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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Seder Plate
We place a Seder Plate at our table as a reminder to discuss certain aspects of the Passover story. Each item has its own significance.
Maror – The bitter herb. This symbolizes the harshness of lives of the Jews in Egypt.
Charoset – A delicious mix of sweet wine, apples, cinnamon and nuts that resembles the mortar used as bricks of the many buildings the Jewish slaves built in Egypt
Karpas – A green vegetable, usually parsley, is a reminder of the green sprouting up all around us during spring and is used to dip into the saltwater
Zeroah – A roasted lamb or shank bone symbolizing the sacrifice made at the great temple on Passover (The Paschal Lamb)
Beitzah – The egg symbolizes a different holiday offering that was brought to the temple. Since eggs are the first item offered to a mourner after a funeral, some say it also evokes a sense of mourning for the destruction of the temple.
Orange - The orange on the seder plate has come to symbolize full inclusion in modern day Judaism: not only for women, but also for people with disabilities, intermarried couples, and the LGBT Community.
Matzah
Matzah is the unleavened bread we eat to remember that when the jews fled Egypt, they didn’t even have time to let the dough rise on their bread. We commemorate this by removing all bread and bread products from our home during Passover.
Elijah’s Cup
The fifth ceremonial cup of wine poured during the Seder. It is left untouched in honor of Elijah, who, according to tradition, will arrive one day as an unknown guest to herald the advent of the Messiah. During the Seder dinner, biblical verses are read while the door is briefly opened to welcome Elijah. In this way the Seder dinner not only commemorates the historical redemption from Egyptian bondage of the Jewish people but also calls to mind their future redemption when Elijah and the Messiah shall appear.
Miriam’s Cup
Another relatively new Passover tradition is that of Miriam’s cup. The cup is filled with water and placed next to Elijah’s cup. Miriam was the sister of Moses and a prophetess in her own right. After the exodus when the Israelites are wandering through the desert, just as Hashem gave them Manna to eat, legend says that a well of water followed Miriam and it was called ‘Miriam’s Well’. The tradition of Miriam’s cup is meant to honor Miriam’s role in the story of the Jewish people and the spirit of all women, who nurture their families just as Miriam helped sustain the Israelites.
Tonight we drink four cups of wine. Why four? Some say the cups represent our matriarchs—Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah—whose virtue caused God to liberate us from slavery.
Another interpretation is that the cups represent the Four Worlds: physicality, emotions, thought, and essence.
Still a third interpretation is that the cups represent the four promises of liberation God makes in the Torah: I will bring you out, I will deliver you, I will redeem you, I will take you to be my people (Exodus 6:6-7.) The four promises, in turn, have been interpreted as four stages on the path of liberation: becoming aware of oppression, opposing oppression, imagining alternatives, and accepting responsibility to act.
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.
Drink the first glass of wine!
To wash your hands, you don’t need soap, but you do need a cup to pour water over your hands. Pour water on each of your hands three times, alternating between your hands. If the people around your table don’t want to get up to walk all the way over to the sink, you could pass a pitcher and a bowl around so everyone can wash at their seats… just be careful not to spill!
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 to consider what we hope to get out of our evening together tonight. Go around the table and share one hope or expectation you have for tonight's seder.
We now take a vegetable, in this case parsely, to represent our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. 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?
The breaking of the middle matzah is a reminder of the fractures and breaks in our environment and world. It is a time to think about the current state of the environment and the communities that are disproportionately impacted by the environmental issues. How are we impacted by the changing climate, and how have we contributed to the rise of sea level?
We take the larger half of the broken matzah to hide, and it becomes the afikomen. It is no longer a regular piece of matzah; the afikomen is the final hidden treasure that we need to find before the seder is complete.
We will search for the afikomen after the meal, but we will search for the afikomen throughout the evening in our minds. One reason that we physically look for the afikomen is to bring the two broken pieces of matzah back together and symbolize a move from brokenness toward healing. Simultaneously, in our minds, we will begin to uncover different aspects and responses to environmental injustice, bringing us closer to understanding how together, we can repair our environment and world.
