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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. -George Orwell
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. -JFK
If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary. -Malcolm X
Usually on Pesach one first recites the blessings and then lights the candles without covering one’s eyes.
May these candles, lit on the Festival of Freedom, bring light into our hearts and minds. May they renew our courage to act for justice and freedom here and now. May they illumine the path to truth, justice and peace. And so we repeat the ancient blessing:
All woman say ….Blessing #1:
Bo-ruch A-toh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ho-olom A-sher Ki-de-sho-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Ve-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Shel Yom Tov.
English:Blessed are you, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us by commanding us to light the holiday candles.
Blessing #2:Bo-ruch A-toh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ho-olom She-heche-yo-nu Ve-ki-yi-mo-nu Ve-higi-o-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh English:Blessed are you, Blessed are you, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive and brought us to this happy moment in our lives.
Group sings (traditional):
Barukh ata adonai, eloheinu melekh ha-olam, borei p'ri hagafen.
Blessed is the force that created the fruit of the vine.
Barukh ata adonai, eloheinu melekh ha-olam, shehecheyanu v'kiyimanu v'higi'anu laz'man hazeh.
Blessed are the forces that have preserved us alive, sustained us, and brought us to enjoy this season.
Let us raise our cups to signify our gratitude for life. We are awed by all life in the world. We are grateful for the festival days and this feast of the unleavened bread, a time for remembering our departure from Egypt and the value of freedom.
Group says (humanist):
B'rucha ha-a-retz, b'rucha ha-she-mesh, ba-ruch ha-ge-shem, ha-bo-reem p'ree ha-ga-fen.
Blessed be the earth, the sun, and the rain, which bring forth the fruit of the vine.
[Drink first cup of wine in a reclining position.]
Passover, like many of Jewish holidays, combines the celebration of a Jewish story with the recognition of the cycles of nature. At Passover, we remember the story of the exodus from Egypt, and we also recognize and celebrate dawning of spring. In fact, Passover is also referred to as Chag HaAviv - the Spring Festival. The symbols on our table bring together elements of both kinds of celebration, and this Karpas is a perfect example.
We now take a green vegetable, representing our joy at the dawning of spring, and we dip it into salt water, a symbol of the tears our ancestors shed as slaves. Greens for spring, salt water for the Exodus story. Before we eat our greens, 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.
Blessed art thou, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruits of the earth.
Has anyone ever been to a seder where a potato is used instead of greens? While greens are the norm here, some families from Eastern Europe and other places have a tradition of using a boiled potato since greens were hard to come by at Passover time.
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… and win a prize.
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 say:
This is the bread of poverty which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, come and eat; all who are needy, come and celebrate Passover with us. This year we are here; next year we will be in Israel. This year we are slaves; next year we will be free.
These days, matzah is a special food and we look forward to eating it on Passover. Imagine eating only matzah, or being one of the countless people around the world who don’t have enough to eat.
What does the symbol of matzah say to us about oppression in the world, both people literally enslaved and the many ways in which each of us is held down by forces beyond our control? How does this resonate with events happening now?
By Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Rabbi Lauren Holzblatt
On Passover, Jews are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus and to see ourselves as having lived through that story, so that we may better learn how to live our lives today. The stories we tell our children shape what they believe to be possible—which is why at Passover, we must tell the stories of the women who played a crucial role in the Exodus narrative.
The Book of Exodus, much like the Book of Genesis, opens in pervasive darkness. Genesis describes the earth as “unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep.”1 In Exodus, darkness attends the accession of a new Pharaoh who feared the Israelites and so enslaved them. God alone lights the way out of the darkness in Genesis. But in Exodus, God has many partners, first among them, five brave women.
There is Yocheved, Moses’ mother, and Shifra and Puah, the famous midwives. Each defies Pharaoh’s decree to kill the Israelite baby boys. And there is Miriam, Moses’ sister, about whom the following midrash is taught:
[When Miriam’s only brother was Aaron] she prophesied… “my mother is destined to bear a son who will save Israel.” When [Moses] was born the whole house… filled with light[.] [Miriam’s] father arose and kissed her on the head, saying, “My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled.” But when they threw [Moses] into the river her father tapped her on the head saying, “Daughter, where is your prophecy?” So it is written, “And [Miriam] stood afar off to know what would be[come of] the latter part of her prophecy.”2
Finally, there is Pharaoh’s daughter Batya, who defies her own father and plucks baby Moses out of the Nile. The Midrash reminds us that Batya knew exactly what she doing:
When Pharaoh’s daughter’s handmaidens saw that she intended to rescue Moses, they attempted to dissuade her, and persuade her to heed her father. They said to her: “Our mistress, it is the way of the world that when a king issues a decree, it is not heeded by the entire world, but his children and the members of his household do observe it, and you wish to transgress your father’s decree?”3
But transgress she did.
