(א) דימה האיש הזכרן שיזכור כל מה שישמע ולא יבדיל בין האמת והשקר לספוג והוא צמר הים שבולעת הכל ודימה ג"כ מי שיבין לאלתר ולא יזכור דבר כלל לא האמתי ולא שאינו אמתי למשפך ודימה מי שיזכור דברים הרעים והדעת שאינו אמתי וישכח דברים האמתיים אשר עליהם המעשה למשמרת שלא ישאר בה רק השמרים ויצא הזך ודימה האיש שהענין בו בהפך לנפה שמוציאה העפר והאבק בנקביה וישאר בה הסלת וזו נפה הסלת לבד היא הטובה שבהן להיותה מוציאה הקמח הדק אשר אין בו צורך ומשאירה הגס והוא הסולת:
(1) He compared the man with a good memory who remembers all that he hears and does not separate between the true and the false to a sponge - and that is a sea [sponge] that absorbs everything. And he also compared one who understands immediately but does not remember anything at all - not the true and not what is not true - to a funnel. And he compared one who rembers the bad things and the opinion that is not true and forgets the true things upon which action [needs to be based] to a strainer that only retains the sediment and lets out what is pure. And he compared the man whose way is the opposite [of this] to a sieve that lets out the dirt and dust through its holes and the fine flour remains. And from them, only this fine flour sieve is good, in that it lets out the [inferior flour] that has no purpose and holds what is coarser - and that is the fine flour.
Questions
1) How do these different views of the way people process information relate to learning?
3) Do we always process the same way or is it possible to flex and build new learning muscles, so to speak?
2) How might these four types that the Sages describe relate to the four children of the Haggadah?
Magid, The Four Sons (Children)
חָכָם מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר? מָה הָעֵדוֹת וְהַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֶתְכֶם. וְאַף אַתָּה אֱמוֹר לוֹ כְּהִלְכוֹת הַפֶּסַח: אֵין מַפְטִירִין אַחַר הַפֶּסַח אֲפִיקוֹמָן:
What does the wise [son] say? "'What are these testimonies, statutes and judgments that the Lord our God commanded you?' (Deuteronomy 6:20)" And accordingly you will say to him, as per the laws of the Pesach sacrifice, "We may not eat an afikoman [a dessert or other foods eaten after the meal] after [we are finished eating] the Pesach sacrifice. (Mishnah Pesachim 10:8)"
רָשָׁע מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר? מָה הָעֲבוֹדָה הַזּאֹת לָכֶם. לָכֶם – וְלֹא לוֹ. וּלְפִי שֶׁהוֹצִיא אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִן הַכְּלָל כָּפַר בְּעִקָּר. וְאַף אַתָּה הַקְהֵה אֶת שִׁנָּיו וֶאֱמוֹר לוֹ: "בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם". לִי וְלֹא־לוֹ. אִלּוּ הָיָה שָׁם, לֹא הָיָה נִגְאָל:
What does the wicked [son] say? "'What is this worship to you?' (Exodus 12:26)" 'To you' and not 'to him.' And since he excluded himself from the collective, he denied a principle [of the Jewish faith]. And accordingly, you will blunt his teeth and say to him, "'For the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt' (Exodus 13:8)." 'For me' and not 'for him.' If he had been there, he would not have been saved.
תָּם מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר? מַה זּאֹת? וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו "בְּחוֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ ה' מִמִּצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים".
What does the innocent [son] say? "'What is this?' (Exodus13:14)" And you will say to him, "'With the strength of [His] hand did the Lord take us out from Egypt, from the house of slaves' (Exodus 13:14).'"
וְשֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל – אַתְּ פְּתַח לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם.
And [regarding] the one who doesn't know to ask, you will open [the conversation] for him. As it is stated (Exodus 13:8), "And you will speak to your your son on that day saying, for the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt."
Magid, Yechol Me'rosh
Questions
1) Think of other adjectives to describe the "wise" child. What might he/she/they ask at the Seder today about Judaism?
2) The "wicked" child often gets a bad rap. Do you think of him/her/they as negative, positive, or on a continuum somewhere in between? What other adjectives might you use to describe this child? No matter which adjective is used to describe this child, it is always one that has a connotation of alienation. How would you draw this child into the Jewish community today?
3) Simple is used here in a more negative light to describe this child. How could this child be described more positively? What are some other adjectives to use to describe this child? How can we interest this him/her/they in Judaism today?
4) It is so important to hear, cherish, honor, and empower children's voices. What about the Seder makes it a wonderful place to hear those voices and what about it makes it a challenging place for the child who does not know how to ask? How can we make it a a less scary and more welcoming place for this silenced child?