Welcome to Haggadot.com (the "Site"). Haggadot.com, customandcraft.org, [email protected] and all future,
as-yet-to-be-created brands are projects of Custom & Craft Jewish Rituals, Inc., which is the legal name of this
California nonprofit organization (hereinafter referred to as “Haggadot.com”). All projects of Custom & Craft Jewish
Rituals are subject to the Terms of Service described below. This Terms of Service ("TOS") contain the terms and
conditions that govern your use of the Site, and the Haggadot.com Service (as defined below). This TOS describes your
rights and responsibilities and what you can expect from the Haggadot.com Service. Use of the Site constitutes your
acceptance of and agreement to this TOS.
Haggadot.com reserves the right to add, delete, and/or modify any of the terms and conditions contained in this TOS, at
any time and in its sole discretion, by posting a change notice or a new agreement on the Haggadot.com Site. In the
event of substantive changes to this TOS, you may be notified by email. If any modification is unacceptable to you, your
only recourse is to not use the Site and the Haggadot.com Service. Your continued use of the Haggadot.com Site following
posting of a change notice or new TOS on the Haggadot.com Site will constitute binding acceptance of the changes.
The Haggadot.com Service.
Haggadot.com provides a number of Internet-based services through the Site as well as any other Haggadot.com affiliate
websites, digital content, mobile applications, online service or anywhere the TOS are shown (all such services,
collectively, the "Haggadot.com Service"). One such service enables users to create customized products, including
without limitation, merchandise and books (collectively, "Products"). Haggadot.com users may create and purchase
individual Products for their own personal use. Haggadot.com may offer a number of other services on its Site, including
without limitation, message boards, contests, and newsletters, which may change from time to time.
Use of the Web Site and Haggadot.com Service.
Eligibility. Haggadot.com will only knowingly provide the Haggadot.com Service to parties that can lawfully enter into
and form contracts under applicable law. If you are under the age of 18, but at least 13 years of age, you may use the
Haggadot.com Service only under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by this TOS. The
Haggadot.com Service is not intended for children under the age of 13.
Compliance with TOS and Applicable Law. You must comply with all of the terms and conditions of this TOS, the applicable
agreements and policies referred to below, and all applicable laws, regulations and rules when you use the Haggadot.com
Service and the Site.
Your License to Use the Web Site and the Haggadot.com Service.
Haggadot.com solely and exclusively owns all intellectual property and other rights, title and interest in and to the
Haggadot.com Service and Site, except as expressly provided for in these TOS. For example and without limitation,
Haggadot.com owns the copyrights in and to the Site, and certain technology used in providing the Haggadot.com Service.
You will not acquire any right, title or interest therein under this TOS or otherwise to any intellectual property owned
by Haggadot.com.
Haggadot.com grants you a limited revocable license to access and use the Site and the Haggadot.com Service for your own
personal purposes, subject to your compliance with this TOS. This license does not include the right to collect or use
information contained on the Site for purposes prohibited by Haggadot.com; to compete with Haggadot.com; to create
derivative works based on the content of the Site; or download or copy the Site (other than page caching). If you use
the Site in a manner that exceeds the scope of this license or you breach this TOS, Haggadot.com may revoke the license
granted to you.
This Section 2.3 does not pertain to your intellectual property rights. For information regarding your intellectual
property rights, please see Section 4.
Third-Party Content: Wherever Haggadot.com websites, online services, and digital content make reference to third party
organizations or include information, content, or graphics from third parties, Haggadot.com assumes third-party content
is for general informational purposes only and displaying third-party content does not constitute a recommendation or
endorsement of the opinion, product or service. Haggadot.com makes no claim as to the accuracy or relevance of
third-party content. If you decide to access any other websites linked to or from this website, you do so entirely at
your own risk.
Third-Party Services. Haggadot.com may use third parties to provide certain services accessible through the Site.
Haggadot.com does not control those third parties or their services, and you agree that Haggadot.com will not be liable
to you in any way for your use of such services. These third parties may have their own terms of use and other policies.
You must comply with such terms and policies as well as this TOS when you use those services. If any such terms or
policies conflict with Haggadot.com's TOS, agreements, or policies, you must comply with Haggadot.com's TOS, agreements,
or policies, as applicable.
