The Four Children
The Four Kinds of Children
THE WISE CHILD
The Wise child loves Passover. He is eager to celebrate the holiday and he asks his father, “What are the decrees, statutes and laws which the Lord our God has commanded concerning Passover?” He must be told all that there is to know aobut the beautiful customs and observances of the festival. Then you must point out to him that they have meaning too as the beloved symbols of a great and noble ideal – the ideal of freedom for all men.
(Ted)
THE WICKED CHILD
The Wicked child is scornful and irreverent. He does not feel as though he is part of this whole celebration. He asks his father in a mocking spirit “What does the service mean to you?” “To You” he says as though he were an outsider and had no part in it. He should be scolded and told, ‘it is because of what God did to me when I went out of Egypt. To me; not to you! If you had been there, you would not have deserved to go forth.”
(Celebrant)
THE INNOCENT CHILD
The simple child is naïve and innocent. He would like to know what Passover is all about, but he is shy and just doesn’t know how to ask about it. So, he says merely, “what is this?” He should be told, “with a strong hand the Lord brought us forth from Egypt out of the house of bondage.”
(Celebrant)
THE CHILD UNABLE TO INQUIRE
This child does not realize that something unusual is going on. Therefore, he must be introduced to the story and its celebration in simple and clear fashion. As the Torah explains, “this is because of what the Lord did for me when I went forth from Egypt.”
Inspired to create
your own Haggadah?
Make your own Haggadah and share with other Seder lovers around the world
Have an idea
for a clip?
People like you bring their creativity to Haggadot.com when they share their ideas in a clip
Support Us
with your donation
Help us build moments of meaning and connection through
home-based Jewish rituals.
OUR TOP CONTRIBUTORS
Passover Guide
Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
to all of your questions.