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Leader:  Now in the presence of loved ones and friends, Before us the emblems of festive rejoicing, We gather for our sacred celebration. With the household of Israel, our elders and young ones, Linking and bonding the past with the future, We heed once again the divine call To service. Living our story that is told for all peoples, Whose shining conclusion is yet to unfold, We gather to observe the Passover, As it is written Group: You shall keep the...

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Leader: Our story tells that in diverse ways, with different words, God gave promises of freedom to our people.  With cups of wine we recall each one of them, as now, the first: Group: I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians. Leader: We take up the Kiddush cup and proclaim the holiness of the Day of Deliverance! We praise You, God, Sovereign of the universe!  You have called us for service from among...

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The third cup of wine is now poured, including the cup for Elijah, and Bircas HaMazon (Grace after meals) is recited. Leader: A Song of Ascent: When the Lord restores the exiled of Zion We shall be as those who dream Our mouths will be full of laughter then, Our tongues with song. Then will they say among the nations: “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, And so we rejoice. Restore...

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Leader: Now I break the middle matzah and conceal one half as the afikoman.  Later we will share it, as in days of old the Passover offering itself was shared at this service in Jerusalem.  Among people everywhere, sharing of bread forms a bond of fellowship.  For the sake of our redemption, we say together the ancient words which join us with our own people and with all who are in need, with the wrongly imprisoned and the beggar in the...

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Leader: In the spring of the year, the season of rebirth and renewal, on the festival of Pesach, we read from the Song of Songs.  The poetry of nature and of love evokes, as well, the love between God and the people Israel, and their Covenant-betrothal. Arise my beloved, my fair one, And come away; For lo, the winter is past. Flowers appear on the earth, The time of singing is here. The song of the dove Is heard in our...

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The Table Setting: Set the table in a festive manner.  Candles should be provided for the Seder.  In front of the leader a place a special Seder plate.  On this plate arrange the following:  Three separate pieces of matzah.  Three whole pieces of matzah should pe blaced in either a special cloth matzah cover with three sections or in a napkin folded over twice.  These three matzot represent the two traditional loves set out in the ancient Temple during the festival...

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Leader raise the tray with the matzot and say: הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין. Ha lachma anya dee achalu avhatana b'ara d'meetzrayeem. Kol deechfeen yeitei v'yeichol, kol deetzreech yeitei v'yeefsach. Hashata hacha, l'shanah haba-ah b'ara d'yisra-el. Hashata avdei, l'shanah haba-ah b'nei choreen. This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let...

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Group: Happy are those of steadfast faith Who still can bless the light of candles Shining in the darkness… Rejoice, O Earth, in those who keep the way, For there is still song for them within you. Candles are lit Leader: ברוך אתה, יי, אלהינו, מלח העולם, אשר קדשנו במצותיו, וצונו להדליק נר של (שבת ושל) יום טוב Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel (Shabbat v’shel) yom tov. Blessed are you, Adonai, our God,...

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צָפוּן After the meal, take the Afikoman and divide it among all the guests at the Seder table. It is forbidden to drink or eat anything (except the remaining two ritual cups of wine) after eating  the Afikoman.

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Leader: Rabban Gamliel used to say: Whoever has not explained the following three things on Passover has not fulfilled his duty, namely: Pesach - The Passover Offering; Matzah - The Unleavened Bread; Maror - The Bitter Herbs. Group: Pesach - Why did our fathers eat a Passover offering during the period when the Temple still stood? Leader: Because the Holy One, Blessed is He, passed over the houses of our fathers in Egypt, as it is written in Exodus 12:27, "You...

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Leader raises all the matzos on the Seder plate and recites the following blessing: Leader: 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. The bottom matzah is put down and the following blessing is recited while the top (whole) matzah, and the middle (broken) piece are still raised: Group: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ...

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Leader: Rabbi Benjamin Adler teaches us about Maror: What is a Bitter Herb?  When most of us think of bitter herbs, that  maror, we think of  khreyn  (Yiddish for horseradish). But when you think about it, horseradish is not really bitter. It is pungent or spicy. According to the Talmud, the correct vegetable to use is lettuce, probably a variety of Romaine lettuce. Indeed, this is what many Sephardi Jews use for  maror. Of course, Romaine lettuce is not really bitter...

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The door is opened for Elijah. Leader: May Adonai, blessed is He, send us abundant blessing to this house and upon this table at which we have eaten.  May He send us Elijah, the Prophet – may he be remembered for good – to proclaim to us good tidings, salvation, and consolations! Together we take the cup of wine, now recalling the third divine promise: Group: As it is written: “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” ברוך אתה, יי,...

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Leader: The formal telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with lots of questions and answers. Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us this question with Four Answers to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. Youngest member of group: Why is this night different from all other nights? Leader: 1. On all other nights we eat both...

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Leader: As our Seder draws to an end, we take up our cups of wine.  The Redemption is not yet complete.  The fourth cup recalls us to our covenant with the Eternal One, to the tasks that still await us as a people called to the service of God, to a great purpose for which the people of Israel lives: The preservation and affirmation of hope. Group: As it is written: “And I will take you to be my people.” ברוך...

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Leader: These are the Plagues that the Holy One, Blessed be He, brought upon Egypt.  As each plague is mentioned a small amount of wine is removed from the cup as one should never revel in the suffering of others. Blood |  Dom | דָּם Frogs |  Tzfardeyah | צְפֵרְדֵּע Lice |  Kinim | כִּנִים Beasts |  Arov | עָרוֹב Cattle Plague |  Dever | דֶּבֶר Boils |  Sh’chin | שְׁחִין Hail |  Barad | בָּרד Locusts |  Arbeh | אַרְבֶּה...

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Leader: With the second cup of wine we recall the second promise of liberation Group: “I will deliver you from their bondage” Remembering with gratitude the redemption of our fathers from Egypt, Rejoicing in the fruits of our struggle for freedom, We look now with hope to the celebration of a future redemption, The building of the City of Peace in which all men will rejoice In the service of God, singing together a new song. We praise You, O God,...

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Leader: As our Seder draws to an end, we take up our cups of wine.  The Redemption is not yet complete.  The fourth cup recalls us to our covenant with the Eternal One, to the tasks that still await us as a people called to the service of God, to a great purpose for which the people of Israel lives: The preservation and affirmation of hope. Group: As it is written: “And I will take you to be my people.” ברוך...

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The third cup of wine is now poured, including the cup for Elijah, and Bircas HaMazon (Grace after meals) is recited. Leader: A Song of Ascent: When the Lord restores the exiled of Zion We shall be as those who dream Our mouths will be full of laughter then, Our tongues with song. Then will they say among the nations: “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, And so we rejoice. Restore...

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Leader: With the second cup of wine we recall the second promise of liberation Group: “I will deliver you from their bondage” Remembering with gratitude the redemption of our fathers from Egypt, Rejoicing in the fruits of our struggle for freedom, We look now with hope to the celebration of a future redemption, The building of the City of Peace in which all men will rejoice In the service of God, singing together a new song. We praise You, O God,...