The Four Sons
A few years ago I heard a beautiful pshat on the four sons of the hagada, especially in light of events of the last hundred years or so, it definitely has meaning and some validity.
The four sons can be interpreted as four generations of sons within the same family.
The "chochom" is the patriarch of this thread of the family. He was a righteous man, a learned man, and as he sits at the seder, he is still involved in the process of learning more and asking questions. Unfortunately, as happens to all of us, some more than others, he fell on some hard times. Perhaps he even exclaimed as many americans did in the 20s, or eastern europeans in the 40s, "iz shver tzu zein a yid" it's not easy to be jewish.
His son unfortunately picked up on the negativity and he no longer followed in the ways of his father(s). He went on to become the "rasha". He is scornful, he mocks the entire process.
The rasha has a son. His son is a "tam". The tam doesn't see any of the traditions from his father, but every now and then they visit his grandfather, the chochom, and he can sit on his zeide's lap and ask him "what is all this?"
Unfortunately, by the time the tam's son is born, his zeide, the chochom, has passed away. This child, is the "she'ayno yodea lishol". According to this pshat, it's not so much that he doesn't know how to ask, it's that he doesn't have WHO to ask.
The hagada is generally more upbeat and this pshat ends on somewhat of a down note, so in an effort to look at things more positively I would like to add my own twist to this pshat.
We know that the four cups of wine are a remez to the four terms of geula in the pesukim, but wait, there's a fifth term, the most positive one of all, "V'Hayvaisee", the ultimate geula. However, it hasn't happened yet, and therefore we only have the four cups, but as a remez to the ultimate geula, we have the kos shel eliyahu, the fifth cup.
I'd like to say that without any doubt there is no coincidence to the number four. The four sons definitely tie in to the four cups and the four terms of geula, but again, what about the fifth term. So what I'd like to add to this pshat that I quoted above is that, even though the generations went through their ups and downs, that pintele yid remains. There is at least some spark. "At psach lo". Leave the door open. Through that, perhaps the fifth generation, the fifth son, will feel something, something more than his father did, and somehow mysteriously find his way to a Gateways or an Ohr Sameach (or some other wonderful organization like them) and shock everyone and be "chozer bitshuva" and continue to pave the way to bring about the ultimate geula.
Have a Chag Kasher V'Sameach!!
The four sons can be interpreted as four generations of sons within the same family.
The "chochom" is the patriarch of this thread of the family. He was a righteous man, a learned man, and as he sits at the seder, he is still involved in the process of learning more and asking questions. Unfortunately, as happens to all of us, some more than others, he fell on some hard times. Perhaps he even exclaimed as many americans did in the 20s, or eastern europeans in the 40s, "iz shver tzu zein a yid" it's not easy to be jewish.
His son unfortunately picked up on the negativity and he no longer followed in the ways of his father(s). He went on to become the "rasha". He is scornful, he mocks the entire process.
The rasha has a son. His son is a "tam". The tam doesn't see any of the traditions from his father, but every now and then they visit his grandfather, the chochom, and he can sit on his zeide's lap and ask him "what is all this?"
Unfortunately, by the time the tam's son is born, his zeide, the chochom, has passed away. This child, is the "she'ayno yodea lishol". According to this pshat, it's not so much that he doesn't know how to ask, it's that he doesn't have WHO to ask.
The hagada is generally more upbeat and this pshat ends on somewhat of a down note, so in an effort to look at things more positively I would like to add my own twist to this pshat.
We know that the four cups of wine are a remez to the four terms of geula in the pesukim, but wait, there's a fifth term, the most positive one of all, "V'Hayvaisee", the ultimate geula. However, it hasn't happened yet, and therefore we only have the four cups, but as a remez to the ultimate geula, we have the kos shel eliyahu, the fifth cup.
I'd like to say that without any doubt there is no coincidence to the number four. The four sons definitely tie in to the four cups and the four terms of geula, but again, what about the fifth term. So what I'd like to add to this pshat that I quoted above is that, even though the generations went through their ups and downs, that pintele yid remains. There is at least some spark. "At psach lo". Leave the door open. Through that, perhaps the fifth generation, the fifth son, will feel something, something more than his father did, and somehow mysteriously find his way to a Gateways or an Ohr Sameach (or some other wonderful organization like them) and shock everyone and be "chozer bitshuva" and continue to pave the way to bring about the ultimate geula.
Have a Chag Kasher V'Sameach!!
posted by A Frum Idealist | 4/05/2006 05:50:00 PM
7 Comments:
thanks for sharing that interesting insight on the arba banim.
Now what would really be interesting to know is how a Chacham can have a son that turna Rasha?
re-read the post prag.
Unfortunately it was very common with G-d fearing jews, particularly those in america in the early 1920s. They themselves were moser nefesh, often switching jobs once a week, if they were even able to get jobs, in an effort to keep shabbos.
Their children, however, very often went off the derech and it was difficult to understand how.
The rabbanim of the last fifty or so years pointed out that although they made the effort, they grumbled about it and that was what their children saw and it unfortunately left a bad taste in their mouths when it came to frumkeit. It's perhaps another important lesson of this post. It's not just enough to show your children that you do mitzvos, it's important that you show them what a privilege it is and how happy you are to be frum.
I never heard it explained this way before. Very Nice! Thank you so much for sharing it with us....
I was thinking the same thing but not about a 5th son but about Sheeyno Yodea Lishol... that... eventually they have that inner desire to find their roots and will make their way back to yiddishkeit.
Such hope for the jewish people!
:-)
Interesting way of looking at it.
Thanks...for sharing.
Perhaps that is why he's called a chochom and not a tzaddik...because if he were a Tzaddik truly then his son wouldve stayed on the derech as did happen on the rare occasion...
Have a great pesach, AFI!
thanks for the message.
Have a wonderful yom tov
I've actually heard that version somewhere before, and forgot it, but thanks for telling it over! It is a very powerful one.
On the other hand, can you imagine telling that explaination over at a seder. Everyone would flip!
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