General Rules.
Prohibited Use. You may only use the Haggadot.com Service as expressly permitted by Haggadot.com. You may not cause harm
to the Site or the Haggadot.com Service. Specifically, but not by way of limitation, you may not: (i) interfere with the
Haggadot.com Service by using viruses or any other programs or technology designed to disrupt or damage any software or
hardware; (ii) modify, create derivative works from, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble any technology used to
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copy pages from the Site, except in the operation or use of an internet "search engine," hit counters or similar
technology; (iv) collect electronic mail addresses or other information from third parties by using the Haggadot.com
Service; (v) impersonate another person or entity; (vi) use any meta tags, search terms, key terms, or the like that
contain Haggadot.com's name or trademarks; (vii) engage in spamming or any activity that interferes with another user's
ability to use or enjoy the Haggadot.com Service; (viii) assist or encourage any third party in engaging in any activity
prohibited by this TOS; (ix) upload to, transmit through, or display any material that is unlawful, fraudulent,
threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable or that infringes any third party’s
intellectual property rights or any confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information of any third party; (x)
upload, transmit, or display any advertisements, solicitations, chain letters, pyramid schemes, investment
opportunities, or other unsolicited commercial communications (unless expressly permitted); (xi) display adult nudity or
inappropriate child nudity; (xii) use the Site for sale of goods or services; or (xiii) upload photographs or other
content depicting images or people who have not given permission to have their photographs or images uploaded to a share
site.
Privacy Policy. By entering into this TOS, you agree to Haggadot.com's collection, use and disclosure of your personal
information in accordance with the Privacy Policy as amended from time to time.
Password Security. You are solely responsible for protecting the security and confidentiality of the password and
identification assigned to you. You shall immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your password or
identification or any other breach or threatened breach of this website’s security.
Ordering Policies. If you purchase Products, you agree to do so in accordance with Haggadot.com's ordering policies and
instructions on the Site. Your order constitutes an obligation to pay, subject to acceptance by Haggadot.com at our sole
discretion. Your order is accepted by us when we ship the goods to you. An order confirmation does not signify our
acceptance of your order, but merely confirms receipt of your order. We will send you a shipment confirmation once your
order is accepted. Haggadot.com reserves the right to cancel any order prior to delivery at our sole and absolute
discretion, whether or not you have already been charged. If your order is canceled pursuant to this section, and you
have already been charged, Haggadot.com will automatically issue a refund to you. As the products are individually
produced, an approximate availability and delivery time are shown alongside the product description prior to order
completion. The products will be delivered as soon as they are available. The times are estimates only and cannot be
guaranteed. At the latest, delivery will occur within thirty (30) days from acceptance of your order by Haggadot.com.
Please note that Haggadot.com is not able to deliver to all regions worldwide. All prices are subject to the delivery
charges, as well as any applicable taxes, duties, fees, or levies. Haggadot.com reserves the right to change the prices
published on the Services at any time. However, orders already submitted to us will not be affected by such changes.
Title to the Products you purchase passes to you when the Products are delivered to the common carrier.
Create and Buy General Rules and License.
Description. As part of the Haggadot.com Service, Haggadot.com offers a service (the "Create & Buy Service") that allows
you to upload images, video, audio, data, and other content as well as text, files, and works of authorship
(collectively, "Content") to the Site to create, produce, and purchase Products featuring the uploaded Content for your
own use. “Content” also includes without limitation, any Content that you contribute or share with other members through
the Site.
Delivery of Content. You will upload or deliver to Haggadot.com all Content that you want to use with the Create & Buy
Service in accordance with the applicable instructions on the Site. Haggadot.com may, in its sole and exclusive
discretion, determine whether any Content complies with such instructions and is satisfactory for use with the Create &
Buy Service.
Ownership of your Content. You represent and warrant that you own or otherwise possess all necessary rights with respect
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authorization or otherwise violate any copyright, trademark, trade secret right, or other intellectual property or other
property right of any third party.
Use of Likeness. You consent to the use of your likeness, and you have obtained the written consent, release, and/or
permission of every identifiable individual who appears in the Content to use such individual’s likeness, for purposes
of using and otherwise exploiting the Content in the manner contemplated by these TOS. If any such identifiable
individual is under the age of eighteen (18), you have obtained such written consent, release, and/or permission from
such individual’s parent or guardian. You agree to provide a copy of any such consents, releases, and/or permissions
upon our request.
