Page 26 - HaMizrachi #28 Pesach USA 2021

THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND RAV KOOK’S TEACHINGS

Rabbi Chanan Morrison

Speaking to the Wise Son

he Haggadah speaks of four been eaten at the end of the meal? What involvement in all aspects of mitzvot
children. Each one asks his own is the significance of this particular rule? leads to deeper love of G-d, the ultimate
Tquestion, and each one receives Source for the Torah’s mitzvot.
a personal response. Education, the The Seder Frog
Sages taught, is not something that can Thus, for the wise and logical child,
be mass-produced like a Model T. I recall one year, when my six-year-old we specifically mention the rule about
daughter was bursting with excitement, not eating after the afikoman. Why is
The first child, the wise son, is troubled watching us unpack the Pesach dishes. matzah the very last food we eat on
by the Torah’s abundance of rituals and The special pots and pans she fondly Seder Night? We want the experience
minutiae. For the intelligent and ratio- remembered from last Pesach were back of Pesach to make a deep and lasting
nal, everything should be logical. What once again! impression. We want the taste of matzah
meaning can there be in these myriad to remain in our mouths for as long as
details and rules? “What is the meaning Then we uncovered a small piece of possible. So we eat the afikoman at the
of the rituals, rules, and laws that the green felt fabric that fits over a finger. very end of the meal, even after dessert.
Eternal our G-d has commanded you?” Once upon a time it sported two plastic
(Devarim 6:20) eyes and even a little red tongue. Our The detailed laws surrounding each
eldest brought it home from kindergar- mitzvah etch the experience of that
Background illustration of Rav Kook courtesy of www.gedolimcanvas.com
Why All the Details? ten once, and ever since it has graced our mitzvah onto our souls. Like the matzah
Seder table, making a special appearance on Pesach, we want the taste of the mitz-
In one brief query, the wise child has during the passage about the plague of vah to stay with us as long as possible.
challenged the very foundations of a frogs. Just as our own personal additions to
ritual-rich religion. Why do we need all Pesach customs – even formless pieces
of these details and halachot? Why is it This year, I wondered: would my daugh- of faded green felt – will conjure up
not enough to be satisfied with Judaism’s ter recognize this lump of green cloth, images of frolicking frogs and past
basic tenets and fundamental teachings? only on display for a few minutes each Pesachs, evoking childhood memories
The Haggadah’s response is enigmatic, year? I need not have worried. Her face of celebration and thanksgiving will
ostensibly irrelevant to the question: immediately lit up as she spied the Seder engrave them deeply on our soul.
“frog.”
“You shall explain to him the laws of (From Silver from the Land of Israel. Adapted
Pesach: one does not eat any dessert Etching the Mitzvah on Our Soul from Olat Re’iyah vol. II, p. 275).
after the Pesach offering.”
The detailed laws of mitzvot serve a
Are we to explain to him all the laws crucial function. They create an atmo-
of Pesach? Or just this one rule about sphere and enhance the mitzvah-expe-
not eating after the Pesach offering – or rience. They deepen the impression the Rabbi Chanan Morrison is the author of
nowadays, the afikoman-matzah – has mitzvah makes on the soul. Our intense several books on Rav Kook’s writings.

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