HE FOUR CHILDREN (option one; there's an alternative on p. )21

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...

ׁשֶאֵינֹו וְאֶחָד ּתָם, וְאֶחָד רָׁשָע, וְאֶחָד חָכָם, אֶחָד תֹורָה. ּדִּבְרָה בָנִים אַרְּבָעָהּכְנֶגֶד
לִׁשְאֹול:יֹודֵעַ

The Torah speaks of four kinds of children: one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not yet know how to ask.

אֱלֹהֵינּו יְיָ צִּוָה אֲׁשֶר וְהַּמִׁשְּפָטִים, וְהַחֻּקִים הָעֵדֹת מָה אֹומֵר? הּוא מַהחָכָם אֲפִיקֹומָן: הַּפֶסַח אַחַר מַפְטִירִין אֵין הַּפֶסַח: ּכְהִלְכֹות אֱמָר–לֹו אַּתָה וְאַףאֶתְכֶם?

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.

ׁשֶהֹוצִיא ּולְפִי לֹו. ולֹא לָכֶם לָכֶם? הַּזֹאת הָעֲבֹדָה מָה אֹומֵר? הּוא מַהרָׁשָע זֶה, ּבַעֲבּור וֶאֱמָר–לֹו: אֶת–ׁשִּנָיו, הַקְהֵה אַּתָה וְאַף ּבָעִּקָר. ּכָפַר הַּכְלָל, מִןאֶת–עַצְמֹו נִגְאָל: הָיָה לֹא ׁשָם, הָיָה אִּלּו וְלֹא–לֹו. לִי מִּמִצְרָיִם, ּבְצֵאתִי לִי, יְיָעָׂשָה

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.

מִּבֵית מִּמִצְרַיִם יְיָ הֹוצִיאָנּו יָד ּבְחֹזֶק אֵלָיו: וְאָמַרְּתָ ּזֹאת? מַה אֹומֵר? הּוא מַהּתָם עֲבָדִים:

The Simple One asks, “What is this?”
You shall tell him of the deliverance from the house of bondage.

לֵאמֹר: הַהּוא ּבַּיֹום לְבִנְךָ, וְהִּגַדְּתָ ׁשֶּנֶאֱמַר: לֹו. ּפְתַח אַּתְ לִׁשְאֹול, יֹודֵעַוְׁשֶאֵינֹו מִּמִצְרָיִם: ּבְצֵאתִי לִי, יְיָ עָׂשָה זֶהּבַעֲבּור

The One Who Does Not Know How To Question, for her you must open the way.1 


haggadah Section: -- Four Children
Source: Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach