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 תָּם מַה הוּא אוֹמֵר? מַה זֹּאת? וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו: בְּחֹזֶק יָד הוֹצִיאָנוּ יְיָ מִמִּצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים: What does the simple one say? "What's this?" And you should tell him: With a strong hand Adonai took us out of Egypt, from slavery. A Question: Is it enough to give a simple answer to a simple child?  A Second Question: The child that does not know how to ask - is he unable to ask because he does not know or because he has...

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   On Shabbat begin here, and include the portions in parentheses וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי. וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאַָם. וַיְכַל אֱלֹקִים בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה. וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אוֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בֶָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת.) סַבְרִי מָרָנָן וְרַבָּנָן וְרַבּוֹתַי בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל עָם וְרוֹמְמָנוּ מִכָּל לָשׁוֹן וְקִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו. וַתִּתֶּן...

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Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’adamah.

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Four times the Torah commands us to tell our children about the Exodus from Egypt and because of this, traditional Haggadot speak of four kinds of sons. The Hebrew word for “children” is the same word as “sons” and either can be used. Our sages teach that perhaps there is really a part of each of the four children in us all. The wise child questions, “What is the meaning of the laws and observanc- es which the Lord, our God,...

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After the meal, take the Afikoman and divide it among all the members of the household, by giving everyone a kezayit (the volume of one olive). Take care not to eat or drink (only water allowed, but not recommended) after the Afikoman. It is to be eaten in the reclining position and this ought to be done before midnight.

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שִיר הַמַעֲלוֹת, בְשוב יְיָ אֶת שִיבַת צִיוֹן, הָיִינו כְחלְֹמִים. אָז יִמָלֵא שְחוֹק פִינו ולְשוֹנֵנו רִנָה, אָז יאֹמְרו בַגוֹיִם, הִגְדִיל יְיָ לַעֲשוֹת עִם אֵלֶה. הִגְדִיל יְיָ לַעֲשוֹת עִמָנו, הָיִינו שְמֵחִים. שובָה יְיָ אֶת שְבִיתֵנו, כַאֲפִיקִים בַנֶגֶב. הַזרְֹעִים בְדִמְעָה בְרִנָה יִקְצרֹו. הָלוֹךְ יֵלֵךְ ובָכהֹ נשֵֹא מֶשֶךְ הַזָרַע, באֹ יָבאֹ בְרִנָה נשֵֹא אֲלֻמתָֹיו תְהִלַת יְיָ יְדַבֶר פִי, וִיבָרֵךְ כָל בָשָר שֵם קָדְשוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. וַאֲנַחְנו נְבָרֵךְ יָה מֵעַתָה וְעַד עוֹלָם הַלְלויָה. הוֹדו לַייָ כִי טוֹב כִי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדוֹ. מִי יְמַלֵל גְבורוֹת יְיָ יַשְמִיעַ כָל...

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Maror (bitter herbs, such as horseradish)--the symbol of bitterness and slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. Today, in a Jewish community that is free, this bitterness takes on another layer of meaning. We acknowledge that there are many among us who are embittered by their feelings of resentment, discomfort, and fear. We know that there is just cause for some of these feelings of fear, for Jews were "other" for so many centuries and mistreated just because they were different. This...

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Prior to eating any food or drinking any liquid, we are commanded by our Sages to bless the Almighty who provides us with food and drink. Although it is man who plants and reaps, it is the Almighty's design that what we plant grows into fruit, vegetables and vegetation that is the basis of all life. The blessing varies the blessing for fruit grown on trees, ends with "who creates the fruit of the trees", while the blessing for vegetables grown...

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The second statement of redemption is “I will deliver you.” Equality in law means little if it is not matched in fact. We all have the right to equal pay but the wage gap between men and women is still more than 20%. We all have the right to vote but only 20% of Knesset members are women. The second cup of wine is dedicated to those women who battle in the courts, in the family and in society for equality...

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In every generation, we must see ourselves as if we personally were liberated from Egypt. We gather tonight to tell the ancient story of a people's liberation from Egyptian slavery. This is the story of our origins as a people. It is from these events that we gain our ethics, our vision of history, our dreams for the future. We gather tonight, as two hundred generations of Jewish families have before us, to retell the timeless tale. Yet our tradition requires...