An IllustratedHAGGADAH

Art by Michael Hirshon

Passover 2020

Tonight we rejoice in freedom, family, and the opportunities for renewal that come with the onset of spring. Through the symbols of the Seder and the retelling of the Exodus story, we will remember the history of the Jewish people and explore the universal themes of freedom and liberation.

Seder means order. Our Passover celebration consists of various blessings and actions, performed in a specific order. First we will sanctify the space and celebrate the arrival of spring. Next we will retell the Exodus story and consider its significance. Then we will eat a special holiday meal. Finally, we will sing songs and celebrate.

Welcome

Lighting the candles is the way that Jewish celebrations typically begin, and Passover is no different. Though fire can take on many symbolic meanings, one of particular relevance to the Passover story is that of new beginnings. Not only does it mark the start of tonights’ festivities, but it is also a reminder of the fresh start the Israelites experienced in freedom.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mizvotav l ’hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of the Universe, who sanctifies us with the commandments and commands us to kindle the festival lights.

Candles

Passover tradition commands that we enjoy or Seder in the manner of free people: reclining, relaxing and luxuriating in one another’s company. Savoring the taste of wine fits right in with our mandate to celebrate. We’ll delight in four cups of wine this evening, and now we pour the first. The four cups represent the four expressions of deliverance promised by God:

I shall bring you outI shall rescue youI shall redeem youI shall take you out

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri hagafen.

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Kiddush

Urchatz (Wash hands without blessing)

Like fire, water is another powerful force in nature. And in the Passover story, it plays a particularly important role: when Moses is only a child and his life is in danger, the waters of the Nile take him out of harm’s way. And when the Israelites are making their way out of Egypt, the Red Sea’s waters are parted and they pass into freedom.

As we allow the cleansing waters of our Seder to pass over our hands, we summon to mind the important role water played in the liberation of the Israelite slaves.

Green is commonly embraced as the color of health, life and nature’s bounty. The green vegetable on our Seder plate represents all three. It also signifies our hope for the future, symbolizing spring’s regenerative power and the promise of personal renewal. The second symbol on our Seder plate, the roasted egg, is another ancient symbol of regeneration and new life.

But the path to renewal can be long and circuitous. Plants must pass through the bitterness of winter before blooming into abundance in spring. By dipping our green vegetable in salt water, we symbolically taste the tears of the Israelites’ hardships — slavery and desperation — while remembering the path to freedom that awaited them.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri ha’adamah.

Blessed are you, our God, Creator of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.

Karpas

Egg (beitzah)

Why is there an egg on the seder plate? (Let’s eat one now!)

Matzah, an unleavened mix of flour and water, is the traditional Passover bread. It commemorates the Israelites’ enslavement in and flight from Egypt and is also called the bread of affliction. Yet, even though it was the bread the Israelites baked as they hastily fled the chains of slavery, it was also the bread they ate as they struck out on their journey to freedom.

Now we remove the middle matzah from the stack of three on the table and break it in half. One half is put back and the other half is set aside for dessert after the meal. We call this second half the afikomen, which means dessert in Greek.

Ha lachma anya, di achalu avahatana, b’ara d mitzrayim. Kol dichfin yeitei v yeichul,kol ditzrich yeitei v’yifsach. Hashata hacha, lashanah haba-ah b’arah d’yisrael. Hashata avdei, lashanah haba-ah b’nei chorin.

This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Whoever is hungry, let them come and conduct the Seder of Passover. This year we are here, next year in the land of Israel; next year we will be free people.

Break the Middle Matzah

We’ve arrived at the Maggid, or telling portion of our celebration, when we recall the story of the Exodus and explain the origins of the Passover traditions.

Tonight’s celebration insists on the moral seriousness of the stories that we tell ourselves. Stories are easily dismissible as distractions, the make-believe we craved as children. But tonight we are asked to take this faculty of the mind, so beloved by children and novelists, extremely seriously. Tonight is the night that we sanctify storytelling.

In this spirit, the following pages are intended as prompts to help us each retell the story of the Exodus in our own words.

Maggid

We begin by asking and answering four traditional questions to help us understand How is this night different from all other nights.

Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot?

Sheb’chol haleilot anu ochlin chametz u’matzoh. Halailah hazeh kulo matzah.

Sheb’chol haleilot anu ochlin she’ar yirakot. Halailah hazeh maror.

Sheb’chol haleilot anu matbilin afilu pa’am echat. Halailah hazeh sh’tei f ’amim.

Sheb’chol haleilot anu ochlin bein yoshvin u’vein m’subin. Halailah hazeh kulanu m’subin.

On all other nights, we eat bread and Matzah. Why, on this night, do we eat only Matzah? We eat only Matzah to remember the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt.

On all other nights, we eat a variety of vegetables. Why, on this night, do we eat only bitter vegetables? We eat bitter vegetables to remember how harsh the life of a slave is.

On all other nights, we don’t dip our vegetables even once. Why, on this night, do we dip them twice? We did in salt water tonight first to remember the tears and bitter lives of our ancestors, and second, their unending hope for freedom.

On all other nights, we eat sitting or reclining. Why, on this night, do we recline? We make ourselves comfortable at the table because that’s what free people can do. In the past, slaves ate standing up while their masters reclined.

The Four Questions

Questioning allows us to learn about our histories, but it is also one of the surest ways to learn about ourselves. Sometimes, though, we do not know how to ask the right questions and initiate the process of discovery. Jewish tradition addresses this hurdle in the Hebrew Bible, where parents are commanded four times to share the Exodus story with their children. According to Jewish rabbis, the command occurs four times to emphasize that people learn in different ways, represented in the traditional tale of The Four Children - one who was wise, one who was wicked, one who was simple, and one who did not know how to ask at all.

The many symbols, songs and rituals that we incorporate into our Seder allow each and every one of us to make sense of the story in our own way and help to instill the values of Passover - family, education, and freedom.

The Four Children

Joseph invites his family into Egypt. Then what happened?

A new Pharoah comes to power. What did he do?

The new Pharoah gets a prophecy.Oh boy, that can’t be good.

A boy is found in a basket.Tell me more!

Moses is upset by how the Pharoah treats the Israelites.What does he do about it?

The Exodus Journey

Before the Pharoah would agree to set the Israelites free, 10 horrific plagues beset the Egyptian people. It was only after the last, the slaying of the first born, that the Pharoah finally agreed to liberate the Israelite slaves. Though the Israelites’ freedom is a precious gift worthy of rejoicing in, the suffering experienced by the Egyptians in the process is also memorialized in our Seder. Their plight is not one to be taken lightly and their affliction deserves our sorrowful recognition. To do so, we recite each of the 10 plagues, dipping our finger in a glass of wine as we go along and placing a drop on our plate in recognition of each one (listed on the next page).

Plagues

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri hagafen.

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Moses parts the Red Sea!

Once in the desert, the Israelites needed to relearn how to be free. Slavery, whether of the body, mind or spirit, takes its toll.

The story of the Israelites is one that is meant to inspire our own freedom journeys. Sometimes the goal is a personal exploration; at other times, it is the gathering of strength for a literal fight for basic liberties. Making a commitment to liberation can be a prolonged process, where we reflect upon our efforts, from from the challenges we endure and seek our opportunities for improvement.

For the Israelites, such improvement included an appreciation of the many blessings they had received, and the many miracles they had witnessed.

DayenuSinging Dayenu is one way we can remind ourselves to be thankful for the comforts, freedoms, and privileges. We were once impoverished, but now we are able to gather around a holiday table and enjoy a large, festive meal with loved ones. At this moment in time, we have more than enough. Dayenu. Let’s take a moment not only to recount the many things we are grateful for, but also to dedicate ourselves to taking small meaningful steps to help eradicate injustice.