Licensing Your Content to Haggadot.com. You will retain ownership of the Content that you upload to the Site. You hereby
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purchase Products; (ii) with respect to any Content that you expressly designate as being “public,” to link to, use,
reproduce, create derivative works from, license, sublicense, distribute, print, publicly display, and otherwise utilize
your Content including, without limitation, making your Content available to the Haggadot.com community. Please note
that, while you retain ownership of your Content, any template or layout in which you arrange or organize your Content
through tools and features made available through the Site or the Haggadot.com Service are not proprietary to you, and
the rights to such template or layout are reserved to Haggadot.com.
Licensing Your Content to other Haggadot.com Members. Except for any of your Content that you specify as “private”
during the submission process, you also hereby grant all other members of the Haggadot.com community a non-exclusive,
worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable license to use, copy, publicly display, create derivative works from, and otherwise
communicate and distribute your Content for any purpose on or through the Site or the Haggadot.com Service and/or in the
Haggadot.com member’s own products. You acknowledge and agree that any such Haggadot.com member can exercise the
foregoing rights without further notice, payment, or attribution to you. For avoidance of doubt, any of your Content
that you designate as “public” will not be limited to any restricted purpose and is provided on a non-proprietary and
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Reservation of Rights.
Monitoring. Haggadot.com reserves the right, but does not assume the obligation, to monitor transactions and
communications that occur through the Site. If Haggadot.com determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that you or
another Haggadot.com user will breach a term or condition of this TOS or that such transaction or communication is
inappropriate, Haggadot.com may cancel such transaction or take any other action to restrict access to or the
availability of any material that may be considered objectionable, without any liability to you or any third party.
Modification of the Service. Haggadot.com reserves the right to modify the organization, structure or "look and feel" of
the Haggadot.com Service or the Site, and may change, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Haggadot.com Service at
any time without any liability to you or any third party. Haggadot.com shall have complete discretion over the features,
functions, prices and other terms and conditions on which the Haggadot.com Service is offered to Haggadot.com users.
Submissions.
When you submit questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, message board postings, material submitted via web forms,
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"moral rights" or the like arising from Haggadot.com's use of a Submission. This Section does not apply to your Content
that you use in connection with the Create & Buy Service. Any personal information you submit is covered by our Privacy
Policy.
You shall not upload, distribute, or otherwise publish through this website any content, information, or other material
that (a) violates or infringes the copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or other proprietary rights of any
person; (b) is libelous, threatening, defamatory, obscene, indecent, pornographic, or could give rise to any civil or
criminal liability under U.S. or international law; or (c) includes any bugs, viruses, worms, trap doors, Trojan horses
or other harmful code or properties.
Haggadot.com reserves the right to immediately remove any content it deems offensive, or in violation of these Terms and
Conditions. Haggadot.com also reserves the right to remove a user account, without notice, if the user has been found to
pose a threat to other users or has violated any rule laid out in the Terms and Conditions.
Copyright and Trademark Issues
While we are not obligated to review Content for copyright or trademark infringement, we are committed to protecting
copyrights and trademarks and expect users of our Site and Haggadot.com Services to do the same. The Digital Millennium
Copyright Act of 1998 (the “DMCA”) provides recourse for copyright owners who believe that material appearing on the
internet infringes their rights under U.S. copyright law. If you believe in good faith that any material used or
displayed on or through our Site or the Haggadot.com Services infringes your copyright, you (or your agent) may send us
a notice requesting that the material be removed, or access to it blocked. The notice must include the following
information:
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allegedly infringed;
identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed (or, if multiple copyrighted works are covered by
a single notification, a representative list of such works);
identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or the subject of infringing activity, and information
reasonably sufficient to allow us to locate the material on our Site and/or the Haggadot.com Services;
the name, address, telephone number and email address (if available) of the complaining party;
a statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is
not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
a statement that the information in the notification is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining
party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
If you believe in good faith that a notice of copyright infringement has been wrongly filed against you, the DMCA
permits you to send us a counter-notice. Notices and counter-notices must meet the then-current statutory requirements
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the Haggadot.com Services, or notices concerning trademark use in personalized products we make or in our Site and the
Haggadot.com Services, should be sent to:
Haggadot.com
PO Box 385
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
[email protected]
Upon receipt of a compliant DMCA Takedown Notice, Haggadot.com will investigate the claim, take appropriate action and
serve the notice on our member. If a member submits a DMCA Counter-Notice, Haggadot.com will forward such notice to the
party that submitted the relevant DMCA Takedown Notice and allow the member to repost the disputed content after 10
days, as provided by law. Haggadot.com reserves the right to terminate the account of any member who repeatedly
infringes the copyright rights of others, as determined in Haggadot.com’s sole discretion.
