Welcome and Land Acknowledgment בָּרוּך הַבָּא וְ הַכָּרָת רִבּוֹנוּת הָאָרֶץ 

Share your name(s), pronoun(s), geographical location and the Indigenous land you are currently on. 
*Discover the Indigenous land/territory that you are on here: https://native-land.ca/

Before we begin tonight's Passover seder ritual, we acknowledge, reflect on and commit to constantly learning the ways in which we, as non-Indigenous people on our respective lands where we are settlers and guests, have benefited from colonialism, former and ongoing, which has displaced, hurt, taken away and tried to erase Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Two-Spirit peoples.

As Jews, we have also suffered from land and cultural displacement, so it is imperative that we commit to Reconciliation in holistic and actionable ways in solidarity with the stolen Indigenous lands and territories that we have settled on. Reconcoliation and decolonization are words that we often see in our social feeds and the media, but what do these actually mean? Have you learned about the history of the lands you are inhabiting? How do you demonstrate co-conspiratorship (rather than passive allyship) in supporting and uplifting Indigenous community members who want to do more than just survive - but also thrive? The generational and inter-generational traumas and impacts colonialism has had, and continues to have on Indigenous peoples isn't over. Indigenous families are ripped apart as children are placed in foster care with non-Indigenous families due to a colonial system that deems parents as unfit, who suffer from the lasting impacts of Residential 'so-called' Schools. Indigenous youth who have lost family members to addictions because of the effects of intergenerational trauma have no connection to their identity and culture and turn to violence because there's nowhere else to go, and end up incarcerated in a system that is not designed to help them heal. The thousands of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls whose families and friends still have no answers. 

During Passover, we talk about the oppression, enslavement, and persecution of the Jewish people. We dream of collective liberation and what that could look like. As Jews, we commit to lifelong community building, tikkun olam (giving back), study and ritual-sharing. As settlers, this should be no different: we must commit to a lifelong learning and listening to what Indigenous people are telling. We must share and move resources, fight for Land Back, and call out anti-Indigenous racism when we witness it. We must reimagine the colonial structures and institutions and actively work to decolonize them by dismantling the current system. For most of us who make up the Jewish diaspora and live as settlers on the lands that we inhabit as guests, we must listen to Indigenous voices and stories and continue to use our platforms in any way possible to amplify those voices and educate others.

As we begin...
We gather on Passover (Pesach) to recall a moment of resistance and liberation in the history of our people. The story of Exodus reminds us of the transformative power that our people wield when we confront oppression (JFREJ BLM Haggadah Supplement). In the northern hemisphere, Passover coincides with the beginning of spring: a time for renewal, rethinking, rebirth. We throw open the windows of our houses, we sweep away winter's grit and dust. The story of Passover is a story of liberation and new beginnings: what better time to rethink our liberation than now, as new green appears? May this Passover spring give us the insight and courage to create ourselves anew (The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah).

Origins (from The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah)
Once we had two spring festivals: Pesach, a lambing holiday, and Chag Hamatzah, a holiday celebrating the year’s first grain. In the second half of the thirteenth century B.C.E., when tradition tells us our people left Egypt, the two celebrations became one. The name Pesach comes from pasach, to “pass over” (as God “passed over” the houses of the Hebrews), and matzah came to mean the unleavened bread which represents the haste of our departure. Passover has four aspects. It is seasonal, rejoicing in spring. It is historical, marking the “birthday” of the Jewish people. It is a festival of freedom. And it is a ritual of preparation for an ultimate redemption, of which our first redemption was a hint and a promise.

Seder literally means order, from the Hebrew לסדר / l’sader, to arrange, and there’s a set order to the proceedings: 

קַדֵשׁ

Kadesh (Recite the kiddush): Initiate special time 

וּרְחַץ

 Urchatz (Wash the hands): Clear the grime 

כַּרְפַּס

 Karpas (Eat a green vegetable): Open senses to growing green 

יחץ

 Yachatz (Break the middle Matzah): Separate dessert from need 

מגיד

 Maggid (Tell the Pesach story): Tell a tale from your spiritual past 

רָחְצָה

 Rakhtzah (Wash the hands): Raise up the energy in your hands 

מוֹצִיא, מַצָּה

 Motzi (Say the Ha-Motzi): Call forth what nourishes you Matzah (Say the blessing for matzah): Increase faith/prepare to heal 

מָרוֹר

 Maror (Eat the bitter herb): Allow the bitter to move you 

כּוֹרֵךְ

 Korekh (Eat bitter herb with matzah): See the sandwich of both sides 

שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ

 Shulkhan Orekh (Serve the festive meal): Feast and enjoy 

צָפוּן

 Tzafun (Eat the Afikoman): Nourish the self with mystery 

בָּרֵךְ

 Barekh (Say the grace after meals): Bless all nourishings in your life 

הלל

 Hallel (Recite the Hallel): Sing the song that is a prayer 

נרצה

 Nirtzah (Conclude the seder): Say “I am loved here today.”

Source: The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach, page 6

Image source: Randy Orenstein

Explanation of the Seder Plate and other symbolic items used during the Seder Ritual

Hard boiled eggs
Traditional and alternative uses: Eggs or another little round protein thing. Veggie burger? Bean balls? Whatever you want!
Explanation: Eggs are said to sympbolize the spring (because now is when birds start laying again in the northern hemisphere!) and their ovid/roundness represents the circles and cycles of the seasons. It's an ashkenazim tradition to have a bowl of them on the table. They don't have a spot in the seder/order, except to just snack on them whenever you want to keep you going through the order of things. Or pop one in your mouth whenever we use the salt water!

Karpas
Traditional use: parsley or a green vegetable 
Traditional explanation: representing Spring, to dip in salty water (Ashkenazi tradition) or vinegar (Sfardi tradition)
Alternative use: potato other root vegetable, wild herbs like sorrel
Alternative explanation: Some Ashkenazim use potatoes since green spring veggies weren’t available at Pesach time in Eastern Europe! If potatoes or other root vegetables are the only veggies you have access to at the moment, that’s not only valid under these circumstances, it’s built into the tradition! And it honours local growing seasons. :)

Haroset
Traditional use: sweet fruit paste (various traditional recipes)
Traditional explanation: representing mortar
Alternative use: Alternative: chopped fruits, and/or nuts, and/or wine
Alternative explanation: Basically what we're trying to achieve is something that looks kinda like a paste or lumpy oatmeal and tastes sweet. Maybe some apple sauce and a bit of wine? dried fruit and nuts chopped up or blended together?

Maror
Traditional use: bitter herbs (romaine lettuce or similar)
Traditional explanation: Representing the bitterness of slavery
Alternative use: horseradish, garlic mustard, dandelion, a food you don't like!
Alternative explanation: Horseradish also only makes sense in the context of an Ashkenazi tradition that was looking for a bitter herb that would be available in early Spring in Eastern Europe. Some even use pickled horseradish! This is interesting because Maror is not meant to be pickled in brine according to Jewish law. However, the widespread use of pickled horseradish seems to prove that we have long been adapting our religious practices for unique and diverse situations.
A fun tip: Add salad or veggie snacks to Maror because seders are long! This is a great spot to have a festive maror-themed snack of veggies or salad to make sure you aren't just chugging wine on an empty stomach.

