FOR PASSOVER
THE WISE, THE WICKED, AND THE HORSE
Earlier this week, I was invited to visit a horse farm. The owner proudly showed me around to the horses of different sizes and shapes, including his new two-week-old foal.
And then, with a look and sound of satisfaction and contentment, the owner showed me the “prize”: an Arabian horse. It was majestically tall and fit. It had a look of a champion. This was clearly an animal fit for royalty.
Standing in the pen next to this magnificent creature was a mare. As excited was the look on this owner’s face when describing the champion horse, so sad of a look appeared when the owner spoke about the mare: “This mare gave birth less than forty-eight hours ago. It was her first birth. She was, unfortunately, unable to connect with her new offspring. This proved to be fatal for the tender foal. Without its mother’s direct involvement, this animal had no chance.” I inquired whether the farm people could have helped. “Well, we did try, but our facilities are not yet equipped to raise a baby horse alone. Outside of that, we had to let nature take its course.” The foal did not make it through the night.
A loss is gloomy. What a shame. I looked at this mare and wondered what could have happened with even small attention to her own offspring, and what could this horse be thinking upon the loss of its maiden birth.
The horse, of course, would not have been thinking. Its life is not designed to be this way. It possesses minimal intelligence, just sufficient to get by, and that is about it. Everything else is about instinct and feelings of nature. Animals, therefore, tend to forget things quite rapidly as time moves on. Humans, on the other hand, are not merely intelligent beings, but they are creatures of intelligence. Intelligence defines the human being. Those who properly utilize their intelligence have deeply impacted the world, or even changed it. An animal, on the other hand, is created with an inborn set of rules, mainly based on feelings. If it does not feel like it, it will not happen.
In the Jewish world, intelligence plays a more defined role on Passover – celebrated for eight days beginning this coming Monday night - than at any other time. On four occasions, the Torah instructs parents to tell their children about the Exodus from Egypt. As the Passover Hagadah points out, each reference represents one of the “four sons” (referring to all children) loosely defined by their intelligence: the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one that does not even know how to ask.
The Torah itself does not noticeably distinguish among any of the four sons. The distinction is inferred by the Sages from the terminology of the Torah in the four instances. Thus, when the Torah says, “In the future, when your son asks you, saying: ‘What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws which G-d, our G-d, has commanded you?’” This is a reference to the wise son. (Deuteronomy 6:20-25.) This child’s intelligence has enabled him to think about the variances of the laws. In contrast, when the Torah presents these words: “When your children say to you: ‘What is this service for you?’” (Exodus 12:26), it refers to the wicked son, excluding himself from the Jewish people by saying “for you.”
Upon closer examination, however, this deduction seems wrong. Does the wise son not also exclude himself by saying, “which G-d has commanded you”? What is the difference between the two sons?
Examining the wise son’s question reveals, indeed, superior intelligence. The wise son refers to the Torah’s precepts as “testimonies, statutes, and laws.” These represent the three categories into which the Torah’s laws can be divided: “Testimonies” refers to those mandates commemorating either events in Jewish national history (such as the holidays, Shabbos), or directives like Tefillin and Tzitzis, which are worn as “testimonies” to the Almighty. “Statutes” refer to supra-rational commandments not explained by reason, like the Red Heifer or the rules of Kosher. “Laws” refers to rational edicts, such as no murder or stealing, dictated by any decent society.
This division between the commandments is what bothers the wise son: Being “wise,” the son has attained a level of unbounded obedience to the Divine orders. His fealty to the Almighty and the Torah is not expressed merely through his understanding and appreciation of the commandments. The wise son rises to a higher, super-rational level. He has dedicated himself to their performance, even when their rationality is not fully understood. Why, asks the wise son, is there division between commandments? What difference does it make whether an instruction is in this category or another; they all must be kept equally! The focus should be on forging a connection with the Commander, not the commandment. The categorizing of commandments, proclaims the wise son, may be necessary “for you,” for those not cognizant of the greatness of the Commander; if, however, one is “wise,” what is the purpose of these categories?
The Torah’s reply to the wise son is, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and G-d took us out of Egypt… to perform all these decrees. (6:21.) The Torah and its commandments, presented to the Jewish people upon the Exodus from Egypt, were designed to enable the Divine, infinite Oneness to permeate the worldly existence. To fulfill this purpose, humans perform Divine mandates with mundane, physical objects. The ultimate human participation is through appreciation. The three categories of Divine commandments relate to a different dimension of human personalities: Rational thinking; supra-rational thinking; and common civil laws. Dividing the laws this way allows people to develop a significant appreciation for their intricacies and details.
The wicked son, on the other hand, alludes to the rules as a “service,” or a burden. By adding the words “for you,” he implies that, to him, his world does not need to be a Divine one. The Passover Hagadah tells him: “Had you been there, you would not have been redeemed.” He gets the ultimate exclusion.
It is for this reason the Hagadah answers the wise son this way: “Tell to him the laws of Passover: One may not eat any dessert after the ‘Afikomen’ - the meat of the Pascal offering.” The purpose of this law is to enhance appreciation of the sacrificial meat, by not allowing the physical, savory taste, to be diluted. Here is a Divine ordinance expected to be physically enjoyed to its full, corporeal capacity. Similarly, the observance of Torah and its rules in all its specific categories should be “enjoyed” and fully appreciated.
The horse is expected to always be a horse. A human being, though, must be aware of the expectations from On High: to utilize the intelligence and wisdom granted specifically to human beings. The human thus unleashes G-dliness even into the confines of this world, leading it to liberation and freedom.
SUMMARY: The success of the human depends on utilizing all avenues granted to him or her to bring Heaven down to earth.