Musar for Chagigah 5:16

Pharaoh said to Moses that he did not comprehend the meaning of the term עבודה, "service." He did not know if Moses referred only to the offering of a sacrifice, and if that was the meaning of עבודה, or if Moses referred to some other activity which represented the carrying out of a Heavenly command but not including sacrifices. If the meaning of עבודה was the performance of other activties it made sense that both adults and children would be required. This would be similar to the Torah requiring the presence of adults and children in Deut. 31,12 for the public reading of the Torah once in seven years during the מצות הקהל, the general assembly at the end of Tabernacles. On such an occasion however, there would be no need for the presence of their livestock. If, on the other hand, the meaning of עבודה was the sacrificial service of slaughtering animals, surely only the presence of men of all age groups was mandatory. What need was there for the presence of women and small children, i.e. טף? This is why Pharaoh repeated the word מי; he referred to the two alternatives.