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Dayyenu!
Contributed by Jessica Belding

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

One of most beloved songs in the Passover seder is "Dayenu". A few of us will read the stanzas one at a time, and everyone else will respond, "Dayenu" – meaning, “it would have been enough for us”.

Fun fact: Persian and Afghani Jews hit each other over the heads and shoulders with scallions every time they say Dayenu! They especially use the scallions in the ninth stanza which mentions the manna that the Israelites ate everyday in the desert, because Torah tells us that the Israelites began to complain about the manna and longed for the onions, leeks and garlic. Feel free to be Persian/Afghani for the evening if you’d like.

1. If He had brought us out from Egypt,

Ilu hotzianu mimitzrayim,. ...............אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם

and had not carried out judgments against them

v'lo asah bahem sh'fatim,. ................וְלֹא עָשָׂה בָּהֶם שְׁפָטִים

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

2. If He had carried out judgments against them,

Ilu asah bahem sh'fatim.. .................אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בָּהֶם שְׁפָטִים

and not against their idols

v'lo asah beloheihem,. .......................וְלֹא עָשָׂה בֵּאלֹהֵיהֶם

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

3. If He had destroyed their idols,

Ilu asah beloheihem, ..........................אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בֵּאלֹהֵיהֶם

and had not smitten their first-born

v'lo harag et b'choreihem,. ................ וְלֹא הָרַג אֶת בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

4. If He had smitten their first-born,

Ilu harag et b'choreihem,. .................. אִלּוּ הָרַג אֶת בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם

and had not given us their wealth

v'lo natan lanu et mamonam,. ............ וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת מָמוֹנָם

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

5. If He had given us their wealth,

Ilu natan lanu et mamonam,. .............. אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת מָמוֹנָם

and had not split the sea for us

v'lo kara lanu et hayam, ....................... לא קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּם

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

6. If He had split the sea for us,

Ilu kara lanu et hayam,. ......................... אִלּוּ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּם

and had not taken us through it on dry land

v'lo he'eviranu b'tocho becharavah,. ...וְלֹא הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

7. If He had taken us through the sea on dry land,

Ilu he'eviranu b'tocho becharavah,. ......אִלּוּ הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה

and had not drowned our oppressors in it

v'lo shika tzareinu b'tocho,. .................... וְלֹא שִׁקַע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

8. If He had drowned our oppressors in it,

Ilu shika tzareinu b'tocho, ...................... אִלּוּ שִׁקַע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ

and had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years

v'lo sipeik tzorkeinu bamidbar arba'im shana, וְלֹא סִפֵּק צָרַכֵּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

9. If He had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years,

Ilu sipeik tzorkeinu bamidbar arba'im shana, אִלּוּ סִפֵּק צָרַכֵּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה

and had not fed us the manna

v'lo he'echilanu et haman, וְלֹא הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת הַמָּן

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

10. If He had fed us the manna,

Ilu he'echilanu et haman,. ................. אִלּוּ הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת הַמָּן

and had not given us the Shabbat

v'lo natan lanu et hashabbat,. ........... וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

11. If He had given us the Shabbat,

Ilu natan lanu et hashabbat,. ............. אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת

and had not brought us before Mount Sinai

v'lo keirvanu lifnei har sinai,. .............. וְלֹא קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

12. If He had brought us before Mount Sinai,

Ilu keirvanu lifnei har sinai, ...............אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי

and had not given us the Torah

v'lo natan lanu et hatorah,. ............... וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

13. If He had given us the Torah,

Ilu natan lanu et hatorah,. .................. אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה

and had not brought us into the land of Israel

v'lo hichnisanu l'eretz yisra'eil,. ......... וְלֹא הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ

14. If He had brought us into the land of Israel,

Ilu hichnisanu l'eretz yisra'eil,. ..........אִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל

and not built for us the Holy Temple

v'lo vanah lanu et beit hamikdash,. ..וְלֹא בָּנָה לָנוּ אֶת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ

— Dayeinu! .........................................דַּיֵּנוּ
haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu

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