The wicked child, what does he say? “What is this service to you?” He asks, (what does it mean) “to you” and not “to him.” Since he removed himself from the community, he denies the central principle (of faith). So, shall you set his teeth on edge by saying, “It is because of this which God did for me.” God did it for me and not for him. Had he been there he would not have been redeemed. Having offered the interpretation regarding the wise child, the Maggid now turns to the wicked child. This child is wise but he uses his wisdom for profane purposes. The wicked child is related to the scriptural passage which begins, “Go, draw out lambs for yourself…” (Ex. 12:21) In order to understand the Maggid, it is necessary to clarify this passage, according to its literal meaning. There are several problems in this passage,

First, in the passage, “This month shall be for you…” (Ex. 12) God commands Moses all the practices regarding the Passover offering: setting it aside, slaughtering it, consuming its head, leg and entrails along with matzah and bitter herbs, eating it with one’s loins girded, placing blood on the door posts and lintel, the prohibition against hametz for seven days, and the observance of Passover for seven days. When Moses came to teach the people about Passover, he did not repeat all the commandments as he originally heard them. Instead, he told them to take the lamb, slaughter it and to place the blood on the doorpost (and nothing else such as matzah, bitter herbs, the prohibition against eating hametz for the seven days. This is very surprising! Why didn’t he mention all the other customs and laws? Moses seems to have mentioned some and ignored others! Ramban writes that Scripture abbreviated it, but it was well known that Moses taught all the details. Yet Ramban does not give a reason why the Torah did this.

Second, for what reason did Moses choose to teach the mitzvot to the elders in this passage and not the entire community? Since God commanded the people of Israel, it would have been fitting for Moses to teach everyone the laws. So why did God instruct him to say, “Go draw and take lambs for yourself” to the elders? Some taught that Moses called to the elders, and the elders gathered the whole nation, and then Moses taught all the community of Israel. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yosaiah in the Mechilta (Chapter11). Rabbi Yochanan, however, thought that Moses’ commandment was specifically for the elders, and they in turn spoke to the community. We see that the essence of this explanation is missing from the text according to both points of view.

Third, why does the verse say, “the Israelites went and did so; just as Adonai commanded Moses, so they did?” (Ex. 12:28) Since Moses spoke to the elders, it would have been fitting to say, “The elders went and did as Adonai commanded Moses” instead of “As Adonai commanded Moses and Aaron.” Yet the elders heard the commandments from Moses and not from Aaron!

This is the way I would explain it: On the first of Nisan, God commanded Moses and Aaron regarding the Passover offering. This was the first commandment Israel was given. God instructed Israel to observe it in Egypt and that it would be an eternal statute for all generations. There is no doubt that Moses instructed the people to observe all the commandments of Passover, not leaving anything out. It is not surprising that Scripture does not say that Moses told it to the people as he heard it. For Moses would not transgress God’s word. As with many commandments, the Torah states: “God spoke to Moses…speak to the children of Israel,” but Scripture does not state that he related the commandments to the nation as he heard them, for it is assumed that he would not disobey God. When he spoke to the people, Moses told them exactly what God had commanded him! Therefore, the commandment, “Go, draw out lambs for yourself,” (Ex. 12: 21) was not meant to be a repetition of the earlier presentation of the commandments. The community already had heard them from Moses. Rather Moses told the elders to be hasty in performing the commandments, to begin by setting aside the offering, to slaughter it, and, finally, to put its blood on the entrance of their homes. These were the most dangerous aspects of the commandments for the Israelites. Moses feared that these might be the most difficult acts of all because of the danger (from the Egyptians), as is stated, “If we sacrifice that which is untouchable to the Egyptians before their very eyes, might they not stone us?” (Ex.8:22)

