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TABLE OF CONTENTS
When Israel left Egypt, the house of Jacob [left] a people of a strange tongue
Judah became His holy nation, Israel His dominion.
The sea saw and fled; the Jordan turned backward.
The mountains danced like rams, hills like young sheep.
What frightens you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn backward?
You mountains, that you dance like rams; you hills, like young sheep?
From before the Master, Who created the earth, from before the God of Jacob,
Who transforms the rock into a pond of water, the flint into a fountain of water.
The candles are lit before the blessing is recited. On Shabbat, include the words in parentheses.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel (Shabbat v'shel) Yom Tov.
Blessed are You, our God, Ruler of the world, who sanctifies us with mitzvot and calls upon us to kindle the lights of (Shabbat and) the Festival day.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Too often during our daily lives we don’t stop and take the moment to prepare for whatever it is we’re about to do. Let's pause as we wash our hands to consider what we hope to get out of our evening together.
In partaking of this fruit of the earth, we give thanks to G-d for all His bounties. We also recall that our forefathers were tillers of the soil, who were ever grateful for the earth's produce. In tasting of the salt water, we are asked to remember the tears which our ancestors shed while suffering the tortures of slavery. May our gratitude for the blessings which we enjoy help to soften the pain of sorrow, and convert tears to joy and appreciation.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree ha-adama.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruits of the earth
Leader takes the middle matzah and break it into two, one piece larger than the other.
Leader: I shall break the middle Matzoh in two, putting one half aside, to be hidden as the "Afikomen".
The smaller piece is put back, between the two matzot. This smaller piece, along with the top matzah is what will be used for the “Motzi-Matzah” and “Korech”
Raise the tray with the matzot and say:
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.
Ha lachma anya dee achalu avhatana b'ara d'meetzrayeem. Kol deechfeen yeitei v'yeichol, kol deetzreech yeitei v'yeefsach. Hashata hacha, l'shanah haba-ah b'ara d'yisra-el. Hashata avdei, l'shanah haba-ah b'nei choreen.
This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need, come and share the Pesach meal. This year, we are here. Next year, in the land of Israel. This year, we are slaves. Next year, we will be free.
Refill the wine cups, but don’t drink yet.
מַה נִּשְּׁתַּנָה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה; הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כּוּלוֹ מַצָּה.
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹ;, הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר.
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אֶנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת; הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים.
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין; הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָנו מְסֻבִּין
Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot?
Sheb’khol haleilot anu okhlin hametz umatzah; halailah hazeh, kuloh matzah.
Sheb’khol haleilot anu okhlin sh’ar y’rakot; halailah hazeh, maror.
Sheb’khol haleilot ein anu matbilin afilu pa’am ehat; halailah hazeh, shtei f’amim.
Sheb’khol haleilot anu okhlin bein yoshvin uvein m’subin; halailah hazeh, kulanu m’subin.
Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights we eat leavened products and matzah, and on this night only matzah.
On all other nights we eat all vegetables, and on this night only bitter herbs.
On all other nights, we don’t dip our food even once, and on this night we dip twice.
On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining, and on this night we only recline.
The Torah speaks of four types of children: one is wise, one is wicked, one is simple, and one does not know how to ask.
The Wise One asks: "What is the meaning of the laws and traditions God has commanded?" (Deuteronomy 6:20) You should teach him all the traditions of Passover, even to the last detail.
The Wicked One asks: "What does this ritual mean to you?" (Exodus 12:26) By using the expression "to you" he excludes himself from his people and denies God. Shake his arrogance and say to him: "It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt..." (Exodus 13:8) "For me" and not for him -- for had he been in Egypt, he would not have been freed.
The Simple One asks: "What is all this?" You should tell him: "It was with a mighty hand that the Lord took us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
As for the One Who Does Not Know How To Ask, you should open the discussion for him, as it is written: "And you shall explain to your child on that day, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt." (Exodus 13:8)
This year, Passover falls smack in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic in America. It's not just the timing of the holiday that feels off. It's that every aspect of its story and rituals now seems almost cruelly ironic. And yet, there will still be Passover. Passover is the stem cell of the Jewish people, a reserve of core source material with the proven ability to generate new meaning and solace in circumstances even more extreme than what we are living through now.
We're disappointed because we can't celebrate the way we're used to. But we eat matzah because we rushed out of our homes before bread could rise. Passover glorifies a moment when life unfolded in very unexpected ways.
Most Jews throughout history have not been free, whether from murderous regimes or famines or pandemics. What we have been is devoted to the idea that we deserve to be. "The Haggadah's purpose is not, in fact, to present a narrative," Rabbi Mendel Herson explained, "It's a how-to guide to finding our own personal liberation."
The text of the Haggadah is not a retelling of the liberation story itself but a record of agreements and disagreements among its interpreters, because it is not the God-driven part of the story that we should be focused on, but the human-driven one. God will come to help when God comes to help; the question is what we do between now and then.
This is why Jews observed Passover in the basement "cantinas" of righteous friends during the Inquisition; they kept it during the Crusades, and they kept it throughout the Holocaust—in ghettos and concentration camps and forests. This year, we will do what millions of Jews have done before us: manifest our hope for liberation. That is our obligation, and our privilege. All the more so in moments when the taste of freedom—from oppression, from want, from disease—is not yet ours.
Leader: We will now read the ten plagues.
