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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Our passover things
(Sung to the tune of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music)
Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes
Out with the hametz no pasta no knishes
Fish thats gefillted
Horseradish that stings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Chorus
Matzah and karpas and chopped up haroset
Shankbones and kiddish and Yiddish neuroses
Tante who kvetches and
Uncle who sings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Chorus
Matzi and marror and trouble with pharoahs
Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbaarrows
Matzah balls floating and
Eggshell that clings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Chorus
When the plagues strike
When the lice bite
When we’re feeling sad
We simply remember our Passover things
And then we don’t feel so bad.
Thank you for joining us as we gather tonight to read the words of this Haggadah that has been designed to tell the story of Passover, guide us as we hear of the how the Jewish people were freed from being slaves in Egypt and engage us to think about our very own freedom.
For over 2000 years, the Jewish people have celebrated the Exodus from Egypt. Back nearly 4000 years ago, our people were slaves in the land of Egypt. Today we are free. Yet, there are many others who are not. We keep our prayers with these people in the wish that one day, they too will be free.
As history tells it, on a night such as this, our ancestors went forth out of Egypt, leaving behind slavery. Tonight we celebrate their freedom and ours. May this seder tonight inspire us and our children to light the torch of freedom for all the world.
The Seder Plate
The items on the seder plate are symbols of the past. By placing the seder plate on our table, we link the past with the present and look with hope toward the future.
The matzo is a symbol of suffering and affliction but also of liberation.
The bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of our lives as slaves in Egypt and the bitter lives of those exploited today.
The parsley and the salt water we will dip it in remind us that both the tender greens of the earth and the salt of the sea are joined together to sustain life. They also remind us of the tears of despair shed by Jews as slaves in Egypt and all the oppressed in the world.
The shankbone symbolizes the animals sacrificed during the Exodus, the story of which we will recount later tonight.
The charoset reminds us of the days when our ancestors had to make bricks and mortar for Pharaoh's cities and it symbolizes all those who labor today. It also reminds us that in the most bittertimes of slavery, our people have always remembered the sweet taste of freedom.
The egg at the table symbolizes the sacrifices brought to the Temple in Jerusalem.
There's No Seder Like Our Seder
(Sung to the tune of "There's no Business like Show business")
There's no seder like our seder
There's no seder I know
Everything about it is halachic
Nothing that the Torah won't allow
Listen how we read the whole Haggadah
It's all in Hebrew
'Cause we know how
There's no Seder like our seder
We tell a tale that is swell
Moses took the people out into the heat
They baked the matzah
While on their feet
Now isn't that a story
That just can't be beat?
Let's go on with the show!
Lighting of the Holiday Candles
May these candles, lighted 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:
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר של יום טוב
Baruch atah Adonai Elohaynoo melech ha-olam, asher keedshanoo b’meetzvotav v’tzeevanoo l’hadleek ner shel (Shabbat v’shel) yom tov.
Praised are You, Lord our God, Whose presence fills the universe, Who has sanctified our lives through Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the Shabbat and festival lights.
ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שהחינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה
Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynoo melech ha-olam, sheh’hech’eeyanoo v’keeyemanoo, v’heegeeanoo la-z’man ha-zeh.
Praised are You, Lord our God, Whose presence fills the universe, Who has sanctified our lives through Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Kiddush
(Source: The Rheingold Family Haggadah)
The joy of Passover is the joy of love; the hope of Passover is the hope of love.
Our ancestors suffered the coldness of hate and dreamed of the warmth of human kindness and universal love.
And then, after the long winter of their bondage, freedom burst forth upon them like spring.
In the rich sweetness of this wine, we celebrate in kinship the love and faith that give life.
Love, freedom, and faith in life - these have kept our people together, in the face of great odds, for four millenia.
May the struggle to attain these and to keep them succeed for all people in our time, and in the time to come.
BORUCH ATTO ADONOI ELOHENU MELECH HO'OLOM BORE P'RI HAGGOFEN
The Kiddush is a toast to this holiday in blessing the wine and the time passing.
Come, honored friends, let us together drink the toast: L'chayim! To life!
(All raise their cups, toast, and drink their wine.)
Our tale to tell, both happy and sad,
like all great lore, some good, some bad
On our table the symbols abound
you needn't look far, they're all around
Look on your plate, for parsley green
a sign of Spring when it is seen.
And somewhere near there is salt water,
tears of slavery, hard work with mortar
And so together, we now recall
the green around, the tears that fall.
