Haggadot Contributors

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The Seder Plate We place a Seder Plate at our table as a reminder to discuss certain aspects of the Passover story and the meaning of this holiday. Each item has its own significance. Maror and hazeret: Mar means “bitter,” and the maror is meant to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. The two main foods customarily used for maror are lettuce –especially Romaine lettuce (which eventually turns bitter and is commonly used as maror in Israel) – and grated...

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Chad Gadya  Khad Gadya, Khad Gadya My father bought for two zuzim Khad Gadya, Khad Gadya Then came the cat that ate the kid my father bought for two zuzim Khad Gadya, Khad Gadya Then came the dog and bit the cat that ate the kid my father bought for two zuzim Khad Gadya, Khad Gadya Then came the stick and beat the dog that bit the cat that ate the kid my father bought for two zuzim Khad Gadya, Khad...

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We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the L-rd, our G‑d, took us out from there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children and our children's children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Even if all of us were wise, all of us understanding, all of us knowing the Torah, we would still be obligated to discuss...

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The Torah speaks of four children: One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple and one does not know how to ask. The wise one, what does he say? "What are the testimonies, the statutes and the laws which the L-rd, our G‑d, has commanded you?" You, in turn, shall instruct him in the laws of Passover, [up to] `one is not to eat any dessert after the Passover-lamb.' The wicked one, what does he say? "What is this service...

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One may think that [the discussion of the exodus] must be from the first of the month. The Torah therefore says, `On that day.' `On that day,' however, could mean while it is yet daytime; the Torah therefore says, `It is because of this.' The expression `because of this' can only be said when matzah and maror are placed before you. In the beginning our fathers served idols; but now the Omnipresent One has brought us close to His service, as...

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Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik writes that the apparent redundancy in the declaration of Ha Lachma Anya —the invitation to “those who are hungry” and to “those who are in need”—is, in fact, not redundant: Whoever is in need of bread, dichfin, is hungry. Kol ditzrich refers to one who is alone, who has a lot of matzah and wine but no home or family. There are indeed many ways to be included among the kol ditzrich. The invitation to “all who are...

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The commentators offer various reasons for the mitzvah of karpas. The Tur, following Rashbam [Pesachim 114a s.v ad shemagiah], famously explains that the karpas is meant to elicit questions from the children, as it was unusual to dip anything prior to the actual meal [Tur, O.C. 473]. The Bach, however, offers a different approach towards karpas. He suggests that perhaps the custom of karpas is to give us the opportunity to eat something, since the meal is s ll far off,...

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“You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out—perhaps a little at a time.’ AND HOW LONG IS THAT GOING TO TAKE?’ I DON’T KNOW. AS LONG AS YOU LIVE, PERHAPS.’ THAT COULD BE A LONG TIME.’ I WILL TELL YOU A FURTHER MYSTERY,’ HE SAID. ‘IT MAY TAKE LONGER.’" - Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow

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A Hasidic rabbi by the name of Zusha used to say, "When I die and come before the heavenly court if they ask me, 'Zusha, why were you not as great as Abraham?' I will not be afraid. I will say that I was not born with Abraham's intellectual capabilities. And if they ask me, 'Zusha why were you not like Moses?' I will say that I did not have his leadership skills. But when they ask me 'Zusha why were...

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The Context – The verses in plain English God visits the final plagues – including the slaying of all first-born Egyptians – upon the Israelites’ captors. Pharaoh finally relents, commanding the Jews to leave his kingdom. The Israelites receive instruction from God about commemorating their Egyptian exodus and redemption by anyone from slavery. They are commanded to offer a lamb in sacrifice, and to eat its meat, sharing it with neighbors if they cannot finish it themselves. The sacrifice may by...

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The Context – The verses in plain English Shemot (Exodus) begins after Joseph’s death, with a new Pharaoh who feels threatened by the Hebrews’ growing numbers. He decrees all male Hebrew babies must be killed at birth. When the Hebrew woman Jocheved gives birth to a boy, she places him in a basket on the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter finds it and rescues the child, whom she names Moses and decides to raise as her own. As a young adult, Moses flees...

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ADIR HUMIGHTY IS GODAdir hu, adir hu ... Chorus:  Yivneh veito bekarov,Bimheirah, bimheirah,Beyameinu beka'rov.Ehl benei, Ehl beneiBenei veit-cha beka'arov.Bachur hu, gadol hu, dagul hu (chorus)Hadur hu, vatik hu, zakai hu (chorus)Chassid hu, tahor hu, yachid hu (chorus)Kabir hu, lamud hu, melech hu (chorus)Nora hu, sagiv hu, iizuz hu (chorus)Podeh hu, tzadik hu, kadosh hu (chorus)Rachum hu, shaddai hu, takif huYivneh veito bekarov,Bimheirah, bimheirah,Beyameinu beka'arov.Ehl benei, Ehl beneiBenei veit-cha beka'arov!Chorus:  May God build the Bet HaMikdash soon,Speedily in our time, soon.God -...

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"We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the L-rd, our G-d, took us out from there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children and our children's children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Even if all of us were wise, all of us understanding, all of us knowing the Torah, we would still be obligated to discuss...

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Shulchan OreichTHE TABLE IS SPREADDinner is served! Enjoy! 

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Pesach"In every generation, one is obligated to regard himself as if he personally had gone out of Egypt, as it is written (Shmot 13:8), “And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of this that Hashem did for me when I left Egypt’.” It is not only our fathers whom the Holy One redeemed [from slavery]; we, too, He redeemed with them, as it is written (Devarim 6:23), “He took us out of there in order...

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עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיֽם עַתָּה - בְּנֵי חוֹרִיןAvadim hayinu lepharo bemitzrayim, ata – benei chorinWe were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt – now we are free.

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בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה.Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’adamah.Blessed are You, Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.