לֵ֣ב חָ֭כָם יַשְׂכִּ֣יל פִּ֑יהוּ וְעַל־שְׂ֝פָתָ֗יו יֹסִ֥יף לֶֽקַח׃
דאָס האַרץ פֿון דעם חכם מאַכט קלוג זײַן מױל, און מערט לערנונג אױף זײַנע ליפּן.
Minchat Ani
The Jerusalem Talmud states, "Bar Kapara taught: 'Silence is fitting for the wise; how much more so for the foolish. “Solomon taught: 'Even a fool, if he keeps silent is deemed wise; intelligent, if he seals his lips.' (Prov. 17:28) (J. Pesachim 9:4) Further the Talmud states: Rabbi Hiya taught: the Torah speaks of four types of people, one is wise, one is wicked, etc…" (J. Pesachim 10:4)
At first glance these statements are problematic since they say that it is good for the wise to keep silent. Yet the wise child asks the longest question of the four children. This contradicts the previous statements.
This, however, is not a contradiction since King Solomon also said: "The mind of a wise person makes his speech effective and increases the wisdom of his lips." (Prov. 16:23) From this verse we learn that that a wise person need not remain silent at all times. Rather he should use his lips wisely, knowing when to speak and when to remain silent.
Why does the author of the Haggadah preface the questions of the four sons with the word echad (echad chacham, one wise, echad rasha, one wicked…), and why does he answer the wise son by saying "We do not eat anything after the Afikomen…" (In the Jerusalem Talmud this answer is presented to the foolish/simple son.44Actually Rabbi Ettlinger says that this is the answer given to the wicked son in his commentary.)
Furthermore, why does the Haggadah answer the wicked child with the verse, "It is because of what the Lord did for me when I went forth from Egypt?” The Torah has a different answer for the wicked child: "And when your children ask you, 'What mean you by this rite,' you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, because He passed ove’” (Ex. 12:26-27)
To the simple child the Torah states, "And it shall be when your son asks you on the morrow saying, “What is this?” You shall say to him, “With a strong hand, the Lord took us out of Egypt …” (Ex. 13:14), and to the one who doesn’t know how to ask, the Torah says "You shall tell your son on that day saying, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt. (Ex. 13:8) ” (The answers to these two sons are the same in the Haggadah and in the Torah) Why are the answers found in the Haggadah different from the ones found in the Torah (for the other two children?)
Why does the Haggadah change the order in which they are found in the Torah: The wicked (Ex. 12:26-27), the one who doesn’t know how to ask (Ex. 13:8), the simple (Ex. 13:14) and the wise son (Deut. 6:20-21)?
Finally, why does the wise child say "Which the Lord our God has commanded you?" This would seem to be superfluous since we have another passage in the Torah that makes this statement, "And you shall tell your son on that day saying, “It is because of this, that the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.” (Ex. 13:8)
To answer these questions, we must begin with the following from Proverbs, "Do not rebuke the scoffer for he will hate you; reprove the wise person and he will love you." (Prov. 9:8) Alshikh explains that one should be gentle when criticizing the scoffer and not too harsh. If one finds oneself in the presence of a scoffer who rejects the Torah and a wise person, it is better to criticize the wise person rather than the scoffer, as the verse says, "Do not rebuke the scoffer … reprove the wise person."45That is why the Haggadah reverses the order of the four children and puts the wise one first and the wicked one last - we criticize the wise before the wicked. The author now goes on to explain their order in the Torah. Rabbi Ettlinger also does not appear to explicitly answer all of his own questions.
Based on this verse we can understand why the father who is sitting with his four sons addresses them in the order suggested by the Torah. First the father addresses the wicked son. When the wicked son asks about the Seder, the father explains the meaning of the Passover offering. He explains that this is not avodah, work, ("what is this avodah to you?") by telling him that the Pesach offering is a reminder of the miracles, through which God saved us.46“It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses." This is a fitting answer in the spirit of Proverbs for the wicked child who is a scoffer. The answer in the Torah is gentle and not confrontational – but when the father turns to the child who cannot ask, the second child in the Torah, his comments have an implied criticism not for this child but for his older and wicked brother.
He then explains the reason for the bitter herbs to the one who doesn’t know how to ask by telling him that the Egyptians embittered our ancestors’ lives. Despite the bitterness, our ancestors continued to trust God and because of this God took us out of Egypt.47“It is because of this that the Lord did for me when I left Egypt. By answering the silent child in this way, the father also alludes to the answer that he would give to the wicked son: God would take me out of Egypt but not you.
