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Sometimes I lay under the moon And thank God I'm breathing Then I pray: Don't take me soon 'Cause I am here for a reason Sometimes in my tears I drown But I never let it get me down So when negativity surrounds I know some day it'll all turn around because... Chorus: All my life I've been waiting for I've been praying for, for the people to say That we don't wanna fight no more There will be no more...

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Olam chesed yibaneh עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָנֶה I will build this world from love... yai dai dai And you must build this world from love... yai dai dai And if we build this world from love... yai dai dai Then G-d will build this world from love... yai dai dai ********* Hava nagila Hava nagila Hava nagila venis'mecha(repeat stanza once) Hava neranenah Hava neranenah Hava neranenah venis'mecha(repeat stanza once) Uru, uru achim! Uru achim b'lev sameach(repeat line three times) Uru achim, uru...

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Although our seder is not over, we have filled the commandment to tell the story. To celebrate, we begin with a taste of the hallel ( praise or song) that will follow dinner. Betzeit yisrael mimitzrayim,. ............. בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם beit Ya'akov meam loez. .................... בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז. Haytah yehudah lekodsho. ................ הָיְתָה יְהוּדָה לְקָדְשׁוֹ Yisrael mamshelotav...... .................... יִשְׂרָאֵל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָיו. Hayam ra'ah vayanos,.... .................... הַיָּם רָאָה וַיָּנֹס hayarden yisov leachor... ................... הַיַּרְדֵּן יִסֹּב לְאָחוֹר. Heharim rakedu cheilim,... .................. הֶהָרִים רָקְדוּ...

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We've been on a crazy dance floor this evening. Let's take a few steps up... say, to the balcony. How was this experience for you? How did we do as a group? What will you take with you? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Eliyahu (or more specifically, his cousin Dror, from the maintenance staff at Bina) would want you to help clean up! :)

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The Jerusalem Talmud claims that the Pesach Hallel is not “recited”, rather it is belted out in the kind of song which suits a miraculous moment of reclaiming our lives after a national near-death experience. It is a current, relevant, real singing of salvation, said by Jews worldwide, every year. On this night I attempt to identify with the pain and tortures of the darkest nights of history. On this night, in contrast, I feel more a deep connection to my...

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The quality of being a rodef shalom (pursuer of peace) requires the ability to recognize the value of different perspectives and the skill of unifying conflicting truths into a harmonious whole. It requires the recognition that single individuals perceive only a portion of the complete truth. Hillel says: “If I am not for myself, who is for me? And when I am for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" [...] Appropriately, the haggadah depicts Hillel as requiring the...

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Our eating of maror and talking about slavery might [...] carry with it a lesson about the negative power of shame. I don’t like sharing my stories of pain or difficulty. They often feel like stories of failure. It often feels like my pain is a result of my inadequacy in managing my life or lack of success. If I were a better person, more capable, wiser, more powerful, my story would be all about happiness. Sadness becomes associated with failure....

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One of most beloved songs in the Passover seder is "Dayenu". A few of us will read the stanzas one at a time, and everyone else will respond, "Dayenu" – meaning, “it would have been enough for us”. Fun fact: Persian and Afghani Jews hit each other over the heads and shoulders with scallions every time they say Dayenu! They especially use the scallions in the ninth stanza which mentions the manna that the Israelites ate everyday in the desert, because...

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The Grace after meals is long and complex for those whose knowledge of Hebrew may be limited. The essence of this prayer is to give thanks for the blessing of food and land. We can conclude our meal with a simpler prayer that the sages recount that expresses the same idea. בריך רחמנא מרן מלכא דעלמא מריה דהאי פיתא Barikh rachmana Malka D’alma Maray d’hi pita. Blessed is the all-merciful one, master of the universe who created this food!

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This is the full text of the traditional blessing after meals. It is long and in Hebrew. Jess thinks it is beautiful and fun to sing it out loud, and would love if you would join her, humming along or clapping if you don't know the words. Alternatively, take a brief nap and we'll be back shortly. שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת: בְּשׁוּב יהוה אֶת־שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן הָיִ֫ינוּ כְּחֹלְמִים. אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה, אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם, הִגְדִּיל יְיָ לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם אֵלֶּה. הִגְדִּיל יְיָ...