It was known that the ram was the heavenly symbol of Egypt bringing honor to them. They treated the flock which they were named after and in whose image they were created with great reverence. They thought that if one even touched even a bit of the flock, it was like poking the eye, making one guilty of death. In a split second the world saw the pitiful nation of Israel set forth its hand against the respected symbol from which the Egyptians received a supernal blessing. Each person took a lamb for his household, tied it to his bed post, and kept it tied up there for three days. Yet the Egyptians had no power to stop them. When the time came, the Israelites slaughtered the lamb before the Egyptians while it was still day time. The blood of the lamb cried out from their doorposts but the Egyptians could do nothing. All who saw this knew what was happening because the Israelites roasted the lambs whole. In this way, it would be obvious by its form (head, leg and entrails) that they were eating the lamb. They then ate it in a casual and disrespectful manner so it would be seen as a humiliation to the Egyptians. It was consumed in the fashion of merchants, (Job 40:30) its bones being picked clean until nothing remained in the morning. Whatever remained was then burned; all of this could cause great danger from the Egyptians. Since the Israelites were afraid of the Egyptians, Moses spoke to the elders: “Draw out lambs for yourself.” In other words, Moses said, “You, the leaders of Israel must act first.” He told them, “You, the elders and princes, must perform the act and not an emissary so it is performed with your own hands, “A lamb for each household,” in the light of day for your families. On the 14th day of the month you shall slaughter the Passover offering and then take hyssop, dip it in blood and wipe it on the door posts.

That is why Moses didn’t mention consuming the offering, or the matzah, or the prohibition of hametz or anything else. He had already taught them these commandments, and it was necessary to command the elders who governed the nation, to do those things that would be perceived as dangerous. He mentioned the acts in order of increased danger: first take a lamb; then, slaughter it, and finally place the blood on the doorposts which was perceived as most dangerous. The elders were to do this in order to encourage the masses, so that the people would see what they did and follow their example. For a nation always follows the example of its leaders. Moses warned the Israelites, that even if they trusted God and were not afraid of the Egyptians, they should still not leave their homes or go about the city, as the Torah states, “One shall not go out from the door of one’s house until morning.” The Torah gives a reason for this, “For Adonai will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when God sees blood on the lintels... God will not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you.” (Ex.12:23) This means that at the very time that the Israelites were eating the Passover, God would smite the first born of Egypt, and through the merit of that commandment, Israel would be saved and the plague would affect their homes. It is possible that the warning not to leave their homes was so that they would be busy themselves performing the commandment of Passover and not turn their attention elsewhere.

The sages taught from this, “If you give permission to the destroyer to destroy, it will not differentiate between the wicked and the righteous.” (Rashi Ex. 12:22, and the Melkhilta) This means that once the plague began, it was better to avoid mixing with others lest they be wiped out because of their sins. It is also possible that he warned them not to go out of their houses lest the Israelites see the Egyptians in the hour of humiliation and the Egyptians might pick a fight with the Israelites, as stated, “You killed our people.” In order to distance the Israelites from such ugliness God commanded them, “And a person shall not go out from his house until the morning,” so that the Israelites would not see the Egyptians as their firstborn died. If you were to ask, what would prevent the Egyptians, from entering the Israelite homes to kill them, even if the Israelites were not supposed to go out of the Egyptian houses? The answer is in Scripture, “God will not let the ‘destroyer’ come into your houses to strike you.” (Ex. 12:23) The destroyer refers to the Egyptians. God reassured them that the Egyptians could not enter the houses to harm the Israelites because of the Passover offering, or because of the plague of the first born. On this night, the Israelites were protected from all destroyers for God had compassion on the Israelites, and protect them from plagues and afflictions. God did not allow the Egyptian to enter their houses to be an affliction. In dangerous matters, those who act first are accorded honor and glory. We see this in the case of David who, when he came up to Jerusalem to conquer it, said, “Whoever is the first to strike the Jebusites shall be chief and captain,” (1 Chron. 11:6). So, too, Moses said to the elders, “And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your children forever.” (Ex. 12:24) Since this would be the law for generations to come, it was fitting that it begins with the leaders of the nation.