Ba-ruch A-tah A-do-nai, E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-o-lam,
Bo-rei pe-ree ha-a-da-mah.
Oh Holy One of Blessing, Your presence fills creation,
We praise You for creating the fruit of the ground!
source: A Family Pesach Seder In Rhyme
ALL: This is the bread of affliction, the simple bread which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.
HOST: From the three matzos, I take the middle piece, break it in two. Why do we break this bread in two? Because if we hold on to the whole loaf for ourselves, it remains the bread of oppression. If we break it in order to share it, it becomes the bread of freedom.
I wrap one of the two pieces in a napkin. This special matzo is called the Afikomen. I will hide the Afikomen and after the meal, the children may search for it. The one who finds it will receive a gift.
In the world today, there are still some who are so pressed-down that they have not even this bread of oppression to eat. There are so many who are hungry that they cannot all come and eat with us tonight. Therefore we say to them, we set aside this bread as a reminder that we owe you justice and a share of the earth's fruitfulness, and that we will work to make the sharing real.
In the same way, if we human beings try to gobble up all the abundance of the world and leave nothing for the other forms of life to eat and breathe and drink, the abundance withers away into the death of many life-forms and despair for ourselves.
If we renew the earth's abundance for other life-forms besides ourselves, the earth will flourish and all beings will have enough to eat. Share your bread with the hungry, says YHWH, the Breath of Life.
This year we share in a world of greed and war, but we pledge to work during this coming year so that we can share and celebrate in a world at peace.
ALL: Let all who are hungry eat, and all who are in need come and celebrate the Passover.
Maggid means retelling the story of the exodus from Egypt.
In every generation, we must see ourselves as if we personally were liberated from Egypt. We gather tonight to tell the ancient story of a people's liberation from Egyptian slavery. This is the story of our origins as a people. It is from these events that we gain our ethics, our vision of history, our dreams for the future. We gather tonight, as two hundred generations of Jewish families have before us, to retell the timeless tale.
Yet our tradition requires that on Seder night, we do more than just tell the story. We must live the story. Tonight, we will re-experience the liberation from Egypt. We will remember how our family suffered as slaves; we will feel the exhilaration of redemption. We must re-taste the bitterness of slavery and must rejoice over our newfound freedom. We annually return to Egypt in order to be freed. We remember slavery in order to deepen our commitment to end all suffering; we recreate our liberation in order to reinforce our commitment to universal freedom.
The Second Cup of Wine
LEADER: The fate of every Jew is bound up with the fate of the Jewish people.
ALL: And the destiny of the Jewish people cannot be separated from the destiny of all humanity.
LEADER: Let us drink this cup of wine to symbolize our pledge to break the bonds of slavery for all who are not free.
ALL: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine
Baruch Atah Ado-nai Elo-heinu Melech Ha-olam Boreh Pree Ha-ga-fen.
(Drink the second cup of wine)
Questioning is a healthy sign of freedom. Asking questions is so fundamen- tal that, according to the rabbis, even if one finds oneself alone on Passover, the Four Questions should be asked aloud.
Traditionally, the youngest child is called upon to ask these four questions about the differences that mark this night. We encourage children to question and all who are present may ask the Four Questions.
Ma nish-ta-na ha-lyla ha-zeh meekol ha-lailot?
She-be-chol ha-lay-lot anu ochlin chamaytz u-matzo, ha-laila ha-zeh kulo matzo
She-be-chol ha-lay-lot anu ochlin sh’or y’rokot, ha-laila ha-zeh maror
She-be-chol ha-lay-lot ayn anu mat-beeleen afeelu pa-am e-chat ha-laila ha-zeh shetay f’amim
She-be-chol ha-lay-lot anu ochlin bayn yoshvin u-vayn m’subin ha-laila ha-zeh kulanu m’subin
Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights, we eat either leavened bread or matzoh; why, on this night, do we eat only matzoh?
On all other nights, we eat all kinds of herbs; why, on this night, do we especially eat bitter herbs?
On all other nights, we do not dip herbs at all; why, on this night, do we dip twice?
On all other nights, we eat in an ordinary manner; why, tonight, do we recline and dine with a special ceremony?
On all other nights, we eat either leavened bread or matzoh; why, on this night, do we eat only matzoh?
On all other nights, we eat all kinds of herbs; why, on this night, do we especially eat bitter herbs?
On all other nights, we do not dip herbs at all; why, on this night, do we dip twice?