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Our eating of maror and talking about slavery might [...] carry with it a lesson about the negative power of shame. I don’t like sharing my stories of pain or difficulty. They often feel like stories of failure. It often feels like my pain is a result of my inadequacy in managing my life or lack of success. If I were a better person, more capable, wiser, more powerful, my story would be all about happiness. Sadness becomes associated with failure....

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In Hamotzi we say blessed are you Hashem who brings bread from the ground. The obvious question is why do we say bread from the ground? After all doesn’t Hashem only provide the Wheat? The answer is that by stating the beracha as such we are saying we are a partner to Hashem being that we are a part of him and by leaving our individual work out of the picture we can see ourselves as a part of G-d. To...

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Although our seder is not over, we have filled the commandment to tell the story. Therefore, we begin to sing. Betzeit yisrael mimitzrayim,.............. בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם beit Ya'akov meam loez..................... בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז. Haytah yehudah lekodsho................. הָיְתָה יְהוּדָה לְקָדְשׁוֹ Yisrael mamshelotav.......................... יִשְׂרָאֵל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָיו. Hayam ra'ah vayanos,........................ הַיָּם רָאָה וַיָּנֹס hayarden yisov leachor...................... הַיַּרְדֵּן יִסֹּב לְאָחוֹר. Heharim rakedu cheilim,..................... הֶהָרִים רָקְדוּ כְאֵילִים gevaot kivnei tzon................................ גְּבָעוֹת כִּבְנֵי צֹאן. Mah lecha hayam ki tanus,................. מַה לְּךָ הַיָּם כִּי תָנוּס hayarden tisov leachor...........................

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Rabban Gamaliel used to say: If one has not explained three things on Pesach, one has not fulfilled his obligation. They are: Pesach, Matzah, and Maror. Pesach (Shank Bone): Why did our fathers eat the Passover offering during the time that Temple was still standing? It is because the Holy One, Blessed be He, passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is written: "You shall say: It is the Passover offering for the Lord, who passed over...

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Many feel that redemption requires complete change. Dayenu reminds us that redemption or self-improvement is a process. Each line of the Dayenu makes this very point. For example, we say had God taken us out of Egypt and not executed judgment upon the Egyptians, Dayenu – it would have been enough. One should be perpetually moving toward self-improvement. The process is sometimes more valuable than the end result. [...] I remember, during some of the most difficult times of the Free...

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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 all...

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Take the middle matzah and break it into two, one piece larger than the other. The larger piece is set aside to serve as Afikoman. This is traditionally hidden, by the leader of the Seder for the children to “steal” or “find” and then ransom for a something at the end of the Seder. The smaller piece is put back, between the two matzot. This smaller piece, along with the top matzah is what will be used for the “Motzi-Matzah” and...

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The Torah speaks of four types of children: one is wise, one is wicked, one is simple, and one does not know how to ask. The Wise One asks: "What is the meaning of the laws and traditions God has commanded?" You should teach him all the traditions of Passover, even to the last detail. The Wicked One asks: "What does this ritual mean to you?" By using the expression "to you" he excludes himself from his people and denies God....

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Avadim hayyinu, hayyinu............. עבדים היינו היינו Atah bnei chorin, bnei chorin!. ....עתה בני חורין בני חורין Avadim hayyinu,........................... עבדים היינו atah atah bnei chorin, bnei chorin... עתה עתה בני חורין בני חורין We were slaves and now we are free! עבדים היינו לפרעה במצריים, ויוציאנו יי אלוהינו משם ביד חזקה ובזרוע נטויה We were slaves in Egypt, and Hashem our G-d brought us out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. . Come and hear the story of...

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We are coming to the end of our seder. What would it mean if the story we told tonight was true, and we were truly free people? How would we walk away from this table? What new and old strengths would we carry? What would we be grateful for? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All sing: לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשַָׁלָיִם! L'shana Haba'ah b'Y’rushalayim Next Year in Jerusalem!