Before we begin the story of our Exodus from Egypt, we take a moment to address “The Four Sons” who are sitting at our table. In essence they represent four types of people: Wise, Wicked, Simple, and Clueless.
Each son asks a question that reveals his inner nature and correspondingly we give an answer that best addresses his question.
For the Wise son we give a detailed answer and for the Simple son we give an answer that is on his level of understanding. To the Wicked son we speak harshly, “It is because of this that God did for me, when I left Egypt” (Shmos 13:8). Furthermore, we blunt his teeth for speaking with such insolence. Lastly, we address the Clueless son, the son who asks nothing. How do we deal with such a person? We also tell him, “It is because of this that God did this for me when I left Egypt.”
Why did the Bal Haggada choose this pasuk as an answer to the Clueless son? If the Clueless son is overly shy or easily embarrassed, giving him the same pasuk as we do the Wicked son is counterproductive because it is established as a harsh answer. Such an answer will scare him and close him up more!
However, according to the Kol Bo the Clueless son is not clueless by nature, rather he is choosing to be that way by distancing himself from what is going on around him. If he were in Mitzrayim, he would have witnessed the miracles but would never have taken them to heart. “All this is strange and different,” he might have thought, “but when do I get to eat the grilled lamb?” Such a person would not have been redeemed.
So too, at the Passover Seder, the Clueless son is the person who is not really involved. There are so many unusual things going on at the seder and yet he makes himself oblivious and does not even feign a question. Why won’t he ask, “What does this mean?” Even a child of three years old will ask something!
In fact, the challenge to m’karev the Clueless son is greater than the Wicked son. Even though we “break the Wicked son’s teeth”, we at least have a relationship with him. We acknowledge his presence by talking tough when he challenges our avoda. Perhaps through interaction he will change.
However, in the case of the Clueless son, all we can do is keep the door open in the hope that he will eventually search for God. When the time comes that he does finally ask a question, we must be ready to get involved.
The wise understand that everything is from Hashem, the non-believer attributes these strange events as nature doing its job and we hope this false belief will be uprooted, the children need help in understanding why this is all happening. As for the people who are clueless and just don’t care (apathetic, narcissistic, selfish, etc.) the Almighty is doing His best to send clues of His existence.
Over the years people have asked me if I would ever draw cartoons depicting some of the cases found in Yora Daya. Well, the answer is yes! I recently published a sefer called The Great Game of Kashrut. Click on the link to find out more: The Great Game of Kashrut
To order a copy of The Great Game of Kashrut follow this link: The Great Game of Kashrut
If you would like to dedicate a Davar Torah in honor of a special occasion or in memory of a beloved family member please contact Yisroel Simon at yisroel@judaism613.com.
Good Shabbos,R’ Channenjudaism613.org