Wicked-I

The Wise Son finds it natural to toil in Torah study and to find God through his intellectual efforts. The Simple Son (תם) has the trait of תמימיות, by which he recognizes that God directs everything, and is the foundation of all existence. God operates through nature and all that happens to him comes from God. He walks after God with perfect and relaxed faith. He asks simple, "What's this?" The word זאת, this, indicates something that is clearly present and can be pointed at. It is the presence of God that he sees clearly throughout existence.

But what of the Wicked Son and the One Who Knows Not How to Ask? They share something in common. Neither one can relate to the way things appear superficially. The Wicked Son sees the Torah and it doesn't sit well with him because he has questions and opposition in his soul. The One Who Knows Not How to Ask looks at the world and finds it so perplexing that he has no idea even where to start asking questions. In order to ask, there has to be some minimal amount of understanding through which he can translate what he comprehends into a question and advance in his understanding. But for someone to whom everything is a riddle, he grasps nothing, there is no place for questioning. The inability to assimilate that which is in front of a person, whether on the part of the oppositional Wicked Son or of the One Who Knows Not How to Ask, even though there is something lacking in consequence, there is also the spark of something hidden, which shows a connection to a deeper realm. The inability to reconcile with and understand what is seemingly obvious is rooted in a desire for something greater and more clear. This is why there is opposition which manifests itself either as wickedness or an utter lack of understanding to the point of being unable to even formulate a question.

The Wicked Son is rooted in the concept of Tohu, the destruction of the world order. Tohu desires to destroy what is present because it seeks a greater light. Questioning always strengthens that which was questioned, and forces it to find something deeper within. Yes, the Wicked Son is opposed to the Torah, but that opposition will cause a deepening of the Torah to reveal greater light until his opposition is complete gone. The Wicked Son truly desires the Torah, but in its present form it is being presented to him in a manner that is incomplete. His heart is troubled by what he is shown and he is full of questions and rejection. He may even think that he is opposed to the Torah, but deep down it is not the Torah to which he is opposed, he just wants a broader and deeper Torah. He is rejecting explanations that come from a Torah which is neither broad nor deep.

Notice that despite his wickedness the Torah refers to him as a son. His behavior may be corrupt, we may need to knock out a few of his teeth, but we must still relate to him as a member of the family.

In his dissatisfaction with what seems to be obvious to others he forces his parents and teachers to deepen and broaden their own understanding in order to reach their distant brother.

Four Sons - Many Approaches to Relating to God - Part II

Every parent and educator has an obligation to broaden his or her perspective on the greatness of Hashem. They will then appreciate that God reveals Himself even in mundane matters, which is the way to God for people who are in the workforce. God is revealed in the soul, which is the spiritual path of artists. God is revealed through intellectual pursuit and logic, which is the path of those who are engaged in Torah study. The primary failure of education is educating a child along a path that is not appropriate for his or her soul. One who understands Hashem and recognizes the myriad ways in which He reveals Himself, can then mentor many people and direct them along the path that is appropriate for their unique spiritual roots.

One of the most basic rules of Chinuch (education) is that prior to examining the souls of one's own children a person needs to know that many facets of God and the many approaches to Torah, and the various forms of serving God. This will prevent the parent from becoming stuck in the notion that his path is the sole path to Hashem and thereby attempt to force the child along a path that is perhaps not at all the path for his soul. A parent doesn't give his child a soul, only the outer garments that clothe the soul. The child's path, however, is rooted in his own soul. It is therefore entirely possible for a parent to have a child whose spiritual path is completely unlike that of the parent. We see this all the time.

Even if a parent is open to the possibility of his child having an alternative path to God, if the parent does not value the path of the child, he will not be able to educate him properly. If the father thinks there is one proper path to serving God - perhaps he feels that it is through intensive Talmudic study - even if he senses that this is not the path for his child who would rather be engaged in stories or songs, if he doesn't force his child down the Talmudic path, but still feels his child's path is mistaken, there will be consequences in the child's overall foundation. Nothing fills a child with life more than the feeling that his parents are proud of him. If the father is still dreaming that his son would be someone else, all the candies and nice words won't help. If the heart isn't in it then the child won't get the nutrition he needs for proper growth.

But the parent can't lie to himself. If he really believes there is only one path to God then in his heart, his child is a failure. And his child will sense this. The parent needs to appreciate the multiplicity of approaches and value their manifestation of God's will, and happily encourage his child from the depths of his heart to go according to his nature and sanctify the name of God in the way that meets his own soul. 