On all other nights, we eat in an ordinary manner; why, tonight, do we recline and dine with a special ceremo
Later, we will read and explore the whole story of the Exodus from Egypt, but first we give a simple answer to each of these four questions.
We eat matzoh because when our ancestors were told by Pharaoh that they could leave Egypt, they had no time to allow their bread to rise, so they baked hurriedly, without leavening.
At the Seder, we eat bitter herbs to remind us of the bitterness our ances- tors experienced when they were oppressed as slaves.
At the Seder table, we dip food twice; once in salt water to remind us of the tears shed in slavery and again in haroset, to remind us that there is sweetness even in bitter times.
In ancient times, slaves ate hurriedly, standing or squatting on the ground. Symbolically, as a sign of freedom, we lean and relax as we partake of wine and symbolic food. The Haggadah tells the story of Rabbi Akiba and other Talmudic scholars sitting at the Seder table in B’nai B’rak all night long discussing the events of the liberation from Egypt. They talked all night until their students came in to announce it was time for the morning prayers. If great scholars can find the theme of freedom so fascinating that it keeps them up all night, our Seder too, will be made more interesting with questions, comments and discussion on this theme.
Four times the Torah commands us to tell our children about the Exodus from Egypt and because of this, traditional Haggadot speak of four kinds of sons. The Hebrew word for “children” is the same word as “sons” and either can be used. Our sages teach that perhaps there is really a part of each of the four children in us all.
The wise child questions, “What is the meaning of the laws and observanc- es which the Lord, our God, has commanded you?” In response to this child we explain the observances of the Passover in-depth.
The scornful child questions, “What does this service mean to you?” This child says “to you” and does not feel a part of our observances. By excluding God — and himself, this child would not have been redeemed had he or she been in Egypt. We ask this child to listen closely and become part of our tra- ditions and learn what the Seder means.
The simple child questions, “What is this ceremony about?” We say, “We are remembering a time long ago when we were forced to work as slaves. God made us a free people and we are celebrating our freedom.” We hope by observing the Seder year after year, this child will come to appreciate the mes- sage of the Passover holiday.
The innocent child doesn't think to question. To this child we say, “In the spring of every year we remember how we were brought out of slavery to freedom.”
Some rabbis remind us that there is also a fifth child... the one who is not at this table. This is the person who should be with us, but is not... and we mark his absence.
EXODUS IN A NUTSHELL
At the end of the biblical book of Genesis, Joseph and his eleven brothers go to Egypt to live. They have many children and their children have many children. Eventually, there are so many of them that them that Pharaoh, the kind of Egypt, begins to fear that they—the Hebrews will rise up against him. To prevent this, Pharaoh enslaves the Hebrews. According to tradition, these slaves are the ancestors of the Jewish people. Pharaoh is cruel. He takes away the Hebrews’ freedom and makes them work very hard.
THE LIFE OF A SLAVE--song
(Sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”)
I’ve been working on a pyramid
Pharaoh doesn’t pay
I’ve been doing what he tells me to
Making bricks from clay
Can’t you hear the master shouting,
“Hurry up and make a brick!”
Can’t you feel the master whip me
Until I’m feeling sick
Life is very hard
Life is very hard
Life is very hard
for Jews, for Jews.
Life is very hard
Life is very hard
Life is very hard for the Jews!
Someone’s in the palace with Pharaoh
Someone’s in the palace we know-o-o-o-
Someone’s in the palace with Pharaoh
Laughing while they treat us so.
Work, work, work all day
Work all day and then some mo –ore
Work, work, work all day
They laugh while they treat us so.
Despite having enslaved the Hebrews, Pharaoh continues to fear them. So he comes up with another plan: he will send soldiers to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. One of these babies is named Moses. To save his life, his mother and sister place him in a basket and set it in the river. They hope he will be found by someone who will take care of him as a son. The basket floats down the river and is discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter. She saves Moses and, not knowing he is a Hebrew, raises him as a prince of Egypt.
Moses grows up he sees an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew slave. Angered by the brutality, he kills the guard. Moses then flees for his life. He runs away to the desert where he becomes a shepherd. Then one day, while he is tending his sheep, he sees a burning bush. God’s voice calls out to him from the bush, commanding him to return to Egypt and free the Hebrews from slavery.
GO DOWN, MOSES—song
When Israel was in Egypt's Land, |
Let my people go. |
Oppressed so hard they could not stand, |
"Let my people go." |
To let my people go. |
|
CHORUS
|
Go down, Moses Way down in Egypt land Tell old Pharaoh Let my people go.
“Thus saith the Lord," bold Moses said, |
"Let my people go: |
If not I'll smite your first born dead, |
Let my people go."
CHORUS |
"No more shall they in bondage toil, |
Let my people go; |
Let them leave with Egypt's spoil, |
Let my people go."
CHORUS
|
The Lord told Moses what to do, |
Let my people go; |
To lead the children of Israel through, |
Let my people go. |
CHORUS
So Moses goes back to Egypt and he demands that Pharaoh free the Hebrews from bondage. But Pharaoh refuses! And so God sends a plague upon Egypt, turning all the rivers and streams to blood. All the fish die and the Egyptians can find no clean water to drink. Pharaoh, in desperation, agrees to free the slaves. But as soon as the waters become clear again, he changes his mind.
And so God sends a second plague. Now hordes of frogs descend upon Egypt, jumping into the houses, onto the beds, onto the tables and into the Egyptians’ food. Helpless to control the frogs, Pharaoh agrees to free the slaves. But as soon as all the frogs die off, he changes his mind.
And so God sends a third plague. This time, God sets loose swarms of gnats and lice, to infest the homes, the bedding and clothes of the Egyptians and cause them to every inch of every person to itch. In misery, Pharaoh promises to let the Hebrews go free. But as soon as the lice and gnats disappear, Pharaoh changes his mind.
And so God sends a fourth plague, and biting flies began to swarm everywhere. There are so many of them that when they land on the houses, and animals and tables and beds, it appears as if a black blanket has been thrown down. The Egyptians are miserable. Pharaoh swears that he will free the Hebrews. But as soon as the flies vanish, Pharaoh changes his mind.
Now God put a blight upon Egypt, and all the livestock in the land—the cows, lambs and goats—sicken and die. The Egyptians have no meat to eat and Pharaoh, worried, agrees to free the slaves. But once the animals become well, he changes his mind.
God creates an epidemic and all the Egyptian people are suddenly covered with hundreds of painful sores. Pharaoh begs God to heal his people in return for freeing the slaves. God relents but Pharaoh does not keep his promise.
God then unleashes a seventh plague, stirring up a monstrous storm that pelts Egypt with hail, battering and killing the crops. Pharaoh tells God he will free the slaves if God will relent and end the storm. But once the storm passes, Pharaoh does nothing.
Next, God unleashes grasshopper-like insects called locusts, which devour all the remaining crops. Facing starvation for his people, Pharaoh promises to let the Hebrews go if God will relent. But Pharaoh breaks his promise an eighth time.
And now, darkness descends over Egypt as God blots out the sun, and the Egyptians can no longer tell when day has come. Overcome with fear, Pharaoh promises to free the Hebrews. God allows the sun to reemerge and Pharaoh does nothing.
And so God declares the tenth and last plague. It is a fearsome plague. God declares that every firstborn child of every Egyptian family must die.
BAD THINGS WILL COME TO EGYPT—song
(To the tune of “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”)
Bad things will come to Egypt, don’t you know?
Bad things will come to Egypt, don’t you know?
Bad things will come to Egypt, Bad things will come to Egypt,
Bad things will come to Egypt, till we go
God will give you this last chance to let us go;
God will give you this last chance to let us go;
As midnight passes by –y, All your firstborn sons will die –ie
And your people will rise up if we can’t go.
Before God sends down the tenth plague, the Hebrew slaves are warned to mark their front-door posts with lamb’s blood, so that the Angel of Death will know which houses to pass over when it strikes down the firstborn. And this is where the Jewish holiday of Passover gets its name. And it came to pass that all the firstborn Egyptians were slain. And the horrified Pharaoh finally says to the slaves: Go
Pharaoh changed his mind again—of course, he did!—but the Hebrews were already headed out of Egypt. Pharaoh sent his men on horseback to chase after the Jews, who had made it as far as the Red Sea but were stuck, with no way to cross the water. As Pharaoh’s army was about to descend upon the freed slaves, God commanded Moses to lift up his staff. Moses did as he was told and the waters parted, allowing the Jews to cross, with Pharaoh’s men close behind. But when the Jews reached the opposite shore, the waters came together again, and the Egyptian army was swallowed by the sea. The Jewish people were finally free.
