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HAGGADAH FOR FAMILY SEDER Abigail Pogrebin 2015

*Only the seder leader needs a copy of this haggadah.
*All questions are in blue font, all prayers and readings in red with
double astericks.
*Create your own additional handout from the sections in red, adding
the Hebrew if you wish (easily found on Google) -- so guests can recite
those together or you can assign them.
Make sure you have:
1. Seder plate (with roasted egg, parsley, haroset, maror, lamb
shank)
2. Matzoh plate with three matzot and matzoh cover
3. Bowl(s) of freshly peeled horseradish, haroset, parsley
4. One wine glass, bowl of salt water and one long scallion at each
place setting
5. Bowl of hardboiled eggs in fridge
________________________________________________________________________
_
SEDER BEGINS HERE:
Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes that Judaism is a religion of
questions and teaching the young to ask questions is an essential
feature of Pesach.
Dr. Ron Wolfson of American Jewish University writes, There is a view
that we are not obliged to tell the Haggadah unless a question is
askedCan there be any doubt as to the importance of questions at
the Seder?
Thats what were going to do tonight: ask questions.
Many steps of the seder are there to prompt questions from the
children at the table: why is this strange thing happening washing
hands twice, dipping a vegetable into salt water? Wolfson writes, By
not explaining, the Seder forces us to explain.
We are making our own haggadah -- built on questions. All the
questions are in blue type and you can choose to ask them, skip them,
or revise them.
There are no right answers.
Haggadah means what? [The telling, The legend.]

Each of us is a haggadah a storyteller.

The word seder means what? Order.
We will keep to the order of the seder even though we might tell the
story in a new way.
This particular book (hold up the haggadah) is not the point and we
should not be slave to it. YOU are the storytellers.
Jonathan Safran Foer writes: A new Haggadah is made every year.
Like all Haggadahs before it, this one hopes to be replaced.
Why does the haggadah itself represent survival?
Its not just pleasant to set a gorgeous table; its crucial to tonights
ritual. Why do the rabbis say that the special dishes and napkins
represent freedom?
The Passover week lasts 7 days in Israel. How many days everywhere
else? (8) Why the difference?
[Scholars believe that Jews outside of Israel could not be certain if their
local calendars fully conformed to practice of the Temple at Jerusalem,
so they added an extra day.]
The Seder is supposed to start as soon after nightfall as possible to
make sure the kids can participate. Why is it so important that the
kids are awake and alert for the seder?
Originally, the seder meal was eaten first before the seder itself, but
the rabbis switched the order. Why do you think? [To keep the
childrens attention as they anticipated the meal.]
THE COMMANDMENT IN EXODUS (13:8) IS TO TELL YOUR
CHILDREN.... (Exodus 13:8) Why are children the most important
audience?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes, Teach your children the history of
freedom if you want them never to lose it. What do you think he
meant?
Most people want to forget the bad things that happen to them in their
lives. Why do Jews choose to re-live slavery every year?
What might happen -- or what would be the downside -- if we chose to

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skip a year, or never to tell this story ever again?
Rabbi Sacks also wrote this about Passover: To be a Jew is to know
that the task of memory is more important than history. What would
you think he means?
We dont read the Passover story to ourselves We read it out loud
with our families. Why do you think its important to read it out loud
instead of privately?
One Haggadah points out that there is no audience when we tell the
Passover story at the table: The story is to be told as if each of us
were involved. What does that mean as if each of us were
involved?
Why is the Passover story such an important story even for people who
arent Jewish?
So many times in the seder were told to be good to the stranger
because we were strangers. How do you explain why so many have
trouble really giving time and attention to someone we dont know?
How would you define the stranger? (Someone who has a different
religion? A different race? A different political outlook or point of
view?)
Please take a silent moment to think for yourselves: when in the
last year have you welcomed or helped the stranger?
(Someone you do not know well or even at all.) It can be an
individual stranger, or multiple strangers by helping an organization
that helps others. If your honest answer is that you havent, can
you commit to changing that in the coming year?
We usually talk about the Exodus as a moment where Jews were saved.
But many also see it as a moment where Jews fought back and took
their own fate into their hands. Do you see both?
The Warsaw Ghetto uprising began on April 19th in 1943. That day
happened to coincide with which holiday? [Passover.] Why do you
think thats no accident?
THE SEDER PLATE:
The roasted egg (betzah) has two meanings a symbol of the Passover
sacrifices that were once brought to the Holy Temple and the continuity
of life. How is the egg a sign of continuity?

Which food on the seder plate represents spring and why? (Karpas,
parsley.)
What does the bitter herb symbolize on the seder plate? (The
bitterness of slavery.)
[FOR A YOUNG KID ESPECIALLY:] We eat the bitter herb because it
tastes bad and reminds us of our struggles. What food do you
absolutely hate that you would suggest we put on the seder plate in
the future to remember slavery?
What does the charoset represent on the seder plate? (The mortar of
the bricks that the slaves had to lug and stack to build the pyramids.)
What does the shank bone symbolize on the seder plate? It
represents the lamb (Paschal) which was sacrificed on the eve of the
Exodus to spread blood on the door lintels. (The korban Pesach
means the Pesach sacrifice.)
What does pesach mean literally? (To pass over, pass through, to
spare)
Which prophet is supposed to arrive and drink from the goblet in the
middle of the table later? (Elijah)
Elijah is thought to be present at two celebrations in every home: Can
anybody name which two? (Every seder and every bris.)
Why is there an orange on the seder plate? (Because a rabbi once
said that a woman belongs on the bimah like an orange belongs on
the seder plate.)
Why is the matzah flat? [It represents the dough that didnt have time
to rise in the desert after the Israelites escaped Egypt.]
Why is matzah considered the bread of affliction but also the bread
of freedom?
What does the salt water represent? [The tears of suffering.] Why
would we dip a sign of spring -- karpas into the salt water? (Help: It
represents that the sweetness of life and rebirth carries a reminder
that freedom was hard-won, that there were tears, that we could lose it
again.)
Why is it important to invoke tears when were supposed to be

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celebrating? (Because we suffered and because freedom came at a
cost the cost of Egyptian suffering.)
Name the other time during the seder when we drop symbolic tears?
(The drops of wine we drop on the rim of the plate during the naming
of the plagues are said to be tears we shed for the Egyptians
suffering.)
Please explain Miriams cup thats in the middle of the table.
(Miriams water-well followed the Israelites in the desert and kept them
hydrated; she also led the freed Israelites in song and dance once
theyd crossed the Red Sea.)
In Roman times, when the Hebrew Bible was actually written, the
servants and slaves had to stand while their masters ate dinner. How
does that explain why we recline or sit back tonight?
Why do we recline to the left? (The majority of people were righthanded, so leaning left frees the right hand for eating and drinking.)
Our Haggadah says that Egypt is not just one physical place. The
Exodus was not just one moment in time. What does that mean?
Can you name a Pharaoh-like leader in the world today?
Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi, and Nelson Mandela have been
called Moses figures. Is there a living Moses figure today?
When a medallion was created in the 18th century to celebrate the
American Revolution, the illustration that was chosen was of Jews
passing through the Red Sea. Why do you think that was the image?
Our Haggadah says, We step into this story not just because its our
story but the story of all people who have experienced oppression and
liberation. Please name another people besides the Jews who have
experienced oppression and liberation?
Its been said that: Wherever we live, in whatever country, at
whatever time, it is Egypt someplace for someone. Can you mention
someone who is living in their own Egypt right now?
OPTIONAL EXERCISE: You have two index cards under your plates
and a pen at your place setting. On one side of the index card I want
you to write a way in which you feel you are not free. On the opposite
side, please write a way in which you feel free. (Ask if anyone wants
to share what they wrote --but not everyone, or it will go on too long.)

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Keep that card under your plate for now. [Later, you can ask your
guests to self-address envelopes and explain that youll send these
answers to them next year, a few days before Passover, to see if their
answers still resonate.]
OPTIONAL GAME FOR KIDS: Put the 15 seder steps in the right
order: Kids take turns selecting one of the 15 Seder Steps (each
written on a separate index card) and tacking or taping the card he/she
thinks goes next on a poster board or wall. (Adults can help.)
1. Kadesh = wine blessing
2. Urchatz = handwashing
3. Karpas = vegetable dipped in salt water
4. Yachatz = break the matzoh
5. Maggid = Tell the story (includes 4 Qs, the Exodus story, 2nd cup
of wine)
6. Rachtza = second handwashing
7. Motzi = blessing over eating bread
8. Matzah = blessing over eating matzah
9. Maror = bitter herb
10.
Korech = matzah sandwich (matzah & maror)
11.
Shulchan Orech = the meal
12.
Tzafun = dessert (Afikomen)
13.
Berach = grace after meal
14.
Hallel = fill Elijahs cup, drink 4th cup, open door for Elijah
15.
Nirtzah = accepted (God has accepted our prayers after
seders complete)
CANDLELIGHTING [For really young kids, buy the wooden or stuffed
seder sets sold online so they can also complete all the seder steps
with safe toy-versions.]
Why are the candles that we light tonight a symbol of the fragility of
freedom? Why is adding or creating light meaningful?
**RECITE CANDLE BLESSING (Consider just having the children
recite it):
Baruch atah adonay eloheynu melech haolam asher kideshanu
bemitzvotav vetzivanu lechadlik ner shel [Shabbat ve] yom tov
IN ENGLISH: Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, sovereign of all
worlds, who has made us holy with your mitzvoth and commanded us
to kindle the [Shabbat and] festival lights.
ADD A PRIVATE PRAYER Cover your eyes and think about the year
thats elapsed since the last seder, what you really are grateful for.

**WE HAVE COME TO THE SHECHECHIANU Its purpose is to give

thanks for bringing us to this moment. Lets hold hands and sing or
recite it even though it might feel cheesy and awkward.
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam,
shehechehyanu, v'kiy'manu, v'higianu laz'man hazeh.
Our praise to You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of all:
for giving us life, sustaining us, and enabling us to reach this season.
Why do you think some rabbis believe that the Israelites held hands as
they crossed the Red Sea? (Help: Its been said they probably held
hands, in part, out of fear; to steady themselves because the bottom of
the sea-bed was mushy once the water parted.)
Why sometimes is it good for family and friends to actually hold hands
even if it makes us uncomfortable, to connect more closely than just
sitting side by side?
FIRST CUP OF WINE THIS IS A CUP FOR AWARENESS OF
OPPRESSION AND INJUSTICE (FILL YOUR CUPS)
The four cups are never explained in the Haggadah but they
are meant to remind us of four promises God made to us:
[discuss if you like]
1. I will bring you out
2. I will deliver you
3. I will redeem you
4. I will take you
[Exodus 6:6-7]
There was a fifth promise one verse later: I will bring you into
the land which I promised.
Thats why a fifth cup for Elijah -- was introduced by the rabbis but is
never drunk: its the symbol of waiting for the Messiah, which Elijah will
announce when it occurs.
Why might it be powerful to have four symbols four glasses of wine
that celebrate Gods redemption and the fifth reminding us were not
yet fully redeemed were still waiting for the Messiah, for a world
thats fully-healed without suffering?
The rabbis said that even the poor are supposed to drink four cups of

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wine tonight. Why is that important?
**BLESSING FOR WINE (Said in unison)
Baruch atah adonay eloheynu melech haolam borey peri hagafen.
Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, sovereign of all worlds, who
creates the fruit of the vine. DRINK
**[IF ITS SAT NIGHT: ADD HAVDAHLAH BLESSING Google it.]
[For young kids especially:] Weve already been waiting to eat
something for a while. Is that just to torture us or do you think theres
a point in making us feel hungry at the seder?
According to the Talmud, in the time of the Temple, there was a law
that required hands to be washed before dipping food into liquid. Why
do you think some rabbis argue that we no longer need to wash before
dipping today? [Theres no more Temple, with its purity requirements.]
How does water represent freedom in the Exodus story? (Help if
needed: Moses in the Nile, the first plague -- water was turned to
blood, the Red Sea, Miriams well that fed the Israelites in the desert)
The first stirrings of freedom were from the midwives Shifra & Puah.
Why? What did they refuse to do? (They refused Pharaohs order to
drown every Israelite boy in the Nile.) Why would you say that Shifra
and Puah are considered the first examples of civil disobedience?
Who watched to make sure her brother floated to safety? (Moses
sister, Miriam)
ITS TIME FOR THE FIRST HAND WASHING AND THE KARPAS
AND WE SHOULD NOT TALK AT ALL BETWEEN THE TWO
BECAUSE THEYRE CONSIDERED ONE ACT (Use a pitcher, basin
& towel at the table. Pour water from the pitcher 3x over right hand,
then 3x over left. Maybe have a kid do the symbolic washing of his/her
hands or yours. Notice that there is no blessing for the first washing,
only the second.)
KARPAS: VEG IN SALT WATER
**Leader: We taste in this fresh vegetable all the potential in nature
and in ourselves[but] We do not taste the vegetable alone. We dip
into salt water
**BLESSING OVER VEG: RECITE TOGETHER AS YOU DIP INTO SALT

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WATER:
Baruch attah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha-olam / borei peri haadamah.
Praised are You, Adonai, Our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates
the fruit of the earth. [Q. What does adamah mean? The fruit of the
earth.]
EAT IT!
You know we dip twice at the seder. We just dipped the first (karpas
into salt water); Whats going to be the second dip later? (Maror in
haroset.)
BREAKING THE MIDDLE MATZAH Ask a kid to break the middle
matzah in the pile of three at the middle of the table. [Smaller kids
can break the wooden one.]
Why do we break the middle matzah? Why not leave it whole?
What could brokenness symbolize tonight?
The breaking of the matzah has been said to represent:
the breaking of the shackles of slavery,
the parting of the Red Sea,
the breaking of the tablets at Sinai.
Which explanation resonates with you or do you want to think of a new
one?
Rabbi Art Green reminds us that the Talmud says both the broken
tablets (smashed by Moses) and the whole tablets were placed into the
Ark of the Covenant the Tabernacle which was carried in the desert.
Why do you think we preserved the broken pieces with the whole
version? Why do the Jewish people keep and honor whats broken?
Why do we wrap the matzah in a silk or satin cloth? [1. To remember
that it was wrapped in the desert to protect it from manna, sand and
dust. 2. So that the matzah is not embarrassed by all the attention
given to the wine.]
Which half of the divided middle matzah becomes the afikomen? [The
larger half.]
The smaller half is returned to its place and considered the bread of
affliction (lechem oni). Why might it be appropriate that the smaller
broken piece symbolizes affliction need or suffering? (Its diminished,

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theres less.)
There is no prayer before breaking the matzah. Its a silent act. Why
might that be?
One haggadah says that as long as the rights of others are violated,
none of us can be truly whole. How do you react to that teaching?
Rabbi David Ingber once said that every child is a whole matzah and
only through maturity-- only through breaking do they grow up. He
said, To become a human being is to come apart at times... How
does that idea sit with you the idea that growing up means moments
when we break?
Keeping that theme of silence the absence of prayer, Ill ask you to
be totally silent. Close your eyes. Please answer this just to yourself
but be as honest as you can. When have you felt broken? [Let the
silence happen.] Now think of someone who helped bring you out of
that broken place who helped make you whole again.
We break the middle matzah now and create the afikomen, but we
dont eat it till when? (After dinner) Why do you think we bother to
break it now and put it aside if were not eating it till later?
Why might it be important to know something is there, but be unable
to have it? (Because a key to freedom is to anticipate the future and
make it happen.)
_____________________
TIME FOR THE MAGGID: PLAY SPEED MAGGID!
SPEED MAGGID: Set a timer, call out questions for the kids at
the table to shout answers. Try to maintain some order but it
will be fun chaos. Record your time and try to break it next
year. (Correct answers are in parentheses.)
(Maggid means story. Were supposed to recount the
Passover story at each seder.)
____________________Go!

THE TORAH IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE FIVE BOOKS OF_________? (MOSES)

IN WHICH OF THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES DOES THE PASSOVER STORY

APPEAR? (EXODUS)

WHAT IS THE HEBREW WORD FOR EXODUS? (SHEMOT)

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AT THE START OF THE STORY, PHAROAH LOOKS AROUND AND SEES TOO
MANY ISRAELITES POPULATING EGYPT, SO HE ISSUES WHAT DECREE? (KILL
THE ISRAELITES SONS)

THERE ARE TWO MIDWIVES WHO REFUSE TO CARRY OUT THAT ORDER WHAT
ARE THEIR NAMES? (SHIFRA AND PUAH)

WHAT IS THE NAME OF MOSES MOM? (YOCHEVED)

WHAT IS THE NAME OF MOSES SISTER? (MIRIAM)

MOSES BROTHER? (AARON)

AFTER MOSES HAS BEEN ALIVE FOR 3 MONTHS AND HIS MOM DOESNT FEEL
SHE CAN HIDE HIM ANYMORE, WHAT DOES SHE DO WITH HIM?
(PUTS HIM IN A BASKET DOWN THE NILE)

WHO WATCHES OVER HIM BASKET AND MAKES SURE HE GETS DOWN THE
NILE SAFELY? (MIRIAM)

WHO FINDS MOSES AND PULLS HIM OUT OF THE BASKET -- PHAROAHS WIFE
OR DAUGHTER? (DAUGHTER)

WHAT DOES MOSES NAME MEAN? (DRAWN OUT OF THE WATER)

WHEN BABY MOSES IS CRYING IN PHAROAHS DAUGHTERS ARMS, WHO

SUGGESTS THAT THERES A JEWISH NURSEMAID WHO COULD FEED HIM?
(MIRIAM)

WHO DOES MIRIAM RECOMMEND? (MOSESS MOM, YOCHEVED)

SO MOSES IS ESSENTIALLY ADOPTED BY PHAROAH AND GROWS UP IN THE

EGYPTIAN COURT. DID HE KNOW GROWING UP THAT HE WAS A JEW? (NO!)

WE HAVE TO MAKE A QUICK DETOUR FOR ONE TALMUDIC STORY ABOUT

MOSES, WHICH WE ALL HEARD GROWING UP: BABY MOSES IS SITTING ON
PHAROAHS LAP AND REACHES FOR PHAROAHS CROWN. PHAROAH WORRIES
THIS MEANS HES GOING TO STEAL THE THRONE SOME DAY AND SAYS, I
GUESS I HAVE TO KILL HIM. ONE OF THE KINGS COUNSELORS SUGGESTS A
TEST: PUT OUT A LUMP OF GOLD AND A LUMP OF HOT COAL IN FRONT OF
MOSES AND SEE WHICH HE CHOOSES. WHICH DOES HE REACH FOR? (THE
COAL)

WHAT DOES MOSES DO WITH HIS FINGERS WHEN WHEN HE PULLS THEM
AWAY FROM THE HOT COAL? (Touches his tongue, burns it.)

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT HIS SPEECH FOREVER? (He has a stutter.)

WHAT DOES MOSES SAY LATER WHEN HE TELLS GOD HES NOT THE RIGHT
GUY TO LEAD HIS PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT? (I am slow of speech and tongue)

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OKAY: WERE BACK IN EGYPT NOW, MOSES IS OLDER AND HES WATCHING THE
ISRAELITE SLAVES BUILDING THE PYRAMIDS IN TERRIBLE HEAT WITHOUT
MUCH FOOD OR WATER AND HES DISTURBED BY WHAT HE SEES. WHEN AN
EGYPTIAN STARTS BEATING A SLAVE, MOSES IS FURIOUS AND WHAT DOES HE
DO? (KILLS THE EGYPTIAN)

MOSES KNOWS HES COMMITTED A MURDER, SO WHAT DOES HE DO OUT OF

FEAR? (RUNS AWAY)

HE RUNS AWAY AND GETS A NEW JOB WHAT IS IT? (SHEPHERD.)

WHILE HES SHEPHERDING HE MEETS A WOMAN AND MARRIES HER WHAT IS

HER NAME? (ZIPPORAH)

WAS SHE JEWISH? (NO!)

EXTRA CREDIT: WHATS HER DADS NAME? (YITRO)

ONE DAY MOSES IS IN THE FIELDS, AND GOD APPEARS TO HIM? IN WHAT
FORM? (BURNING BUSH)

THE BUSH IS IN FLAMES -- BUT DOES IT BURN UP? (NO!)

WHEN GOD CALLS OUT MOSES NAME, WHAT IS THE FAMOUS LINE THAT
MOSES ANSWERS? (HERE I AM HINEINI)

WHEN MOSES STARTS APPROACHING THE BUSH, WHAT DOES GODS VOICE
INSTRUCT HIM TO REMOVE FROM WHAT HES WEARING? (SANDALS)

WHY? (BECAUSE ITS SACRED GROUND)

WHAT TASK DOES GOD INSTRUCT MOSES TO DO? (SAVE HIS PEOPLE, THE
ISRAELITES.)

HOW DOES MOSES RESPOND TO THAT ASSIGNMENT? (NO THANKS)

WHAT DOES MOSES TELL GOD IS THE REASON HES NOT THE RIGHT MAN FOR
THE JOB? (Hes slow of speech, doesnt think the Israelites will listen to him.)

WHEN MOSES TELLS GOD THAT THE ISRAELITES WONT BELIEVE THAT I
SPEAK FOR YOU, GOD GIVES MOSES HIS NEW POWERS. WHAT WAS ONE OF
THE TRICKS? (TURNS A STAFF INTO A SERPENT, TURNS WATER INTO BLOOD)

MOSES FINALLY GOES BACK TO EGYPT AND TELLS PHAROAH TO DO WHAT?

(LET MY PEOPLE GO.)

DOES PHAROAH SAY OKAY? (NO!)

SO GOD SENDS TEN PLAGUES. WHAT IS THE FIRST? (BLOOD) SECOND?

(FROGS) WHAT IS THE NINTH? (DARKNESS)

DURING THE PLAGUE OF DARKNESS, SOME PEOPLE COULD STILL SEE WHICH
PEOPLE? (THE JEWS)

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THE PLAGUES KEEP GETTING WORSE AND WORSE, AND AFTER EACH ONE,
PHAROAH AT FIRST SAYS, OKAY ILL LET YOUR PEOPLE GO, BUT THEN HE
CHANGES HIS MIND. WHO MAKES HIM CHANGE HIS MIND AND HARDENS HIS
HEART? (GOD)

WHAT DOES GOD RESORT TO AS THE WORST PLAGUE? (KILLING OF THE

FIRST BORN)

WHO GAVE THAT SAME DECREE EARLIER AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR STORY?
(PHARAOH)

HOW DOES GOD KNOW TO SKIP THE HOUSES OF JEWS? (THEY SMEARED
LAMBS BLOOD ON THEIR DOOR FRAMES)

WHY DOES THAT RELATE TO THE NAME OF THIS HOLIDAY? (GOD KNEW TO
PASS OVER THE ISRAELITE HOMES)

WHEN THE JEWS FOLLOW MOSES AND RUN AWAY INTO THE DESERT, WHAT DO
THEY EAT THERE? (MATZOH)

HOW MANY MINUTES IS THE MAXIMUM YOURE SUPPOSED TO BAKE MATZOH?

(18)

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE BODY OF WATER THAT THE ISRAELITS REACH?
(RED SEA)

EXTRA CREDIT: WHATS ANOTHER NAME FOR IT? (SEA OF REEDS)

WHEN THE ISRAELITES GET TO THE SEA AND ARE HESITANT TO CROSS IT,
WHO IS BRAVE ENOUGH TO ENTER FIRST? (NACHSHON)

WHAT DOES NACHSHON MEAN? (DARING)

ONCE THE ISRAELITES GET SAFELY ACROSS, WHAT HAPPENS TO PHAROAHS

ARMY WHICH IS COMING UP BEHIND THEM DO THEY GET ACROSS TOO? (NO
THEY GET SWALLOWED UP IN THE SEA THAT CLOSES OVER THEM)

WHAT DOES MIRIAM DO ONCE THE ISRAELITES ARE SAFELY ACROSS? (SHE
LEADS THEM IN DANCE)

WHY DOES GOD ADMONISH THE ISRAELITES FOR DANCING? (BECAUSE

THEYRE CELEBRATING THE DEATH OF THE EGYPTIANS, WHO ARE ALSO GODS
CREATION)

ONCE THEY ISRAELITES ARE IN THE DESERT, HOW MANY YEARS DO THEY
WANDER? (40 YEARS)

WHILE THEY WALK IN THE DESERT, GOD GOES AHEAD OF THEM AND APPEARS
BY DAY IN A PILLAR OF WHAT?_______ (CLOUD)

TO GUIDE THEIR WAY AND AT NIGHT, HE APPEARS IN A PILLAR OF WHAT?

_________(FIRE)

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WHO FEEDS THEM WATER IN THE DESERT FROM HER SPECIAL WELLS THAT
TRAVEL WITH THEM? (MIRIAM)

WHEN THEY GET TO MOUNT SINAI, WHAT DOES MOSES GO UP TO THE TOP TO
RECEIVE FROM GOD? (THE TEN COMMANDMENTS)

WHEN HE COMES DOWN, HE DISCOVERS HIS PEOPLE HAVE DOUBTED THAT HE

WOULD EVER RETURN AND THEY WENT BACK TO WORSHIPPING IDOLS. WHAT
DID THEY BUILD? (GOLDEN CALF)

WHO HELPED THEM BUILD IT? (AARON)

WHAT DOES MOSES DO WITH THE 10 COMMANDMENTS WHEN HE SEES THE

GOLDEN CALF? (HE SMASHES THE TABLETS)

SO NOW MOSES IS EMPTY-HANDED NO TABLETS. WHAT DOES HE DO?

(GOES BACK UP TO GET ANOTHER SET)

MOSES MAKES THE ISRAELITES GRIND UP THE GOLDEN CALF, MIX IT WITH
WATER AND DO WHAT WITH IT? (DRINK IT)

NAME ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

WHAT DOES THE WORD SEDER MEAN? (ORDER)

WHAT DOES HAGGADAH MEAN? (THE TELLING)

WHO IS THE FAMOUS JEW WHO CELEBRATED A SEDER NOW KNOWN AS THE
LAST SUPPER? (JESUS)

THATS SPEED MAGGID! CONGRATULATIONS.

________________________________________________________________
When Moses was told by God to free the Israelites, he said he didnt
want the job. Do you think there might be something trustworthy or
admirable about a leader who is reluctant to lead?
Id ask you all to think to yourselves about a moment when you felt
self-doubt -- when you hesitated to take something on or let fear stop
you from doing something. When have you said, I cant do this, Im
not strong enough, smart enough, fast enough, talented enough, funny
enough, brave enough? Share if youre willing.
The Exodus story has Moses playing the leading role, but the
traditional Haggadah mentions him only once. Why did the rabbis
intentionally downplay Moses role in redemption when they wrote the
Haggadah? [They wanted to emphasize that it was God who brought us
out of slavery, not Moses, Pharaoh or any human being.]

