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Chad Gadya חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא דְזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי,  חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא. Chad gadya, chad gadya Dizabin abah bitrei zuzei Chad gadya, chad gadya. One little goat, one little goat: Which my father brought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat: The cat came and ate the goat, Which my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat: The dog came and bit the cat That ate the goat, Which my father bought for...

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The seder officially begins with a physical act: lighting the candles. In Jewish tradition, lighting candles and saying a blessing over them marks a time of transition, from the day that is ending to the one that is beginning, from ordinary time to sacred time. Lighting the candles is an important part of our Passover celebration because their flickering light reminds us of the importance of keeping the fragile flame of freedom alive in the world. ברוך אתה יחודי אלוהינו מלך...

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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...

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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. Eliahu (Elijah), the Prophet, comes to Earth from time to time, when hearts are open and the need for peace is great. And it will be Eliahu who will herald the End of Days, when harmony will reign upon our planet. He is welcome into our home! אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ,אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי....

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Fourth Glass of Wine As we come to the end of the seder, we drink one more glass of wine. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover together, for the traditions that help inform our daily lives and guide our actions and aspirations. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:  Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine. Drink...

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Hinei Ma Tov !הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד Hineh ma tov u'ma-nayim Shevet ach-im gam ya-chad! How good and pleasant it is for siblings to be here together!

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The blessing over the meal is immediately followed by another blessing over the wine: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine. Drink the third glass of wine!

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Pour the third glass of wine. We now say grace after the meal, being thankful for the food we’ve eaten. On Passover, this becomes something like an extended toast to God, culminating with drinking our third glass of wine for the evening May the source of peace grant peace to us, to the Jewish people, and to the entire world. Amen. Birkat Hamazon שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת: בְּשׁוּב יהוה אֶת־שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן הָיִ֫ינוּ כְּחֹלְמִים. אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה, אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם, הִגְדִּיל...

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"Find" the  Afikomen  and distribute the some of the found piece to each person to eat. Tzafoon means "The Hidden." It is time to search for the missing half of the middle matzah ( afikomen ). When someone, usually a child, finds the afikomen , and it fits the half on the Seder plate, the child ransoms it as a reward, so that the seder might continue. A piece of the afikomen , which means dessert, is distributed to all. This...

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Feast Together!

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Break the bottom matzah, pass it around the room, and then eat it with the maror (bitters). 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...

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In creating a holiday about the joy of freedom, we turn the story of our bitter history into a sweet celebration. We recognize this by dipping our bitter herbs into the sweet charoset. We don’t totally eradicate the taste of the bitter with the taste of the sweet… but doesn’t the sweet mean more when it’s layered over the bitterness? ברוּךְ אַתָּה יְיַָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מרוֹר Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu...

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The familiar hamotzi blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah. בְָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz. Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread...

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When Moshe asked Pharaoh to release the Jewish slaves, and he refused, ten plagues were sent to Egypt. And while we are happy, that after the plagues we were finally freed from slavery, we must temper our joy with sorrow , for the Egyptians had to die. we are taught that the angels were rejoicing when the Egyptian tormentors were finally drowned in the Yam Soof, but the Infinite One silenced then saying, "The work of my hand are drowning in...

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Blessed be the Infinite One, Who keeps the promise to Yisrael. For The Infinite foretold the end of bondate to Avraham at the Covenant of Sacrifices, And the Infinite said to Avraham, "Know that your children will be strangers in a strange land. They will be enslaved there and will be oppressed four hundred years. The nation who will oppress them, will. however, be judged. And your people will be freed." וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ, שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ,...

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Long ago, our ancestors worshipped idols, but the Ancient of Days drew us close, and said, "Your ancestors used to dwell beyond the River.* And I took your mother Sarah and your father Avraham across the River, and led them throughout all the land of Canaan. They had a son Yitzkhak (Isaac) who with his beloved Rivkah (Rebekah) gave birth to Ya'acov (Jacob) whose name later became Yisrael (Israel), and whose name became the name of our people. When Yisrael and...