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 The Four Sons: “Blessed is Hamokom (Hashem) blessed is He. Blessed is the One Who gave Torah to His nation Israel, blessed is He. The Torah spoke regarding four types of
sons.” The inference is that each of the four boruchs (blesseds) represents a different type of son.
First we should note that the two Boruch Hu (Blessed is He) – according to the order of the sons listed – the first one refers to the wayward son and the second to the son who doesn’t know to ask. That is, the expression Boruch Hu has a connection to both of these sons. See the Ohr Gedalyahu who brings the end of the paragraph “and against all the gods of Egypt I shall mete out punishment, I am Hashem.” The Hagadah expounds on the words “I am Hashem – Ani Hu v’lo acher” (“I am He, there is no other”). The Ohr Gedalyahu writes, “It is known that the word or name “Hu” is indicative of Hashem when He directs the world behester ponim (with, so to speak, a hidden face), meaning His direction of the world cannot be seen openly but works through seemingly ‘natural phenomena’ and ‘coincidences.’ However, when specific direction is shown openly, visible to all, this is through the name of Ani (I) …” “Ani Hu v’lo acher,” therefore, states that Hashem is One and the same, whether He directs us openly (Ani) or in a hidden manner (Hu).
The Second Son and the Fourth
Therefore the rasha (the wayward son), who does not recognize the ways of Hashem, and the she’aino yodei’a lishol, who does not know how to ask, are referred to in the “Boruch Hu,” through hester ponim. One is lacking in mitzvos and emunah (faith) and one is lacking in understanding. The answer to both is “ba’avur zeh…” (“on account of this”). “Zeh” is a revelation, a showing. Like a person pointing his finger and saying, “this is it, this is where it’s at.” “Ba’avur zeh – the aspect of ‘zeh’ is when something stands clearly before one’s eyes.” The “zeh” of revelation is the answer given to the two sons who are referred to in the Boruch Hu which is the aspect of hiddenness.
The Wise Son
“Boruch Hamokom” where Hamokom refers to Hashem (see note 1) corresponds to the ben hachochom (the wise son). See Maharal that talmidei chachomim (learned men) are “attached,” as it were, to Hashem and, therefore, are included in the injunction, “Es Hashem Elokecha tira (Hashem, your G-d, you shall fear).”
The Simple Son
“Blessed is He Who gave the Torah to His nation Israel” refers to the tam (the simple son) who asks, “Mah zos (what is this)?” That is to say that he understands that something important is happening but doesn’t really understand it. The first son is called a chochom because he displays a certain trait of wisdom by being able to differentiate – “What are the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments” – three separate categories of mitzvos. The tam doesn’t differentiate. He lumps them all together and asks “mah zos.” To him it won’t suffice to answer “ba’avur zeh” because that is his very question, “Mah zos.”
“Blessed is He who gave the Torah to Israel” refers to the tam because the cure for him is Torah, as it says, “the testimony of Hashem is trustworthy, making the simple one wise.”
To Sum Up
To sum up I’d like to quote from Rav Tzadok which is very similar to the above. “Boruch Hamokom refers to the wise son who understands Torah and thereby has an understanding of the honor of Hashem’s Kingdom, alluded to by the name Hamokom … The wayward son is alluded to by ‘Boruch Hu” belashon (language) nistar (hidden, as before). Boruch shenosan Torah … because through the Torah the tam can also have wisdom … and in regard to the she’aino yodei’a lishol ‘Boruch Hu’ is also used because the language of nistar applies to him also.”
Noh- Raw
When the three angels (who appeared as men) came to visit Avrohom he said, “Yukach noh me’at mayim v’rachatzu ragleichem” (Let some water be brought and wash your feet). There’s a peledik (amazing) Medrash Tanchuma as follows: Hashem said to Avrohom, “You told them ‘noh,’ therefore, I will give to your children the mitzvah of Korban Pesach (sacrifice of the Pascal lamb) with the specification of not to eat it ‘noh’ (raw).” What makes it amazing is that the two words have no connection to each other. Noh as used by Avrohom means please or now, e.g. “please let water be brought” or “let water be brought immediately” while, as before, by the Korban Pesach it means raw.
The Maharal states that all the laws regarding Korban Pesach are to show the “oneness” of Hashem. Some examples – when eating the korban one should not break any bones – making two out of one. You can only eat in one house, not partly in house A and the rest in house B. The lamb must be consumed entirely. Therefore, if a whole lamb is too much for one family, you make a chaburah, a group. You cannot eat it partly in this group and partly in another group. You cannot boil it in liquid since boiling tends to separate pieces. Therefore, one shall not eat it raw because “through roasting it the juice and liquids will drip out and the meat will solidify and become completely one.” Therefore, it is prohibited to eat it raw because by roasting it he shows more the oneness of Hashem.