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Why has the burning bush -- which was on fire, but never consumed by
the fire -- become a symbol for Jewish survival? [It has been said
weve been literally burned by our enemies but never consumed; we
endure.]
Miriam helped save her baby brother, Moses, by watching him go
safely down the river. Aaron helped his brother, Moses, speak to the
Israelites. What does this tell us about siblings in the Passover story?
Pharaohs daughter plays a pivotal role in the Exodus story. [She takes
Moses out of the water, raises him as her own.] Why do you think its
significant that our so-called enemy plays a key part in our
liberation?
Rabbi Sacks says that Pharaohs daughter created the precedent for
the so-called righteous gentiles who saved Jewish lives during the
Nazi years and are honored at Yad Vashem. Whats your response to
that?
In the Passover story, Moses splits the Red Sea in half and tells the
Hebrews to walk through. Do you think you would have walked into
the water before it split, just because Moses told you to trust that God
would protect you?
When the Israelites get safely across the Red Sea and the Egyptian
army drowns in their wake, God scolds the Jews for dancing: The work
of My hands is drowning in the sea, and you want to sing? Why
doesnt God approve of this celebration? Some people invoked this
scene when Osama bin Laden was killed and some Americans danced
in the streets. Do you see a parallel?
Nachshon is the Israelite who stepped into the Red Sea before it had
even parted; thats how much he trusted in Moses and God.
Nachshons name means adventurous, daring. Why does he play
such an important symbolic role in this story?
Its amazing to think that the generation who escaped Egypt, crossed
the Red Sea, and wandered in the desert for 40 years did not get to
taste the Promised Land. Because they doubted God, they were kept
from entering Israel. [Do you think that was fair?]
UNCOVER THE MATZAH:
**READ TOGETHER: This is the bread of our poverty, 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 celebrate Pesach. Now we are

16
here next year in the land of Israel. Now we are slaves. Next year
we will be free.
This is the bread of our poverty: Are we in this room in poverty? No.
Then why do we recite that?
Let all who are hungry come and eat. Do we really mean that?
What would we do if every hungry person took that seriously and
showed up at our doorstep?. So why do we say it if we dont mean
it? (We symbolically include all who are starving.)
Why do you think the haggadah separates out all who are hungry
and all who are in need? Whats the difference? [All who are in
need might be those who are lonely or who are wanting in ways other
than for food.]
[For an adult audience only:] Who do we open the door for at the end
of the seder? [The prophet Elijah.] It actually used to be that the door
was opened at the beginning of the seder, when we talked about all
who are hungry, come and eat, and it was left open for the duration of
the seder. But during the 18th and 19th centuries, this practice felt
dangerous because unfriendly authorities would spy on seders
especially at the start to find evidence of the infamous blood libel.
(Jews were accused of murdering Christian children and using their
blood to bake matzoh.) So to be safe, Jews waited till later in the night,
when the authorities had gone home, to open the door for Elijah.
Now we are slaves. Next year we will be free. Are we really slaves
here in this room? Then why do we call ourselves slaves?
Rabbi Art Green points out that the Haggadah has us saying two
contradictory things:
1. We were slaves and now were free.
2. Now we are slaves. Next year we will be free.
He says we live in the tension between the two. How can both be
true?
The Statue of Libertys poem has been tied to the Exodus story. It was
written by Emma Lazarus, a Jew, in 1883. It reads, Give me your
tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.
Whey would you say the Statue of Liberty has been linked to the
Passover story?
There is always a moment in the seder when were bored, hungry or
impatient. Why might that be part of its very purpose?

17

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

The rabbis tell us that one reason we ask the four questions is because
just being able to ask symbolizes freedom. How does being able to ask
or challenge represent liberty?
Why do we assign the children to ask the four questions?
**ONE OR ALL KIDS SING HEBREW TOGETHER:
Ma nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot? mikol haleilot?
Sheb'khol haleilot anu okhlin hametz umatzah; hametz umatzah;
halailah hazeh, kuloh matzah.
halailah hazeh, kuloh matzah.
Sheb'khol haleilot anu okhlin sh'ar y'rakot; sh'ar y'rakot;
halailah hazeh, maror, maror.
halailah hazeh, maror, maror.
Sheb'khol haleilot ein anu matbilin afilu pa'am ehat; afilu pa'am ehat
halailah hazeh, shtei f'amim.
halailah hazeh, shtei f'amim.
Sheb'khol haleilot anu okhlin bein yoshvin uvein m'subin;
bein yoshvin uvein m'subin;
halailah hazeh, kulanu m'subin.
halailah hazeh, kulanu m'subin.
**TWO KIDS ALTERNATE AFTER LEADER ASKS THE FIRST
QUESTION IN ENGLISH:
Why is this night different from all other nights?
On all other nights we eat leavened or unleavened bread. Why on this
night do we only eat matzah?
On all other nights we eat various kinds of vegetables. Why on this
night do we at bitter herbs?
On all other nights we need not dip our vegetables even once. Why on
this night do we dip them twice?
On all other nights we eat either sitting up or reclining. Why on this
night do we eat reclining?
We ask again and again: Why is this night different? Why does it
need to be different?
Jews have been excluded and persecuted for being different but they

18
also have chosen to be different, to do things differently. Talk about the
ways in which Jews have chosen separation and also how theyve been
separated against their will.
**LEADER OR TABLE READS: We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.
The Eternal One our God brought us out from there with a strong hand
and an outstretched arm. Had God not taken our ancestors out of
Egypt, then we and our children and our childrens children would still
be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. And even if all of us were wise
scholars, all of us were sages, all of us were experienced in the ways of
the world, all knowledgeable in Torah, it would still be our
responsibility to tell about the Exodus from Egypt. Whoever expands
upon the story of the Exodus from Egypt is worthy of praise.
Re-read that last line. Why is it praiseworthy to expand upon the story
of the Exodus from Egypt? Why is expanding or elaborating, as
some haggadahs put it -- upon the story a good thing to do?
THE FOUR CHILDREN
WISE CHILD
**Leader or someone reads: What does the wise child ask? What is
the meaning of the decrees, laws, and rules that the Eternal One our
God has commanded us? You should tell this child all the laws of the
Pesach down to the last detail, saying that nothing should be eaten
after the afikomen.
What is that question about?
Whats wise about that question?
**Leader or someone reads: What does it mean to be a wise child? It
means to be fully engaged in the community, to know the limits of
your understanding, to be able to search for the answers to that which
you do not know.
WICKED CHILD
**Leader reads: What does the wicked child ask? What does this
ritual mean to you? To you and not to this child. Since this child
withdraws from the community and denies Gods role in the Exodus,
challenge the child by replying, This is done because of what the
Eternal One did for me when I went out of Egypt. For me and not for
you. Had you been there you would not have been redeemed.
Why is that a wicked question: What does this ritual mean to you?

19
(Because the wicked child withdraws from the community.) Why is that
bad to choose to stand apart? When have you removed yourself
from your community?
The rabbis say that the wicked child would not have been redeemed
would not have been freed from Egypt if he or she had been there at
the moment when the Israelites escaped. Do you think thats fair?
SIMPLE CHILD
What does simple mean to you?
**Leader or someone reads: What does the simple child ask? What is
this? You shall say to that child, It was with a mighty hand that the
Eternal One brought us out of Egyptian bondage. (Ex 13:14)
THE CHILD WHO DOES NOT KNOW ENOUGH TO ASK
**Leader or someone reads: To the child who does not know enough
to ask, you should begin as it is written, You shall explain to your child
on that day, It is because of what the Eternal One did for me when I
went free from Egypt.
The rabbis suggest this child may not known enough to ask because he
is uneducated, because he is mute, or because he is shy.
Leader reads: Because at different times in our lives we are wise and
wicked, simple and silent, these four children represent the different
aspects of our selves. We hear their voices and their questions as we
tell the story of the Exodus.
Some have said the four children represent four approaches to
religious life:
1. Those who have already studied and want to know more. (Wise)
2. Those who grasp a basic knowledge but miss the true meaning.
(Simple.)
3. Those who dont know how to ask a religious question. (Dont
know to ask.)
4. And those who set themselves apart from the community.
(Wicked.)
If you want to take the time now, tell us when you have been one or all
of these children.
**THE PLAGUES - RECITE THEM TOGETHER DROP WINE WITH
PINKIES ON YOUR PLATES:
HEBREW:
Dam (BLOOD)