LEADER: And now, I will recite each of the Ten Plagues as I put a drop of wine on our plates. A full cup of wine is a symbol of joy, with which we recognize the triumph of an oppressed people in achieving freedom. But our happiness cannot be complete since other lives were lost. Therefore, by diminishing the amount of wine I have in my glasse, we recognize the loss that each plague exacted and the losses that are often regrettably incurred in a struggle for a just cause.
Blood - Dam ... Frogs - Tzefardeah ... Lice - Kinim ...Flies - Arov ... Blight - Dver ... Boils - Sh'himHail - Barad ... Locusts - Arbeh . .. Darkness - Hoshekh ... Death of the Firstborn - Macat B'khorot
This papercut is based on Shirat Hayam — the “Song of the Sea” — which celebrates our crossing the Sea of Reeds as we fled from Egyptian slavery. I have focused on the experience of marching through the sea, with walls of water towering above us, held back by the power of God. Within the papercut are various exclamations of joy and wonder and awe, courtesy some speech bubbles from comics. Up through the center of the waves float the words of the prayer. Aquaman and Sub-Mariner are represented in the background, as characters whose existence is linked to water.
Copyright by Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik. This work is shared here for use as part of Haggadot.com, and is not to be otherwise distributed or used with permission of the artist.
DAYENU
Ilu ho-tzi hotzi-a-nu
ho-tzi-a-nu-mi-mitz-ra-yim
ho-tzi-a-nu-mi-mitz-ra-yim
day-en-u
(CHORUS:)
Day-day-en-u
Day-day-en-u
Day-day-en-u
Day-en-u, day-en-u
Il-lu-na-tan na-tan la-nu
na-tan la-nu et ha-sha-bat
na-tan la-nu et ha-sha-bat
day-en-u
( CHORUS)
I-lu na-tan na-tan la-nu
na-tan la-nu et ha-to-rah
na-tan la-nu et ha-to-rah
Day-en-u
(CHORUS)
SECOND CUP OF WINE
(All raise glasses and say:)
We shall never forget the slavery of Egypt or any other enslaved people, past or present
We shall be mindful always of the need for freedom for all, and the joy of liberation.
Boruch atto adonoi elohenu melech ho'olom bore p'ri haggofen
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the University, who creates the fruit of the vine.
(Drink!)
Praised are you, Adonai, our God, sovereign of the universe, who has taught us the way of holiness through commandments, 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.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat matzah.
Distribute and eat the top and middle matzah for everyone to eat.
Matzah is both a reminder of our past and a symbol of our future. It was first used to celebrate the spring festival when our farming ancestors threw out their sour dough — the leavening — and baked unleavened bread to welcome the New Year.
Later the Matzah became associated with the Exodus from Egypt. As the Torah says, “And they baked unleavened bread from the dough which they brought out of Egypt. There was not sufficient time to allow it to rise, for they were fleeing Egypt and could not wait.” Matzah recalls the slavery of our ancestors, their triumph over tyranny.
In our own generation, Matzah has become a symbol of hope, urging us to speak for those who do not yet know freedom. We who celebrate Passover commit ourselves to the continuing struggle against oppression. We become the voices for those locked within prison cells, for those exiled from their homes, their families, their communities. We who know freedom are the guardians of their ideas.
(Eat Matzah)
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.
Tonight we dip our bitterness in the sweetness of charoset. Charoset, the sweet mixture of fruits and nuts, symbolizes the mortar of the bricks of the Israelites. It is also the mortar of commitment and interdependence that enabled the Jewish community to survive through those centuries of oppression. It is the building blocks of hope and tradition, which are sweet. We take our maror of fear, and by dipping it into the sweetness we create a new model that honors the fear and suffering yet holds out hope for the future.
By blending our maror and charoset, we acknowledge the blending of faiths and traditions that sit around this table here tonight. We know it is not always sweet and it is not always bitter, but that life is a mixture of both. Just as our taste buds are designed for sweet, salty, sour and bitter, so we taste the range of textures of our relationships. By our dipping tonight we bring together the bitter and the sweet for something new to emerge.
(to the tune of "Just a spoon full of sugar")
Chorus:
Just a tad of charoset helps the bitter herbs go down,
The bitter herbs go down, the bitter herbs go down.
Just a tad of charoset helps the bitter herbs go down, In the most disguising way.
Oh, back in Egypt long ago,
The Jews were slaves under Pharaoh.
They sweat and toiled and labored through the day.
So when we gather Pesach night,
We do what we think right.
Maror, we chew,
To feel what they went through.
Chorus
So after years of slavery
They saw no chance of being free.
Their suffering was the only life they knew.
But baby Moses grew up tall,
And said he'd save them all.
He did, and yet,
We swear we won't forget.
That......
Chorus cont….
While the maror is being passed,
We all refill our water glass,
Preparing for the taste that turns us red.
Although maror seems full of minuses,
It sure does clear our sinuses.
But what's to do?
It's hard to be a Jew!!!
Chorus
After the meal we search for the afikoman. When the afikoman is found and returned to the leader, an olive-sized piece is distributed to each person, and all consume the afikoman with enthusiasm!
Bareich
Our Seder's joyous interlude
our celebration must soon conclude
we look toward the day o come
when songs of freedom all will hum
(Raise wine glasses)
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, Your Presence fills creation,
We praise you for creating the fruit of the vine.
(drink third glass of wine)
Elijah the Prophet
Our hopes have long been centered on Elijah since legends has it that he will herald the time of complete human freedom. But he will come only when people have prepared the way for him. This simply means that we, all of us, are Elijah. We must liberate ourselves from prejudice and injustice. We must truly listen to each other for better iunderstanding. We must together create a world where all people will be free.
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
(All raise glasses and say:)
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, al hagefen v'al p'ri hagefen
Blessed are Thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
(Drink the last cup of wine; close the door)
Every year, Jews drink four cups of wine and then pour a fifth for Elijah. "The cup is poured, but not yet drunk. Yet the cup of hope is poured every year. Passover is the night for reckless dreams; for visions about what a human being can be, what society can be, what people can be, what history may become. That is the significance of 'Le-shanah ha-ba-a b'Yerushalayim' (Next year in Jerusalem)."
("This Old Man” by Craig)
Then God sent,Plague number one, Turned the Nile into blood.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number two, Jumping frogs all over you.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number three, Swarms of gnats from head to knee.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number four, Filthy flies need we say more?
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number five, All the livestock up and died.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number six, Boils and sores to make you sick.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low. They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number seven, Hail and lighting down from heaven. All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number eight, Locust came and they sure ate.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number nine, Total darkness all the time.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low They told Pharaoh "Let them Go!"
Then God sent, Plague number ten, Pharaoh's son died so he gave in.
All the people in Egypt were feeling pretty low Finally Pharaoh let them go.
(to the tune of "Just a spoon full of sugar")
Chorus:
Just a tad of charoset helps the bitter herbs go down,
The bitter herbs go down, the bitter herbs go down.
Just a tad of charoset helps the bitter herbs go down, In the most disguising way.
Oh, back in Egypt long ago,
The Jews were slaves under Pharaoh.
They sweat and toiled and labored through the day.
So when we gather Pesach night,
We do what we think right.
Maror, we chew,
To feel what they went through.
Chorus
So after years of slavery
They saw no chance of being free.
Their suffering was the only life they knew.
But baby Moses grew up tall,
And said he'd save them all.
He did, and yet,
We swear we won't forget.
That......
Chorus cont….
While the maror is being passed,
We all refill our water glass,
Preparing for the taste that turns us red.
Although maror seems full of minuses,
It sure does clear our sinuses.
But what's to do?
It's hard to be a Jew!!!
Chorus
Chad gadya, chad gadya.
D’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata shunra v’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata chalba v’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata chutra v’hika l’chalba,
d’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata nura v’saraf l’chutra,
d’hikah l’chalba,
d’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata maya v’chava l’nura,
d’saraf l’chutra,
d’hikah l’chalba,
d’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata tora v’shatah l’maya,
d’chava l’nura,
d’saraf l’chutra,
d’hikah l’chalba,
d’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata hashocheit v’shachat l’tora,
d’shata l’maya,
d’chava l’nura,
d’saraf l’chutra,
d’hikah l’chalba,
d’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata malach hamavet v’shachat l’shocheit,
d’shachat l’tora,
d’shata l’maya,
d’chava l’nura,
d’saraf l’chutra,
d’hikah l’chalba,
d’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
V’ata Hakodesh Baruch Hu v’shachat l’malach hamavet,
d’shachat l’shocheit,
d’shachat l’tora,
d’shata l’maya,
d’chava l’nura,
d’saraf l’chutra,
d’hikah l’chalba,
d’nashach l’shunrah,
d’achlah l’gadya,
d’zabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
