My son, came home from school last week and told me over dinner that the reason we break the middle Matzah on Passover was not only to hide half for the Afikomen but, also because the Sea of Reeds split and the Israelites walked through to freedom. If it did not split they would have been captured, tortured and perhaps even killed by the Egyptians. So, the splitting of the Matzah is to remember the splitting of the sea!
I loved that he taught me something I had never learned before. But most of all, I loved that my young son can show me a new angle on an ancient ritual.
The story of the Four Sons that is shared at the Seder is demonstrative that all of us are wired differently. We see the world through different lenses and experiences, opportunities and challenges. Not one of us is better or worse. We are all just different. Yet, we have a role and a voice at the Seder table. Even the evil child that challenges the customs and does not see himself as part of the group is still sitting amongst everyone to pose his questions.
The lesson I glean from the Four Sons and from my son is powerful and is my blessing to you this Passover: We all have the ability to learn something new each day. If we dial into our empathy and compassion and patience, we can hear the wisdom in the wise child, the critique of the wicked child, the ease of the simple child and the innocence of the child that cannot yet ask. But, if we are stubborn and wear blinders we cannot absorb lessons that enrich our lives and deepen our meanings. All of us can grow and learn. Even from a 7 year old!
May this holiday be a time where our lenses are sharpened with wide peripheral vision and our minds and souls embrace all of the new lights that are refracted within to glean the most out of each voice and perspective.
Dori, I and our children extend our sincerest wishes for a sweet, meaningful, kosher Passover.
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner