Long ago at this season, our people set out on a journey.

On such a night as this, Israel went from degradation to joy.

We give thanks for the liberation of days gone by.

And we pray for all who are still bound.

God, may all who hunger come to rejoice in a new Passover.

Let all the human family sit together, drink the wine of deliverance, and eat the bread of freedom:

Freedom from bondage     and freedom from oppression

Freedom from hunger     and freedom from want

Freedom from hatred     and freedom from fear

Freedom to think     and freedom to speak

Freedom to teach     and freedom to learn

Freedom to love     and freedom to share

Freedom to hope     and freedom to rejoice

Soon, in our days     Amen.

Now in the presence of loved ones and friends, before us the symbols of festive rejoicing, we gather for our sacred celebration. With our elders and young ones, linking and bonding the past with the future, we heed once again the divine call to service. Living our story that is told for all peoples, whose shining conclusion is yet to unfold, we gather to observe Passover.

You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought you out of Egypt. You shall observe this day throughout the generations as a practice for all times.

We assemble in fulfillment of the mitzvah.

Remember the day on which you went forth from Egypt, from the house of slavery, and how G-d freed you with a mighty hand.

Tradition has 4 cups because of G_d promised:

I will take you out

I will rescue you

I will redeem you

I will bring you in

Blessed are You, Lord our G_d, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine.

We thank You, G_d for giving us the gift of festivals and the joy of feast days for happiness, among them Passover, the festival of liberation, a day sacred to the Jewish people for their Exodus out of Egypt and a festival unto the believers in Messiah for this example of our exodus out of the bondage of sin and death.

There is a Jewish word Dayenu, which means It would have been enough.

So thank You Lord G_d for taking us out of bondage... Dayenu, that would have been enough.

The green vegetable represents a new life. Israel was coming out of 400 years of bondage. The salt water symbolizes the bitter tears which were shed during the 400 years of slavery and bondage. The task masters demanded more and more. What started as a kind gesture to Joseph and his family became a horrible nightmare.
 

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. When they came to get help in a famine, Joseph could not help but to weep bitterly from a broken heart. Through provision from G_d, through Joseph, Israel became a great nation. What makes this day difference from all the rest? It took a slain lamb's blood to protect G_d's people from death.

Today we celebrate that slain Lamb, Yeshua Messiah, who takes away the sin of the world. We celebrate the born-again experience, yet knowing we will enter into His sufferings because He was hated by the world.

The top and bottom matza is said to represent the manna supplied by G_d in the wilderness. In haste, there was not time to allow the dough to rise and when Israel fled Egypt all they had was dough to bake in the sun. G-d supplied a days manna except on Friday, when He supplied 2 days worth of manna (thus the top and the bottom).

What is this middle piece of manna? To a non-Messiah believing Jewish person it is the remembrance of being afflicted (broken in half) one side bigger than the other because the joy that comes from affliction is greater than the suffering of affliction.

To a Christian, we see it as Yeshua Messiah, broken for us. Why a larger and smaller piece? Could it be the sufferings of this world not being compared to the joy to come?

We will eat the smaller portion now as a remembrance of the sufferings and pain of slavery to sin, but as this is suppose to be a joyous occasion, we will be taking communion with the larger later. Knowing the body of Messiah was broken for us, that we may have life and life more abundant.

Drink second cup

Would have been enough

Had He died for our sin
Only died for our sin

Never making us His children

Dayenu

Chorus

Dai, daiyenu x 3
Daiyenu, Daiyenu

Had He made us His children

Only made us His children

Never giving us a gift
Dayenu

Chorus

Had He given us the Gift

Only given us the Gift

Never given us Freedom
Dayenu

Chorus

Had He given us our freedom

Only given us our freedom

Never giving us a Kingdom

Dayenu

Chorus

Why was this night different to the Jewish people?
What does this mean to the believer in Messiah?

​Why did they eat unleaven bread?

Why eat bitter greens and why do we dip twice?

Why eat and drink reclining?

“People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active state, an act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state--it is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing act or a spectacle.... Celebration is a confrontation, giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions. ― Abraham Joshua Heschel

This is what every Seder is about. Celebration of freedom, expressing reverence, appreciation, and confronting who we were and who we have become.

