Welcome to Moishe House’s annual Passover Seder. For those of you who might be new to Moishe House, the 5 house residents organize 7 events a month for 22-32 year old Jews living in Portland, some inside our home and most in the city. Programming ranges from social, religious, cultural, educational, and social service events.  Check out our Facebook page to read more about all of the events coming up in April:

Saturday, April 7th - North African Mimouna & Break the Fast
Tuesday, April 10th - Baking, Board Gamez, and Bangerz
Thursday, April 12th - Making Moishe Music III: Singing Circle!
Sunday, April 15th - Good Deeds Day: Wire the Wise (Registration required, sign up by April 4th)
Sunday, April 22nd - Earth Day Hike
Wednesday, April 25th - In Goes Wine, Out Come Secrets
Friday, April 27th - Israeli Shabbat

We are looking for a new resident! Applications are open from now until May 6th, for a July 1st move-in.

This Seder could not have been possible without all of our amazing volunteers who helped us set-up, cook, and decorate. Thank you!

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.

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.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who chose us from all peoples and languages, and sanctified us with commandments, and lovingly gave to us special times for happiness, holidays and this time of celebrating the Holiday of Matzah, the time of liberation, reading our sacred stories, and remembering the Exodus from Egypt. For you chose us and sanctified us among all peoples. And you have given us joyful holidays. We praise God, who sanctifies the people of Israel and the holidays.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
 שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
she-hechiyanu v’key’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything,
who has kept us alive, raised us up, and brought us to this happy moment.

Drink the first glass of wine!

There are two points during the Seder when we wash our hands. This first washing, Urchatz, is a symbolic and ritual washing, done by one person and with no blessing. The second washing, Rachtzah, is a washing used to prepare all of us for the meal and is said with a blessing.

As we wash our hands for the first time this evening, we remember that we have the freedom to access resources that many do not.

The first hand-washing of the Seder is unusual. The rabbis point out that even a child would wonder at least two things: why do we wash without a blessing and why do we bother to wash when we will not be eating our meal for some time. They suggest that we wash our hands here in order to raise questions. Questions, both of wonder and of despair, are crucial to our time at the Seder and, really, our growth as human beings. We have permission to ask questions, even of God, when we see and experience suffering.

Now one person will symbolically wash their hands for all of us seated here.

Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our Jewish memory with a recognition of the cycles of nature. As we remember the liberation from Egypt, we also recognize the stirrings of spring and rebirth happening in the world around us. The symbols on our table bring together elements of both kinds of celebration.

We now take a vegetable, representing our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. Most families use a green vegetable, such as parsley or celery, but some families from Eastern Europe have a tradition of using a boiled potato since greens were hard to come by at Passover time. Whatever symbol of spring and sustenance we’re using, we now dip it into salt water, a symbol of the tears our ancestors shed as slaves. Before we eat it, we recite a short blessing:

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.

We look forward to spring and the reawakening of flowers and greenery. They haven’t been lost, just buried beneath the snow, getting ready for reappearance just when we most needed them.

-

We all have aspects of ourselves that sometimes get buried under the stresses of our busy lives. What has this winter taught us? What elements of our own lives do we hope to revive this spring?

There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces. The host should wrap up the larger of the pieces and, at some point between now and the end of dinner, hide it. This piece is called the afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek. After dinner, the guests will have to hunt for the afikomen in order to wrap up the meal.

We eat matzah in memory of the quick flight of our ancestors from Egypt. As slaves, they had faced many false starts before finally being let go. So when the word of their freedom came, they took whatever dough they had and ran with it before it had the chance to rise, leaving it looking something like matzah.

Uncover and hold up the three pieces of matzah and everyone say together:

All Participants: “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 needy come and celebrate the Passover with us. Now we are here; next year may we be in the Land of Israel. Now we are slaves; next year may we be free.”

"We break the matzah as we broke the chains of slavery, and as we break chains which bind us today. We will no more be fooled by movements which free only some of us, in which our so - called “freedom” rests upon the enslavement or embitterment of others."

We now begin the part of the Seder where we tell the story of our Exodus.

Pour the second glass of wine for everyone. You will need a full glass of wine for this next part.

The central imperative of the Seder is to tell the story. We are instructed: “ You shall tell your child on that day, saying: ‘This is because of what Adonai did for me when I came out of Egypt.' ” (Exodus 13:8) We relate the story of our ancestors to regain the memories as our own. Elie Weisel writes: "G-d created man because He loves stories. We each have a story to tell — a story of enslavement, struggle, liberation. Be sure to tell your story at the Seder table, for the Passover is offered not as a one-time event, but as a model for human experience in all generations."

The formal telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with lots of questions and answers. The tradition that the youngest person asks the questions reflects the centrality of involving everyone in the seder. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us the Four Questions to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. The four questions will now be said in Hebrew by the youngest resident. We will then read all of the questions out loud together in English.

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילות

Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot?

Why is this night different from all other nights?

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכלין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מצה

Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah.

On all other nights we eat both leavened bread and matzah. Why tonight do we only eat matzah?

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר

Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror.

On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, why tonight do we only eat bitter herbs?

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָֽנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּֽעַם אחָת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעמים

Shebichol haleilot ain anu matbilin afilu pa-am echat. Halaila hazeh shtei fi-amim.

On all other nights we don't dip our vegetables even once. Why tonight do we dip twice?

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין. :הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָּֽנוּ מְסֻבין

Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin bein yoshvin uvein m’subin. Halaila hazeh kulanu m’subin.

On all other nights we eat either sitting normally or reclining. Why tonight do we recline?

The Four Answers

 Answer 1: We were slaves in Egypt. Our ancestor in flight from Egypt did not have time to let the dough rise. With not a moment to spare they snatched up the dough they had prepared and fled. But the hot sun beat as they carried the dough along with them and baked it into the flat unleavened bread we call matzah.

Answer 2: The first time we dip our greens to taste the brine of enslavement. We also dip to remind ourselves of all life and growth, of earth and sea, which gives us sustenance and comes to life again in the springtime.

Answer 3: The second time we dip the maror into the charoset. The charoset reminds us of the mortar that our ancestors mixed as slaves in Egypt. But our charoset is made of fruit and nuts, to show us that our ancestors were able to withstand the bitterness of slavery because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom.

Answer 4: Slaves were not allowed to rest, not even while they ate. Since our ancestors were freed from slavery, we recline to remind ourselves that we, like our ancestors, can overcome bondage in our own time. We also recline to remind ourselves that rest and rejuvenation are vital to continuing our struggles. We should take pleasure in reclining, even as we share our difficult history.

As we tell the story, we think about it from all angles. Our tradition speaks of four different types of children who might react differently to the Passover seder. It is our job to make our story accessible to all the members of our community, so we think about how we might best reach each type of child:

What does the wise child say?

The wise child asks, What are the testimonies and laws which God commanded you?

You must teach this child the rules of observing the holiday of Passover.

What does the wicked child say?

The wicked child asks, What does this service mean to you?

To you and not to himself! Because he takes himself out of the community and misses the point, set this child’s teeth on edge and say to him: “It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.” Me, not him. Had that child been there, he would have been left behind.

What does the simple child say?

The simple child asks, What is this?

To this child, answer plainly: “With a strong hand God took us out of Egypt, where we were slaves.”

What about the child who doesn’t know how to ask a question?

Help this child ask.

Start telling the story:

“It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.”

-

Do you see yourself in any of these children? At times we all approach different situations like each of these children. How do we relate to each of them?

Once we were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord our God brought us forth with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. If God had not brought our forebears out of Egypt, then we and our children and our children's children might still be enslaved. Therefore, even if we were all wise, even if we all had understanding and were learned in the Torah, it would still be our duty to tell and retell the story of the Exodus. The more we dwell upon the story of the Exodus, the deeper will be our understanding of what freedom means and the stronger our determination to win it for ourselves and for others.

Our tradition speaks of four children or four attitudes: the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child, and the one who does not know how to ask. Each child has a different reaction to hearing about slavery. . .

What does the wise child say? “What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws that apply to this situation? How are we to discern what God demands of us?” You are to answer this child: “God brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage that we may understand the heart of those suffering in slavery, and use all our powers to redeem them.”. This year we have the opportunity to work with JIAS to rescue a family from war and terrorism.

What does the wicked child say? “What does all this work have to do with you?” Notice: “you,” not him or her. The wicked child stays far removed from suffering, and thus has lost the essence of our teachings. You might ask this child: “If you had been in Egypt, would you have been redeemed? And if you do not lift a finger now, who will redeem those who languish in slavery or refugee camps?”

The simple child asks: “What’s this all about?” You should teach this child: God brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand, out of the affliction of slavery. So we must use our strength to abolish slavery around the world. We cannot stop our work until there are no longer any slaves, anywhere, oppressed people are free, and refugees can go home or resettle.

The child who does not know to ask, you must open his or her eyes to what is going on. For today, there are 27 million people living in slavery of one form or another, and over 8 million of them are children. Surely this is one reason God took our people out of Egypt long ago – so that we might understand what slavery and oppression is like, and help free all those who remain enslaved or oppressed by war, terrorism and tyranny.

Our story starts in ancient times, with Abraham, the first person to stop worshiping idols and worship Adonai (or G-d). Abraham entered into a covenant with G-d which inspired him to leave his family and begin a new people in Canaan. G-d had made a promise to Abraham that his family would become a great nation, but this promise came with a frightening vision of the troubles along the way: “Your descendants will dwell for a time in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years; however, I will punish the nation that enslaved them, and afterwards they shall leave with great wealth."

Many years later, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob moved his family to Egypt. Once there our numbers grew, and soon the family of Jacob became the People of Israel. Pharaoh and the leaders of Egypt grew alarmed by this great nation growing within their borders, so they enslaved us. We were forced to perform hard labor, perhaps even building pyramids. The Egyptians feared that even as slaves, the Israelites might grow strong and rebel. So Pharaoh decreed that Israelite baby boys should be drowned, to prevent the Israelites from overthrowing those who had enslaved them.

One couple, Jochebed and Amram sent teir baby son Moses in a basket down the Nile River with his sister Miriam watching the basket containing her brother. The basket floated to where the daughter of Pharaoh was. She kept the child, called him her own and raised him in the palace. One day Moses was walking through the fields where the Israelite men were working and he saw an Egyptian servant whip an Israelite man. Moses struck the Egyptian and killed him. Then Moses ran out to the desert. There he found a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire. G-d spoke through the bush to Moses. G-d told Moses to go tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

So Moses listened to G-d and he returned to Egypt and demanded that Pharaoh release the Israelites from bondage. Pharaoh refused! As a result G-d sent ten plagues upon Egypt. At the time of each plague, Pharaoh promised to free the Jewish slaves, but then he refused again when the plagues subsided.

As we rejoice at our deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge that our freedom was hard-earned. We regret that our freedom came at the cost of the Egyptians’ suffering, for we are all human beings made in the image of God. When human beings suffer, even evil human beings, our joy cannot be complete. In ancient times, a full cup of wine was seen as a sign of joy, therefore we decrease our wine for each of the plagues as we recite them.

Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass and drop it  onto your plate for each plague.

These are the ten plagues which God brought down on the Egyptians:

(We say the plagues in English and Hebrew together as we drop the wine onto our plate)

Blood | dam | דָּם

Frogs | tzfardeiya | צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ

Lice | kinim | כִּנִּים

Beasts | arov | עָרוֹב

Cattle disease | dever | דֶּֽבֶר

Boils | sh’chin | שְׁחִין

Hail | barad | בָּרָד

Locusts | arbeh | אַרְבֶּה

Darkness | choshech | חֹֽשֶׁךְ

Death of the Firstborn | makat b’chorot | מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת

The tenth plague is where the Jewish holiday of Passover derives its name, because while the Angel of Death visited Egypt it "passed over" Israelite homes, which had been marked with lambs’ blood on the doorposts. It was this last plague that finally made Pharaoh decide to free the children of Israel from slavery.

All of Israel packed up their belongings and left Egypt. Again Pharaoh changed his mind and went after the Israelites. G-d sent a barricade of smoke and fire that blocked the Egyptians from gaining on Moses and his people. Then Moses parted the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to pass through to the other side. The blockade retreated when the Jews were safely through the sea. Pharaoh and his men went after the crossing people and were drowned by the closing of the water. The Israelites were then freed from being enslaved in Egypt.

We praise G-d, Ruler of Everything, who redeemed us and our ancestors from Egypt, enabling us to reach this night and eat matzah and bitter herbs. May we continue to reach future holidays in peace and happiness.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise G-d, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the second glass of wine!

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.

Together, we recite:

ָבּרוּךְ ַא ָתה יי, ֱאלֹ ֵהינוּ ֶמ ֶלךְ ָהעוֹ ָלם, ַהמּוֹ ִציא ֶלֶחם ִמן ָהָאֶרץ.

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, hamotzi lechem min haaretz  
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Together, we recite:

ָבּרוּךְ ַאָתה יי ֱאלֹ ֵהינוּ ֶמֶלךְ ָהעוָֹלם, ֲא ֶשר ִקְד ָשנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצווָֹתיו, ְו ִצָוּנוּ ַעל ֲאִכיַלת ַמ ָצה.

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.  
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and ordained that we should eat unleavened bread.

As we bless the matzah we thank God for bringing forth bread from the earth and commanding us to eat matzah. Although we verbally thank God for giving us the tools to sustain ourselves, we must also show our gratitude with action. Let us work to show full appreciation and understanding of the environmental and human impacts of our food consumption. Furthermore, let us work to ensure that sustainable food is accessible to everyone.

Distribute matzah for everyone to eat.

Next are the bitter herbs or maror. Put some of the maror on a piece of matzah.

Together, we recite:

ָבּרוּךְ ַאָתה יי ֱאלֹ ֵהינוּ ֶמֶלךְ ָהעוָֹלם, ֲא ֶשר ִקְד ָשנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצווָֹתיו, ְו ִצָוּנוּ ַעל ֲאִכיַלת ָמרוֹר.

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and ordained that we should eat bitter herbs.

The bitter herbs serve to remind us of how the Egyptians embittered the lives of the Israelites in servitude. When we eat the bitter herbs, we share in that bitterness of oppression. We must remember that slavery still exists all across the globe. When you go to the grocery store, where does your food come from? Who picked the sugar cane for your cookie, or the coffee bean for your morning coffee? We are reminded that people still face the bitterness of oppression, in many forms.

Now eat the maror and matzah.

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.

Eat a sandwich of matzah, maror, and charoset.

Eating the meal! Enjoy!

Don't forget that we have more to do after dinner, including the final two cups of wine!

(You may now also eat the other food on the table. We will dismiss by table to go get food from the buffet.)

At the conclusion of the meal, the children are given an opportunity to find the Aphikomon (Afikomen) that has been hidden earlier in the evening. The reader redeems it from the child who has found it and distributes pieces of it to all present.  The child gets a prize.

After partaking of the Aphikomon, it is customary to eat nothing else.  As for wine, though, we're only halfway through ...

After the meal we recite this blessing to thank God for the food we have eaten.

ָ בּ ר וּ ךְ ַ א ָ ת ה ְ י ָ י ַ ה ָ ז ן ֶ א ת ַ ה ֹכ ל .

Baruch atah Adonai, hazan et hakol.
We praise You, O God, Source of food for all who live.

We will now drink our 3rd cup of wine!

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise G-d, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the third glass of wine!

(Refill your glass of wine for this next part)

On our table we have two cups, one for Miriam and one for Elijah.

This is the cup of Elijah. According to Jewish tradition, the Prophet Elijah was a brave man who denounced the slavery of his day. Legend teaches that he will return one day to lead everyone to peace and freedom. It was customary during the Passover Seder to open the door of the house for Elijah, in the hope that the age of universal peace may soon be at hand.

We, too, open the door to peace, knowing that Elijah's task is really our own. Only when we have made a world where nation shall not lift up sword against nation, where justice is universal, and where each person is free, will the age-old dream of peace be real. Let us bring peace and justice to the world!

Let us now open the door and sing together.

אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי,

אֵלִיָּֽהוּ, 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

Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad: return to us speedily, in our days with the messiah, son of David.

Miriam's Cup

A Miriam’s Cup is a new ritual object that is placed on the Seder table beside the Cup of Elijah. Miriam’s Cup is filled with water. It serves as a symbol of Miriam’s Well, which was the source of water for the Israelites in the desert. Putting a Miriam’s Cup on your table is a way of making your Seder more inclusive.

It is also a way of drawing attention to the importance of Miriam and the other women of the Exodus story, women who have sometimes been overlooked but about whom our tradition says, "If it wasn’t for the righteousness of women of that generation we would not have been redeemed from Egypt" (Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 9b).

There are many legends about Miriam’s well. It is said to have been a magical source of water that followed the Israelites for 40 years because of the merit of Miriam. The waters of this well were said to be healing and sustaining. Thus Miriam’s Cup is a symbol of all that sustains us through our own journeys, while Elijah’s Cup is a symbol of a future Messianic time.

All say out loud together.

This is the Cup of Miriam, the cup of living waters. Let us remember the Exodus from Egypt. These are the living waters, God’s gift to Miriam, which gave new life to Israel as we struggled with ourselves in the wilderness. Blessed are You God, Who brings us from the narrows into the wilderness, sustains us with endless possibilities, and enables us to reach a new place."

With this ritual of Miriam’s cup of water, we honor all Jewish women. We commit ourselves to transforming all of our cultures into loving, welcoming spaces for people of all genders.

We will end our Seder with a fourth cup of wine, which we bless now:

Fourth Glass of Wine

As we come to the end of the Seder, we drink one more glass of wine. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover together, 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.

Jewish holidays celebrate important historical moments, and also many are associated with the seasons of nature. In addition to celebrating our going out of Egypt, Passover marks the beginning of the barley harvest. On the second day of Passover, an omer, a sheaf of barley, was brought to the Temple as an offering. Shavuot, which comes 49 days later, commemorates the giving of the Torah, and also marks the beginning of the wheat harvest. At the second Seder, it is traditional to start counting off these 49 days, referred to the Days of the Omer.

This symbolic "countdown" from Pesach to Shavuot shows the connection between the two holidays. Our freedom from slavery was not complete until we received the Torah, which gives our lives purpose and meaning.

We count the omer with a blessing.

We recite:

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha'Olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tizivanu al sefirat ha'omer.

Blessed are you, Adonai our G-d, Sovereign of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to count the omer.

Hayom yom echad la'omer

Today is the first day of the omer.

Nirtzah marks the conclusion of the seder. Our bellies are full, we have had many glasses of wine, we have told stories and sung songs, and now it is time for the evening to come to a close.

At the end of the seder, we honor but modify the tradition of declaring, “Next year in Jerusalem!” by declaring "Next year in peace!"

And so we conclude:

Now our seder is over

According to custom and law.

As we were worthy to celebrate it this year

So may we perform it in future years.

We pray that God brings health and healing

To all the people of the world, as we say…

לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּשָׁלום

L’shana haba'ah b'shalom

NEXT YEAR IN PEACE!

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

When Israel was in Egypt land,

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

They worked so hard they could not stand,

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

"Go down Moses, way down to

Egypt land, Tell old Pharaoh to

LET MY PEOPLE GO!!!"

חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא

.ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא

.וְאָתָא ׁשונְרָא וְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא

.וְאָתָא כַלְּבָא וְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא

.וְאָתָא חוטְרָא והִּכָה לְכַלְּבָא, ּדְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא

וְאָתָא נורָא וְׂשָרַף לְחוטְרָא, ּדְהִּכָה לְכַלְּבָא, ּדְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא, חַד ּגַדְיָא.

וְאָתָא מַיָא וְכָבָה לְנורָא, ּדְׂשָרַף לְחוטְרָא, ּדְהִּכָה לְכַלְּבָא, ּדְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא.

וְאָתָא תורָא וְׁשָתָה לְמַיָא, ּדְכָבָה לְנורָא, ּדְׂשָרַף לְחוטְרָא, ּדְהִּכָה לְכַלְּבָא, ּדְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא.

וְאָתָא הַׁשוחֵט וְׁשָחַט לְתורָא, ּדְׁשָתָה לְמַיָא, ּדְכָבָה לְנורָא, ּדְׂשָרַף לְחוטְרָא, ּדְהִּכָה לְכַלְּבָא, ּדְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא.

וְאָתָא מַלְאָךְ הַּמָוֶת וְׁשָחַט לְׁשוחֵט, ּדְׁשָחַט לְתורָא, ּדְׁשָתָה לְמַיָא, ּדְכָבָה לְנורָא, ּדְׂשָרַף לְחוטְרָא, ּדְהִּכָה לְכַלְּבָא, ּדְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא, ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא, חַד ּגַדְיָא.

וְאָתָא הַּקָדוׁש ּבָרוךְ הוא וְׁשָחַט לְמַלְאַךְ הַּמָוֶת, ּדְׁשָחַט לְׁשוחֵט, ּדְׁשָחַט לְתורָא, ּדְׁשָתָה לְמַיָא, ּדְכָבָה לְנורָא, ּדְׂשָרַף לְחוטְרָא, ּדְהִּכָה לְכַלְּבָא, ּדְנָׁשַךְ לְׁשונְרָא, ּדְאַָכְלָה לְגַדְיָא,

ּדְזַּבִין אַּבָא ּבִתְרֵי זוזֵי, חַד ּגַדְיָא,חַד ּגַדְיָא.

One little goat, one little goat that my father bought for two zuzim.
A cat came and ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
A dog came and bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
A stick came and hit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
A fire came and burned the stick that bit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
Water​ came and put out the fire that burned the stick that bit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
An ox came and drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that bit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
A butcher came and slaughter​​​​​​ed the ox that drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that bit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
The angel of death came and slaughter​​​​​​ed the butcher who slaughter​​​​​​ed the ox that drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that bit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
Then the Holy One, Blessed be He, came and slaughter​​​​​​ed the angel of death who slaughter​​​​​​ed the butcher who slaughter​​​​​​ed the ox that drank the water that put out the fire that burned the stick that bit the dog that bit the cat that ate the goat that my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat.
 

Sung to the tune of "Oh, once there was a wicked, wicked man"

Oh, once there was a wicked, wicked man

And Pharoah was his name, Sir.

He made the Jews work very hard

All night and all day, Sir.

CHORUS (EVERYONE):

Oh, Moses, please set us free (3x)

A Jewish Nation we will be!

Moses:

Now the Jews cried out to God

To free them from this labor

To punish Pharoah and his friends

For their bad behavior

CHORUS (EVERYONE)

Moses:

Now God sent me to do the work

To let our people go

He spoke to Pharoah loud and clear

But still he answered no!

CHORUS (EVERYONE)

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the Book

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Wo! Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the book
Won't you have to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs
These songs of freedom
Songs of freedom