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Two Approaches to Dayenu
Contributed by Sebastian Greenholtz

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Singing Dayenu is a much loved tradition at the Passover seder. We recognize all the things that God gave the Israelites throughout their exodus and journey in the desert, and respond with the phrase "Dayenu - it would have sufficed us." But even without a supernatural God we can still sing Dayenu honestly.

Part 1: Appreciate what do you have

Dayenu is a song all about appreciating what we have and what we’ve been given. In this time of economic and social crisis it is easy to get lost in the great lists of things we don’t have, and the demands we are always fighting for, but we cannot just be pessimists and self-pittiers. Rather, we should take stock of what we do have and really appreciate those gifts.

If I only had one cat instead of two, dayenu!
If I had a house and not a car, dayenu!
If I had a job but was not in school, dayenu!

Part 2: Fight for what we still need

The original text of the song goes through the story of the exodus and after each step says “danyenu,” it would have sufficed.

English Translation:

If He had brought us out of Egypt buthadn’t executed justice upon the Egyptians, dayenu
If He had executed justice upon the Egyptians buthadn’t executed justice upon their gods, dayenu
If He had executed justice upon their gods but hadn’t slain their first-born, dayenu

As we move through the story, we start to realize that, as up-beat as the song is, we in fact would not have sufficed with only half the exodus. Particularly the middle five stanzas:

6) If He had split the sea for us.
7) If He had led us through on dry land.
8) If He had drowned our oppressors.
9) If He had provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years.
10) If He had fed us manna.

If God had split the sea but not led us through on dry land, we would have drowned. If God had led us through on dry land but not drowned our oppressors, they would have killed us. If God drowned our oppressors but not provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years, we would have starved, dyed of thirst, and/or gone insane.

So why do we say “dayenu” after each line? Because I would argue we are not just saying it would have been enough in general, but it would have been enough for God godself to stop with half the miracle and we could have figured it out ourselves. If God had split the sea but not led us through on dry land, we’d figure out how to swim. If God led us through on dry land but not drowned our oppressors, we could have fought our way to freedom. If God had drowned our oppressors we could have scavenged for food. But without help we would lose members of our group to the tragedy.

Dayenu is a call to collective action. If we join together to fight for one piece of liberation, say a living wage or free health care, but we don’t continue to fight until we are freed from the deepest roots of our chains, the capitalist system, then some people will be able to make it but some will not, and they will be lost to us. Each reform we win through class struggle is a step in the right direction, but if we don’t continue to take steps forward until we dismantle the entire power structure of the capitalist class, we will never reach the promise land.
haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu

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