Newspapers / The Charlotte Jewish News … / April 1, 1982, edition 1 / Page 13
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Pag* 13-THE WEWS-April, 1982 Thoughts From The Lubavitcher Rebbe Petach » The Fifth Sou By Rabbi Yossi Groner During the Seder service we read in the Haggadah that the Torah speaks of four sons, one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not know how to ask a question.” The Haggadah then proceeds to tell us the questions posed by each of these 'sons’, and the reply which we are to give to each of them. The Wise Son inquires about the special Mitzvos of Passover and we are to tell him in detail all the laws and customs of the festival. The Wicked son asks: “What is this service to you?” By say ing **to you” he exclud^ himself from the Jewish community, and we are told to reply to him sharply. The Simple Son asks: “What is this all about?” In reply we are to tell him of the Eicodus from Egypt. As for the son who does not know how to ask, it is for us to open the conversation with him, as the Torah says, “You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘This is on account of what the L-rd did for me when I went forth from Egypt’.” While the Four Sons differ from one another in their reaction to the Seder, they have one thing in common: they are all present at the Seder. Even the “Wicked” son is there, taking an active though rebellious, interest in what is going on in Jewish life around him. This, at least, justifies the hope that some day also the “Wicked” son will become wise, and all Jewish children attending the Seder will become cons cientious, observant Jews. Unfortunately, in our time of confusion and spiritual bankruptcy, there is another kind of a Jewish child — a “fifth son” who is con spicuous by his absence from the Seder; the one who has no interest whatsoever in Torah and Mitzvos, laws and customs, who is not even aware of he Seder-shel- Pesach, of the Exodus from Egypt and the subsequent Revelation of Sinai. The ‘Fifth Son’ is the result of an erroneous psychology and misguided policy on the part of some immigrants arriving in a new and strange environment. Finding themselves a small minority, and encountering social and economic dif ficulties, some parents had the,mistaken notion, which they transmitted to their children, that the way to overcome these difficulties is to become quickly assimilated into the new en vironment by discarding the heritage of their fore-fathers and abandoning the Jewish way of life. Finding that this process leads to the discom fort of inner spiritual con flict, some parents resolved to spare their children this conflict altogether. They simply gave their children no Jewish education or train ing. To justify the desertion of their religion and appease their stricken conscience, it was necessary for them to devise some rationale. They persuaded themselves, and in turn their children, that the Jewish way of life, with the observance of the Torah and Mitzvos, was incompati ble with their new surroun dings. They sought, and therefore found, faults with the true Jewish way of life, while in the non-Jewish en vironment everything seem ed to them only good and at tractive. By this attitude these parents hoped to assure their children’s existence and sur vival in the new environ ment. But what kind of ex istence is it, if everjrthing spiritual and holy is traded for the material? What kind of survival is it, if it means the sacrifice of the soul for the amenities of the body? The tragic consequence of this utterly false approach was that thousands upon thousands of Jews have been severed from their fountain of life, from their true faith, and from their fellow Jews. Deprived of spiritual life, there has risen* a generation of children who no longer belong to the “Four Sons” of the Haggadah, not even to the category of the “Wick ed” one. They are almost a total loss to their fellow Jews and to true Judaism. • « • The Exodus from Egypt and the Festival of Pesach are forceful reminders that an attempt to emulate the en vironment does not lead to survival, deliverance and freedom. These come from staunch loyalty to our tradi tions and the Torah way of life. Our ancestors in Egypt were a small minority and lived in the most difficult cir- cumstances. Yet they preserved their identity, and with pride and dignity, tenaciously clung to their own way of life, traditions and uniqueness. Precisely in this way was their deliverance from every slavery, physical and spiritual. Aati*8eaiitiiiM From Page 8 posted on occasion outside the synagogue to deter neo- Nazis from disturbing ser vices. The Jewish communi ty feels that Jewish organizations and installa tions in Rome do not receive sufficiant protection from the Italian police. Happy Passover to our Friends Maxine £t A! Levine &. Family Greetlags lr«Bi KRAFT REALITY SmmKrmH Happy Passover Lmm,Uury, Best Wishes for the Holidays Bob & Anne Yudell & Family Greetings from 8 a G LEIBERIMAN Co., Inc. The Marx & Leiberman families GREETINGS PAUL SIMON CO To oar ^^fashion MiRded’’ VrieRds Great American Fashion Co. Aluminum & Matzoh — What a Sandwich! ACE CONSTRUCTION CO Discover our trea sures from the sea. Beautiful, jewel-col ored shells are me ticulously hand- painted with 24K Crold. Sand dollars and seahorses, clams and conches, carefully dipped in 24K Gold Defi nitely Items to be treasured $4 and 15 Happy Passover from a Friend For Rent Ocean Front Condo Excellent Myrtle Beech Loce- tion. Shopping, fine reeteurents, entertelnment. golf fr tennle fecNItiee minutee ewey. New Contemporery 3 BR. 2 ST. Jacuzzi in mester beth: microweve. weeher. dryer, centrel elr, 2 color TVs, cable, pool. AveHeMe by the week from IMay 1 • Sept. 30 Cell 377-17M/Dey or 874-9M3/Night. iL ^ j. CENTER Come See our Europeen kitchen modell
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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April 1, 1982, edition 1
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