As we read, we remember that while Pharaoh brought adversity upon his people, we do not take joy in their pain, as Judaism views all people, even our enemies, as children of G-d. A full cup is the symbol of complete joy, but our joy cannot be complete others had to die for its sake. Therefore, we shall diminish the wine from our cups as we recall the plagues and their effects upon the Egyptians. As we read the plagues, we will diminish a bit our wine as each plagues is listed.
Each of you will have your own finger puppet, plushy, and stand-in for a plague. When your plague is called please stick up your finger puppet, present your stand-in, and if your plushy has a string, pull it and let it slide across the floor.
- Blood 6. Boils
- Frogs 7. Hail
- Lice 8. Locusts
- Flies 9. Darkness
- Cattle Disease 10. Death of the Firstborn
For the second glass of wine, we recall the promise of liberation to the people of Israel.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
As we now transition from the formal telling of the Passover story to the celebratory meal, we once again wash our hands to prepare ourselves. In Judaism, a good meal together with friends and family is itself a sacred act, so we prepare for it just as we prepared for our holiday ritual, recalling the way ancient priests once prepared for service in the Temple.
After you have poured the water over your hands, recite this short blessing.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָֽיִם
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.
We praise G-d, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to wash our hands.
Leader: Once everyone has taken a small piece of matzah we will say the prayer over the matzah.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה
Baruch Atah Adonai, elohaynu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu bemitsvotav vetsivanu, all achilat matzah.
Blessed art thou, oh lord our God, king of the universe, who has sanctified us with thy commandments and commanded us to eat unleavened bread on Pesach.
Leader: The great Rabbi Hillel told us to make a sandwich from the maror, the charoses, and the matzah, to remind us of the mortar our ancestors used to construct monuments for the Pharoah. The charoses reminds us of the mortar, but it is also sweet. It gives us hope even while it reminds us that our liberation is not complete. We therefore replicate this sandwich and say the following bracha.
זֵכֶר לְמִקְדָּשׁ כְּהִלֵּל. כֵּן עָשָׂה הִלֵּל בִּזְמַן שבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הָיָה קַיָים: הָיָה
כּוֹרֵךְ מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר וְאוֹכֵל בְּיַחַד, לְקַיֵים מַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: עַל מַצּוֹת וּמְרֹרִים
יֹאכְלֻהוּ.
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al achilat maror.
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 the bitter herb.
Now is time to enjoy the festival meal and participate in lively discussion. It is permitted to drink wine between the second and third cups.
Why do Jews from Gibraltar sprinkle brick dust in the charoset? To remind them of the bricks the slaves were forced to make.
What do Hungarian Jews place on the Seder table to represent the gifts given to the Israelites when departed Egypt? Gold and Jewelry
Jews from which country carry a pillowcase filled with heavy objects around the table when they read about being slaves? Syria
What from the seder plate do the Kavkazi Jews of the Caucasus hide instead of the matza? An Egg
Why do Middle Eastern Jewish families whip each other with scallions at the Seder table? To mimic the whips of slave drivers.
Because Moses floated in the river what do Tunisian Jews decorate with a colored cloth and place on the table? A basket
At Passover, the Abayudaya Jews of what country celebrate the overthrow of the brutal dictator Idi Amin, who outlawed Judaism? Uganda
At the start of the Seder, what do Moroccan Jews pass above their heads three times while saying "Hastily we came out of Egypt”? A Seder Plate
Tunisian Jews place a fish bowl with live fish on the Passover table to commemorate what part of the Exodus story? Crossing the Red Sea
What do Iraqi Jews tie to the back of a child while telling him to guard it until end of the Seder? The Afikomen
In which country is the Seder “interrupted” by a knock on the door by a member of the family dressed as a nomad whom the leader asks: “Where are you coming from?” (Egypt) and "Where are you going?” (Jerusalem). Iraq
We now redeem the afikomen after the meal to bring our seder away from the chaos of the meal and back to a place of holiness and a focus on G-d in order to fully appreciate the act of saying grace immediately following redeeming the afikomen.
We will now say refill our glasses for the third glass of wine. We shall say the birkat hamazon over the wine, and once we have completed that prayer, we will say the prayer over the wine, placed below.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַזָּן אֶת הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּחֵן בְּחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים הוּא נוֹתֵן לֶחֶם לְכָל בָּשָׂר, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. וּבְטוּבוֹ הַגָּדוֹל תָּמִיד לֹא חָסַר לָנוּ וְאַל יֶחְסַר לָנוּ מָזוֹן לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. בַּעֲבוּר שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל כִּי הוּא אֵל זָן וּמְפַרְנֵס לַכֹּל וּמֵטִיב לַכֹּל וּמֵכִין מָזוֹן לְכָל בְּרִיּוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, הַזָּן אֶת הַכֹּל.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, hazan et ha-olam kulo b’tuvo, b’chein b’chesed uv-rachamim, hu noten lechem l’chol basar, ki l’olam chasdo, uv-tuvo hagadol, tamid lo chasar lanu v’al yechsar lanu mazon l’olam va’ed. Ba-avur sh’mo hagadol, ki hu Eil zan um’farneis lakol, u-meitiv lakol u-meichin mazon l’chol-b’riyotav asher bara. Baruch atah Adonai, hazan et hakol.
Praised are you, Adonai, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who nourishes the whole world. Your kindness endures forever. May we never be in want of sustenance. God sustains us all, doing good to all, and providing food for all creation. Praised are you, Adonai, who sustains all.
Leader: As we come to the end of the seder, we refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover with our family and friends, for the traditions that help inform our daily lives and guide our actions and aspirations.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
