Pesach
a) The order of the Four Sons, in which he places the wicked son next to the wise son. Seemingly, he should have arranged them either according to the order of the verses: the wicked son, the simple son, the one who does not know how to ask, and the wise son; or according to their importance: the wise son, the simple son, the one who does not know how to ask, and the wicked son.
— For that is indeed their order of importance also in terms of the order of the worlds, as found in the writings of the Arizal17, that the Four Sons correspond to the four worlds: the wise son — in Atzilus ("דאבא חכמה עילאה מקננא באצילות" ("Abba, supernal Chochmah, nests in Atzilus")); the wicked son — in Asiyah ("שהקליפה קרובה שם" ("for the kelipah is close there")18); the simple son — in Beriah; and the one who does not know how to ask — in Yetzirah.
Simply put, one could answer that he lists them in the order of their wisdom19. One could also say that first he lists the uppermost extreme, then the lowest extreme, and at the end those who are found in between20.
In Torah, however, every matter is precise. Since the wicked son is nevertheless placed next to the wise son, we must say that there is a connection between them — especially since he says "ואחד רשע" ("and one wicked") with a vav that adds21. We must therefore understand: since the wise son is the uppermost extreme and the wicked son the lowest extreme, how can they be placed one next to the other, and moreover in the manner of a vav that adds?
b) The answer to the wicked son is: "בעבור זה עשה ה׳ לי בצאתי ממצרים" ("It is because of this that G‑d did for me when I went out of Egypt") — "לי ולא לו, אילו היה שם לא היה נגאל" ("for me, and not for him; had he been there, he would not have been redeemed"). This is not understood: if he has no connection whatsoever to the Exodus from Egypt, how does he come into the Haggadah? Why do we speak about him at the Seder, and we are even told to occupy ourselves with him, as the wording of the Haggadah says, "ואמור לו" ("and say to him")?
c) It is stated in the writings of the Arizal22 that the Four Cups correspond to the Four Sons: the first cup — the wise son, the second cup — the wicked son, and so on. The main part of the Haggadah is said over the second cup. On the face of it, since "had he been there, he would not have been redeemed," how is it that specifically the words said to the wicked son are bound up with the main part of the Haggadah?
d) After the introduction of "והגדת" ("And you shall tell") to the Four Sons, with the fixing of the time for it ("יכול מראש חודש כו׳" ("One might think from Rosh Chodesh, etc.")), the account of the Exodus from Egypt itself begins: "מתחלה עובדי עבודה זרה היו אבותינו" ("In the beginning our forefathers were idol-worshippers"). The Gemara says23: "מתחיל בגנות" ("He begins with disgrace"). This is not understood: when one sits down on Pesach at the Seder to tell about the servitude and the Exodus from Egypt, what relevance is there in telling the events from before the beginning of the exile and from before the time of Avraham Avinu?
10. The Gemara says24: "אף על פי שחטא ישראל הוא" ("Even though he has sinned, he is a Jew"). Every Jew, whatever state he may be in, has within himself the essential point of Jewishness. And according to the saying of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe25, on "אחד חכם ואחד רשע" ("One wise and one wicked"): in every one of them there is the "one" — also in the wicked son — only that in him it is hidden, and it must be revealed.
The "one" in every Jew is bound up with the Chochmah of the soul26. That is why the wicked son is placed next to the wise son: to show that the wicked son, too, has the "one," for he too has the level of Chochmah of the soul.
11. The obligation to occupy oneself with the wicked son in order to uplift him is no smaller than the obligation to occupy oneself with the simple son and the one who does not know how to ask, and even with the wise son. After all, "כנגד ארבעה בנים דברה תורה" ("The Torah speaks of four sons"); it is a word of Torah to occupy oneself with them, and consequently they all stand on the same scale, for in Torah every individual word affects the entire Torah.
When a single letter27 is missing from a Sefer Torah, this affects the holiness of all the letters, regardless of which letter it is. It makes no difference whether it is connected with the "one wise," or with the father to whom the command "והגדת לבנך" ("And you shall tell your son") is addressed — the father being our Father in Heaven, Who answers and removes all questions — or whether it is connected with the wicked son. Every word contributes to the completeness of holiness in the Torah as a whole.
12. This is also alluded to in the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, "Even though he has sinned, he is a Jew [Yisrael]."
