The Maggid - The Exodus | Passover haggadah by Benjamin Brodkey

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Maggid – Exodus Story

עֲבָדִים הָיִינו

עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם, וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה. וְאִלּוּ לֹא הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, הֲרֵי אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם. וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָנוּ חֲכָמִים, כֻּלָנוּ נְבוֹנִים, כֻּלָנוּ זְקֵנִים, כֻּלָנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם. וְכָל הַמַרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח

🎵 Avadim hayinu l'faroh b'mitzrayim. 🎵

We were slaves in Egypt and God freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand. Had not the Holy One liberated our people from Egypt, then we, our children and our children's children would still be enslaved.

Seder of our Sages : Telling of the Story

It once happened that Rabbis Eliezer, Joshua, Elazar ben Azaryah, Akiva and Tarfon were reclining at the seder table in Bnei Brak. They spent the whole night discussing the Exodus until their students came and said to them: "Rabbis, it is time for us to recite the Shema and the morning prayers!”

Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah said: "Here I am, a seventy-year old man, and I have not succeeded in understanding why the Exodus from Egypt should be told at night, until Ben Zoma explained it by quoting: "In order that you may remember the day you left Egypt all the days of your life." The Torah adds the word all to the phrase the days of your life to indicate that the nights are meant as well. The sages declare that "the days of your life" means the present world and "all " includes the Messianic era to come.

The Story

Long, long ago, our forefathers worshiped idols, but then the Omnipresent brought us near to Divine service, and we worship the One God. As it is written: "Joshua said to all the people: so says the Lord God of Israel--your fathers have always lived beyond the Euphrates River, Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor; they worshipped other gods. I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through all the land of Canaan. I multiplied his family and gave him Isaac. To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau; to Esau I gave Mount Seir to inherit, however Jacob and his children went down to Egypt."

Praised is God who keeps a promise to Israel; praised be God. The Holy One, blessed be God, predetermined the time for our final deliverance in order to fulfill what God had pledged to our father Abraham in a covenant, as it is written: "He said to Abram, ‘Know you that your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own. They will be enslaved there and will be oppressed four hundred years. The nation who will oppress them, shall, however be judged. Afterward, they will come forth with great wealth.’”

V’hee She-amdah

We lift up our cup wine and cover the matzah, as we recite the following and recall God's promise to Abraham, emphasizing eternal divine watchfulness.

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ, שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם

🎵 V'hi she-am'dah la-avoteinu v'lanu. 🎵

This promise that remained constant for our ancestors holds true also for us. For more than once have they risen against us to destroy us; in every generation they rise against us and seek our destruction. But the Holy One, Blessed be God, saves us from their hands.

***possibly a place for discussion – think of other stories where they tried to kill us***

We lower the wine cup and continue with the recitation of the traditional Midrash or Rabbinic discussion of the Passover Exodus story as recorded in the Torah, beginning first with the threat to Israel from Lavan and then the threat from Pharaoh.

Few in number--as it is written "Your ancestors went down into Egypt seventy people; and now the Eternal your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heaven" (Deuteronomy 10:22).

“And there, he became there a nation”—this teaches that Israel a distinct nation in Egypt.

“Great and powerful”—as it is said: “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased and multiplied, became strong and numerous; and the land was filled with them" (Exodus 1:7).

“And the Egyptians did evil to us”—as it is written "come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they increase, and it come to pass, that, when war occurs, they will be added to our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land" (Exodus 1:10).

“And they made us suffer”—as it is written "Therefore they did set over them masters to oppress them with their burdens. And they built store cities Pithom and Raamses for the Pharoah." (Exodus 1:11)

“We cried to the Eternal, the God of our ancestors; and the Eternal heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.” (Dt. 26:6)

The Lord heard our cry – as it is written: “God heard their groaning; God remembered the covenant made with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”

Part of our toil – refers to the drowning of the sons, as it is written: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the Nile river, but you shall let every daughter live.” This is why Moses was sent down the river.

“The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great awe, miraculous signs and wonders.” (Dt. 26:8)

And God said: “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night” – myself and not an angel; “I will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” – myself and not a fiery angel; “on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments” – myself and not a messenger; “I am the Eternal One” – I and none other.

haggadah Section: -- Exodus Story