Contributors

Susan Weiner

Ames , US

Queer Tzafun

by Susan Weiner

Find the afikoman and negotiate its return. The afikoman is the last thing eaten at the seder. It is the matzah we’ve broken apart, hidden, and will now bring back together to eat as a whole. The afikomen represents reuniting the 12 tribes of Israel, reuniting the different parts of Judaism today. It’s a reminder to resist treating Judaism as a homogenous whole: our community is comprised of immigrant Jews, queer Jews, Jews of color, secular Jews, and every other Jewish...

Rabbi discussion

by Susan Weiner

Welcome to Seder

by Susan Weiner

For thousands of years, Jews have gathered at the seder table as an act of resistance: in Judea during the Bar Kokhba revolt, in Spain during the Inquisition, in Warsaw during the Holocaust. Pesach is a festival of liberation, which also acknowledges that none of us is free until all of us can be free. To observe Pesach is to be inclusive: Everyone is welcome. Everyone is needed. The seder we celebrate tonight would not be the same if any one...

-- Cup #2 & Dayenu

Nachshon

by Susan Weiner

Nachshon

Plague intro traditional

by Susan Weiner

In the beginning our fathers served idols; but now the Omnipresent One has brought us close to His service, as it is said: "Joshuasaid to all the people: Thus said the L-rd, the G-d of Israel, `Your fathers used to live on the other side of the river -Terach, the father ofAbrahamand the father ofNachor, and they served other gods. "And I took your father Abraham from beyond the river, and I led him throughout the whole land ofCanaan. I increased...

Shortened Birkat

by Susan Weiner

Barech בָּרֵךְ Pour the third cup of wine and recite Birkat Hamazon (Blessing after the Meal). כְּחֹלְמִים. אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה, אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם, הִגְדִּיל יְיָ לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם אֵלֶּה. הִגְדִּיליְיָ לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּנוּ, הָיִינוּ שְׂמֵחִים. שׁוּבָה יְיָ אֶת שְׁבִיתֵנוּ, כַּאֲפִיקִים בַּנֶּגֶב. הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ. הָלוֹךְ יֵלֵךְ וּבָכֹה נֹשֵׂא מֶשֶׁךְ הַזָּרַע, בֹּא יָבֹא בְרִנָּה נֹשֵׂא אֲלֻמֹּתָיו. תְּהִלַּת יְיָ יְדַבֶּר פִּי, וִיבָרֵךְ כָּל בָּשָׂר שֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. וַאֲנַחְנוּ נְבָרֵךְ יָהּ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם הַלְלוּיָהּ. הוֹדוּ לַייָ כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם...

Seder

by Susan Weiner

קַדֵּשׁ Kiddush (the blessing over wine) | kadeish |וּרְחַץ Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the seder | urchatz |כַּרְפַּס Dipping a green vegetable in salt water| karpas |יַחַץ Breaking the middle matzah | yachatz |מַגִּיד Telling the story of Passover | magid |רָחְצָה Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal | rachtza |מוֹצִיא מַצָּה The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah |מָרוֹר Dipping the bitter herb in sweet charoset | maror |כּוֹרֵךְ Eating a sandwich of matzah and...

Chad Gadya

by Susan Weiner

An only kid! An only kidMy father bought for two zuzim Chad gadya, Chad gadyaThen came the cat and ate the kidMy father bought For two zuzim.Chad gadya, Chad gadyaThen came the dog And bit the catThat ate the kidMy father bought For two zuzim.Chad gadya, Chad gadyaThen came the stick and beat the dogThat bit the cat that ate the kidMy father bought For two zuzim.Chad gadya, Chad gadya Then came the fire and burned the stickThat beat the dog...

Hinei Ma Tov

by Susan Weiner

It is traditional at this point in the seder, to sing songs of praise. This is one of my favorites for this event.Hinei ma tov umanaimShevet achim gam yachadHinei ma tov umanaimShevet achim gam yachadBehold how good andHow pleasant it isFor brothers to dwell together

10 Plagues Translation

by Susan Weiner

In the beginning our fathers served idols; but now the Omnipresent One has brought us close to His service, as it is said: "Joshua said to all the people: Thus said the L-rd, the G-d of Israel, `Your fathers used to live on the other side of the river - Terach, the father of Abraham and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods."And I took your father Abraham from beyond the river, and I led him throughout the whole...

