What is the opposite of a חכם? Well, if חכם is "wise" then the opposite would be a טיפש - fool. So why is the contrast in the hagada to a חכם a רשע and not a טיפש?
Herein lies the secret. At the root of all evil is stupidity and foolishness. To wit - A man wants money so he steals. Evil, right? At the root of the evil is foolishness because he will end up being caught, humiliated and sent to jail. A man is bored with his wife so he finds a "spare" wife. His wife finds out and as a present she serves him with divorce papers. He loses his wife, kids, house, loads of money and [as a bonus] has lots of hearthache. At the root of the evil is foolishness. That is what the author of the hagada is teaching us by contrasting the חכם and רשע.
Take Albert Einstein as a f'rinstance. He writes in his memoirs that had he not been so, uh let us say, "taken" with the opposite gender [והמבין יבין], he would have accomplished a great deal more in his lifetime. He admitted that at the root of the aveiros he committed was really foolishness. He would have done so much more but his yetzer hara owned him.
Let us be wise and not foolish.
Love and blessings:-).
[Heard from the Rebbe Shlita]
לזכות ר' דניאל שמחה בן חוה רייזל לברכה והצלחה בכל מעשה ידיו
לזכות ר' דניאל שמחה בן חוה רייזל לברכה והצלחה בכל מעשה ידיו
