By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
The Passover Haggadah presents a dramatic format for dealing with questions relating to religious observance. It presents four children, representing different attitudes toward Jewish belief and ritual, along with the framework for how to answer each of the questioners.
The “rasha” (wicked child) is antagonistic to Jewish tradition. He/she does not feel part of it, and asks: what’s the point of all this ritual? Why do you do these things? The Haggadah realizes that there is little to be gained by entering into argument with such a person, or to try to convince the “rasha” through logical discussion. Rather, the Haggadah provides a different kind of response: I do these things because God brought ME out of Egypt. I will not debate with you; but I will tell you why this is so meaningful to me. Through my personal testimony, perhaps you will get a sense of why Jewish belief and observance are so significant and meaningful.
The child “who does not know how to ask” (every child knows how to ask questions!) is one who is so uninterested in Judaism that he/she isn’t even curious enough to ask a question. The response is identical to the response given to the “rasha”–I give my personal testimony of why being Jewish is so important and meaningful, of what the laws and tradtions mean to me. If I can give an enthusiastic and sincere story of my own commitment, perhaps the child’s interest will be aroused.
The “hakham” (wise child) asks about the laws. He/she accepts Judaism and wants to know every detail of the halakha. The response is: we teach this child all the laws and customs.
The “tam” (simple or naive child) asks: what is this? We answer: Because with a mighty hand God took us out of Egypt. There seems to be a disconnect here. How is this response relevant to the question? How does it help the child understand what is transpiring at the Seder, or the broader issue of what is the meaning/purpose of religious observance altogether.
I think we need to re-examine the question and answer relating to the “tam”. Although “tam” is usually translated as “simple” or “naive”, the word also has a much different meaning. It means pure, unblemished, whole. Our forefather Jacob is described as being “tam” and so is Job. Noah is called “tamim”, from the same root. The “tam” of the Haggadah isn’t simple at all, but is actually the most profound of the four children.
The “tam” accepts Jewish belief and ritual, but his/her question isn’t about what to do–but about why. The “tam”, in search of wholeness, is not satisfied with an intellectual discussion of the laws and customs. The “tam” wants to understand how these laws and customs increase one’s closeness to God, how they enhance spirituality. The “tam” is saying: yes, I’ll do what the religion requires, but I need something more. I need to know the inner spirit of what the religion demands of me.
The response is: if you are seeking the inner meaning and you want to deepen your spirituality, then you need to understand: God is great, God is a presence in our lives, God’s mighty hand took us out of Egypt, God’s mighty hand continues to play a role in our lives today. The laws and traditions of Judaism aim at one thing: to bring us closer to God. Every time we perform a mitzvah, we bring God into our consciousness and into our lives. The more connected we are with God’s presence, the deeper and more meaningful are our lives. If we will develop our spiritual natures, we will be better, happier and wiser people. God’s mighty hand is reaching out to us every moment of every day.
The Kotzker Rebbe once said: When a person needs to cry, when a person wants to cry–but cannot cry: that is the most heart-rending cry of all. When a person feels the deep need to cry out, but is emotionally stifled–the person’s life is not “whole”. I would paraphrase the Kotzker Rebbe’s words: When a person needs to feel close to God, when a person wants to feel close to God–but cannot feel close to God: that is the most heart-rending feeling of all.
This is dilemma raised bythe “tam”: We are living at a time of spiritual malaise, of “existential vacuum”, of “spiritual homelessness”. I want to feel close to God–but I feel distant from God. How can I come closer? How can I achieve spiritual wholeness?
The answer: remember always that God is a presence in our lives. Every mitzvah is an entry point to a deeper spiritual awareness. Take time to think quietly and alone. You can open your heart and emotion and intellect. You can cry out. You can feel God’s closeness. If you will open yourself to spiritual growth, you will find the redemption and wisdom that you seek.
For us to be able to respond to the four types of “children”, we ourselves need to have the commitment, knowlege, sincerity and integrity to give authentic answers. We need to understand the nature of the questions–and the questioners. We need to make our case honestly and powerfully. We need to explain the laws and traditions. Perhaps most importantly, we need to know how to respond to the “tam”–the person seeking religious wholeness, spiritual fulfillment, intellectual purity.
We need to reflect not only on “what”, but on “why”.
by Rabbi Ya’aqob Menashe
Haqpadah (being overly strict) is a by-product of haughtiness. Left unchecked, it can consume one’s life and its own by-products are hatred, competition, controversy, Lashon Hara’ (lit. evil tongue) and more. Whoever is overly strict with others must know that Heaven will treat him the same way.
This character trait is part of a person’s nature that he is born with. If one is fortunate not to be a Qapdan (one who is overly strict or exacting) by nature, he must know that it is a gift from G-d. However, one who does have the trait of Haqpadah must understand that by working on oneself on a daily basis and studying the works of Mussar (lessons in character improvement) a person does have the strength and ability to change his Middoth (character).
