חָכָם מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר: מָה הָעֵדֹת וְהַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה הֹ’ אֱלֹקֵינוּ אֶתְכֶם. וְאַף אַתָּה אֱמָר לוֹ כְּהִלְכוֹת הַפֶּסַח, אֵין מַפְטִירִין אַחַר הַפֶּסַח אֲפִיקוֹמָן:
What does the wise son say? “What are the testimonies and the statutes and the laws that Hashem, our God, has commanded you?” You, in turn, should tell him like the laws of the Pesach offering: “One may not eat any dessert after the meat of the Pesach offering.”
This section of the Haggadah, dealing with the first of the four sons, raises a few questions:
- It is interesting to consider why this son is called wise. If he is so wise, why is he asking? Perhaps we will say that it is the question that is wise, thus showing that he is indeed wise himself. But is the question so wise? Granted he has mentioned the various types of commandments by name, but ultimately he seems to be just as uninformed as the simple son!
- What is the meaning behind the answer that we give the wise son: ‘One does not eat dessert after the meat of the Pesach offering’? How does this address his question?
- The Haggadah instructs us to tell him כהלכות הפסח, which literally means ‘like the laws of the Pesach’, for the letter כ at the beginning of a word connotes similarity. This seems very strange, as the law of not eating dessert after the Pesach offering is not ‘like the laws of Pesach’, it is one of the laws of Pesach!
Rav Kook[1] explains that this son is indeed asking a wise and important question. The goal of Seder is more or less self-understood: it is very important to remember our roots and the defining national experience of subjugation in and redemption from Egypt. The question of the wise son, however, is: Why are there so many different types of laws which are essentially coming to achieve the same goal? One or two mitzvos would certainly have sufficed to commemorate the Exodus!
The answer to this question is that the goal of Seder night is not merely to commemorate the Exodus. Rather, it is to renew and refresh the connection made at the time of the original Pesach, in a way that will inspire us for the rest of the year.
It is for this reason that one has to see himself as if he personally came out of Egypt; for Seder night is not just about looking backwards to the historical event of leaving Egypt. It is about looking forward to the year ahead, with our connection to Hashem and commitment to His Torah energized and invigorated by the experience of leaving Egypt.
If someone wishes to ensure that the impact of an event will endure, he plans it down to the smallest detail, with a variety of different means focusing on the theme of the event.
Consider the way a wedding is planned. In principle, the goal of the evening is for the young couple to get married, and this alone should not require such extravagant arrangements. The choice of color scheme between the flowers and the napkins will not make them any more or less married. However, all of those involved wish to make it a night to remember, and that involves extensive planning, from the band to the flower arrangements and everything else in between.
A meaningful Seder is one whose message will remain for the weeks and months to come. To that end, the Torah has mandated many different types of mitzvos, each one in its own way expressing the theme of the Seder, in order to make it ‘a night to remember’.
Interestingly, we can see this concept embodied in one of the laws of the Pesach offering: ‘One does not eat dessert after the meat of the Pesach offering’. The Talmud Yerushalmi explains the reason for this law: in order that the taste of the Pesach should remain in his mouth. When we think about it, this is essentially the message that we are looking to impart to the wise son. This is what the Haggadah means when it says to tell him ‘like the halachos of Pesach’, for the answer to his question about the numerous types of mitzvos on Seder night is just like that halacha of Afikoman – that the taste of the Pesach should stay with us.
May we merit to taste true freedom this coming Seder Night, and may it herald the full redemption of the Jewish People, speedily in our days.
Chag kasher ve’sameach.
[1] Commentary Olas Re’iyah to the Haggadah