A Simple Haggadah
Introduction
We are here today to celebrate the Passover because God called it a mitzvot – a commandment, or something that is good because God made it good.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. (Exodus 12)
The Lord commanded us to remember these events so that we would remember him and his law:
This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year. (Exodus 13)
Lighting the Candles
The Passover leader, or the lady of the house, should now light the candles.
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm ah-sher ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr shehl yohm tohv.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-mah-noo ve-hig-ee-yah-noo liz-mahn hah-zeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
The Wine
Over the course of this ceremony we will drink four cups of wine (each cup can be as full as you want). Ancient rabbis taught that these four cups are symbolic of God's four promises to his people in Exodus 6:
"I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians"
"I will free you from being slaves"
"I will redeem you with an outstretched arm"
"I will take you to be my people"
God actually makes more promises in the next few sentences, but I suppose four cups of wine is enough:
"I will be your God"
"I will give [you this land] for a possession."
The First Cup
The Kiddish cup, or cup of sanctification sets this celebration apart. This is a sanctified meal and corresponds to the first of the "I will" statements:
"I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians." (Exodus 6:6)
Let us say the blessing:
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm Boray Pree Ha-ga-fen. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
While drinking, feel free to recline in your chair if it suits you. In the Roman empire, eating and drinking while reclining on a couch was a mark of nobility. Therefore, the Talmud instructed Jews to recline to the left in celebration of their freedom. However, God did not command this and a free person can take his wine how he pleases.
Everyone should now drink the first cup. When you're done, refill your glass so the second cup will be ready.
The First Washing
You are invited to wash your hands in the bowl at the center of the table. It is a symbolic washing only.
A Night of Symbols
The Seder table is different from our regular supper table. There are three pieces of matza, and a Seder plate with symbolic foods. Tradition tells us to explain each of the foods on the plate.
Matzos (unleavened bread) – Commemorating the bread that the Jews were compelled to eat during their hasty departure from Egypt.
Zeroah (the roasted lamb bone) – Symbolizes the lambs that were sacrificed by the Jews in Egypt. Also symbolizes the lamb sacrifice that was offered on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem, on the Passover.
Betzah (roasted egg) – Symbolizes new life and triumph over death. It also reminds us of the second offering, known as the "festival offering" that was brought to the Temple on Passover.
Karpas (parsley) – Reminds us that Passover coincides with the arrival of Spring and the gathering of the Spring harvest. Passover, in ancient times, was also an agricultural festival and an occasion on which our ancestors gave thanks for the earth's rich bounties.
Maror (bitter herbs, horseradish) – Symbolizes the bitterness of slavery, which the Jews were forced to endure in Egypt.
Charoset (mixture of chopped apples and nuts) – Symbolizes the mortar that the slaves in Egypt used to build their cities.
The Four Questions
The four questions originate in the Talmud.
Q: Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we may eat either leavened or unleavened bread, but on this night we eat only matza which is unleavened bread?
A: We eat only matzah because our ancestors could not wait for their breads to rise when they were fleeing slavery in Egypt, and so they were flat when they came out of the oven.
Q: On all other nights we eat vegetables and herbs of all kinds: Why on this night do we eat only bitter herbs?
A: Because our forefathers were slaves in Egypt and their lives were made bitter.
Q: Why on this night do we dip the parsley in saltwater and the bitter herbs in charoset?
A: The parsley is green and reminds us the Spring is here and new life will grow. The salt water reminds us of the tears that our forefathers shed before they were free. We dip the bitter herbs in the sweet charoset to remind us that our forefathers were able to withstand the bitterness of slavery because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom that God provides.
Q: On all other nights we eat either sitting upright or reclining: Why on this night do we all recline?
A: Reclining was the sign of a free man long ago, and since our forefathers were freed on this night, we recline at the table.
Retelling of the Story
We were once the slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord our God brought us forth from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. (Deu 6:21, 26:8)
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17)
“I am God, the God of your father,” he said [to Abram's descendant Jacob]. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. (Genesis 46)
The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
Then a new king ... came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. (Exodus 1)
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. (Exodus 2)
He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. He sent darkness and made the land dark— for had they not rebelled against his words? He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die. Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers. He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country. He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land; he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country. He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number; they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil. (Psalm 105)
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12)
He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered. Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them. (Psalm 105)
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord.