These women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their world. They were women of action, prepared to defy authority to make their vision a reality bathed in the light of the day.
Retelling the heroic stories of Yocheved, Shifra, Puah, Miriam and Batya reminds our daughters that with vision and the courage to act, they can carry forward the tradition those intrepid women launched.
While there is much light in today’s world, there remains in our universe disheartening darkness, inhumanity spawned by ignorance and hate. We see horrific examples in the Middle East, parts of Africa, and the Ukraine. The Passover story recalls to all of us—women and men—that with vision and action we can join hands with others of like mind, kindling lights along paths leading out of the terrifying darkness.
1 Genesis 1:2 2 Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14a 3 Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 12b
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton in 1993, she is known as a strong voice for gender equality, the rights of workers, and separation between church and state.
Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt is a rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C.. She is co-creator of two nationally recognized community engagement projects—MakomDC and the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington.
Image Credit: Time Magazine https://time.com/3823889/ruth-bader-ginsburg-2015-time-100/
Passover is the celebration of life. The story of the Jewish people is truly a triumph of life. Against the odds of history, the Jewish people have done more than survive - we have adapted creatively to each new time, each new place, from the birth of our people to the present day.
Even though death has pursued us relentlessly, time and time again, we have chosen to live. During the many centuries of the Jewish experience, memories of destruction are tempered by the knowledge that the world can also be good.
We have endured slavery and humiliation. We have also enjoyed freedom and power. Darkness has been balanced by light.
Our forebears traveled the Earth in search of the safety and liberty they knew must exist. We have learned to endure. We have learned to progress.
We are proud survivors. We celebrate our good fortune and seek the advancement of all.
Leader:
One of the customs of the seder is the asking of questions - questions about what the ritual actions of the seder mean. The Passover tradition involves the youngest children asking - actually singing - about these matters in a song we call "The Four Questions."
On all other nights, we get biscuits and rolls,
Fluffy and puffy and full of air holes.
Why on this night, why, tell me why,
Only this flat stuff that’s always so dry.
On all other nights, we eat all kinds of greens,
And I’m starting to like them – except lima beans.
Why on this night, I ask on my knees,
Do we eat stuff so bitter it makes grownups wheeze?
On all other nights, we dip vegies just once –
Just try dipping twice and they’ll call you a dunce.
Why on this night, why, tell me true,
Why double-dipping’s the right thing to do.
On all other nights, we sit up when we munch.
You’ll choke if you slump! You’ll croak if you hunch!
Why on this night, if anyone knows,
Do we get to recline on my mom’s good pillows.
Why is this night so different from most?
Why do we do things so odd and so gross?
Why do we tell the same stories and stuff?
Because when it’s Pesach, it’s never enough!
(Adapted from Alida Liberman)
Traditionally, the youngest person present asks:
Why is this night different from all other nights?
1. On all other nights we eat either bread or matzah. Why, on this night, do we eat only matzah?
2. On all other nights we eat herbs of any kind. Why, on this night, do we eat maror, the bitter herb?
3. On all other nights, we do not dip our herbs even once. Why, on this night, do we dip them twice?
4. On all other nights, we eat sitting up. Why, on this night, do we eat while reclining?
A different guest readers each ANSWER:
1. MATZAH:
Matzah is the symbol of our affliction and our freedom. Legend has it that when Moses and his followers fled Egypt, they moved so quickly that the bread they baked did not have time to rise. [Scholars have noted that long before the Jews celebrated Passover, farmers of the Middle East celebrated Khag Ha-matsot, the festival of unleavened bread, at this time of year.]
2. MAROR
Tradition says that we eat the bitter herb to remind us of the bitterness of our slavery. We force ourselves to taste pain so that we may more readily value pleasure. [Scholars inform us that bitter herbs were eaten at the Spring festival in ancient times.]
3. DIPPING
Tonight we dip herbs twice--greens into salt water, and maror into charoset. The greens remind us that it is springtime, and new life will grow; while the salt water reminds us of the tears we cried when we were slaves in Egypt. We dip the bitter herb, maror, into the sweet charoset to show us that our ancestors withstood the bitterness of slavery because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom.
