Yachatz -- Redemption Begins With Remembering

Even before we speak about the matzah, we break it. Why do we begin our seder by breaking the matzah?

Our Rabbis teach that Israel was redeemed from Egypt because of these merits: our ancestors did not change their names; our ancestors did not change their language. They defied the anonymity of servitude, and kept safe the language of home.

We set aside the broken portion of matzah to remember that what seems lost may be recovered, what seems broken may be repaired.

Redemption begins with remembering.

haggadah Section: Yachatz

Source: The Open Door (ed., Sue Levi Elwell)

Featured clips

-- Cup #2 & Dayenu

Dayeinu

by Jewish Boston

The plagues and our subsequent redemption from Egypt are but one example of the care God has shown for us in our history. Had God but done any one of these kindnesses, it would have been enough – dayeinu. אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָֽנוּ מִמִּצְרַֽיִם, דַּיֵּנוּ Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, Dayeinu If God had only taken us out of Egypt, that would have been enough! אִלּוּ נָתַן לָֽנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה, דַּיֵּנוּ Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et ha-Torah, Natan lanu et...

Kadesh

4 Cups, 4 Promises and 4 Mothers

by Mishael Zion

The Four Cups of the Seder are structurally connected to the four verbal performances this evening: (1) Kiddush, sanctifying the holiday (2) Maggid, the storytelling (3) Birkat HaMazon, completing the Pesach meal; and (4) Hallel, completing the festival Psalms. The Talmud connects the Four Cups to God's Four Promises to Israel: "Tell the children of Israel: I am Adonai! I will take them out... I will rescue them… I will redeem them… and I will marry them taking them as my...

Songs

Lighting the candles

by Anne Stein

We begin by lighting the candles. Baruch ata Adonai eleheinu melech haolam asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.

Yachatz

by Stephanie Friedman

Lift the plate with the three matzot and raise the middle matzah for all to see. Then break the middle matzah in two and set aside the larger piece as the afikoman, because more is hidden than is revealed. Even before we speak about the matzah, we break it. Why do we begin our seder by breaking the matzah? Our Rabbis teach that Israel was redeemed from Egypt because of these merits: our ancestors did not change their names; our ancestors...

Hallel

The Wandering is Over Haggadah - Cup of Elijah

by Jewish Boston

The Cup of Elijah We now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder. In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of God to a disbelieving people. At the end of his life, rather than dying, he was whisked away to heaven. Tradition holds that he will return in advance of messianic days to herald a new era of peace, so we set a place for Elijah...

Rachtzah

by Jewish Boston

As we now transition from the formal telling of the Passover story to the celebratory meal, we once again wash our hands to prepare ourselves. In Judaism, a good meal together with friends and family is itself a sacred act, so we prepare for it just as we prepared for our holiday ritual, recalling the way ancient priests once prepared for service in the Temple. Some people distinguish between washing to prepare for prayer and washing to prepare for food by...

Maggid - Beginning

הא לחמא עניא- Ha Lachma Anya

by Stephanie Friedman

הא לחמא עניא- Ha Lachma AnyaMagid starts with Ha Lachma Anya. We invite anyone to come join us at our seder. Ha Lachma Anya is not said in Hebrew, like the rest of the Hagada. It is in Aramaic. Why is it in Aramaic? 1. One answer is that at the time, most people spoke Aramaic. We want to invite anyone who wants to come, and if the people do not understand, our invitation is pointless. 2. Another answer is that...

-- Four Questions

Four Questions -- Introduction

by Stephanie Friedman

Each Pesach, the four questions asked by the youngest child are exactly the same. Why do we aks them year after year? Because as we grow and change, our questions take on new meanings, and the answers to them differ. Because as we grow and change, we understand that there is no one right answer. Because as we grow and change, a different one among us may be asking the questions for the first time.To ask questions is to acknowledge first...

Introduction

Shehecheyanu

by Toby Shulruff

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָםשֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam shehecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higiyanu lazman hazeh Blessed are you, G-d, sovereign of all the world, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment

Kadesh

Traditional Kiddush (transliteration)

by Hillel Smith

On Shabbat begin here, and include the portions in parentheses: Vay’hi erev vay’hi voker yom hashishi. Vay’chulu hashamayim v’haaretz v’choltzva’am. Vay’chal Elohim bayom hashvi’i M’lachto asher asah, vayishbot bayom hashvi’i mikolmlachto asher asah. Vay’vareich Elohim et yom hashvi’i vay’kadeish oto, ki vo shavat mikol m’lachto, asher bara Elohim la’asot.) Savri maranan verabanan verabotai Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, borei p’ri hagafen. Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, asher bachar banu mikolam, v’rom’manu mikol-lashon, v’kid’shanu b’mitzvotav, vatiten-lanu Adonai Eloheinu b’ahavah (shabbatot...

Nirtzah

by Jewish Boston

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...

-- Ten Plagues

The Ten Plagues

by Jewish Boston

As we rejoice at our deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge that our freedom was hard-earned. We regret that our freedom came at the cost of the Egyptians’ suffering, for we are all human beings made in the image of God. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them. Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass for a drop for each plague. These are the ten plagues which God brought down...

Koreich

The Wandering is Over Haggadah - Koreich

by Jewish Boston

Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb | koreich | כּוֹרֵךְ When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the biggest ritual of them all was eating the lamb offered as the pesach or Passover sacrifice. The great sage Hillel would put the meat in a sandwich made of matzah, along with some of the bitter herbs. While we do not make sacrifices any more – and, in fact, some Jews have a custom of purposely avoiding lamb during the seder so...

-- Cup #2 & Dayenu

The Passover Symbols

by Jewish Boston

We have now told the story of Passover…but wait! We’re not quite done. There are still some symbols on our seder plate we haven’t talked about yet. Rabban Gamliel would say that whoever didn’t explain the shank bone, matzah, and marror (or bitter herbs) hasn’t done Passover justice. The shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the Passover holiday. It is called the pesach, from the Hebrew word meaning “to pass...

-- Four Questions

Four Questions

by Stephanie Friedman

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילותMa nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot?Why is this night different from all other nights?:שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכלין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מצה Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah.On all other nights we eat both leavened bread and matzah. Tonight we only eat matzah.שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר:Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror.On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but tonight we...

More clips from Stephanie Friedman

Urchatz

by Stephanie Friedman

Pass a pitcher, basin, and towl around the table. Rinse and dry your hands, saying: Let our telling pour forth like water, strengthening spirits, refreshing souls.

Yachatz

Yachatz -- Redemption Begins with Remembering

by Stephanie Friedman

-- Four Children

Four Children-Arbaah Banim- ארבעה בנים

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The chacham asks, "What are the rulings, the laws, and the traditions which God has commanded us?"We answer, "With a strong hand, God took us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."You are the bright child, sure and clear and eager. Your questions are your strength. Keep asking, and going deeper, turning each question so it yields a new response.The rasha asks, "What is this service to you?"We answer: "to you" and not "to him. Jews from the community...