The wording of our Sages is precise. Why does it use the wording "Yisrael he is"? Seemingly, it should not have used the name of distinction Yisrael, but rather Yehudi and the like.
Yisrael is an acronym of "יש ששים רבוא אותיות לתורה" ("There are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah"). This means: just as the entire Torah depends on every single letter, as explained above, so too the Jewish people as a whole depends on every single Jew. "בנים אתם לה׳ אלקיכם" ("You are children of the L‑rd your G‑d"), and our Father in Heaven — all are, as it were, dependent on each individual Jew28.
By including the wicked son, too, in the Seder, the overall intent of all matters will be fulfilled.
13. Another reason for placing the wicked son next to the wise son:
Who can reveal the "one" that is found in the wicked son? Specifically the wise son. The simple son and the one who does not know how to ask have no power to uplift him. The wise son, the uppermost extreme — he specifically has the power to reveal the "one" that is in the wicked son. This is along the lines of "כל הגבוה גבוה ביותר יורד למטה מטה ביותר" ("Whatever is higher descends lower").
And that is why the wicked son is placed adjacent to the wise son: because his elevation comes specifically through the wise son29.
14. This is also the precise meaning of "The Torah speaks of four sons." Torah means horaah (instruction). Torah is an instruction in Divine service, how to fulfill the intent in every matter. Therefore the order from the standpoint of Torah is "One wise and one wicked."
In the order from the standpoint of the worlds, the wicked son comes at the end, as explained above, for Asiyah is the lowest and last world. The purpose of Torah, however, is not that the world should remain as it is in its own existence, but to uplift every matter. Therefore, from the standpoint of Torah, the order is the wicked son next to the wise son, through whom comes his elevation.
15. With this we will also understand what my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, demanded of his close mekusharim — and the most devoted mekusharim are presumably also the most knowledgeable in Torah, engaged in the service of prayer, and fulfill mitzvos in the most beautiful manner (the line of acts of kindness) —
that they should occupy themselves with simple people, and study with them even simple matters such as the alef-beis — whether literally, or the alef-beis of the service of teshuvah and the observance of mitzvos.
On the face of it, why was it necessary to use the most devoted mekusharim for this? Others, too, could have done it, for however little they know, their knowledge is still enough to engage in this; and the most devoted mekusharim should devote themselves only to ascending in the study of Torah, the service of prayer, and the observance of mitzvos in the most beautiful manner?
The reason for this is: the elevation of the wicked and the lowest is specifically through the wise and the highest (through the greatest wise man and the most elevated).
16. More specifically, there is in this a twofold instruction:
Notes
17) Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar 21, ch. 7.
18) See also Tanya, ch. 6.
19) This is how it is explained in the Abudraham.
20) Along these lines, see Tosafos, s.v. "Shomer chinam," Bava Kamma 4b.
21) Since without the vav there would be no room for error, even according to Rabbi Yonasan it serves to add (Rashi, Menachos 91a, beginning). And since this depends on reasoning, there is no distinction between the language of the Torah and the language of the Sages. See also the sefarim cited in Sdei Chemed, Kelalim, letter Vav, s.k. ח"ג.
22) Pri Eitz Chaim, Shaar 21, ch. 5; ibid., ch. 7.
23) Pesachim 116a.
24) Sanhedrin 44a.
25) Likkutei Dibburim, vol. 3, p. 844.
26) Tanya, ch. 18–19.
27) See Zohar III, 71a; Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 25; Responsa Noda BiYehudah, Mahadura Tinyana, Orach Chaim, §9; Avnei Nezer, Yoreh De'ah, vol. 2, [OCR unclear: שסע"א].
28) See Sanhedrin, ch. 6, Mishnah 5: "קלני מראשי כו׳" ("I am pained by My head, etc.").
29) And in Pri Eitz Chaim, ibid.: "Why is Atzilus adjacent to Asiyah? Because Asiyah needs a great light."
Key Lesson
The Haggadah places the wicked son right next to the wise son, because even the wicked son has the hidden "one," the essential Jewish point, and only the wise son, the highest, has the power to reveal it and uplift him. So the Previous Rebbe asked his closest and most learned Chassidim to teach simple Jews even the most basic things: reaching the lowest is the work of the highest.