Passover lasts for a whole week. The holiday begins with a special meal called a seder. We read the story of how the Jewish people were freed from slavery in Egypt. We use a book called a Haggadah.
The Haggadah tells us that many years ago in the land of Egypt, there lived a mean King called Pharaoh. The Jewish people who lived in Egypt were slaves. They had to work very hard building cities and palaces for Pharaoh. Pharaoh was especially mean to Jewish children. One mother put her baby boy in a basket in the river Nile so Pharaoh wouldn't find him. When Pharaoh's daugher saw the baby, she took him out of the river and saved him. She named him Moses.
When Moses grew up, he saw how cruelly the Jewish slaves were treated and decided to leave Egypt. He became a shepherd in a faraway land. One day, while he was watching sheep, he heard the voice of God telling him to go back to Egypt and free the Jewish people. Moses went to Pharaoh and asked him to let the Jewish people go. Pharaoh refused. God was angry and punished Pharaoh ten times. Finally, Pharaoh told moses to take his people out of Egypt.
The Jewish people left in a hurry and didn't have time to bake their bread in an oven. They put the dough on their backs, and while they were walking, the sun baked it into hard crackers (matzah). Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt, across the sea, and into the desert. The Jewish people were happy to be saved. Moses told them to celebrate Passover every year to remember that once they were slaves, and God helped them become free.
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The festival of Passover commemorates the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery followed by their exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. These events are celebrated by a home ceremony known as a "seder". Families gather to recite the miracle of the Exodus, the exact details of which are set down in the Passover "haggadah".
Covered with a special tablecloth, and set with the family's best silver, crystal, and china, the seder table has its centrepiece the "Seder Plate", which bears the visual symbols of the shankbone, charoset, parsley, egg, and maror. The symbollic meaning of these foods are explained as follows:
Shankbone: Egg: Represents the sacrifice the Symbolizes the new life Jews gave to God. the Jewish people started when they left Egypt.
Maror: Lettuce: Bitter herbs, Symbolizes the usually coming of springtime. horseradish. It denotes the bitterness of slavery. Charoset: A mixture of chopped nuts, cinnamon, apples & wine. It reminds us of the mortar Parsley: from which the Israelite Symbolizes the slaves made bricks in Egypt. coming of springtime.
As well, the following symbols are essential to the Seder table.
Eliyahu's Cup: A special cup of wine reserved for the Prophet Elijah who is invited to enter each Jewish home on the Seder night. At one point in the Seder, the door to the house is opened to usher in this guest who is considered the herald of freedom and deliverance.
Matzah: Unleavened bread, recalling the thin unleavened cakes that the children of Israel baked in the sun when they went forth from Egypt in too great a haste to permit the dough to rise.
Salt Water: In which the parsley is dipped. It serves to symbolize the Pg.2 tears of servitude, as well as the salty waters of the Red Sea.
The youngest child recites the Four Questions, inquiring into the reasons for specific Seder observances. In reply, the rest of the family joins in reading from the Hagggadah the accounts of the triumph of freedom from slavery. The reading is followed by a traditional and festive meal.
1. Blessing over the candles
Narrator: To start the seder, I need an Eema to bless the candles. Eema: Baruch ata Adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitsvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Yomtov. AMEN.
2. Kiddush over wine
Narrator: Our Abbah will now sing the kiddush. Abbah: Baruch ata Adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam borei p'ri hagafen. AMEN. All: Blessed art thou O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. AMEN.
3. Explanation of the three Matzot
Narrator: There are three matzot in the matzah cover. Two of them represent Shabbat and all the holidays. The middle matzah is called the Afikomen. It is a Greek word meaning "dessert". I am going to break the Afikomen in half. One half I am going to put back in the matzah cover. The other I will wrap in a napkin and I will hide it during our seder. We cannot finish our seder until the Afikomen is found.