Salt water
Traditional use: To represent our tears, then and now

Hazeret
Traditional use: second bitter herbs, usually horseradish
Alternative use: Wasabi, hot sauce, pepper on lettuce?
Explanations: used for the Hillel sandwich - matzah, horseradish, haroset.

Zeroah
Traditional use: roasted lamb shank bone
Traditional explanation: Representing the Passover lamb sacrifice
Alternative use: Roasted bone of any kind, roasted beet, a drawing of a lamb or a bone!
Alternative explanation: Vegetarians often substitute a beet because of the blood red colour!

Beitzah
Traditional use: roasted or hard boiled egg
Traditional explanation: represents the Hagigah sacrifice and the Circle of life
Alternative use: Another round food
Alternative explanation: Hagigah was a festive, edible, thanksgiving offering. I doubt that it was actually an egg? So I think it would be fairly simple to substitute another round food.

Orange
Use: LBGTQ+ inclusion, feminist addition
Explanation: maybe you will include an orange, or another fruit with seeds, or maybe you will feel called to include a crust of bread, that is also valid! Irreverance and discomfort with tradition are welcome, as well as choosing to stick more closely to the letter of the law! The cool thing about the Zoom seder is we don't have to worry about each others Kosher practice at all!

Olive
Use: peace, justice in Palestine and Israel
Explanation: The olive might be a symbol of peace or of justice (Palestinian self determination), depending on how parve (centrist/"neutral") your sources are... let me know if you can find BDS compliant Kosher for Pesach olives!

Matzah
Traditional use: Unleavened bread
Alternative use: something simple, rushed, something that isn't quite ready, something that is very unique and also very plain

4 cups of wine
Use: 1 nice or unique glass or cup wine or another nice drink for yourselves. Try lemon or cucumber water, or a tea you like, or anything that makes you feel relaxed or festive.

Miriam's cup
Use: extra glass filled with water

Elijah's cup
Use: extra glass with some juice or wine, extra chair, extra dishes if desired

Ten Plagues
Use: Wine or grape juice
Explanation: Hannah Simson's trans-centered interpretation of the ten plagues

Image source: Marisa Elana James

Shehecheyanu שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ 

A blessing to give thanks for this moment, a first time or the first time in awhile.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu, v'kiy'manu, v'higiyanu laz'man hazeh.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Kadesh: Sanctifying the holiday (and candle lighting) קַדֵשׁ 

Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame. Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart. Blessed is the heart with the strength to stop its beating for honor’s sake. Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame. —Hannah Senesch

We light candles to signify the beginning of the Seder.

May the light of the candles we kindle tonight bring radiance to all who live in darkness.  May this season, marking the deliverance of our people from Pharaoh, rouse us against anyone who keeps others in servitude. In gratitude for the freedom we enjoy, may we strive to bring about the liberation of all people everywhere.

The Blessing for Holiday Candles 

 בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל יוֹם טוֹב

Baruch atah Adonai, eloheinu ruach ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel shabbat v'Yom Tov.

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Breath of Life, who sanctifies us with your commandment to kindle the Shabbat and holiday lights.

.The blessing we say when Erev Pesach falls on Shabbat, as we remember Creation

וַיְהִי עֶֽרֶב וַיְהִי בֹֽקֶר
 יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי.

 וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַֽיִם וְהָאָֽרֶץ
וְכׇל–צְבָאָם.
 וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי
 מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה.
 וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי
 מִכׇּל–מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה.
וַיְבָֽרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת–יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי
 וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ, כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכׇּל–
מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת.

Vay'hi erev vay'hi voker
yom hashishi.

Vay'chulu hashamayim v'haaretz v'chol tz'vaam.
Vay'chal Elohim bayom hash'vi-i m'lachto asher asah.
Vayishbot bayom hash'vi-i mikol m'lachto asher asah.
Vay'varech Elohim et yom hash'vi-i vay'kadeish oto,
ki vo shavat mikol m'lachto asher bara Elohim laasot.

And there was evening and there was morning,
the sixth day.

The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day God finished the work that God had been doing, and God ceased on the seventh day from all the work that God had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that God had done.

Kiddush (The First Cup of Wine)

It is traditional to drink four cups of wine during the Seder to invoke the four promises that God made to the Hebrews—to bring you out, to deliver you, to redeem you and to take you as my people. While we do not accept the idea that Jews are the “chosen people”or that liberation lies in divinity alone. Tonight, we drink four cups of wine to the promises of our movements for justice and our commitments to collective liberation. 

First Cup: To the Spirit of Freedom and Legacies of Resistance
Second Cup: To the End of Injustice, to Self-Determination and to Life
Third Cup: To Our Common Heritage of Struggles against Oppression and the Kinship of all People
Fourth Cup: To Sustaining Ourselves, Each Other, Our Movements and the Planet

Source: Legacies of Resistance: An Anti-Zionist Haggadah for a Liberation Seder

Hold up the cup in your right hand and recite the blessing over the wine.

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, borei p’ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

The First Cup: Liberation Is Real

“Once we were slaves in Egypt.”
PASSOVER HAGGADAH

Do you believe liberation is possible, really possible? Because in this moment, in the third Passover of a pandemic, as a backlash against racial justice and equality and history washes over this country, are we really able to believe that all of us, no matter our race, class, or faith can be truly free?

It’s understandable if we’re tired. It’s understandable if our moral imaginations are constricted in a place of narrowness. But the Passover seder is an invitation to break out of those confines; it’s an invitation to believe. We can be free—and free from the white supremacy, antisemitism, and racism that shape the society we live in.

The ten plagues we read about weren’t simply ten horrible inflictions— they were a raw escalation of power in order to win the urgent demand of freedom.

In the seder, we are reminded over and over again that freedom from oppression isn’t just an abstract goal; it’s a huge, transformational, and winnable reality. It takes work and it takes power. But it’s possible, because we are here.

‘Once we were slaves.’ We were liberated. Liberation is real. Are we ready to believe it?

Source: Bend the Arc's Four Cups of Liberation Haggadah Supplement

Urchatz: Washing the Hands וּרְחַץ

This symbolic hand-washing recalls Miriam's Well. This well followed Miriam, sister of Moses, through the desert.  Filled with waters of life, the well was a source of strength and renewal to all. One drink from its waters was said to alert the heart, mind and soul, and make the meaning of Torah more clear.6 When we wash hands again later, we will say blessings to sanctify that act. This hand-washing is purely symbolic, and therefore the blessing is unspoken.

Source: The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Passover

Karpas: Greens כַּרְפַּס

Hot tip: Seders are long! This is a great spot to have a salad or snack on some veggies while we talk.

