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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Even if we were all scholars and sages, we would still have to tell and explain the story of the exodus in our language. For this reason we have put together our own Hagaddah to fulfill our duty to tell the story of the Exodus from Mizrahim.
This Haggadah is designed for those with short attention spans: the youngest among us, the oldest and those in the middle.
The seder officially begins with a physical act: lighting the candles. In Jewish tradition, lighting candles and saying a blessing over them marks a time of transition, from the day that is ending to the one that is beginning, from ordinary time to sacred time. Lighting the candles is an important part of our Passover celebration because their flickering light reminds us of the importance of keeping the fragile flame of freedom alive in the world.
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 acknowledge that as they brighten our Passover table, good thoughts, good words, and good deeds brighten our days.
As we prepare to wash our hands, we must remember that...many in the United States and around the world do not have access to clean water. Clean water is not a privilege; it is a basic human right. One in ten people currently lack access to clean water. That’s nearly 1 billion people in the world without clean, safe drinking water. Almost 3.5 million people die every year because of inadequate water supply.
We symbolize the uplifting of cleansed hands by raising hands into the air.
Raise the tray with Matzhas and recite:
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין
Ha lachma anya dee achalu avhatana b'ara d'meetzrayeem. Kol deechfeen yeitei v'yeichol, kol deetzreech yeitei v'yeefsach. Hashata hacha, l'shanah haba-ah b'ara d'yisra-el. Hashata avdei, l'shanah haba-ah b'nei choreen.
This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need, come and share the Pesach meal. This year, we are here. Next year, in the land of Israel. This year, we are slaves. Next year, we will be free.
In this paragraph, we remember the oppression of our ancestors, and by that obligate ourselves to face the oppression of others. As we recline and recall our ancestors’ movement from oppression to freedom, may we feel the obligation that comes with it. May we open our hearts and our homes to the need around us, and turn to create redemption in our own day.
WE’RE UNBREAKING UP
Reflect: Our world is broken and we are often unintentionally the source of that breaking. What’s something (object, relationship, etc.) you intentionally or unintentionally broke this past year?
The Jewish tradition teaches that it’s not up to us to finish the work of repairing all that is broken with the world, but that we still must engage and do all we can. What actions will you take this year to heal and repair?
Break the middle matzah of the three at the head of the table – the bigger half magically becomes the Afikoman (more on that later). See if you can snag it when the leader isn’t looking and hold it ransom – we can’t finish our #friendseder™ without it!
Skit - The Real Reason We Had Unleavened Bread
By
Dave Cowen
BARBARA WALTERS
Hello, I’m Barbara Walters and welcome to a special episode of 20/20.
If you’re a Jewish person, you’ve likely heard the Passover story every year of your life.
You think you know why we eat matzo.
The Jews were in such a haste to leave Egypt that they could only take unleavened bread.
However, a Jewish archaeologist has recently uncovered perhaps the real reason.
Please welcome Dr. Carrie Levy to the show.
DR. LEVY
Hi, Barbara, thanks for having me.
BARBARA WALTERS
So tell us about your big discovery.
DR. LEVY
Well, it’s quite simple really. The Passover story presupposes that the unleavened bread could have risen. But my book asks the question, “Maybe it couldn’t?”
BARBARA WALTERS
So if the bread couldn’t have risen, even if there had been time, what did happen?
DR. LEVY
My research suggests that the Jewish people made an error with their sourdough starter.
BARBARA WALTERS
Those sourdough starters are very challenging. I’ve been trying to perfect my loaf all pandemic.
DR. LEVY
Exactly. Yes, me, too. That’s how I came up with the theory.
BARBARA WALTERS
What do you mean?
DR. LEVY
Because of the pandemic, like everyone else, I’ve been unable to leave my house. Or go to the sites in Egypt I normally excavate. So instead I started trying to perfect my sourdough loaf at home. And had tremendous trouble.
WOLF BLITZER
Me, too.
JAKE TAPPER
Yes, same with me.