4. Explanation of Eliyahu's Cup
You have probably noticed that there are three kiddush cups on the seder table. One was for the Abbah to bless. The next one is for Eliyahu or ELijah. He was a very wise man and a prophet who lived many years ago. On Pesach he visits every Jewish home and sips from the cup. The last cup sits beside Eliyahu's to remind us of the Jewish people in the world who are not free to have seder and to celebrate Pesach.
Pg.3 All: The snow is melting and it is getting warmer. Winter is over and spring is here. With spring comes the celebration of Pesach.
Narrator: Let's sing together "Purim is Gone, Aviv is Here."
Purim is Gone Purim is gone, Aviv is here A tzeepor just whispered: Pesach is here. Pesach is here, Pesach is here.
All: Many years ago in the land of Egypt, there lived a mean King named Pharaoh. He made the Jewish people his slaves. They worked very hard making bricks to build temples. One day, Pharaoh wanted to hurt the Jewish baby boys. Everyone was unhappy and afraid. One mother, Yochevet, decided that she would hide her baby boy in a basket and place that basket in the river among the bull rushes. When Yochevet put him in the river, she sang this very sad song.
In This Basket: In this basket goes my child and my eyes with tears are dim In this river goes my child and all my love goes out with him.
River, river, take my child, keep him safe from harm and pain River, when the danger's over please give him back to me again.
All: Yochevet told her daughter, Miriam, to stay close by and watch over the baby. Yochevet returned home andMiriam stayed to keep watch. Soon, Pharaoh's daughter, the princess, came down to the river with her maidens to bathe.
Stepping, Stepping Stepping, stepping to the water Down to bathe came Pharaoh's daughter There she saw a basket boat With a baby boy afloat. Pg.4
All: Seeing the basket, she ordered her maidens to fetch it and when she opened it she found the baby.
Stepping, Stepping Moses means "drawn out of water" He was named by Pharaoh's daughter But she did not know that he Would set all his people free.
Moses was a Tiny Baby Moses was a tiny baby sleeping, Sleeping all alone Soon a lovely princess found him, Thought she'd like to take him home.
All: The princess said that she needed a nurse to look after the baby. When Miriam heard this she came out of hiding and told the princess that she knew a nurse who would love to look after the baby. Miriam went to get her mother, Yochevet. The princess gave the baby to the mother to look after until he was older. Then he was brought to the palace to be raised as a prince.
Many years passed and Moses grew to be a man. Although he had been raised as a prince and an Egyptian. Moses knew that he was Jewish. As he travelled around the country, he became more and more troubled by the unhappiness of the Hebrew people. Everywher e Moses looked he saw them working very, very hard.
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Dig Dig Dig DIG DIG DIG hold your shovels low DIG DIG DIG there's no place to go For it's work, work, work, every day and every night For it's work, work, work, when it's dark and when it's light
BANG BANG BANG hold your hammers high BANG BANG BANG there's no time to cry For it's work, work, work, every day and every night For it's work, work, work, when it's dark and when it's light
DIG DIG DIG hold your shovels deep DIG DIG DIG there's no time to sleep For it's work, work, work, every day and every night For it's work, work, work, when it's dark and when it's light.
ALL: One day Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. He became very angry and he fought and hurt that Egyptian. Moses ran away into the wilderness to hide and became a shepherd. One day, while searching for a lost lamb, Moses came upon a burning bush. A voice from within the bush told him to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh set the Jewish people free.
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Let My People Go When Israel was in Egypt land, LET MY PEOPLE GO! They worked so hard they could not stand, LET MY PEOPLE GO! "Go down Moses, way down to Egypt land, Tell old Pharaoh to LET MY PEOPLE GO!!!" All: Moses went to Pharaoh and asked him to let the Jewish people leave Egypt. Oh Listen, Oh Listen O listen, O listen, O listen King Pharaoh King Pharaoh, King Pharaoh, please let my people go. They work so hard all day They do not want to stay All: King Pharaoh, King Pharaoh, what do you Moses went back to say? Pharaoh ten times to ask for his people's NO! NO! NO! I WILL NOT LET THEM GO! freedom. Nine times NO! NO! NO! I WILL NOT LET THEM GO! PHaraoh refused and so terrible plagues occurred in the land. Pharaoh awoke one morning and found frogs everywhere. The Frog Song One morning when Pharaoh awoke in his bed There were frogs in his bed and frogs on his head. Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes Frogs here, frogs there Frogs were jumping everywhere.
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All: Then came the insects, terrible beasts, blight, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the tenth and most terrible plague was when all first-born baby boys became very sick. Moses came to Pharaoh the tenth time and this is what happened:
Oh Listen, Oh Listen O listen, O listen, O listen King Pharaoh King Pharaoh, King Pharaoh, please let my people go They work so hard all day They do not want to stay King Pharaoh, King Pharaoh, what do you say?
YES! YES! YES! I WILL LET YOUR PEOPLE GO! YES! YES! YES! I WILL LET YOUR PEOPLE GO!
All: Quickly, Moses gathered his people together for their journey out of Egypt. They had to hurry in case Pharaoh changed his mind.
March Out of Egypt March out of Egypt, one, two, three March out of Egypt, follow me! March out of Egypt down to the sea March out of Egypt, WE ARE FREE!
All: They walked and walked in the hot sun for many days and then they reached the Red Sea. The Jewish people started to cry: "How will we get across?" Pharaoh had changed his mind He was racing after them and the sea was in front o f them blocking their way.
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How Did Moses Cross the Red Sea? How did Moses cross the Red Sea? How did Moses cross the Red Sea? How did Moses cross the Red Sea? How did he get across?
Did he sail? No! No! Did he fly? No! No! Did he swim? No! No! No! No! Did he drive? No! No! Did he row? No! No! How did he get across?
God blew with the wind, puff, puff, puff, puff God blew just enough, nuff, nuff, nuff, nuff And through the Sea, God made a path That's how he got across!
All: Moses prayed and God helped them again. The waters of the Red Sea parted, leaving a wide path for Moses and his people to walk through to the other side. Just as Pharaoh and his soldiers reached the sea, the waters closed and they could not cross. The Jewish people were free! They were so happy that they wanted everyone to know!
Go Tell it on the Mountain Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere, Go tell it on the mountain, to let my people go!
Who's that yonder dressed in white, let my people go! It must be the children of the Israelites, let my people go!
Who's that yonder dressed in red, let my people go! It must be the c hildren that Moses led, let my people go!
Who's that yonder dressed in black, let my people go! It must be the soldiers turning back, let my people go!
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Narrator: We're now going to ask the four questions.
All: Question 1: Why, on this night, do we eat unleavened bread? Question 2: Why, on this night, do we eat bitter herbs? Question 3: Why, on this night, do we dip twice? Question 4: Why, on this night, do we eat in the leaning position only?
Narrator: We all know a song about practising the four questions.
I Practise it Over and Over Mah nishtanah halayla hazeh I practise it over and over I'm going to ask these questions tonight And I want to be sure that I get them right. Halayla hazeh mikol ha'laylot I practise it over and over
Why on this night do we eat no bread But matzah and bitter herbs instead? O why do we dip and why do we lean? O please won't you tell us just what all this means? Halayla hazeh mikol ha'laylot I practise it over and over.
I know the questions, and answers too But I'd like to ask them again, don't you? Halayla hazeh mikol ha'laylot I practise it over and over.
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Narrator: Let us all join together in singing Mah Nishtanah.
Mah Nishtanah -- The Four Questions Mah nishtanah halayla hazeh mikol ha'laylot, mikol ha'laylot? Sh'bechol ha'laylot anu ochlin chametz o'matazah, chametz o'matzah. Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh kulo matzah, Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh kulo matzah.
Sh'bechol ha'laylot anu ochlin she'ar yerakot, she'ar yerakot. Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh kulo maror, Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh kulo maror.
Sh'bechol ha'laylot ain anu matbilin afilu pa'am echat. afilu pa'am echat. Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh, shtei pe'amim, Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh, sh'rey pe'amim.
