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The blessing over the meal and matzah |  motzi matzah  | מוֹצִיא מַצָּה The familiar 'motzi' blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah, or commandment: בְָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ: Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ...

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In the Exodus story, the plagues that led to our escape from Egypt were just the beginning of many miracles that God performed for us. To show our appreciation for all of the blessings we have received, we say that had God done even just one of these kindnesses, it would have been enough – dayeinu. ​  Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, hotzianu mi-mitzrayim. Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, dayeinu! Refrain: Day-day-einu.Day-day-einu.Day-day-einu.Dayeinu, dayeinu! Ilu natan, natan lanu, natan lanu et-hashabat. Natan lanu et-hashabat, dayeinu! (refrain) Ilu...

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Refill everyone’s wine glass. We now say grace after the meal, thanking God 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: As it says in the Torah: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise God for the earth and for its sustenance. May the source of peace grant...

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The playfulness of finding the afikomen reminds us that we balance our solemn memories of slavery with a joyous celebration of freedom. As we eat the afikomen, our last taste of matzah for the evening, we are grateful for the moments of happiness in our lives.

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The Maror is a symbol of the bitter lives of our ancestors who wereslaves in Egypt. They had to toil as builders and as field workers. Our rabbis teach that each generation experiences the Exodus anew: ברוּךְ אַתָּה יְיַָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מרוֹר: Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat bitter herbs.

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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 with our family and friends, 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...

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There are many questions. Now we begin to answer. Our history moves from slaverytoward freedom. Our narration begins with degradation and rises to dignity.  The Torah recounts the early history of the Jewish people. It describes how God commanded Abraham to leave his country and his father's house and to go to the land of Canaan, where he would become the founder of "a great nation." Abraham and his wife, Sarah, obeyed God's command and journeyed to Canaan. There God blessed...

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There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces.  We eat matzah in memory of the quick flight of our ancestors from Egypt. As slaves, they had faced many false starts before finally being let go. So when the word of their freedom came, they took whatever dough they had and ran with it before it had the chance to rise, leaving it looking something like matzah. Uncover and hold up...

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As we tell the story, we think about it from all angles. Our tradition speaks of four different types of children who might react differently to the Passover seder. It is our job to make our story accessible to all the members of our community, so we think about how we might best reach each type of child: What does the wise child say? The wise child asks, What are the testimonies and laws which God commanded you? You must teach...

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