The Four Children in Illustration

The Passover Haggadah speaks of four children who ask questions at the seder - one who is wise, one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who doesn’t even know to ask a question.

הגדה של פסח, מגיד, כנגד ארבעה בנים

כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָנִים דִּבְּרָה תוֹרָה: אֶחָד חָכָם, וְאֶחָד רָשָׁע, וְאֶחָד תָּם, וְאֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל.

Pesach Haggadah, Magid, The Four Sons

Corresponding to four children did the Torah speak; one [who is] wise, one [who is] wicked, one who is simple and one who doesn't know to ask.

The Haggadah, unlike most other Jewish texts, is often illustrated. The illustrations serve as a type of midrash, or interpretation, of the text. What does a wise child look like? How about a wicked child? The illustration gives us a window into how the community of that time and place viewed each of the types.

Sefaria has recently added Haggadah manuscripts to the library. They can be viewed by clicking on “Manuscripts” in the resource panel attached to the four children text.

This sheet presents a selection of the manuscripts that you will find on Sefaria. Click on the link below each image to see it in a larger size.