20
Tzefardea, (FROGS)
Kinim, (LICE)
Arov (BEASTS)
Dever (CATTLE PLAGUE)
Shechin (BOILS)
Barad, (HAIL)
Arbeh, (LOCUSTS)
Choshech, (DARKNESS)
Makat Bechorot (DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN)
Why do the rabbis say these drops are not just the plagues but our
tears? (Because we mourn the death of the Egyptians killed in service
of our escape.)
You know that it is God who hardens Pharaohs heart just when
Pharaoh might have been ready to free them after each plague. Why
do you think God hardens Pharaohs heart and then later punishes him
for being hard?
One of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah says: You shall not abhor an
Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land [Exodus 23:8] Isnt that
surprising, that God would command us not to hate the Egyptians who
enslaved us? Can you imagine that commandment applying to the
Nazis?
Which do you think is the worst plague, aside from the last one?
The plagues get tougher as they go along, right? Hail is worse than
boils, lice is worse than frogs, etc....So what is the second-to-worst
plague, the ninth? (Darkness.) Why do you think darkness is so
terrible? Imagine living in total darkness.
The commentators explain that all too often we do not appreciate what
we have until we lose it. Why does darkness make us appreciate the
light?
As it happens, Pharaoh was a firstborn son himself. Why do you think
that might figure into why God chooses the 10th plague?
You recall that before Moses was born, Pharaoh had decreed all Hebrew
male children to be drowned in the Nile. Do you think that justifies
Gods decision to kill the Egyptians first-born sons in the final plague?
The night before the Israelites left Egypt, they were told to mark their
doorposts with lambs blood. On Chanukah, were told to put our

21
menorahs in the windows and mezuzahs on our door frames. Were
supposed to announce that were Jews publicly and fearlessly. Why
would you say thats part of our identity and sometimes challenging
in itself: to say, Im Jewish in a way thats visible?
Why do you think even some Jews feel uncomfortable with the publicness of Judaism today -- the yarmulkes or clothing that delineates
difference?
To be immune from the last plague, Jews are told to make a special
sign on their doors to let God know to pass over them. But they didnt
have to do that for the other nine plagues, which they also got a pass
on. Why do we have an assignment for the last plague why did we
have to participate in some way in the final act that would set us free?
(We had to participate in our deliverance.)
The Torah says that the Israelites had faith in God only after God
executed the tenth plague. Then they had the necessary awe to follow
Moses. What does that tell you about faith?
To date, is there any historical proof that the Exodus happened? [No.]
How does that sit with you?
One Haggadah says, When we recall the story of our oppression, we
resolve to fight oppressions everywhere. Why is it hard for so many of
us to think we can do anything about oppression?
Do you think its fair to say that we are sometimes the Egyptians of the
Passover story because we stand by while others suffer?
In 1964, what major American leader quoted Let My People Go in his
acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize? (MLK)
**LET MY PEOPLE GO SING TOGETHER HAVE ON SONGSHEETS
When Israel was in Egypt Land
Let my people go.
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go.
CHORUS:
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt Land,
Tell ol Pharaoh
Let my people go.
Thus said the Lord, bold Moses said,
Let my people go.

22
If not Ill smite your first-born dead.
Let my people go.
CHORUS AGAIN
How does the sentence, Let my people go actually end in the
actual bible if you finish it? [Let my people go so that they may
worship me.] Why do you think the second part is always left off
when we recite that powerful phrase today?
One Haggadah talks about how most of us turn away from things that
make us uncomfortable because its hard for us to see people
struggling up close, to imagine their suffering, to feel helpless to fix it.
I hope we have a few brave folks who can share one example of
suffering that you find yourself turning away from either averting
your eyes, or not wanting to read about it or know about it.
MIRIAMS CUP ASK A YOUNG CHILD TO LIFT IT UP HIGH:
**Leader or someone reads: Then Miriam, the prophetess, Aarons
sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went after her in
dance with timbrels. And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the Eternal
One, for god has triumphed gloriously; horse and driver God has hurled
into the sea. [Exodus 15:20-21]
DAYENU DISTRIBUTE SCALLIONS!
In the Persian Jewish tradition, during the chorus only, they use
scallions to beat their neighbors at the table (props signifying the
egyptians whips) so you are free to whip the person sitting next to
you whip them hard, but only during the chorus!! (I suggest two
verses for time, but its up to you.)
One rabbi in our Haggadah says that Dayenu is really about
gratitude. We were taken out of Egypt, and that would have been
enough. The Red Sea was parted and that would have been enough.
Then everyone crossed the Red Sea safely: that was enough. Then in
the desert, we were fed and protected: that would have been enough.
But the Israelites still complained. In our lives today, do you think
were oriented more towards what we feel is wrong instead of right?
Do we focus on what were missing what were lacking or dissatisfied
about instead of how lucky we are?
SECOND CUP CELEBRATION OF REDEMPTION FROM EGYPT (FILL
CUPS)

23
**Leader or someone reads: Blessed are you, Eternal One our God,
sovereign of all worlds, who has redeemed us and our ancestors from
Egypt, and has enabled us to reach this night in order to eat matzah
and maror.
**Leader or someone reads: We continue the process of liberation as
we drink the second cup of wine. We have experienced the awareness
of degradation that compelled the Israelites to resist enslavement. We
drink this second cup of in honor of redemption, even as we
acknowledge the continuing struggle and the unknown road through
the desert.
**RECITE BLESSING TOGETHER: Baruch atah adonay eloheynu
melech haolam borey peri hagafen. [Blessed are you, Eternal One our
God, soverign of all worlds, who creates the fruit of the vine.] DRINK
When the Jews got out of Egypt and saw the Egyptian army coming
after them, they asked Moses, Why did you save us? This situation is
worse. They asked the same question later when they suffered
hardships in the desert; they said to Moses, We were better off in
Egypt. Can you sympathize with this state of mind: that its better to
live a slave than die free if freedom is hard at first?
Its been said that, It took one day to get the Jews out of Egypt. It
took 40 years to get Egypt out of the Jews. What do you think that
means?
Frederick Douglas, the 19th Century abolitionist, said, If
there is no struggle, there is no progress. What does that
mean to you?
Do you believe that struggle is necessary to appreciate the end of
struggle? In other words, that maybe we had to be slaves to
appreciate freedom?
SECOND HAND WASHING: Leader leaves the room to wash (winkwink) so kids can hide afikomen.
By this point weve left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. So now were
washing our hands to celebrate our rebirth as a people.
Were going to go right from the handwashing blessing to the matzah
blessing. There is supposed to be silence between them because
theyre considered one act. A ritual is not done until the blessing and
the act are completed. Distribute pieces of matzah.

24

When we get to the motzi and matzah blessings: Notice how the
first blessing praises God who brings forth bread from the earth, and
the second praises God who sanctifies us through commandments and
commands us to eat matzoh.
**Leader returns -- or someone else reads Hebrew blessing
--while kids pantomime washing hands or actually do it with
small pitchers and bowls: [Remember, we did not do a blessing
for the first hand-washing but we do for the second.] Baruch
atah adonay eloheynu melech haolam asher kideshanu bemitzvotav
vetzivanu al netilat yadayim.
ENGLISH: Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, sovereign of all
worlds, who has made us holy with your mitzvot and commanded us to
wash our hands.
MOTZI BLESSING:
Barukh attah Adonai/ Eloheinu melekh ha-olam/ hamotzi lechem min
ha-aretz.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, ruler of the universe, who brings forth
bread from the earth.
MATZAH BLESSING:
Barukh attah Adonai/ Eloheinu melekh ha-olam/ asher kidshanu
bemitzvotav / vetzivanu / al akhilat matzah.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, ruler of the universe, who has
sanctified us through commandments and commanded us to partake
of matzah.
EAT MATZAH
Dr. Ron Wolfson of Hebrew College writes that the Hasidim talked of
Passover as a time to become a matzah-person to bring ourselves
back to radical simplicity, to get rid of that which is bloated or
inflated. What does that mean to you to be a matzah-person?
We cover the Torah scroll with velvet sleeves. We cover the challah
before Kiddush on Friday nights. We cover the matzoh on the seder
table. What do you think could be the point of covering a ritual
symbol? [To give our full attention to the object when its uncovered.
Also there is a midrash of not embarrassing the object under
consideration; a kind of modesty.]

25
**Leader or someone reads: Rabban Gamliel would say: Those who
have not explained three things during the seder have not fulfilled
their obligations. These are matzah, maror, and the pesach offering.
Do you think weve explained these three things? Have we fulfilled our
obligation?
**Leader or someone reads: Matzah: Why do we eat it? In order to
remind ourselves that even before the dough of our ancestors could
become leavened bread, the Holy One was revealed to the people and
redeemed them, as it is written: And they baked unleavened cakes of
the dough that they had taken out of Egypt, for it was not leavened,
since they had been driven out of Egypt and they could not delay; nor
had they prepared any provisions for themselves. [Ex 12:39]
NOTE: The top two matzot (including the remaining half from middle
matzah) stand for the double portion of manna brought by God to
the Israelites on the day before Shabbat so they wouldnt have to
gather food on the day of rest. (Ex 16:22-30). Thats why we have two
portions of bread on Shabbat (2 challahs) and festivals.
NOTE: Some commentators said the three matzot represent the three
classes of Jews: Kohanim (High Priests), Leviim (Priests), and Yisraelim
(Israelites -- commoners.)
We eat the matzoh before the bitter herb. Why do you think it makes
sense to eat the symbol of freedom before the symbol of oppression?
MAROR MOMENT!
**Leader or someone reads: Maror: Why do we eat it? To remind
ourselves that the Egyptians made life bitter for our ancestors in Egpt,
as it is written, Ruthlessly, they made life bitter for them with harsh
labor at mortar and bricks, and with all sorts of tasks in the field.
[Exodus 1:14]
RECITE BLESSING AND EAT MAROR ALONE:
**Barukh attah Adonai/ Eloheinu melekh ha-olam/ asher kidshanu
bemitzvotav/vitzivanu al akhilat maror.
Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, sovereign of all worlds, who has
made us holy with mitzvoth and commanded us to eat maror.
Were supposed to taste enough maror that a tear springs from our
eye. Why should we feel physical discomfort at the seder?

26
MAROR AND HAROSET MOMENT: This is the second dipping
referred to in the Four Questions (Why do we dip twice?)
Why do you think the rabbis wanted a moment where maror and
haroset are mixed together? [maror = bitterness of slavery is
tempered somewhat by dipping maror into sweet haroset, which
symbolizes both the mortar of slaverys bricks, but also the promise of
future redemption.]
Note: There is no blessing for haroset because its considered an
integral part of the maror.
Why do you think we do not recline while eating maror? (Its a symbol
of slavery and slaves to do not recline while eating.)
INSTRUCTION: DIP SOME MAROR INTO THE HAROSET, SHAKE
OFF EXCESS, RECITE THE SAME BLESSING WITHOUT RECLINING:
**Barukh attah Adonai/ Eloheinu melekh ha-olam/ asher kidshanu
bemitzvotav/vitzivanu al akhilat maror.
HILLEL SANDWICH: PUT MATZOH WITH MAROR
In ancient times, Hillel ate the three symbolic foods (lamb, matzah, and
bitter herbs) together so that each mouthful contained all three. Thus
the symbols of slavery and of liberation were intermingled. Now that
we do not have the Paschal lamb because there are no more Temple
sacrifices, we eat just the matzah and horse-radish in a "Hillel
sandwich".
INSTRUCTIONS: Distribute pieces of the bottom ceremonial matzah
or the matzoh piled on the table. Put maror between two pieces of
matzah. Some add haroset because its believed to be part of maror.
**Leader or someone reads: As a reminder of the sacrificial system
in the Temple in Jerusalem, we observe the practice of Hillel. In the
days when the Temple was still standing, Hillel would make a sandwich
with matzah and maror and eat it, in order to fulfill the verse, They
shall eat it with matzot and maror. [Numbers 9:11]
Why is it important that the haroset not overwhelm the taste of the
maror when you put them together?
Passover seems to hold two ideas so close: that humans can suffer and
that they can rejoice. (Think of the bitter herb paired with the
haroset.) How is that like our lives where we have to hold hurt and

27
celebration at the same time?
**Leader or someone reads: Why did our ancestors eat the pesach
offering during the time of the Temple? As a reminder that the Holy
One protected the houses of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is written:
You shall say, It is the pesach sacrifice to the Eternal One, because
God passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when God smote
the Egyptians, but saved our houses. [Exodus 12:27]
NO BLESSING: JUST EAT THE SANDWICH
*********************************************************************
MEAL BEGINS HERE!!
Eat hard-cooked eggs dipped in salt water.
SEDER CONTINUES HERE AFTER THE MEAL: tktk
WHERE IS THE AFIKOMEN? The leader needs it to continue and to
finish the seder. Ask the kids where it is. Bargain to get it back.
Afikomen means dessert or refers to revelry after Roman banquets.
The Afikomen was understood by the Rabbis to be a symbol of the
paschal sacrifice -- a substitute for the sacrifice we can no longer eat
because the Temple is gone.
The Greek meaning of Afikomen can be understood as that which is
coming, not just dessert; some translate it as he who is coming.
Who is coming? [Discuss idea of a messiah coming if you like.]
According to Jewish tradition, Messiah will come at Passover to bring a
redemption similar to the redemption brought through Moses. This is
why a place is left at the table for Elijah, the forerunner of Messiah
(Malachi 4:5)
After we eat the Afikomen, were not supposed to put anything else in
our mouths. Why should it be the last thing we taste?
EAT THE AFIKOMEN WHILE RECLINING - THERE IS NO BLESSING
Can you list the things weve done that required no blessing? (First
handwashing, breaking the middle matzoh, eating sandwich of matzoh
and maror, Afikomen.)
THIRD CUP:
**Leader or someone reads: We dedicated the first cup of wine to

