Remembering each and every person who was lost, may their memory be a blessing.
Dedicated by Mina and Suzanne Goodman

Day 45

Identifying the Haggadah’s Wayward Son

Dedicated to Rabbi Doron (Laurence) Perez in appreciation of his magnificent contribution to South African Jewry and his commitment to bringing about a revival of the World Mizrachi movement

The seder night is the quintessential Jewish educational experience where grandparents, parents, and children sit together and retell the story of our Exodus from Egypt and the birth of our people. We are all familiar with the memorable description of the four sons who find themselves at the Pesach seder. This famous paragraph appears at the beginning of the Haggadah narrative and in many ways highlights its central educational message. I believe that determining the identity of the enigmatic wayward son will offer a fundamental insight into one of the major challenges facing the Jewish people today. The Haggadah states as follows: “The wayward son asks: “What is this service to you?” (Exodus 12:26) By saying “you,” he excludes himself. And since he excludes himself from the people of Israel, he has denied a fundamental principle of our faith. You, in turn, should blunt his teeth (give a sharp and blunt answer) and say to him – “because of what Hashem did for me when I left Egypt, I do this” – implying for me but not for him. If he (the wayward son) had been there (in Egypt), he would not have been redeemed.”

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Rabbi Doron (Laurence) Perez

Rabbi Doron (Laurence) Perez is the Head of the World Mizrachi
Movement based in Jerusalem. He was formally head of the Mizrachi
Movement of South Africa, the Senior Rabbi of the Mizrachi
Shul, and Head of Yeshiva College School.


Fact of the Day

December 8, 1941

Killing operation being at Chelmno. Chełmno extermination camp, was a Nazi German extermination camp situated 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Łódź, near the Polish village of Chełmno nad Nerem (Kulmhof an der Nehr in German). It was built to exterminate Jews of the Łódź Ghetto.

 Click here to view the image.

Today's Video

Passover is full of stories, and we’ve decided to bring to life the Haggadah’s famous tale of the Four Sons. These four characters – wise, wicked, simple and the one who doesn’t know how to ask questions – can be found all over the world, but we’ve set their story in Moscow.

70 Days for 70 Years is a project of The United Synagogue