DR. LEVY
Wow, this is quite an episode of 20/20 with three Jewish hosts.
BARBARA WALTERS
Well, Wolf gave Jake his sourdough “mother” which Jake shared with me, so I only thought it fair to include them.
DR. LEVY
Actually, sharing the “mother” is I think where the Jews went awry.
JAKE TAPPER
How so?
DR. LEVY
If you overshare the “mother”, the “feedings” or “refreshments” cycles can be skipped or lost.
BARBARA WALTERS
Maybe, that’s what’s wrong with mine?
JAKE TAPPER
I fed my “mother” perfectly. If we had problems, Barbara, it must have been Wolf’s fault.
BARBARA WALTERS
Well, who did you get your “mother” from, Wolf?
WOLF BLITZER
Larry.
BARBARA WALTERS
Larry King?
WOLF BLITZER
Yes, may he rest in peace.
JAKE TAPPER
So since Larry King passed away, may he rest in peace, we can’t find out if the starter went bad with him or before him.
DR. LEVY
And that’s the same with my research.
BARBARA WALTERS
What do you mean?
DR. LEVY
I can’t find out for sure if the starter is the reason the Jews’ bread was unleavened or not.
WOLF BLITZER
Wait, you wrote a whole book about your theory without any proof?
BARBARA WALTERS
And by proof, we also mean the term for the final rise in baking.
DR. LEVY
Well, as I said, I’ve been unable to leave my home for almost a year now. So I couldn’t excavate the Egyptian sites looking for the starter. And I was just sitting around the house trying to make these troublesome sourdough loaves. So I thought I might as well write a book. Even if it was speculative.
JAKE TAPPER
Well, that’s understandable.
BARBARA WALTERS
Why did I come out of retirement for this?
WOLF BLITZER
It seems maybe the original Passover story really still is true then.
DR. LEVY
Yeah, probably.
BARBARA WALTERS
That’s it for our show. Thanks, I guess, to Dr. Levy. And to Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper. Join us next week when we’ll be meeting with some Jewish entrepreneurs about their latest pandemic fitness craze. Where they get you lost, then you have to walk back home through the desert.
Raise the tray with Matzhas and recite:
הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין
Ha lachma anya dee achalu avhatana b'ara d'meetzrayeem. Kol deechfeen yeitei v'yeichol, kol deetzreech yeitei v'yeefsach. Hashata hacha, l'shanah haba-ah b'ara d'yisra-el. Hashata avdei, l'shanah haba-ah b'nei choreen.
This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need, come and share the Pesach meal. This year, we are here. Next year, in the land of Israel. This year, we are slaves. Next year, we will be free.
Setting: A dusty street in an small Egyptian city.
Moses: It's time to ask the five questions.
Aaron: Four, sir! It's FOUR questions.
Moses: Right. Thou shalt ask four. No more. No less. Four shall be the number thou shalt ask, and the number of the asking shall be four. Five shalt thou not ask, nor either ask thou three, excepting that thou then proceed to four.
Enter King Arthur and the Black Knight. King Arthur fights the Black Knight. First King Arthur cuts off the Black Knight's right arm, but he keeps on fighting. Then Arthur cuts off the Black Knight's left arm, followed by his right leg, and then finally cuts off his left leg. The Black Knight keeps fighting. King Arthur turns toward the camera with a puzzled look and asks, "Why is this knight different from all other knights?"
Pause. Let the audience groan.
Then continue. Yes, we know that's only one question, but who's counting?
The wise son says “Dad, wontcha call on me.” I know the Torah and the codes They’re good and they’re sweet And I know ‘em complete
The others might as well take a doze. La-di-die-diddy-die. . .
Sing us a song you’re the Pesah man Sing us a song tonight Well we’re all in the mood for a macaroon And you’ve got us feeling alright.
The wicked son curses: “bleep bleep bleep” If he’d been there he’d have died And he’s quick with a poke or to tell a bad joke And if his lips are moving it’s a lie
He says, “Dad I believe this is killing me.” As a smile grew big on his face “Well I’m sure that I could be a movie star If I could get out of this place.