28
awareness the first step taken in the journey toward liberation. We
drank the second cup in celebration of the redemption from Egypt. We
now drink this third cup in gratitude for all the gifts we have been
given.
KIDS: name one gift for which theyve been grateful this past
year
**LIFT THE CUP AND RECITE: Baruch atah adonay eloheynu melech
haolam borey peri hagafen. [Blessed are you, Eternal One our God,
sovereign of all worlds, who creates the fruit of the vine.] DRINK
Abraham Joshua Heschel said: In a free society, where terrible wrongs
exist, some are guilty, all are responsible. How does the Passover
story tell us to feel responsible?
Since Obama has been in the White House, hes held a seder every
year. Why do you think he chose to observe a holiday that wasnt his?
MIRIAMS CUP
Kids, please point to Miriams cup. Name one thing that Miriam did
that was important in this story? [She helped save Moses, she led the
dancing after the Red Sea crossing, she fed the Israelites in the desert
with her well.]
While Elijah is about improving the world in the future, Miriam is about
taking care of the world right now.
**EVERYONE RECITE THE BLESSING: [give them a chance to hear it
first]
Baruch atah adonay eloheynu melech haolam shehakol niyeh bidvaro
Praised are you, Eternal One our God, soverign of all worlds, who
creates all things.
Think about the night before the Jews left Egypt. Theyd marked their
doors and they waited. Do you think many of them slept? Had they
been allowed to pack? Do you think they were sure they were going to
make it out alive? Do you think they opened their doors that night to
anyone?
But we open our doors tonight, dont we? Why? Who are we opening
our doors to?
Kids, Please point to Elijahs cup.

29
ELIJAH:
Who was or is Elijah? What does he represent? [He is considered
the forerunner of the Messiah. He was the outstanding religious leader
of his time and the only character in the bible who doesnt die. He was
carried to heaven in a chariot pulled by horses of fire. (Kings 2:1-11)
The later prophet, Malachi, links him to the Messianic age.]
Why do you think we have to open the door for Elijah if hes a prophet
and prophets are supposedly everywhere? [We have to take part in
improving the world.]
Some families have adopted a new custom where every participant
pours a few drops of his/her own wine into Elijahs cup. What do you
think that symbolizes? [Redemption needs every one of us. ADD THIS
CUSTOM IF YOU LIKE IT.]
Rabbi Art Green reminds, The Messiah will only come when we have
done most of the work. What does that mean that we have to do
most of the work?
Elijahs arrival suggests that there will be a better, more improved
world some day. One Haggadah says the lesson of Passover is that:
The way things are is not the way things have to be. Why should we
be thinking about the Messianic age -- an improved world -- during the
seder?
SONGS! PRINT OUT SONG SHEETS FOR ANY SONGS YOU
USUALLY SING
**SONG: Eliyahu Hanavi (Elijah the Prophet)
Eliyahu hanavi
Eliyahu hatishbi,
Eliyahu hagil'adi Bim'hera yavoh eleinu,
im mashiach ben David. (x2)
**SONG: Adir Hu
Adir hu, adir hu, yivneh veyto bekarov
Bimheyrah bimheyrah beyameynu bekarov
El beney, el beney beney veytcha bekarov
**SONG: Had Gadya
Its been said that in Had Gadya, each object symbolizes one of
Israels enemies through the years. Israel (the only kid) is purchased

30
by the father (Adonai), for two zuzim (the two tablets of the Law) and is
subjected to peoples who supplant each other as Israels foes: Assyria
(the cat), Babylon (the dog), Persia Greece (the fire), Rome (the water),
the Saracens (the ox), the Crusaders (the shohet), and the Ottomans
(the angel of death). But, in the end, the Holy One saves the Jewish
people.
There is a prayer that many leave out in our seders today because it
makes Jews so uncomfortable and seems to contradict the seder ethos
of freedom and compassion. Its called the Shfoch Chamatcha -Pour out thy wrath and it basically exhorts God to take revenge upon
the nations that have mistreated the Jewish people:
**Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not know You, upon the
governments which do not call upon Your name. For they have
devoured Jacob [Jacob = Jewish people] and desolated his home
(Psalms 79:6-7). Pour out Your wrath on them; may Your blazing anger
overtake them (Psalms 69:25). Pursue them from under the heavens of
the Lord (Lamentations 3:66)
How do you react to the idea that this used to be part of traditional
seders and in some cases, still is?
It was compiled and added to the Haggadah during the Middle Ages as
a response to the massacres of the Crusades (beginning in 1096), and
to the persecution of the Jews during the time of Easter (which usually
coincides with Passover). Throughout the ages, the Jews, who had no
recourse to violence, vented their indignation by sublimating and
spiritualizing their desire for vengeance. -Roi Ben-Yehuda
FOURTH CUP AND CONCLUSION:
**Leader or someone reads: Awareness, redemption, and gratitude
accompanied our first three cups. This fourth cup is the cup of hope:
Hope that next year we will all be free, that next year children and
parents, neighbors and nations will turn their hearts to one another.
Hope that next year Jerusalem will be a city of peace.
**WINE BLESSING TOGETHER: Baruch atah adonay eloheynu
melech haolam borey peri hagafen.
Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, sovereign of all worlds, who
creates the fruit of the vine.
**OPTIONAL INCLUDE ON SONG SHEETS:

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Primo Levi poem: Passover each takes a line
Tell me: how is this night different
From all other nights?
How, tell me, is this Passover
Different from other Passovers?
Light the lamp, open the door wide
So the pilgrim can come in,
Gentile or Jew;
Under the rags perhaps the prophet is concealed.
Let him enter and sit down with us;
Let him listen, drink, sing and celebrate Passover;
Let him consume the bread of affliction,
The Paschal Lamb, sweet mortar and bitter herbs.
This is the night of differences
In which you lean your elbow on the table,
Since the forbidden becomes prescribed,
Evil is translated into good.
We will spend the night recounting
Far-off events full of wonder,
And because of all the wine
The mountains will skip like rams.
Tonight they exchange questions:
The wise, the godless, the simple-minded and the child.
And time reverses its course,
Today flowing back into yesterday,
Like a river enclosed at its mouth.
Each of us has been a slave in Egypt,
Soaked straw and clay with sweat,
And crossed the sea dry-footed.
You too, stranger.
This year in fear and shame,
Next year in virtue and in justice.
- Primo Levi, Holocaust Survivor, Passover 1982
**Adults over age 20 read:
Now our seder is completed
Every requirement is fulfilled.
**People under age 20 read:
Just as we have been privileged to observe it this year
may we continue to do so in years to come.
**ALL TOGETHER: LESHANAH HABAHAH BIRUSHALAYIM! Next year in
Jerusalem!

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