The Four Children of Star Wars

Star Wars is very Jewish. Here’s some proof:

• The word “Jedi” looks an awful lot like Yehudi, the Hebrew for “Jewish.”
• Yoda, the most rabbinic of all creatures in the galaxy, has a name that is essentially like the Hebrew word for “knowledge” (yada).
• Padawans gather in a training academy to learn ancient traditions that have been passed through the generations. Sounds like Hebrew school to me!
• The Jedi must choose between the Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force. Judaism teaches that we must make choices throughout our lives, led by our yetzer hatov and yetzer hara – our good inclination and our evil inclination.
• Judaism teaches that there is good in all of us, even when we choose evil. That’s a good thing for Darth Vader, who did t’shuvah (repentance) by destroying the Empire at the end of his life.

Each year at the Passover seder, we retell the ancient story of our people’s moving from slavery into freedom. In the section of the Haggadah called The Four Children, we are told that we must teach our children this story in different ways, according to their knowledge, maturity, age, and character.

Rabbi Micah Streiffer wrote a piece titled “The Four Children of Star Wars,” which used Star Wars characters to illustrate each of the traditional Four Children. To check it out, click here.