Parshat Tzav  14 Nissan 5761, 7 April 2001

By Shlomo Riskin

Efrat, Israel - "I'm not 'plugged-in' to it; it just doesn't 'speak' to me." If, in generations gone by, some of our youth rejected the Jewish traditions in favor of other philosophies or ideologies - such as the Communist ideal for world salvation - nowadays we often hear our opening quotation as the reason for disaffection from within our ranks. From an intellectual and even spiritual perspective, it is a far more worthy challenge to ardently debate an opposing world-view, an alternative program for ultimate societal betterment; how does one react to a rejection based on a shrug of the shoulders or a raised eyebrow which suggests, "It may be for you, but its just not my bag."

Fascinatingly enough, one of the four prototypical children of the Haggadah is the rasha, or wicked child. His question, taken from the Bible itself, is "What is this service to you?" (Exodus 12:26). Why does the author of the Haggadah call him a wicked child? After all, "service" can easily refer to Divine service or celebration, and a child who is interested in understanding the relevance or significance of a particular ritual - which is certainly a legitimate way of understanding his words - is to be encouraged and strengthened, not rejected and dismissed.

Moreover, the Bible itself provides an answer to this question in context:

"And you shall say, it is a thanksgiving offering to the Lord who loved (or Passed over) the homes of the Israelites in Egypt., who saved our-homes (Exodus 12:27).

"It is because of this that the Lord provided for me when I left Egypt." (Exodus 13:8)

In every dialogue, there are two aspects to each participant's words: their content and their "music", the substance of the argument as well as the emotional inflection of the tone. The "music" is far more important than the content; it is ultimately the manner in which one speaks - including one's body language- which expresses one's seriousness of purpose; it is the "music" which conveys either fervent seriousness or flippant sarcasm, either a desire to come closer or to move farther away.

What is the "music" of this particular questioner? The Bible itself introduces his words, "When your children will say to you, "What is this service to you?'" Note that the Bible does not say, "When your children will ask you." This particular questioner does not ask from within; he declaims and declares from without. His mind is made up - and he doesn't even want to be confused with any facts. As a matter of fact, the Haggadah concludes its response to this child by switching from the second person form of address, "Say to him." to a third person form, "Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed." Apparently, he/she doesn't even wait to hear the response; he/she declares and runs, perhaps taking a matzah sandwich 'for the road' because that is the only food available to eat.

The "music" of our response to this child is no less crucial. First of all, the wicked child is included as one of the four children around the seder table; he/she dare not be disowned or rejected. "And even you must "hakheh et shinav'," usually translated as "blunt his teeth." However, the uncommon and difficult root word Kuh appears in our Scriptures (Kohelet 10:10) as well as in the Talmud (B.T. Yevamot 110b) in the context of answering questions (Kamakvu Akvata), and contains the nuance of removing the sharpness of iron through the warmth of fire. Hence, your words must express the music of unconditional love and sensitivity; wear down his/her sharp irony with the warmth of familial acceptance.

Undoubtedly, the substance of this child's statement drips with indifference and disinterest: " 'What is this service to you?' what does this ritual do for you? Maybe it 'speaks' to you but it sure doesn't speak to me!" Initially, the Biblical response is very much to the point: you experienced freedom from Egyptian servitude, the blood of the paschal sacrifice on the doorposts saved Jewish lives, and so you must retain this ritual as an understandable act of gratitude to the Lord - at the very least.

The Haggadah, however, is written for Jewish celebrants many generations after the Egyptian exodus; and the verse-response given by the author of the Haggadah to this wicked child is slated to be told to a child of a future generation, after the Israelites have long settled in Israel as its Biblical source testifies (Exodus 13: 5-8). You, the parent, living centuries and perhaps milennia after the exodus, must tell your self-involved child: "It is because of this (very ritual) that the Lord provided for me when I left Egypt."

Yes, my great - grandparents and not me myself left Egypt; but in an existential sense I left with them because I identify with them, because I have transformed the past historical -national memory of the servitude and the exodus into part of my own personal present-day life experience. A single individual, no matter how intelligent or powerful, is limited in time and ability; the Jewish nation is eternal, with eternal values dedicated to redeeming the world - in no small measure based upon lessons concerning human freedom and individual dignity gleaned from the paschal sacrifice. Insofar as an individual identifies with his Jewish past, he/she participates in eternity. And only those who identify with their past will contribute to - and be part of - a future beyond themselves. In order to be plugged into eternity, your "I" must become a "we", you must plug yourself into our national - historical rituals and traditions. Only by going beyond yourself will you ultimately guarantee your future!

Shabbat Shalom.

Return to Ohr Torah Stone