1) Water into blood-(Hapi)-god of the Nile

2) Frogs-(Heket) goddess of fertility

3) Lice-(Geb)-god of the dust (earth)

4) Wild animals/swarm of flies (Khepri)-god of creation-Goshen protected

5) Disease on livestock (Hathor)-goddess of love and protection- Goshen spared

6) Boils (Isis)- goddess of medicine and peace
7) Hail and fire (Nut)- goddess of the Sky-Goshen spared

8) Locust (Seth)-god of storms and disorder

9) Darkness for 3 days (Ra)- sun god

10) Death of firstborn (Pharaoh)- ultimate power

By Rabbi & Dina Brewer

Dayeinu is a highly counter-intuitive hymn.

Among its fourteen stanzas it proclaims that:

Had God taken our ancestors out of Egypt, but not rescued them at the Red Sea, it would have been sufficient.

And had God rescued them at the Red Sea, but not nourished them in the dessert, it would have been sufficient.

And had God brought them to Sinai, but not given them the Torah, it would have been sufficient.

These statements make no sense. If God liberated our ancestors from Egypt only to allow them to drown in the Red Sea, would that really have been cause for celebration? And what would have been the point of leading them out to the dessert, only have them starve? Or to bring them all the way to Sinai, only to withhold the Torah? Are any of these elements on their own really sufficient? Is the hymn just hyperbole?

Perhaps not. The reason it seems senseless to us is because we know how the story ends. We know that our ancestors have to end up in the Promised Land where they build God’s Temple. And so anything short of that is a failure.

But imagine if we didn’t know how the story was going to end. Then each separate episode would have been cause for thanksgiving. The Exodus would be a cause for celebration, because the Red Sea had yet to present itself as a terrifying obstacle. The overwhelming relief of being rescued from the Red Sea would be sufficient, because the harsh dessert was not yet a reality. And coming to Sinai is a blessing in itself, for who could possible anticipate the Giving of the Torah?

Dayeinu is an ingenious hymn because, by placing us squarely in the story, it allows us to experience what our ancestor’s would have felt as the events unfolded in real time.

It does for liturgy what Faulkner, Joyce, and Wolf did for literature.

Dayeinu invites us to be grateful for the blessings in our lives, as and when they unfold. We have no way of knowing how our story is going to end, much less what next year, or even tomorrow, will look like. All we have is here and now. Dayeinu teaches us to live in the moment by cherishing each of life's blessings as we experience them.

Motzi-Matzah מוֹצִיא

Take the three matzot - the broken piece between the two whole ones – and hold them in your hand and recite the following blessing:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Praised are you, Adonai, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who provides sustenance from the earth.

Before eating the matzah, put the bottom matzah back in its place and continue, reciting the following blessing while holding only the top and middle piece of matzah.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al achilat matzah.

Praised are you, Adonai, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has taught us the way of holiness through commandments, commanding us to eat matzah.

Break the top and middle matzot into pieces and distribute them everyone at the table to eat a while reclining to the left.

We all live with comfortable furniture in our homes. A picture of the American dream is reclining in a recliner being entertained or sleeping. The tradition of reclining to one side while eating the Matza is to represent the freedom Israel now had to recline while eating. 

Yeshua was said to be "reclining" with His disciples at the table the night before Passover. This was the same table Yeshua was pronouncing His crucifixion. Your freedom in Messiah comes with some discomfort.

There is much better bread to eat than unleaven bread. So why not just eat it? Because the story of freedom is not complete without the cost of that freedom. We may have to and will be uncomfortable when we are following Messiah. He said we will be hated because they hated Him first. Being hated is uncomfortable, but He says to wipe the dust off your feet and continue on. 

Maror

Now take the leaf of lettuce, if chewed long enough will have a natural sweetness. Now put some horseradish in the leaf and roll it up. This represents the bitterness we may have to endure from keeping His commandments that brings forth the sweetness of holiness in our lives.

Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvatav v’tzivanu al achilat maror

Praise are you, Adonia, Lord our G_d, Ruler of the universe, who has taught us the way of holiness through commandments, commanding us to eat the bitter herb.

Korch: Mixing the bitter with the Sweet
 

Before we serve dinner the last part of the seder is to make a sandwich using the horosis, which represents the mortar made in Egypt. Tasting this mixture brings a sweet savor to your taste buds, so why make the sandwich. Why not just eat it all up and be happy?

The thought of mixing such apposing tastes together is almost too much to bear, but it tells the complete story. Biblical feast days tell a story. The story starts with:
 

Purim (March 2-3) a non commanded festival celebrating the brave act of Esther.
Passover (March 31) Which we are celebrating our liberty in the sacrifice of Yeshua

Feast of Unleavened Bread (April1-8) the first and last day being a day of rest- This celebrates the desire to get the sin out of our lives by being uncomfortable in eating only unleavened food

Day of First Fruits- (April 7-8) giving a part of our first fruits having faith He will supply according to His riches and glory. Yeshua fulfilled the first fruits by raising the saints from the dead.
Shavout (Pentecost) (May 26-27) the Day Yeshua sent Holy Spirit to indwell in men.
Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) (Sept. 11) For believers and followers of Messiah this feast day represents the coming of Messiah. At the last trump…

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) (Sept 19-20) Day of fasting and soul searching, giving praise to Yeshua for forgiving our sin.

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) (Sept 24-25) This is a week long feast where the Jewish nation remembers the journey through the wilderness.

Each of these feast days (there are more than these) tell the story of the provision of G_d in the life of Yeshua. He fulfilled or will fulfill each feast day in perfection.

Throughout life we will have bitter and sweet experiences. Our trials and tribulations grow us in faith and love. We can always see the sweetness of the Lord working in the most bitter times of our lives…if we would only humble ourselves and look.

Tzafun

צָפוּן

After the meal, take the Afikoman and divide it among all the guests at the Seder table.

It is forbidden to drink or eat anything (except the remaining two ritual cups of wine) after eating  the Afikoman.

Tazfun:

This is why we are not having a Passover Seder, only learning what it represents. Tradition has the last peace of matza being eaten here as being the last thing eaten for the night. I would never want to disrespect the apple of G_d’s eye.

We may have played by finding the hidden piece of matza (the Afikomen), we may have been solemn in searching our own hearts in the midst of what this celebration means, and we may even have to go home and chew on if we truly have freedom or if we are still in bondage to feelings of bitterness.

The Celebration of Passover is all about Freedom.

Korch: Mixing the bitter with the Sweet
 

Before we serve dinner the last part of the seder is to make a sandwich using the horosis, which represents the mortar made in Egypt. Tasting this mixture brings a sweet savor to your taste buds, so why make the sandwich. Why not just eat it all up and be happy?

The thought of mixing such apposing tastes together is almost too much to bear, but it tells the complete story. Biblical feast days tell a story. The story starts with:

Purim-G_d's working through the bravery of the saints

Passover-G_d's provision for us to live holy and acceptable unto Him

Feast of Unleavened Bread- knowing it is not us, but Messiah living in us to make us white as snow

Day of First Fruit- proven in the resurrected saints when Yeshua rose again

Pentecost-G_d sending Holy Spirit to dwell in and with us

Feast of Tabernacles- Our final dwelling place where the Lord will be our only provision and we we dwell in the house of the Lord forever

Each of these feast days (there are more than these) tell the story of the provision of G_d in the life of Yeshua. He fulfilled or will fulfill each feast day in perfection.

Throughout life we will have bitter and sweet experiences. Our trials and tribulations grow us in faith and love. We can always see the sweetness of the Lord working in the most bitter times of our lives…if we would only humble ourselves and look.

Pour the 3rd cup

Barech:

The Jewish people have a blessing after the meal, thanking G_d of his promise to return all Israel to Jerusalem.

As followers of Messiah we thank you G_d for taking us out of the bondage of sin, rescuing us from a life separated from you, redeeming us from our sinful ways and preparing a place for us to be Your people and for You to be our G_d.

Have the young one find the hidden matza and have communion.