We continue talking about lessons from the Satar. Today we will discuss the question of the HaChaim, the wise son. As we said yesterday, this question was not asked at the seder, and as we will soon see, the answer is actually different than the one offered at the Seder. In order to fully appreciate this, we need to study the pesukim (Devarim chapter 6)
ספר דברים פרק ו
(כ) כִּי יִשְׁאָלְךָ בִנְךָ מָחָר לֵאמֹר מָה הָעֵדֹת וְהַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֶתְכֶם:
When, in time to come, your children ask you, “What do the decrees, laws, and rules mean, that our God has enjoined upon you
In other words, your son will ask about the laws and rules…
(This will be after Yetziat Mitzrayim, and not from someone who was there at the time)
In the Hagaddah, we answer, “Don’t eat anything after the Afikoman,” but that is not the answer that the Torah gives..( why the Hagaddah gives a different answer is a discussion for another time)
The Torah says that the answer is…
(כא) וְאָמַרְתָּ לְבִנְךָ עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם וַיֹּצִיאֵנוּ יְדֹוָד מִמִּצְרַיִם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה:
you shall say to your children, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and God freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand.
Again, this is not at the seder, and this is to any child who wants to understand in a wise way. And we continue that God brought upon us wonders and signs and goes through all the signs and wonders that we discuss at the Seder.
(כב) וַיִּתֵּן יְדֹוָד אוֹתֹת וּמֹפְתִים גְּדֹלִים וְרָעִים בְּמִצְרַיִם בְּפַרְעֹה וּבְכָל בֵּיתוֹ לְעֵינֵינוּ:
Hashem wrought before our eyes marvelous and destructive signs and wonders in Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household;
(there is a difference between a Mofet/ wonder, and Ot/sign.
Turning the stick into a snake, when no one got hurt, was just a sign. But a Mofet/wonder was when the water got turned into blood. It’s something that had a impact in a negative way.
We are telling this child that God did great wonders and signs in Egypt and we saw it.
And then we say a pasuk that is also in the Haggadah
(כג) וְאוֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיא מִשָּׁם לְמַעַן הָבִיא אֹתָנוּ לָתֶת לָנוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֵינוּ:
and God freed us from there, in order to take us and give us the land promised on oath to our fathers.
God took us out,
When we say this at the seder we are supposed to feel like we got out. But remember, this question and answer took place at a different point than the Seder. It could have been in the middle of June.
He took us out to give us the land…
Then we continue
(כד) וַיְצַוֵּנוּ יְדֹוָד לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה לְיִרְאָה אֶת יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ
Then Hashem commanded us to observe all these laws, to fear our God,
God told us to do all of these Mitzvot in order for us to fear Hashem our God.
Rabbenu Manoah, one of the Rishonim and a great rabbi who wrote a commentary on the Rambam, says that the source in the Torah that we have to tell our children that we were originally idol worshipers(Mitehila Ovdei Avodah Zara…) is from this pasuk. We tell our children that God took us out of Egypt so we fear Him, which means that before that, we didn’t fear Him.
This is like us telling our children that we weren’t always so religious, and Baruch Hashem we got more religious. God allowed us to open our eyes.
The next part of the pasuk is also an important line, that people may not realize is also part of our answer:
לְטוֹב לָנוּ כָּל הַיָּמִים לְחַיֹּתֵנוּ כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה:
For our lasting good and for our survival, as is now the case.
LaTov Lanu -It’s good for us.
We should have goodness all the days of our lives, to give us life this very day. When we tell our children, at the seder, that we were originally idol worshipers, it comes from this pasuk.
And it’s important that the child feels that this is good for us.
(כה) וּצְדָקָה תִּהְיֶה לָּנוּ כִּי נִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת לִפְנֵי יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּנוּ
It will be therefore to our merit before our God to observe faithfully this whole Mitzvah, as [God] has commanded us.”
We will get charity from God. Really, God shouldn’t pay us anything for our Mitzvot, but He gives us charity when we will keep this Mitzvah ( whether it it Korban Pesach or another Mitzvah).
We have tell our children:
L’Tov Lanu/It’s good for us, is part of our Emunah and bitachon.
The Hovot HaLevavot says that it’s good. We will get rewarded. Rabbenu Yonah says our Boss pays well. That’s a fundamental in our Emunah and bitachon.
We don’t always see the pay right now, but He pays well, He pays overtime, and it is L’Tov Lanu/ good for us.
That is part of the take away that we want to tell the wise son. It is good for us. Religion is good. This is an important lesson, it is in the Torah, and it’s relevant to Pesach because it’s part of the Torah’s description of AvadimHayinu/we were slaves…
Read these pesukim with the translation and see with your own eyes how we are supposed to tell our children that it is good for us. This is God talking to us about how to train our children.
L’Tov Lanu/It is good for us.
Have a wonderful day.