On the Seder nights we are introduced to the four sons: the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son and the son who doesn’t know how to ask.
This is one of the most engaging sections in the Hagaddah in which we come to see the different approaches to the same dilema. The four sons represent kaleidoscope of perspectives each person brings to the table.
The wise son is the one who loves to learn, he has the capacity to engage in conversation both by listening and sharing his information. The wicked son is the one who mocks the Torah, he doesn’t want to be involved in Divine endevours, he doesn’t want to be part of a communal life and he is cynical.
The simple son is Happy go lucky type of guy. His faith is simple and his questions are simple, but he is sincere in wanting to understand the Mitzvots.
The son who doesn’t know how to ask is still very young and doesn’t know intellectually how to ask, to him we should start teaching and telling him how H”S took us out of Egypt.
It’s important to note the order in which these four sons are placed. The wicked is in between the wise and the simple sons. “Tell me who you surround yourself with and I’ll tell you who you are.”
Both the wise and the wicked can influence each other. For the wise son, the wicked is a continual reminder that he must perpetually develop himself, he realizes how vulnerable one is to fall from his stage. One wrong move could make him wicked.
The wicked son, on the other hand, could also move one notch higher placing him as a wise son. He has the power to become just as good and erudite as his brother if he chooses to. His behavior is just a reflection of his insecurities, he is not truly “wicked,” his essence is still G-dly. He sits next to the wise son because he is just one step away from him.
The simple son looks at all that is happening and he’ll continue to ask, he will always choose the simple way, G-d’s ways.
The choice is ours to make, we can be wise or wicked, everything is contained in our will and desires, we just need to learn to want what H”S wants for us.
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