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The Wicked One a Look at the History, Psychology and Theology of the Rasha at the Seder

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The Wicked One a Look at the History, Psychology and Theology of the Rasha at the Seder The Wicked One A Look at the History, Psychology and Theology of the Rasha at the Seder Shabbat HaGadol 5779/2019 Young Israel of West Hartford ∙ Rabbi Tuvia Brander ∙ [email protected] Above: Prague, 1526 Right: Prato Haggadah (Spain ~1300) Left: Amsterdam 1695 Below: Tzvi Livni, Tel Aviv 1955 Above: Chicago 1879 Below: Leon David Israel, 1920 Left: Sigmund Forst 1958 1. Pesach Haggadah, Magid, The Four Children Blessed is the Place [of all], Blessed is He; Blessed is the One בָּרּוְך הַמָּ קֹום,בָּ רּוְךהּוא, בָּ רּוְך .who Gave the Torah to His people Israel, Blessed is He ֶׁשָּנַתן ּתָֹּורהְ לַעמֹו ִיְשָּרֵאל, ָּברּוְך Corresponding to four sons did the Torah speak; one [who הּואְ. כֶׁנֶׁגד ַאְרָּבָּעָּהבִניםִ דְבָּרה is] wise, one [who is] evil, one who is innocent and one who תָֹּורה: ֶׁאָּחדָּ חָּכם,ְוֶׁאָּחָּד רָּשע, ְוֶׁאָּחד .…doesn't know to ask ָּּתם, ְוֶׁאָּחד ֶׁשֵאינֹו יֵֹודַעִ לְשאֹול… What does the evil [one] say? "'What is this worship to ָרָשע ָמה הּוא אֵֹומרָ?מה ָהֲעבָֹודה you?' (Exodus 12:26)" 'To you' and not 'to him.' And since הַ ּזאֹת לָ כֶם. לָ כֶם – ְולֹא לֹו.ְ ּולִפי he excluded himself from the collective, he denied a principle ֶשהֹוִציא ֶאת ַעְצמֹו ִמַן הְכָלָל כַפר of the Jewish faith]. And accordingly, you will blunt his teeth] ְבִעָקר. ְוַאף ַאָתַה הְקֵהה ֶאת ִשָניו [and say to him, "'For the sake of this, did the Lord do [this ֶוֱאמֹור לֹו: ַ"בֲעבֶּור זה ָעָשה ִה' לי 'for me in my going out of Egypt' (Exodus 13:8)." 'For me ְבֵצִאתִי מִמְצָרִיםִ". לי ְולֹא־לֹו. ִאּלּו and not 'for him.' If he had been there, he would not have ָהָיה ָשם, לֹא ָהָיִה נְגָאל: been saved. 2. Source for The Wicked Child- Exodus 12:25-27 And when you enter the land that the LORD will give ְוָהָָ֞יִִּֽה כיָ־ת ֹֹ֣באּו ֶאלָ־ה ָָ֗אֶרץ ֲא ֶֶׁ֨שר ִי ֵֵּ֧תן ְיהָוָ֛ה you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. And ָל ֶֶ֖כַם כֲא ֶֹ֣שרִ ד ֵֵּ֑בר ּוְשַמְר ֶֶ֖תם ֶאתָ־הֲעֹב ָָ֥דה when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this ַהִּּֽזֹאת׃ ְוָהָָ֕יה ִִּֽכי־יְֹאמָ֥רּו ֲאֵלי ֶֶ֖כְם בֵנ ֵֶּ֑יכם rite?’ you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the ָָ֛מָה הֲעֹבָָ֥דַה הֶּ֖זֹאָת לִֶּֽכם׃ ַוֲאַמְר ֶֶּ֡ת ִֶּֽם זַבח־ LORD, because He passed over the houses of the ֶֶׁ֨פַס֜ח הּו ִַּֽא ליהָָ֗וה ֲא ֶֹ֣ שר ָָּ֠פַסח ַעלָ־ב ֵֵּ֤תי Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but ְב ִֵּֽני־ִיְשָרֵא֙לְ בִמְצ ַַ֔רִיְם בָנְגָ֥פֹו ֶאתִ־מְצ ֶַ֖רִים saved our houses.’” The people then bowed low in ְוֶאתָ־ב ֵֹ֣תִינּו הִֵּ֑ציל ַוִי ָֹ֥קָד ה ֶָ֖עם ַוִִּֽיְשַתֲחִּּֽוּו׃ homage. 3. Source for the The Child Who Does Not Know To Ask - Exodus 13:8 And you shall explain to your son on that day, ‘It is ְוִהַגְד ָֹ֣תְ לִבְנַ֔ך ַָ֥ ביַֹוםהֶ֖הּוֵא ל ֵֹּ֑אמַר בֲעֹ֣בּור because of what the LORD did for me when I went free ֶָ֗זהָע ֵָּ֤שה ְיהָו֙ה ִַ֔לְי בֵצא ִֶ֖תי ִמִמְצ ִָּֽרִים׃ from Egypt.’ 