A Simplified Passover Haggadah — 2020 Edition 1. Light the Candles Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu ruach ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel yom tov. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Spirit of the Universe, who have sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the holiday lights. 2. Kadesh (we bless the wine) Baruch atah adonai eloheinu ruach ha’olam boreh pree hagafen. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Baruch atah adonai eloheinu ruach ha’olam, shehecheyanu, v'kiyemanu vehigiyanu la-z'man hazeh. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Spirit of the universe, who has kept us in life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment. 3. Urchatz (wash hands: we’re not going to do this now, but we hope you’re doing it every chance you get!) 1 4. The Four Questions Mah Nishtana halayla hazeh mikol haleylot, mikol haleylot Sheb’chol haleylot anu ochlim chametz umatzah, chametz umatzah Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh kulo matzah Halaylah hazeh, halaylah hazeh kulo matzah Sheb’chol haleylot anu ochlim she’ar yerakot, she’ar yerakot Halayla hazeh, halayla hazeh maror Halayla hazeh, halayla hazeh maror Sheb’chol haleylot eyn anu matbilin afilu pa’am echat, afilu pa’am echat Halayla hazeh, halayla hazeh sh'tae p'amim Halayla hazeh, halayla hazeh sh'tae p'amim Sheb’chol haleylot anu ochlim beyn yoshvin uveyn mesubin, beyn yoshvin uveyn mesubin Halayla hazeh, halayla hazeh kulanu mesubin Halayla hazeh, halayla hazeh kulanu mesubin On all other nights we eat either bread or matzah; on this night, why only matzah? On all other nights we eat any kind of vegetables; on this night why bitter herbs? On all other nights we don’t dip even once; on this night why do we dip twice? On all other nights we eat in any position; on this night why are we reclining? [Answer the questions.] 5. Four Types of Children Instead of talking about the four types of children we usually discuss at Passover, let’s talk about the four ways people may be reacting to the covid-19 pandemic and its impact on our lives. 1. The consummate hand-washer, knob disinfecter, and social distancer who’s doing everything right, including maintaining stockpiles of TP and hand sanitizer. 2. The panicked/overwhelmed/devastated citizen struggling to hold it together in the face of job loss, financial hardship, risk to health and safety, and helping loved ones access vital services. 3. The grumpy person who resists all expert recommendations and resents the inconvenience. 4. The befuddled individual who’s having trouble grasping that any of this is real. How can we support each type of person in getting through this challenging time? 2 6. Maggid (we tell the story) Reader 1: We were slaves in Egypt, and our lives were miserable. But God visited Moses and told him to demand that the Pharaoh set us free. When Pharaoh refused, God unleashed a se- ries of plagues to punish the Egyptian people. 1. Blood Dam 2. Frogs Tzephardayah 3. Vermin Keenim 4. Beasts Arov 5. Cattle Disease Dever 6. Boils Sheheen 7. Hail Barad 8. Locusts Arbeh 9. Darkness Choshech 10. Slaying of the firstborn Makat Bechorot Reader 2: After the first nine plagues, Pharaoh refused Moses’ demands. But after the final plague, he gave us our freedom. We gathered up our belongings, took a leap of faith, and hur- ried to leave Egypt before Pharaoh changed his mind. Which of course he did, sending his army to chase us. When we came to the sea of reeds, Moses lifted his staff and the waters parted, allowing us to cross safely to the other side. When the Egyptian soldiers followed, God released the waters, drowning them. Reader 3: This was only the beginning of our difficult journey. We wandered in the desert for 40 years, not knowing how we would survive and when we would reach the promised land. But God provided for us by sending us manna to eat, and Miriam’s well followed us, giving us water to drink. And at last we came to the promised land and rebuilt our lives. This is a story that we’ve repeated every year for millennia, to make sure we never forget. Even in the darkest times, such as during the Holocaust and the Russian pogroms, we’ve found inspi- ration in this story of our triumph over our difficulties and our liberation from slavery. Reader 4: Now the covid-19 pandemic has uprooted our lives once again — though this time instead of having to flee our homes, we are remaining inside them to protect ourselves and save countless lives! Still, millions of people are in upheaval. No one knows how long this will last or how it will end. But we got through all those other hardships, and we’ll get through this one. And while we can’t come together physically, we can still come together as one. And if nothing else, this situation is teaching us to appreciate so many things that we’d been tak- ing for granted. 