This piece is part of Exploring Judaism’s 5784 Passover Reader. Download the whole reader here.
The anecdote of the four children at the Passover Seder is one of the most enduring passages of the Haggadah. For centuries, scholars and artists have pored over countless analogies, attempting to explain how a family with a wise child, a wicked child, a simple child, and a child that doesn’t know how to ask can deepen our understanding of what it means to teach younger generations of the miracles of deliverance and freedom.
But lest we think that these teachings are a relic of the past, we learn otherwise by just watching a little TV.
The renowned HBO comedy-drama series “Succession,” which concluded last year, featured a cast of characters with notable similarities to the scene depicted in the story of the Four Children. Logan Roy, the founder and aging CEO of media conglomerate Waystar Royco, spends most episodes pondering how best to pass down the keys to his empire. The main contenders are his four adult children, and it doesn’t take too much imagination to see each one as a modern (albeit fictional) example of these Seder children.
Kendall Roy: The Wise Child
Kendall Roy, Logan’s second-oldest son, could be compared to the Wise Child. Make no mistake: Many times, Kendall appears anything but wise. He repeatedly tries too hard to gain his father’s affection, and his failures send him into deep sadness and doubt. Yet Kendall’s desire to understand the finer details of how to triumph in the cutthroat corporate world represents a thirst for knowledge worthy of the Wise Child, the one who asks specific questions of how to observe the Seder properly.
Roman Roy: The Wicked Child
Roman Roy, Logan’s youngest son, could be understood as the Wicked Child. Or, at least, the Mischievous Child. Like his corresponding Haggadah character, Roman sometimes doesn’t know why he’s at the table in the first place, and he acts out awkwardly and obnoxiously. And yet both children stay at the table, somehow still interested in the story’s next chapter.
Siobhan Roy: The Simple Child
Siobhan “Shiv” Roy, Logan’s lone daughter, can be likened to the Simple Child. This is not a comment on Shiv’s intellect, which is clearly top-notch. Rather, just as the Simple Child looks at the Seder table and only asks what this is, Shiv’s machinations for power and influence come off as frustratingly elementary compared with the other players.
Connor Roy: The Child Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask
Which leaves Connor Roy, Logan’s oldest son, as the Child Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask. Connor has a hard time understanding what he wants, as he’s never worked a day in his life. When he haphazardly decides to run for president, the results are as ill-fated as you’d expect. Connor never asks to run Waystar Royco, and if he ever wanted the job, he wouldn’t know where to start.
These comparisons are certainly imperfect, and perhaps other “Succession” fans could link these characters better. But the similarities between a modern television drama and an ancient Haggadah anecdote can remind us of the rabbis’ consistent ability to communicate timeless ideas about human nature. Simply put, just as one family can produce wildly different personalities, our Seder tables are often equally diverse. And just like the parent of the Four Children, we are tasked with creating lessons that will resonate with various people.
May our Seders have meaningful moments of Succession, passing down the lessons of our past to multitudes of generations.
