---

Chad Gadya חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא דְזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא Chad gadya, chad gadya Dizabin abah bitrei zuzei Chad gadya, chad gadya. One little goat, one little goat: Which my father brought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat: The cat came and ate the goat, Which my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat: The dog came and bit the cat That ate the goat, Which my father bought for...

---

We come together from our separate lives, each of us bringing our concerns, our preoccupations, our hopes, and our dreams. We are not yet fully present: The traffic, the last-minute cooking, the final details still cling to us. Our bodies hold the rush of the past few hours.It is now time to let go of these pressures and really arrive at this seder. We do this by meditating together. Make yourself comfortable, you can close your eyes if you wish. Now...

---

One of most beloved songs in the Passover seder is "Dayenu". A few of us will read the stanzas one at a time, and the everyone else will respond, "Dayenu" – meaning, “it would have been enough”.How many times do we forget to pause and notice that where we are is exactly where we ought to be? Dayenu is a reminder to never forget all the miracles in our lives. When we stand and wait impatiently for the next one to...

---

A) Some of the questions people are really asking as they participate in a seder: 1. How many more hours until we eat? 2. Why on this night do some of us traditionally eat balls of reconstituted fish parts? 3. Will G-d strike me down if I get up to go to the bathroom during the maggid? 4. Why on this night do said fish balls always have slice of carrot on top, and is it true that jelled broth is...

---

A cup to our teachers: To those we have known and those whose work has inspired us, and made space for our lives. We are graeful to you who did and said things for the first time, who claimed and reclaimed our traditions, who forged new tools. Thank you to the teacher around us of all ages -- the people we encounter everyday -- who live out their values in small and simple ways, and who are our most regular and...

---

You may be wondering why this Haggadah claims to be written by you. The answer is that parts of tonight’s service will be uniquely yours. The written Haggadah is our road map, but what we see along the way will be based on who we are. Judaism has evolved into a tradition without high priest, sage, or ultimate leader. It is the joy and responsibility of every Jew to engage with the tradition. Because of this, our seder has no leader...

---

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...

---

Here are some occurances at the annual Obama White House seder:*An the annual reading of the Emancipation Proclamation right before Elijah sneaks in.*The President has a vocal impersonation of Pharaoh.*the Secret Service always knows where the afikomen is hidden. “It’s no different than you hiding it at your grandmother’s house, except there’s a Secret Service person watching you stash it away. And the house is a bit bigger,”*The group uses the Maxwell House Haggadah, serves Manischewitz wine and shmura matzo, and...

---

1. Wherever you live, it is probably Mitzrayim.2. There is a better place, a promised land.3. The way to this promised land is through the wilderness -- there is no way to get there except by joining together and marching.

---

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...

---

Tonight we drink four cups of wine. Why four? Some say the cups represent our matriarchs—Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah—whose virtue caused God to liberate us from slavery. Another interpretation is that the cups represent the Four Worlds: physicality, emotions, thought, and essence. Still a third interpretation is that the cups represent the four promises of liberation God makes in the Torah: I will bring you out, I will deliver you, I will redeem you, I will take you to be...

---

Some scholars believe there are four kinds of parents as well.The Wise Parent is an utter bore. "Listen closely, because you are younger than I am," says the Wise Parent, "and I will go on and on about Jewish history, based on some foggy memories of my own religious upbringing, as well as an article in a Jewish journal I have recently skimmed." The Wise Parent must be faced with a small smile of dim interest.The Wicked Parent tries to cram...

---

Finding and eating the Afikomen | tzafoon | צָפוּן The playfulness of finding the afikomen reminds us that we balance our solemn memories of slavery with a joyous celebration of freedom. As we eat the afikomen, our last taste of matzah for the evening, we are grateful for moments of silliness and happiness in our lives.

---

A cup to our teachers: To those we have known and those whose work has inspired us, and made space for our lives. We are graeful to you who did and said things for the first time, who claimed and reclaimed our traditions, who forged new tools. Thank you to the teacher around us of all ages -- the people we encounter everyday -- who live out their values in small and simple ways, and who are our most regular and...

---

My name is ____________________ , and my favorite Passover food is  ______________________________ .

---

Passover celebrates freedom, exemplified in the story of our Exodus from Egypt. Thatstory leads our entry into Israel—not exactly a simple redemption tale. Especially notnow, as Israelis and Palestinians continue to fight for their mutual Promised Land, andto shed blood in pursuit of its ownership.In light of that situation, some of us may have complicated feelings about identifyingwith Israel. But “Israel” doesn’t refer only to the Land. “Israel” is the name which wasgiven to Jacob after he spent the night wrestling...