Let all who are hungry come and eat, let all who are in need come and celebrate Passover.   Today we are here, next year in the land of Israel.  Today we are slaves, next year we will be free

Kadesh

Here we are, ready to perform the mitzvah of the first cup of wine and to dedicate this whole evening "to telling the story of miracles and wonders that were performed by our ancestors in Egypt on the night of the 15th of the month of Nisan, more than 3200 years ago. This recalls God's promise of redemption to the people of Israel, as it says, "Remember the day of your Exodus from Egypt" (Exodus 13:3).

Fill the first cup of wine

We are gathered here tonight to affirm our continuity with the generations of Jews who kept alive the vision of freedom in the Passover story. For thousands of years, Jews have affirmed that by participating in the Passover Seder. We not only remember the Exodus, but actually relive it, bringing its transformative power into our own lives.

The Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim , means "narrow straits." Traditionally, Mitzrayim has been understood to mean a spiritual state, the "narrow place," a place of confusion, fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection. The way out of Mitzrayim is through chesed, through attempting to understand those who seem so different from us and through translating our responsibility to others into genuine concern and meaningful acts on their behalf.

Drink the first cup of wine.

 

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Traditional Kiddush (Hebrew)

The wine glasses are filled — including the wine glass for Elijah, which is now filled to the top

We fulfill our obligations to God through Torah study and prayer but also through our daily lives — how we make a living, how we conduct our affairs, how we reach out to those around us.

In the center of our table is a cup of wine called “Kos Eliyahu;” the cup of Elijah. Elijah was a Prophet who is said to return in each generation disguised as a poor or oppressed person. He comes to people’s doors to see how he will be treated in order to determine if the people are ready to be redeemed.

Let us now open the door for Elijah!

A child is sent to open the door

Reader 18: The story of the Exodus has been told to us by our parents, just as their parents told them. We now repeat the story in hopes that this will pass on to the next generation.

The ancient Hebrews came to Egypt from their land to get provisions during a famine. They became a favored group in Egypt and prospered and multiplied there. Legend tells us that our ancestor Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, became valuable to Pharaoh for his foresight and wisdom. Because of this, his people were welcomed.

Reader 19: When new rulers came to power, the Hebrews fell out of favor and were enslaved. Despite their hardships, the Hebrew people survived and grew in numbers. The new Pharaoh became concerned that they would unite with Egypt's enemies.

Reader 20: At one point the Pharaoh ordered that all newborn male babies be killed. The parents of one boy were determined to save their child and they made a basket so the baby would float in the water. 

The baby’s sister, Miriam, took the basket to the river. While she hid nearby, she floated the basket downstream so that her brother would be discovered by the Pharaoh's daughter who bathed there every day. 

Reader 21: When the Pharaoh's daughter saw the baby in the water she decided to save him and raise him as her own son. While wondering who would be his wet nurse, Miriam appeared and suggested Yokhevet, the baby's mother. The Pharaoh's daughter agreed and decided that she would call him Moses, because the name means "I brought him from the river's water."

Reader 22: Many years passed and this man named Moses, who had been brought up as an Egyptian prince, saw an overseer brutally whipping an enslaved Hebrew. This so enraged him, that he struck the overseer and killed him. Moses fled to nearby Midian where he became a shepherd and married Zipporah.

His was a tranquil life, but the thought of the persecuted Hebrews in Egypt would not let Moses rest. The legend tells us that an angel appeared to Moses in a miraculously burning bush and commanded him to return to Egypt and help his people regain their freedom.

Reader 23: After much indecision, Moses finally went back to Egypt and he and his brother Aaron began to talk to the Hebrews in order to arouse a spirit of rebellion in them. Many were, at first, hesitant and afraid, but soon they became convinced of the justice of their cause and agreed to follow Moses's plan of liberation. Moses pleaded with the Pharaoh to let his people go. The Pharaoh refused.

Reader 24: The Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrews go free. Tradition tells us that ten plagues then struck the land of Egypt.

(Pour second cup of wine)

Reader 25: It saddens us that any struggle for freedom involves suffering. Generally, we drink wine to rejoice. Therefore, for each plague we take out a drop of wine from our cup. This way we do not rejoice over the suffering of others. The plagues that, we are told, afflicted the Egyptians were:

(Take a drop of wine out of your cup for each plague)

ALL: 1- blood  2- frogs  3- vermin  4-beasts  5- boils  

6- cattle disease  7- locusts  8- hail  9- darkness

10- slaying of first born

Reader 26: Our world today is still greatly troubled. For these plagues, let us repeat the same ceremony.

(Take a drop of wine out of your cup for each plague)

ALL: 1- war  2- illiteracy  3- hunger  4- crime

5- bigotry  6- injustice  7- inequality  

8- tyranny  9- poverty  10- ignorance 

Reader 27: Many people perished during the plagues and the suffering was great. Pharaoh remained obstinate. However, with the tenth plague, the death of the first born, a great cry went up throughout Egypt. On that night, the Hebrews marked their door posts with the blood of the paschal lamb so the Angel of Death would 'pass over' their homes. Thus, the name Passover for this holiday. Pharaoh finally ordered Moses to take the Jewish people out of Egypt.

Reader 27: After the slaves hurriedly left, the Pharaoh had a change of heart and the Egyptian army pursued them. Legend has it that when Moses and his people came to the Red Sea, the waters parted to allow them to cross. The Egyptians followed and were engulfed when the waters returned. Thus, the Exodus from Egypt was complete.

Reader 28: Whether the waters actually parted overlooks the inner meaning of this event; when the Hebrews reached the edge of the desert and found the courage to continue, the Sea of Obstacles parted and they walked toward freedom.

Take the middle matzah and break it into two, one piece larger than the other. The larger piece is set aside to serve as afikoman. The smaller piece is put back, between the two matzot.

Reader 11: We are about to hear the TRADITIONAL FOUR QUESTIONS. These are only some of the many questions that the holiday raises. Since one of the reasons for the Seder is to inform the young, it is traditionally the young people who get to ask the questions.

Ma-nish-tahnah hah-lie-lah hah-zeh me-kol hah-lay-lot? 

Why is this night different from all other nights?

ALL: Once we were slaves in ancient Egypt and we were liberated. Tonight we celebrate that freedom from slavery and we dedicate ourselves to the continuing struggle for freedom for all people.

Reader 12: 1. Sheh-beh-chol hah-lay-lot ah-nu o-chleen chah-matz u mah-tzah,

hah-lie-lah hah-zeh ku-loh mah-tzah?

On all other nights we eat both bread and matza. Why on this night do we eat only matza?

ALL: Once we were slaves in ancient Egypt. Our foreparents, we are told, in their flight from bondage, did not have time to let the dough rise, so they carried the dough into the desert. The hot sun baked it into a flat bread called matza.

Reader 12: 2. Sheh-beh-chol hay-lay-lot ah-nu o-chleen sheh-ar yer-ah-kot,

hah-lie-lah hah-zeh mah-ror?

On all other nights we eat many kinds of vegetables and herbs. Why on this night do we eat only bitter herbs at our seder?

ALL: Once we were slaves in the land of ancient Egypt. The bitter taste of these herbs helps us to remember the cruel ways we were treated when we were slaves, and of the hard lives that many people throughout the world have today.

Reader 12: 3. Sheh-beh-chol hah-lay-lot ayn ah-nu maat-bee-leen af-fee-lu pah-am ah-chat, ha-lie-lah hah-zeh sheh-tay feh-am-im?

On all other nights we do not usually dip one food into another. At our Seder we dip the parsley into salt water and the bitter herbs into kharoset.Why on this night do we dip foods twice?

ALL: The first time, the salty taste reminds us of the tears we cried when we were slaves in the land of ancient Egypt. The second time, dipping the bitter herbs into the kharoses, which Eastern Europeans made of chopped apples, nuts, and wine, is to remind us of the clay our ancestors mixed to build cities for the Pharaohs.

Reader 12: 4. Sheh-beh-chol hay-lay-lot ah-nu o-chleen bayn yosh-veen u-vayn miss-u-been, hah-lie-lah hah-zeh ku-lah-nu meh-su-been.

On all other nights we sit up straight or we recline. Why on this night are we supposed to recline?

ALL: Once we were slaves in the land of ancient Egypt. Reclining at the table was a sign of freedom in olden times. Since our ancestors were freed from bondage, on this night we recline to remind ourselves that we, too, with struggle, can overcome bondage and slavery.

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.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מָרוֹר.

Maror (bitter herbs, such as horseradish)--the symbol of bitterness and slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. Today, in a Jewish community that is free, this bitterness takes on another layer of meaning. We acknowledge that there are many among us who are embittered by their feelings of resentment, discomfort, and fear. We know that there is just cause for some of these feelings of fear, for Jews were "other" for so many centuries and mistreated just because they were different.

This laden history has often contributed to some of our families' inability to accept the idea of intermarriage. We acknowledge that Jewish people have struggled and been enslaved in the past and we stretch to transform this defeated posture.
We also know that sometimes our own enslavement or emotional bondage prevents us from being open to hearing each other in our marriage. Loyalties to families of origin need to be honored, unless they prevent us from creating true intimacy. Bitter places are stuck places, and we commit ourselves tonight to moving beyond our own positions to find new points of intersection and connection.

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.

The wine glasses are filled — including the wine glass for Elijah, which is now filled to the top

We fulfill our obligations to God through Torah study and prayer but also through our daily lives — how we make a living, how we conduct our affairs, how we reach out to those around us.

In the center of our table is a cup of wine called “Kos Eliyahu;” the cup of Elijah. Elijah was a Prophet who is said to return in each generation disguised as a poor or oppressed person. He comes to people’s doors to see how he will be treated in order to determine if the people are ready to be redeemed.

Let us now open the door for Elijah!

A child is sent to open the door