What do we really need to eat, to survive? Are we entitled to more? Especially when others cannot access even these necessities? Karpas questions our decadence, as others struggle to survive under the burden that our overconsumption places upon them – whose tears are more valuable?
- Ma Nishtana - A GLBTQ + Ally Haggadah, Keshet

Fun Fact: You’ll notice that the Hebrew for this Passover blessing is the same as the blessing over the wine, except for the last word. Instead of hagafen (vine), you say ha’adamah (earth). Take a piece of parsley from the seder table and dip it into the salt water provided. We eat a green vegetable dipped in salt water. The green vegetable represents rebirth, renewal and growth;  the salt water represents the tears of enslavement. Recite the blessing before eating the vegetable. (Sources: B'Nai Mitzvah Academy and the Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah.)

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, borei p’ri ha’adamah.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the earth.

Yachatz יַחַץ : Breaking of the middle matzah

Break the middle matzah into two pieces. Wrap and set aside the larger piece as the Afikomen, the matzah to be eaten after the meal. The smaller half is returned to its place with the other two matzah. At the heart of the Seder is the commandment that, in every generation, each person should feel as if they themselves have gone forth from the narrow place of oppression.

Raise the matzah and say or sing 'Ha Lachma Anya' in Ladino (The Bread of Affliction):

הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין.

Ha lakhma anya, di akhalu avhatana, b’ara d’mitzrayim. Kol dikhfin yei-tei v’yeikhol, kol ditzrikh yeitei v’yipsach. Hashata hakha, l’shanah haba’ah b’arah d’yisrael. Hashata avdei, l’shanah haba’ah b’nei khorin.

This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Mitzrayim. Let all who are hungry, come and eat. All who are isolated, come and celebrate Passover with us. As long as some are oppressed, none are truly free. Next year, may we all be truly free. As we break the middle matzah, we recall the Yiddish saying,“there is nothing more whole than a broken heart.” To face the magnitude of injustice and suffering – that we experience, that we bear witness to – is to be heart broken. “Next year, may we all be truly free”is a commitment. We know that realizing this is impossible. We also know, wholeheartedly, that the alternative is unacceptable: justice cannot wait.
Source: Legacies of Resistance: An Anti-Zionist Haggadah for a Liberation Seder

Pirkei Imahot 1:1 (Sayings Of The Mothers 1:1) by Rabbi Jill Hammer

On this night of doorways, the bread of our ancestors waits on our table. 

It is easy to think of this round flat bread as a full moon, except the moon was once part of this planet and was ripped away and the seas keep longing for it and leaping upward.  The whole is already broken. The ball of the earth has its shifting tectonic plates, the skin has its pores where the air bores in. Everything whole in the world has an edge where it broke off something or was cut away. The bread we are about to break is already broken. 

We want to think it and we are perfect, but the loaf is an illusion, a compromise with the shattering of light. 

Yet maybe it’s in slow breaking that wholeness happens. The bud of the apple tree fragments into beauty and the stem of the iris tears its way through the soil. The heart breaks as it grows. You could call that wholeness: the movement of life toward a fuller version of itself, the egg releasing its core into the world, the tree lurching its way toward branches. 

It’s the splitting of the sea that lets us out of Egypt: severed from the old self we thought invincible, we run toward a future that shatters the moment we enter it, becoming the multiple and unknown present. Bless the world that breaks to let you through it, Bless the gift of the grain that smashes its molecules to feed you over & over. 

This Passover night, time is cracking open. Wholeness is not the egg; it’s the tap tap tap of the wet-winged baby bird trying to get out. Break the bread at the feast of liberation. Go ahead. Do it. The whole is already broken, and so are you, and freedom has to have its jagged edges. But keep one half for later, because this story isn’t whole, and isn’t over. 

Source: The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Passover

(Sing together)

הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין

Ha lachma anya d’achaloo avhatana b’ara d’meetzrayeem. Kol dichfeen yay-tay vi’yachool, kol deetzreech yay-tay viyeesfsach. Hashata hach. Li’shana ha-ba-aa bi’arah di’yeesrael. Hashata av’day, li’shana ha-ba a bi’nay choreen.

This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need, come and celebrate Passover. Today, we are here. Next year, in the land of Israel. Today, we are slaves. Next year, we will be free.

___________

Written in Aramaic, this statement begins the narration of the Seder by inviting the hungry to our table. Aramaic, Jewish legend has it, is the one language which the angels do not understand. Why then is Ha Lachma spoken in Aramaic? To teach us that where there is hunger, no one should rely upon the angels, no one should pray to the heavens for help. We know the language of the poor, for we were poor in the land of Egypt. We know that we are called to feed the poor and to call them to join our celebration of freedom.

Maggid מַגִּיד: Telling the Story

The ancient story of our ancestors is interwoven with the stories of every generation. We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Mitzrayim, and the Holy One took us out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. And if the Holy One had not freed our ancestors, we and our children and our children’s children might be there still. All of us are descended from ordinary people who dreamed and fought for a better future. We live in a world shaped by their wild successes even as it is still imperfect. We are the fulfillment of their dreams just as we are the ancestors of future generations who will inherit the world we make today.

As Emma Lazarus, the Sephardi-American activist and poet of the Statue of Liberty wrote, “Until we are all free, we are none of us free.” And as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “no one is free until we are all free.”

Jewish tradition teaches:

Lo alecha ham’lacha ligmor v’lo atah ven chorin l’hibatel mimenah

We are not required to finish the work but we cannot quit either. The enslaved Israelites stood up to Pharaoh and fled Mitzrayim — but we are still none of us truly free.

This work will not be completed in our lifetime. And yet, each step toward freedom, toward a more just society, is worthwhile. By remembering what we have already done, we grow stronger for the next step.

Avadim Hayinu / We Were Slaves

עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ הָיִינו. עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין

Avadim hayinu, hayinu
Ata b’nai horin, b’nai horin
Avadim hayinu, ata, ata, b’nai horin
Avadim hayinu, ata, ata b’nai horin, b’nai horin
(Once we were slaves. Today we are free people)

Source: Sam Baltimore, Jews United for Justice, Labor Seder Haggadah Supplement

Ma Nishtana - The Four Questions

It is traditional for the youngest person (or young at heart) at a seder to ask four questions. (It’s actually one question with four answers.) We know the question, and we know the answers, but we ask anyway because there is always something to learn. No matter how “wise” we become, we must remember to question. 

? מַה נִּשְּׁתַּנָה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה
: הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כּוּלוֹ מַצָּה
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת,
 : הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אֶנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת
: הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים.
שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין
 : הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָנו מְסֻבִּין

Mah nishtanah halaila hazeh mikol halaylot?
Shebakhol halaylot anu okhleen khamaytz u’matzah, halaila hazeh kulo matzah.
Shebakhol halaylot anu okhleen sh’ahr y’rakot, halaila hazeh maror.
Shebakhol halaylot ayn anu matbeeleen afeelu pa’am akhat, halaila hazeh sh’tay f’ameem.
Shebakhol halaylot anu okh’leen beyn yoshveen u’vayn m’subeen, halaila hazeh kulanu m’subeen.

Why is tonight different from all other nights? 

1. On all other nights we may eat either leavened bread or matzah; tonight, only matzah (that we may recall the unleavened bread our ancestors baked in haste). 

2. On all other nights we may eat a variety of herbs; tonight, we eat bitter herbs (that we may recall the suffering of slavery). 