Representations and Warranties.
Mutual Representations and Warranties. You represent and warrant to Haggadot.com and Haggadot.com represents and
warrants to you: (i) that you or it has the full power and authority to enter into and perform under this TOS, (ii) the
execution and performance of your or its obligations under this TOS does not constitute a breach of or conflict with any
other agreement or arrangement by which you or it is bound, and (iii) this TOS is a legal, valid and binding obligation
of the party entering into this TOS, enforceable in accordance with its terms and conditions.
By You. In addition to any other representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, You represent and warrant
to Haggadot.com that, in your use of the Haggadot.com Service, you: (i) will not infringe the copyright, trademark,
patent, trade secret, right of privacy, right of publicity or other legal right of any third party, and (ii) will comply
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no claims, demands or any form of litigation pending, or to the best of your knowledge, threatened with respect to any
of your Content; (ii) Haggadot.com will not be required to make any payments to any third party in connection with its
use of your Content, except for the expenses that Haggadot.com incurs in providing the Haggadot.com Service; (iii) the
use of any instructions, formulae, recommendations, or the like contained in your Content will not cause injury to any
third party; and (iv) your Content does not contain viruses or any other programs or technology designed to disrupt or
damage any software or hardware.
Disclaimers and Exclusions.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. Haggadot.com PROVIDES THE SITE AND Haggadot.com SERVICE ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE"
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THE CONFIGURATION OR WITH THE HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE YOU USE. Haggadot.com MAKES NO WARRANTIES OTHER THAN THOSE MADE
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WARRANTIES OF TITLE, ACCURACY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT AND ANY WARRANTIES
THAT MAY ARISE FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, OR USAGE OF TRADE.
Limitation of Liability.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER Haggadot.com, NOR ANY OF ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS,
SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES, OR AFFILIATES (COLLECTIVELY, “THE HAGGADOT PARTIES”)
SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE OR SPECIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION
DAMAGES RELATING TO LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, USE, OR LOSS OF GOODWILL) ARISING OUT OF, RELATING TO OR
CONNECTED WITH THE USE OF THE Haggadot.com SERVICE OR THIS TOS, BASED ON ANY CAUSE OF ACTION, OR FROM UNAUTHORIZED
ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR CONTENT OR DATA, EVEN IF A REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN IS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED ITS ESSENTIAL
PURPOSE AND EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. FURTHERMORE, THE HAGGADOT PARTIES WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY
TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY CONTENT UPLOADED. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SITE
OR THE Haggadot.com SERVICE IS TO STOP USING THE SERVICES. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE
MAXIMUM LIABILITY OF THE HAGGADOT PARTIES SHALL BE THE ACTUAL PRICE PAID THEREFORE BY YOU. NOTE: CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS
MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR CERTAIN OTHER TYPES OF DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE
ABOVE EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
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You must indemnify and hold Haggadot.com and its employees, representatives, agents, affiliates, directors, officers,
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liabilities, damages, losses, expenses, and/or. costs (including without limitation, attorneys' fees) that arise
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(ii) your violation of any representation or warranty contained herein or any applicable law; (iii) your Content; (iv)
your activities in connection with obtaining any products or services from us; or (v) any activity related to access to
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that you may not settle any claim against the Indemnified Parties without the express written consent of the Indemnified
Parties); and (c) give you reasonable assistance, at your expense.
Term and Termination.
Term. This TOS shall remain in full force and effect while you use the Site and Services.
Termination. In its sole discretion, with or without notice to you, Haggadot.com may: (i) suspend, limit your access to
or terminate your use of the Site and/or the Haggadot.com Service; (ii) suspend, limit your access to or terminate your
account; (iii) remove any of your Content from Haggadot.com's servers and directories; and (iv) prohibit you from using
the Haggadot.com Service and/or the Site. Upon termination for any reason, your right to access and/or use the Site
and/or the Haggadot.com Service will immediately cease.
Survival. Notwithstanding Section 12.2 above, this TOS will survive indefinitely unless and until Haggadot.com chooses
to terminate this TOS.
Effect of Termination. If you or Haggadot.com terminates your use of the Site or the Haggadot.com Service, Haggadot.com
may delete any Content or other materials relating to your use of the Haggadot.com Service on Haggadot.com's servers or
otherwise in its possession. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you understand that any Content you expressly designated as
being “Public” and that Haggadot.com or other users of the Site made available in other areas of the Site other than
your user profile (including, without limitation, in another user’s library) may not be deleted. Haggadot.com will have
no liability to you or any third party for any termination of your use of the Site or Service or for any deletion of
your Content or for any Content that was not deleted that remains on the Site.
Notice.
All notices required or permitted to be given under these TOS (other than in connection with Section 7) will be in
writing and delivered to the other party by any of the following methods: (i) U.S. mail, (ii) overnight courier, or
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Springs, NY 12866 [email protected] & [email protected]. If Haggadot.com provides notice to you, Haggadot.com will use
the contact information provided by you to Haggadot.com. All notices will be deemed received as follows: (i) if by
delivery by U.S. mail, seven (7) business days after dispatch, (ii) if by overnight courier, on the date receipt is
confirmed by such courier service, or (iii) if by electronic mail, 24 hours after the message was sent, if no "system
error" or other notice of non-delivery is generated. If applicable law requires that a given communication be "in
writing," you agree that email communication will satisfy this requirement.
Dispute Resolution.
All disputes arising out of, relating to or connected with these TOS or your use of any part of the Haggadot.com Service
will be exclusively resolved under confidential binding arbitration held in California, before and in accordance with
the Rules of the American Arbitration Association, by a sole arbitrator applying California law (without regard for
conflicts of law principles). The arbitrator's award will be binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of
competent jurisdiction. Any action to enforce an arbitrator's award will be brought in a federal or state court located
in California. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the personal jurisdiction of the Federal and California State
courts. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section Can 14, Haggadot.com may seek equitable relief,
including, without limitation, injunctive relief and specific performance, without the requirement of posting a bond or
other security or proving money damages are insufficient, from a court of competent jurisdiction.
Miscellaneous.
These TOS will be binding upon each party hereto and its successors and permitted assigns, and governed by and construed
in accordance with the laws of the State of California without reference to conflict of law principles. This TOS is not
assignable or transferable by you without the prior written consent of Haggadot.com. This TOS (including all of the
policies and other Agreements described in this TOS, which are incorporated herein by this reference) contain the entire
understanding of the parties regarding its subject matter, and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements and
understandings between the parties regarding its subject matter. No failure or delay by a party in exercising any right,
power or privilege under this TOS will operate as a waiver thereof, nor will any single or partial exercise of any
right, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other such right, power,
or privilege. You and Haggadot.com are independent contractors, and no agency, partnership, joint venture, or
employee-employer relationship is intended or created by this TOS.
The wicked child is one of the most perplexing parts of the Haggadah, and perhaps one of the most troubling. Many have questioned whether or not the Haggadah’s harsh response to him is justified or just abusive. Is the wicked child really so wicked that he deserves to be hit in the teeth, or told that Hashem wouldn’t have saved him from slavery? Let’s take a closer look at the text to get some answers.
?רָשָׁע מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר
Rasha, ma hu omer?
The wicked child, what does he say?
For clarity, we typically translate rasha into English as ‘the wicked child,’ but that’s not what it literally means. Rasha is a noun, not an adjective. It means ‘villain’ or ‘criminal.’ This is even more troubling than calling the child “wicked,” because it implies they are incapable of change.
?מָה הָעֲבוֹדָה הַזאֹת לָכֶם
“Ma ha-avodah ha-zot lachem?”
