Living Torah
ב"ה
TheRebbe.org Multimedia Video Living Torah Disc 34 Program One Hundred Thirty Four

The Fifth Son

19 Nissan, 5749 • April 24, 1989

Living Torah
Autoplay Next

The Fifth Son: 19 Nissan, 5749 • April 24, 1989

The Haggadah speaks of the “Four Sons” at the Seder table, demonstrating that every Jewish child needs to be given the full experience of Passover; if need be, search him out, find him, and invite him together with his family to your Seder table, to celebrate the freedom of our People.
Topics: Fifth Son, Lubavitcher Rebbe
The Fifth Son
19 Nissan, 5749 • April 24, 1989
Disc 34, Program 134

Event Date: 19 Nissan 5749 - April 24, 1989

The Haggadah speaks of the “Four Sons” at the Seder table, demonstrating that every Jewish child needs to be given the full experience of Passover; if need be, search him out, find him, and invite him together with his family to your Seder table, to celebrate the freedom of our People.

We have a unique freedom: When G-d freed us from Egypt, he freed us from all forms of slavery, for all time. Even the evil inclination cannot enslave us, for “the servant of a king, is one with the king” – the Jew belongs solely to G-d.

The Seder night is a time for Jewish children to make their mark: They are the first to speak up and address their parents. They make their parents aware that this night is different in many deep and meaningful ways – ways which they will discover together over the course of the night’s discussion, and through which they will grow together over the course of the year to follow.
Living Torah

You may also be interested in...
The Fifth Son As Teacher
Listen (28:46) 2 Comments
There, Here, and Nowhere
1 Comment
A Fifth Son
6 Comments
The Fifth Son — The One Not (Yet) at the Seder
A landmark public statement from 1957
7 Comments

Join the Discussion

Sort By:
6 Comments
Posting Guidelines
john luquillo April 25, 2016

Does this beautiful message of the 5th son relate in anyway to Deuteronomio 18 ? Reply

Andy Strowman England April 20, 2016

The Fifth son ? I have a friend who is a fifth son and it is the simple thing I encourage him to do .

Many fifth sons are living in obscurity behind closed doors and Chabad and no Jewish organisation reach them.

They are the forgotten tribe of Israel .The epitomy of loneliness.

We should remember them and not make selfish excuses to ignore them .


Sympathy without relief is like mustard without beef . Reply

Baltasar April 13, 2014

Powerful Words that go straight to the heart. Reply

Baruch March 20, 2013

The 5th son Yes indeed, we are obligated to reach out to all "fifth sons" & encourage them to join the seder. First of all, as the pasuk states "Kol Yisroel Arayvim Ze la ze" which means that all jews are responsible for one another. Furthermore, as we stand seconds before the redemption we must understand that just as every type of jew came out of the previous exile every type of jew will come out of this exile, as Avraham Fried would say "No jew will be left behind!! Reply

ruth housman marshfeild hills, MA April 18, 2011

the fifth son For me, it's the world, as EXODUS is a story that does, transcend, Time itself.

I had been planting pansies in my Garden, and they do so resemble little faces, those velvet petals. And I also see within, that face, the faces of butterflies, and I am remembering the Camps, and how the children painted butterflies, and of the myriad metaphoric connects to butterflies.

Yes, Open the Door, and let Elijah enter, and do invite the stranger to your door, in hospitality. This Passover, for me, in so many ways, it is "coming up Eli" as in, Elijah, and so when I say, Next Year in Jerusalem. I am thinking YES, it could be, it just could be 2012.

We say, give me five, and with children it's fun to do this, and it is a form of acknowledgment and a way of saying, YES!

So give me five, and let the ":sun" shine. Reply

Bob G. PA March 8, 2011

I had forgotten this This is the famous 5th son speech! I heard this long ago at a very special seder but I had since forgotten. I will search out a fifth son for our seder this year! Reply

Please consider becoming a member of Living Torah today!
Join Today | Login