The Short Vort by Rabbi Eisenman

Today is Erev Pesach.

Please don't forget to make an Eirvu Tavshilin today using Matzah.

 

We are all familiar with the "Four Sons."

A more accurate translation would be "Four Traits of the Human Personality."

Indeed, contrary to most interpretations of the passage, which present this passage as "four sons who are present at your Seder table," I have always preferred a different approach.

The Torah never presents these four sons at being at your Seder table.

 In the passage in the Yerushalmi, which is the original source, they are not presented at being present at the Seder.

The Sefas Emes points out, the Baal Haggadah is not teaching us how to talk to our "four sons."

Rather, the Baal Haggadah asks us to reflect on four aspects of our personality that require introspection before the recital of the main part of Maggid.

 

Indeed, the word "Keneged Arba Bonim" translates as "against four sons."

What are we "against" about the four sons?

 

Chassidishe Sefarim offer a unique look into what this passage is talking about.

The passage teaches us (not our children) what four traits we have to "go against"- "Keneged"- before we can properly recite the Haggadah.



We are the "four children," or better said, we possess four potential traits, which, left untreated, will preclude and disqualify us from achieving our goal at the Seder.

What is our goal at the Seder?

Is it play-acting the Ten Makkos?

Perhaps that serves as a warm-up and entices the children to participate. However, dressing up as Pharoah is certainly not the goal or main point of the Seder.

 

The main point of the Seder is to recognize the immeasurable debt of gratitude we must constantly realize we owe to Hashem.

Indeed, gratitude, Hokoras HaTov, and the realization of our complete dependency and indebtedness to Hashem is the prime lesson to be gleaned from Seder night.

This recognition of our dependency on and our gratitude to Hashem is the entire goal of the Seder.

 

However, there is one human trait that constantly rejects and denies this recognition of our dependency and indebtedness to Hashem.

That trait is the all-destructive trait of hubris or, as Chazal called it, Gaava.

 

Hubris, arrogance, disdain, and pride are the antithesis of humility or, as Chazal called it, Anivus.

 

A person who is arrogant and disdainful rejects and denies their dependency on others.

A prideful person cannot accept that they are dependent or indebted to anyone, even Hashem.

Arrogance is the greatest deterrent to achieving submission to Hashem.

To be successful tonight, to attain a true and robust feeling of gratitude, indebtedness, and subservience to Hashem, one must possess the trait of humility and cleanse oneself of Gaava.

This is the purpose of the "Four Sons."

They represent four manifestations of Gaava (arrogance), precluding a person from attaining true gratitude towards Hashem.

Only a humble person can recognize and feel gratitude and indebtedness to Hashem.

What are these four manifestations of Gaava?

 

1.      The Chochom- the wise person.

a.      The wisest of all men, Shlomo HaMelech, teaches us, "Do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?" (7:16)

b.      Being "too wise" is also a form of arrogance.

c.      Often the "too wise" individual feels they can rationalize and create new and original practices and laws.

d.      This is why we tell the Chochom, ein maftirim achar hapesach afikomen. 

e.      "You may not eat anymore after the Afikomen."

f.       How does this address an aspect of arrogance? Why do we tell him not to eat after the "afikomen?"

g.      What does the word "afikomen" mean?

h.      The Jerusalem Talmud derives the word afikoman from the Greek word epikomion, meaning "after-dinner revelry" or "entertainment."

i.         It was the custom of Romans and Greeks to move from one party or banquet to another.

j.         The halakha prohibits anything else from being eaten after the afikoman; therefore, it enjoins Jews to distinguish their Passover Seder from the pagan rituals of other nations.

k.      Meaning the arrogance of the Chochom was that he thought, "Let's party" after eating the last Matzah by doing what our neighbors do. Perhaps, he can even justify this with his "wisdom."

l.         Remember, although he is "wise"; however, he is not necessarily a Tzadik!

m.    Wisdom can trigger arrogance. And arrogance can lead to "creative" and improper halachik behavior.

n.      Therefore, the Baal Haggadah teaches us that "Keneged" the trait of "arrogance of wisdom" – we must remember the halacha.

o.      And despite the "wise son's" reasoning that we should extend the "party" to outside the family, we state to him, "You must submit to the halacha and remember, ein maftirim achar hapesach afikomen. You stay at home and enjoy the family.

p.      This "Keneged" is against the arrogance of wisdom

 

2.      Rasha-

a.      What does the evil [son] say? "'What is this worship to you?' (Exodus 12:26)" 'To you' and not 'to him.' And since he excluded himself from the collective, he denied a principle [of the Jewish faith].-

b.       The Rasha's arrogance manifests itself by saying, "I am better than anyone else. I am removing myself from the community."

c.      When one is arrogant, one will not submit or recognize their indebtedness to others.

d.      The arrogance of the Rasha manifests itself through removal from the community.

e, The Baal Haggadah tells us that we cleanse ourselves from the arrogance of splitting ourselves from the Klal

 

3.      Tam

a.      "'What is this?- The arrogance of Tam is the arrogance of broad stroking concepts and not paying attention to the nuance of the situation.

b.      The Tam broad stokes and states, "What is this?" As if he understands everything and claims that all of "this" is irrational and inexplicable.

c.      The Tam's broad-stroking of the complexities of life into bite-size "sound-bites" stems from the arrogance of failing to see the nuance of life's complexities.

d.      This arrogance, of failing to see life's nuance, is what we have to be "keneged" if we want to be humble

 

4.      Finally, the "One who doesn't ask."

a.      This represents the arrogance of "Why do I need to ask? I can look it up on Google."

b.      The arrogance of believing there is nothing for me to ask must also be cleansed before the beginning of the main part of Maggid

 

The purpose of the Four Sons is not to know how to talk to your various children; rather, it's to give you practical tools to sanitize yourself from the all too human trait of Gaava.

 

We must foster Anivus and humility and rid ourselves of Gaava in all its manifestations to fully appreciate the Haggadah.

 

We must remember the goal and purpose of the night are to reinforce and regenerate and reinvigorate our sense of gratitude and indebtedness to Hashem.

To do so, we must first rid ourselves of haughtiness and Gaava.

And that is achieved through introspection and recognizing how arrogance manifests itself within each of us.



May we be privileged to come to the Seder tonight with humility and humbleness to allow us to gain our full dose of gratitude and indebtedness to Hashem for all He did, does, and will do for us every second of our lives.

 

Wishing all a Chag Kasher V'Sameach!