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Maggid - The Passover Story
Contributed by Adele Decent

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Although the story of the exodus is largely associated with Moses, the Haggadah actually begins with Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and the father of the Jewish people and who lived before Jews were ‘Jews,’ in Canaan.

The book of Genesis tells us that Jacob and his sons went to Egypt as the famine was very bad in the land of Canaan. We've all sang along to Joseph so there's no need to go into all the minute details here. Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel” in a story in the book of Genesis, and the bible tells that he 'became a nation of people' with his descendants called Israelites,

The book of  Exodus follows approximately 400 years later, as the Egyptians began to feel threatened by the growing numbers of Israelites, forcing them into slavery and decreeing that all firstborn males should be drowned in the Nile. One mother saved her son by putting him into a basket and allowing it to float along the river, to be found by the Pharoah's daughter, who named him Moses. 

Moses himself had to endure his own trials before G-d appears before him in the form of a burning bush and tasks him with bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, leaving slavery beind them and leading them to a promised land.

Raise the tray with the matzot and say:

This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. 

The plate with the matzot is moved aside, and the second cup is poured. (Do not drink it yet).

Now the youngest child asks "Mah Nishtana?"

What makes this night different from all other nights?

On all nights we don't even dip even once, yet on this night we dip twice

On all nights we can eat bread or matzah but on this night, only matzah.

On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables but on this night, bitter herbs

On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining but on this night we all recline
haggadah Section: Maggid - Beginning

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