4. RECLINING
In ancient times, slaves ate hurriedly, standing or squatting on the ground. To recline at the table was the mark of a free person. As a sign of our freedom, we lean and relax as we eat and drink.
MORE QUESTIONS:
Reader:We have answered the four traditional questions, but the special foods on our Seder plate leave us with more questions: what is the meaning of the charoset, the roasted shank bone (z'ro-ah), the roasted egg (baytsa), and the orange?
A different guest reads each answer:
Charoset: As well as being sweet, the appearance of the charoset reminds us of the bricks and mortar that the Israelites are said to have made when they built the Pharaohs' palaces and cities.
Shank bone: The bone represents the lamb that was the special Paschal sacrifice on the eve of the exodus from Egypt. 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.
Egg: The egg represents new life.
Orange: For thousands of years, an orange had no place on a seder plate, just as some people--such as gay people, and women--found at most a limited place in Jewish life. We now place an orange on the seder plate to show that Jewish life, and indeed our entire society, is more fruitful when all are welcome to fully contribute.
The Torah reflects upon four types of kids: One Wise, One Evil, One Simple, and One Who Doesn’t Know How To Ask. GUIDE the wise one through the obligations of Passover. TELL the Evil One, we need you to be part of our people. EXPLAIN to the Simple One, “with a strong hand God brought us out of Egypt.” ENGAGE the one who doesn’t know how to ask, make that child feel comfortable, and tell them about the Exodus.
Sefer Shemot illustrated through LEGOs
1. After the ten plagues, Pharoah finally lets our people go, and the Israelites leave in a big hurry. They pack their bags, gather their children and livestock, toss the unleavened bread on their backs, and begin their journey. It is Pharaoh’s change of heart, after refusing so many times to let them go, that allows the Israelites to arrive at this moment of freedom.
2. After being freed, the Israelites find themselves between the roaring sea before them and the Egyptian army behind them. They panic and say to Moses, “There weren’t enough graves in Egypt, so you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? It would have been better to stay as slaves than to die here.” We can learn a lot about resistance to transition from the complaints of the Israelites.
3. Sometimes in the midst of doubt and fear, it can feel impossible to take that first step forward. A rabbinic Midrash tells the story of Nachshon ben Aminadav, who walked into the sea until the water was above his neck; only after he took this great risk did the waters part for all the Israelites. Passover is our annual invitation to take that first step.
Ask everyone to imagine the moment where they can’t stay in the same place. Go around the table and ask each person to say one word to answer this question: What would you need to act, to move forward, away from constriction and narrowness, toward freedom? [examples: “faith,” “community,” “imagination,” “lightness”, etc]
Go around the table and each person can answer this second question: What is one situation or pattern you’ve resisted changing even when you know it’s not in service to living the life you want to lead?” [examples: “going to sleep super late,” “my unfulfilling job,” “that relationship (you know the one),” etc.]
4. There’s commentary that the post-Exodus forty years of wandering in the desert was the necessary length of time to allow the generation of Israelites raised with a slave mentality to be replaced by a new generation of free people. This means that only those born into freedom were able to enter the Promised Land. We can translate this to our own lives to mean that we have to transition out of fixed mindsets and make space for new ways and paths and directions.
Remembering our own capacity to enslave and be enslaved, as well as our ability to find freedom in our lives, is one of the most meaningful practices of Passover. May we all be blessed with a Passover of liberation. May our practice be a source of strength as we find paths to freedom, and may our open-heartedness benefit all beings.
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. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them.
These are the ten plagues which God brought down on the Egyptians:
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
We say the blessing over the second glass now.
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,
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 second glass of wine
The plagues and our subsequent redemption from Egypt are but one example of the care God has shown for us in our history. Had God but done any one of these kindnesses, it would have been enough – dayeinu.
אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָֽנוּ מִמִּצְרַֽיִם, דַּיֵּנוּ
Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, DAYENU.
CHORUS
Dia dayenu, dai dayenu, dai dayenu, dayenu, dayenu, dayenu
Dai dayenu, dai dayenu, dai dayenu, dayenu, dayenu
Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et ha-Shabbat, natan lanu et ha-Shabbat, DAYENU.
(CHORUS)
Ilu natan natan lanu, nata lanu et ha-Torah, natan lanu et ha-Torah, DAYENU.