The simple child (the third child mentioned in the Torah) has heard his father explain the Passover offering and the bitter herbs so he now asks about the meaning of the matzah, "What is this (zot) – the matzah?"48The word zot, this, is feminine, as is the word matzah, so when the simple child says "What is this - this is a direct reference to the unleavened bread. The father now answers him in the exact words of the Torah, telling him that the matzah is a symbol that, “With a strong hand, the Lord took us out of Egypt …” When we left Egypt there was no time to allow the dough to become leavened.
The wise child has heard all that his father has said including the reasons for the Pesach, maror, and matzah, and he has remained silent until now. When he hears the implied criticism that the father offers the wicked child, "God took me and not him out of Egypt," he begins to think, "Maybe I am not worthy of being redeemed49Why would the wise child have such a thought? Possibly because he also says “Which the Lord commanded you.” This implies that like the wicked child he has removed himself from the community. ." So he immediately says, "What commandments made the Israelites worthy of redemption, and I will perform them."50"What are the testimonies, statuyes, and laws which the Lord our God commanded YOU?" The father then went on at length explaining all the commandments until the very last one, "One may not eat anything after the Afikomen," so that the taste of the Afikomen would remain in his mouth.
We see, that the Torah's ordering of the four children and their answers teaches us that silence is befitting for the wise, as Solomon said. In the Torah, the wise son comes last so that he can listen to the answers offered to the other three sons, and so he can hear the rebuke which is given to the wicked son. But in the Haggadah, the wise son comes first in fulfillment of the verse, "Do not rebuke the scoffer … reprove the wise person."
We see in the Torah, on the other hand, that the father does not directly rebuke the wicked son but merely hints at his rebuke. In the Torah there are hints of his criticism of the wicked child in his answer to the son who does not know how to ask (God took me out of Egypt but he would not have taken you out). In this way, he fulfills the teaching, "Don’t rebuke the scoffer lest he hate you."51Rabbi Ettlinger does not appear to explain why a different order appears in the Haggadah – only why the Torah has the order it does and how the answers relate to one another. It could be that the four children in the Haggadah reflect the amount of knowledge each child has.
At first glance these statements are problematic since they say that it is good for the wise to keep silent. Yet the wise child asks the longest question of the four children. This contradicts the previous statements.
This, however, is not a contradiction since King Solomon also said: "The mind of a wise person makes his speech effective and increases the wisdom of his lips." (Prov. 16:23) From this verse we learn that that a wise person need not remain silent at all times. Rather he should use his lips wisely, knowing when to speak and when to remain silent.
Why does the author of the Haggadah preface the questions of the four sons with the word echad (echad chacham, one wise, echad rasha, one wicked…), and why does he answer the wise son by saying "We do not eat anything after the Afikomen…" (In the Jerusalem Talmud this answer is presented to the foolish/simple son.44Actually Rabbi Ettlinger says that this is the answer given to the wicked son in his commentary.)
Furthermore, why does the Haggadah answer the wicked child with the verse, "It is because of what the Lord did for me when I went forth from Egypt?” The Torah has a different answer for the wicked child: "And when your children ask you, 'What mean you by this rite,' you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, because He passed ove’” (Ex. 12:26-27)
To the simple child the Torah states, "And it shall be when your son asks you on the morrow saying, “What is this?” You shall say to him, “With a strong hand, the Lord took us out of Egypt …” (Ex. 13:14), and to the one who doesn’t know how to ask, the Torah says "You shall tell your son on that day saying, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt. (Ex. 13:8) ” (The answers to these two sons are the same in the Haggadah and in the Torah) Why are the answers found in the Haggadah different from the ones found in the Torah (for the other two children?)
Why does the Haggadah change the order in which they are found in the Torah: The wicked (Ex. 12:26-27), the one who doesn’t know how to ask (Ex. 13:8), the simple (Ex. 13:14) and the wise son (Deut. 6:20-21)?
Finally, why does the wise child say "Which the Lord our God has commanded you?" This would seem to be superfluous since we have another passage in the Torah that makes this statement, "And you shall tell your son on that day saying, “It is because of this, that the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.” (Ex. 13:8)
To answer these questions, we must begin with the following from Proverbs, "Do not rebuke the scoffer for he will hate you; reprove the wise person and he will love you." (Prov. 9:8) Alshikh explains that one should be gentle when criticizing the scoffer and not too harsh. If one finds oneself in the presence of a scoffer who rejects the Torah and a wise person, it is better to criticize the wise person rather than the scoffer, as the verse says, "Do not rebuke the scoffer … reprove the wise person."45That is why the Haggadah reverses the order of the four children and puts the wise one first and the wicked one last - we criticize the wise before the wicked. The author now goes on to explain their order in the Torah. Rabbi Ettlinger also does not appear to explicitly answer all of his own questions.