3 7. Dayenu Ilu hotzi hotzianu hotzianu mi mitzrayim hotzianu mi mitzrayim dayenu Day-dayenu, day-dayenu, day-dayenu, dayenu dayenu (if He had taken us out of Israel…) Ilu natan natan lanu natan lanu et hashabat natan lanu et hashabat dayenu (if He had given us the Sabbath…) Ilu natan natan lanu natan lanu et hatorah natan lanu et hatorah dayenu (if He had given us the Torah…) This song is about being grateful for what we have. What things are you grateful for now? 8. Havdalah The Blessing over Wine or Grape Juice ָבּוּרp ַָאהתּ ְָיי , ֱֵאxה וּנֽי pֶֽלֶמ ָםוָֹהלע , רוֹבּ ֵא ִיְפּר ֽןֶפָגַּה . Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha’olam, boray pri hagafen. Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. The Blessing over Spices ָבּוּרp ַָאהתּ ְָיי , ֱֵאxה וּנֽי pֶֽלֶמ ָםוָֹהלע , רוֹבּ ֵא יֵינִמ ְִָביםשׂמ . Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha’olam, boray minay vesamim. Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, Creator of the different spices. The Blessing over the Candle ָבּוּרp ַָאהתּ ְָיי , ֱֵאxה ֽ ניוּ pֶֽלֶמ ָםוָֹהלע , רוֹבּ ֵא ֵיְמוֹרא ֵָהשׁא . Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha’olam, boray me’oray ha’aysh. Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, Creator of the fire’s lights. The Blessing over Havdalah ָבּוּרp ַָאהתּ ְָיי , ֱאx ֽינוֵּה pֶֽלֶמ ָםוָֹהלע , ִילְדַבַהמּ ןיֵבּ ֹק ֶֽשׁד ְלוֹחל , ןיֵבּ רוֹא pְֶֹלשׁח ֽ , ןיֵבּ ִיְָשֵׂראל ִיַםָלמּﬠ , ןיֵבּ וֹים ִיﬠְַהבשּׁ ִי ְֵֶֽלתשׁשׁ ְיֵימ ֲַהשׂﬠַהמּ ֶ . ָבּוּרp ַָאהתּ ְָיי , ִילְדַבַהמּ ןיֵבּ ֹק ֶֽשׁד ְלוֹחל . Baruch atah, Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha’olam, hamavdil bayn kodesh lechol bayn or lechoshech bayn Yisrael la’amim bayn yom hashevi’i leshayshet yemay hama’aseh. Baruch atah, Adonai, hamavdil bayn kodesh lechol. Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, who separates between the holy and the profane; between the light and dark; between Israel and the other nations; between the seventh day and the six days of the week. Blessed are You, God, who separates between the holy and the profane. 4 9. Welcoming Elijah and Miriam Eliahu hanavi, Eliahu ha-tishbi, Eliahu, Eliahu, Eliahu ha-Giladi Bimhera v’yameinu, yavo eleinu, im Mashiach ben David, im Mashiach ben David Elijah the prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah the Giladite May he soon (in our days) come to us, with the messiah son of David Miriam ha-n'vi'ah, oz v'zimrah b'yadah, Miriam tirkod itanu l'hagdil zimrat olam Bimheirah v'yameinu, hi t'vi'einu, el mei ha-y'shuah, el mei ha-y'shuah Miriam the prophet, strength and song in her hand Miriam, dance with us to increase the song of the world Miriam, dance with us to repair the world Soon she will bring us to the waters of redemption 10. Hallel (song of praise) Min Ha Metzar Min HaMetzar karati Yah, Anani vamerchavYah From the Narrow place I called out to God who answered me with the Divine Expanse. (Psalm 118:5) 11. Final cup of wine Baruch atah adonai eloheinu ruach ha’olam boreh pree hagafen. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Spirit of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. 12. Nirtzah (we complete the seder) Lishana Haba’ah Biyerushalayim Next Year in Jerusalem!! Next year, may we all be free! Next year, may we all dwell in peace! Next year, may we all celebrate Passover together in the same room! For whoever wants to stay on, we now have an opportunity to sing more traditional Passover songs. See the supplement that follows this Haggadah. 5 Bashana Haba’a Chad Gadya Bashana haba'a, neshev al hamirpeset venispor tziporim nodedot. That Father bought for two zuzim Yeladim, bekhoufsha, yesakhakhu tofeset Chad gadya, Chad gadya beyn habayit, oulebeyn hasadot Then came a cat and ate the goat That Father bought for two zuzim (Chorus) Chad gadya, chad gadya Od tire, od tire, kama tov yihye bashana, bashana haba'a Then came a dog and bit the cat That ate the goat that Father bought for two zuzim Soon the day will arrive Chad gadya, chad gadya. When we will be together Then came a stick and beat the dog And no longer will we live in fear That bit the cat, that ate the goat And the children will smile That Father bought for two zuzim Without wondering whether Chad gadya, chad gadya On that day dark new clouds will appear Then came fire and burnt the stick That beat the dog that bit the cat Chorus That ate the goat that Father bought for two zuzim Chad gadya, chad gadya Many have dreamed, many have died To make a bright tomorrow Then came water and quenched the fire And their vision remains in our hearts That burnt the stick that beat the dog Now their torch must be passed That bit the cat that ate the goat With hope and not with sorrow That Father bought for two zuzim And the vision to make a new