The fifth son

 

THE FIFTH SON         אחד1 חכם - אחד2 רשע - אחד3תם - ואחד4 שאינו יודע לשאול  The last Lubavitcher Rebbe, R.M.M. Schneerson zt"l, said The sequence of the four sons goes in order from good to bad to worse. The רשע is in a better position than the תם & שאינו יודע לשאול. The רשע can turn over and become a Tzadik בשעה אחת in a very short time. Whereas to stamp out ignorance and עמי הארצות, takes lots of time, energy & effort.  The Rebbe said there are different levels of עמי הארצות. We have a תם  and a שאינו יודע לשאול who both attend the Seder. They at least know it's Yom Tov and the need to sit down to a Seder. There is, however, a fifth son who has absolutely no knowledge at all of Pesach, of a Seder, or of any Mitzvohs, etc. This son is even more of an ignoramus than the שאינו יודע לשאול he doesn't even attend a Seder.  (ע"כ) Perhaps the fifth son is the מכה אשר לא כתובה בתורה We have only כנגד ארבעה בנים דברה תורה. In the הגדה you can find the 4 stage instructions of how to deal with the fifth son.   We start with כל דכפין ייתי וייכול.  All we ask him  to do is to join us for a meal and nothing more. Then we get to 2) את פתח לו which will get him to 3) וכאן הבן שואל. By now you can get to stage 4) אף אתה אמור לו כהלכות הפסח and teach him תורה This is the עבודה at the Seder, stamping out עמי הארצות, & being מבער ignorance.  והגדת לבנך Teach the children.  (אמבצי)