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The Story
Contributed by Carl Viniar

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Our story starts in ancient times, with Abraham, the first person to have the idea that maybe all those little statues his contemporaries worshiped as gods were just statues. The idea of one God, invisible and all-powerful, inspired him to leave his family and begin a new people in Canaan, the land that would one day bear his grandson Jacob’s adopted name, Israel.

God had made a promise to Abraham that his family would become a great nation, but this promise came with a frightening vision of the troubles along the way: “Your descendants will dwell for a time in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years; however, I will punish the nation that enslaved them, and afterwards they shall leave with great wealth."

Raise the glass of wine and say:

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ וְלָֽנוּ

V’hi she-amda l’avoteinu v’lanu.

This promise has sustained our ancestors and us.

For not only one enemy has risen against us to annihilate us, but in every generation there are those who rise against us. But God saves us from those who seek to harm us.

The glass of wine is put down.

This is a central part of tonight's ceremony. Let us continue the story of Jewish hope. The tale of our people's first quest for freedom from slavery in Egypt. The story was first told so long ago that no one knows how much of it is fact and how much is fiction.

It is written that long ago, during a time of famine, the ancient Israelites traveled to Egypt.
According to this legend, the Israelites at that time were all in a single family: Jacob and his children. One of Jacob's sons was Joseph. He was so wise that the ruler of Egypt - the Pharaoh - made Joseph a leader over all the people of Egypt.

​In the years our ancestors lived in Egypt, our numbers grew, and soon the family of Jacob became the People of Israel. Then a new Pharaoh, who did not remember Joseph, came into power. This Pharaoh and the leaders of Egypt grew alarmed by this great nation growing within their borders, so they enslaved us. We were forced to perform hard labor, perhaps even building pyramids. The Egyptians feared that even as slaves, the Israelites might grow strong and rebel. So Pharaoh decreed that Israelite baby boys should be drowned, to prevent the Israelites from overthrowing those who had enslaved them. But for Pharaoh, it didn't work out as planned.

After the Israelites were in Egypt for over 400 years, a man arose among them. He demanded that Pharaoh let his people go! Many times he risked his life to insist on the freedom of his people, until he finally succeeded.

At our Passover Seder, we celebrate the story of Moses and the people he led out of slavery 3000 years ago.
We celebrate the struggle of all people to be free. Throughout the centuries, the story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt
has inspired Jews and non-Jews alike in times of persecution and hardship.

Let us remember that the thirst for freedom exists in all people

The freedom we celebrate tonight is not only freedom from slavery. It is also the freedom to live in peace, with dignity and with hope for a bright future. This constant vision has inspired the Jewish people since the ancient times when the Bible was written

This evening, as we celebrate our own freedom let us take notice of the on-going struggles for freedom here and in many other parts of the world.
haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story
Source: Machar Congregation

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