In the section from Parashat Bo that we will read on the first day of Pesach, the Torah recounts Moshe’s command to the elders of Israel regarding the night of the exodus. Moshe commands the details of the Pesach sacrifice and concludes by commanding the elders to guard this matter as a law for all generations.
Moshe continues and says, "And it will be that when you come to the land that Hashem has given to you like He spoke. And you will guard this service.
And it will be that when your children say to you, ‘What is this service of yours?’
And you will say, ‘It is a Pesach offering to Hashem that He passed over the houses of the Jewish People in Egypt when He smote Egypt and our houses he saved and the nation bowed and worshipped. And the children of Israel went and did like Hashem commanded Moshe and Aharon – thus did they do.'"
In summary, after commanding the people to offer the Passover offering, Moshe tells the people that when they enter the land of Israel, their children will ask what this service is of theirs.
How are we to read this foretelling of future events regarding their children — negatively or positively?
On the one hand, it can be read as a dire prediction of the future generation. The children won’t even know what the service is about.
On the other hand, it can be read optimistically – the children will have distanced themselves from idolatry to the extent that they won’t understand why their parents sacrificed a lamb in Egypt. They won’t understand the intricacies of idolatry and how sacrificing a lamb represents a rejection of the idolatry of Egypt.
If the pesukim can be read either way, what is the Torah teaching us? What is the message of the pesukim?
I believe that the Torah is highlighting that either eventuality is possible in the next generation. The nation is entering a new land and will be encountering a totally new situation. The effect of this change on the next generation is unpredictable.
Will the next generation forget the Torah and not know the reasons for the mitzvah of the Passover sacrifice or will the next generation be so committed to Torah and Hashem that they will not be able to relate to the rejection of idolatry that the Passover sacrifice represents?
The Torah aims to teach us that although there is no predicting how the next generation will respond to the new situation – the parent’s reaction to the child’s question should be to use the question as an opportunity to teach the child Torah. No matter the value system of the child, the prescription is always Jewish education.
Our society has experienced a revolution of sorts – a technological revolution. Many of our children have their own cell phones, Facebook accounts and email. Our children are influenced by the popular culture and by their friends more than ever. Whether we like it or not and whether we admit it or not, many of our children are regularly exposed to everything that our society has to offer – good and bad. How will these influences affect our children?
In our generation, many of our Jewish children are even more committed to our values than we are. Yet, many of our Jewish children are very distant from our values.
We cannot predict the outcomes. Maybe our children will become more disassociated with our values. Maybe our children will cleave even more strongly to our values.
Wherever our children are at: philosophically, religiously, culturally – the seder teaches a timeless Jewish idea – true freedom comes through education. Indeed, the entire seder is steeped in education and teaching:
The seder provides each of our families the opportunity – within the protection and security of our homes – to engage our children at their level and teach them in order that they should be free people.
In the seder, we proclaim, “in every generation, a person is obligated to show himself as if he was exiled from Egypt.” The seder itself is the demonstration – the freedom that is achieved through discussing and learning about the story of the Exodus and about G-d’s Providence replicates the freedom that the Jewish people achieved when they left Egypt.
I pray that each of us experiences freedom through Jewish education this Pesach at our respective sedarim.
Moshe continues and says, "And it will be that when you come to the land that Hashem has given to you like He spoke. And you will guard this service.
And it will be that when your children say to you, ‘What is this service of yours?’
And you will say, ‘It is a Pesach offering to Hashem that He passed over the houses of the Jewish People in Egypt when He smote Egypt and our houses he saved and the nation bowed and worshipped. And the children of Israel went and did like Hashem commanded Moshe and Aharon – thus did they do.'"
In summary, after commanding the people to offer the Passover offering, Moshe tells the people that when they enter the land of Israel, their children will ask what this service is of theirs.
How are we to read this foretelling of future events regarding their children — negatively or positively?
On the one hand, it can be read as a dire prediction of the future generation. The children won’t even know what the service is about.
On the other hand, it can be read optimistically – the children will have distanced themselves from idolatry to the extent that they won’t understand why their parents sacrificed a lamb in Egypt. They won’t understand the intricacies of idolatry and how sacrificing a lamb represents a rejection of the idolatry of Egypt.
If the pesukim can be read either way, what is the Torah teaching us? What is the message of the pesukim?
I believe that the Torah is highlighting that either eventuality is possible in the next generation. The nation is entering a new land and will be encountering a totally new situation. The effect of this change on the next generation is unpredictable.
Will the next generation forget the Torah and not know the reasons for the mitzvah of the Passover sacrifice or will the next generation be so committed to Torah and Hashem that they will not be able to relate to the rejection of idolatry that the Passover sacrifice represents?
The Torah aims to teach us that although there is no predicting how the next generation will respond to the new situation – the parent’s reaction to the child’s question should be to use the question as an opportunity to teach the child Torah. No matter the value system of the child, the prescription is always Jewish education.
Our society has experienced a revolution of sorts – a technological revolution. Many of our children have their own cell phones, Facebook accounts and email. Our children are influenced by the popular culture and by their friends more than ever. Whether we like it or not and whether we admit it or not, many of our children are regularly exposed to everything that our society has to offer – good and bad. How will these influences affect our children?
In our generation, many of our Jewish children are even more committed to our values than we are. Yet, many of our Jewish children are very distant from our values.
We cannot predict the outcomes. Maybe our children will become more disassociated with our values. Maybe our children will cleave even more strongly to our values.
Wherever our children are at: philosophically, religiously, culturally – the seder teaches a timeless Jewish idea – true freedom comes through education. Indeed, the entire seder is steeped in education and teaching:
- Prompt our children to ask a question
- Discuss the four sons
- Show and tell
- Demonstrate freedom
The seder provides each of our families the opportunity – within the protection and security of our homes – to engage our children at their level and teach them in order that they should be free people.
In the seder, we proclaim, “in every generation, a person is obligated to show himself as if he was exiled from Egypt.” The seder itself is the demonstration – the freedom that is achieved through discussing and learning about the story of the Exodus and about G-d’s Providence replicates the freedom that the Jewish people achieved when they left Egypt.
I pray that each of us experiences freedom through Jewish education this Pesach at our respective sedarim.
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