בָּרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם Blessed is the Omnipresent – blessed is He. Blessed is the One who gave His people Israel, the Torah – blessed is He. כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָּנִים The Torah relates to four types of sons – one who is wise, one who is wicked, one with a simple nature, and one who does not know how to ask.

The WISE SON what does he say? “What are the testimonies, the statutes and laws, that the LORD our God commanded you?” And you must tell him the laws of Pesaḥ: “After eating the Pesaḥ offering one does not eat anything more.”

The WICKED SON what does he say? “What is this service to you?” “To you,” he says, not to him. When he sets himself apart from the community, he denies the very core of our beliefs. And you must set his teeth on edge and tell him, “Because of this the LORD acted for me when I came out of Egypt.” “For me,” and not for him; had he been there he would not have been redeemed.

The SIMPLE-NATURED SON what does he say? “What is this?” And you must tell him, “With a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the grip of slavery.”

And the ONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO ASK you must open [the story] for him, as it is said: “And you shall tell your child on that day, ‘Because of this the LORD acted for me when I came out of Egypt.’”