Cup 2 and Dayeinu

The plagues and our subsequent redemption from Egypt are but one example of the care God has shown for us

in our history. Had God but done any one of these kindnesses, it would have been enough – dayeinu.

ִמ ִּמצְרָיִם

ִאלּו ה ֹוצִי ָאנו ּ

ּ

Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, Dayeinu If God had only taken us out of Egypt,

that would have been enough!

אלּו ּנַָתןלָֽנוֶּאת־ַה ֹתּוָרה,ַדּיֵּנוִ ּ

Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et ha-Torah, Natan lanu et ha-Torah , Dayeinu If God had only given us the Torah,

that would have been enough.

The complete lyrics to Dayeinu tell the entire story of the Exodus from Egypt as a series of miracles God

performed for us.

Dayeinu also reminds us that each of our lives is the cumulative result of many blessings, small and large.

The Passover Symbols

We have now told the story of Passover...but wait! We’re not quite done. There are still some symbols on our

seder plate we haven’t talked about yet. Rabban Gamliel would say that whoever didn’t explain the shank bone,

matzah, and marror (or bitter herbs) hasn’t done Passover justice.

The shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the

Passover holiday. It is called the pesach, from the Hebrew word meaning “to pass over,” because God passed

over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt when visiting plagues upon our oppressors.

The matzah reminds us that when our ancestors were finally free to leave Egypt, there was no time to pack or

prepare. Our ancestors grabbed whatever dough was made and set out on their journey, letting their dough bake

into matzah as they fled.

The bitter herbs provide a visceral reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors

experienced in Egypt.


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu