The Torah speaks of Four Children: The Midrash of the four children is based on four passages in the Torah which each explain the reason for Passover. In each of these passages a child asks a question and the parent offers an answer. In the final passage of the four we are simply told that the parent should tell his child about the Exodus from Egypt. In Exodus, Chapter 12 (which contains the passage associated with the wicked child) the passage concludes, “...the people bowed and worshipped.” Rashi explains that the people paid homage to God at this time by giving thanks to the Holy One upon learning that “they would be blessed with children.” Rabbi Epstein asks two questions. What is the point of this news and what is its connection to the rest of the passage which deals with the Passover sacrifice? Why should the people bow in homage to God at this particular point in time considering that this passage is the one addressed to the wicked child? We associate Passover with the ability of parents to pass on the lessons of our history to their children. The worry here, as Rashi explains it, is natural. Only one of the four children turns out to be wise. Nonetheless, Moses comforted the people and told them that even if they were not blessed with wise children, future generations might be blessed with such children. They should, therefore, make the effort to teach their children the message of the Exodus even if they are wicked, simple or silent. According to Rashi, Moses wanted to comfort the people with his tidings of future generations and it was for this reason that the people bowed in gratitude. Rabbi Epstein concludes by acknowledging that, as lovely as this Drash may be, it is not the P’shat, or the literal meaning of this verse. The simple meaning of the verse is that the people bowed in homage to God for the redemption that He was about to give them.

One is wise and one is wicked... Why does the Haggadah contrast the wise child with the wicked children? The opposite of a wicked person should be a righteous person, not a wise person. Rabbi Epstein points out that there are places in the Bible where wisdom is associated with righteousness, such as Psalms 119: 98, “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies.” In other words one’s wisdom allows us to fulfill God’s commandments and thereby overcome our enemies. The editor of the Haggadah chose the word “Chacham, wise” rather than Tzaddik, righteous,” because generally righteous people tend to follow the will of God without asking questions or expressing doubts. There are two type of righteous people. There are those who blindly follow God’s will (and say, “we will do and we will obey”) and there are those who obey God’s will but ask questions and probe into the deeper meaning of what it is they are doing. The Haggadah focuses on the second type of righteous person who obeys God’s will but is not afraid to probe and ask questions. Such a person is the opposite of the wicked child.

One is simple.... In the Jerusalem Talmud, there is a varient version of the Midrash of the four sons (Pesachim 10:4) which uses the word “Tipesh, fool” instead of the word “Tam, simple” to describe the third child. Rabbi Epstein prefers the text of this Midrash found in the Jerusalem Talmud to the one used in the standard version of the Haggadah we now use. The word “Tam” does not fit here since it often has a positive connotation in the Biblical and in Rabbinic literature. It can mean pure or whole. The word is often used in association with the word “Yosher, upright,” and sometimes with the word, “Tsedek, righteous.” The Patriarch, Jacob, is referred to as an “Eesh tam, a pure man.” The word “Tipesh,” on the other hand, has a connotation of someone who has difficulty understanding and who asks questions but has limitations in understanding the answers he is offered as in Psalms 119:70 and Isaiah 6:10.