“What is this worship to you?”
One of the reasons why Haggadah’s treatment of the wicked child feels so cruel and bizarre is that it doesn’t seem like he’s doing anything wrong. Simply by being present at the seder, he’s fulfilling a mitzvah, and better yet he is asking questions, engaging with the ritual. Why does the Haggadah condemn his curiosity?
One of the most important aspects of his question is his usage of the word avodah . In this context, it clearly means ‘worship’ or ‘service,’ in the religious sense of that word. But avodah also means ‘labor’ and it’s connected to the word for slavery. The wicked child’s question compares the ritual of the seder to the slavery we’re supposed to be celebrating our liberation from. On the surface this seems like a ridiculous comparison— how could a festive dinner filled with joyous singing, delicious food, and ample wine be oppressive?
What the wicked child is arguing is that our seder is a form of mental slavery if we are doing it merely out of religious obligation. He’s asking us to seriously ask ourselves why we’re performing these strange rituals. How can we call ourselves free if the answer is merely ‘because God said so’ or if we have no answer at all? He might quote the Good Book and ask how we can celebrate freedom if our liberator said, “B’ney Yisra’el are slaves to me, they are my slaves who I brought out of Mitzrayim.” (Leviticus 25:55) In other words, the wicked child asks us to prove that our avodah is not avodah zara, a Hebrew phrase meaning idolatry, literally ‘strange worship.’ If we are not being intentional with our prayers, our rituals, our traditions, how are they any different than the idol worship our ancestors were warned against? Whether or not what he’s arguing is true, his question is very important for us to answer honestly, which makes the Haggadah’s response to him all the more frustrating.
.לָכֶם – וְלֹא לוֹ
Lachem, ve-lo lo.
‘To you,’ and not to him.
The Haggadah does not comment on the wicked child’s use of the word avodah. It doesn’t even answer his question. Instead, it decries his usage of the second person in his question. What’s strange though is that the wise child asked their question in the second person too. “What are the rules that Hashem our God commanded you?” You, and not them. The typical explanation is that though the wise child doesn’t include themself in the moment the laws were given, by saying Eloheinu, our God, they include themself in law itself, i.e. they accept the responsibility of the mitzvot.
But why are they allowed to get away with the second person here? Why doesn’t the Haggadah berate them for failing to understand that the Torah doesn’t merely apply to them, it was written about them? If we are all obligated to see ourselves as if we personally left Mitzrayim, surely the wise child should believe that they were there when the laws of Pesach were given. The true difference between the wise and wicked children’s questions is that the wise child unquestioningly accepts that their parents have all the answers, while the wicked child doesn’t trust that they know what they’re doing any more than he does.
.וּלְפִי שֶׁהוֹצִיא אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִן הַכְּלָל כָּפַר בְּעִקָר
Oo-lefi she-hotzi’a et atzmo min ha-klal, kafar be-ikar.
Since he brought himself out of the collective, he denied his roots.
The language the Haggadah uses to describe what the wicked son is doing is very interesting. Why say that the wicked son “brought himself” out of the collective? Why not say he separated himself, or simply left the collective? The Haggadah is subtly mocking his ‘trust no one’ attitude by using the word hotzi'a to describe his leaving the collective, comparing it to how Hashem has hotzianu, brought us out of Mitzrayim. By questioning the value of the seder, he embarks on a grand Exodus of his own, leaving the table to go sit and sulk.
The last two words of this sentence are difficult to translate and to understand. Some might recognize that the word kafar contains the same root as kippur, the Hebrew word for atonement. The root essentially means to wipe something out. Kippur means to wipe away one’s sins; kafar means to wipe away something’s meaning, through denial. In its many forms as a verb, ikar means something similar: to uproot. But the root ikar itself means ‘root.’ By extension, the ikar mentioned in the Haggadah means something to the effect of ‘the principle.’ The word ikar can also mean ‘the main thing,’ which is what the wicked child is missing.
