Tonight we drink four cups of the fruit of the vine. Whatever else it means, each full cup of wine is said to represent complete happiness; and yet… it resembles the blood of life, and of sacrifice. It contains sorrow too.

The second cup of wine reminds us that although the plagues resulted from the decisions of a tyrant, the greatest suffering occurred among anonymous Egyptians who had no voice in those decisions. Today we are reminded just how terrible plague and powerlessness are.

It is fitting that as Jews, and humans, we mourn their loss of life, and take NO joy their suffering.

Midrash imagines that as the waves of the Nile overwhelmed the Egyptian army, the angels began cheering.  But when God saw them, he shouted, “Stop! How dare you celebrate the death of any of my creatures!”

As we name the ten plagues that befell the Egyptians, let’s diminish the wine in our cups, just as the world was diminished by their loss and their suffering. Dip a finger in your wine each time we name a plague, then touch your plate to remove a drop in their memory. Watch as they collect there.

Please join together as we recite the name of each plague, first in English, then in Hebrew.

Blood | dam | דָּם

Frogs | tzfardeiya | צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ

Lice | kinim | כִּנִּים

Beasts | arov | עָרוֹב

Cattle disease | dever | דֶּֽבֶר

Boils | sh’chin | שְׁחִין

Hail | barad | בָּרָד

Locusts | arbeh | אַרְבֶּה

Darkness | choshech | חֹֽשֶׁךְ

Death of the Firstborn | makat b’chorot | מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת

Plagues are horrors. Our celebration is further diminished by continued plague & oppression in all parts of the world today. In retelling the Pesach story, we remember the time of our freedom; but we do not forget that others suffered in the process.


haggadah Section: -- Ten Plagues
Source: multiple