Sh'bechol ha'laylot anu ochlim bayn yoshvin bayn mesubin. Bayn yoshvin bayn mesubin. Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh kulanu mesubin, Halayla hazeh halayla hazeh kulanu mesubin.
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. Narrator: We are now going to explain the meaning of the four questions in English.
All: Question 1: Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread. Why, on this night, do we eat only unleavened bread?
Answer: When the Jewish people left Egypt, they had to leave in such a hurry that the bread they had baked did not even have time to rise. It remained flat and unleavened and we call it matzah.
Question 2: On all other nights, we eat herbs of any kind. Why, on this night, do we eat only bitter herbs?
Answer: We eat bitter herbs to remind us of the sad and bitter life the Jewish people had in Egypt when they were slaves.
Question 3: On all other nights, we do not dip our herbs even once. Why, on this night, do we dip them twice?
Answer: We dip our herbs twice in salt water to remind us of the many tears the people cried when they were slaves in Egypt.
Question 4: On all other nights, we eat our meals sitting in any position. Why, on this night, do we eat in a leaning position only?
Answer: We sit in a leaning position because we are no longer slaves and forced to work. We can enjoy our meal and take all the time we like because we are free!
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. Narrator: On the table in front of me I have a seder plate. Each item has a very special meaning.
Let's Arrange a Seder Plate Let's arrange a seder plate with everything in order: Shankbone, charoset, parsley, and egg, and in the centre maror.
Make Charoset, Chop Chop Chop Bake a Matzah Make charoset, chop, chop, chop Bake a matzah, pat, pat, pat Apples, nuts and cinnamon Do not make it, fat, fat, fat Add some wine, it's very good Make a matzah, flat, flat, flat Make charoset, chop, chop, chop. In the oven just like that!
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. Narrator: It is now time for us to say the blessing over the matzah.
All (blessing):
Baruch ata Adonay Blessed art thou Eloheinu melech ha'olam Oh Lord our God Asher kidshanu King of the Universe Be'mitzvotav vetzivanu Who commands us Al achilat matzah. To eat matzah.
Narrator: This matzah that we have just blessed reminds us of the story of Pesach. We will now break the matzah into little pieces for everyone to taste. We are lucky to be free to celebrate today. It is now time for the children to enjoy their Pesach meal.
Narrator: The children return to search for the afikomen, because they can not have dessert until it is found.
Search for afikomen
Well done! Now that the afikomen has been found, we will all have a little piece of this dessert as well as the other treats that are on the table.
Dessert
Now is the time for Eliyahu to enter our seder. We have poured a special cup of wine for him. Let us open up the door and welcome Eliyahu to our seder. Let us all join together and let us sing:
Eliyahu Eliyahu ha navee Eliyahu he teeshbee Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Elliyahu ha geeladee
Before this seder is over, and we say goodbye to our friends, let us all join in with one of our favourite Pesach songs that Pg.14 we. sing at the end of our meal, Dayenu. . Narrator: God has done so many things for the Jewish people. It would have been enough had he only helped them out of Egypt. But He did much more. He saved us from drowning in the Red Sea. He gave us Shabbat, and He gave us the Torah. The Hebrew word for "it would have been enough" is Dayenu!
Dayenu Ilu hotzi hotzi-anu hotzi-anu It would have been enough mimitzrayim Hotzi-anu mimitzrayim DAYENU If God had taken us from Egypt
CHORUS: Dai dai-yenu, dai dai-yenu, It would have been enough Dai dai-yenu dai-yenu dai-yenu dai-yenu Dai dai-yenu, dai dai-yenu, Dai dai-yenu dai-yenu dai-yenu.
Ilu natan natan lanu natan lanu et ha-shabbat It would have been enough Natan lanu et ha-shabbat DAYENU If God had given us Shabbat
CHORUS:
Eelu natan natan lanu natan lanu et ha-torah It would have been enough Natan lanu et ha-torah DAYENU If God had given us the Torah
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