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Kiddush (the blessing over wine) | | קַדֵּשׁ The First Cup
All Jewish celebrations, from holidays to weddings, include wine as a symbol of our joy – not to mention a practical way to increase that joy. The seder starts with wine and then gives us three more opportunities to refill our cup and drink. WIth the fist cup, we remember God's promise to our ancestors and to every generation:
"I will free you from the labors of the Egyptions.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise Adonai, Sovereign of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Karpas are the vegetables dipped in salt water to remind us of the tears the Israelites shed in Egypt during their time of slavery.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’adamah.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.
WE’RE UNBREAKING UP
Our world is broken and we are often unintentionally the source of that breaking. What’s something (object, relationship, etc.) you intentionally or unintentionally broke this past year?
The Jewish tradition teaches that it’s not up to us to finish the work of repairing all that is broken with the world, but that we still must engage and do all we can. What actions will you take this year to heal and repair?
Break the middle matzah of the three at the head of the table – the bigger half magically becomes the Afikoman, which we aren't hiding this evening, but something will happen. We can't finish the seder until it is found.
The Four Children according to Zoom
The Torah speaks of four types of children who use zoom: The wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who does not know how to mute.
The wise one says "I'll handle the admin feature controls and chat room, and forward the cloud recording transcript after the Seder."
The wicked one says "Since I have unlimited duration, I scheduled the Seder for 6 hours. As it says in the Haggadah, whoever prolongs the telling of the story is praiseworthy."
The simple one says "Hello am I on? I can see you but I can't hear you."
The one who does not know how to mute says "How should I know where you put your keys? I'm stuck in this zoom Seder with these idiots."
To the wise person, you should offer all the Zoom optional add-in plans.
To the wicked person, you should say "had you been in charge we would still be in Egypt."
To the simple person, you should say "Try the call in number instead."
To the one who does not know how to mute, you should say "Why should this night be different from all other nights?"
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Dam - The blood that is shed as we fight the war on this virus.
Tzafardaya - The virus hopping around unseen from person to person, family to family.
Kinim - The constant itch of fear and anxiety that never leaves us.
Arov- People who act like Wild beasts, hoarding critical medical supplies needed by healthcare workers and the
general population.
Dever- The animal kingdom communicating to humans that they are not for wholesale consumption.
Shechin - Lesions on the patient's lungs as the disease eats its way through the pulmonary system.
Barad - The bombardment of news about Covid 19- fake and true - assailing us from our cell phones, IVs,
newspapers and social media,
Arbeh - Hoards descend on non-perishable food supplies and paper goods, making daily living about foraging instead of nesting.
Choshech. - Dark times that have no end in sight
Makat B'chorat - We shouldn't know from it.
We have now told the story of Passover…but wait! We’re not quite done. There are still some symbols on our seder plate we haven’t talked about yet. Rabban Gamliel would say that whoever didn’t explain the shank bone, matzah, and marror (or bitter herbs) hasn’t done Passover justice.
The shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the Passover holiday. It is called the pesach, from the Hebrew word meaning “to pass over,” because God passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt when visiting plagues upon our oppressors.
The matzah reminds us that when our ancestors were finally free to leave Egypt, there was no time to pack or prepare. Our ancestors grabbed whatever dough was made and set out on their journey, letting their dough bake into matzah as they fled.
The bitter herbs provide a visceral reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors experienced in Egypt.
"I will deliver you from their bondage."
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri hagafen.
Blessed are You, Adonai our G‑d, 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.
Some people distinguish between washing to prepare for prayer and washing to prepare for food by changing the way they pour water on their hands. For washing before food, pour water three times on your right hand and then three times on your left hand.
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 God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to wash our hands.
The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah | מוֹצִיא מַצָּה
The familiar hamotzi blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah.
בְָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat matzah.
Distribute and eat the top and middle matzah for everyone to eat.
Maror is bitter, intended to remind us of the bitterness of our slavery in Egypt; usually, it’s a bitter herb like raw horseradish, though some people use romaine lettuce. Either way, there’s no way to sugarcoat this: Maror tastes bitter. That’s the point.
| Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai, E-lo-hey-nu Me-lech ha-o-lam, A-sher ki-d'-sha-nu b'-mitz-vo-tav, v'-tzi-va-nu Al a-chilat ma-ror. | Praised are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who makes us holy through Your commandments, and commands us to eat Maror. |
Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb | koreich | כּוֹרֵךְ
When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the biggest ritual of them all was eating the lamb offered as the pesach or Passover sacrifice. The great sage Hillel would put the meat in a sandwich made of matzah, along with some of the bitter herbs. While we do not make sacrifices any more – and, in fact, some Jews have a custom of purposely avoiding lamb during the seder so that it is not mistaken as a sacrifice – we honor this custom by eating a sandwich of the remaining matzah and bitter herbs. Some people will also include charoset in the sandwich to remind us that God’s kindness helped relieve the bitterness of slavery.