3. On all other nights we needn’t dip our food in condiments even once; tonight we dip twice (in saltwater to remember our tears when we were enslaved, and in haroset to remember the mortar and the bricks which we made). 

4. On all other nights we may eat sitting up or reclining; tonight, we recline (to remind ourselves to savor our liberation). 

Source: The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach, page 22

The 4 (but 10) Questions About the 10 Principles of Disability Justice*

“A Disability Justice framework understands that all bodies are unique and essential [and] have strengths and needs that must be met. [We] are powerful not despite the complexities of our bodies, but because of them. [All] bodies are caught in…bindings of ability, race, gender, sexuality, class, nation state and imperialism, and…we cannot separate them. These are the positions from where we struggle.”
– Patty Berne

1. Intersectionality: “We do not live single issue lives” – Audre Lorde.

2. Leadership of Those Most Impacted: Those most harmed by systems of oppression have the most to teach for how we can be liberated from them.

3. Anti-Capitalist: Human worth is not dependent on what or how much we can produce; we are anti-capitalist in nature by having non-conforming body/minds.

4. Commitment to Cross-Movement Organizing: Building alliances and connections makes our movements stronger.

5. Recognizing Wholeness: All people have inherent worth.

6. Sustainability: We pace ourselves to be sustained long-term.

7. Commitment to Cross-Disability Solidarity: All of our community members’ insights are essential; isolation undermines liberation.

8. Interdependence: We need to meet each other’s needs, knowing that state solutions inevitably increase state control over our lives.

9. Collective Access: As brown, black, and queer-bodied disabled people, we bring flexibility and creativity to be in community with each other. 

10. Collective Liberation: No body or mind can be left behind. Only moving together can we accomplish the revolution we require.

*These principles were developed by Sins Invalid through a series of national Disability Justice conversations. With consent, they have been truncated for space and adjusted to welcome in learners who may be new to Disability Justice language. 

Visit SinsInvalid.org to support their work.

Source: Narrow Bridge Candles Next Year in Freedom Haggadah Supplement

Ma Nishtana: The Four Questions A Fifth Question By Leo Ferguson

“Why on this night when we remember the oppression and resistance of Jews should we also think about the lives of people of color?”  Because many Jews are people of color. Because racism is a Jewish issue. Because our liberation is connected. 

White Ashkenazi Jews have a rich history but are only a part of the Jewish story. Mizrahi & Sephardi Jews; Yemeni Jews; Ethiopian Jews; Jews who trace their heritage to the Dominican Republic, to Cuba & Mexico; to Guyana & Trinidad; descendants of enslaved Africans whose ancestors converted or whose parents intermarried. 

Jews of color are diverse, multihued and proud of it — proud of our Jewishness and proud of our Blackness. But though our lives are joyous and full, racism forces us down a narrow, treacherous path. On the one hand we experience the same oppression that afflicts all people of color in America — racism targets us, our family members, and our friends. On the other hand, the very community that we would turn to for belonging and solidarity — our Jewish community — often doesn’t acknowledge our experience. 

Jews of color cannot choose to ignore the experiences of people of color everywhere, anymore than we would ignore our Jewishness. We must fully inhabit both communities and we need all Jews to stand with us, forcefully and actively opposing racism and police violence. 

But in order to do so, we must pare our past trauma from our present truth: our history of oppression leaves many of us hyper-vigilant and overly preoccupied with safety. As Jews we share a history that is overburdened with tales of violent oppression. Though different Jewish communities have varying experiences, none of us have escaped painful legacies of persecution, including genocide. This past is real, and part of why we gather today is to remember it. But the past is past. However seductive harsh policing, surveillance and incarceration may be in the short term, it will never serve us in the end. Not when those tactics brutalize other communities, humiliating and incarcerating our neighbors and perpetuate a status quo that leaves low-income communities of color on the other side of a sea of fear — still trapped; still stranded. The only real way out of the Mitzrayim of our fears is solidarity. Only by forging deep connections and sharing struggle with other communities will we creating the lasting allies who will walk with us into the promised land of our collective liberation. That is true Jewish freedom — true and lasting safety. 

They cried to Moses, “What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt ... it is better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness” (14:11-12). When Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, it was a moment of great risk and great change. 

As the passage above shows us, though life under Pharaoh was cruel and crushing, it was also familiar — a known fear. After a century of servitude, freedom. What changed? It was the Jewish people daring to imagine for themselves something greater. Daring to take great risks and face great fears to find liberation. This willingness to stand up for justice is a strength we have found again and again. When the oppression of economic exploitation demanded it, our grandparents found it in the labor movement; when the civil rights movement demanded it, our parents travelled to the South to register voters. Now this moment demands again that we take risks for justice. 

What our neighbors in communities of color are asking — what the Jews of color in our own communities need from their fellow Jews — is that we push past the comfortable and move to action. In the streets, in our synagogues and homes, with our voices, our bodies, our money and resources, with our imaginations. In doing so we must center the voices and the leadership of Jews of color and other communities of color, while forming deep partnerships and long-term commitments to fight for lasting change. 

Passover is a time of remembrance but also one of renewal — of looking ahead toward the spring and new growth that will sustain us through the seasons to come. Once we spent spring in the desert. It was harsh and difficult but from that journey grew a people who have endured for centuries. What would happen if we took that journey again, not alone in the wilderness but surrounded by friends and allies, leaving no one behind?

Source: JFREJ BLM Haggadah Supplement 'Living Our Commitment: Jewish Voices for Liberation' 

The Four Children

The Haggadah instructs us to teach children the rituals and stories of Passover. The Talmud (a collection of ancient rabbinic teachings on Jewish law and tradition) suggests four different archetypes of “children” who question our reasoning for observing the Passover festival, why we must re-tell the story and hold on to these customs that represent pain and suffering, and what the seder practice means to us. Each Haggadah has its own version of what the four children represent and question, with the archetypes traditionally appearing as 'the wise child, the wicked, the simple child and the child who doesn't know enough.' In an ableist and normative society, these archetypes don't resonate for many people and, as neurodivergent, sick and chronically ill, disabled, queer, trans, non-binary and POC Jews, we can dream and shape our responses for what the children in our lives, young and old, question regarding our Passover rituals and traditions.

Your Child Will Ask by Rabbi Brant Rosen

Your child will ask why do we observe this festival?
And you will answer: it is because of what God did for us when we were set free from the land of Egypt.

Your child will ask were we set free from the land of Egypt that we might hold tightly to the pain of our enslavement with a mighty hand?
And you will answer: we were set free from Egypt that we might release our pain by reaching with an outstretched arm to all who struggle for freedom.

Your child will ask were we set free from the land of Egypt because we are God’s chosen people?
And you will answer: we were set free from the land of Egypt so that we will finally come to learn all who are oppressed are God’s chosen.

Your child will ask were we set free from the land of Egypt that we might conquer and settle a land inhabited by others?
And you will answer: we were set free from the land of Egypt that we might open wide the doors to proclaim:

Let all who are dispossessed return home. Let all who wander find welcome at the table. Let all who hunger for liberation come and eat.