Four Sons - Many Approaches to Relating to God - Part I

God reveals Himself in many ways in the world. This is the root cause for their being so many different types of people. The distinctions between people and the way in which their souls operate are rooted in the spiritual light at the core of their existence. Each person is rooted in a distinct light of God's manifestation which establishes his nature, what attracts him, and his approach to life. Some souls are more connected to chesed, others to gevurah, some to tifereth, and yet others to malchuth.

This is the basis for a proper understanding of educating children, "Educate a child according to his path," the personal spiritual path of the individual child. In order to be ready to properly educate children according to their unique paths a person must first educate himself in the panoply of ways in which God is manifested in the world. Each person is a revelation of God's holiness through his own soul, in his unique expression of holiness which is his task in this world. To understand the uniqueness of each individual it is necessary to first understand the many facets of God's light in order to connect the soul of the child with the particular light which is appropriate for him.

If a person is only familiar with one manifestation of the Divine light he will attempt to educate all his students and children along that path. Since he is unaware of other paths, he assumes that this is the one truth. These efforts will fail for those whose souls are destined for another path. They will be resistant to his efforts, and, as they are not offered an alternative that suits them, will feel opposition in general to God and are likely to reject everything. Almost all rebellion against spirituality results from the lack of awareness that there are other approaches, based in the broad selection of ways in which God is manifest in the world, which could direct these individuals down the path that fits their own personality and desire. The lack of involvement in Kabbalistic study, leads to a lack of understanding of the multiplicity of approaches, and leaves people stuck in one way of serving God. The result is rejection in the hearts of those for whom the most popular path is not the right path.

We are not referring to the realm of Halacha which is established and incumbent on every Jew, and is not dependent on ones personal inclinations. However, the main difficulties in education are not in the area of Halacha, but due to the soul. When a person finds his place within Jewish spirituality, the toil in Halacha will also be sweet to him. He will desire the Mitzvoth of Hashem, even those which are naturally difficult.
הגדה

השתא עבדי - Now We are Slaves

In the introductory words to the Hagaddah we mention that we are currently slaves. Is that really true? We are no longer subject to the legendary tyrannical poritz of the shtetel. There is a Jewish government in Israel. Why are we calling ourselves slaves?

The answer is that slavery as well as freedom comes in many forms. In recent generations we have, thank God, left the difficult places of exile, and are no longer subject to the pogroms that we endured for 2,000 years. But we are not yet in a state of rest and peace. Slavery is not just to external masters; it can also be internal. Being subject to the dictates of others, involvement in activities or attitudes that minimize one's spirit and self-esteem. Jealousy and fighting are rulers over a person.

The complete redemption for which we hope incorporates a world of love and pleasantness, of brotherhood and trust. No locks or chains. All people will treat each other as family. The forces of destruction, petty pursuits, theft and embezzlement, and miserliness will melt in the face of an abundance of love and understanding. It will be a world filled with smiles, filled with song, and feelings of generosity. As long as their are still high walls between families and people's hearts, if there is distance and coldness between people, then we are still slaves with heavy chains on our souls which are filled with love, shining faces and integrity.

Yes, we are still slaves. But this is not a thought that should fill us with despair, but one which points to the deficiencies of the present with an eye to the belief that change is coming. If we withstood Paroh, we can withstand this The experience of leaving Egypt fills us with hope, and even an expectation, that we will overcome the present challenges as well and build a world in which is filled with peace and song.
הגדה

Of Prayers and Wicks

תפלה (prayer) is the essence of ones thirst for God. It is rooted in the word פתיל (wick), which is formed by twisting two thin threads until they become one. So, too, prayer is a person's wrapping himself around the light of God to unite with Him. Creating a wick is creating a tie, as the Ramba"m writes that if one twists two threads to form a wick on Shabbos, he is considered to have transgressed the prohibition of tying. Through prayer we tie ourselves and literally unite with Him.

The ultimate purpose of prayer is complete unity; we unite with God to become one. Prayer is a movement towards unity. The highest points of prayer, reciting the ד of the word אחד in recital of the Shema, or the mentioning of the word באהבה in the first blessing of the Shemoneh Esray, are each moments of complete unity with God to truly become one.

We conclude our prayers with והיה ה' למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה ה' אחד ושמו אחד, and God will be the King over the entire Earth, on the day God will be One and His name will be One, as it is an expression of the Unity which is the goal of prayer. Israel is part and parcel of God and our souls are connected to him. This is not just truly of Jews, but the entirety of Creation contains within it sparks of holiness which are naturally connected to God. The entirety of Creation proclaims the honor of God which fills and is found within everything.