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Whether it's your first seder or your 107th, and whether you’ve cleaned your home of every last crumb of chametz (food that has leavening) or you plan to eat an English muffin for breakfast tomorrow, doesn’t matter. The Seder is a chance for us all to be taken on a short but important journey from slavery to freedom, and to join millions of Jews and non-Jews all over the world who are doing the same thing. (Think about how cool that is for a second...) The Passover story includes love, deception, belief, hope and freedom. When you get to the skit that tells the story of Passover (Maggid), imagine yourself wearing dirty rags in the dusty desert of Egypt. Sing loudly during the music moments no matter how you think you sound. Let the readings about freedom open your heart. And for God’s sake, don’t worry about the Hebrew (there’s barely any in here). Have an extra glass of wine if you want. Just have fun! You’re in for a treat. And maybe a bit of a hangover.
Happy Passover!
Love,
Team JewBelong
On seder night, there are two moments where we metaphorically open our doors and invite others in. One is at the opening of the Magid portion of the seder, when we say, “All who are hungry come and eat.” There is a beautiful message here: we were once slaves; poor and hungry, and we remember our redemption by sharing what we have with others.
The other, comes towards the end of the seder, when we have the custom of pouring a fifth cup of wine, which we claim is for Elijah the Prophet. This is a statement of faith, a statement that says that although we are a free people, our redemption is not yet complete, and we believe that it will come.
From the most downtrodden to the most celebrated, the message is clear: everyone is welcome and everyone is necessary. Why is it that we go out of our way to include all at our seder table? Perhaps it is because when we make room for others, we have the opportunity to make room for ourselves as well. In fact, the Mishnah (Pesahim 10:5) teaches us that:
בכל דור ודור חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים In every generation a person is obligated to see themselves as if they left Egypt
The seder presents us with the obligation of identifying with the generation that left Egypt and internalizing that experience. And through that internalization, we come to feel the redemption as if it was our own as well to - לראות את עצמו. Further, the reliving of the story of the Exodus affords us the opportunity see one’s true self. It is only when we are able to see ourselves clearly, that we are able to be redeemed. But perhaps the only way we are able to see ourselves, is when we are truly able to see those around us. This message of inclusion is Pardes’s message too, and our hope is that this Haggadah Companion which offers something for everyone, will add new meaning to your seder and help bring the Jewish people a little closer together.
There’s an elephant in the room that would like some attention and it’s time we give it to him, because it might literally be a matter of life and death. This elephant has been around as long as the Jewish people, but he’s gotten a lot meaner and scarier since last Passover. The elephant is anti-Jewish hatred. There’s the familiar white supremacy movement that hates everyone who doesn’t look like them, the more subtle I-don’t-really-mean-it-when-I-talk-crap-about Jews kind, and a relatively new and insidious form of hostility directed at Israel which crosses the line to anti-Jewish hate far too often.
Hate is hate. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, atheists… everyone is worse off for it. Are we going to end it? No. But that doesn’t give us permission to throw our hands up and accept it, make excuses, or discount it. It’s exactly the opposite. We must talk about it, write about it, learn about it, and call it out. This is a time for all Jews and allies to be extra courageous.
Now that we’ve acknowledged the elephant, let’s not let him plunder the table. If we do, we’ll never get to the Four Questions, and besides, the matzah ball soup will get cold. Seders end with the phrase Next Year in Jerusalem. We may be going out on a limb here, but we’re guessing that most of us won’t be in Jerusalem next year. We’ll probably be sitting right here. But we can’t take that for granted. We’ve already learned the bitter lesson that true hate is never little, it is never unimportant, and it should never, ever be ignored.
AS WE BEGIN TONIGHT’S SEDER, let’s take a moment to be thankful for being together. We make a small community of storytellers. But, why this story again? Most of us already know the story of Passover. The answer is that we are not merely telling, or in tonight’s case, singing a story. We are being called to the act of empathy. Not only to hear the story of the Exodus but to feel as if we too were being set free. Some at our table observe this holiday every year and some are experiencing it for the first time. Some of us are Jewish, others are not. Passover is the most widely celebrated Jewish Holiday and is enjoyed by people of various faiths. Freedom is at the core of each of our stories. All who are in need, let them come celebrate Passover with us. Now we are here. Next year in the land of Israel.
BLESSING FOR ANYONE WHO ISN’T JEWISH (’CAUSE WE KNOW THIS IS A LOT)
May everyone who shares in a Jewish life feel welcome and integrated. We lovingly acknowledge the diversity of our community and are deeply grateful for the love and support you provide by opening your heart to Judaism, no matter how big or small a part it is in your day. Your presence at this Jewish experience is valued. It is not taken for granted because not veryone in this brokenworld will sit at a Shabbat dinner or attend a Passover Seder. We are a very small people and history has made us smaller. As we once again see a rise in hatred and hear fear in the voices of our community, we are grateful for your presence. We pray with all our hearts that all you give to the Jewish people will come back to you and fill your life with joy. Amen.
Add When Reading To A Family Raising Kids:
We offer special thanks to those who are raising their sons and daughters with Jewish identity. Our children mean hope, life and future. With all our hearts, we want to thank you for your love and willingness in giving the ultimate gift to the Jewish people. Amen.
Adapted from Rabbi Janet Marder
The day ends. The earth turns from sunshine to dusk and then to darkness. We assume for ourselves the task of kindling candles in the night, to enlighten the dark corners of our world. We still live in perilous times. Behind us, though receding into the memories of even the oldest among us, we can still sense the fires of Auschwitz and Hiroshima. Before us, the threat of acts of terrorism and gun violence. We gather tonight to create from fire, not the heat of destruction, but the light of instruction; indeed to see more clearly the wisdom, strength and caring that glows from within each of us.
TOGETHER: 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:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו
וְצִוָּֽנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁלְ (שַבָת וְשֶל) יֹום טֹוב
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
asher kiddishanu b’mitzvotav,
v’tzivanu lehadlik neir shel [Shabbat v'shel] Yom Tov.
We praise God, spirit of everything,
who has made us distinct through Your directives
and has directed us to kindle [the Shabbat] and holiday lights.
The Seder Plate: used as a discussion starter; each object on the plate is there to remind us of an important aspect of the Passover Seder.
Maror (bitter hebrs) - the bitters herbs are on the Seder plate to remind us of the bitterness of life of the enslaved Jews in Egypt.
Charoset - a mixture of apples, cinamon, wine, and nuts to symbolize mortar used in the bricks Jews built as slaves.
Karpas (green vehetable) - we use parsley to remind us of green growth during the spring, a symbol of perseverence. We balance this by dipping it in salt water to symbolize the tears of slaves.
Zeroah - typically a roasted lamb bone, we are using the vegetarion version of roasted beets. There are 2 reasons for this: (1) to represent the Paschal sacrifice at the Temple and (2) to represent the lamb's blood that was put on the doors of all Jewish households so that the plagues would pass over (Passover, get it?!) their houses.
Beitzah - this boiled egg has 2 meanings: (1) eggs are a symbol of spring and therefore a symbol of rebirth and hope and (2) eggs are traditionally offered to a family in mourning after a funeral and represent the destruction of the Holy Temple.
Matzah: we eat Matzah during Passover to remind us of the hasty exit of the Jews from Egypt. The Jews fled, and did not give their bread a chance to rise, instead letting it bake on their backs, giving us the flat matzah we eat today.
Elijah's Cup: this cup of wine is not drank by anyone in attendance of the Seder. It is left in honor of the prophet Elijah, who Jews believe will be the Messiah to bring peace to the world. Later in the Seder we will open the door to leave room for Elijah to enter our sacred space.
Miriam's Cup: this cup is filled with water and placed next to Elijah's cup to remind us of the importance of Miriam, Moses' sister. Miriam brought water to the Jews while they were wandering in the desert. It is meant to honor the role that Miriam played in the survival of the Jewish people.
In addition to the traditional seder plate, many people and communities have started adding other symbolic items to remind us of communities that are still enslaved today. On this second seder plate, you will find non-traditional items representative of the various issues of our time.
The orange represents the fruitfulness that is added when those under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella are fully included in our community.
The tomato represents migrant works who are vastly underpaid (if paid at all) and required to be away from their families for months on end in order to make a living.
The olive is representative of the olive branch. The olive branch is a well known signal of peace and is used to display our prayer for peace in the Middle East.
Fair trade chocolate or coffee is included to remind us of child slavory that still exists around the world and in many of the comapnies we use every day.
Bananas are used to represent the refugee crisis that is still going on today. In 2015 a picture of two Syrian children washed up on the shore went viral. It was later leard that the boys loved bananas and their father would bring them home every day as a treat to remind them of the sweetness of life. We use bananas to represent this story and the many other story of refugees all over the world.
For many years and in many countries, the various items on the seder plate were not available due to famine in the land. At these times, Jews around the world used raw potatoes to symbolize our story. We include potato on this special seder plate to represent famines that are still occuring all over the world.
In the early 1980s, the Hillel Foundation invited me to speak on a panel at Oberlin College. While on campus, I came across a Haggadah that had been written by some Oberlin students to express feminist concerns. One ritual they devised was placing a crust of bread on the Seder plate, as a sign of solidarity with Jewish lesbians, a statement of defiance against a rebbetzin’s pronouncement that, “There’s as much room for a lesbian in Judaism as there is for a crust of bread on the seder plate.”
At the next Passover, I placed an orange on our family's Seder plate. During the first part of the Seder, I asked everyone to take a segment of the orange, make the blessing over fruit, and eat it as a gesture of solidarity with Jewish lesbians and gay men, and others who are marginalized within the Jewish community.
Bread on the Seder plate brings an end to Pesach-- it renders everything chametz. And it suggests that being lesbian is being transgressive, violating Judaism. I felt that an orange was suggestive of something else: the fruitfulness for all Jews when lesbians and gay men are contributing and active members of Jewish life. In addition, each orange segment had a few seeds that had to be spit out--a gesture of spitting out, repudiating the homophobia of Judaism.
When lecturing, I often mentioned my custom as one of many new feminist rituals that have been developed in the last twenty years. Somehow, though, the typical patriarchal maneuver occurred:
My idea of an orange and my intention of affirming lesbians and gay men were transformed. Now the story circulates that a man said to me that a woman belongs on the bimah as an orange on the Seder plate. A woman's words are attributed to a man, and the affirmation of lesbians and gay men is simply erased.
Isn't that precisely what's happened over the centuries to women's ideas? And isn’t this precisely the erasure of their existence that gay and lesbian Jews continue to endure, to this day?
- Excerpted from an Email from Professor Susannah Heschel
Our Passover meal is called a Seder, which means "order" in Hebrew, because we go through 14 specific steps as we retell the story of our ancestors' liberation from slavery in Egypt.
1. Kadeish
Kiddush (the blessing over the wine)
2. Urchatz
Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the Seder
3. Karpas
Dipping a green vegetable in salt water
4. Matzah Yachtaz
Breaking the middle matzah
5. Maggid
Telling the story of Passover
6. Rachtza
Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal
7. Motzi Matzah
The blessing over the meal and matzah
8. Charoset Maror
Dipping the bitter herb in sweet
9. Koreich
Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb
10. Schulan Oreich
Eating the meal
11. Tzafoon
Finding and eating the Afikomen
12. Bareich
Saying grace after the meal and inviting Elijah the Prophet
13. Hallel
Singing songs that praise God
14. Nirtzah
Ending the Seder and thinking about the future
All Jewish celebrations, from holidays to weddings, include wine as a symbol of our joy – not to mention a practical way to increase that joy. The seder starts with wine and then gives us three more opportunities to refill our cup and drink.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who chose us from all peoples and languages, and sanctified us with commandments, and lovingly gave to us special times for happiness, holidays and this time of celebrating the Holiday of Matzah, the time of liberation, reading our sacred stories, and remembering the Exodus from Egypt. For you chose us and sanctified us among all peoples. And you have given us joyful holidays. We praise God, who sanctifies the people of Israel and the holidays.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
she-hechiyanu v’key’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything,
who has kept us alive, raised us up, and brought us to this happy moment.
Drink the first glass of wine!
What do these words mean? We are slaves because yesterday our people were in slavery and memory makes yesterday real for us. We are slaves because today there are still people in chains around the world and no one can be truly free while others are in chains. We are slaves because freedom means more than broken chains. Where there is poverty and hunger and homelessness, there is no freedom; where there is prejudice and bigotry and discrimination, there is no freedom; where there is violence and torture and war, there is no freedom. And where each of us is less than he or she might be, we are not free, not yet. And who, this year, can be deaf to the continuing oppression of the downtrodden, who can be blind to the burdens and the rigors that are now to be added to the most vulnerable in our midst? If these things be so, who among us can say that he or she is free?
As we celebrate our liberation from bondage, we remember that security and safety are just out of reach for many of us. We pray especially for the people of Ukraine.
Sovereign of the Universe
Who hearkens to our prayers.
We stand before You in solidarity
with all who are enduring the darkness of human conflict in Ukraine.
May You protect all the innocent
at this moment of great peril for them,
their country,
for Europe and the world.
Bring fortitude to the vulnerable,
resilience to the insecure
and strength to those who live in fear.
Incline the hearts of national leaders towards peace and reconciliation
and bless them with the wisdom, vision and perseverance needed
to end this war and restore peace to the region.
Almighty God,
strengthen the hands of those who pursue peace, not war.
Bring harmony where there is hostility;
relief where there is pain and hope where there is despair.
May the One who makes peace in high places
Make peace for all on earth.
May this be your will,
And let us say Amen.
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.
Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our Jewish memory with a recognition of the cycles of nature. As we remember the liberation from Egypt, we also recognize the stirrings of spring and rebirth happening in the world around us. The symbols on our table bring together elements of both kinds of celebration.
We now take a vegetable, representing our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. Most families use a green vegetable, such as parsley or celery, but some families from Eastern Europe have a tradition of using a boiled potato since greens were hard to come by at Passover time. Whatever symbol of spring and sustenance we’re using, we now dip it into salt water, a symbol of the tears our ancestors shed as slaves. Before we eat it, we recite a short blessing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree ha-adama.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruits of the earth.
We look forward to spring and the reawakening of flowers and greenery. They haven’t been lost, just buried beneath the snow, getting ready for reappearance just when we most needed them.
-
We all have aspects of ourselves that sometimes get buried under the stresses of our busy lives. What has this winter taught us? What elements of our own lives do we hope to revive this spring?
There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces. The host should wrap up the larger of the pieces and, at some point between now and the end of dinner, hide it. This piece is called the afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek. After dinner, the guests will have to hunt for the afikomen in order to wrap up the meal… 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?
The Peach story begins in a broken
world, amidst slavery and oppression.
The sound of the breaking of the
matza sends us into that fractured
existence, only to become whole
again when we find the broken half,
the afikoman, at the end of the Seder.
This brokenness is not just a physical
or political situation.
In Hebrew, Egypt is called Mitzrayim,
reminding us of the word tzar, narrow.
Thus, in Hassidic thought, Mitzrayim
symbolizes the inner straits that trap
our souls. Yet even here we can find
a unique value, as the Hasidic saying
teaches us: "There is nothing more
whole - than a broken heart."
Or as Leonard Cohen wrote:
"There's a crack in everything /
That's where the light comes in"
Some families pass out a whole matza
to every Seder participant, inviting
them to take a moment to ponder this
entrance into a broken world, before
they each break the matza themselves.
One of the rules of telling the story on Pesach is that each person must feel as if they had personally left Egypt. History becomes memory. The past becomes the present. At this stage, therefore, we speak of the continuing consequences of the past. Had the Exodus not happened, and the Israelites stayed in Egypt, none of the subsequent events of Jewish history would have occurred. What and where we are now is the result of what happened then.
There is a fundamental difference between knowing and telling the story. We do not tell the narrative of the Exodus to know what happened in the past. We do so because each telling engraves that event more thoroughly in our memories, and because each year adds its own insights and interpretations. Judaism is a constant dialogue between past and present, and since the present always changes, there is always a new juxtaposition, a new facet of the story. The Sages said, ‘There is no house of study without chiddush, some new interpretation.’ The story of Pesach never grows old, because the struggle for freedom never ends, and therefore each generation adds its own commentary to the old-new story.
Commentary on Avadim Hayinu,
The Jonathan Sacks Haggadah
The telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with questions and answers. The tradition that the youngest person asks the questions reflects the idea of involving everyone at the Seder.
מַה נִּשְּׁתַּנָה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת
Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot?
Why is this night different from all other nights?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה, הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה - כּוּלוֹ מַצָּה
1) Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah.
Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzo, but on this night we eat only matzo?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת, - הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר
2) Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror.
Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אֶנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת, - הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים
3) Shebichol haleilot ain anu matbilin afilu pa-am echat. Halaila hazeh shtei fi-amim.
Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין, - הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָנו מְסֻ
4) Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin bein yoshvin uvein m’subin. Halaila hazeh kulanu m’subin.
Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?
1. What does freedom, or liberation, mean to me?
2. What is my role in getting myself and others closer to freedom?
3. What is in my way? How can I get around, over, or through this obstacle?
4. Who will I ask for help?
-adapted from @modern_ritual on Instagram
As we tell the story, we think about it from all angles. Our tradition speaks of four different types of children who might react differently to the Passover seder. It is our job to make our story accessible to all the members of our community, so we think about how we might best reach each type of child:
What does the wise child say?
The wise child asks, What are the testimonies and laws which God commanded you?
You must teach this child the rules of observing the holiday of Passover.
What does the wicked child say?
The wicked child asks, What does this service mean to you?
To you and not to himself! Because he takes himself out of the community and misses the point, set this child’s teeth on edge and say to him: “It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.” Me, not him. Had that child been there, he would have been left behind.
What does the simple child say?
The simple child asks, What is this?
To this child, answer plainly: “With a strong hand God took us out of Egypt, where we were slaves.”
What about the child who doesn’t know how to ask a question?
Help this child ask.
Start telling the story:
“It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.”
-
Do you see yourself in any of these children? At times we all approach different situations like each of these children. How do we relate to each of them?
Labeling children as wise, wicked, simple, and not knowing how to ask seems to remove the intricacies of children asking questions. Perhaps we can reframe each child in a different way.
Child #1: This child loves to ask questions and gain more knowledge. Whether they find the answers themselves or use their resources, this child is always learning.
Child #2: This child is figuring out how being Jewish and celebrating Passover are relevant to the child's own life. They are asking others how they relate to Passover and may be using those answers to help them figure it out for themselves. This child may not be in the headspace to bring Passover into their own lives or they may struggle to understand concepts that are not prevalent in their life experiences. These children are still valid, and if we encounter them, we should meet them where they are.
Child #3: This child has an understanding of Passover traditions and is happy with the extent of their knowledge. They may ask some clarifying questions, but overall are secure in what they know. We should be thankful the child has shown interest in Jewish holidays and traditions but should not push them if they do not want to learn more. Give the child space to learn as they are interested, for this will create a more genuine learning experience.
Child #4: This child is quiet and taking in all that they are seeing and hearing. They may not have the words to express their questions yet, or they may not feel comfortable asking. It is important to recognize that not everyone comes to the table to learn; they may come just to experience. We should create a space that anticipates questions so that answers can be provided without the child having to ask. We need to recognize that engagement and enjoyment of activities looks different for different children. We should check in with this child and let them process the seder in their own way, while letting them know we are here if they need us.
We each have a combination of these children within us. Some years, one child may be more prevalent than others. Each child's experience during the Passover seder is important and valid. We must recognize that there is no one right way to show up to a seder and that no one child is "better" than another. By removing the connotations associated with wise, wicked, simple, and not knowing how to ask, we can look at the core of each child and allow them to have the most meaningful Passover experience for them.
As all good term papers do, we start with the main idea:
ּעֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ הָיִינו. עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין
Avadim hayinu hayinu. Ata b’nei chorin.
We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. Now we are free.
We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and God took us from there with a strong hand and outstretched arm. Had God not brought our ancestors out of Egypt, then even today we and our children and our grandchildren would still be slaves. Even if we were all wise, knowledgeable scholars and Torah experts, we would still be obligated to tell the story of the exodus from Egypt.
The first Passover happened long ago in the far-away country of Egypt. A mean and powerful king, called Pharaoh, ruled Egypt. Worried that the Jewish people would one day fight against him, Pharaoh decided that these people must become his slaves. As slaves, the Jewish people worked very hard. Every day, from morning until night, they hammered, dug, and carried heavy bricks. They built palaces and cities and worked without rest. The Jewish people hated being slaves. They cried and asked God for help. God chose a man named Moses to lead the Jewish people.
Moses went to Pharaoh and said, “God is not happy with the way you treat the Jewish people. He wants you to let the Jewish people leave Egypt and go into the desert, where they will be free.” But Pharaoh stamped his foot and shouted, “No, I will never let the Jewish people go!” Moses warned, “If you do not listen to God, many terrible things, called plagues, will come to your land.” But Pharaoh would not listen, and so the plagues arrived. First, the water turned to blood. Next, frogs and, later, wild animals ran in and out of homes. Balls of hail fell from the sky and bugs, called locusts, ate all of the Egyptians’ food.
Each time a new plague began, Pharaoh would cry, “Moses, I’ll let the Jewish people go. Just stop this horrible plague!” Yet no sooner would God take away the plague than Pharaoh would shout: “No, I’ve changed my mind. The Jews must stay!” So God sent more plagues. Finally, as the tenth plague arrived, Pharaoh ordered the Jews to leave Egypt.
Fearful that Pharaoh might again change his mind, the Jewish people packed quickly. They had no time to prepare food and no time to allow their dough to rise into puffy bread. They had only enough time to make a flat, cracker-like bread called matzah. They hastily tied the matzah to their backs and ran from their homes.
The people had not travelled far before Pharaoh commanded his army to chase after them and bring them back to Egypt. The Jews dashed forward, but stopped when they reached a large sea. The sea was too big to swim across. Frightened that Pharaoh’s men would soon reach them, the people prayed to God, and a miracle occurred. The sea opened up. Two walls of water stood in front of them and a dry, sandy path stretched between the walls. The Jews ran across. Just as they reached the other side, the walls of water fell and the path disappeared. The sea now separated the Jews from the land of Egypt. They were free!
Each year at Passover, we eat special foods, sing songs, tell stories, and participate in a seder – a special meal designed to help us remember this miraculous journey from slavery to freedom.
We might think the most basic encapsulation of the haggadah is in the simple song that children learn in Jewish preschool, which comes right after the Four Questions:
Avadim hayinu, hayinu / We were slaves
Atah b'nai horin, b'nai horin / Now we are free
But as adults, we know that “now we are free” is an oversimplification. We are trapped in so many overlapping oppressive systems. Indeed, at the end of the avadim hayinu paragraph, the haggadah offers us an alternative thesis statement, inviting us to go beyond the basics:
וְכָל הַמַרְבֶה לְסַפֵר בִיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻבָח
The more we expand the telling of the Exodus,
the more praiseworthy.
The more we expand our perspective to include diverse liberation struggles and the action needed to bring them to fruition, the better. In the service of that expansion, this haggadah makes the following arguments:
1. The United States was founded on fundamentally racist principles and has yet to fully grapple with that legacy.
2. America’s appetite for cheap goods and labor can only survive through exploitative labor practices and immigration, and our immigration policies expose people to further abuse.
3. Forced labor does not happen in a vacuum but in the context of powerful systems that treat some people as less valuable or worthy than others.
4. If we want to reconstruct our country so it fulfills its stated values, we will have to follow the solutions and leadership of thus-far marginalized communities: women, people of color, low-wage workers, and immigrants.
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. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them to signify having a little less sweetness in our celebration. Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass for a drop for each plague.
These are the ten plagues:
BLOOD / dam
FROGS / tzfardeiya
LICE / kinim
BEASTS / arov
CATTLE DISEASE / dever
BOILS / sh’chin
HAIL / barad
LOCUSTS / arbeh
DARKNESS / choshech
DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN / makat b’chorot
Even though we are happy that the jews escaped slavery, let us once more take a drop of wine as we together recite the names of these modern plagues:
HUNGER
WAR
TERRORISM
GREED
BIGOTRY
INJUSTICE
POVERTY
IGNORANCE
POLLUTION OF THE EARTH
INDIFFERENCE TO SUFFERING
One morning when Pharaoh awoke in his bed,
There were frogs in his bed and frogs on his head!
Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes!
Frogs here, frogs there,
Frogs were jumping EVRYWHERE!
The Plagues happened at the same time as a massive volcano eruption. The volcano Santorini sent ash in to the air effecting the surrounding area. The ash is found in Cairo and the Nile River, proven by testing the composition of the ash. This volcanic eruption happened between 1500-1650BC while the Plagues happened between 1400-1550BC. So it fits there.
1st Plague. River ran red LIKE blood. But there is a common algae plume called the Red Tide. This makes the river, or any water, look red like blood. Why did this happen? The ash changes the PH level of the river allowing the algae to bloom.
2nd Plague. Frogs. The algae is killing fish. Fish eat frog eggs. No fish, record number of frogs. Frogs can't live in polluted water and so leave the river.
3rd and 4th Plague. Lice and flies. The translation can actually be lice, fleas, gnats, or midges. But you have riverfull of dead fish, and now dead frogs. This brings the insects of the 3rd and 4th Plague.
5th Plague. Pestilence. Flies, dead frogs, dead fish, easy enough no?
6th Plague. Boils. Certain types of flies that bite can leave behind boils. The bites get infected, they turn in to boils.
7th Plague. Fire and Hail. Ash in the air causes a mixture of ash and water. The ash, very high in the air, causes the water to freeze so when it falls it is hail and not rain. The fire? I saw this amazing picture in Nat. Geo. of a volcanic eruption. There was red lightning. It was amazing to see bright red lightning. Why is it red? Chemicals in the ash makes red lightning. So fire in the sky, and hail.
8th Plague. Locusts. Locusts come about when the ground is very damp. They bury their eggs in the sand about 4-6 inches. After record amount of hail the ground would be very wet allowing the locusts to form.
9th Plague. Darkness. Ash in the air. After am eruption in 1815 there was darkness for 600 kilometers. After Krakatoa it was dark for even farther for days.
10th Plague. Death of First born. In Egypt the first born was king. They would be the one to lead the family after the father died. When food was scarce the first born ate first and some times was the only one to eat. After locusts ate every thing there was only grain locked in vaults. The hail got it wet, locust feces, it made it moldy. And so when only the first born ate, they were the only ones killed by moldy grain.
בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָֽיִם
B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et-atzmo, k’ilu hu yatzav mimitzrayim.
In every generation, everyone is obligated to see themselves as though they personally left Egypt.
The seder reminds us that it was not only our ancestors whom God redeemed; God redeemed us too along with them. That’s why the Torah says “God brought us out from there in order to lead us to and give us the land promised to our ancestors.”
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We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who redeemed us and our ancestors from Egypt, enabling us to reach this night and eat matzah and bitter herbs. May we continue to reach future holidays in peace and happiness.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Drink the second glass of wine!
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH
One of most beloved songs in the Passover Seder is "Dayeinu". Dayeinu commemorates a long list of miraculous things God did, any one of which would have been pretty amazing just by itself. For example, “Had God only taken us out of Egypt but not punished the Egyptians – it would have been enough.” Dayeinu, translated liberally, means, “Thank you, God, for overdoing it.”
Dayeinu is a reminder to never forget all the miracles in our lives. When we stand and wait impatiently for the next one to appear, we are missing the point of life. Instead, we can actively seek a new reason to be grateful, a reason to say “Dayeinu.”
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!
If he had brought us all out of Egypt, it would have been enough!
CHORUS: .. Dai, da-ye-nu, .. Dai, da-ye-nu, .. Dai, da-ye-nu, .. 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!
If he had given us Shabbat it would have been enough!
CHORUS: .. Dai, da-ye-nu, .. Dai, da-ye-nu, .. Dai, da-ye-nu, .. Da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu!
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!
If he had given us the Torah it would have been enough!
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!
So let’s bring Dayeinu into the present. We are grateful, and yet what miracles and accomplishments would be suffcient (Dayeinu) in today’s world for us to be truly satisfied?
1. When all workers of the world receive just compensation and respect for their labors, enjoy safe, healthy and secure working conditions and can take pride in their work. . . DAYEINU
2. When governments end the escalating production of devastating weapons, secure in the knowledge that they will not be necessary. . . DAYEINU
3. When technology is for the production and conservation of energy and our other natural resources is developed so that we can maintain responsible and comfortable lifestyles and still assure a safe environment for our children. . . DAYEINU
4. When the air, water, fellow creatures and beautiful world are protected for the benefit and enjoyment of all. . . DAYEINU
5. When all politicians work honestly for the good of all. . . DAYEINU
6. When all women and men are allowed to make their own decisions on matters regarding their own bodies and their personal relationships without discrimination or legal consequences. . . DAYEINU
7. When people of all ages, sexes, races, religions, cultures and nations respect and appreciate one another. . . DAYEINU
8. When all children grow up in freedom, without hunger, and with the love and support they need to realize their full potential. . . DAYEINU
9. When all children, men and women are free of the threat of violence, abuse and domination; when personal power and strength are not used as weapons. . . DAYEINU
10. When all people have access to the information and care they need for their physical, mental and spiritual well-being. . . DAYEINU
11. When food and shelter are accepted as human rights, not as commodities, and are available to all . . . DAYEINU
12. When no elderly person in our society has to fear hunger, cold, or loneliness. . . DAYEINU
13. When the people of the Middle East, and all people living in strife, are able to create paths to just and lasting peace. . . DAYEINU
14. When people everywhere have the opportunities we have to celebrate our culture and use it as a basis for progressive change in the world. . . DAYEINU
All: If tonight each person could say this year I worked as hard as I could toward my goals for improving this world, so that one day all people can experience the joy and freedom I feel sitting with my family and friends at the Seder table. . . DAYEINU, DAYEINU
As we now transition from the formal telling of the Passover story to the celebratory meal, we once again wash our hands to prepare ourselves. In Judaism, a good meal together with friends and family is itself a sacred act, so we prepare for it just as we prepared for our holiday ritual, recalling the way ancient priests once prepared for service in the Temple.
Some people distinguish between washing to prepare for prayer and washing to prepare for food by changing the way they pour water on their hands. For washing before food, pour water three times on your right hand and then three times on your left hand.
After you have poured the water over your hands, recite this short blessing.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָֽיִם
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to wash our hands.
The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah | מוֹצִיא מַצָּה
The familiar hamotzi blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah.
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.
Dipping the bitter herb in sweet charoset | maror |מָרוֹר
In creating a holiday about the joy of freedom, we turn the story of our bitter history into a sweet celebration. We recognize this by dipping our bitter herbs into the sweet charoset. We don’t totally eradicate the taste of the bitter with the taste of the sweet… but doesn’t the sweet mean more when it’s layered over the bitterness?
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מרוֹר
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat bitter herbs.
Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb | koreich | כּוֹרֵךְ
When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the biggest ritual of them all was eating the lamb offered as the pesach or Passover sacrifice. The great sage Hillel would put the meat in a sandwich made of matzah, along with some of the bitter herbs. While we do not make sacrifices any more – and, in fact, some Jews have a custom of purposely avoiding lamb during the seder so that it is not mistaken as a sacrifice – we honor this custom by eating a sandwich of the remaining matzah and bitter herbs. Some people will also include charoset in the sandwich to remind us that God’s kindness helped relieve the bitterness of slavery.
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!
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.
Refill everyone’s wine glass.
We now say grace after the meal, thanking God for the food we’ve eaten. On Passover, this becomes something like an extended toast to God, culminating with drinking our third glass of wine for the evening:
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, whose goodness sustains the world. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all. Thanks to You, we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for everyone. We praise God, source of food for everyone.
As it says in the Torah: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise God for the earth and for its sustenance.
Renew our spiritual center in our time. We praise God, who centers us.
May the source of peace grant peace to us, to the Jewish people, and to the entire world. Amen.
The Third Glass of Wine
The blessing over the meal is immediately followed by another blessing over the wine:
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.
Drink the third glass of wine!
The Birkat Hazamazon is a bookend to our meal. We started with Hamotzi to be thankful for the food we are about to eat. Now we finish the meal with Birkat Hamazon to show our thanks for the food we have eaten and the processes that brought it to our table. We also take this time to recognize that there are many people around the world who still do not have enough food to eat. We should use the Birkat Hamazon to remind us of the work that still needs to be done to remove hunger from the world. Let this be a call to action to make the world a better place for all who inhabit it.
Singing songs that praise God | hallel | הַלֵּל
This is the time set aside for singing. Some of us might sing traditional prayers from the Book of Psalms. Others take this moment for favorites like Chad Gadya & Who Knows One, which you can find in the appendix. To celebrate the theme of freedom, we might sing songs from the civil rights movement. Or perhaps your crazy Uncle Frank has some parody lyrics about Passover to the tunes from a musical. We’re at least three glasses of wine into the night, so just roll with it.
Fourth Glass of Wine
As we come to the end of the seder, we drink one more glass of wine. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover together, for the traditions that help inform our daily lives and guide our actions and aspirations.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Drink the fourth and final glass of wine!
As we come to the end of the Seder, we drink one more glass of wine. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover together, for the traditions that help inform our daily lives and guide our actions and aspirations.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
The Cup of Elijah
We begin by pouring wine into the prophet Elijah’s cup from our own cups until it is filled. This helps us remember that we must all contribute our best talents and energies to help fulfill Elijah's promise of a peaceful world. Elijah dedicated himself to defending God against non-believers, and as reward for his devotion and hard work, he was whisked away to heaven at the end of his life. Tradition says that Elijah will return to earth one day to signal the arrival of the Messiah, and the end of hatred, intolerance and war.
As we sing Elijah’s song, we watch to see if the wine in Elijah’s cup decreases even a little, a sure sign that he has visited.
TOGETHER: Eliyahu hanavi Eliyahu hatishbi Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi Bimheirah b’yameinu, yavo eileinu Im mashiach ben-David Im mashiach ben-David
The Cup of Miriam
Miriam’s cup is filled with water to symbolize Miriam’s Well, a magical source of water that lasted during the 40 years the Jews spent wandering in the desert. We also honor Miriam’s role in liberating the Jewish people, first by saving Moses from death on the Nile and then helping to raise him. Miriam’s cup also celebrates the critical role of all Jewish women, past and present.
TOGETHER: This is the Cup of Miriam, to symbolize the water which gave new life to Israel as we struggled with ourselves in the wilderness. Blessed are You, Spirit of the Universe, who sustains us with endless possibilities, and enables us to reach a new place.
For the sake of our righteous women were our ancestors redeemed from Egypt. L'Chaim!
DRINK THE FOURTH GLASS OF WINE
Adapted from Rabbi Ayelet Cohen
Our God and God of our ancestors, bless this country and all who dwell within it. Help us to experience the blessings of our lives and circumstances, to be vigilant, compassionate, and brave. Strengthen us when we are afraid, help us to channel our anger, so that it motivates us to action. Help us to be humble in our fear, knowing that as vulnerable as we feel, there are those at greater risk, and that it is our holy work to stand with them.
Help us to taste the sweetness of liberty, to not take for granted the freedoms won in generations past. Source of all life, guide our leaders with righteousness, that they may use their influence and authority to speak truth and act for justice. May all who dwell in this country enjoy its freedoms, and be protected by its laws. May this nation use its power and wealth to be a voice for justice, peace, and equality for all who dwell on earth.
May we be strong and have courage to be bold in our action and deep in our compassion, to uproot bigotry, intolerance, and violence in all its forms, to celebrate the many faces of God reflected in the wondrous diversity of humanity, to welcome the stranger and the immigrant and to honor the gift of those who seek refuge and possibility here, as they have since before this nation was born. Let justice well up like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. Amen.
Nirtzah marks the conclusion of the seder. Our bellies are full, we have had several glasses of wine, we have told stories and sung songs, and now it is time for the evening to come to a close. At the end of the seder, we honor the tradition of declaring, “Next year in Jerusalem!”
For some people, the recitation of this phrase expresses the anticipation of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem and the return of the Messiah. For others, it is an affirmation of hope and of connectedness with Klal Yisrael, the whole of the Jewish community. Still others yearn for peace in Israel and for all those living in the Diaspora.
Though it comes at the end of the seder, this moment also marks a beginning. We are beginning the next season with a renewed awareness of the freedoms we enjoy and the obstacles we must still confront. We are looking forward to the time that we gather together again. Having retold stories of the Jewish people, recalled historic movements of liberation, and reflected on the struggles people still face for freedom and equality, we are ready to embark on a year that we hope will bring positive change in the world and freedom to people everywhere.
In The Leader's Guide to the Family Participation Haggadah: A Different Night, Rabbi David Hartman writes: “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.”
What can we do to fulfill our reckless dreams? What will be our legacy for future generations?
Our seder is over, according to Jewish tradition and law. As we had the pleasure to gather for a seder this year, we hope to once again have the opportunity in the years to come. We pray that God brings health and healing to Israel and all the people of the world, especially those impacted by natural tragedy and war. As we say…
לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָׁלָֽיִם
L’shana haba-ah biy’rushalayim
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!
We are all thankful to be sitting around this table tonight, but it is important to recognize that there are those who are not. There are many reasons why someone is unable to be here tonight; perhaps they had another committment or needed to take time for their own self care. Maybe they are not feeling well or are not local. Some people are around this table in spirit. They are no longer on this Earth and cannot physically join our table, but we know they are here in our hearts and thoughts.
Let us take a moment to recognize those who are not at the table with us today, for whatever reason. We still love and care about them and we keep their memories with us tonight while we celebrate the Passover festivities.
I knew from the very beginning that my baby brother was going to be special. We had to hide him from the crazy Egyptian soldiers who were seeking out and killing all the newborn Israelite babies due to Pharaoh’s command. Whenever they came to our house and we hid him, somehow, he knew to stay quiet. One time he farted really loud but the guard didn’t hear (or smell!) it. It was kind of a miracle now that I think about it. And also a plague... We actually didn’t even give him a name because we were so scared that he might be killed and didn’t want to become too attached.
When baby bro Moses (I like to call him “Chalupa Batman”) got so big that we couldn’t hide him anymore (it’s not like our slave accommodations were so spacious… they were more like an individual WeWork office), my mom suggested that the only way to save him was to send him down the Nile in a basket, hoping that he might find a better future downriver.
I followed Chalupa down along the banks of the river, and watched as Pharaoh’s daughter, Daenerys Targarean, pulled him out of the water and decided to keep him! She was a Mother of Hebrews, and the one who named him Moses – an Egyptian name meaning “I drew him from the water.” I’m not quite sure how I got through her personal security guard, Paul Blart, but I ran up to her and let her know that if she needed a nursemaid for the baby, that I could help find her one. And just like that, my mom became her own son’s nursemaid!
When he inevitably was weaned (Mom would’ve kept nursing til his Bar Mitzvah if she could’ve) we went back to slave life, with no real interaction with him for decades, until one day my big brother Aaron disappeared, and then we heard murmurings around town about an Egyptian man who had come out as being a Hebrew. And he was advocating for us. And bringing miracles. And that Aaron was his press secretary ... er … spokesperson. And wouldn’t you know it, but that out and proud Hebrew man was my baby brother.
Along the way he seemed to have picked up a speech impediment – hence the need for Aaron’s support – as well as a few magic tricks and a personal unbreakable relationship with a God who self-described as “I am that I am” – sounds like a kind of sweet potato if you ask me ... I Yam that I Yam … We are starving after all. Is it time for the festive meal yet?
It turned out Pharaoh was crazy stubborn! Despite some crazy plagues he just wouldn’t agree to either just let us go, or to shift to a sharing economy – he called it Democratic socialism … the fiery hail didn’t quite make him “feel the Bern.” But, in the ultimate twist of irony, his own firstborn was killed along with the firstborn children of man and beast in all of Egypt – except for ours. Schadenfreude – taking pleasure in the pain of another. A great word I learned from Avenue Kuf! Have you seen Avenue Kuf? I learned what the internet is for.
That last night in Egypt we painted our doorposts with blood, quickly shared a roasted lamb with our neighbors (how we had lamb to eat despite being slaves I’m not quite sure…), and ate bitter herbs (we had dried and packed all the delicious ones!). Because we weren’t sure if there were bathrooms in the desert where we were going, we made sure to make our bread in such a way that we’d be sure to not need to use the bathroom for at least a week – hopefully we make it to the Promised Land by then.
If you ask me, the Egyptians would’ve gotten off way easier had they had a female leader. The palace would have been more of a safe space. Pantsuits would have been introduced way earlier into historical garment records.
I should mention: while Mom was nursing Moses for Pharaoh’s daughter I got tight with two of her royal helpers from the local dance academy. They inspired me to take moments to just dance – it’ll be okay – and so one of my most noteworthy moments was leading all of our women – like a million of us! – in dancing after we passed through the Red Sea. We couldn’t do the electric slide due to being so close to water, and everyone knows that Hebrews are incapable of square dancing – no one is willing to follow instructions – so circles it was!
In the end, I’m actually described as a prophetess in the Bible – pretty sweet. I have a mystical well that follows me (and the Israelites) as we wander in the desert – you know you’re jelly. Many families put a cup on the Seder table filled with water in my honor due to my story’s close association with it. While I end up dying before both Moses and Aaron, which admittedly is a bummer, at least I had the chance to have it all, rolling in the deep.
Well, there came a goat, there came a kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
Then came a cat that ate the kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
Then came a dog that bit the cat, that ate the kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
Then came a stick that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
Then came the fire that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
The came the water that quenched the fire that burnt the stick, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
Then came 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 kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
Then came 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 kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
Then came the Angel of Death that slayed 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 kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
The came the Lord Our G-d, Spirit of the Universe, that smote the Angel of Death, that slayed 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 kid that father bought for two zuzim
Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
At its surface, Chad Gadya is a funny song about a string of unfortunate events that befall a young goat and progress until G-d intervenes and smotes the Angel of Death, stopping the chain of escalation in its tracks.
However, on closer look, it contains a number of themes worth exploring: Why did the cat eat the goat in the first place? Are each of the events in the song directly related to one another, or do they happen by coincidence? Why didn't G-d do something sooner?
What stands out to me is the presence of the Angel of Death throughout the entire song, even though we don't become aware of its existence until the second-to-last verse. Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, the Angel of Death remains very present in our world today. It lives in the injustices that plague our society, thriving in modern-day slavery, inequity, and indifference.
Let's say that each event in the song is a direct response to the one that comes before it. It might appear that each successive actor acts out of malice, in an attempt to complicate the situation. But all of them are simply performing normal functions: a cat eats its prey, a dog bites a cat, an ox drinks some water, and so on. While I don't condone beating dogs with sticks, taken individually (and in the context of the song's time), each of action seems relatively benign.
Of course a stick would burn if it caught fire; that's what sticks do! Of course a butcher slaughtered the ox; that's what butchers do!
Taken collectively, however, we recognize that each portion of the song builds on the one that came before it, creating an increasingly difficult situation that escalates until G-d steps in. In this, we see how we might be complicit in the systems that perpetuate harm and injustice, even though we might not be aware. Even though we might be doing what the world says we're supposed to do.
What if one part of the song hadn't gone the way it was "supposed" to? What if the butcher let the ox drink its water in peace? What if, despite the laws of nature, the fire hadn't ignited the stick? What if the cat resisted its urge to snack on the goat?
Chad Gadya is more than an enteraining way to end the Seder. It calls us to be aware of our actions and the impact they have in the world. It reminds us that the pursuit of justice sometimes requires stepping out of our comfort zones, breaking rules, and disrupting perpetual cycles. It is on us to recognize the Angel of Death in our world and choose life.
Chorus:
We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes
Verses:
Until the killing of Black men, Black mothers' sons
Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers' sons
When they took Trayvon and then Big Mike, there was no justice and no peace
But when they took Eric Garner with no indictment, it brought us out into the streets
As we strive to speak truth to power, and end all police brutality
We stand against oppression of ALL people and raise up human dignity
When we struggle to gain employment, resist prison and death on the street
We are struggling for the lives of young people and fighting for their liberty
The struggle exists in every sphere of life, as we work to build equity
It's education, voting rights, and immigration, it's addressing our poverty
When we stand together and speak in one voice, for freedom in our communities,
We work to end all forms of discrimination and recognize our humanity
It's easy to sing when you're happy - to sing when you're among friends,
But when you sing above the din of inaction and hatred, you just can't stop until it ends...
To me young people come first, they have the courage where we fail,
And if I can shed some light as they carry us through the gale
Struggling myself don't mean a whole lot, I've come to realize
That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way our struggle survives
You think the land and everyone who lands here
Are nothing more than things that you control.
But I am here to tell you every person
Is a person with a heart and with a soul.
You think the only people who are people Are the people who pray the way you do. But listen to a family chant “Ha Motzi.” You will hear the spirit deep in every Jew.
(Chorus)
Have you ever seen a Hebrew standing tall and proud?
Or felt the winds of freedom start to blow?
Have you ever heard the voice of the Almighty
Saying, “Pharaoh, you must let my people go.”
Saying, “Pharaoh, you must let my people go.”
I know that I could hold the golden scep- ter.
And I could sit so coldly on the throne. And I could open up the door to riches
If I close my eyes to all the slaves you own.
The beaten and the broken are my broth- ers.
The lonely and low-born are my friends. And we are all connected to each other By a covenant with God that never ends.
(Repeat chorus)
How much can your misery grow? Set them free and you’ll never know.
(Repeat chorus)
Take Me Out To The Seder (To the tune of , of course, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame!")
Take me out to the Seder Take me out with the crowd.
Feed me on matzah and chicken legs, I don't care for the hard-boiled eggs.
And its root, root, root for Elijah That he will soon reappear.
And let's hope, hope, hope that we'll meet Once again next year!
Take me out to the Seder Take me out with the crowd.
Read the Haggadah And don't skip a word. Please hold your talking, We want to be heard.
And lets, root, root, root for the leader That he will finish his spiel So we can nosh, nosh, nosh and by-gosh Let's eat the meal!!!
Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes
Out with the hametz, no pasta, no knishes
Fish that gefillted, horseradish that stings
These are a few of our Passover things.
Matazh 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
Motzi and maror and trouble with Pharoahs
Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbarros
Matzah balls floating and eggshell that clings
These are a few of our Passover thing.
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!
A Whole New World
to the tune of “A Whole New World”
God will show us the way
To a place way out yonder.
Forty years we’ll be wandering
Until we find our dream.
God will give us the land.
God will feed us with manna.
We will see that we can escape
Our lives in Mitzrayim.
A whole new world…
Where we won’t live in slavery.
No one to tell us no,
The Jews can’t go,
Or say we’re only dreaming.
A whole new world…
A place where everyone is free.
A whole new point of view
For every Jew.
Travel to a whole new world with me.
Beatles Passover Songs
He Freed Us
(Sung to the tune of “She Loves You”)
by Gary Teblum
He freed us, yeah, yeah, yeah
He freed us, yeah, yeah, yeah
He freed us, yeah, yeah, yeah
You think you’re not so free
Well, it was so yesterday-yi-yay
It’s just like you were there
And he told us what to say-yi-yay
You know he freed us,
and you know that can’t be bad
Oh yes, he freed us,
and you know we should be glad
God said you must act so
As if you were there too
And then God says you’ll know
How we maintain the glue
You know he freed us,
and you know that can’t be bad
Oh yes, he freed us,
and you know we should be glad
Oh, he freed us, yeah, yeah, yeah
He freed us, yeah, yeah, yeah
With a God like that
You know we should be glad
You know he freed the Jews
He brought us from that land
As if you were there too
Grab on to his hand
You know he freed us,
and you know that can’t be bad
Oh yes, he freed us,
and you know we should be glad
Oo, he freed us, yeah, yeah, yeah
He freed us, yeah, yeah, yeah
And with a god like that
You know we should . . . be glad
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahhhhh.
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All My Leaven
(Sung to the tune of “All My Lovin”)
by Gary Teblum
Search my house and I’ll find it
Tomorrow I’ll miss it
The feather will help me be true
And a candle as well
Means that then I can sell
And I’ll sell all my leaven to you
I’ll find crumbs in the kitchen
The kinder will pitch in
I’ll try not to leave any clue
And then while its away
I’ll eat matzah each day
‘cause I sold all my leaven to you
All my leaven, I will sell to you
All my leaven, Rabbi, I’ll be true
I’ll find crumbs in the kitchen
The kinder will pitch in
I’ll try not to leave any clue
And then while its away
I’ll eat matzah each day
‘cause I sold all my leaven to you
All my leaven, I will sell to you
All my leaven, Rabbi, I’ll be true
All my leaven, All my leaven
Woo, all my leaven, I will sell to you
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Hey, Frogs
(sung to the tune of “Hey Jude”)
by Gary Teblum
Hey frogs, please go away
You’re a bad plague that gets no better
Miztrayim is suffering from this plague
If I relent, will it get better?
Hey frogs, I’m now afraid
You were put here to make us suffer
Your jumping is getting under my skin
Now I need Moshe to make it better
And all the time I feel the pain
Hey frogs refrain
Don’t infest my world and all our households
For well you know, I’d be a fool to play it cool
By keeping the Jews a little longer
Na na na na na na na na na
Hey frogs, don’t jump around
Yet when you leave, I’ll get bad weather
Miztrayim is suffering from this plague
If I relent, will it get better?
So get on out and get me in
Hey frogs, you win
I’m telling Moshe to take his people
And don't you know that it’s just you
Hey frogs, it’s true
You’re jumping around about my shoulder
Na na na na na na na na na yeah
Hey frogs, please go away
You’re a bad plague that gets no better
Miztrayim is suffering from this plague
If I relent, will it get better?
Better, better, better, better, better,
oh Na, na na na na na na na na na na,
hey frogs
Na, na na na na na na na na na na,
hey frogs