4. Source for the The Simple Child - Exodus 13:14 ,And when, in time to come, your son asks you, saying ְוָהָָ֞י ִִּֽה כי־ִיְשָאְלָ֥ךִ בְנָ֛ךָ מ ֶָ֖חר ֵל ֹֹ֣אמַר מה־ What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘It was with a‘ ֵּּ֑זֹאת ְוָאַמְר ָֹ֣ת ֵא ַָ֔ליְו ב ֹֹ֣חֶזק ָָ֗יד הִֹוצי ֵָּ֧אנּו ,mighty hand that the LORD brought us out from Egypt יְהוָָ֛ה ִמִמְצ ֶַ֖רִיִם מ ֵָ֥בית ֲעָבִִּֽדים׃ the house of bondage. The Wicked One? ∙ Shabbat HaGadol 5779/2019 ∙ 2 5. Source for the The Wise Child – Deuteronomy 6:20-21 When, in time to come, your children ask you, “What כִִּֽ י־יִשְ אָלְךָ֥ בִ נְךָ֛מָחֶָ֖ר רלֵאמֵֹּ֑ מָֹ֣ה הָעֵ דָֹ֗ ת mean the decrees, laws, and rules that the LORD our God וְהִַּֽ חֻקִ ים֙ וְהַמִשְ פָטִַ֔ יםאֲשֶָ֥ רצִּוָָ֛ה יְהוָָ֥ה ,has enjoined upon you?” you shall say to your children אֱֹלהֵֶ֖ ינּו אֶתְ כִֶּֽם׃ וְאָמַרְתָֹ֣לְבִ נְךַ֔עֲבָדִָ֛ ים We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and the LORD“ הָיִָ֥ינּו לְפַרְ העֶֹ֖ בְמִ צְרֵָּ֑ יִם וַיֹוצִ יאֵֵּ֧ נּו יְהוָָ֛ה .freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand מִמִ צְרֶַ֖ יִם בְ יָָ֥דחֲ זָקִָּֽ ה׃ 6. Meshech Chachma (R’ Meir Simcha of Divinsk, 1843-1926) on Exodus 13:14 התבונן נא שבכל הבנים כתיב "כי ישאלך בנך לאמר" לבד בהבן הרשע כתיב "והיה כי יאמרו אליכם בניכם", ולא כתיב לאמר והוא עפ"י דרשת הספרי ואתחנן לאמר השיבני תשובה כו' והנה החכם ששואל "מה העדות" והתם ששואל "מה זאת" רצונם לדעת ולשמוע תשובה כי אותה הם מבקשים לא כן הרשע ששאלתו מה העבודה הזה לכם הוא רק לועג על העבודה שלדעתו הוא דבר בטל ואין רצונו בתשובה להוסיף דעה כי לא יחפוץ כסיל בתבונה ורצונו הוא שיהיה הקושיא אלומה כדי שיהיה הלעג חזק ולכן לא כתיב כאן לא "שאלה" ולא "לאמר" ודו"ק. 7. Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael Bo 13:14 The wicked child – what does he say: What is this service to רשע מה הוא אומר, מה העבודה you? To you and not to him. And because he excludes הזאת לכם, לכם ולא לו. ולפי himself from the community and denies the essence [of שהוציא את עצמו מן הכלל כפר Judaism], you should blunt his teeth and say to him, “on בעיקר, אף אתה הקהה את שניו account of this did God take me out of Egypt: me and not ואמור לו – בעבור זה עשה ה' לי you. Had you been there, you would not have been בצאתי ממצרים )שמות יב(. לי ולא .redeemed לך אילו היית שם, לא היית נגאל. 8. Mekhilta deRabbi Shimon Bar Yochai 12 And it shall be when your children say to you: In the future והיה כי יאמרו אליכם בניכם עתידין they will say, What is this service to you? This refers to the לומר לכם : מה העבודה הזאת .wicked child who removes himself from the community לכם. זה בן רשע שהוציא את עצמו You should likewise remove him from the community and מן הכלל, אף אתה הוציאו מן הכלל say to him: on account of this did God did this for me: for ואמור לו )י"ג ה'( בעבור זה עשה ה' .me He did it, but He did not do it for you לי לי עשה ולא לך עשה : 9. y. Pesachim 10:4 The wicked child – what does he say: What is this בן רשע מהו אומר מה העבודה הזאת service to you? What is this toil that you bother לכם מה הטורח הזה שאתם מטריחין yourselves with every year? And because he excludes עלינו בכל שנה ושנה מכיון שהוציא את ,himself from the community, you should say to him עצמו מן הכלל אף אתה אמור לו בעבור on account of this did God did this for me: for me He“ זה עשה יי' לי לי עשה לאותו האיש לא did it; for that particular man He did not do it. Had that עשה אילו היה אותו האיש במצרים לא particular man been in Egypt, he would not have been היה ראוי להיגאל משם לעולם worthy of ever being redeemed from there. The Wicked One? ∙ Shabbat HaGadol 5779/2019 ∙ 3 10. Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ Haggadah, p. 110 11. Maimonides’ Mishna Torah, Laws of Rebels 3:2-3 Once one has denied the oral Torah, push him ֵמַאַחר ֶשִנְתַפְרֵסם ֶשהּוא כֹוֵפַרבתָֹורה ֶשְבַעל ֶפה down and do not pull him up – for he has the ]מִֹוריִדין אֹותֹו[ ְולַֹאמֲעִלין הּוא ַוֲהֵרִיכְשָאָר כל same status as heretics and those who deny that ָהֶאִפיקֹורֹוִסין ְוָהְאֹומִרין ֵאין תָֹורה ִמַן הָשַמִים .divinity of Torah ְוַהמֹוְסִרין ְוַהמּו ָמִרין. ֶשָכל ֵאּלּו ֵאָינִם בְכַלל ִיְשָרֵאל ְוֵאיןָ צִריְך לְֹא לֵעִדים ְולֹא ַהְתָרָאה ְולֹאַדָיִנים: ?What are the circumstances of which we speak ַבֶמהְ דָבִרים ֲאמִּורְים בִאיש ֶשָכַפַרבתָֹורה ֶשְבַעל Of one who denies the Oral law both in ֶפְה בַמֲחַשְבתֹוִ ּובְדָבִרים ֶשִנְראּו לֹו. ְוָהַלְך ַאַחר principle and in practice and follows vanity and ַדְעת ַֹו הַקָּלה ְוַאַחר ְשִרירּותִ לבֹו ְוכֹוֵפַרבתָֹורה hedonistic pursuits and denies the origins of the ֶשְבַעל ֶפְה תִחָּלְה כָצדֹוקַ ּובְיתֹוס ְוֵכָן כַלהתֹוִעים Torah like Zadok and Boethus (famed heretics ַאֲחָריו. ֲאָבְל בֵנַי התֹוִעים ָהֵאֶּלהְ ּובֵני ְבֵנֶיהם who led others astray). But those who were ֶשִהִדיחּו ָאֹותם ֲאבָֹותם ְונְֹולדֵּו ביַןהָקָרִאים ְוִגְדלּו raised under such influences are like abducted אָֹותם ַעלַ דְעָתֲם.הֵרְי הּוא כִתינֹוק ֶשִנְשָבה children and should be encouraged to return to ֵביֵנֶיהם ְוִגְדלּוהּו ... ְלִפָיכְָך ראּוְילַהְחִזָירן ִבְתָשּובה the ways of the Torah. ְּולָמְשָכְם בִדְבֵרי ָשלֹום ַעד ֶשַיְחְזְרּו לֵאיָתַןהתָֹורה: 12. “The Four Sons” by Rabbi Amnon Bazak (accessed on Virtual Beit Midrash) The Yerushalmi presents a lengthier question posed by the wicked son, adding to the earlier texts the clause, "What is this trouble that you are forcing upon each and every year?" This question appears to address the exertion entailed in fulfilling the mitzvot each year, and likely reflects the Christian approach, which tended to undermine the importance of mitzva acts. If so, then we could perhaps suggest a novel explanation for the response given to the wicked son: "He did for me, and not for that person [oto ha-ish]. If that person had been in Egypt, he would have never been worthy to be redeemed from there." As we know, the term oto ha-ish often refers to the founder of Christianity. If this is the intent in this context, then the response "If that person had been in Egypt, he would never have been redeemed" takes on special significance. "That person" represents for his followers the redemption of the world, yet had he been in Egypt, he himself would never have earned redemption. Earlier we noted that the Haggada's response to the wicked son is surprisingly harsh and unsympathetic. According to what we have seen, we might suggest an explanation. The Haggada The Wicked One? ∙ Shabbat HaGadol 5779/2019 ∙ 4 speaks not of a son who simply ridicules Torah observance, but rather of a son who has rejected the Torah and joined a different faith.
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