The Tam's Question at the Seder: Understanding Tipshus vs. Chochmah

Rabbi Zweig opens with the Haggadah's presentation of the tam, who asks "Mah zos?" — "What is this?" referring to the korban Pesach (פסח). Rashi (רש"י) describes this child as a tipesh, someone who doesn't know how to ask a more profound question. The difficulty is obvious: if the tam's question is simply "What is this?" how is he any different from the she'eino yodei'a lishol, the child who cannot even formulate a question? Anyone can ask "What is this?" — why does the Haggadah classify this as tipshus? Rabbi Zweig proposes a fundamental redefinition of the term tipesh. The common assumption is that tipesh means fool or stupid person, synonymous with shoteh. But halachically, a shoteh is someone who engages in self-destructive behavior — he throws away money, destroys what is given to him, and is therefore disqualified from mitzvos and his shechitah is pasul unless supervised. Tipesh, however, is a different category entirely.