Since the Seder story is meant for all of us, it can be viewed that the four children are each actually a part of each of us…

What does the Activist Child ask?
“The Torah tells me, ‘Justice shall you pursue,’ but how can I pursue justice?”
Empower children always to seek pathways to advocate for the vulnerable. As the Book of Proverbs teaches, “Speak up for the mute, for the rights of the unfortunate. Speak up, judge righteously, champion the poor and the needy.”

What does the Skeptical Child ask?
“How can I solve problems of such enormity?”
Encourage this child by explaining that they need not solve the problems, they must only do what they are capable of doing, but that means that when they see a problem, they must work toward its resolution. As we read in Pirke Avot, “It is not your responsibility to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”

What does the Indifferent Child say?
“It’s not my responsibility.”
This child needs to be persuaded that responsibility cannot be shirked. As Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, “The opposite of good is not evil, the opposite of good is indifference. In a free society where terrible wrongs exist, some are guilty, but all are responsible.”

And the Uninformed Child who does not know how to ask…
This child asks “What problems?  My world is fine, so what else is there?”  This child needs to be given opportunities to learn empathy, to be grateful for what they have while recognizing that with their privilege comes responsibility for ensuring equity.


haggadah Section: -- Four Children