(CHORUS)
If God had only taken us out of Egypt, that would have been enough.
If God had only given us Shabbat, that would have been enough.
If God had only given us the Torah, that would have been enough.
As we now transition from the formal telling of the Passover story to the celebratory meal (finally!), we once again wash our hands to prepare ourselves. 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. Again, I will symbolically wash my hands.
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.
Blessed are you, spirit of the world, who made us holy through simple deeds like the washing of our hands.
Two times so far we've talked about
this matzah here to figure out
And now's our chance to take a bite
to remind us of the slaves rushed flight
But first some blessings say we should
Thank God for our gifts so good
Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-nai, E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam,
Ha-mo-tzee le-chem meen ha-a-retz.
O Holy One of Blessing, Your Presence fills creation;
Thank you for the nourishing goodness of bread.
Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-nai, E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam,
a-sher keed-sha-nu be-meetz-vo-tav, vee-tzee-va-nu
al a-chee-lat ma-tzah.
O Holy One of Blessing, your Presence fills creation;
You have made us special with your Mitzvot, and You have
Instructed us to eat Matzah during Pesach
Maror is the bitter herbs (horse radish). We eat them to remind us of the bitter times the Jews had in Egypt.
Now please place some maror on a piece of matzah and recite the following prayer:
Baruch Ata Ado-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam Asher Ki-d’shanu Be-mitzvotav Vetzivanu al Achilat Maror.
Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the eating of Maror.
---------------------
Rabban Gamaliel Omer...
Shh-h...
Rabban Gamaliel has something to tell,
so we'd better all listen to him very well.
He says that each person must mention these three
if he wants his whole seder to go perfectly.
Tonight these three things might be found in your parlor--
They are: Pesah and Matzah and Maror.
Pesah, the lamb that the Jews would prepare
at the time that the Temple was still standing there,
to remind us of how our ancestors were saved,
how they marched out of Egypt and stopped being slaves.
It wasn't a soup and it wasn't a stew.
It was more like roast lamb in a big Bar-B-Q.
We try to remember that lamb, if we're able,
by keeping a bone of some sort on the table.
Matzah, this strange flat and hard, crunchy bread
was the food that our forefathers ate when they fled.
They didn't have time to make something more tasty
like chocolate cake or cherry-cream pastry,
because their departure was ever so hasty.
The trip out of Egypt was all so haphazard,
they left mountains of matzah-crumbs all through the desert.
Manny, our matzah-dog, eats it by tons.
He'll have two hundred matzahs before the night's done.
The third thing is Maror. These herbs are so bitter!
Let's give some to Marvin, our mean baby-sitter!
---------------------
Zekher La-Mikdash Ke-Hillel...
Hillel, while the Temple stood,
made sandwiches he thought were good.
They had no jam of mozzarelly, tuna-fish or vermicelli--
just matzah, maror and some meat.
He thought they were a super treat
(but there are lots of things I'd rather eat).
Eating the meal! | shulchan oreich | שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ
Enjoy! But don’t forget when you’re done we’ve got a little more seder to go, including the final two cups of wine!
Tzafun is the part of the Seder when we eat the Afikomen. One tradition after you find the Afikomen is that the person who finds it gets a prize. After we finish eating our meals, the head of the Seder takes the half piece of matzah that was put away after Yachatz, takes a piece, and splits the rest up into pieces for the other people at the table. We should eat the Afikomen comfortably while we’ve eaten enough but still have room for dessert. We eat the Afikomen in memory of the Passsover sacrifice which was served at the end of the meal. Tzafun is like the dessert of the Seder.
The word "Tzafun" literally means "Hidden." During this part of the seder we bring the Afikomen out of hiding.
Discussion Question:
Why do you think we sometimes get a prize for finding the Afikomen? (Hint: You need the Afikomen to finish the Seder)
(Adapted from Barry Louis Polisar)
Refill everyone’s wine glass.
We have eaten this Passover meal as a free people, and we give thanks to our creator for our many blessings. Preserve us in life, sustain us with good and honorable work and make us worthy. Bless this home, this table, and all assembled here; may all our loved ones share our blessings.
Drink the third cup
At times such as this, we pause and reflect
we thank God for the good that surrounds
our families, our friends,
the great blessings of freedom
and of course all the food that abounds
We make sacred the moment
with a prayer truly said
as we celebrate the blessings
of our feast of unleavened bread
Baruch Atah Adonai, ha-zan eit ha -kol.
