Avadim Hayinu
The matzot are uncovered
ּעֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ הָיִינו. עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין
Avadim Hayinu - Atah b'nei chorin.
We were all slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. And the Lord our God delivered us from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought our forefathers out of Egypt, then we, our children, and our children's children, would still be slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. And even if all of us were scholars, all of us full of understanding, all of us masters, all of us learned in the Torah, we would still be commanded to tell the story of how we left Egypt. And the more one tells the story, with ever more detail and fervor, the greater one's merit.
A tale: One Passover eve, great scholars Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiba, and Rabbi Tarfon reclined together in B'nai B'rak. They told and retold the story of the Exodus from Egypt all through the night, until their disciples came running to tell them: "The time has come to read the morning Sh'ma, the time has come to say the morning prayers."
"Why do we tell this tale? It teaches us an important lesson. These five sages, among the most illustrious of the Talmud, continued their study of the Exodus and the story of the Exodus into the morning hours, even though they were thoroughly familar with it. Obviously, they wanted to savor every nuance of the narrative - whereas we, who are not so erudite, tend to rush through the story." - Elie Wiesel
Inspired to create
your own Haggadah?
Make your own Haggadah and share with other Seder lovers around the world
Have an idea
for a clip?
People like you bring their creativity to Haggadot.com when they share their ideas in a clip
Support Us
with your donation
Help us build moments of meaning and connection through
home-based Jewish rituals.
OUR TOP CONTRIBUTORS
Passover Guide
Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
to all of your questions.