The Four Clueless Children

The Four Clueless Children

There is no better 90's film to represent the four children of the Passover story than the characters from the beloved classic, Clueless.

Let's begin with the Wise Child: In our traditional text the wise child asks, “What is the meaning of the laws and traditions God has commanded?" You should teach them all the traditions of Passover.

Dionne is always there to explain how the world works, to remind Cher to stop at stop signs, (she totally paused) and try to stop Murray from shaving his head. Dionne is the rational thinker in the group, the responsible one.

The second child is the Wicked Child, who traditionally asks, “What does this service mean to you?” This child says “to you” and does not feel a part of our observances. We ask this child to listen closely and become part of our traditions and learn what the Seder means.

This wicked child is Amber. She thinks she is above everyone else.  She just shows up to the Seder to show off her new ____, she does not feel a part of the experience. “Was I the only one listening? I thought it totally reeked.”

The Simple Child, “What is all of this? We hope that each year they observe the tradition and start to learn it’s customs.

Cher is Clueless, she wants to do the right thing but continues to fall short.  She “helps” Tai be a better person, she donates to the Pismo Beach disaster, “Daddy, some people lost all their belongings. Don't you think that includes athletic equipment?”.  She at one point says “ I thought they declared peace in the Middle East?” She wants everything to be perfect in the world, and is slowly learning how to do her part.

The Child Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask, we traditionally just explain to the child that that g-d brought us out of Egypt and tonight we celebrate that freedom.

Tai doesn’t know how to ask. She comes from a different world than the rest of the girls and just goes along with what she is being told.  She’s just rolling with the homies.


haggadah Section: -- Four Questions