The Four Sons

Blessed be the Place [of all], Blessed be He; Blessed be the One who Gave the Torah to His people Israel, Blessed be He. Corresponding to four sons did the Torah speak; one [who is] wise, one [who is] evil, one who is innocent and one who doesn't know to ask.

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)."

What does the evil [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.

What does the innocent [son] say? "'What is this?' (Exodus 13:14)" 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).'"

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 son on that day saying, for the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt."

(4) They poured the second cup, and here the son asks his father . And if the son does not have the intelligence, his father teaches him. How is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we eat leavened bread and matza on this night all matza...

And according to the intelligence of the son, his father teaches him. He begins with disgrace and concludes with glory. And he expounds from “An Aramean tried to destroy my father” (Deuteronomy 26:5), until he concludes the entire section.

Why remove the table? The school of Rabbi Yannai say: So that the children will notice and ask.

Abaye was sitting before Rabba. He saw that they were removing the table from before him, and he said, "We have not yet eaten, and you are taking the table away from us?" Rabba said to him: You have exempted us from reciting ma nishtana.

And you shall tell your child. Even if they don't ask you.

For this is what God did for me when I went forth from Egypt. This is to teach that it would be appropriate for miracles to be done for each and every one of Israel

Rabbi Cheya taught, Corresponding to four sons did the Torah speak; a wise son, an evil son, an innocent son and a son who doesn't know to ask.

What does the wise son say? "'What are these testimonies, statutes and judgments that the Lord our God commanded us?' (Deuteronomy 20:6)" And accordingly 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)"

What does the evil son say? "'What is this worship to you?' (Exodus 12:26) What is this toil that you make us toil each and every year?" Since he excluded himself from the collective, accordingly you say to him, "'For the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me.' (Exodus 13:8) 'For me' did He do and not for 'that man.' If 'that man' had been there, he would not have been worthy of ever being saved from there."

What does the innocent [son] say? "'What is this?' (Exodus 13:14)" And accordingly you will teach him the laws of the Pesach sacrifice, that "We may not eat an afikoman [a dessert or other foods eaten after the meal] after [we are finished eating] the Pesach sacrifice, so that a person should not get up from one eating group to another eating group."

And [regarding] the son who doesn't know to ask, you will open [the conversation] for him first.

Rabbi Yosa said, "The Mishna said, 'and if the son has no understanding [in order to ask questions], his father teaches him [to ask].'"

(8) One does not conclude after the Paschal lamb with an afikoman.

(11) And they may not conclude the pesah meal with an afikoman, like nuts and dates and parched corn. A person must engage in the laws of Pesah all night, even if it is just him with his son, even if it is just him by himself, and even if it is just him and his student.

Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community,

"If your son asks you tomorrow (i.e., in the time to come): What are the testimonies and the statutes, etc.": There are four sons: a wise son, a wicked son, a simple son, and one who does not know how to ask. What does the wise son say? "What are the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments that the L-rd our G-d commanded us?" — you, likewise, "open" to him in the halachoth of Pesach — "ein maftirin achar hapesach afikoman." What does the wicked son say? (Exodus 12:26) "What is this (Pesach) service to you?" "to you" and not to him. Because he disassociated himself from the congregation and denied the foundation (of the faith), you, likewise, blunt his teeth and tell him (Ibid. 13;8) "Because of this (the mitzvoth) the L-rd wrought for me when I went out of Egypt." For me and not for you. Had you been there, you would not have been redeemed. What does the simple son say? (Ibid. 14) "What is this?" And you shall tell him (Ibid.) "With might of hand did the L-rd take us out of Egypt from the house of bondage." And he who does not know how to ask, you open for him, as it is written (Ibid. 8) "And you shall tell your son on that day, etc." Variantly: "What are the testimonies and the statutes, etc.": R. Eliezer says: Whence is it derived that if there were a company of sages or of disciples they must occupy themselves with the halachoth of Pesach until midnight? From "What are the testimonies, etc."