Passover is a weeklong holiday that is celebrated by the entire Jewish community across the globe with much pomp and fanfare. The festival commemorates the freedom of the Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians. To mark this occasion, a lavish meal consisting of traditional dishes is prepared and served at the Seder meal. The Seder meal is a ritual feast that is observed as a part of the beginning of the Passover celebrations. It is at this time that the story of Passover is recounted, which includes the story of the ‘Four Sons’. It is a wonderful and unique educational tool integrated into the Seder meal for creating awareness about the rich heritage to the young and present generation. Read on further to know the story of the ‘Four Sons’ of Pesach.
The Four Sons - Passover
The Four Sons were introduced into the Seder meal by the Talmudic rabbis for guiding the young generation towards the significance of the festival of Passover or Pesach. Every son poses a different question about the Passover festival and the answers are given in the same words in which the questions are put forward. As per the holy Haggadah, each of the four sons is a different type of a Jewish person, depending upon the question asked by the son about the festival of Passover or Pesach. The four sons mentioned in the Haggadah by the Torah are: one wise, one wicked, one simple and one who does not know how to ask a question.
The wise son, interpreted as the “Chacham”, is a genuine individual with intellectual curiosity and is not at all rebellious. Like a religious Jew, the wise son understands the laws of the Passover festival and follows them faithfully. He puts forward the question ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, statutes and laws which the Lord has commanded us?’ He knows that he a servant of the Hashem and hence, is only concerned with grasping the truth. In modern times, the wise son should focus on his gifts, thereby avoiding the potential negative influences, which can otherwise turn him into a wicked son.
The wicked son, or the “Rasha”, is intentionally vague and haughtily puts up the question ‘What does this service mean to you?’ By doing so, the wicked son makes an attempt to separate himself from the Jewish community. In today’s world, the wicked son relates to kids who are more concerned with connecting themselves with the religion rather than honoring the family values. By adding the wicked son into the list of Four Sons, the Haggadah states that with the right educational approach, he can be converted into a wise son.
Next is the third son, the simple son or the “Tam”. He is too unsophisticated and indolent to educate himself about Judaism. He plainly puts forward the question ‘What is this?’ He is not intellectual, but has a kind and generous heart. In an attempt to do things in the right manner, he asks questions. However, all that he knows about Judaism and life in general has come from experience and not from books. In the modern time, the simple son is energetic and highly active keen to learn things. To move ahead, he has to engage all his senses in the learning process.
Finally, the fourth son is the one who does not know how to ask or “She’Aino Yodea Lishol”. He is least bothered about Judaism and does not want to learn. In the present times, the fourth son is the one who cares about his games more rather than his studies. Apart from being careless, he does not even listen. The main challenge for the educators is to turn his heart and soul into a positive thinker and then induce him into learning.
