The Passover Seder includes the story of the 4 children: the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who does not even know how to ask. Each is told the story in their own way, at their own level of understanding.. and some Haggadahs (lit. "telling, saga, tale") include additional materials that enhance their points:
"The monument... shall serve as a reminder for us who have survived to remain loyal to our people and to the moral principles cherished by our fathers. Only through such loyalty may we hope to survive this age of moral decay... let us clearly recognize and never forget this: that mutual cooperation and the furtherance of living ties between Jews of all lands is out sole physical and moral protection in the present situation. But for the future our hope lies in overcoming the general moral abasement which today gravely menaces the very existence of mankind."
Who is this wise son? Albert Einstein, at the monument to the martyred Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto, on April 19, 1948.
Einstein's punchline summarizes the historical testament of the Hebrews: If the people of Israel walk in the ways of the Lord, they will be blessed and a light unto the nations. If Israel shuns its God, it will find only Death just as the Egyptians found Death.
"The Passover Seder includes the story of the 4 children: the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who does not even know how to ask."
O.K. I thought I was relativly conversant in Jewish traditions (at least as much as I am aware of Catholic pratices), but this one is new to me. Could you elaborate on the four children?
Joe,
On a lighter note..."It's a wise son who knows his own father." Just kidding!
Ed.
Dr. Notions:
The Passover Haggadah (borrow a copy and read it sometime) goes quite a bit into metaphors of various sorts. For example, there's the repeated refrain that each Jew should act "as though God delivered ME, personally, from Egypt". The "four sons" are another such metaphor, used to demonstrate how the Passover story might be taught to four different kinds of children. (On one level, Passover is very much a child-centered holiday; literally, it is an expression of the Biblical commandment "you shall teach it to your children".)
The four children are: the wise one (who wants nuances and details), the wicked one (who wants no part of the holiday at all), the simple one (who needs a basic overview), and the one who doesn't know how to ask the right questions (who gets a simpler overview).
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In re the Einstein quote: I'm reminded of a similar one I encountered recently --
"For Christians, the first priority may be theological self-understanding. For Jews it is, and after Auschwitz must be, simple safety for their children. In pursuit of this goal, Jews seek -- are morally required to seek -- independence of other people's charity. They therefore seek safety -- are morally required to seek it -- through the existence of a Jewish state. Except among the theologically or humanly perverse, Zionism -- the commitment to the safety and genuine sovereignty of the State of Israel -- is not negotiable."
--Emil Fackenheim, "To Mend The World"
best wishes,
Daniel in Medford
Joe,
Don't wish to offend anybody (although I have a knack for doing so) I just want to say that I wish that Einstein had been a bit wiser and kept his nuclear knowlege to himself. The world itself was not wise enough to receive it.
Cheers,
Ed.
Ed, I'm sure Albert himself thought the exact same thing - and on more than one occasion.
Wonderful quote from Einstein.
Could you cite the source, por favor?
Thanks.
Our Passover Haggadah, the book used as the combination program / prayer book for the Jewish Seder ceremony. That's one of the optional passages to read following the story of the 4 sons.
Can't tell you the exact edition... but this is one of Einstein's more famous public speeches. Bet you could find it online.