Maggid: This section is all about learning: hearing the story of the Exodus, of redemption, of appreciating freedom and working to enact justice in the world. In other words, it's a teachable moment for all of us. And more teachable moments ahead...
?מַה נִשְׁתַּנָה הַלַיְלָה הַזֶה מִכָּל הַלֵילוֹת
Ma nishtana ha-laila hazeh meekol ha-laylot?
What is different about this night from all other nights?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ וּמַצָה, הַלַיְלָה הַזֶה, כֻּלוֹ מַצָה
Shebechol ha-laylot anoo ochleen chametz oo-matzah, chametz oo-matzah,
ha-laila hazeh, ha-laila hazeh, coolo matzah?
On all other nights we eat chametz and matzah.
Tonight, we only eat matzah?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת, הַלַיְלָה הַזֶה, מָרוֹר?
Shebechol ha-laylot anoo ochleen she’ar yerakot, she’ar yerakot
ha-laila hazeh, ha-laila hazeh, maror?
On all other nights we eat all sorts of vegetables.
Tonight, bitter herbs?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵילוֹת אֵין אָנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת, הַלַיְלָה הַזֶה, שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים?
Shebechol ha-laylot eyn anoo matbeeleen afeeloo pa’am echat, afeeloo pa’am echat
ha-laila hazeh, ha-laila hazeh, shtey feyameem?
On all other nights we don’t even dip vegetables once.
Tonight, twice?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין, הַלַיְלָה הַזֶה, כֻּלָנוּ מְסֻבִּין?
Shebechol ha-laylot anoo ochleen beyn yoshveen oo-veyn mesubeen, beyn yoshveen oo-veyn mesubeen,
ha-laila hazeh, ha-laila hazeh, coolanoo mesubeen?
On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining.
Tonight, all of us recline?
❉ Add some questions of your own to the traditional four.
These questions have traditionally been asked by the youngest person at the seder, often a child. The seder is designed to stimulate children’s curiosity. It is an educational ritual, in a way that is alien to capitalist schooling. It asks us to learn from experience, from our ancestors, and from each other. Its pedagogy is believing everyone has wisdom to share, but questioning everything. The uninitiated may find the Haggadah’s repetition of Torah and Talmud stories to be dogmatic and irrelevant to modern-day radical study, but if we fulfill our commandment to see the Exodus as our own personal narrative, these stories become revolutionary. As Paulo Freire said, “The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption.”
The Ballad of the Four Sons
(to the tune of "Clementine")
wriiten by Ben Aronin in 1948
Said the father to his children,
"At the seder you will dine,
You will eat your fill of matzah,
You will drink four cups of wine."
Now this father had no daughters,
But his sons they numbered four.
One was wise and one was wicked,
One was simple and a bore.
And the fourth was sweet and winsome,
he was young and he was small.
While his brothers asked the questions
he could scarcely speak at all.
Said the wise one to his father
"Would you please explain the laws?
Of the customs of the seder
Will you please explain the cause?"
And the father proudly answered,
"As our fathers ate in speed,
Ate the paschal lamb 'ere midnight
And from slavery were freed."
So we follow their example
And 'ere midnight must complete
All the seder and we should not
After 12 remain to eat.
Then did sneer the son so wicked
"What does all this mean to you?"
And the father's voice was bitter
As his grief and anger grew.
"If you yourself don't consider
As son of Israel,
Then for you this has no meaning
You could be a slave as well."
Then the simple son said simply
"What is this," and quietly
The good father told his offspring
"We were freed from slavery."
But the youngest son was silent
For he could not ask at all.
His bright eyes were bright with wonder
As his father told him all.
My dear children, heed the lesson
and remember evermore
What the father told his children
Told his sons that numbered four.
Moses, a Hebrew child was born at a time his people were enslaved in Egypt. The Pharaoh (King of Egypt) commanded that all Hebrew boys must be killed when they are born. To save his life, his mother hid him in a basket by the Nile river.
Pharaoh's daughter heard the baby crying when she went to go wash in the Nile. She took the baby home and raised him as her own.
Moses grew up in Pharaoh's palace. One day, Moses witnessed an Egyptian slave driver beating two Hebrew slaves. He became so angry that he killed the slave driver. Moses then ran away from his home in fear of what might happen to him.
