• •• • • • • •• • • • compact discs • audio, video blank tapes • vhs movies • all movies 75' to 53.25 • • 7 How Does One Respond To The 'Wicked' Son? RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT Special to The Jewish News T The central feature of the seder on Passover is the question. The entire seder ritual is ar- ranged in such a manner as to stimulate questions from the youngsters and answers from the adults. In this sense, Passover is a uniquely Jewish festival. We are the people of the ques- tion. Our entire existence has been one long question mark. Our future has, throughout the ages, been a subject for interrogation. Today, when the bonds of tradition are less confining to many and when the lure of pluralism is more Shabbat Chol Hamoed Pesach: Exodus 33:12-34:26, Numbers 28:19-25, Ezekiel 37:1-14 enticing, even the question of our very essence has arisen: Mi Hu Yehudi? — Who is a Jew? The author of the Hag- gadah, basing the thought upon scriptural sources, con- ceives of four types of ques- tioners at the seder table: the wise son, the wicked, the simple and the son who knows not how to ask. The most intriguing of the questioners is the rasha, the so-called wicked son. Now the wicked son is really not all that bad. He has committed no crime. He comes to the seder, he asks questions, he is interested and concerned. He sits at the table drinking his four cups, eating the mat- zah and maror; but he is troubled and confused. His thoughts do not synthesize with the philosophy of tradi- tional Judaism. He is intel- lectually in rebellion. What is his question? What really is bothering him? The Jerusalem Talmud (Pesachim 10:4) has inter- preted the question of the wicked son in an almost con- temporary vein: "Why do you burden us with these trouble- some rituals every year?" Why all this ritual, the de- tailed and taxing practices? Let us have the ideals of reli- gion, the ethics of Judaism, the faith in God, the love of man. But why be bothered by Morton F. Yolkut is rabbi at Cong. B'nai David. MDi , / „INT/ I ALL THAT YOU WAII.V7—' ; ' 'D. EXPECT. LOEHMANNS OF HUNTERS SQUARE MAL1 ✓ " / 14 *LE ORCHARD LAKE RD • FARMINGTON HILLS • 855 - 440 itOUNS: floit:; Tues.; these demanding, archaic rituals — tallit and tefillin, Shabbat and kashrut, matzah and maror — these are sim- ply relics. Of course, we could refute his premise easily, but it is a disturbing question to many contemporary Jews. It is par- ticularly pressing on Passover. Is it really neces- sary to work one's fingers to the bone — scrubbing, clean- ing, changing dishes, search- ing for and burning the chametz — in order to com- memorate a great struggle for freedom? And what if one does not eat matzah at the seder? Is he less of a Jew be- cause of it? Does his avoidance of maror mean that he does not value liberty and Jewish peoplehood? The answer to the second son need not be a harsh one, it can be given with under- standing and tolerance. "For the sake of this" our people were redeemed. Redemption does not come without prep- aration. Judaism is not a religion of the spirit; it is a system of law. The soul of Judaism does not lie in its ideals but in its practices. The language of Judaism is not expressed in abstract ethics but in concrete mitzvot. The Haggadah places the wicked son next to the wise son; he is not rejected or dis- missed. He is to be treated with understanding and sym- pathy. "Blunt his teeth," the Haggadah tells us. Argue with him, debate with him, teach him, educate him. He may be wicked but he is a wicked son, one of ours, no less than the wise or the saintly, and we are responsi- ble for him. Perhaps our approach to the wicked son can best be summarized in an answer once given by the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidism. A man whose son had rebelled against the teachings and practices of Judaism came to the Rabbi with tears in his eyes to com- plain of his bitter lot. "Rabbi, I have done everything in my power to keep him righteous and observant. What more can I do now?" The Ba'al Shem answered in three words — three words that deserve to become the foundation of Judaism's orientation in the modern world. He answered, "Love him more." That is the key to the prob- lem of the wicked son. Not denunciation, but education. Not contempt, but sympathy. And more than sympathy and understanding, and certainly more than mere tolerance — love him more. wed., Sat. 10 5:30 - Thurs., Fri. 10. - 8 —,8urr.-12;5 • • • • • • VDE017i07\-r • • • • • •• • •••••• • 737-0010 Maple Just E. of Farmington Rd. next to E.G. Nicks • framing • custom designing • instruction • finishing Together, there's so much good we can do. OG p e e cc () Temple Beth El is: Solutions to roblems. Problem solving is an everyday occurrence at Temple Beth El. It happens in counseling sessions with the rabbis on personal matters. It's repeated in widowed discussion groups, sisterhood projects, special programs for blind members of the Temple and in any number of youth classes. People join Temple Beth El for more than religious services. They do it because all of us have problems we could use some help with. And Temple is a good place to come to for that. We're a good place to belong to. . Temple Beth El We want to belong to your family Telegraph & 14 Mile Birmingham For information, including how affordable membership can be, call Herb Maistelman 851-1100 37