Low the third of the sons is a simple guy Neither a dolt nor Einstein He’s simply gonna ask So we’ll answer, no task
And I think that’s really just fine.
And the fourth of the sons really has no clue He can’t even get the words out So we’ll tell him the story We won’t make it real boring
I don’t see us needing to shout. La-di-die-diddy-die. . .
Sing us a song you’re the Pesah man Sing us a song tonight Well we’re all in the mood for a macaroon And you’ve got us feeling alright.
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.
Let us all fill our cups with wine...
Reader 1: Tonight we drink four cups of the fruit of the vine. There are many explanations for this custom. They represent, some have said, the four terms God to describe the redemption in Exodus: "I shall take you out...", "I shall rescue you...", "I shall redeem you...", "I shall bring you..." The four cups might also reprsent the four corners of the earth, for freedom must live everywhere; the four seasons of the year, for freedom's cycle must last through all the seasons.
Reader 2: A full cup of wine symbolizes complete happiness. The triumph of Passover is diminished by the sacrifice of many human lives when ten plagues were visited upon the people of Egypt. In the ancient story, the plagues that befell the Egyptians resulted from the decisions of tyrants, but the greatest suffering occurred among those who had no choice but to follow. It is fitting that we mourn their loss of life, and express our sorrow over their suffering. Therefore, let us diminish the wine in our cups as we recall the ten plagues that befell the Egyptian people.
[As each plague is named, everyone dips a finger in wine and then touches a plate to remove the drop.]
Blood, Frogs, Gnats, Flies, Cattle Disease, Boils, Hail, Locusts,Darkness, Death of the
Firstborn.
Reader 3: In the same spirit, our celebration today is also shadowed by our awareness of continuing sorrow and oppression in all parts of the world. Ancient plagues are mirrored in modern
tragedies.
Reader 4: We are a world people, living in many lands and among many nations. The power of science has shrunk our planet and has made all of us the children of one human family. We are all victims together of enormous social problems. We share in their effects and in the responsibility to overcome them.
Reader 5: We spill wine from our cups at the mention of each of these contemporary plagues. We cannot allow ourselves to drink a full measure since our own lives are sobered by these ills, which darken our lives and diminish our joy. As the pain of others diminishes our joys, let us once more diminish the wine of our festival as we repeat the names of these modern plagues:
Group:
Hunger, War, Crime,
Disease, Racism, Abuse,
Poverty, Homophobia, Pollution,
Apathy and indifference to human suffering.
Dayenu means “it would have been enough.” The idea is to practice gratitude, in spite of all the crappy shit Jews are always dealing with. So thinking back over the trashfire of the past year, let's name some of the stuff we've felt grateful for and sing Dayenu!
We stayed healthy. Dayenu!
We had a safe home to live in. Dayenu!
etc.
Have Yourself a Piece of Bitter Maror
By Gary Teblum
(sung to the tune of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”)
Have yourself a piece of bitter maror
On each seder night
Then we’ll feel
The toils and our people's plight.
Have yourself a piece of bitter maror
Hillel sandwich way,
We'll recall,
Our troubles weren’t so far away.
Here we are as in a olden days,
Such sad slavin' days of yore.
Family, friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more.
Through the years we all will be together
Just as we are now
Eating matzah, teaching all the children how.
And have yourself a piece of bitter maror now.
CUP OF REDEMPTION
At a traditional seder we fill a cup of wine for the prophet Elijah who is a symbol of redemption.
At this seder we are raising a cup of water as a symbol of the redemption that women have brought through the generations.
All: Water is the symbol of life.
Reader: The biblical prophet Miriam saved her brother from the waters of the Nile, she led the song of victory aber the waters of the red sea parted and God gave abundant water to the people.