At the end of the passage, we learn that even though Moses only commanded the elders, the entire nation “bowed their heads and worshipped before God,” (Ex. 12:28) The people said, “Our master, we will pass before Adonai; all of us will obey the commandments for it is not fitting to begin with the elders, but rather the nation as a whole (shall obey them).” This is the intention of the phrase, “They bowed their heads and worshipped before Adonai…and they did as Adonai commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” (Ex. 12:26-27) When he spoke to the elders, all of the Israelites heard his words and bowed before them like one taking leave of his master, and they went and performed every aspect of the commandment, as Moses and Aaron had instructed them. They did not wait for the elders to act, for the entire nation responded with fear or anxiety to observe the commandment. I will now explain this passage in the Haggadah in the according to its literal meaning and answer the questions I have raised.

The Maggid interpreted, “And when your children say to you, ‘What is this service to you?’” (Ex. 12:26) as a reference to, “the wicked child, who is “arrogant as he is, in all his scheming, thinks, he does not call to account; God does not care.” (Ps.10:4). There are three things in this question that reflect his wickedness.

First, the passage is not a question as it is for the wise child (“When, in time to come, your child asks you”) and the simple child (“When your child asks you”). Rather, the passage uses the verb, amira (says) instead of sha’al (asks): “When your child says (y’omru) to you,” as if to say, ‘when your children could have asked and learned from their parents in order to fear Adonai, they became rebellious and did not pose their statements as questions but as statements of doubt, saying, ‘What is this service…’ One finds this shameful use of this word (amar) in other places in Scripture. Regarding the building of an altar by the tribes of Reuben and Gad, “We did this thing only out of our concern that, in time to come, your children might say(y’omru) to our children, ‘What have you to do with Adonai, the God of Israel? (Josh. 22:24) ⁴⁶ in Jos 22:24 implies evil intentions. In each example that follows, the use of the verb amar is taken as having evil intentions. Similarly, Isaiah stated, “Those who call (ha’omrim) evil good and good evil,” and “Who say (ha’omrim), let him speed, let him hasten His purpose.” (Isa. 5:20, 19) “He who says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” shall be cursed by the people.” (Prov. 24:24) This language is used as a means of provoking the wicked and as shameful language, and not as a question with good intentions. As a result, when the Maggid noted that the Torah states, “And when your children say to you,” and not ‘questioned,’ as for the other children, he concluded that he must be a rebellious child.

footnotes: ⁴⁶ According to the book of Joshua, When the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Menasseh returned to their land holdings outside the Promised Land they built an unlawful altar: “A report reached the Israelites: “The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar opposite the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, across from the Israelites.” (Jo. 22:11) Though they claimed to do so for good reasons, the use of the word y’omru

Second, this child does not say, “What does this service mean which Adonai our God commanded you,” as the wise child does. At the beginning of his statement, the wise child acknowledges that the commandments came from God. If these children had also said, “What is the meaning of this service which Adonai our God,” like the wise child, we would not have suspected him. The wicked child, however denies that the commandments were divinely given, by not saying, “Which Adonai our God commanded...” Third, he did not call the mitzvot, ‘testimonies,’ ‘statutes,’ or ‘rules’ as the wise child did, since he does not believe that they testify to the Exodus from Egypt. Also, he denies that they are righteous rules nor does he believe that the statutes were decreed by God. Instead he says, “What is this service to you?” He implies two things and denies two things in his statement: first, the commandments were not divinely revealed nor were they commanded by God. Rather, he believes that the elders composed them, so he says, “What is this service to you?” The second denial is regarding their purpose. His statement implies that there is no service of the divine nor is there divine mercy. It is not a religious rite like prayer or Torah study. It is service for its own purpose, so that they could eat a year-old lamb that is fat and tender when it is roasted, and drink four cups of wine with it. This service is for yourself and not for God. Since there are two heresies, one regarding the source of the commandments and the second regarding the purpose of the commandments, it was stated in the plural, “And it shall come to pass when your children say to you,” as if there were many rebellious children here who committed different acts of heresy… That is why this passage is stated in the plural while the other statements (regarding the children) are singular. In addition, passages containing the other children are stated in the singular: “Consecrate to Me every first born,” “When Adonai has brought you to the land,” “You shall observe in this month the following practice,” and “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread,” so that the entire passage is in the singular. (Ex. 13:2-5) This is the case for the simple child as well: “When Adonai brought you into the land of the Canaanites,” “You shall set apart for Adonai the first issue of the womb,” all of which is in the singular. Therefore, it also states, “when your child shall ask” in the singular. (Ex.13:11-4) The passage regarding the wise child is also posed in the singular: “You shall say to your child” (Deut. 6:21) “Go, draw out lambs for yourself,” (Ex. 12: 21) is stated to the elders in the plural, and because of this the question of the wicked child is also plural, “When your children say to you…” (Ex. 12:26)

