From Slaves To Sons

"So that the children should ask."  Why is it the holiday of Pesach specifically that revolves around children?  The main mitzvah is והגדת לבנך, not to yourself, why?  We don't find that on Sukkot we say כנגד ד' בנים דיברה תורה and elucidate the message of the holiday in many forms; only on Pesach, why?  Before the Exodus we were servants to Pharaoh and afterward we became servants of G-d, did we just exchange one master for another?  

Pesach is the beginning of a transformation from slaves to sons.  Pre-Exodus the only type of service that Klal Yisroel knew was that of a slave to its master.  They were slaves to their masters and that was the form of service that were accustomed too.  Yitzias Mitzraim taught Klal Yisroel how to serve Hashem not merely as a slave, but as a son.

The service of a slave or a son are two paths of service, each one with its own מעלה וחסרון.  The slave's advantage is that s/he has no sense of self; they are completely subjugated to the will of their master.  They are in the ultimate state of ביטול to their master.  However what is lacking is that there is no closeness between master and slave; the slave doesn't have any true connection to his master.  On the other hand, the service of the son is lacking that level of subjugation for he is his own self , however, the advantage is that not only is he closer to his father, he is an extension of his father for his whole existence came from his father.  A slave that escapes is free, a son can never escape, he always is connected to his father.

The Gemorah (Berachos 40a) says אין התינוק יודע לקרות אבא ואמא עד שיטעום טעם דגן.  Many holy books connect this to the matzah that we eat.  Pesach is the beginning of us recognizing Hashem as one who dictates to us not merely as a master, but as a father as well.  What does that mean?  [No, it doesn't mean you are Jesus.]  Just as the son always bears the name of his father, so too we should be proud to bear Hashem's name.   

That is why the entire holiday revolves around teaching one's children for that is the entire theme of the holiday; to learn and teach the proper connection between father and children.  Through that a person will come to appreciate and understand his own connection to Hashem (the idea for this essay was inspired by Maharal Netzach Yisroel Ch. 11 and R' Tzvi Einfeld in רבי עקיבא ודורו של שמד.)