The Passover Seder has a series of 'fours' in its text. There are four cups of wine, four questions, and a discussion about four types of children. People throughout the ages have pondered - who are the four children? Are they among us? Are they within us? This reading about the four children is different from many others.

Our version deals with the continuing struggle in the Middle East between Israel and her Arab neighbors.

The Angry Child asks, "Why should I compromise?"
And we answer that we choose the route of compromise because the alternative is the mutual destruction, both moral and physical, of our two people. If we fail to compromise we will lose a vision of the future for our children.

The Naive Child asks, "Why can't we just love each other?"
And we answer that neither of us can live as if history has not happened. Unfortunately, too much blood has already been shed on both sides. It takes time to build trust.

The Frightened Child asks, "How can I be safe?"
And we answer that we are both afraid. Neither of us will be safe until the other is safe.

The Wise Child asks, "Why don't we share the land in peace?"
We will hope for, and work toward, peace in the Middle East.