Leader: Had He brought us out from Egypt And not judged them.

All: Dayenu!

Had He judged them And not judged their idols.

All: Dayenu!

Had He judged their idols And not slain their first-born.

All: Dayenu!

Had He slain their first-born And not given us their property.

All: Dayenu!

Had He given us their property And not divided the sea for us.

All: Dayenu!

Had He divided the sea for us And not brought us through on dry ground.

All: Dayenu!

Had He brought us through on dry ground And not drowned our oppressors.

All: Dayenu!

Had He drowned our oppressors And not helped us forty years in the desert.

All: Dayenu!

Had He helped us forty years in the desert And not fed us manna.

All: Dayenu!

Had He fed us manna And not given us the Sabbath.

All: Dayenu!

Had He given us the Sabbath And not brought us to Mount Sinai.

All: Dayenu!

Had He brought us to Mount Sinai And not given us the Torah.

All: Dayenu!

Had He given us the Torah And not brought us into the Land of Israel.

All: Dayenu!

Had He brought us to the Land of Israel And not built us the Holy Temple.

All: Dayenu!

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS PESACH?

This roasted shank bone is the symbol of the Pesach lamb. Each year at Passover, the Israelites would gather at the Temple to commemorate the Exodus from slavery. Each family would bring a lamb as an offering, to remember the time when our ancestors were spared the fate of the Egyptians. The Pesach was a reminder that God passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt. Originally, one of the four questions asked at the Seder was not, “Why do we recline?” but “Why do we eat only roasted meat?” After the Temple was destroyed, sacrifices were abandoned and so was the question about eating only roasted meat at the Seder.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS MATZOH?

Matzoh is a symbol of the simple bread of poverty. The matzoh reminds us of the great haste in which the Israelites fled from Egypt. As we read in the Torah: “They baked unleavened cakes of the dough since they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay.”

In ancient times, the Israelites ate simple foods. For one week each year the matzoh becomes the symbol of those days when people had little, reminding us that our lives are about much more than the material things we have or own.

We are commanded to eat matzoh on the first night of Passover and to rid ourselves of chometz — all bread and leavened food products made from fermented wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt — for the entire holiday. Though we are prohibited from eating these fermented grains during Passover, we are also commanded to eat Matzoh — flour and water baked so quickly that it does not ferment or rise — at the Seder.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS MAROR?

We eat the maror, or bitter herbs, to remind ourselves that the Egyptians embittered the lives of our people. As we read: “And they made their lives bitter with hard labor at mortar and brick and in all sorts of drudgery in the field; and they ruthlessly imposed all the tasks upon them.” 

As we eat the bitter herbs, we are reminded to remove any bitterness from our own lives, for bitterness will kill even sooner than death. If we become used to bitterness in our lives, it is very hard to ever leave it behind. 

THE CUP OF DELIVERANCE - The Second Cup of Wine

Our wine glasses are raised as we recite the following: We raise our cups as we recall the second promise of liberation to the people of Israel. Let us glorify God who performed these miracles for our ancestors and for us. Let us rejoice at the wonder of our deliverance from bondage to freedom, from servitude to redemption. Hallelujah. We praise God who has delivered us and our ancestors from Egypt and brought us here this night to eat matzoh and maror. Our God and God of our ancestors, help us celebrate future holidays and festivals in peace and in joy.

Praised be thou, O Lord Our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine!

All drink the entire second cup of wine


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu