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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: What is Passover?
Tonight we gather together to celebrate Passover, our holiday of freedom and reflecting on our past. One of the requirements of Passover is to tell the story as if it is not your ancestors leaving Egypt, but as though you were the one who escaped to freedom. Hence why tonight we are going to tell the tale of Passover as though this was something in our past. We will tell the story of Passover through the characters, music and food that we grew up with, our's will be the Passover story 90's edition.
Seder directly translates to mean "order." It is called this because the meal is done in a certain order which takes us from slavery to freedom. Tonight we will re-telling the story of Passover in the exact order that generations having always told the story; going from slavery in Egypt to eventual freedom and wandering (just with a few twists and turns along the way). Right now we are reading from the Haggadah - which means "the telling." There is a focus of passing on our stories and traditions and continuing to tell our story each year.
Tonight we will be eating a meal together, enjoying (at least!) four glasses of wine, and telling the story of our ancestors’ liberation from slavery in Egypt.
In ancient times, eating while lounging on a pillow or couch was a sign of freedom; so get comfortable and let the characters of your past lead you through the stories of our past.
Lighting of the Candles
As we talked about, the order of the Seder is a large part of what makes the Seder so significant. Therefore we will kick off the seder as we are meant to do, the same way we start Shabbat, with the lighting of the candles. As Sir Elton John told us in the 1997 hit, Candle in the Wind, " Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did." We light the candles to begin the seder and remember the legend of the Passover that has continued on from generation to generation.
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with laws and commanded us to light the festival lights.
As we light the festival candles, we think about the sanctity of the Seder and what we are beginning to partake in.
The Classic Seder Plate vs. the 90’s Seder Plate
We place a Seder Plate at our table as a reminder to discuss certain aspects of the Passover story. Each item has its own significance.
Maror – The bitter herb. This symbolizes the harshness of lives of the Jews in Egypt. Tonight we use Warheads, the most sour of all of the 90’s candies.
Charoset – A delicious mix of sweet wine, apples, cinnamon and nuts that resembles the mortar used as bricks of the many buildings the Jewish slaves built in Egypt. Tonight we use the traditional snack pack version of these ingredients.
Karpas – A green vegetable, usually parsley or celery, is a reminder of the green sprouting up all around us during spring and is used to dip into the saltwater. Tonight we have ants on a log to try to encourage us to eat our vegetables.
Zeroah – A roasted lamb or shank bone symbolizing the lamb’s blood we used to paint on the Israelites’ doorways so g-d would pass over their homes and not kill their first born. Tonight we use fun dip, as sugar is way tastier than lamb’s bones and blood.
Beitzah – The egg symbolizes rebirth and new things to come. Tonight we use a Wonderball to symbolize the joy of the new surprises we will find inside.
Orange - The orange on the seder plate has come to symbolize full inclusion in modern day Judaism: not only for women, but also for people with disabilities, intermarried couples, and the LGBT Community. Tonight we will be using orange soda, as Kel really loves orange soda.
Elijah’s Cup
The fifth ceremonial cup of wine poured during the Seder. It is left untouched in honor of Elijah, who, according to tradition, will arrive one day as an unknown guest to herald the advent of the Messiah. During the dinner is is customary to open the door as a welcoming to guests who need a place to go as well as Elijah.
Kiddish
Now we will have our first glass of wine of the evening. Before we can do that we must say the blessing over the wine. Tonight over the course of the seder we will be having four glasses of wine.
But why four? In Hebrew and in Jewish texts in general numbers have a distinct signifigance. For Passover the number keeps coming back to four. Some examples of symbolic significance of the number four in the Haggadah are the Four Questions, Four Sons, and the four types of food on the Seder plate. So of course when it comes to how much wine we will be drinking, we are brought back to the number four.
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.
So let's get rowdy like Cory and Shawn drinking in the bathroom at Kimberly Susman's party to celebrate her new nose.
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.
And I started thinking about unpredictability as it relates to Passover. In times of Egyptian slavery, life was predictable: each day as a slave is the same because you have no choices to make. No one would have predicted that Prince Moses would have killed an Egyptian taskmaster for oppressing a slave, forcing Moses to flee. No one would have predicted that Moses would return to Egypt to demand freedom from his people because a burning bush told him to. Every one of the ten plagues subverted predictions and expectations. And water, too behaves unpredictably: the Nile turns to blood, and the Red Sea - chaotically and unpredictably - parts.
In our Seder, we have one hand washing without a blessing, and one with a blessing. As we know from movies and from life, sometimes droplets run in one direction, and sometimes in the other. And when we encounter something unpredictable, it helps to know that it's part of a larger context, whether you call it a narrative, a belief system, a theory or a Seder.
Karpas
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. A lot of 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.
Discussion Question: Turn to your partner for a moment and discuss what object you would want to use as a representation of spring and rebirth on your Seder plate.
Yachatz, We were on a break!
There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces. Tonight this perfect piece of matzah will represent Rachel and Ross’ beautiful relationship. We will now break the matzah to symbolize that time they were on a break and we as a people had to wait season after season for them to get back together. This is the story of the matzah.
The Jewish people were told many times that they were going to be let go but Pharaoh kept changing his mind. 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. It was not until the end of the Passover story that the Jews were finally able to leave Egypt into freedom just like Rachel and Ross’ love.
4 Questions
Why is tonight different from all other nights? Tonight we go to the 90s.
On all other nights we eat leavened bread, why tonight do we eat dunkaroos?
On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, why tonight do we refuse to eat our veggies?
On all other nights we aren’t expected to dip our vegetables one time but twice, why tonight do we fun dip?
On all other nights we sit in regular chairs but tonight why do we recline on inflatable plastic chairs?
The Four Clueless Children
There is no better 90's film to represent the four children of the Passover story than the characters from the beloved classic, Clueless.
Let's begin with the Wise Child: In our traditional text the wise child asks, “What is the meaning of the laws and traditions God has commanded?" You should teach them all the traditions of Passover.
Dionne is always there to explain how the world works, to remind Cher to stop at stop signs, (she totally paused) and try to stop Murray from shaving his head. Dionne is the rational thinker in the group, the responsible one.
The second child is the Wicked Child, who traditionally asks, “What does this service mean to you?” This child says “to you” and does not feel a part of our observances. We ask this child to listen closely and become part of our traditions and learn what the Seder means.
This wicked child is Amber. She thinks she is above everyone else. She just shows up to the Seder to show off her new ____, she does not feel a part of the experience. “Was I the only one listening? I thought it totally reeked.”
The Simple Child, “What is all of this? We hope that each year they observe the tradition and start to learn it’s customs.
Cher is Clueless, she wants to do the right thing but continues to fall short. She “helps” Tai be a better person, she donates to the Pismo Beach disaster, “Daddy, some people lost all their belongings. Don't you think that includes athletic equipment?”. She at one point says “ I thought they declared peace in the Middle East?” She wants everything to be perfect in the world, and is slowly learning how to do her part.
The Child Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask, we traditionally just explain to the child that that g-d brought us out of Egypt and tonight we celebrate that freedom.
Tai doesn’t know how to ask. She comes from a different world than the rest of the girls and just goes along with what she is being told. She’s just rolling with the homies.
Some of you might know the original, Go Down Moses. But in the Finkelstein(now Schiff) family we always had Rugrats on the mind we this is our modest adaptation.
Let My Babies Go!
When Israel was in Egypt land
Let my babies go!
Oppressed so hard they could not crawl
Let my babies go!
So Tommy went to Egypt land
Let my babies go
He made Angelica understand
Let My babies go
Go Down Tommy
Way down to Egypt land
Tell ol, Angelica
To let my babies go!
Thus spoke the Lord, bold Tommy said
Let my babies go
If not I'll smite, your firstborn dead
Let my babies go
Go Down Tommy
Way down to Egypt land
Tell ol, Angelica
To let my babies go!
Tell ol' Angelica, to let my babies go.
Tell ol, Angelica, to let my babies go.
The 90s Exodus
Long ago, Pharaoh (Angelica) ruled the land of Egypt. She enslaved the Jewish people and made them work very hard building her cities. One day Pharaoh made a decree that the Jewish people must kill their sons. The Jewish people did not want to give in, one mother hid her baby, Moses (Tommy), in a basket and sent him down the river. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and took him home to live in the palace as her own son.
Tommy grew up to become the prince of Fresh Prince of Egypt where he saw the harsh treatment of the slaves. He had to toughen up and defend the slaves. He got into an altercation with one of the guards and ran away and became a shepherd in Bel-air.
While he was looking after the sheep, he saw a bush on fire that did not burn up and heard God (Quailman’s) voice telling him to go back to Egypt, to tell Pharoah to let the Jewish people go.
When Tommy went to Angelica, he said: "Let my people go". Angelica said "No".
So Quailman sent the first plague upon the Egyptians by turning the water into blood. Tommy then went back to Angelica. He said, "Let my babies go". Angelica said "No". He then sent frogs. But still, Angelica said no. So G-d continued sending the plagues upon the Egyptian people; 10 plagues in all.
Finally, Angelica agreed to allow the Jewish people to be free. The people got ready to leave very quickly, so quickly that their bread didn't have time to rise, hence why we have matzah.
They walked through the desert to the red sea. Pharaoh's soldiers chased after them. When they got to the sea, Moses held up his staff and with the help of G-d, the sea divided.
The Jewish people walked through the sea to freedom.
(RAPPED TO THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR THEME SONG)
Now this is a story all about how
Some plagues came and flipped my smile into a frown
Now I need to pop this boil (Plague 6) – hey watch out for that bear (Plague 4)!
I’ll tell you how our firstborns were murdered (Plague 10) ’cause of Moses’s dare
Just West of the Nile born and raised,
Racing chariots was how I spent most of my days,
Being groomed for leadership, women galore,
Drinking with Moses some crazy tall pours
When my dad got sick and like that I understood
Egypt was mine - for bad or for good
I looked around at all the Israelites and man I got scared
Don’t overrun my home – I really did care!
The Israelites begged and pleaded with me day after day
’Cause I enslaved and made ’em bundle a crap-ton of hay
Making bricks for my cities, getting whipped in every pit
Then one day Moses murdered an Egyptian he hit
After many years away Moses came back just like that
He said God wanted me to free them – wearing a little Jew hat
I said I don’t think so, you need a breath of fresh air
Then the Nile turned to blood (Plague 1) – man it really wasn’t fair
Well, other plagues followed – all my cattle got gout (Plague 5)
Locusts filled up the whole sky (Plague 8), I started to doubt
In the end it was a no brainer, the choice just really clear
I let them go, then changed my mind, who else would make my beer?
I whistled for my chariot and when it came near
Its wheels were covered in frogs (Plague 2) – and hail (Plague 7) had
shattered the mirror
’Twas for the best because of lice (Plague 3) I’d shaved all my hair
But I thought “Man at least it’s dark” (Plague 9) – no one will be aware
I pulled up to the sea not realizing my fate
And I yelled to my soldiers – “Those Israelites are haters”
They chased them onto dry land – no time to beware
Those waves crashed down, and my kingdom was bare
Do it Yourself 10 Plagues
When Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go, g-d unleashed 10 plagues on the Egyptians before Pharaoh finally gave in.
The ten plagues are dark, use your gel pens and Lisa Frank stickers to brighten them up.
2nd Cup of Wine and Dayenu
Hit me baby one more time. Now we raise our glass for our 2nd round of wine.
For this glass we say thank you to g-d for all he did to deliver us out of Egypt. If that was all he would have done it would have been enough, dayenu. If God had only given us the Torah, that would have been enough, dayenu.
Now take a moment to turn to your partner and tell them one thing you are grateful to them for. Dayenu.
Clarissa explains it all about matzah
So, here how it all went down. After each plague Pharaoh said he would let the Israelites go but after each one he changed his mind so when the final plague struck, the Israelites did not have much time to get their belongings packed to leave Egypt. They didn’t even have time to let their bread rise. That’s why today, we have matzah!
Matzah is the most important item in the Seder, and eating it fulfills the central mitzvah of Passover.
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.
Shulchan Oreich
Now it’s time for the third glass of wine and to eat our Passover meal. It is going to taste better than your average 90’s meal.
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 Cup of Elijah
We now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder.
In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of God to a disbelieving people. At the end of his life, rather than dying, he was whisked away to heaven. Tradition holds that he will return in advance of messianic days to herald a new era of peace, so we set a place for Elijah at many joyous, hopeful Jewish occasions, such as a baby’s bris and the Passover seder.
אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּיאֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ,אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי
בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵֽינוּ
עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד
עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד
Eliyahu hanavi
Eliyahu hatishbi
Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi
Bimheirah b’yameinu, yavo eileinu
Im mashiach ben-David,
Im mashiach ben-David
Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad:
return to us speedily,
in our days with the messiah,
son of David.
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!