Through questioning the value of the seder itself, he misses the point. The strange rituals, the arcane texts, the contradictions of the Haggadah, the reversals of everyday life: all of these things are designed to confuse, to get us to ask questions we wouldn’t normally ask and come to conclusions we wouldn’t normally come to. The wicked child acts intellectually superior by assuming the seder is a dusty old ritual devoid of meaning for modern-day Jews and irrelevant to contemporary life. Instead of trying to make sense of the strange, ancient texts he throws them away, assuming they’re broken because they are old. His edgelord reddit mindset leaves him lonely and spiritually unsatisfied. He thinks he is clever because he doesn’t believe in miracles, but really he’s just too foolish to let them happen to him.
Finally, the Haggadah’s tirade against the wicked child starts to make a little more sense. His closed mind and hardened heart cut him off from the people who love him. By questioning the value of these traditions, passed down from generation to generation through millennia of violence and oppression, he is being ungrateful to the ones who came before him, who lived so he could survive.
But is that necessarily true? Is there a way one could show reverence for one’s ancestors and their traditions, and still ask questions about them? After all, isn’t questioning things a bona fide Jewish value, or at least a time-honored Jewish tradition in its own right? And on this night of all nights, this night of far more than four questions, shouldn’t his questions be received with welcome arms and open minds?
וְאַף אַתָּה הַקְהֵה אֶת שִׁנָיו
Ve-af ata hak’he et shinav
You shall blunt his teeth
Any credibility the Haggadah has made in its proof of the wicked child’s wickedness has just gone out the window. How are we supposed to react to this violence? What does blunting someone’s teeth even mean? Socking him in the jaw? Surely that’s no way to respond to the wicked child’s question, even if it is wicked. Advocating for this violence only goes to show that the wicked child is no more wicked than his father.
Except, as always, there’s a hidden meaning here. The translation of hak’he is notoriously tricky, but the basic consensus is that it doesn’t mean to hit, but to make something dull. Some say that the wicked child needs to be defanged, have his biting remarks softened somewhat. But this explanation is disappointing in its own right.
Hidden in every רשע, rasha, villain, there is a צדיק, tzaddik, righteous person. But how do we find the tzaddik in the rasha? To find the answer, we need to use gematria, traditional Jewish numerology. The numerical value of רשע is 570, the value of צדיק is 204. We need to remove 366 to find the tzaddik. It just so happens that the gematria of shinav, שניו, ‘his teeth’ is 366. By rearranging the letters of שניו, we get an additional insight into the situation: inside every one of us, no matter how wicked we seem, is the potential for שנוי, shinu’i, change. And another word that has the numerical value of 366? Kippurim, כיפורים, atonements, from the same root as kafar , to deny. Why ‘atonements,’ plural? Just as the wicked child needs to learn how to accept love, we too need to learn how to give it to those who test our patience. As it is written, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” (Leviticus 24:20)
.וֶאֱמוֹר לוֹ: בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה יי לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִצְרָיִם. לִי וְלֹא־לוֹ
Ve-emor lo, “Ba’avur zeh asah Adonai li be-tzeiti mi-Mitzrayim.” Li, ve-lo lo.
Say to him: “For the sake of this Hashem did what they did for me when I was brought out of Mitzrayim.” ‘Did for me, ’ and not for him.
This is the first of four times that the traditional Haggadah quotes this verse. The second time it is used, it’s said to the child who doesn’t know how to ask a question. Why should the same verse be used to denounce the wicked child, but to ‘open’ a conversation with the silent child?
The relationship between the wicked child and the child who does not know how to ask is interesting. It’s easy to think that the Haggadah is contrasting the wise and wicked children, but actually the simple child is intended to be juxtaposed with the wicked. In some early versions of the Haggadah, they’re called the ‘foolish’ child. So what’s the connection between the wicked and silent children? A popular interpretation of the wicked child’s question is that it’s a non-question. It’s rhetorical at best, mere mockery at worst. So neither of these children have asked a real question; maybe neither of them are able to.
The child who doesn’t know how to ask has traditionally been viewed as a toddler, or an infant. They don’t know how to ask because they are not yet able to put words together. Others see this child as a child who’s been silenced—whose questions are so dangerous that a repressive state or system has censored them. But what if this child really does know how to ask, and no one is stopping them, it’s just that they’d prefer to be quiet and listen? What if they want to learn not from questions and answers, but through stories and private meditation?
