The Four Sons

Wisdom, it turns out, is prototyped not by its answer, but by its question. But what is the question that wisdom never ceases to ask?

Behind his wickedness there is a story, a reason why he allowed his innocent soul to become corrupted and his pure mind twisted by lower tendencies. Identify the root cause, and then neutralize it...

That such damnations are unlikely to charm the young man’s heart is a no-brainer. But lousy pedagogy aside, this is the opposite of what we are supposed to be doing tonight.

What gets me about Schwartz is that he ain't stupid. He has brains, but all he does with them is tickle his own brains. Schwartz' brain stands outside life peering in, like a surgeon examining a cadaver...

I am a wicked person, he's declaring. I enjoy food, I live in order to indulge in the pleasures of the world. It makes perfect sense for me to be a part of this grand feast... but what does it have to do with you guys?

How is it that a perfectly capable and intelligent person can have no questions on a night rigged for questions?

At the seder we discuss the "Four Sons": the Wise Son, the Wicked Son, the Simple Son, and the Son Who Doesn't Know How To Ask. Modern society has produced a fifth son...

From reading the Passover text it seems that the wise child and the wicked child pose the same question.

Here is the popular take: The Wise Son is the one who turned out right. The Wicked One? Well... enough said. The Simple One? Alright, not every hamentasch turns out the way you want. The One Who Doesn't Know to Ask? Oy...

The four sons represent the kaleidoscope of perspectives we all bring to the table.