Though COVID-19 is quickly becoming a plague upon the world, we at Haggadot.com believe Passover does NOT need to be canceled! We can still let our people seder :) With the help of video conferencing technology like Zoom and our online 2020 Haggadah Favorites, Haggadot.com is committed to helping you host a seder that is still community-oriented but also safety-first. Passover has always been a holiday where space and time are like one of our favorite Jewish scientist heroes Albert Einstein...

Seder Guests To the tune of “Matchmaker” Seder guests, seder guests lend me your ear We’ve all arrived Another year Seder guests, seder guests look in your book Tonight we drink wine, not beer. For Papa, please pay attention For Mama, get through all of the steps. For me, well, I wouldn’t mention If matzah ball soup was just all we get Seder guests, seder guests, mah nishtanah? Let us find out What Israelites saw. We tell the story to the...

INT. COMEDY CLUB - NIGHT JERRY Do you know why they call it Passover? G-d told Moses that the Israelites should mark their doorposts with lamb’s blood. So that He could “pass over” their houses. And spare them from the plague of the killing of the first born. My question is: Who was put in charge of telling everyone? That’s a big job. There’s a lot counting on that job. What if someone isn’t home? How did they tell them? Did...

1. What do you consider your “promised land,” or heaven on earth? 2. In Hebrew, the word for Egypt is “Mitzraim,” which literally means “narrow place.” What is one way that you wish for our society to be more open? 3. Moses is considered one of the greatest leaders in our history — he is described as being smart, courageous, selfless and kind. Which of today’s leaders inspires you in a similar way? 4. Miriam was a prophetess and the sister...

Passover is a holiday of renewal, of growth, of new birth and everything that spring has to offer. It has become tradition mainly in queer seders to bring flowers, sticks, and stones to symbolize what has lined the paths which brought us here today. Flowers obviously represent the beauty and growth we've experienced, while sticks and stones represent the challenges (yes, it's super cliche but *shrug emoji*). So let's take a look at this very handsome bouquet while  Blowing the Fluff...

This blessing can be recited as we light the candles to begin the Passover Seder and to celebrate the arrival of spring: Blessed is the light in the world. Blessed is the light within humanity. Blessed is the light of Passover. Barukh ha-or ba-olam Barukh ha-or ba-adam Barukh ha-ror ba-Pesakh (If this blessing is different or new to you: Judaism is a constantly evolving conversation, practice, and identity. This text has been used by tens of thousands of Jews over the...

Passover seder: Judeo-Greek in Ioannina, Greece: chova (duty) Judeo-Arabic in Mossul, Iraq: fassaḥ (verb- conduct the seder) Yiddish in Lvov/Lemburg, Ukraine: praven/uprichtn dem sayder, saydern (verb- conduct the seder) (The evening of) searching for and getting rid of chametz: Yiddish in Bialystok, Poland: di nacht tsi chumets batlen (the night to void chametz); boydek chumets zaan (search for chametz [to be]) Haketía in Tetuan, Morocco: dechamezzar (de-chametz - infinitive verb) Ladino in Salonica, Greece: des·hamesar (de-chametz), badkamiento (search [badkar]-ing), día de...

How do you say “Happy Passover”? Jews around the world have come up with diverse Passover greetings, often involving creative blends of Hebrew and local languages. Many of these phrases were originally written in Hebrew letters or other alphabets. Judeo-French in Bordeaux, France: Bonne fête (good holiday) Judeo-Provençal in Avignon, France: Bon tsantou (good holiday [yom-tov]) Western Yiddish in Alsace, France: Bauet gut (build well, likely a reference to rebuilding of the Temple because of the song Adir Hu) Judeo-Georgian in...

For those who worked for years for a moment a culmination that passed and deflated before their eyes an alveolus wheezing a balloon sputtering wailing grossly from its untied belly button until an even more frightening silence For when the whole word reached out for a hug and the only thing to grasp was thin air For when the calendar postponed but time marched on, sweating in our living rooms For when we tried to run away from our bodies but...

Why four cups of wine by the seder? By Naftali Silberberg Wine is considered a royal drink, one that symbolizes freedom. It is the appropriate beverage for the nights when we celebrate our freedom from Egyptian bondage. Many reasons are given for drinking four cups of wine. Here are some of them: When promising to deliver the Jews from Egyptian slavery, G‑d used four terms to describe the redemption (Exodus 6:6-8): a) "I shall take you out..." b) "I shall rescue ...

On Pesach the four cups of wine remind us of four words of Freedom in Hashem’s promise, and we drink them to show how happy we are to be free. Write four things which make you feel happy or free. _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ ______________________

We recite the Kiddush on Passover as we do on Shabbat and other festivals.  The Kiddush reminds all Jews that they have been chosen -- not for any special distinction or accomplishment -- but to perform the commandments of the Torah. In reciting the Kiddush each one of us once again assumes the responsibility of keeping the vision of freedom alive for all people and to assist in the realization of freedom  at home and around the world, even when to...

As we wash our hands We pray, Blessed is the Soul of the Universe, Breathing us in and breathing us out. May our breaths continue And our health and the health of all Be preserved In this time of sickness and fear of sickness. Holy Wholeness, We take as much responsibility for this as we can By observing the obligation to wash our hands Thoroughly: For as long as it takes to say this prayer. Amen בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָ׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ...

Let me be not deceived, let me remember this moment holds sweetness enfolded in its deep grievousness. Let me be a vessel for the healing this planet so deeply needs. Use me as a source of soothing for everyone suffering under every destructive regime’s undoing. Use me as a sukkat shalom, as shelter from the tumbling detritus of crumbling empires, as comfort for those terrified of this natural catastrophe. Let me awaken the sleepers and weave lullabies for the sleepless. Let...

Roasted Shank Bone (Zeroah) “Passover is the amalgamation of two ancient festivals—one called Pesach, the other Chag Hamatzot. Pesach was originally a shepherd festival, observed in the early spring when the sheep gave birth to their young. It was customary for each family to sacrifice a lamb to assure a healthy flock. The presence of the shank bone on our seder table recalls the primitive beginnings of the festival we now call Passover and impresses us with the antiquity of our...

The holiday of Passover is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Jewish calendar. Some believe that’s because the holiday is primarily home-based and does not require membership or involvement in a synagogue or temple, although it can. The history of Passover, like most Jewish holidays, is multi-layered. It began with the celebration of spring, the rebirth of nature, and the birth of baby animals. The Exodus from Egypt was a later layer, which became the central and compelling story...

When earlier we recalled the story of the Exodus, we acknowledged it as a work of fiction. Yet only one hundred years ago, most scholars still believed that the tale was true in many of its details.  Then they started digging … literally … with shovels and pails. It eventually became clear that the story we had told ourselves for millennia did not take place. There had been no mass flight from Egypt, no conquest of the land of Israel, otherwise...