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The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah | מוֹצִיא מַצָּה The familiar hamotzi blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ...

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Our hands were touched by this water earlier during tonight's seder, but this time is different. This is a deeper step than that. This act of washing our hands is accompanied by a blessing, for in this moment we feel our People's story more viscerally, having just retold it during Maggid. Now, having re-experienced the majesty of the Jewish journey from degradation to dignity, we raise our hands in holiness, remembering once again that our liberation is bound up in everyone...

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Our story starts in ancient times, with Abraham, the first person to have the idea that maybe all those little statues his contemporaries worshiped as gods were just statues. The idea of one God, invisible and all-powerful, inspired him to leave his family and begin a new people in Canaan, the land that would one day bear his grandson Jacob’s adopted name, Israel. God had made a promise to Abraham that his family would become a great nation, but this promise...

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Is it a Schwab family tradition that each stance is read in a single breath.  Enjoy!  Who knows one? I know one. One is our God in Heaven and Earth Who knows two? I know two. Two are the tablets of the covenant One is our God in Heaven and Earth Who knows three? I know three. Three are the patriarchs Two are the tablets of the covenant One is our God in Heaven and Earth Who knows four? I know...

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Refill everyone’s wine glass. We now say grace after the meal, thanking God for the food we’ve eaten. On Passover, this becomes something like an extended toast to God, culminating with drinking our third glass of wine for the evening: We praise God, Ruler of Everything, whose goodness sustains the world. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all. Thanks to You, we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for everyone. We...

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Nirtzah  marks the conclusion of the seder. Our bellies are full, we have had several glasses of wine, we have told stories and sung songs, and now it is time for the evening to come to a close. At the end of the seder, we honor the tradition of declaring, “Next year in Jerusalem!” For some people, the recitation of this phrase expresses the anticipation of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem and the return of the Messiah. For others, it is...

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As we tell the story, we think about it from all angles. Our tradition speaks of four different types of children who might react differently to the Passover seder. It is our job to make our story accessible to all the members of our community, so we think about how we might best reach each type of child: What does the wise child say? The wise child asks, What are the testimonies and laws which God commanded you? You must teach...

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Each verse should be read my a Seder participant.   1. An only kid! An only kid, My father bought For two zuzim.  An only kid! An only kid! 2. Then came the cat And ate the kid My father bought For two zuzim. An only kid! An only kid! 3. Then came the dog And bit the cat That ate the kid My father bought For two zuzim. An only kid! An only kid!  4. Then came the stick And beat...

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Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes Out with the hametz, no pasta, no knishes Fish that's gefillted, horseradish that stings These are a few of our passover things.  Matzoh and karpas and chopped up haroset Shankbones and kiddish and yiddish neuroses Tante who kvetches and uncle who sings These are a few of our Passover things.  Motzi and maror and trouble with Pharoahs Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbarrows Matzah balls floating and eggshell that cling These are a...

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All read the third line of each stanza in unison Unto God let praise be brought For the wonders He hath wrought—   At the solemn hour of midnight. All the earth was sunk in night When God said "Let there be light!"   Thus the day was formed from midnight. So was primal man redeemed When the light of reason gleamed   Through the darkness of the midnight. To the Patriarch, God revealed The true faith, so long concealed   By the darkness of...

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All read the third line of each stanza in unison Unto God let praise be brought For the wonders He hath wrought—   At the solemn hour of midnight. All the earth was sunk in night When God said "Let there be light!"   Thus the day was formed from midnight. So was primal man redeemed When the light of reason gleamed   Through the darkness of the midnight. To the Patriarch, God revealed The true faith, so long concealed   By the darkness of...

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Somewhere during the course of your Passover seder this year, ask one of these questions and see how your fellow attendees respond. You can also try typing the questions on small pieces of paper, folding them up, and asking everyone around the table to choose one, read it aloud, and respond. Depending on your audience, the responses may be either serious or playful. Either way, you’re guaranteed interesting discussion. What do Passover and Easter have in common? (Think spring festivals, eggs,...