{"id":1812,"date":"2020-03-25T22:31:34","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T20:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/?p=1812"},"modified":"2020-03-26T09:18:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T07:18:29","slug":"questions-about-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/2020\/03\/25\/questions-about-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions about questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just what makes the wicked son so awful?<\/h2>\n

By: Robert Sussman<\/h2>\n

In the Jewish world, the Four Sons and their questions are even more famous than the Fab Four. Each of the questions that gets attributed to a different son comes straight out of the text of the Chumash<\/em>:<\/h2>\n

The <\/em>Chacham (Wise Son):<\/em><\/strong> \u201cWhat are the testimonies, ordinances, and laws that Hashem, our G-d, has commanded you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The <\/em>Rasha (Wicked Son):<\/em><\/strong> \u201cWhat is this <\/em>avodah (service) to you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The <\/em>Tam (Simple Son):<\/em><\/strong> \u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The fourth son doesn\u2019t actually ask a question. The answer given to the son referred to as <\/em>The Sh\u2019eino Yodei\u2019a Lishol (The Son Who Doesn\u2019t Know How To Ask a Question)<\/em><\/strong> comes from a verse that implies that the father is giving an answer to his son without actually referencing any question having been asked previously by the child: \u201cAnd you shall tell your son on that day, saying, \u2018It is because of this that Hashem did for me when he took me out of Egypt.\u2019\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

But, if we look up each of these questions in the Chumash<\/em>, there\u2019s no indication whatsoever given regarding the type of person who is actually asking these questions. It simply speaks of \u2018your child\u2019 or \u2018your children\u2019 in generic terms. So, how did our Sages decide to attribute each of these questions to such disparate personalities?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to understand why they saw the question of the Tam<\/em> as being, well, simple. The way the question is phrased reveals the limited aptitude of the one asking it, as such a question \u2013 \u201cWhat is this?\u201d \u2013 could be applied to literally anything and any situation. So too, in just the opposite way, we see how the question attributed to Chacham<\/em> shows how he possesses a higher level of intelligence by the fact that he can distinguish between the different commandments that Hashem gave to us \u2013 referring to them in his question as, \u201ctestimonies, ordinances, and laws\u201d.<\/p>\n

So what exactly did our Sages see in the question, \u201cWhat is this avodah<\/em> to you?\u201d that lead them to attribute it to the Rasha<\/em>? What was really so bad about it? The answer given in the Chumash<\/em>[1]<\/a><\/sup> certainly doesn\u2019t hint to anything unusual or even nefarious about the question or the children asking it: \u201cYou will say to them [ie. your children], \u2018It is the Pesach offering to Hashem, Who passed over the houses of the Bnei Yisrael<\/em> (the Children of Israel) in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, and He saved our houses and the people bowed and prostrated themselves.\u201d In fact, Rashi explains that the reason the people bowed and prostrated themselves was because of the good news contained here regarding their impending redemption and their coming into the land of Israel (mentioned in the prior verse, not quoted here) and because of the good news that they would have children!<\/p>\n

But, if we look in the Haggadah, we see that our Sages were quick to take the Rasha<\/em> to task for the way the question is phrased, emphasising that he said \u201cto you\u201d, which implied that his question about the avodah<\/em> and what it was all about didn\u2019t apply to himself. There\u2019s just one small problem\u2026if we look carefully at the question attributed to the Chacham<\/em>, he appears to make this same fatal mistake, saying \u201ccommanded you\u201d, implying, like the Rasha<\/em>, that his question also didn\u2019t apply to himself.<\/p>\n

In fact, to avoid this very obvious problem with the Chacham\u2019s<\/em> question, we find a different text for the Four Sons contained in the Talmud Yerushalmi<\/em>, the Jerusalem Talmud. The text found in the Yerushalmi<\/em> actually changes the question of the Chacham<\/em> \u2013 going so far as to edit the actual text drawn from the Chumash<\/em>! \u2013 changing the ending of the question from \u201ccommanded you\u201d to \u201ccommanded us\u201d, thereby seemingly \u201csolving\u201d the dilemma. (The Baruch She\u2019amar<\/em> finds another way to redeem the question of the Chacham<\/em>, noting that the Chacham<\/em> alone mentions the name Hashem and, in so doing, includes himself with the entire nation of Israel, stating in his question the words, \u201cour G-d\u201d.)<\/p>\n

But it really doesn\u2019t solve anything, as we\u2019ve still failed to answer satisfactorily our original question: why did our Sages see fit to ascribe this particular question, \u201cWhat is this avodah<\/em> to you?\u201d to the personality of the Rasha<\/em>?<\/p>\n

To understand this, we need to look back at the context in which each of these questions occurs in the Chumash<\/em>. The question attributed to the Chacham<\/em> is preceded by the phrase, \u201cWhen your son asks you tomorrow, saying\u2026\u201d So too, the question attributed to the Tam<\/em> is preceded by the phrase, \u201cWhen your son will ask you at a later time[2]<\/a><\/sup>, saying\u2026\u201d But what precedes the question attributed to the Rasha<\/em> is entirely and noticeably different: \u201cAnd it shall be when your children will say to you\u2026\u201d Notice the difference?<\/p>\n

