Note that in the Mekilta, the “simple” child precedes the “evil” child; in the hagadah, that’s reversed.)
II
Of the four, the “wise one,” the חכם, is held up as the most praiseworthy; the one most to be emulated. This is the one who essentially asks for all the details of how to serve God correctly.
Yet, we know from experience that there can be no end to the questions that arise in spiritual learning. Further, we know that one can even be a great “scholar,” intellectually knowing all the “details,” “facts” or “answers,” and yet remain spiritually unmoved by what he or she has learned.
The “wise” child might add unnecessary complexity by bringing in too much “critical” thinking. Even with the best of intentions, it can be difficult for those of us who have had a secular education — especially on the college level — to accept the Exodus narrative as is. Archeological data doesn’t show evidence of Hebrew/Jewish slavery in Egypt, the 10 “Plagues,” or any mass exit of slaves from ancient Egypt. “Science” questions whether there is a “God” at all, because it can’t be “proven” or even “tested.”
III
Regarding this, Rebbe Nachman of Breslav consistently discouraged what he called “sophistication”:
”A person’s main goal should be to do good and serve God without sophistication. Every good and holy thing can be done with absolute simplicity.” 3
The Hebrew word later translated into English as “sophistication” is “chachmot/ חכמות” — i.e. “wisdoms” — the same word as Rabbi Yishmael and the hagadah use for the “wise” child!
Rebbe Nachman certainly wasn’t extolling ignorance; elsewhere he lauds learning Torah, even daily. Perhaps “sophistication” itself isn’t the best English translation, either. But while questioning can be a necessary and important part of learning — especially learning Torah — there’s a difference between questions that come up purely for clarification or for better understanding, and those that are brought up for one to appear as “smart” or “clever,” or to add unnecessary levels of complexity — i.e. to appear “sophisticated.”
Rather Rebbe Nachman means: Serve God without adding unnecessary intellectual complexity or complication. As he says elsewhere:
”Many times the Rebbe said that no sophistication is needed in serving God. All that is needed is simplicity, sincerity and faith.” 4
For “simplicity,” the Rebbe uses the Hebrew word תמימות — t’mimut — based on the same Hebrew root as תם — tam — the same word that Rabbi Yishmael and the hagadah use for the “simple” child.
IV
The hagadah says that we are to tell the tam/simple child: “…Ha-Shem brought us out from Egypt…”
The tam can then tell him/herself: “…Ha-Shem took me out of Egypt…” (or perhaps, “…took us out…”). A simple declaration of fact; an affirmation. Divine Spiritual power overwhelmed “nature” or any worldly power that opposed it; doing so, the B’nai Yisrael were liberated.
Likewise, the tam’s simple belief — undiluted by “sophistication” — overwhelms and negates any doubt or disbelief that opposes it; doing so, all fear and worry evaporate. In saying “…Ha-Shem took me/us out…”, the tam is saying inwardly: God is; unlimited by anything or anyone. That’s the emunah — faith — that Torah urges us to have. It’s the “simple” emunah that Adam and Chava had in Gan Eiden, before they ate the fruit of “the Tree of the Knowledge of ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’”.
If we have “lost” this simple faith, we can’t easily “retrieve” it by “reason” or “willpower.” Rather, prayer and/or meditation brings us “back to the Garden,” as it were. As Joel Goldsmith — a teacher with great experience in prayer, wrote:
”God is. What greater prayer is there than those two words?…Satisfactory meditation comes with the absolute conviction that God is: that God is Intelligence and Love; that there is no power apart from God and no power in opposition to God.” 5
V
The idea for this post first occurred to me during the actual seder itself, when I was reading and discussing the section mentioned above. Yet, it’s no less relevant now — well after the seder has ended.
We Jews are currently faced with increasing expressions of anti-semitism. Opposition to “the war in Gaza” has been unmasked as opposition to the very existence of Israel; even of Jews everywhere. Jewish intergenerational trauma being what it is, a threat to us at any time retriggers our thoughts of threats to our existence at every other time.
Yet, the challenge to our emunah is no different now than it was when pharaoh’s chariots pursued us at the shore of the “Red” or “Reed” Sea. God asked us to have emunah then; God asks us to have emunah now.
How?
Not by being the “wise child.” Our “wisdom,” our “good sense,” will only show us the overwhelming numbers of those who oppose us; their cunning and deceit; their intractability.
Instead, we must be the “tam” — the simple child. If in our meditation and prayer — i.e. in our hearts — we re-affirm to ourselves and to the world that God is and that no worldly power can oppose Divine Spiritual power, we will be liberated from our fear and our resentment. When it comes to the heart, it can take far more time and practice to be the “tam” than to be the “chacham.” And yet, that is what’s asked of us.
When God told Avraham that through his children, the whole world would be blessed, 6 what was the actual blessing?
“God is.”
Avraham and the tam were called to declare this for the sake of the world.
Like them, we are now called to declare this to the world — but it begins by declaring it to ourselves.
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1 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekhilta_of_Rabbi_Ishmael
2 Lauterbach, Jacob Z., trans.; Mekilta de-Rabbi Ishmael; tractate Pischa [Aramaic for Pesach], ch. 18, verses 119-130; Jewish Publication Society, © 1933; vol. I, p. 166-7
3 Rosenfeld, Rabbi Zvi Aryeh, ed., Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, trans.; Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom [Sichot ha–RaN]; (no publisher or copyright listed in the volume I have, but I believe those do appear in later editions); p. 121, # 19 (the paragraph numbering should be the same in any edition, even if the page numbering differs)
4 ibid. p. 231, # 101
5 Goldsmith, Joel; The Art of Meditation; © 1956 by Joel S. Goldsmith; Harper Collins edition (1990), p.37
6 Breishith/Gen. 22:18
Rabbi Eli Mallon, M.Ed., LCSW 