After he fled, one day G-d appeared to him in a burning bush! G-d told Moses that he must return and free his people.
Moses returned to Egypt and did as G-d asked. He told the Pharaoh "Let My People Go!" and his staff turned into a snake to prove that he was sent by G-d!
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The Pharaoh responded, "No, no, no! I will not let them go!" This happened over and over. Each time when the Pharaoh refused, G-d sent down another horrible plague on the Egyptian people.
Many Egyptians perished, and their suffering was great. Each time a plague appeared, Pharaoh agreed to let the Jews go. But each time the plague vanished, Pharaoh relented. 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
Finally, amidst great sorrowing over the death of his first-born, Pharaoh ordered Moses to take his people out of the land. And Moses did, and the people arose from the midst of their oppressors, and fled from their bondage. 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.
The Passover Haggadah recounts ten plagues that afflicted Egyptian society. In our tradition, Passover is the season in which we imagine our own lives within the story and the story within our lives. Accordingly, we turn our thoughts to the many plagues affecting our society today. Our journey from slavery to redemption is ongoing, demanding the work of our hearts and hands. Here are ten “modern plagues”:
Homelessness
In any given year, about 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness, about a third of them children, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. A recent study by the U.S. Conference of Mayors showed the majority of major cities lack the capacity to shelter those in need and are forced to turn people away. We are reminded time and again in the Torah that the Exodus is a story about a wandering people, once suffering from enslavement, who, through God’s help, eventually find their way to their homeland. As we inherit this story, we affirm our commitment to pursue an end to homelessness.
Hunger
About 49 million Americans experience food insecurity, 16 million of them children. While living in a world blessed with more than enough food to ensure all of God’s children are well nourished, on Passover we declare, “Let all who are hungry come and eat!” These are not empty words, but rather a heartfelt and age-old prayer to end the man-made plague of hunger.
Inequality
Access to affordable housing, quality health care, nutritious food and quality education is far from equal. The disparity between the privileged and the poor is growing, with opportunities for upward mobility still gravely limited. Maimonides taught, “Everyone in the house of Israel is obligated to study Torah, regardless of whether one is rich or poor, physically able or with a physical disability.” Unequal access to basic human needs, based on one’s real or perceived identity, like race, gender or disability, is a plague, antithetical to the inclusive spirit of the Jewish tradition.
Greed
In the Talmud, the sage Ben Zoma asks: “Who is wealthy? One who is happy with one’s lot.” These teachings evidence what we know in our conscience—a human propensity to desire more than we need, to want what is not ours and, at times, to allow this inclination to conquer us, leading to sin. Passover urges us against the plague of greed, toward an attitude of gratitude.
Discrimination and hatred
The Jewish people, as quintessential victims of hatred and discrimination, are especially sensitized to this plague in our own day and age. Today, half a century after the civil rights movement in the United States, we still are far from the actualization of the dream Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. articulated in Washington, D.C., a vision rooted in the message of our prophets. On Passover, we affirm our own identity as the once oppressed, and we refuse to stand idly by amid the plagues of discrimination and hatred.
Silence amid violence
Every year, 4.8 million cases of domestic violence against American women are reported. Each year, more than 108,000 Americans are shot intentionally or unintentionally in murders, assaults, suicides and suicide attempts, accidental shootings and by police intervention. One in five children has seen someone get shot. We do not adequately address violence in our society, including rape, sex trafficking, child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse, even though it happens every day within our own communities.
Environmental destruction
Humans actively destroy the environment through various forms of pollution, wastefulness, deforestation and widespread apathy toward improving our behaviors and detrimental civic policies. Rabbi Nachman of Brezlav taught, “If you believe you can destroy, you must believe you can repair.” Our precious world is in need of repair, now more than ever.
Stigma of mental illness
One in five Americans experiences mental illness in a given year. Even more alarming, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, nearly two-thirds of people with a diagnosable mental illness do not seek treatment, and minority communities are the least likely to search for or have access to mental health resources. Social stigma toward those with mental illness is a widespread plague. Historically, people with mental health issues have suffered from severe discrimination and brutality, yet our society is increasingly equipped with the knowledge and resources to alleviate the plague of social stigma and offer critical support.