Source: Jewish Voice for Peace Haggadah

The Second Cup of Wine

The second cup of wine represents God’s second declaration of redemption: “I will free you from slavery.” Tonight we may bless wine using several variations on the traditional Hebrew, reflecting different ways of conceptualizing the divine.  Choose one of the following two blessings for the second cup of wine: a feminine version, or the traditional.

ברוּכָה אַת יָה שְׁכִינָה, רוּחַ הָעוֹֹלָם, בוֹֹראֵת פְרִי הַגָפֶן

Brucha At Yah Shekhinah, ruach ha-olam, boreit pri hagafen.

Blessed are you, Shekhinah our God, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the vine.

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri hagafen.

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Sovereign of space and time, creator of the fruit of the vine.

Source: The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach

The Second Cup: Liberation Is Transformation

“We honor those who let go of everything but freedom,  who ran, who revolted, who fought, who became other  by saving themselves.”
- MARGE PIERCY, “MAGGID”

It only took a matter of days for our ancestors to leave Egypt in haste, with matzah on our backs. But it took them forty years in the wilderness to leave behind the narrow thinking and false ideologies of Egypt. They had left Egypt, but Egypt hadn’t yet left them.

Our liberation required a process of total transformation.

Our ancestors didn’t leave Egypt alone. They entered the desert with an erev rav by their side—a mixed multitude of Egyptians who followed the vision of our ancestors in rejection of an immoral society built on oppression. Over forty years in the desert, they became one people, moving toward the promised land.

In this precarious moment in the many places we live, it feels like we are lost in the wilderness. Just two years ago, over 15 million Americans marched in the streets in rejection of an immoral society built on oppression—both Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved in this country and a mixed multitude following their vision of liberation in a society where all are free. Right now we’re all in the desert together. We’ve left Egypt, but has Egypt yet left us?

Liberation is an act of transformation. Are we ready to change to be free?

Source: Bend the Arc's Four Cups of Liberation Supplement

THE EXODUS: a story in seven short chapters by R Rachel Barenblat

1. Once upon a time our people went into galut, exile, in the land of Egypt. During a famine our ancestor Jacob and his family fled to Egypt where food was plentiful. His son Joseph had risen to high position in Pharaoh’s court, and our people were well-respected and well-regarded, secure in the power structure of the time.

2. Generations passed and our people remained in Egypt. In time, a new Pharaoh ascended to the throne. He found our difference threatening, and ordered our people enslaved. In fear of rebellion, Pharaoh decreed that all Hebrew boy-children be killed. Two midwives named Shifrah and Puah defied his orders, claiming that “the Hebrew women are so hardy, they give birth before we arrive!” Through their courage, a boy survived; midrash tells us he was radiant with light. Fearing for his safety, his family placed him in a basket and he floated down the Nile. He was found, and adopted, by Pharaoh’s daughter, who named him Moshe because min ha-mayim m’shitihu, from the water she drew him forth. She hired his mother Yocheved as his wet-nurse. Thus he survived to adulthood, and was raised as Prince of Egypt.

3. Although a child of privilege, as he grew he became aware of the slaves who worked in the brickyards of his father. When he saw an overseer mistreat a slave, he struck the overseer and killed him. Fearing retribution, he set out across the Sinai alone. God spoke to him from a burning bush, which though it flamed was not consumed. The Voice called him to lead the Hebrew people to freedom. Moses argued with God, pleading inadequacy, but God disagreed. Sometimes our responsibilities choose us.

4. Moses returned to Egypt and went to Pharaoh to argue the injustice of slavery. He gave Pharaoh a mandate which resounds through history: Let my people go. Pharaoh refused, and Moses warned him that Mighty God would strike the Egyptian people. These threats were not idle: ten terrible plagues were unleashed upon the Egyptians. Only when his nation lay in ruins did Pharaoh agree to our liberation.

5. Fearful that Pharaoh would change his mind, our people fled, not waiting for their bread dough to rise. (For this reason we eat unleavened bread as we take part in their journey.) Our people did not leave Egypt alone; a “mixed multitude” went with them. From this we learn that liberation is not for us  alone, but for all the nations of the earth. Even Pharaoh’s daughter came with us, and traded her old title (bat-Pharaoh, daughter of Pharaoh) for the name Batya, “daughter of God.”

6. Pharaoh’s army followed us to the Sea of Reeds. We plunged into the waters. Only when we had gone as far as we could did the waters part for us. We mourn, even now, that Pharaoh’s army drowned: our liberation is bittersweet because people died in our pursuit.

7. To this day we relive our liberation, that we may not become complacent, that we may always rejoice in our freedom.

Source: A Seder For and By Us, Kavod Jews of Color, Indigenous Jews, Mizrahim, & Sephardim

The Ten Plagues

In times of celebration, we must also remember suffering. As we recite the ten plagues, we dip our pinky finger in wine, juice or whatever your choice of beverage is, and reflect on the suffering that the Egyptians experienced.

1. Blood דָם Dam

2. Frogs צְפָרְדֵעַ Tzefardeiya

3. Lice כִּנִים Kinim

4. Wild animals עָרוֹב Arov

5. Cattle disease דֶבֶר Dever

6. Boils שְׁחִין Shechin

7. Hail בָּרָד Barad

8. Locusts אֲרְבֶּה Arbeh

9. Darkness חֺשֶךְ Choshech

10. Death of the first-born מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת Makat Bechorot

After calling out the traditional ten plagues, let's call out the plagues in society today.

Dayeinu by carrie sarah kaufman
* This piece can be read aloud responsively

If we have checked in with our hearts today
Dayeinu

If we have made a cup of tea
Dayeinu

If we have sent a prayer to loved ones
Dayeinu

If we have closed our eyes at night
Dayeinu

If we have given what we can
Dayeinu

If we have listened to a hurting friend
Dayeinu

If we have prepared food, or even just eaten some
Dayeinu

If we have committed to change
Dayeinu

If we have found ways to act for change from home
Dayeinu

If we have thanked our ancestors with humility
Dayeinu

If we have brushed our teeth and washed our hands
Dayeinu

If we have hope
Dayeinu

If we are breathing
Dayeinu
-----------------
Please, feel welcome to take a moment to add your own Dayeinus.

Source: Narrow Bridge Candles Next Year in Freedom Haggadah Supplements

Ilu hotzianu mi-Mitzrayim,

V'lo asah vahem shfatim, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם

:וְלאֹ עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu asah va-tem shfatim, V’lo asah v’eloheyhem, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים,

:וְלאֹ עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu asah v’eloheyhem, V’lo harag et b’choreichem, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם,

:וְלאֹ הָרַג אֶת־בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu harag et b’choreichem, V’lo natan lanu et mamonam, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ הָרַג אֶת־בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם

:וְלאֹ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־מָמוֹנָם, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu natan lanu et mamonam, V’lo kara lanu et hayam, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־מָמוֹנָם

:וְלאֹ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת־הַיָּם, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu kara lanu et hayam, V’lo he’eviranu b’tocho b’charavah, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת־הַיָּם

:וְלאֹ הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְתוֹכוֹ בֶחָרָבָה, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu he’eviranu b’tocho b’charavah, V’lo sika tzarkenu b’tocho, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְתוֹכוֹ בֶחָרָבָה

:וְלאֹ שִׁקַּע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu sika tzarkenu b’tocho, V’lo sipek tzarkenu bamidbar arba’im shanah, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ שִׁקַּע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ, וְלאֹ סִפֵּק

:צָרְכֵּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu sipek tzarkenu bamidbar arba’im shanah, V’lo he’echilanu et haman, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ סִפֵּק צָרְכֵּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה,

:וְלאֹ הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת־הַמָּן, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu he’echilanu et haman, V’lo natan lanu et haShabbat, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת־הַמָּן,

:וְלאֹ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu natan lanu et hashabbat, V’lo kerbanu lifnei har Sinai, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת

:וְלאֹ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu kerbanu lifnei har Sinai, V’lo natan lanu et haTorah, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי

:וְלאֹ נָתַן לָּנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu natan lanu et haTorah, V'lo hichnisanu l'eretz Yisrael, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה

:וְלאֹ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu hichnisanu l'eretz Yisrael, V'lo bana lanu et-beit ha'bchira, Dayenu!

אִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל

דַּיֵּנוּ ,

Rachtzah רָחֲצָה : Wash the hands with a blessing

We wash our hands and recite the following:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בּמִצְוֹתָיו, וצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִם

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al netilat yadayim

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.

As we pour water over our hands in anticipation for the meal to come, we are mindful of the many roles that water can play in our lives. At this moment, we use it to cleanse and prepare. But, for many around the world, water is the difference between life and death, between freedom and continued oppression. For the millions of asylum seekers worldwide who undertake treacherous journeys out of persecution, the oceans and seas are precarious pathways to liberty, often taking their lives in their depths. For the millions of refugees living in camps across the globe, access to clean water determines whether they will survive to rebuild their lives. We pray that all those in search of refuge find the transformative waters they need, encountering life renewed and anew.

Source: HIAS Haggadah 2019

ZOG, MARAN (Tell Me, Marrano)
words: Avrom Reyzen (aka Abraham Reisen or Reisin) (1876-1953)
melody: Shmuel Bugatch (aka Samuel Bugatch) (1898-1984)

Zog, Maran is a poignant and beautiful song about Sephardic Jews secretly celebrating Pesach. It could be dedicated to any people who risk being persecuted for practicing their own religion. The song is told as a question and answer dialogue.

Zog, maran, du bruder mayner,
Vu iz greyt der seyder dayner?
In tifer heyl, in a kheyder, )
Dort hob ikh gegreyt mayn seyder. ) 2x

Zog, maran, mir, vu, ba vemen
Vestu vayse matses nemen?
In der heyl, af gots barotn, )
Hot mayn vayb dem teyg geknotn. ) 2x

Zog, maran, vi vest zikh klign,
A hagode vu tsu krign?
In der heyl, in tife shpaltn,
Hob ikh zi shoyn lang bahaltn. 2x

Zog, maran, vi vest zikh vern,
Ven men vet dayn kol derhern?
Ven der soyne vet mikh fangen, 
Vel ikh shtarbn mit gezangen. 2x

Tell me, Marrano, you brother of mine,
Where is your seder prepared?
In a deep cave, in a room,
There’s where I prepared my seder.

Tell me, Marrano, where, from whom
Will you acquire white matzos?
In the cave, by God’s will,
My wife kneaded the dough.

Tell me, Marrano, how will you be so smart
As to acquire a Haggadah?
In the cave, deep in the cracks,
I have long since hidden it.

Tell me, how will you defend yourself
When they hear your voice?
When the enemy will capture me,
I will die singing.

Motzi Matzah מוֹצִיא מַצָּה : Blessing over matzah as food and as a special mitzvah

We will now bless the matzah, “the bread of affliction,” and as we bless it and eat it we dedicate ourselves to fighting oppression in all its forms so that never again shall anyone have to eat this bread of affliction, even as we understand so many currently suffer.

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam ha’motzi lechem min ha’aretz.

Blessed is our God, Determiner of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילָת מַצָּה

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.

Blessed is our God, Determiner of the universe, who has made us holy through commandments and has commanded us to eat unleavened bread.

Source: Jewish Voice for Peace Haggadah

Maror מָרוֹר : Eating the Bitter Herbs

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”
– James Baldwin

As we eat the bitter herb, we acknowledge that no one people have a monopoly on pain and oppression. The only way to liberation is to educate ourselves about the struggles of the past - and to learn that our pain is ultimately inseparable from the oppression experienced by all peoples.

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילָת מָרוֹר

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.

Blessed is our God, determiner of the universe, who has made us holy through commandments and has commanded us to eat unleavened bread.

Source: Jewish Voice for Peace Haggadah

On Pain

Kahlil Gibran - 1883-1931

And a woman spoke, saying, Tell us of Pain.

     And he said:

     Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

     Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

     And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

     And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

     And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

     Much of your pain is self-chosen.

     It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.

     Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility:

     For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,

     And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears. 

From The Prophet (Knopf, 1923). This poem is in the public domain.

Koreich כּוֹרֵךְ : Eating a sandwich of haroset & bitter herbs (The Hillel Sandwich)

As we prepare to eat the Hillel sandwich with the sweetness of haroset and the bitterness of maror, highlighting the challenge to us to taste freedom in the midst of oppression. What are the moments of sweetness and helped to sustain us during the struggle this past year? What must we do to extend these moments into an even sweeter future for all who dwell on earth?

Source: Jewish Voice for Peace Haggadah

also libya
by Suheir Hammad

no one tells you
if anyone does you do not listen anyway
if you do still you do not understand
no one tells you how to be free
there is fire in your neck
ocean in your ear
there is always your fear
the words you cannot even
no one is here
when the world opens upside
down you reach toward dawn
your weight on the earth changes
some of us plant deeper
others ache to fly

Source: Legacies of Resistance: An Anti-Zionist Haggadah for a Liberation Seder

The Spoon on the Seder Plate

On all other nights we use spoons only to eat or to serve food. Why on this night is there a spoon on the Seder plate?

Two years after Rabbi Elliot Kukla’s “Spoon on the Seder Plate” supplement was first written, addressing the devastating disparity and bias in treatment being experienced by disabled and fat people during this pandemic, the crisis still rages on today. Though there are surges and reprieves, the ableist and fatphobic biases embedded in medical systems continue to, in many ways, determine who will live and who will die. We must change this, but how do we do it and where do we begin?

Ableism is one of many interpersonal and systemic plagues we must heal from as a society in order for disabled people to be treated as fully human. Healing from ableism means committing to addressing both the ableist ideas that we have internalized as individuals, as well as the ableist practices that unfold in broader society, such as in our schools, workplaces, transportation systems, and centers of commerce and culture. Healing from ableism also means weaving strong networks of care and aid that tend to the needs of all community members, shifting us away from a world in which some lives are disposable, and transitioning us into a way of being that treats each and every person as vital and necessary.