Each one of the questions attributed to these three sons begins with the Hebrew word mah<\/em>, \u2018what\u2019, clearly indicating that they are each asking a question. But the Torah informs us regarding the statements attributed to the Chacham<\/em> and the Tam<\/em> that they are actually asking something \u2013 that what follows after these introductions are actual questions from them: \u201cyour son will ask<\/em> you\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Rasha<\/em> on the other hand isn\u2019t asking anyone anything; on the contrary, he\u2019s making a statement \u2013 \u201cyour children will say<\/em> to you\u201d \u2013 a statement which, without considering the context in which it appears, can easily be misconstrued as a question. After all, he begins with the word \u2018what\u2019. And, taken out of context as it is in the Haggadah, it\u2019s easy to mistake his \u201cquestion\u201d for being a genuine one. But the Rasha<\/em> isn\u2019t actually asking anything; his manner of phrasing is purely a rhetorical device, what we would call in our day a rhetorical question, a question which doesn\u2019t seek or expect an answer, but instead serves to put across the opinion of the person asking it, just as the Rasha<\/em> intends to do here.<\/p>\n

Another clue that the Rasha<\/em> is not asking a question can be seen by the answer that our Sages chose to give him. They chose to give the same answer to the Rasha<\/em> \u2013 \u201cIt is because of this that Hashem did for me when He took me out from Egypt\u201d \u2013 as they did to one of the other four sons, none other than The Sh\u2019eino Yodei\u2019a Lishol<\/em> (The Son Who Doesn\u2019t Know How To Ask a Question)<\/em>. The implicit message: just as the response to The Sh\u2019eino Yodei\u2019a Lishol<\/em> isn\u2019t answering a question that he had previously asked, so too the response to the Rasha<\/em>, likewise, is not answering a question \u2013 because the Rasha<\/em> wasn\u2019t asking one!<\/p>\n

It also helps to have a look at the way the Rasha\u2019s<\/em> \u201cquestion\u201d is emphasised and elaborated upon in the alternate text of the Four Sons that we find in the Yerushalmi<\/em>, which differs significantly from the way the question is asked and answered in the text of the Haggadah and which makes it entirely clear that the Rasha<\/em> is not asking anything \u2013 that his question is entirely rhetorical as its context in the Chumash<\/em> implies \u2013 and his entire point is to deride what he sees before his eyes, which is what, in fact, actually makes it quite obvious that he is indeed a Rasha<\/em>.<\/p>\n

After stating the original question from the Chumash<\/em>, \u201cWhat is this avodah to you?\u201d the Yerushalmi<\/em> then adds to the \u201cquestion\u201d of the Rasha<\/em>: \u201cWhat is this burden with which you bother us each and every year?!\u201d The Rasha<\/em> isn\u2019t interested in knowing anything about the seder or in asking anything, he just wants to express how he feels about the whole thing. How does he feel about the seder and everything related to it? It\u2019s an incredible nuisance and he\u2019s had more than enough of it over the years, and is quite tired of it. He has nothing but disdain for what he\u2019s witnessing in front of his eyes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s for precisely this reason that our Sages saw in his question \u2013 or, more precisely, the context of his question \u2013 that such an attitude personifies a Rasha<\/em>, a person who has no interest in what we do as Jews. He\u2019s not asking anything. Instead, he\u2019s ridiculing what he sees. He knows little to nothing and, as a result, has even less to add to the conversation. He has no interest in learning anything, happy to remain blissfully ignorant, but strongly opinionated.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s perhaps most shocking is the answer that our Sages chose to give to the Rasha<\/em>. After all, one of the hallmarks of Judaism \u2013 especially when compared to other religions \u2013 is how much questions are welcomed. Jewish children who receive a Torah education are literally trained to ask questions and generally rewarded and praised when they ask especially good ones. So why not just ignore the tone and attitude in the Rasha\u2019s<\/em> question and answer him! Our Sages say that, since the Rasha <\/em>is a kofer b\u2019ikur<\/em> (one who denies fundamental principles \u2013 ie. Hashem) and has taken himself out from the congregation, it\u2019s not appropriate or worthwhile to enter into a debate with him; it\u2019s better simply to blunt his teeth and leave it at that.<\/p>\n

That said, our Sages also famously teach in Pirkei Avos[3]<\/a><\/sup>, \u201cBe diligent in Torah study and know what to answer a heretic\u2026\u201d We need to know for ourselves \u2013 and, perhaps also and especially, for those who might feel challenged by the so-called \u201cquestions\u201d of the heretic \u2013 what to answer, but the importance of answering, as we see from the response given to the Rasha<\/em> in the Haggadah, is not for the sake of the heretic himself, but rather for those around him. We need to know what to answer such a person, but that doesn\u2019t mean we need actually to answer him and engage him in debate. Someone so far gone doesn\u2019t deserve an answer, but those, who he might negatively influence, do. So we must know what to answer such a person, even if we don\u2019t share that answer with him.<\/p>\n