This applies to dealings with all people, because even if the person has more honor and wealth than his neighbor, he should realize that in Heaven the opposite might be true. What is most important, however, is that a person must be careful not to be overly strict with his wife, children and those who work in his home. The evil inclination tempts a person to get angry and be severe with his household when they behave contrary to his will and he should be constantly on the guard against this.
l’annuncio per nonna betta – cucina kosher è in finale al new york festival. L’esito si avrà il 4-5 maggio. viva il carciofo alla giudia!
paola rolli copy e paolo montanari art director con la direzione creativa di agostino toscana sono gli autori dell’annuncio (quanto vorrei averlo fatto io…) facciamogli “mazal tov” e speriamo che vincano.
By Rabbi Marc D. Angel
Question: why do Jews answer a question with another question?
Answer: why shouldn’t Jews answer a question with another question?
There’s something about the Jewish mystique that likes questions. Every question seems to generate another question; every answer engenders another question. How did we get to be so question-oriented?
One answer might be our long history of Talmud study. The Talmud is a veritable treasure house of questions. It analyzes every statement from different angles. It asks: why does the text use this word, but not that word? What are the implications? Why did this rabbi hold that opinion and why did the other rabbi disagree? Does the statement in one place contradict a statement in another place? How can we resolve the contradictions?
A recent article in the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, discussed a fascinating phenomenon in South Korea, the home of nearly 50 million people. Intellectual leaders in South Korea wondered why Jews have excelled so incredibly–winning a high proportion of Nobel Prizes, major national and international awards in the sciences, math, literature, medicine etc. They concluded that the secret of the Jewish “genius” is the Talmud! Because Jews study Talmud, they become analytical, logical, and they ask a lot of questions. They search for truth, and analyze every detail along the way.
The Talmud has been translated into Korean, and many thousands of South Korean children are now studying Talmud. Many Korean homes have sets of Talmud, so that adults can study along with their children. There are more–a great many more–South Koreans studying Talmud than there are Jews studying Talmud!
While I am all in favor of Talmud study and I agree that this study is intellectually enriching, I think Talmud study in itself will not generate more Nobel Prize winners for South Korea, or Israel or anywhere else. First, one can sharpen analytic skills by studying math or logic or analytical philosophy. Second, many Jewish “geniuses” who have made impressive intellectual achievements have never opened a volume of Talmud in their lives!
It is not the Talmud itself that can make us wise; but the “Talmudic method” that is the key. Over the centuries, this method of asking questions, and more questions, and then more questions–has become ingrained in the Jewish psyche. Whether or not a Jew has studied Talmud, the Talmudic method is the tradition which he/she has inherited from parents, grandparents etc. This method is applied to all areas of intellectual inquiry, and this method reaps vast results.
The “Talmudic method” goes further than logical analysis of data and opinions. One of the six divisions of the Talmud is Toharoth–dealing with laws relating to ritual purity and impurity, including, for example, topics in this week’s Torah portion. Ritual purity and impurity can not be detected in a microscope, and are not derivable by logic or math. They relate to another dimension of reality, a dimension that transcends what we see and what we can quantify. They are intellectual abstractions.
Thus, the Talmudic method–and the Torah itself–pushes us to think beyond the obvious. It teaches us to consider abstract concepts that reflect different dimensions of reality. In studying the laws of ritual purity, we enter a different zone of awareness and sensitivity. Although these laws seem so strange to many moderns, they actually are important elements in the development of the “Jewish mystique”. They teach us to look beyond the apparent, to imagine different realities, to envision things that can’t be seen with our eyes.
I am not sure if the South Koreans will plumb the depths of the Talmudic method; but it is to their credit that they are trying.
Question: Should we Jews devote more time and energy to studying Talmud and teaching it to our children?
Answer: Shouldn’t we be at least as interested in Talmud as the South Koreans?
gerusalemme gerusalemme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k82FgJ8VZk
il simpaticissimo philippe d’averio, prezioso e raffinato ospite di nonna betta cucina kosher per un pranzo di lavoro nel ghetto di roma, ha proferito parole di encomio per il carciofo alla giudia che lui stesso ha definito “una natura morta che fa resuscitare i morti”. la troupe internazionale con cui stava girando un servizio, si è lasciata guidare dal senso estetico ma soprattutto palatale del grande critico e, davanti all’artichoke jewish style si è abbandonata al deliquio. per la cronaca hanno gustato i pezzetti fritti, la concia definita “superbe” e gli aliciotti con l’indivia che hanno commosso tutti quanti. grazie philippe, gli apprezzamenti di un gourmet sofisticato come te fanno, naturalmente, molto piacere.