Source: Narrow Bridge Candles Next Year in Freedom Haggadah Supplement

Garlic on the seder plate

Garlic is a symbol for reconnecting with and revealing ancestral healing and protection practices and divesting from harmful practices and institutions that offer an illusion of safety at the expense of others. Garlic is also braided throughout Jewish sacred texts - held as a specific delight of shabbat, as medicine and as amulet. It helps us remember that policing, borders, militarism - violent practices based in settler colonialism and xenophobia - don’t make anyone safe. Garlic, whose teaching moves on scent and taste, reminds us of times, past and future, in which people build a sense of protection and rootedness through connection to plants, stones, celestial bodies, soil, water, ancestral stories, with the Divine and with each other.

The term “Garlic Eaters” is found in the Talmud; Jews have identified ourselves as “Garlic Eaters” for thousands of years. Conversely, we also been identified as Garlic Eaters as an antisemitic trope; for centuries, Jews have been targeted and persecuted for our affinity and association with this powerful plant. A fifth question for Passover might be why? What happens when we lose these ancestral traditions and ancient blessings of protection? What do we turn to for protection when we’re stripped of or abandon traditions of community care and interdependence? What happens when centuries of trauma/assimilation/modernization/xenophobia separate us from the pungent blessing of garlic and seed us with shame about smelling like garlic?

Source: Dori Midnight

A tomato on the seder plate

A symbol of contemporary slavery (underpaid and overworked farm workers) is represented by the tomato. This ritual, developed by T’ruah and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Floria, places a tomato on the seder plate in recognition of the farmworker who picked the tomato and their struggles for justice. Since the “Tomato on the Seder Plate” was first introduced in 2012, thousands of Jews have added it to their home observance of Passover, discussing modern-day struggles for liberation alongside our own. Updated in 2019 with new text, new statistics, and beautiful new photography.

Source: T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

A pinecone on the seder plate
We “pass over” pine cones every day. Inside each of these pine cones is among the most precious of all nuts - the pine nut. Most of us pass more pine nuts in a single day than one could count in a year. Yet, they remain hidden, unseen. The pine cone “imprisons” its seeds, and only hard work on the part of nature compels it to open up. Thus these seeds remain “out of sight, out of mind.”

We pass over prisons every day as well, and so rarely do we ever see what is inside. People of Colour make up approximately 67% of the incarcerated population even though they constitute less than 37% of American's population. In so-called Canada, Indigenous adults make up 30 per cent of the country’s prison population despite only representing five per cent of the national population, while Black adults represent three per cent of the Canadian population but more than seven per cent of federally incarcerated people. On Passover, we refuse to pass over the pine cone because we know that hidden inside is something precious.

Source: The Passover Pine Cone - Putting Prisons On The Seder Plate

Fair trade chocolate, coffee, or cocoa beans on the seder plate

This is Fair Trade Certified chocolate, coffee and cocoa and it is grown under standards that prohibit the use of forced labor. It is on our seder plate to remind us that forced labor is still with us today. At a time of your choice, such as after the bitter herbs and maror or, after dinner, when the Afikomen and dessert are being eaten, we can partake in the taste of these Fair Trade items. It is Fair Trade chocolate, coffee and cocoa that tastes not of exploitation, but of sweetness and freedom and a reminder that workers, both children and adults, are being exploited in unfair and horrible working conditions; we can advocate for an end to unpaid and underpaid forced labour in our own communities and abroad, fight for a living wage, not a minimum wage, and if possible, buy products from local and ethical producers.

Source: Fair Trade Judaica and Global Exchange Passover Haggadah Supplement

Shulchan Orech שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ : LET US EAT!

It's time to eat the festive meal... or whatever you have to be a meal!

The Meal (adapted from East Bay Meditation Center) 

This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard work.
We acknowledge the labor of the workers who grew, harvested, packaged, transported and prepared this food, who often work for low wages in harmful conditions.
May we commit ourselves to standing for workers’ rights and standing together for the rights of workers everywhere to organize. May we eat with mindfulness and may we learn to consume mindfully.
May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings and preserves the planet.
We accept this food so that we may nurture ourselves, strengthen our community and nourish our commitment to action.

Source: Legacies of Resistance: An Anti-Zionist Haggadah for a Liberation Seder

Tzafun צָפוּן : IT'S AFIKOMEN TIME

Some history before we have some fun: When the Temple still stood in Jerusalem, it was customary to make an offering of a paschal lamb at this season. Now we eat the afikoman in memory of the offering.

Tzafun means “hidden,” and the afikoman is usually hidden for young people (but really anyone) to find. Why end the meal with this? Because we want the dinner to end with the taste of slavery/freedom in our mouths—thus the taste of matzah, rather than some unrelated sweet.

But this explains eating matzah late, not the charade of hiding it. The hiding works on two levels: it intrigues the kids—and it allows us to affirm our sense of the Hidden and Mysterious. On this theory, we hide the larger half of the broken matzah because we are affirming that there is more that is Hidden and Mysterious in the world than any information we can gather.

Source: The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Passover

And now...I TZA time for FUN (pun very intended). Are you ready for a virtual Afikomen hunt like no other? It's time for Where's Waldo...Afikomen Style!

Bareich בָּרֵךְ : The Third Cup of Wine

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri hagafen.

Blessed is the Eternal, determiner of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. 

The Third Cup: Liberation Is Our Ancestors' Dreaming

“I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.”

MOTIF BY ARTIST BRANDAN “B-MIKE” ODUMS  
ABOUT THE DREAM OF BLACK LIBERATION IN THE U.S.

In the seder, we sit among symbols. But we ourselves are symbols too.

We say the words of liberation in the haggadah even in times when we can’t fully hear them. Even when it couldn’t possibly have felt true— in times of plague and pogrom, diaspora and destruction—our Jewish ancestors of every background and race and origin have said, ‘Once we were slaves, now we are free.’

Our ancestors, and all ancestors of oppressed peoples, had to believe beyond what they could see—that their descendants would not only exist, but thrive. We, here, now, are each the symbols of our ancestors’ dreams. By existing. By resisting injustice. By celebrating liberation with joy.

Liberation is our ancestors’ dreaming.

We too will be ancestors—what will we leave behind? What are our dreams for a future where all of us are free? 

Source: Bend the Arc's Four Cups of Liberation Haggadah Supplement

Elijah's Cup

Pour the extra glass of wine and open the door for Elijah!

אֵלִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא אֵלִיָּהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי אֵלִיָּהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי

במְהֵרָה בְיָמֵנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵינוּ עִם מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן-דָּוִד, עִם מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן-דָּוִד

Eliyahu ha-navi, Eliyahu ha-Tishbi, Eliyahu (3x) ha-Giladi.
Bimheirah v'yameinu, yavo ei-leinu im Mashiach ben David (2x)

Miriam's Cup

Pour a glass of water for Miriam!

מִרִיַם הַנְבִיאה עזֹ וְזִמְרָה בְיָדָה

מְִריָם תְִּרקֹד אִתָּנוּ לְהַגְדִּיל זִמְרַת עוֹלָם

מִרִיַם תִרְקד אִתָנוּ לְתַקֵן אֶת הֵעולַם.

בִמְהֵרַה בְיָמֵנוּ הִיא תְבִיאֵנוּ אֶל מֵי הַיְשׁוּעָה!