* * * Da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, dayenu, dayenu, dayenu, Da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, dayenu, dayenu, dayenu

Ilu hotzi, hotziyanu, hotziyanu mi-mitzrayim, hotziyanu mi-mitzrayim - DAYEINU

Ilu natan, natan lanu, natan lanu et haTorah, natan lanu et haTorah - DAYEINU

Ilu natan, natan lanu, natan lanu et haShabbat, natan lanu et haShabbat - DAYEINU

Ilu, ilu hichnisanu, hichnisanu l ’eretz Yisrael, hichnisanu l ’eretz Yisrael - DAYEINU

Da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, dayenu, dayenu, dayenu,Da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, da-da-yenu, dayenu, dayenu

Had God brought us out of Egypt but not split the sea before us,brought us out of Egypt, well then da-ye-nu

Had God split the sea before us but not fed us in the desert,split the sea before us, well then da-ye-nu

Had God fed us with the manna but not brought us to Mount Sinai,fed us with the manna, well then da-ye-nu

Had God brought us to Mount Sinai but not given us commandments,brought us to Mount Sinai, well then da-ye-nu

Had God given us commandments but not led us into Israel,given us commandments, well then da-ye-nu

Had God led us into Israel but not given us the prophets,led us into Israel, well then da-ye-nu

Had God given us the prophets but not built for us the Temple,given us the prophets, well then da-ye-nu

Had God built for us the Temple but not promised the Messiah,built for us the Temple, well then da-ye-nu

Dayenu (English lyrics)

Rachtzah (Wash hands with a blessing)

Our tradition teaches that sharing a meal is a sacred act. We elevate the mundane task of eating to an act of holiness by washing our hands and offering a blessing, just as the Kohanim (priests) did in ancient days.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid shanu b‘mitzvotav v’tzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of the Universe, who sanctifies us with mitzvot and commands us to wash our hands.

As the Israelites prepared for their journey out of Egypt, they had little time to bake bread for the road ahead. Instead of using yeast and allowing their dough to rise, the Israelites threw together a basic mix of wheat and water to make the crispy crackers we know as Matzah.

The following blessings commemorate both the bread they intended to bake and the matzah their haste allowed them to make. This pairing of prayers symbolizes the best intentions we bring to every situation, and that even though sometimes realities force us to compromise, that too can lead to a good result.

Motzi MatzahBaruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.

Blessed are you, our God, Creator of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.

Blessed are you, our God, Creator of the Universe, who sanctifies us with mitzvot and commands us to eat unleavened bread.

The Israelites fled to freedom speedily, eager to escape the bitterness of slavery. We now commemorate that bitterness by eating a portion of bitter herbs. And yet, there’s a treat to mitigate the tear-jerking effect of the herbs: Charoset. Prepared from a mix of apples, nuts, and honey, Charoset is meant to symbolize the mortar that the Israelite slaves used to make bricks when building the Pharoah’s palaces. For us, it also serves as a sign of hope -- a reminder that even the most desperate situations can yield to the sweetness of a brighter future.

Maror

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.

Blessed are you, our God, Creator of the Universe, who sanctifies us with mitzvot and commands us to eat the bitter herbs.

In combining our Maror with Charoset, we are following in a tradition begun by the great Jewish rabbi Hillel. Gathering these three symbols of slavery together — Maror, Charoset and Matzah — we are called to reflect on the many different aspects of the Israelites’ experience in slavery: their bitterness, their quickness in fleeing, and finally, the sweetness of their freedom.

Koreich (Hillel’s Sandwich)

An orange?

Shulchan Oreich

( Let’s Eat! )

The meal concludes by breaking apart the Afikomen and sharing it among all the Seder guests, a reminder that we must open our hearts to one another and work together as a community.

The Afikomen is also sometimes said to be symbolic of the Jews’ Passover offering, which was made in ancient days at the old Temple in Jerusalem to demonstrate their thanks for their ancestors’ deliverance from slavery. The lamb shank on the Seder plate also represents this past tradition. After the destruction of the Temple, Pascal sacrifice was no longer practiced, and the Seder we celebrate today began to develop.

Tzafun (Afikomen)

Now we’re ready to say grace after having enjoyed a delicious and bountiful meal. It’s also time to pour the evening’s third cup of wine, to drink after the blessing.

Barekh (Blessing After the Meal)

TOGETHER

Blessed are You, Source of Life, who sustains the world with grace, love, and compassion. You are the source of bread; for Your goodness, all who live are grateful.

We praise You, Source of Life, for the earth and sustenance.

Let Jerusalem the Holy City be renewed in our time. We praise You, Source of Life, in compassion you rebuild Jerusalem.

Merciful One, our Source of Life, Heaven and Earth are forever blessed by Your presence. Merciful One, bless this house, this table at which we have eaten. May the Source of Peace grant peace to us, to all Israel, and to all the world. Amen.

