Our story begins with the immigration of a small group of Israelites to Egypt to escape a famine in Canaan.  Within a few generations, their population had expanded, and a new pharaoh came to power who felt threatened by the prosperity of this minority group.  To keep this group from becoming too powerful, and to provide Egypt with cheap labor, Pharaoh enslaved the entire Israelite population, who suffered bitterly.

To prevent the Israelite population from expanding further, Pharaoh ordered the killing of all newborn Jews whose bodies were deemed by the state to be male. One Jewish mother, in a desperate attempt to save her child, set him adrift in a basket in the Nile, where he was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. She adopted him and named him Moses (meaning “drawn from the water”).

Years later, Moses came upon an Egyptian overseer beating an Israelite. Outraged, Moses slew the Egyptian, but then fled Egypt for fear that his action would be discovered. Following his escape, Moses settled down in a new community and worked as a shepherd. While herding sheep, he came upon a burning bush that was not consumed by the flames. G-d’s voice came forth from the bush, commanding Moses to go back and lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Moses went to Pharaoh and demanded the release of the Israelites. Pharaoh repeatedly said no--nine times. Each time he said no, another plague (blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts and darkness) struck Egypt. Finally, God struck dead all the Egyptian first born. After this final tenth plague, Pharaoh finally said “yes” and the Israelites left Egypt. 

Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to chase the Israelites, who were soon trapped between the Egyptian army and the Sea of Reeds. But the Sea miraculously split and they crossed safely while the Egyptian soldiers drowned in the returning waters.


haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story
Source: Stanford Jewish Queers Seder 2016