One of the most well known parts of the Seder is that of the four sons. Based on four verses in the Torah that instruct us to tell our children of the Exodus, the Rabbis deduced four different types of children: Wise, Wicked, Simple and Unable to Ask. We preface these four characters with a blessing, thanking G-d for having given us the Torah. Since the whole of the Seder consists of sections of the Torah and their Rabbinical interpretation, it is strange that we say this blessing at this juncture. Maybe it is in recognition of the wisdom of the Torah in not just instructing us to tell the story of the Exodus but providing differing ways of doing it. Also, it is in this passage, perhaps more than any other, that the eternity of the Torah is revealed. If we look at the depictions of the four sons in Haggadot through the ages, we will see that every generation had its own understanding of who they were. In the middle ages the wicked son was invariably a soldier, while in the twenties he was a gangster and today maybe a banker or even a politician. The wise son was normally depicted as a scholar but today some may see in him a scientist or an environmentalist. Being that the Torah has given us this Seder gift of the four different characters, we can increase both the understanding and enjoyment of our Seder by reflecting on their meaning for our times. For example, we are approaching an election. How would we define the four major parties in Scotland in terms of the four sons? Or in the context of British Jewry, the four main synagogue organisations? If we want we can examine Israeli politics and make our choice there. Who in Israel is wise, wicked or just plain stupid? And what about Israel itself? How would we define Israel on this spectrum? I think in British Jewry you could probably find those who would chose one of each. In our society today who would we define as wise and who wicked? Are scientists wise or otherwise, are social workers or clergy wise or clueless? And if we don’t mind getting too close to home, what about our own community? How would we define Edinburgh Jewry in terms of the four sons? And of course, if we are honest, we could ask how we define ourselves, especially in relation to our Judaism. Are we knowledgeable, antagonistic, indifferent or something else? In giving us the four sons to contemplate on Seder night, G-d has given us a wonderful tool to examine our society, community and ourselves. We can look closely at our attitudes to a whole range of issues through the prism of an eternal story. This is a great opportunity, lets use it.
TORAH PREVIEW
FIRST DAY: 105-108 HAFTORAH: 108-110
The Torah Reading is from Exodus and deals with the first Pesach. The Haftorah is from Joshua and relates the Passover kept when the Israelites entered the Land.
SECOND DAY: 110-114 HAFTORAH: 115-116
The Torah Reading is from Leviticus and deals with the Festival Cycle and the Omer offered today. The Haftorah is from Kings and relates Josiah’s observance of Pesach.
PESACH POINTERS
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On Seder night we must perform two mitzvot from the Torah and two from the Rabbis.
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From the Torah, we must eat at least half a machine-baked matzah and relate the story of the Exodus.
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The Rabbis told us to drink four cups of wine and eat Maror, which is eaten from the Torah only with the Pesach sacrifice.
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The afikoman, eaten in place of the Pesach sacrifice, should be eaten by midnight.
KNOW YOUR OMER !
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The Omer is counted from the 2nd night of Pesach for 49 nights.
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The Omer should only be counted after nightfall.
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If you miss one night you continue the next night without a B’racha.
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The Omer should be counted standing.
It is forbidden to eat of the new crop of grain until nightfall after the 17th of Nisan. (16th in Israel)
