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TABLE OF CONTENTS
On this night we retrace our steps from then to now, reclaiming years of desert wandering.
On this night we ask questions, ancient and new, speaking of servitude and liberation, service and joy.
On this night we welcome each soul, sharing stories of courage, strength, and faith.
On this night we open doors long closed, lifting our voices in songs of praise.
On this night we renew ancient hopes and dream of a future redeemed.
On this night we gather around Seder tables remembering our passage from bondage to freedom.
On this night we journey from now to then, telling the story of our people’s birth.
THE BLESSING OVER THE WINE
Fill your cup with the first glass of wine, lift the cup, say the Kiddush, and drink, leaning to the left. 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 first cup of 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, Spirit of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
SHEHECHEYANU
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, Spirit of Everything, who has kept us alive,
raised us up, and brought us to this happy moment.
DRINK THE FIRST GLASS OF WINE
RITUAL HAND-WASHING IN PREPARATION FOR THE SEDER
Water is refreshing, cleansing, and clear, so it’s easy to understand why so many cultures and religions use water for symbolic purification. Washing hands can take place twice during our Seder: now, with no blessing, to get us ready for the rituals to come; and then later, with a blessing, preparing us for the meal.
DIPPING A GREEN VEGETABLE IN SALT WATER
Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our Jewish memory with 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. We now take a vegetable, representing spring, and 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, Spirit of Everything, who creates the fruits of the earth.
BREAKING THE MIDDLE MATZO
There are three pieces of matzo stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzo into two pieces. One piece is called the Afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek. The Afikomen is hidden and must be found before the Seder can be finished.
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 before it had the chance to rise, leaving it looking something like matzo.
Uncover and hold up the three pieces of matzah and say together: 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.
Pour the second glass of wine for everyone.
The Haggadah doesn’t tell the story of Passover in a linear fashion. We don’t hear of Moses being found by the daughter of Pharaoh – actually, we don’t hear much of Moses at all. Instead, we get an impressionistic collection of songs, images, and stories of both the Exodus from Egypt and from Passover celebrations through the centuries. Some say that minimizing the role of Moses keeps us focused on the miracles God performed for us. Others insist that we keep the focus on the role that every member of the community has in bringing about positive change.
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?
As we tell the story, we think about it from all angles. Our tradition speaks of four different types of children who react individually to the Passover Seder. It is our job to make our story accessible to all the members of our community:
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, 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.”
Then we would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt, along with our children, and our children’s children. Even if all of us were wise, all of us discerning, all of us scholars, and all of us knowledgeable in Torah, it would still be a mitzvah for us to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
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 made in the image of God. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them.
Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass for a drop for each plague.
These are the ten plagues which God brought down on the Egyptians:
Blood | dam | דָּם
Frogs | tzfardeiya | צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ
Lice | kinim | כִּנִּים
Beasts | arov | עָרוֹב
Cattle disease | dever | דֶּֽבֶר
Boils | sh’chin | שְׁחִין
Hail | barad | בָּרָד
Locusts | arbeh | אַרְבֶּה
Darkness | choshech | חֹֽשֶׁךְ
Death of the Firstborn | makat b’chorot | מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת
The Egyptians needed ten plagues because after each one they were able to come up with excuses and explanations rather than change their behavior. Could we be making the same mistakes? Make up your own list. What are the plagues in your life? What are the plagues in our world today? What behaviors do we need to change to fix them?
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!
Rabban Gamliel used to say, “anyone who has not spoken of these three things on Pesach has not fulfilled his obligation: the Paschal sacrifice, matzah, and maror.”
(Point to the z’roa on the seder plate and say:)
The Paschal sacrifice our ancestors used to eat when the Temple stood, what was its significance? It commemorated the Holy One passing over the Israelites’ homes on the night the firstborn Egyptians were slain.
(Point to the matzah and say:)
This matzah that we are eating, what is its significance? It commem- orates our ancestors’ dough not having time to rise before they had to leave Mitzrayim when the Holy One redeemed them.
We recall our story of deliverance to freedom by blessing the second glass of wine:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Spirit of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
DRINK THE SECOND GLASS OF WINE
It’s time to wash hands again, but this time with the blessing. It’s customary not to speak at all between washing your hands and saying the blessings over the matzo:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.
We praise God, Spirit of Everything, who commands us to wash our hands.
EATING THE MATZO
Raise the matzo and recite two blessings: the regular bread blessing and then one specifically mentioning the mitzvah of eating matzo at Passover.
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.
We praise God, Spirit of everything who brings bread from the land.
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.
Blessed are You, Spirit of everything who commands us to eat matzo.
THE BITTER HERB
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.
Blessed are You, Spirit of the universe who commands us to eat bitter herbs.
MATZO SANDWICH OF BITTER HERB AND CHAROSET
While the English Earl of Sandwich is generally credited for inventing the snack of his namesake, Hillel may have originated it two thousand years ago by combining matzo, a slice of paschal lamb, and a bitter herb. Jews no longer sacrifice and eat the lamb, so now the Passover sandwich is only matzah, charoset, and a bitter herb.
The meal is served!
The half matzo, which was hidden earlier, now needs to be found before we can finish the Seder!
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam, hazan et ha’olam kulo b’tuvo b’chen b’chesed w’rachamin. Hu noten lechem l’chol basar ki l’olam chasdo. Uv’tuvo hagadol tamid lo chasar lanu v’al yech’sar lanu mason l’olam va’ed. Ba’avur sh’mo hagadol ki hu zan um’farnes lakol umetiv lakol umechin mazon l’chol b’riyotav asher bara. Baruch Atah Adonai hazan et hakol.
