In one of its best-known passages, the Haggadah describes four sons—wise, wicked, simple, and unable to ask—each of whom poses a question (or, in the case of the fourth, fails to pose a question) about the seder, and is met with a parental reply. Marc Angel, questioning the usual translation of the Hebrew word describing the third son—who asks only “What is this?”—offers a novel interpretation:
Although tam is usually translated as “simple” or “naïve,” the word also has a much different meaning. It means pure, unblemished, whole. Our forefather Jacob is described as being tam, and so is Job. Noah is called tamim [“perfect,” a word that derives] from the same root. The tam of the Haggadah isn’t simple at all, but is actually the most profound of the four children.
The tam accepts Jewish belief and ritual, but his question isn’t about what to do—but about why. The tam, in search of wholeness, is not satisfied with an intellectual discussion of the laws and customs [as is the wise son]. The tam wants to understand how these laws and customs increase one’s closeness to God, how they enhance spirituality. The tam is saying: yes, I’ll do what the religion requires, but I need something more. I need to know the inner spirit of what the religion demands of me.
The response is: if you are seeking the inner meaning and you want to deepen your spirituality, then you need to understand: God is great; God is a presence in our lives; God’s mighty hand took us out of Egypt; God’s mighty hand continues to play a role in our lives today. The laws and traditions of Judaism aim at one thing: to bring us closer to God.
Read more on Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals: https://www.jewishideas.org/angel-shabbat/not-so-simple-child-thoughts-pessah