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SHARING THE STORY

PASSOVER FOR ALL


Introduction
Each year, we gather with friends, family, and other members of our community to share the retelling of the
story of Passover. We recall a dark time in history when the Jewish People were slaves, when we were not
allowed the most simple freedoms that are the basic rights of all human beings. As we reflect on that time
of hardship, it reminds us to never take for granted of all the blessings in our lives. It also reminds us that
even in our world today, there are people who live in fear, people who live under tyranny, people who are
in need physically, emotionally or spiritually. May we all find some way, in the spirit of ‫( עולם תקון‬tikkun
olam), the healing of the world, to use our blessings to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

SEDER
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.

Some people like to begin their seder by reciting or singing the names of the 14 steps – this will help you
keep track of how far away the main course is!

ׁ ‫קַדֵּש‬Kiddush (the blessing over wine) | kadeish |


‫וּרְחַץ‬Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the seder | urchatz |
‫כַּרְפַּס‬Dipping a green vegetable in salt water| karpas |
‫יַחַץ‬Breaking the middle matzah | yachatz |
‫מַגִּיד‬Telling the story of Passover | magid |
‫רָחְצָה‬Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal | rachtza |
‫מַצָּה מוֹצִיא‬The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah |
‫מָרוֹר‬Dipping the bitter herb in sweet charoset | maror |
ְ‫כּוֹרֵך‬Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb | koreich |
‫עוֹרֵךְ שֻׁלְחָן‬Eating the meal! | shulchan oreich |
‫צָפוּן‬Finding and eating the Afikomen | tzafoon |
ְ‫בָּרֵך‬Saying grace after the meal and inviting Elijah the Prophet | bareich |
‫הַלֵּל‬Singing songs that praise God | hallel |
‫נִרְצָה‬Ending the seder and thinking about the future | nirtzah |
SEDER PLATE
Three matzot are placed on top of each other on a plate or napkin, and then covered. The matzot are
symbolic of the three castes of Jews: Priests, Levites, and Israelites. They also commemorate the three
measures of fine flour that Abraham told Sarah to bake into matzah when they were visited by the three
angels

SHANK BONE - A piece of roasted meat represents the lamb that was the special Paschal sacrifice on the
eve of the exodus from Egypt, and annually, on the afternoon before Passover, in the Holy Temple.

THE EGG - A hard-boiled egg represents the holiday offering brought in the days of the Holy Temple. The
meat of this animal constituted the main part of the Passover meal.

BITTER HERBS - Bitter herbs (maror) remind us of the bitterness of the slavery of our forefathers in
Egypt.

THE PASTE - A mixture of apples, nuts and wine, which resembles the mortar and brick made by the Jews
when they toiled for Pharaoh.

KARPAS - A non-bitter root vegetable alludes to the backbreaking work of the Jews as slaves. The Hebrew
letters of the word karpas can be arranged to spell “perech samech.” Perech means backbreaking work, and
samech is numerically equivalent to 60, referring to 60 myriads, equaling 600,000, which was the number
of Jewish males over 20 years of age who were enslaved in Egypt.

LETTUCE - The lettuce symbolizes the bitter enslavement of our fathers in Egypt. The leaves of romaine
lettuce are not bitter, but the stem, when left to grow in the ground, turns hard and bitter. So it was with our
enslavement in Egypt. At first the deceitful approach of Pharaoh was soft and sensible, and the work was
done voluntarily and even for pay. Gradually, it evolved into forced and cruel labor.

ORANGE - In the early 1980s, while speaking at Oberlin College Hillel, Susannah Heschel, a well-known
Jewish feminist scholar, was introduced to an early feminist Haggadah that suggested adding a crust of
bread on the seder plate, as a sign of solidarity with Jewish lesbians (which was intended to convey the idea
that there's as much room for a lesbian in Judaism as there is for a crust of bread on the seder plate).

Heschel felt that to put bread on the seder plate would be to accept that Jewish lesbians and gay men violate
Judaism like hametz [leavened food] violates Passover.

So at her next seder, she chose an orange as a symbol of inclusion of gays and lesbians and others who are
marginalized within the Jewish community. She offered the orange as a symbol of 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. While lecturing, Heschel often mentioned her custom as one of
many feminist rituals that have been developed in the last 20 years. She writes, "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 [podium of a synagogue] 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 erased. Isn't that precisely what's happened over the
centuries to women's ideas?"
KADEISH
Kiddush (the blessing over wine) | kadeish | ׁ‫קַדֵּש‬

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.

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.

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!

URCHATZ
Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the seder | urchatz | ‫וּרְחַץ‬

Water is refreshing, cleansing, and clear, so it’s easy to understand why so many cultures and religions use
water for symbolic purification. We will wash our hands twice during our seder: now, with no blessing, to
get us ready for the rituals to come; and then again later, we’ll wash again with a blessing, preparing us for
the meal, which Judaism thinks of as a ritual in itself. (The Jewish obsession with food is older than you
thought!) 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.
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.

