In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of God to a disbelieving people. At the end of his life, rather than dying, he was whisked away to heaven. Tradition holds that he will return in advance of messianic days to herald a new era of peace, so we set a place for Elijah at many joyous, hopeful Jewish occasions, such as a baby’s bris and the Passover seder. אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ,אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי. בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵֽינוּ עִם...

בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָֽיִם B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et-atzmo, k’ilu hu yatzav mimitzrayim. In every generation, everyone is obligated to see themselves as though they personally left Egypt. The seder reminds us that it was not only our ancestors whom God redeemed; God redeemed us too along with them. That’s why the Torah says “God brought us out from there in order to lead us to and give us the land promised to...

As we rejoice at our deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge that our freedom was hard-earned. We regret that our freedom came at the cost of the Egyptians’ suffering, for we are all human beings made in the image of God. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them. These are the ten plagues which God brought down on the Egyptians: Blood | dam | דָּם Frogs | tzfardeiya | צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ Lice | kinim...

Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our Jewish memory with a recognition of the cycles of nature. As we remember the liberation from Egypt, we also recognize the stirrings of spring and rebirth happening in the world around us. The symbols on our table bring together elements of both kinds of celebration. We now take a vegetable, representing our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. Most families use a...

B'tzeit Yisrael mimitzrayim Beit Ya'akov me'am lo'ez (repeat) Haitah, haitah Yehuda l'kodsho Yisrael mamshelotav Hayam ra'ah veyanos HaYarden yisov le'achor Heharim rakdu ch'eilim Geva'ot kiv'nei tzon Mah lecha hayam? (Mah lecha hayam?) Ki tanos (Ki tanos) HaYarden (Hayarden) Tisov le'achor (tisov le'achor) Heharim (Heharim) Tirkedu ch'eilim (tirkedu ch'eilim) Geva'ot (geva'ot) Kiv'nei tzon (kivnei tzon) Mi lifnei adon (Mi lifnei adon) Chuli aretz (churli aretz) Milifnei (milifnei) Eloha Ya'akov (Eloha Ya'akov) Hahofchi hatzur (hahofchi hatzur) Agam mayim (agam mayim) Chalamish (chalamish) Lemayno...

Just a Tad of Haroset (to the tune of "Just a spoon full of sugar") Chorus: Just a tad of haroset helps the bitter herbs go down, The bitter herbs go down, the bitter herbs go down. Just a tad of Charoset helps the bitter herbs go down, In the most disguising way. Take Us out of Egypt (sung to the tune of Take me out to the ball game") Take us out of Egpyt Free us from slavery Bake us...

In humans, bitter herbs can stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, tone up the liver and kidneys, and derail a host of diseases. Bitter melon, in particular, has been shown in studies to have a remarkable capacity to lower blood sugar, owing partly to chemicals such as beta-sitosterol-d-glucoside and charantin; and to ease rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, because of immunosuppressive constituents such as alpha- and beta-momorcharin. Its phytochemicals, lanosterol and xeaxanthin, are considered to be cancer-preventive, and the saponin diosgenin...

Every Person Needs an Egypt Land - Amnon Ribak Translation by Lila Veissid Every person needs to have an Egypt Land, to pull himself out of it with a strong hand or through clenched teeth. Every person needs a terror and great darkness, and consolation, and a promise, and salvation, for him to know how to lift up his eyes to the heavens. Every person needs one prayer, to be routinely in his mouth. A person has to be bent over...

Dayenu recalls every step in our path to redemption: departure from Egypt, the splitting of the sea, sustenance in the wilderness, the giving of the Torah and our arrival in the land of Israel. And although we express gratitude for each moment by saying, “It would have been enough,” we know that all of these steps were necessary to achieve full freedom. Had the journey ended with the leaving of Egypt, we would not be free people. As today’s freedom-seekers depart...

Tell the story from beginning to end, more or less Read the Rav Kook (Translated by Avivah Zornberg) Who are you from the story? You could be an inanimate object, God, a human or animal actor in the story, an unnamed Israelite on the way out of Egypt. An Egyptian left behind. Give voice to our character for 2 minutes (the time flies!) Share what we learned about the story and/or our character that we did not know before.  

1. When Israel was in Egypt's land,  let my people go;  oppressed so hard they could not stand,  let my people go.  Refrain:  Go down, (go down) Moses, (Moses)  way down in Egypt's land;  tell old Pharaoh  to let my people go!  2. "Thus said the Lord," bold Moses said,  let my people go;  "if not, I'll smite your first-born dead,"  let my people go.  (Refrain)  3. No more shall they in bondage toil,  let my people go;  let them come...

עֲבָדִים הָיִינו עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם, וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה. וְאִלּוּ לֹא הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, הֲרֵי אָנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם. וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָנוּ חֲכָמִים, כֻּלָנוּ נְבוֹנִים, כֻּלָנוּ זְקֵנִים, כֻּלָנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם. וְכָל הַמַרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח. Avadim hayinu l'faroh b'mitzrayim. Vayotzi-einu Adonai Eloheinu misham, b'yad chazakah uvizroa n'tuyah, v'ilu lo hotzi hakadosh Baruch hu et avoteinu mimitzrayim, harei anu uvaneinu uv'nei...

Ha lachma, ha lachma anya, di’achaloo, achaloo avahatana, be’ara be'ara de’meetzrayeem (2x). Kol dichfeen yay-tay vi’yachool, kol deetzreech yay-tay viyeesfsach. Hashata hacha. Le’shana ha-ba-aa be’arah de’yeesrael. Hashata av’day, le’shana ha-ba'a be’nay be'nay choreen.

Spring and all its flowers It is time for celebration, not for lying low; You too -- weed out those roots of sadness from your heart. The Sabaa wind arrives; and in deep resonance, the flower passionately rips open its garments, thrusting itself from itself. The Way of Truth, learn from the clarity of water, Learn freedom from the spreading grass. Pay close attention to the artistry of the Sabaa wind, that wafts in pollen from afar, And ripples the beautiful...

לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֘ אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָה֒ וְהֽוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֨חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵֽעֲבֹֽדָתָ֑ם וְגָֽאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים   :וְלָֽקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם הַמּוֹצִ֣יא אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם וְהֵֽבֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֨אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָֽתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה: Therefore, say to the children of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will take you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will save...

Shabbos Shabbos Shabbos Shabbos Shabbos! Zol zein Yidden Shabbos! Shabbos zol zein, Shabbos zol zein! Shabbos oyf der gantzen velt! What else do we wish over the whole world?