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14)
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. (Exodus 14)
The Second Cup
God's second promise was "I will free you from being slaves." He said that He would do this with "mighty acts of judgment." The ten plagues, which God brought on the Egyptians were those acts. As we recite the name of each plague, a drop of wine is taken from the cup. We do this by dipping our finger in the cup and shaking a drop off on the plate. We diminish our cup of joy to remember the suffering - even the suffering of our enemies. In doing this we are reminded of the high price paid for our freedom.
Blood; Frogs; Vermin; Flies; Pestilence; Boils; Hail; Locusts; Darkness; Slaying of the Firstborn
The plagues are how God showed the Egyptians and the Israelites that He had dominion over all the gods of Egypt, nature, and man.
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm Boray Pree Ha-ga-fen. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Everyone should drink the second cup, and feel free to recline if it suits you. Then, refill your glass so the third cup will be ready.
The Second Washing
You are invited to wash your hands in the bowl at the center of the table. It is a symbolic washing only.
Eating of the Karpas
We dip the parsley in salt water because it represents the tears of our forefathers in Egypt. The parsley represents their bitter life in slavery.
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melach Ha-olom Boray Pree Ha-adamah. Amen.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the Fruits of the Earth.
All dip and eat the Karpas together.
Breaking of the Middle Matzah
We are commanded to eat only unleavened bread for Passover. On our table we have three pieces of matzah. Rabbis have proposed many different symbolic meanings for the tradition of the three matzot, but the truth is that nobody knows.
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-olam Ha-mo-tzee Lechem Min Haw-retz. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.
Let's take the middle piece of matza and break it into two pieces so that one is larger than the other. The smaller portion is broken and distributed to the participants at the table
The larger portion of the middle matza has a special meaning to Jews. They call it the Afikoman, a Hebrew word that literally means "dessert." According to the Talmud, the Afikoman is a substitute for the Passover sacrificial lamb, which was the last thing eaten during Passover until the destruction of the Second Temple. The Talmud says that it is forbidden to have any other food after the Afikoman, so that the taste of the matzo remains in the participants' mouths.
According to Ashkenazi Jewish custom, the Afikoman may be hidden for the children to find, or alternatively, the children may steal it and ransom it back. According to Mizrahi Jewish custom, the Afikoman may be tied in a sling to a child's back for the duration of the Seder.
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-olam Asher Kidshanu B'mitzvotov Vitzivanu Al Acheelat Matza. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to eat the unleavened bread.
All eat the matza together.
Eating of the "Maror" (bitter herbs)
Take a small piece of matza and dip it into the horseradish.
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohenu Melech Ha-olam Asher Kidshanu B'mitzvotov Vitzivanu Al Acheelat Maror. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to eat the bitter herbs.
All eat the maror together.
Eating of the "Charoset" (mixture of chopped apples and nuts)
Take a piece of matza and dip it into the charoset. All eat the charoset together.
Dinner Is Served
Finally!
Eat the Larger Piece of the Middle Matzah, or "Afikoman"
Once you've eaten your dinner and desert, it's time to find the middle matzah (if you hid it earlier). It should now be distributed to all of the participants and eaten. According to the Talmud, no food can be eaten for the rest of the night after you eat the Afikoman, but you are allowed to keep drinking.
The Third Cup
God's third promise was "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm."
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm Boray Pree Ha-ga-fen. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Everyone should drink the third cup, eat the middle matzah, and feel free to recline if it suits you. Then, refill your glass so the fourth cup will be ready.
The Fourth Cup
God's fourth promise was "I will take you to be my people."
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm Boray Pree Ha-ga-fen. Amen.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Everyone should drink the fourth cup, and feel free to recline if it suits you.
Next Year in Jerusalem
The Jews still await the fulfillment of God's promise to return them to Israel.
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. (Deu 30)
Therefore, it's traditional for Jews to pray this prayer at the end of the Passover.
"Next year in Jerusalem!"