Ignoring refugees
We are living through the worst refugee crisis since the Holocaust. On this day, we remember that “we were foreigners in the land of Egypt,” and God liberated us for a reason: to love the stranger as ourselves. With the memory of generations upon generations of our ancestors living as refugees, we commit ourselves to safely and lovingly opening our hearts and our doors to all peace-loving refugees.
Powerlessness
When faced with these modern plagues, how often do we doubt or question our own ability to make a difference? How often do we feel paralyzed because we do not know what to do to bring about change? How often do we find ourselves powerless to transform the world as it is into the world as we know it should be, overflowing with justice and peace?
Written in collaboration with Rabbi Matthew Soffer of Temple Israel of Boston
Dayenu is the most well-known Passover song, probably because of its simple refrain and rollicking tune. Yet, if you think about what it is saying, it makes little sense. Would it really be enough if God had taken us out of Egypt but had not divided the sea for us? Wouldn’t the pursuing Egyptians have re-enslaved us? Or enabled us to reach Mount Sinai but hadn’t given us the Torah? What would have been the point?
Dayenu is actually suggesting an important spiritual principle of enoughness. We live our lives with ambitions and hopes. Some are fulfilled. Some never happen. Some, with the passage of time, fade away or are lost. Even as we mourn the losses, we are to remember the blessings that we have. We need to look at our lives in perspective. It is true I am not as flexible as I once was, and that my hearing is declining. Yet it is also true that I can still see, and that I enjoy my grandchildren. The practice is to enjoy what I do have. I should place the reality of the decline that is part of aging in the larger context of my whole life. All of it is the reality of my life. Let me remember to see even as my eyes dim; to communicate even when it seems easier to sit alone in my room. I can smell and taste. I can touch and be touched. Neither the great moments nor the sad moments alone are the sum total of my life. In the context of What Matters, we think about what we would want for the last period of our life:
Dayenu
It would be enough to be surrounded by family and friends
It would be enough to eat my favorite food
It would be enough to be at home with the sun shining in my bedroom
It would be enough to listen to my favorite music
A follower of the Kotzker rebbe complained about not getting a tallit (a four-cornered prayer shawl) from his in-laws—a standard wedding present. The Kotzker replied: Then wrap yourself in the four corners of the world and pray!
The story teaches that you can lack many things, but that doesn’t stop you from being able to feel embraced by the universe as you wrap yourself with it and with the precious memories of your life. That would be enough—dayenu.
Discuss:
-What would be the small things that would give you pleasure?
-What would be the more important things that would make it be enough—dayenu?
*Learn more about "What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life" at www.ShomerCollective.org/WhatMatters
Ilu ho-tsi, ho-tsi-a-nu,
Ho-tsi-a-nu mi-Mitz-ra-yim,
Ho-tsi-a-nu mi-Mitz-ra-yim,
Da-ye-nu!
.. CHORUS:
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu!
..
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu!
Ilu na-tan, na-tan la-nu,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-Sha-bat,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-Sha-bat,
Da-ye-nu!
.. (CHORUS)
Ilu na-tan, na-tan la-nu,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-To-rah,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-To-rah,
Da-ye-nu!
.. (CHORUS)
And the women dancing with their timbrels
Followed Miriam as she sang her song
Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted
Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long
And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety
The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history
With every strand and every thread she crafted her delight
A woman touched with spirit, she dances toward the light
When Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea
The wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe
Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstretched hand
And we would pass to freedom and march to the promised land
And Miriam the prophet took her timbrel in her hand
And all the women followed her just as she had planned
And Miriam raised her voice in song
She sang with praise and might
We've just lived through a miracle
We're going to dance tonight
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Debbie Friedman
POUR ONE OUT
Reflect and discuss: Who isn’t here that you’re thinking about?
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam Borei Pri HaGafen.
We acknowledge the Unity of All,
and express gratitude for the fruit of the vine.
Drink Cup #2.
What is a 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.
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."
Miriam's cup should be passed around the table allowing each participant to pour a little water form their glass into Miriam's cup. This symbolizes the support of notable Jewish women throughout our history which are often not spoken about during our times of remembrance.