Washing of the Feet
The reason that Avrohom told them to wash their feet was because in those days there were people who used to bow down to the dust of their feet “and he was assiduous not to bring idols (the dust) into his house.” This then is the connection between the two “nohs.” Indeed, they are two different words (albeit the same spelling). However, since Avrohom was assiduous on the oneness of Hashem (through the word “noh”) his children merited the mitzvah of “noh” regarding the Korban Pesach. That is, not to eat it “noh” which shows the oneness of Hashem.
Over the Counter
When I told this vort (Torah thought) to one of the Roshei Yeshiva at Ner Yisroel he countered that the Medrash implied that because of Avrohom’s use of “noh” some new ground was broken by giving the mitzvah of “noh.” However, according to the above answer only an addition was given to an already substantial list of mitzvos promulgating the Oneness of Hashem.
I countered that new ground was indeed broken. All the other injunctions specified that one should not make two or more out of that which was one. However, by the mitzvah of “noh” (raw) you already have one piece. Nevertheless, the one piece is composed of meat and juices. The mitzvah here is to accentuate the oneness by making it, so to speak, more one. That is, to remove the juices and have only the meat itself. This more elevated and specified concept of oneness is what Avrohom merited by his assiduousness of not permitting idols in his house.
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Hamokom literally means “The Place.” See Medrash Rabah Genesis 68:10 “…why is Hashem called Hamokom? Because He is the ‘Place’ of the world but the world is not His place.” A place means that it is larger and encompasses. The table is the place of the pen. The room is the place of the table. The house is the place of the room, etc. The Maharal in Chidushei Agodos Shabbos 145b explains that mokom comes from the word “kiyum” (existence). He (Hashem) gives existence to everything. See also the Gra here on the Hagadah for a slightly different explanation.
This is how the Netziv in his commentary on the Hagadah – Imrei Shefer – learns. The Gra on the Hagadah learns that it refers to the four times sipur yetzi’as Mitzrayim (relating the Exodus) that are mentioned in the Torah.
See Rabeinu B’Chaya Genesis 19:33 that the word “Hu” is a name of Hashem. See Sha’arei Oroh Gate 5 p. 134 that “Ani” is a name of Hashem.
Such as the miracle of Purim – indeed the direction of our daily lives.
My teacher and Rebbi the Mashgiach, Horav Dovid Kronglas zt”l stated similarly on the pasuk (verse) “He (Hashem) was standing behind our wall, observing through the windows, peering through the cracks” (Song of Songs 2:9). There are two ways that Hashem watches over us. One is through a window. The meaning here is that one looking through a window sees and can be seen in return. This is the concept of “Ani” above – we are cognizant of Hashem’s directing the world. The second way is peering through the cracks – he, so to speak, sees and directs us, but we are not cognizant of His being there. This is the concept of “Hu” above.
See the Netziv in the Imrei Shefer (above) “Boruch Hu relates to the rasha since Hashem is hidden from him … (and) relates to the she’aino yodei’a lishol … Boruch Hu is the concept of hidden (see above) since Hashem is far from his thoughts (the rasha) and hidden from understanding (the she’aino yodei’a lishol).”
Rav Tzadok, Pri Tzadik Chanukah, Maamar 22,23; Rav Karlenstein Kuntrus L’inyanei Pesach p. 95.
Deuteronomy 10:20. See Pesachim 22b that Rabi Akiva expounded the word “es” to include Talmidei Chachomim (learned men) in one’s fear of Hashem.
See Netziv, mentioned above, “Boruch Hamokom refers to the chochom who is called ‘m’onoh Elokei Kedem’ (the Abode of G-d Immemorial) (Deuteronomy 33:27) who is a dwelling place, as it were, for the Shechinah (Hashem’s Presence) as is explained in Nefesh Hachaim that the heart of a tzadik (righteous person) is like Kodesh Kodoshim (Holy of Holies).”
Zeh and zos are the same word – “this” – except that zeh is masculine and zos feminine.
There is a problem here which I’m stuck with. On the one hand we usually say that the she’aino yodei’a lishol is less than the tam. In fact we use the “Boruch Hu” in referring to him. Yet, now we’re saying that the she’aino yodei’a lishol understands the concept of zeh, whereas the tam seemingly does not?
Pri Tzadik Maamarei Pesach 8
Someone once mentioned to me that “raw” could tie in with “immediately” meaning don’t eat it immediately when it is still raw.
No mean feat (pun intended).
i.e. one group, one house, etc.
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