We praise God, Spirit of Everything, whose goodness sustains the world. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all, food for everyone. As it says in the Torah: When you have eaten and are satisfied we thank you for the earth and for its sustenance. Renew our spiritual center in our time. May the source of peace grant peace to us, to the Jewish people, and to the entire world.
Amen.
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, Spirit of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
PSALM 114
בֵּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם, בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז: הָיְתָה יְהוּדָה לְקָדְשׁוֹ. יִשְׂרָאֵל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָיו: הַיָּם רָאָה וַיָּנֹס, הַיַּרְדֵּן יִסֹּב לְאָחוֹר: הֶהָרִים רָקְדוּ כְאֵילִים. גְּבָעוֹת כִּבְנֵי–צֹאן:מַה–לְּךָ הַיָּם כִּי תָנוּס. הַיַּרְדֵּן תִּסֹּב לְאָחוֹר: הֶהָרִים תִּרְקְדו כְאֵילִים. גְּבָעוֹת כִּבְנֵי–צֹאן: מִלִּפְנֵי אָדוֹן חוּלִי אָרֶץ. מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלוֹהַּ יַעֲקֹב: הַהֹפְכִי הַצּוּר אֲגַם–מָיִם. חַלָּמִישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ–מָיִם.
B'tzeit Yisrael mi-Mitzrayim, beit Ya'acov me'am loez: haita y'hudah l'kodsho, Yisrael mamshelovav: Hayam ra'ah vayanos, ha-Yarden yisov l'achor: heharim rakdo k'eilim. G'vaot kivnei-tzon: mah-lecha hayam ki tanus, ha-Yarden tisov l'achor: heharim tir'kdu ch'eilim, g'vaot kivnei-tzon? Milifnei Adon chuli aretz. Milifnei eloha Ya-akov. Ha-hof'chi ha-tzur agam mayim. Halamish l'maino mayim.
When Israel went forth from Mitzrayim,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange speech,
Judah became God’s holy one,
Israel, God’s dominion.
The sea saw them and fled,
The Jordan ran backward,
Mountains skipped like rams,
Hills like sheep.
What alarmed you, O sea, that you fled,
Jordan, that you ran backward,
Mountains, that you skipped like rams,
Hills, like sheep?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of Adonai,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flinty rock into a fountain.
****
I thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(I who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
How should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
(—e.e. cummings)
****
From PSALM 118
מִן הַמֵּצַר קָרָאתִי יָּהּ, עָנָנִי בַמֶּרְחָב יָהּ.
Min ha-meitzar karati Yah, anani vamerchav yah.
From the straits I called to You; You answered me with great expansiveness.
עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ, וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה.
Ozi v'zimrat Yah, va-y'hi li li-y'shua.
God is my strength and my song, and will be my salvation.
פִּתְחוּ לִי שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק ,אָבֹא בָם אוֹדֶה יָהּ.
Pitchu li shaarei tzedek, avo vam odeh Yah.
Open for me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and offer praise.
זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַיְיָ, צַדִּיקִים יָבֹאוּ בוֹ.
Zeh ha-sha'ar l'Adonai, tzadikim yavo-u vo.
This is the gate of Adonai; righteous people enter through it!
זֶה הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה יְיָ, נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ.
Zeh hayom asah Yahh; nahgilah v’nismecha bo.
This is the day which God has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
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
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, as we say…
לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָׁלָֽיִם
L’shana haba-ah biy’rushalayim
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!
WHO KNOWS ONE?
Who Knows One? I know one!
One is our God in the heaven and earth.
Two are the tablets of the covenant.
Three are the patriarchs.
Four are the matriarchs.
Five are the books of the Torah.
Six are the sections of the Mishnah.
Seven are the days of the week.
Eight are the days to circumcision.
Nine are the months to childbirth.
Ten are the commandments at Sinai.
Eleven are the stars in Joseph’s dream.
Twelve are the tribes of Israel.
Thirteen are the attributes of God.
CHAD GADYA, CHAD GADYA
dizabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
Va'ata shunra,
ve'achla legadya
dizabin aba bitrei zuzei,
chad gadya, chad gadya.
An only kid! An only kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the cat and ate the kid
My father bought For two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the dog And bit the cat
That ate the kid
My father bought For two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the stick and beat the dog
That bit the cat that ate the kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the fire and burned the stick
That beat the dog That bit the cat
That ate the kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the water and quenched the fire
That burned the stick That beat the dog
That bit the cat that ate the kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the ox and drank the water
That quenched the fire that burned the stick
That beat the dog that bit the cat
That ate the kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the butcher and killed the ox
Then came the ox and drank the water
That quenched the fire that burned the stick
That beat the dog that bit the cat
That ate the kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the angel of death and slew the butcher
Then came the butcher and killed the ox
Then came the ox and drank the water
That quenched the fire that burned the stick
That beat the dog that bit the cat
That ate the kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
Then came the Holy One, blest be He!
And destroyed the angel of death
Then came the angel of death and slew the butcher
Then came the butcher and killed the ox
Then came the ox and drank the water
That quenched the fire that burned the stick
That beat the dog that bit the cat
That ate the kid
My father bought for two zuzim
Chad gadya, Chad gadya