Ames Haggadah

Ames Haggadah

by Susan Weiner

Children's

Children's

by Susan Weiner

Kids

Kids

by Susan Weiner

2018 Liberal

2018 Liberal

by Danielle Reese

Miriam's Song

by Mark Hurvitz

And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song. Sing a song to the One whom we’ve exalted, Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long. And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety, The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history, With every strand and every thread she crafted her delight, A woman touched with spirit she dances toward the light. Chorus When Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed...

The First Hand Washing

by Kalsman Institute

The first hand-washing of the seder is unusual. The rabbis point out that even a child would wonder at least two things: why do we wash without a blessing and why do we bother to wash when we will not be eating our meal for some time. They suggest that we wash our hands here in order to raise questions. Questions, both of wonder and of despair, are crucial to our growth as human beings. As Jews we have permission to...

Kadesh

by Michelle

The Four Cups Orthodox Ohr Somayach The cups parallel the four expressions in the Torah which describe our freedom from Egypt. The first cup, which also serves as Kiddush, parallels "I will take you out," when Hashem helped us recognize that we were Egyptian Jews, and not Jewish Egyptians. This is the essence of Kiddush sanctification - the realization that the Jewish People play a unique role in this world. The Haggada, the story of our physical exodus from Egypt, is...

Dayenu - דַּיֵּנוּ

by Allie

Ilu hotzi hotzianu hotzianu mimitzrayim, hotzianu mimitzrayim, DAYENU. Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et hashabat, natan lanu et hashabat, DAYENU. Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et hatorah, natan lanu et hatorah, DAYENU.

-- Four Children

Four Sons: How the text changed

by Jeff

The Four Sons The “Wicked Son,” we are told by the Haggadah, is to be scolded for asking, “What does this service mean to you?” (Hebrew lakhem), since by saying “to you” rather than “to us,” he excludes himself from the Jewish community. And yet, right before he makes his appearance we have the “Wise Son” — and what does the Wise Son ask? He asks, “What are the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments which the Lord our God...

-- Four Children

Four Questions on Slavery

by Gilah Langner

Four Questions on Slavery Our tradition speaks of four children or four attitudes: the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child, and the one who does not know how to ask. Each child has a different reaction to hearing about slavery. What does the wise child say? “What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws that apply to this situation? How we are to discern what God demands of us?” You are to answer this child: “God brought us...

-- Cup #2 & Dayenu

The Three Symbols Of Passover

by Jan Osmundson

We are required to mention the three symbols of Pesach.The Roasted Shankbone is a reminder for us that we placed lambs blood on the doors of our homes so that G-d would pass over "posach" our homes when we were slaves in Egypt. He then killed the first born sons of the Egyptians as the tenth plague.Matzoh is the flat, unleavened bread which we ate when ran from Egypt in a hurry. There was no time to wait for the dough...

Maggid - Beginning

Telling the Story

by Valley Beth Shalom (VBS)

The central imperative of the Seder is to tell the story. The Bible instructs: “ You shall tell your child on that day, saying: ‘This is because of what Adonai did for me when I came out of Egypt.' ” (Exodus 13:8) We relate the story of our ancestors to regain the memories as our own. Elie Weisel writes: God created man because He loves stories. We each have a story to tell — a story of enslavement, struggle, liberation. Be...

Miriam's Song

by JQ International

We sing “Miriam’s Song,” by Debbie Friedman in honor of Miriam and the Israelite women at the crossing at the Sea. Chorus: And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song. Sing a song to the One whom we’ve exalted. Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long. And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety. The tapestry she wove was one, which sang our history. With every thread and every strand she...

-- Exodus Story

A Rhode Island Mitzvah

by Miriam Weizenbaum

Refugees Give Refuge: A Rhode Island Mitzvah Contributed by Mishael Zion When we retell the story of our flight from Egypt, we come to appreciate all those who have been refugees and fugitives. The oldest standing synagogue in North America was built in 1763 in Newport, Rhode Island, by Spanish-Portuguese immigrants, descendants of persecuted Marrano Jews. They had come to America so they could, for the first time in generations, openly practice their Judaism in their new home. In the center...

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