The Four Children
Four times the Torah bids us tell our children about the Exodus from Egypt. Four times the Torah repeats: “And you shall tell your child on that day” From this, our tradition infers four kinds of children...
The Torah speaks of four kinds of children: one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not yet know how to ask.
The Wise One says: “What is the meaning of the rules, laws and practices which God has commanded us to observe?”
You shall tell him the story of the Exodus and shall teach him Torah, midrash and commentary, down to the last detail.
The Wicked One says: “What is the meaning of this service to you?”
You shall tell her “I do this because of the wonderful things which God did for me when
God brought me out of Egypt.” You shall say “for me,” not “for us,” because in asking what the service means “to you” she has made it clear that she does not consider herself a part of the community for whom the ritual has meaning.
The Simple One asks, “What is this?”
You shall tell him of the deliverance from the house of bondage.
The One Who Does Not Know How To Question, for her you must open the way.
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