Dear Readers,

At the Seder we will read of four sons: one wise, one wicked, one simple and one who does not know how to ask. These represent the four types of people—all of us—who attend the Seder.

Now, it’s easy to label people. To stick them into a box, to call one person wise and another simple. But no one ever really fits so neatly. We are complex, and constantly changing and growing. We are often a combination of these four aspects, which is why another way of understanding the four sons as four individuals is to understand them as four aspects within each and every one of us.

There is a beautiful teaching that cheirut, the Hebrew word for “freedom,” is an acronym for these four sons. The Hebrew letter chet is for chacham, the wise son; the reish is for rasha, the wicked son; the vav is for v’she-eino yodei’a lish’ol, the one who doesn’t know how to ask; and the tav is for tam, the simple son. When all four are viewed as a composite, when we learn to understand that people are much deeper than they first appear, we can truly experience freedom—freedom from paralyzing misconceptions and stereotypes. In fact, in order to be free, we must hone our ability to see that we and others are much more than we first perceive.

Best wishes for a liberating and joyous Passover,

Sara Esther Crispe,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team

PS This week we mark 110 years since the birth of the Rebbe, of sainted memory. Please take a moment to check out the special section we put together in honor of this milestone.