At the Passover Seder we talk about “four sons,” the smart son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the son who does not know how to ask.
Some say that the son who does not know how to ask is the worst of them all, because his inability to ask a question comes from indifference.
Some say he is the most honest and sincere, who doesn’t need to ask questions.
Some say the “smart son” is the best because, well, he’s the smart son.
In truth, the simple son is the wisest son, and the one we should emulate.
The wisdom of the simple son’s question answers the questions of the others.
The smart son asks “Why are there different kinds of Mitzvot, some we do understand, some we do not understand?”
The Simple son answers “What is this?” What is a Mitzvah? Figure out what a Mitzvah is and your question goes away, then your question will go away.
The wicked son asks “Why do you do this service?”
The Simple son answers “What is this?” What is service? If you know that, then your question goes away.
This is a very important lesson in how to think. Before we get caught up in the details of any subject, we need to ask ourselves what are the definitions of the words we keep using: “What is this?”
If you have a question about God, ask yourself “What is God?’
If you have a question about Torah, ask yourself “What is Torah?”
If you have a question about parenting, ask yourself “What is a father/mother?”
If you have a question about marriage, ask yourself “What is a husband/wife?”
That is how we become wise.
