A Passover lesson

Wicked and wise sons contribute to lack of pride in America’s past | Marvin Olasky

Krieg Barrie/WORLD

Two views currently clash about the meaning of U.S. citizenship and how to teach students about it. Some view the United States as a uniquely diverse society founded upon the idea of freedom. Others scoff at that and see the history of the United States, like that of most other countries, as one of oppression and patriotic gore.

Is the United States different from other countries? If so, why? Those questions are a little like the question that the youngest child at the table is supposed to ask during the Passover meals that many Jews will eat next week: "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

The Passover Haggadah (order of service) then speaks of "four sons" who have varying reactions to the evening's celebration of deliverance from Egyptian slavery. One is the wicked son, who asks his father, "What is this service to you?" That might seem like a quest for meaning, but the use of "you" means that the wicked son is taking up the posture of an observer who feels superior to those who retain quaint understandings.