This handwashing is the one that counts. Add a blessing of gratitude — "al netilat yadayim."
Pictured: Aquaman Jason Momoa becoming one with the ocean in what we like to call a "Reverse Red Sea Parting."
[Image Source: GIPHY]
EATING THE MATZO
Raise the matzo and recite two blessings: the regular bread blessing and then one specifically mentioning the mitzvah of eating matzo at Passover.
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.
We praise God, Spirit of everything who brings bread from the land.
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.
Blessed are You, Spirit of everything who commands us to eat matzo.
The sage Hillel provided us with the tradition of constructing the Hillel sandwich, combining the bitterness of the maror with the sweetness of the charoset between the fortitude of the two pieces of matzah--the symbol of freedom. Through this ritual, we think about mortar and brick.
Finding and eating the Afikomen | tzafoon | צָפוּן
The playfulness of finding the afikomen reminds us that we balance our solemn memories of slavery with a joyous celebration of freedom. As we eat the afikomen, our last taste of matzah for the evening, we are grateful for moments of silliness and happiness in our lives.
We will now drink our third cup of wine, which represents God's promise to redeem his people from Egypt. Please read the bolded text together with us:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Spirit of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
There is an extra cup of wine at the table. This is the cup for Elijah. It is said that Elijah is the champion of the poor and mistreated. He brings hope, cheer, and relief to those in need. There is a legend that Elijah visits every Seder to wish everyone a year of peace and freedom. He is a sign of good tidings and peace.
As we open the door for Elijah, we recognize that Passover is a night for openness. We open our doors to visitors, our minds to learning, and personal growth, and our hearts to those who are less fortunate.
We set a cup for Elijah as we open our front door to greet our honored guest and invite him to join our seder. We pray that he will return to us bringing a time of peace and freedom. May Elijah the Prophet come to us quickly and in our day, bringing a time of peace, freedom, and prosperity for all.
On the Seder night, we open the door for Elijah the Prophet, and we place a cup of wine on the table especially for him.
The prophet Elijah symbolizes the dreams of the Jewish people. Elijah challenged the injustice of the powerful and overthrew worship of idols. He healed the sick and protected the helpless. At the end of his days, Elijah was carried off to heaven in fiery chariot. The prophet Malachi promised that Elijah will return one day to announce the coming of the Messiah, when all the world will celebrate universal freedom.
Song: Eliyahu Ha'Navi
E-lee-ah-hu hah-nah-vee
E-lee-ah-hu hah-tish-bee
E-lee-ah-hu A-lee-ah-hu
E-lee-ah-hu ha-gil-a-dee
Bim-hay-rah B'yah-may-nu
Yah-voh a-lay-nu
Eem mah-she-ach ben-David
Eem-mah-she-ach ben-David
E-lee-ah-hu hah-nah-vee
E-lee-ah-hu hah-tish-bee
E-lee-ah-hu A-lee-ah-hu
E-lee-ah-hu ha-gil-a-dee
Legend relates that Elijah enters the world each day in disguise, waiting for someone to do him a simple act of kindness.That one, caring act will trigger the redemption of the world.
A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine and Beyond
Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi
We come before you, Adonai, praying for peace.
A new war has begun, and thousands of innocent people are dying…
We pray for the strength and courage of the few
faced with the ruthless power of the many.
We stand together with our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine,
the birthplace of so many of our ancestors,
a place where the Jewish people has known both light and darkness.
We pray for a quick end to the raging conflict and the senseless bloodshed.
May our people remember that wherever a Jew is in danger or hurt,
we all feel that danger and pain as well.
As they seek cover from the life-threatening missiles
and fire falling from the sky, as they help the elderly
and hug their children tightly, and defend their homeland,
we pray that they can maintain hope that a Sukkat Shalom–
a canopy of blessing and peace–
will soon emerge above them.
May all the innocent people in the Ukraine and throughout the region
know that we are with them. Even from afar, we hear their cries.
May they know that we will continue to advocate for peace among nations
and that we will strengthen our commitment to aid and protect
every human being.
May the Source of All Life protect all of humanity from violence.