Passover Dr. Suess Style
Sam! Will you never see?
They are not KOSHER, So let me be!
I will not eat green eggs and ham.
I will not eat them Sam-I-am.
But I'll eat green eggs with a biscuit.
Or I will try them with some brisket.
I'll eat green eggs in a box.
If you serve them with some lox.
And those green eggs are worth a try
Scrambled up inside some matzoh brie!
And in a boat upon the river,
I'll eat green eggs with chopped liver!
So if you're a Jewish Dr. Seuss fan,
But troubled by green eggs and ham.
Let your friends in on the scoop:
Green eggs taste best with chicken soup!
The afikoman is the final piece of matzah we eat at the end of the seder – even after we’ve had dessert. Though we have not had dinner, Gillie found the afikomen for us so we could finish the seder.
Celebrating their safe crossing of the Red Sea, Miriam le tthe women in joyous dancing. We have placed on our seder table this cup of Miriam - kos Miryam. It is filled with water to honor Miriam's role ensuring our people's survival during our forty-year journey in the desert. We remember this remarkable woman who was a prophet and a guardian of our people.
(Take a sip from the cup).
(Everyone fills their glass)
With the the third glass we recall the third promise:
וְגָֽאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים
And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
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.
Drink the third glass of wine!
Eliyahu Hanavi: Opening the Door for Elijah
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
The only guest we CAN safely invite into our homes tonight is Elijah.
Elijah the Prophet is the one who will herald in the Messiah.
Our tradition offers us many visions of what Messianic Days will look like.
Some say it will be a time of supernatural events and miracles.
But the Haftorah we recite just before Passover describes the great gift Elijah will bring this way: “And he will restore the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents.”
Restoring Love is the greatest miracle of all, it is a Messianic dream.
Elijah comes to every bris and baby naming to teach us this same lesson – that every single soul has a sacred role to play in the healing of hearts across this world.
Let that healing begin tonight in my home:
Come Elijah, bless us our hearts with love and forgiveness.
Come Elijah, now more than ever we are aware of how precious life is
and how fragile.
Come Elijah, enter this home, enter every home and drink from your honored cup.
Redeem us Elijah, free us from resentments, heal us from anger,
Bring an end to all war and bloodshed.
Let a new time of healing begin tonight.
Welcome Elijah, pull up a chair.
We need you tonight more than ever
Come Now, Elijah,
Heal our world.
Amen.
OPEN THE DOOR
אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּיאֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ,אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי
בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵֽינוּ
עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד
עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד
Eliyahu hanavi
Eliyahu hatishbi
Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi
Bimheirah b’yameinu, yavo eileinu
Im mashiach ben-David,
Im mashiach ben-David
Tonight, we have opened our hearts to each other. We have sung songs, answered the Four Questions, offered blessings, and inspired one another in our study of God's teachings through the telling of the story of the Exodus. We are blessed with life's sweetness and the knowledge of God's ways.
Everyone is invited to share a blessing they have received or a blessing they pray everyone may soon enjoy. OR share one lesson learned at tonight's seder OR share a special family or Passover memory recalled during the seder, for which you are thankful.
As our seder draws to a close, we raise our cups of wine. The final cup recalls us to our convenant with the Eternal One, remonds us that tasks still await us as a people, and validates a great purpose for whic hthe peole of Israel ive: the preservation and affirmation of hope.
As it is written: "And I will take you to be my people."
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonay Eloheynu Melech ha'olam borey p'ri hagafen.
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akPYsDgv-94
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Chad gadya, chad gadya |
חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא |
Translation:One little goat, one little goat that my father bought for two zuzim. |
As Moses and the Children of Israel were crossing through the parted Red Sea, Moses heard cries about how thirsty they were after walking so far. Unfortunately, the water was salty and not drinkable. Miraculously, a fish appeared from the wall of water and told Moses that she and her family heard the pleas of the people. The fish said to Moses that she and her family would remove the salt from the water by passing it through their gills and forcing it out of their mouths. The water would be fresh like a fountain from which the Israelites could drink as they walked by. Moses accepted this kindly offer. To remember the miracle of the fish who transformed salt water to fresh water, Moses let it be known that hence forth the Sedar to honor the Exodus would always include "Gill Filter Fish"
Next Year: L'shana Habahah by Rabbi Naomi Levy
We conclude our Seder with words of prayer, hope and uplift:
Next Year in Jerusalem!
Next Year in Health!
Next Year Free from Worry!
Next Year with Family and Friends!
Next Year Feasting!
Next Year Rejoicing!
Next Year in Laughter!
Next Year in Love!
Next Year filled with Song and Celebration!
Next Year with a Vaccine!
Next Year in Abundance!
Next Year in Peace!
Next Year in Blessings!
Shulchan oreich, or “set table,” is the main meal. We’ve covered the history of the Exodus, the Four Questions, the Four Children, and a lot of fun singing. and fun It’s time to dig in!
Chag Pesach Sameach!