Reader: We remember Miriam the prophet, who danced at the Sea of Reeds to celebrate the Exodus, a well of fresh water was said to follow her in the desert so that the Israelites always had water to drink. We remember Prophet Miriam
Reader: Instead of being enslaved, Harriet Tubman, known as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, set out with her two brothers, and followed the North Star in the sky to guide her north to freedom always walking near the water’s edge.
Reader: We remember, Harriet Tubman, conductor on the Underground Railroad, who led 300 captured Africans from slavery to freedom, as she sang Wade in the Water, a warning to those who followed that the water would protect them from trouble and offer redemption.
All: We acknowledge that water itself is necessary to sustain life. Water is the symbol of redemption.
The Racial Justice & Inclusivity Haggadah
Download here: https://globaljews.org/resources/holidays/passover/racial-justice-and-inclusivity-haggadah/
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Octavia Butler quote:
"All that you touch you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change."
If there is a hard, high wall and an egg that breaks against it, no matter how right the wall or how wrong the egg, I will stand on the side of the egg. Why? Because each of us is an egg, a unique soul enclosed in a fragile egg. Each of us is confronting a high wall. The high wall is the system which forces us to do the things we would not ordinarily see fit to do as individuals . . . We are all human beings, individuals, fragile eggs. We have no hope against the wall: it's too high, too dark, too cold. To fight the wall, we must join our souls together for warmth, strength. We must not let the system control us -- create who we are.
HARUKI MURAKAMI
Jerusalem can wait. . .
Next year with all of us vaccinated!
Next year without a global pandemic!
Next year with the rest of our family!
From: Who Wrote the Passover Haggadah?
Elon Gilad Ha'aretz April 18, 2019
The Mishnah is our oldest source prescribing the order of the Passover Seder. (3rd or 4th century CE)
The earliest manuscript to survive is an 8th century Haggadah discovered in the Cairo Geniza. It is strikingly similar to both our modern day Haggadahs and the text of the Mishnah
Kadesh
As is done in the contemporary Seder, the Mishnah tells us to start with Kiddush. It does not however provide the text , though the Talmud written two centuries later does (c. 500).
According to the Mishnah, the House of Hillel says we should first bless the wine and then the day. The House of Shammai says it’s the other way around. Like in most cases when the two houses disagreed, the Jews wound up siding with the House of Hillel.
Urchatz
The Mishnah is mute about the washing of hands at his point, though it is mentioned in the Talmud.
The earliest manuscripts of the Haggadah dictate that a benediction should be chanted after washing your hands. Today’s Haggadahs actually say you shouldn’t.
Why this change took place is not clear but it happened sometime during the Middle Ages.
Karpas
The Mishnah is very terse on the herb. It only says: “It is brought before him and the hazeret is dipped.” Early Haggadahs like our own have the benediction on vegetables spelled out. As for the nature of hazeret, in modern Hebrew that means "horseradish" though this is due to a misunderstanding. Today, different families have different customs for the actual vegetable or leaf used.
Yachatz
This portion only appeared in the Middle Ages, it is based on a Talmudic passage in which Rav Papa describes breaking his matzas..
Magid
HaLachma Aniya first appears in Rabbi Amram’s Haggadah, dating from the 9th century.
The Four Questions
Ma Nishtana? - While one of the most well known parts in the Haggadah is very ancient, it has gone through some change since it was first spelled out.
The Mishnah asks: Why matza? Why bitter herbs? Why roasted meat? and why double-dip? In our own Haggadahs we dropped the roasted meat, which had to do with the temple sacrifice we don’t observe any more, and instead ask why we recline while we eat, while on other nights we sit up.
This change probably came about during the 11th century.
Avadim Hayinu only appears in the Middle Ages.
The discussion between Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Akiva on the reading of Shama in Bnei Brak doesn’t appear in the Talmud or in the earlier Haggadahs, though the characters described in the conversation are from the second century.
The four sons
The four sons - wise, wicked, simple and one who can't even ask questions - appear in the Jerusalem Talmud, where Rabbi Hyyia, a student of Rabbi Judah the Prince, is quoted as bringing this parable.