The questions (highlighted) attributed to the Four Sons in the context of the Chumash, as well as the answers given there:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chacham<\/em> \u2013 Devarim 6:20-21<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen your son asks you tomorrow, saying, \u2018What are the testimonies, ordinances, and laws that Hashem, our G-d, has commanded you?\u2019<\/strong> You will say to your son, \u2018We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and Hashem took us out from Egypt with a strong hand.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rasha<\/em> \u2013 Shemos 12:26-27<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it will be when your children say to you, \u2018What is this avodah<\/em> to you?\u2019<\/strong> \u201cYou will say to them, \u2018It is the Pesach offering to Hashem, Who passed over the houses of the Bnei Yisrael <\/em>(the Children of Israel) in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, and He saved our houses and the people bowed and prostrated themselves.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tam<\/em> \u2013 Shemos 13:14<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it will be, when your son will ask you at a later time, saying, \u2018What is this?\u2019<\/strong> You will say to him, \u201cWith a strong hand, Hashem took us out from Egypt from the house of slavery.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sh\u2019eino Yodei\u2019a Lishol<\/em> \u2013 Shemos 13:8<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you shall tell your son on that day, saying, \u2018It is because of this that Hashem did for me when he took me out of Egypt.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Four Sons as they appear in the Haggadah:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Torah speaks about four sons: one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who doesn\u2019t even know how to ask.<\/p>\n

The wise son, what does he say? \u2018What are the testimonies, ordinances, and laws that Hashem, our G-d, has commanded you?\u2019 You say to him about the laws of the Pesach (offering): we don\u2019t add afikomen<\/em> (dessert) after the Pesach offering<\/p>\n

The wicked son, what does he say? \u2018What is this avodah<\/em> (service) to you?\u2019 \u2018To you\u2019 and not \u2018to him\u2019. Because he has taken himself out from the congregation, he denies the fundamental principles (ie. Hashem). You blunt his teeth and say to him, \u2018It is because of this that Hashem did for me when He took me out from Egypt.\u2019 \u2018For me\u2019 and not \u2018for him\u2019; If he was there, he would not have been redeemed.<\/p>\n

The simple son, what does he say? \u2018What is this?\u2019 Say to him, \u2018With a strong hand, Hashem took us out from Egypt from the house of slavery.\u2019<\/p>\n

The son who doesn\u2019t know how to ask, you must open up (the discussion) for him. As it says, \u201cAnd you shall tell your son on that day, saying, \u2018It is because of this that Hashem did for me when He took me out from Egypt.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Four Sons as they appear in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Pesachim 10:4, 70b):<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rabbi Chiya taught, \u201cThe Torah speaks about four sons: the wise son, the wicked son, the foolish son, and the son who doesn\u2019t know how to ask.<\/p>\n

The wise son, what does he say? \u2018What are the testimonies, ordinances, and laws that Hashem, our G-d, commanded us?\u2019 You say to him, \u2018With a strong hand Hashem took us out from Egypt, from the house of slavery.\u2019<\/p>\n

The wicked son, what does he say? \u2018What is this avodah<\/em> to you? What is this burden with which you bother us each and every year?!\u2019 Since he takes himself out of the congregation, you say to him, \u2018It is because of this that Hashem did for me\u2026\u2019 For me He did; for this man, He would not do. If this man was in Egypt, he would never have witnessed the redemption from there.<\/p>\n

The foolish son, what does he say? \u2018What is this?\u2019 Teach him the laws of Pesach: we don\u2019t add afikomen<\/em> (dessert) after the Pesach offering; we don\u2019t stand in this group (for partaking of the Pesach) and then enter into another group; etc.<\/p>\n

The son who doesn\u2019t know how to ask? Open up (the discussion) for him first.\u201d Rabbi Yusa says, \u201cWe learn in a Mishnah that if the son does not know (how to ask), his father must teach him.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a Hebrew version of the above text, visit: goo.gl\/MNHFpG, file called Four Sons<\/em><\/p>\n

Based on the Mesivta Haggadah<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Shemos 12:27 \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. See Rashi \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. 2:19 \u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Just what makes the wicked son so awful? By: Robert Sussman In the Jewish world, the Four Sons and their questions are even more famous than the Fab Four. Each of the questions that gets attributed to a different son comes straight out of the text of the Chumash: The Chacham (Wise Son): \u201cWhat are the testimonies, ordinances, and laws that Hashem, our G-d, has commanded you?\u201d The Rasha (Wicked Son): \u201cWhat is this avodah (service) to you?\u201d The Tam (Simple Son): \u201cWhat is this?\u201d The fourth son doesn\u2019t actually…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-march-2020"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1813,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1812\/revisions\/1813"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}