O Holy One of blessing, we thank you for the blessings of food.
A third cup of wine we now shall drink
as we recall again to think
God's great promise of redemption
our ancestor's saw
V'ga-alti et-chem beetz-roah n'too-yah.
(Our Torah teaches that God said:
"I will redeem you with an outstretched arm." Shemot 6:6)
Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-nai, E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam
Bo-rei, pe-ree ha-ga-fen.
O Holy One of Blessing, our Presence fills creation,
we praise you for creating the fruit of the vine.
A special guest we welcome now
the prophet Elijah to take his bow
Our custom at each Seder meal
to invite our friends, our joy to feel
One day quite soon, we all pray
Elijah will really come our way
And peaceful times he'll bring about
with joy and gladness all will shout
And so this cup for him we leave
our warm hospitality he might receive
The Cup of Elijah
We now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder.
In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of God to a disbelieving people. At the end of his life, rather than dying, he was whisked away to heaven. Tradition holds that he will return in advance of messianic days to herald a new era of peace, so we set a place for Elijah at many joyous, hopeful Jewish occasions, such as a baby’s bris and the Passover seder.
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
Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad:
return to us speedily,
in our days with the messiah,
son of David.
Miriam, sister of Moses, plays an important role in the Exodus story. It is said that a well followed the Jews as they wandered through the desert until the time of Miriam's death, a gift from God for her optimism. We fill Miriam's Cup with water from our own glasses to honor the contributions of women in the Torah.
"Zot Kos Miryam, kos mayim hayim. Zeikher l'yitziat Mitztrayim.
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."
In every generation, we all should feel as though we ourselves had gone forth from Egypt. We end our Passover Seder by saying in unison:
May slavery give way to freedom.
May hate give way to love.
May ignorance give way to wisdom.
May despair give way to hope.
Next year, at this time, may everyone, everywhere, be free!
We are, each of us, working to meet challenges in our lives, but we are grateful to be here together for tonight’s seder. Wherever the next year takes us, we look forward to celebrating Pesach again, together with the friends and family—new and long beloved.
One chapter in my life has concluded, but my life journey continues. What do I look forward to in the coming year...
...for myself? ...for family and friends?
...for my community? ...for my world?
La-shana ha-ba-a bee-yeru-sha-layeem! NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!
Take Us Out of Mitzrayim (Sung to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game")
Take us out of Mitzrayim,
Free us from slavery
Bake us some matzah in a haste
Don't worry 'bout flavor,
Give no thought to taste.
Oh it's rush, rush, rush, to the Red Sea
If we don't cross it's a shame,
For it's ten plagues,
Down and you're out
At the Pesah history game
Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came a cat and ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came a dog and bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came a stick and beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came fire and burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came water and quenched the fire, that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came the ox and drank the water, that quenched the fire, that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came the butcher and slaughtered the ox, that drank the water, that quenched the fire, that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came the Angel of Death and killed the butcher, that slaughtered the ox, that drank the water, that quenched the fire, that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
Then came the Holy One, Blessed be He and slew the the Angel of Death, that killed the butcher, that slaughtered the ox, that drank the water, that quenched the fire, that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, That Father bought for two zuzim, Chad gadya. Chad gadya.
To the tune of Hotel California
On an Egyptian desert highway
Cool wind in our hair
Warm smell of mazohballs
Rising up through the air.
Up ahead in the distance
There’s no food in sight
My head grew heavy, and my sight grew dim
Why is this different then all other nights!?
There Elijah stood in the doorway
I heard his dayanu song
And I was thinking to myself
This could be Heaven or Maagid prolonged!?
Then I asked the 4 questions
The hagadah taught me the way
There were voices for each 4 sons I thought I heard them say:
Chorus
Welcome to our Passover Seder
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely place (background)
There’s no need to race!
Plenty of room at our Passover Table
It’s that time of year It’s that time of year (background)
When we can’t serve Beer!
To the tune of Piano Man by Billy Joel
It's nine o'clock at the Seder Night
The regular family members shuffle in
There's an old man sitting next to me makin’ love to his Manishewitz yayin
He says, "Son, can you tell me bout the Exodus
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet and it’s got no leavened wheat
so wake me up when we get to the matza hors’ devours
la la la, di da da La la, di di da da yay nu
Sing us a song, it’s the Seder, man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for the Exodus
And this First Cup got us all feelin' all right