Since there were two acts of heresy, the question, “What is this service to you,” addresses both of them. If the wicked child’s questions casts doubt on the authorship of the Torah, the answer given to him is, “You shall say, ‘It is a Passover offering of Adonai.’” That is, you cast doubt on the commandments by implying that we made them up by saying “What is this service to you.” One answers him by saying, this is not so, “It is a Passover offering of Adonai;” God commanded it and we did not make it up. Further, regarding the purpose of the commandments, you implied it was simply a matter of eating to our satisfaction and dressing up in fine clothes. (Isaiah 23:18) This is not so for God commanded us to eat the Passover offering when you were full so that you would not think that we were eating it simply for physical enjoyment. The fulfillment of the commandment was for its own purpose and a reminder that, “God passed over the houses of the Israelites when he struck Egypt and saved our homes. Here, then, the Torah explains to the wicked child that beside the material content of the commandments, they were also divinely revealed and they have a holy purpose. Thus, the Torah has answered the wicked child’s doubts and heretical statements. The Maggid, seeing that the wicked child implied these two heretical statements by using the word lachem, “to you,” says, “I will even offer a third explanation for the word lachem! It is, “A fool’s mouth is his destruction” (Prov.18:7) Therefore, he said, “What is this service to you,” in order to exclude himself from the community. The commandments were given for the good and the upright of heart and not for the wicked. If that is so, then, “it was given to you but not to him.” These are the words of the Maggid. To this the Maggid says, “since he has excluded himself from the community,” he would not have been part of the community during the Exodus not only because he did not fulfill the commandments but also because of his lack of faith, as it states, “He denied the principles of faith.” The principle is that the commandments were given by God and not by human beings. Therefore, says the Maggid, “you shall set his teeth on edge.” That is, besides the true answers which the Torah gave to his statements of denial, you have heard a denial in his own words, thus fulfilling the statement, “Answer the fool according to his folly.” (Pro.26:5) You can answer him in a third way. Say to him, “It is because of this which Adonai did for me.” The wicked child will see that it was because of keeping faith that God did this for me. Also it is because of the fulfillment of this commandment which I did in Egypt on this night that God showed me great kindness and saved me from the plague of the first born. But you were “an enemy who insults God” (Ps. 74:18) If you had been there you would not have been worthy of being redeemed, and you would have died during the days of darkness when all the sinners of Israel died. You would never have seen the salvation of Israel. For we would have learned from this experience of God’s providence. God differentiates not only between nations (“When he smote the Egyptians and saved our houses”) but also between one person and the next, rewarding or punishing each as is his due. If you had been there you would not have been redeemed with us but would have died with the Egyptians. Even though the verse, “Because of this which Adonai did for me when I went forth from Egypt,” is the one dealing with the child who doesn’t know to ask, the Maggid uses it to insult and disparage the wicked child, using his own wickedness. This is possible because only the words, “because of this,” are interpreted there as referring to the child who does not know to ask. The rest of the verse, “Which Adonai did for me when I went out,” is used for the wicked child. It is as if it says, “since the part of the verse is not concerning the child who does not know to ask, interpret it regarding the wicked child. How then is this verse brought to comment on the wicked child from the passage dealing with the child who doesn’t know to ask? The Maggid, however, who wishes to set the wicked child’s teeth on edge and treat him like a fool, thus interprets this passage in this way. *Another interpretation of the verse “You shall tell your child on that day saying, ‘It is because of that which Adonai did for me when I went out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). One might think that [one should begin the telling] on the first of Nisan. Therefore, the verse says, “on that day” (the 14th of Nisan). One might think that one should begin while it is still daytime; therefore, it says “because of that.” “Because of that:” That implies the time when the matzah and maror are before you.*