KARPAS
Dipping a green vegetable in salt water | karpas | ְ‫פַּסכַּר‬

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:

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?

YACHATZ
Breaking the middle matzah | yachatz | ‫יַחַץ‬

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?
MAGGID
Telling the story of Passover | maggid |‫מַגִּיד‬

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 FOUR QUE STION S


Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol
haleilot?

Sheb'khol haleilot anu okhlin hametz


umatzah; halailah hazeh, kuloh matzah.

Sheb'khol haleilot anu okhlin sh'ar y'rakot;


halailah hazeh, maror.

Sheb'khol haleilot ein anu matbilin afilu


pa'am ehat; halailah hazeh, shtei f'amim.

Sheb'khol haleilot anu okhlin bein yoshvin


uvein m'subin; halailah hazeh, kulanu
m'subin.

1. Why do we eat only Matzah on Pesach and not all kinds of breads and crackers like other nights?

When Pharaoh finally ordered Jews to get out of Egypt after the tenth plague, they were in such a hurry to
get away from slavery that they had no time to let their dough rise and bake their bread, so they took the
raw dough with them on their journey and baked it into hard crackers called Matzah in the hot dessert. That
is why we eat only Matzah on this day to remind us of their struggles.

2. Why do we eat bitter herbs or Maror at our Seder?

Maror or the bitter herbs are eaten to remind us of the bitterness of slavery and harsh and cruel ways in
which Israelite people were treated as slaves under the Pharaoh in Egypt.

3. At our Seder, why do we dip the parsley in salt water and the bitter herbs in charoset?

Parsley represents new life and spring while salt water represents tears of Israelite slaves and how hard they
worked in Egypt. Parsley dipped in salt water that represents new life that emerged from the tears and
hardship of the Israelite slaves. Charoset has a coarse texture like clay used to make bricks for the Pharaoh's
buildings.

4. Why do we lean on a pillow while eating tonight and do not sit straight like other nights?
Leaning on a pillow signifies the comforts of freedom. As slaves, our ancestors had little comforts, so we
lean on a pillow to assert that we are free now and we can sit straight or lean on a pillow as much as we
like. Discussion Question: What other questions about the uniqueness of the Seder can you think of?

THE FOUR CHIL DREN


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:

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.

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.

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?

TELLING OUR ST ORY


Telling Our Story

Our story starts in ancient times, with Abraham, the first person to have the idea that maybe all those little
statues his contemporaries worshiped as gods were just statues. The idea of one God, invisible and all-
powerful, inspired him to leave his family and begin a new people in Canaan, the land that would one day
bear his grandson Jacob’s adopted name, Israel.

God had made a promise to Abraham that his family would become a great nation, but this promise came
with a frightening vision of the troubles along the way: “Your descendants will dwell for a time in a land
that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years; however, I will punish
the nation that enslaved them, and afterwards they shall leave with great wealth."

Raise the glass of wine and say:

V’hi she-amda l’avoteinu v’lanu.

This promise has sustained our ancestors and us.

For not only one enemy has risen against us to annihilate us, but in every generation there are those who
rise against us. But God saves us from those who seek to harm us.

The glass of wine is put down.

During the time when Pharaoh issued his decree to kill Israelite males, Moses, who later was to lead the
Israelites out of slavery in Egypt to freedom, was an infant. His concerned mother, Jochebed placed him in
a basket of reeds in the Nile River while Moses’ sister Miriam watched from a distance to see who would
come to find him. The basket was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter, who decided to raise the infant as her
own son and named him Moses. She unknowingly hired Jochebed as a nurse to care for him, and Jochebed
secretly taught Moses his Israelite heritage. At age 40, on a visit to see his fellow Israelites, Moses saw an
Egyptian taskmaster beating an Israelite slave and in his rage, killed the Egyptian. Fearing for his life,
Moses fled Egypt. He fled across the desert, and took refuge in Midian.

While in Midian, Moses met a Midianite priest named Jethro and became a shepherd for the next 40 years,
eventually marrying one of Jethro’s daughters, Zipporah. Then, when Moses was about 80 years of age,
God spoke to him from a burning bush and said that he and his brother Aaron were selected by God to lead
the Israelites out of Egypt to freedom. At first, Moses hesitated to take on such a huge task, but eventually
Moses and his brother Aaron set about returning to Egypt, commencing what was to be the spectacular and
dramatic events that are told in the story of Passover. It is said that the Israelites entered Egypt as a group
of tribes and left Egypt one nation.
Under the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III in Egypt in 1476 BCE, the Israelite leader Moses led his people
out of Egypt after a series of 10 plagues that were created by God and initiated by Moses. Prior to most of
the plagues, Moses had warned the Pharaoh about each plague and that it would devastate his people, if he
refused to let the Israelites go. After the first two plagues, the Pharaoh refused to let them go because his
court magicians were able to re-create the same miracles. But when the third plague occurred, the
Pharaoh’s magicians were not able to duplicate this miracle; however, that still did not change the
Pharaoh’s mind about letting the Israelites leave Egypt. After each subsequent plague, the Pharaoh agreed
to let the Israelites go, but the Pharaoh soon changed his mind and continued to hold the Israelites as slaves.
Finally, after the 10th plague, the Pharaoh let the Israelites go for good.

