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Why does the Haggadah's answer to the wicked son differ from the Torah (תורה)'s direct response? The shiur resolves this by showing that "va'amartem" is not directed at the child but at ourselves: before answering, we must internalize that we were spiritually Egyptian at Yetzias Mitzrayim. God had rachamanus on us despite our unworthiness, obligating us to the same unwavering commitment to our children.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental question about the four sons in the Haggadah. The wicked son asks "Mah ha'avodah hazos lachem?" and the Haggadah responds "Li v'lo lo—if you were there, you would not have been redeemed." Yet when this exact question appears in Parshas Bo, the Torah (תורה) provides a different answer: "This is the Pesach (פסח) lamb that commemorates God passing over our homes." Why does the Baal Haggadah change the Torah's answer? Rashi (רש"י) complicates the question further. He identifies the phrase "ba'avur zeh asah Hashem (ה׳) li"—which the Haggadah assigns to both the wicked son and the son who doesn't know how to ask—as a hint (remez) for answering the wicked son. This deepens the puzzle: if Rashi agrees the Torah's answer to the wicked son is different from what the Haggadah says, why the discrepancy?
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Parshas Bo (Shemos 12:26-27, 13:8)
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