The first time the “for the sake of this” verse is used, it’s to exclude the wicked child from redemption. The second time, it’s used to pass on wisdom. We have to wonder what ‘this’ is—what was so important that Hashem chose to defy the laws of nature over and over to save a group of lowly humans from slavery? It was for the sake of ‘this’ telling, for the sake of this oral tradition handed down between generations that our ancestors were redeemed from Mitzrayim. Which means that both the wicked and the silent children are the reason why the Exodus happened, whether they realize it or not. Their willingness to listen, and their questions, no matter how sarcastic, are so precious to Hashem that mountains were moved just to bring them into existence.
.אִלוּ הָיָה שָׁם, לֹא הָיָה נִגְאָל
Eelu haya sham, lo haya nigal.
If he was there, he would not have been redeemed.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe reframed this sentence in an extraordinary way. If he had been there, he wouldn’t have been saved. But he is not there—he is here. Here, the wicked child would be saved. Why? What has changed between then and now? We have been given the Torah. We have been taught to pursue justice, taught to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We have been shown unconditional love, and challenged to show others that kind of love is possible. There, in Mitzrayim, we would have given up on him. But here, as we await for the next Exodus, for the arrival of the World to Come—of course the wicked child will be saved.
The real key to understanding the difference between the wicked child’s question and their siblings’ questions is frustratingly absent from the Haggadah. We have to look to the Torah for the original context in which these questions were asked. All three of them come directly from Hashem. The wise child’s question comes from the verse “ Ki yishalecha vincha machar, when your child asks you in the future, ‘What are the decrees, rules, and laws that Hashem our God has commanded you?” (Deuteronomy 6:20) The simple child’s question comes from the verse, “ Ki yishalecha vincha machar, when your child asks you in the future, ‘What is this?’” (Exodus 13:14) But the wicked child’s question is posed differently. Hashem says, “ Ki yomru aleichem beneichem, when your children say to you, ‘What is this worship to you?’” (Exodus 12:26) The writers of the Haggadah picked up on this difference and determined that his question is merely rhetorical, that his mockery doesn’t dignify an answer.
But is that really so? If that were true, why would Hashem give the wicked child a straightforward answer? Hashem tells us to say, “It is the Passover sacrifice for Hashem, who passed over B’ney Yisra’el’s houses in Mitzrayim when striking the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12:27) Does that mean the Haggadah is encouraging us to, chas ve-shalom, violate a mitzvah?
There are two other significant differences in the way Hashem frames the wicked child’s question compared to his siblings’ questions. The text tells us that the wise and simple questions will be asked of us machar, in the future. The text doesn’t specify when the wicked child’s question will come. The simple explanation for this has to do with when these mitzvot were given—Hashem told Moshe the wise and simple children’s questions after the Israelites had left Mitzrayim, but the wicked child’s question was given before the slaying of the firstborn. The other important difference between the questions is who will be asking them: your child will come to ask the wise and simple questions, but your children, or more specifically, y’all’s children, will ask the wicked child’s question. So who are beneichem, the children who are asking “What is this worship to you?” None other than B’ney Yisra’el, the Jewish people as a whole.
This teaches that the wise and simple children’s questions have been relegated to individuals in the future, but the wicked child’s question is one we must all collectively ask and answer, in every generation’s present. How do we know this? Because Hashem said about the wicked child’s question, “You shall keep this thing forever, you and your children.” (Exodus 12:24) That’s not to say that the other questions don’t have value. The wise child’s question comes from a love of learning, and teaches us to cultivate our curiosity. The simple child’s question comes from a desire to know what is, to sharpen our sense of observation. But the wicked child’s question is central to the Jewish experience: trying to understand what our elders’ and ancestors’ traditions meant to them, and deciding what those traditions will mean to us.
The Haggadah’s answer to the wicked child is just another one of its tricks, the red herrings it puts on the seder table just so we ask “what is this?” We are meant to question the text, we are meant to rail against it and call it cruel, because through doing so we learn something surprising: there are no wicked children, no bad people, only tzaddikim waiting to be found. The Talmud teaches that “there has never been a stubborn and rebellious son and there never will be.” So why talk about the wicked child at all? Because through doing so, we learn how to love our jaded, imperfect selves.
❉ What does this ritual mean to you? Do you find the seder as a whole meaningful? Why, or why not?
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