With your finger tip, remove one drop of wine from your cup and wipe it on your plate, as each plague is
mentioned…

The 10 Plague s
Blood – ‫דָּם‬

Frogs – ַ‫צְפֵרְדֵּע‬

Lice – ‫ִּנִיםכ‬

Wild Beasts – ‫עָרוֹב‬

Blight – ‫דֶּבֶר‬

Boils – ‫שְׁחִין‬

Hail – ‫בָּרַד‬

Locusts – ‫אַרְבֶּה‬

Darkness – ְ‫חשֶׁך‬

Slaying of the First-Born – ‫בְּכוֹרוֹת מַכַּת‬

When the Pharaoh finally agreed to free the Israelite slaves, they left their homes so quickly that there
wasn’t even time to bake their breads. So they packed the raw dough to take with them on their journey. As
they fled through the desert they would quickly bake the dough in the hot sun into hard crackers called
matzah. Today to commemorate this event, Jews eat matzah in place of bread during Passover.

Though the Israelites were now free, their liberation was


incomplete. The Pharaoh’s army chased them through the
desert towards the Red Sea. When the Israelites reached the
sea they were trapped, since the sea blocked their escape.
When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army fast approaching
toward them, they called out in despair to Moses. Fortunately,
God intervened and commanded Moses to strike his staff on
the waters of the Red Sea, creating a rift of land between the
waves, enabling the Israelites to cross through the Red Sea to
safety on the other side. Once the Israelites were safely across,
God then commanded Moses to strike the waters of the Red
Sea with his staff again, just as the Egyptian army followed
them through the parted Red Sea. The waters came together
again, drowning the entire Egyptian army and the Israelites
were saved.
DAYENU
The word "Dayenu" means approximately, "it would have been enough for us", "it would have been
sufficient", or "it would have sufficed." The plagues and our subsequent redemption from Egypt are but one
example of the care God has shown for us in our history. Had God but done any one of these kindnesses, it
would have been enough – dayeinu.

Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, Dayeinu

If God had only taken us out of Egypt, that would have been enough!

Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et ha-Torah, Natan lanu et ha-Torah , Dayeinu

If God had only given us the Torah, that would have been enough.

Dayeinu also reminds us that each of our lives is the cumulative result of many blessings, small and large.

If He had brought us out from Egypt, and had not carried out judgments against them Dayenu, it would
have sufficed us!

If He had carried out judgments against them, and not against their idols Dayenu, it would have sufficed
us!

If He had destroyed their idols, and had not smitten their first-born Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had smitten their first-born, and had not given us their wealth Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had given us their wealth, and had not split the sea for us Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had split the sea for us, and had not taken us through it on dry land Dayenu, it would have sufficed
us!

If He had taken us through the sea on dry land, and had not drowned our oppressors in it Dayenu, it
would have sufficed us!

If He had drowned our oppressors in it, and had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years
Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years, and had not fed us the manna Dayenu, it
would have sufficed us!

If He had fed us the manna, and had not given us the Shabbat Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had given us the Shabbat, and had not brought us before Mount Sinai Dayenu, it would have
sufficed us!

If He had brought us before Mount Sinai, and had not given us the Torah Dayenu, it would have sufficed
us!

If He had given us the Torah, and had not brought us into the land of Israel Dayenu, it would have
sufficed us!

If He had brought us into the land of Israel, and had not built for us the Beit Habechirah (Chosen House;
the Beit Hamikdash) Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!
In Every Generation

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.”

The Second Glass of Wine

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.

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Finish the second glass of wine!

RACHTZA
Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal | rachtza | ‫רָחְצָה‬

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.

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.

MOTZI MATZAH
The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah | ‫מַצָּה מוֹצִיא‬

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.
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

We praise God, Ruler 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.

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.

MAROR
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?

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.

KOREICH
Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb | koreich | ְ‫כּוֹרֵך‬

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.

SHUL CHAN OREICH


Eating the meal! | shulchan oreich | ‫עוֹרֵךְ שֻׁלְחָן‬

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!
TZAFOON
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.

BAREICH
Saying grace after the meal and inviting Elijah the
Prophet | bareich | ְ‫בָּרֵך‬

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:

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


As we refill our wine glasses one last time, we 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.

Eliyahu hanavi

Eliyahu hatishbi

Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi

Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad: return to us speedily, in our days with the messiah, son
of David.

HALLEL
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. 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.

HE NEI M A T OV

Hinei ma tov umanaim

Shevet achim gam yachad

Hinei ma tov umanaim

Shevet achim gam yachad

Behold how good and

How pleasant it is

For brothers to dwell together


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.

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!

NIRTZAH
Ending the seder and thinking about the future | nirtzah | ‫נִרְצָה‬

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…

L’shana haba-ah biy’rushalayim

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!

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