It Begs a Question

Prepared for print by Rabbi Eran Feintuch

Few sections in the Haggadah are as well-known as the Four Sons, and few are as misunderstood. It seems like a simple passage we can breeze through en route to our dramatic reenactment of the Ten Plagues. But if the Torah goes out of its way to spell out how to address each of the Four Sons, its message is surely deeper than meets the eye. If we look a bit deeper, we’ll find profound lessons not only for our children, but also for ourselves.

The fourth son, “the one who doesn’t know what to ask,” is the least understood of them all. Most people view him as the illustrated Haggados depict him: a sweet little toddler who isn’t capable of formulating a question about the novel rituals he sees at the Seder. But this interpretation is dubious.

First of all, must the Torah tell us how to teach a baby? Every parent knows you have to give a short and simple summary of whatever you’re trying to teach him. And even more puzzling, why do we answer him with the same pasuk we use to answer the wicked son?

The truth is that the fourth son isn’t a baby. He knows very well how to ask; he just doesn’t know what to ask. And he doesn’t know what to ask, not because he doesn’t understand — but because he thinks he understands it all.