Based on this verse we can understand why the father who is sitting with his four sons addresses them in the order suggested by the Torah. First the father addresses the wicked son. When the wicked son asks about the Seder, the father explains the meaning of the Passover offering. He explains that this is not avodah, work, ("what is this avodah to you?") by telling him that the Pesach offering is a reminder of the miracles, through which God saved us.46“It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses." This is a fitting answer in the spirit of Proverbs for the wicked child who is a scoffer. The answer in the Torah is gentle and not confrontational – but when the father turns to the child who cannot ask, the second child in the Torah, his comments have an implied criticism not for this child but for his older and wicked brother.
He then explains the reason for the bitter herbs to the one who doesn’t know how to ask by telling him that the Egyptians embittered our ancestors’ lives. Despite the bitterness, our ancestors continued to trust God and because of this God took us out of Egypt.47“It is because of this that the Lord did for me when I left Egypt. By answering the silent child in this way, the father also alludes to the answer that he would give to the wicked son: God would take me out of Egypt but not you.
The simple child (the third child mentioned in the Torah) has heard his father explain the Passover offering and the bitter herbs so he now asks about the meaning of the matzah, "What is this (zot) – the matzah?"48The word zot, this, is feminine, as is the word matzah, so when the simple child says "What is this - this is a direct reference to the unleavened bread. The father now answers him in the exact words of the Torah, telling him that the matzah is a symbol that, “With a strong hand, the Lord took us out of Egypt …” When we left Egypt there was no time to allow the dough to become leavened.
The wise child has heard all that his father has said including the reasons for the Pesach, maror, and matzah, and he has remained silent until now. When he hears the implied criticism that the father offers the wicked child, "God took me and not him out of Egypt," he begins to think, "Maybe I am not worthy of being redeemed49Why would the wise child have such a thought? Possibly because he also says “Which the Lord commanded you.” This implies that like the wicked child he has removed himself from the community. ." So he immediately says, "What commandments made the Israelites worthy of redemption, and I will perform them."50"What are the testimonies, statuyes, and laws which the Lord our God commanded YOU?" The father then went on at length explaining all the commandments until the very last one, "One may not eat anything after the Afikomen," so that the taste of the Afikomen would remain in his mouth.
We see, that the Torah's ordering of the four children and their answers teaches us that silence is befitting for the wise, as Solomon said. In the Torah, the wise son comes last so that he can listen to the answers offered to the other three sons, and so he can hear the rebuke which is given to the wicked son. But in the Haggadah, the wise son comes first in fulfillment of the verse, "Do not rebuke the scoffer … reprove the wise person."
We see in the Torah, on the other hand, that the father does not directly rebuke the wicked son but merely hints at his rebuke. In the Torah there are hints of his criticism of the wicked child in his answer to the son who does not know how to ask (God took me out of Egypt but he would not have taken you out). In this way, he fulfills the teaching, "Don’t rebuke the scoffer lest he hate you."51Rabbi Ettlinger does not appear to explain why a different order appears in the Haggadah – only why the Torah has the order it does and how the answers relate to one another. It could be that the four children in the Haggadah reflect the amount of knowledge each child has.
Haamek Sheilah
It appears that this is what is stated in Shemos Rabbah, parasha 47: “[We infer from the phrase] ‘For by the mouth of these words’39Ex. 34:27. It is usually translated as “for according to these words.” that you should toil in the Torah using your mouth. This [is similar] to what is stated, ‘It is in your mouth and heart to perform it.’”40Deut. 30:14. It may also be translated as “It is with your mouth and heart to perform.” The verse in full reads: “For the word is exceedingly close to you. It is in your mouth and heart to perform.” It is unclear how “by the mouth” implies that one should toil in the Torah. It therefore appears to be similar to what we have just explained, and is referring to studying only with others, when a person toils in order to [defend] and explain his logic. For the explanation of the phrase “‘For by the mouth of these words” is similar to [what is expressed in] the verse in Proverbs, “And adds learning to his lips,”41Prov. 16:23. for it is with his discussion with others that one increases the strength of analysis and thereby brings the halachah to light. The [above-mentioned] midrash brings a proof from the phrase “It is in your mouth and heart to perform it,” for the main theme of that verse pertains to the laws contained in the Oral Law that have not been received, and [their conception] requires us to analyze [the received Oral Law] deeply and [bring them to light] by inferring one matter from another. [Therefore, the verse should be translated as follows: “It is in your mouth and heart to produce it.”] This is what Scripture states: “It is not in the heavens, [so that you cannot say, ‘Who shall go up for us to the heavens and take it for us, and let us hear it that we may produce it].’” This is stated in Tractate Eruvin 54a42This gemara is explained further in the addendum in the next paragraph. and see [how this gemara is explained] at length in [Ha’amek She’elah], She’iltah 19.43This reference will be described in footnote 45.