As Moses and the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, Pharaoh’s armies pursued them as they were encamped by the sea. Moses held out his hand over the sea and the Lord drove back the sea, allowing the Israelites to pass, but drowned the Egyptians.

There is a Midrash that tells of God rebuking His angels for rejoicing as the Egyptians were drowning, saying, “Are these not my children also?” We now pour ten drops of wine to symbolize the ten plagues upon Egypt. A full cup of wine is the symbol of complete joy. Though we celebrate our freedom, our cup cannot be filled because our freedom did not come without a cost. Each drop of wine that we pour out of our cups diminishes our joy.

With your finger or spoon, lessen your cup of wine with each of the plagues mentioned, but do not drink

Blood as we read “All the waters that were in the river were turned to blood”

Frogs as we read “And the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt”

Lice as we read “All the dust of the land became lice throughout all of Egypt”

Swarms as we read “There came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt.”

Pestilence as we read “All the cattle of Egypt died.”

Boils as we read “And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with pains upon man, and upon beast.”

Hail as we read “And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and God sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and God rained hail upon the land of Egypt.”

Locusts as we read “And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and God brought an East wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the East wind brought the locusts.”

Darkness as we read “And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.”

The death of the Egyptian first-born as we read “And it came to pass, that at midnight God smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt."


haggadah Section: -- Ten Plagues