We all know the Haggada speaks of four sons. There’s the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the one who doesn’t even know how to ask. We often focus on their differences, and choose our favorites. This is a big mistake.
You see, while the wise son may be easier to deal with than the wicked one, or appreciate Judaism more than the simple one, ALL FOUR ARE CALLED “SONS.” We don’t get to choose between them and we don’t throw them out or ignore them for being challenging. Rather, we have to learn how to deal with each of them in his own way so he gets the message of Pesach that Hashem is truly a part of HIS life.
R’ Moshe Leib Sassover z”l once spent Shabbos, Parshas Bo, at the home of R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk z”l. At the table, he expounded on the verse (Shmos 27:27) that HaShem skipped “on” the houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt. The Torah should have written skipped over (passed over) or jumped from house to house.
Why does it say he jumped “on” them? R’ Moshe Leib answered by saying, “The word “pasach” here, is not a language of jumping or skipping, but of dancing. When HaShem came to a Jewish home, He stopped and danced upon it, as it were, saying excitedly and with pride, “doh voint a Yid! - Here lives a Jew!”
And with that, R’ Moshe Leib jumped up on the table before a smiling R’ Elimelech and began dancing himself; ecstatically chanting, “doh voint a Yid, doh voint a Yid! – Here lives a Jew!”