(continued)LEADER: Cha-vei-rai n’va-rech!

GROUP: Y’hi shem Adonai m’vo-rach mei-a-ta v’ad o-lam.Leader: Y ’hi shem Adonai m’vo-rach me-a-ta v’ad o-lam. Bir-shut cha-vei-rai, n’va-rech Eloheinu she-a-chal-nu mi-she-lo.Group: Ba-ruch Eloheinu she-a-chal-nu mi-she-lo uv’tu-vo cha-yi-nu.

LEADER: Ba-ruch Eloheinu she-a-chal-nu mi-she-lo uv’tu-vo cha-yi-nu. Ba-ruch hu u-va-ruch sh’mo.

GROUP: Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-o-lam, ha-zan et ha-o-lam ku-lo b’tu-vo, b’chein b’che-sed uv’ra-cha-mim. Hu no-tein le-chem l’chol ba-sar ki l ’o-lam chas-do. Uv’tu-vo ha-ga-dol ta-mid lo cha-sar la-nu, v’al yech-sar la-nu, ma-zon l’o-lam va-ed, ba-a-vur sh’mo ha-ga-dol. Ki hu El zan um’far-neis la-kol u-mei-tiv la-kol, u-mei-chin ma-zon l’chol b’ri-yo-tav a-sher ba-ra. Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, ha-zan et ha-kol.

Ka-ka-tuv, v’ach-al-ta v’sa-va-ta, u-vei-rach-ta et Adonai E-lo-he-cha al ha-a-retz ha-to-vah a-sher na-tan lach. Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, al ha-a-retz v’al ha-ma-zon.

U-v’nei Y ’ru-sha-la-yim ir ha-ko-desh bim-hei-ra v’ya-mei-nu. Ba-ruch a-ta Adonai, bo-neh v’ra-cha-mav Y’ru-sha-la-yim. Amen. O-se sha-lom bim-ro-mav, hu ya-a-se sha-lom, a-lei-nu v’al kol Yisrael, v’im-ru a-men. 

Adonai oz l ’a-mo yi-ten, Adonai y’va-rech et a-mo va-sha-lom

Adonai will give strength unto all people, Adonai will bless all people with peace. Amen

The Blessing After the Meal concludes by drinking the Third Cup of wine.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri hagafen.

Blessed are you, our God, Creator of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Blessing After the Meal, continued

ElijahWe now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder. As we confront the injustice of this world, may we be like Elijah, who in defense of justice, spoke truth to power. Jewish legends recall the mystical appearance of Elijah in times of trouble, to promise relief and redemption, to lift downcast spirits and to plant hope in the hearts of the downtrodden.

Eliyahu Ha-navee

Eliyahu Ha-tish-bee

Eliyahu, Eliyahu

Eliyahu Ha-giladee

Bim Heira B’yameinu Yavo eileinu

Eem mashiah ben David

Eem mashiah ben David

At this point in the Seder, it is customary to sing songs celebrating the Israelites’ success, reveling with friends and family in the joyfulness of our holiday celebration.

The origins of this tradition lie in Psalms 113-118, which is also sometimes called The Exodus Hallel.

Hallel (Praise)

Before officially ending tonight’s Passover celebration, we lift our fourth and final

cup of wine. This is a cup of joy and hope, hope that soon all peoples will be able

to come together as friends and equals, and enjoy freedom in their bodies, hearts

and minds. The words of a popular Jewish song, Hine Ma Tov, which means

“How good it is!”, capture the spirit of amity we summon tonight:

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri hagafen.Blessed are you, our God, Creator of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

As we conclude, we set an intention of carrying the lessons of this Seder with us

through the year, so we can aid in the realization of freedom for all. With this

sentiment in mind, we end our Seder with the traditional expression Next Year in

Jerusalem, with the hope that Jerusalem will become a city of peace and a symbol

of hope. Next year, may there be peace and freedom for everyone.

Hineh, ma tov u-manayim, Shevet achim gam yachad!How good and how pleasant it is, When people dwell together in unity!

Nirtzah (Conclusion)

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri hagafen.

Blessed are you, our God, Creator of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.