May the Source of Peace bring wisdom to their leaders
and bring a sense of tranquility, shalvah, to the people of the region
and peace to all who are endangered.
Amen.
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.
Finiculi Finicula
Some think the world is made for fun and frolic
And so do I, and so do I
Some think it well to be all melancholic
To pine and sigh, to pine and sigh
But I, I love to spend my time in singing
Some joyous song, some joyous song
To set the air with music bravely ringing
Is far from wrong, is far from wrong
Harken, harken, music sounds afar
Harken, harken, music sounds afar
Tralalala, tralalala, tralalala, tralalala
Joy is everywhere - Funiculi funicula!
Ah me! 'Tis strange that some should take to sighing
And like it well, and like it well
For me, I have not thought it worth the trying
So cannot tell, so cannot tell
With laugh and dance and song the day soon passes
Full soon is gone, full soon is gone
For mirth was made for joyous lads and lasses
To call their own, to call their own
Harken, harken, music sounds afar
Harken, harken, music sounds afar
Tralalala, tralalala, tralalala, tralalala
Joy is everywhere - Funiculi funicula!
We Don't Talk About Pharaoh By Dave Cowen
Adapted from “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto
We don't talk about Pharaoh, no, no, no!
We don't talk about Pharaoh. But!
It was our Exodus day
It was our Exodus day
We were getting ready, to leave Egypt and slavery behind
Leave Egypt and slavery behind
Pharaoh walks in with a mischievous grin-
(Darkness!!!)
You telling this story, or am I?
(I'm sorry, ha-chaim sheli, go on)
Pharaoh says, "You’ll stay our slaves."
(But God did for us?)
Egypt’s water, He turned to blood
(Savtala, get the umbrellas!)
Next the frogs, lice, and flies came
(What joyous days... but anyways)
We don't talk about Pharaoh, no, no, no!
We don't talk about Pharaoh!
Jews grew to live in fear of Pharaoh summoning then promising
We could always hear him sort of dissembling and fibbing
Because of him they got the plague of falling hail, ch-ch-ch
You would think pestilence would be so humbling
Yet always to Moses and the Jews he kept fibbing
Grappling with prophecies he couldn't understand
Did not understand
Kind of not to blame
He gets all the flack
When God proclaimed
Pharaoh’s heart be black
Yet, he still did scheme
To keep his regime
Hey!
We don't talk about Pharaoh, no, no, no! (We don't talk about Pharaoh, no, no, no!)
We don't talk about Pharaoh (we don't talk about Pharaoh!)
He told us we could not leave
Firstborn sons: dead! (Whoa, whoa!)
Moses warned he’d grow boils!
And just like He said... (Whoa, whoa!)
God said that all light would disappear, now look as foresaid (Whoa, whoa!)
Your fate’s sealed when the prophecy is said!
God told us the land of our dreams would be promised, and someday be thine
God told us His power would grow, with outstretched arm and strong hand
Oy, Pharaoh’s on his way
God told us as we left, freedom would feel just out of reach
Enslaved all over
It’s like I hear chariots now
My peeps, God wants some faith from you
I can hear chariots now
Uh-oh Pharaoh...
Yeah, about that Pharaoh...
You really need to trust in Hashem...
Gimme that arm and hand for that Pharaoh
(Jewish people, your ruler’s here
Time for capture!)
The Red Sea he came (it was our Exodus day, it was our Exodus day)
To enslave us back (we were getting ready)
he never did change (to leave Egypt and slavery behind)
his heart remained black (to leave Egypt and slavery behind!)
Yet, all God’s plan (Pharaoh arrived with a mischievous grin-)
To part the Red Sea (Locusts!)
You telling this story, or am I?
(I'm sorry, ha-chaim sheli, go on)
God said, “Jews cross the plane.”
In doing so, God floods the terrain
The Egyptians all were slain
That’s why we talk about Pharaoh, oh!
(Every year we talk about Pharaoh?)
Yes, every year we talk about Pharaoh!
(I’m glad we brought up Pharaoh!!!)
Spotify Link Here: https://open.spotify.com/track/52xJxFP6TqMuO4Yt0eOkMz?si=75c1a82542494046