Hyyia’s text varies quite a bit from the text we know today: for one, the simple child is not "simple" but stupid.
In the beginning our forefathers were… this is a medieval addition of unknown source.
Vehi sheamda - appears in the early 8th century Haggadahs. So does Tze ulmad.
Here the Mishnah only gives us a short instruction that one should read the entire “Wondering Aramian” portion, alluding to Deuteronomy 26:5-8. The earliest Haggadahs give this text with some minor additions. Our contemporary Haggadahs have the same portion – and a lot of other biblical texts added within it.
The plagues appear
At this point the 10 plagues are recited. This recitation is not explicitly warranted by the Mishnah.
The early Haggadahs have the ten plagues, not the following elaborations, including Rabbi Judah’s helpful acronym for remembering the plagues and the weird counting of them by his contemporaries, the rabbis Yossi, Eliezer and Akiva. This material comes from a Halakhic Midrash called the Mekhilta, which was written sometime between the 2nd and 5th centuries.
Dayenu - This poem first appears in the 9th century Seder Rav Amram.
The next part, with Gamaliel saying that one must say pesach, matza and maror is from the Mishnah and was likely said by the distinguished rabbi. The elaborations on this are medieval reworkings of Talmudic elaborations (Pesachim 116b) on the original short elaborations that appear in the Mishnah.
The following Bekhol dor vador, Lefikhakh aleynu lehodot and Nomar alav halleluia are all taken directly from the Mishnah, with only minor changes.
Next the Mishnah says we should sing some psalms, but tells us the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel disagree on how many. We follow the House of Hillel and read both Psalm 113 and 114.
The following benediction Ga’al Yisrael is based on quotes by rabbis Tarfon and Akiva that appear in the Mishnah.
Rakhatz
The washing of the hands with a benediction here is a medieval contrivance.
Mozti Matza
Hamotzi appears in the early Haggadah manuscripts found in the Cairo Genizah, but the special benediction on the matza is newer, only appearing in medieval haggadot.
Maror
The benediction on the maror only appears in the Middle Ages.
Korekh
This section only appears in later medieval haggadot.
Shulkhan Arukh
Though the Mishnah isn’t explicit on this, it is clear that this is where the meal took place.
Tzafun
It is not exactly clear when the tradition of stealing/hiding a piece of matza began.
The tradition is based on a quote from Rabbi Eliezer in the Talmud, saying that “matzot are stolen on Passover Eve so that the children won’t fall asleep” - though it isn’t at all clear what he means.
The stolen matza began to be called the afikoman in the Middle Ages, though it isn’t clear why. Also, the name for this piece of matza is a borrowed word from Greek, meaning dessert. But the Mishnah explicitly says that afikoman must not be eaten at the Seder's end.
Barekh
The Mishnah forgets to say we should eat - but does say we should recite the benediction on our food. These benedictions appear in the Talmud and are composed of mainly biblical texts.
Halel
The Mishnah only says that one finishes with praise (halel).
The early Genizah Haggadot finish after the benediction on the food, but in the Middle Ages, that short statement in the Mishnah was interpreted as meaning that one should read a collection from The Book of Psalms.
Nirtza
All the songs at the end of the Haggadah are late additions to the Passover Seder.
Some are adaptations from older texts, such is Ve-Natan Lanu Et Mamonam, but most are folk songs written for the entertainment of children in the Diaspora.
The most popular examples are:
Adir Hu, which appeared in Europe in the 15th century.
Echad Mi Yodea, which is also believed to have originated in the 15th century and is probably an adaptation of a German folk song "Guter freund ich frage dich", meaning "Good friend whom I ask."
Khad Gadya, which appeared in Europe in the 16th century. It’s written in flawed Aramaic.
This concludes our quick survey of the Seder. We hope it will enrich yours and your family’s holiday experience.
https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/525986299-93dfaaa1d302c6755289feb028ee31407e066a7270fef836e04b4a033ce12f17-d_295x166