Miriam ha-n'vi'ah oz v'zimrah b'yadah.
Miriam tirkod itanu l'hagdil zimrat olam.
Miriam tirkod itanu l'taken et ha-olam.
Bimheirah v'yameinu hi t'vi'einu el mei ha-y'shuah.

B’tzeit Yisrael בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל 

בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִמִּרַָים בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז הָיְתָה יְהוּדָּה לְקָדְשׁוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָיו

הַיָּם רָאָה וַיַָּנֹס הַיַרְדֵּן יִסֹּב לְאָחוֹר, הֶהָרִים רָקְדוּ כְאֵילִים גְּבַָעוֹת כִּבְנֵי צֹאן

מַה לְּךָ הַיָּם כִּי תָנוּס הַיַּרְדֵן – תִּסֹּב לְאָחוֹר. הֶהָרִים תִּרְקְדוּ כְאֵילִים גְּבַָעוֹת – כִּבְנֵי צֹאן

מִלְּפְנֵי אָדוֹן חוּלִי אָרֶץ, מִלְּפְנֵי אֱלוֹהַ יַעֲקֹב. הַהֹפְכִי הַצּוּר אֲגַם מָיִם, חַלָּמִיש – לְמַעְיְנוֹ מָיִם

B’tzeit Yisrael mimitzrayim, beit Ya’akov mei’am lo’eiz, haytah yihudah likodsho, Yisrael mamshilotav.

Hayam ra’ah vayanos, hayardein tisov l’achor. Heharim rakedu che’eilim, giva’ot – kivnei tzon.

Mah l’cha hayam ki tanus, hayardein – tisov l’achor, heharim tirkedu che’eilim, givaot – kivnei tzon.

Milifnei adon chuli aretz, milifnei eloha Ya’akov. Hahofchi hatzur agam mayim, chalamish – lemayno mayim.

When Israel went forth from Mitzrayim,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange speech,
Judah became God’s holy one,
Israel, God’s dominion.

The sea saw them and fled,
The Jordan ran backward,
Mountains skipped like rams,
Hills like sheep.

What alarmed you, O sea, that you fled,
Jordan, that you ran backward,
Mountains, that you skipped like rams,
Hills, like sheep?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of Adonai,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flinty rock into a fountain.

Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu

[Od ya-vo sh-alom a-lei-nu, Od ya-vo sh-alom a-lei-nu
Od ya-vo sh-alom a-lei-nu, Ve’ al ku-lam]   (2x)

Salaam, A-lei-nu ve-al kol ha-o-lam, Sa-laam, Sa-laam  (2x)

Peace will come upon us and on everyone
Peace on us and on everyone

אוֹר זָרֻעַ לַצַּדִּיק, וּלְיִשְׁרֵי-לֵב שִׂמְחָה.

Or zaruah l'tzaddik

Ul yishrei lev simcha

__________

Lyrics | Listen

Light shines for the righteous, the true heart shall be the joyous heart (x2)

Or zaruah l'tzaddik, ul yishrei lev simcha (x2)

Light shines for the righteous, the true heart shall be the joyous heart (x2)

Or zaruah l'tzaddik, ul yishrei lev simcha (x2)

Yai nai nai nai....

The Fourth Cup of Wine

בָּרוּךְ אַתַּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיתוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pri hagafen.

Blessed is the Eternal, determiner of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. 

The Fourth Cup: Liberation Is A Constant Journey

“We still believe, or many of us do, what the Exodus first taught… First; that wherever you live, it is probably Egypt; second; that there is a better place, a world more attractive, a promised land… There is no way to get from here to there except by joining together and marching.”
MICHAEL WALZER IN EXODUS AND REVOLUTION

The seder ends with a reminder that we are not yet where we want to be.

There is a better place, a promised land, and next year we hope to hold our seder there. We say these same words each year because we are always on a path to liberation. We can make liberation real by embarking on this journey together.

To study the Passover story is to understand that our Exodus from Egypt was possible when the false ideologies that enabled the enslavement of Israelites—that some people are greater than others, that some people are a threat—were torn down, step by step.

Every day we witness our country grappling with revealing questions of identity and democracy—who belongs, who can be safe, who can thrive. Since its founding, the false ideologies of white supremacy—that some people are greater than others, that some people are a threat—have been core to our country’s economy, governance, and culture. Are we ready to dismantle these ideologies, step by step.

Liberation is a constant journey, but it’s not without a destination. Liberation—ours and yours—lies ahead. Are we ready to begin?

Source: Bend the Arc's Four Cups of Liberation Haggadah Supplement

The Seder concludes with an exclamation of hope: Next year in Jerusalem! Like every Jewish teaching, this statement is best understood on multiple levels. Most obviously, it is the dream of our ancestors, living in exile, to someday return home. We honor the resilience of the generations of Jews who survived and preserved our traditions against all odds.

Yet like all great teachings, ours has been distorted and misused. How many Palestinian people have been displaced, mistreated, tortured and killed, with this idea used as a justification? We have allowed our hope for homecoming to become the rationale to exile and oppress another people. This is a tragic abuse of our teachings that contradicts the themes of justice and freedom at the center of the Passover story.

Ours is a tradition of interpretation. We are called to consider the teachings on all levels. In Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, we are taught that the outward meaning of the text is like an outfit that the Truth is wearing.

Next year in Jerusalem! What might be the deeper meaning? Here is one possibility. The etymology of the Hebrew Yerushalayim ירושלם is uncertain, but my favorite explanation says that it comes from the ancient Hebrew yry, "to found, to lay a cornerstone" and shalem, "wholeness, completeness, peace." So Jerusalem is literally the Foundation of Peace, the Cornerstone of Wholeness.

What is the Foundation of Peace? What is the Cornerstone of Wholeness? And how do we get there? There is no country, no city, no external place that holds them. Wholeness is our sacred inheritance. Peace is a place in the heart. We can find it here and now—and indeed, wherever here happens to be, that is one and only place we can find it.

Jerusalem is not a faraway place. It is contained within us, an inexhaustible reservoir of love that is always available. We do not need to journey to reach it. We only need to stop running away.

Next year in Jerusalem

Next year in peace and wholeness

Next year in the present moment

No one person can change the world. To do so we must stand together. Once we begin to do our share, we will understand how what each of us does can ripple forward until it joins with the efforts of others to form great waves of change. It requires no supernatural miracles. It requires only that we respond to the best part of our humanity.

Source: East Side Jews

Nirtzah נִרְצָה

It is traditional to end a seder with L’shanah ha-ba’ah b’Yerushalayim —Next Year in Jerusalem! The call speaks to a feeling of exile which characterized the Jewish Diaspora for centuries. How might we understand this today? A close look at the word Yerushalayim suggests an answer. The name can be read as deriving from Ir Shalem (“City of Wholeness”) or Ir Shalom (“City of Peace”). No matter where we are or what our politics may be, we all slip into exile from the state of wholeness and unity that a connection with the Divine and within ourselves can provide. Even though the Passover story ends in freedom, there are many who are not free, and the story should be carried with us after the end of Pesach. We carry hope and aspiration for a world which has more freedom. Next year, wherever we are, may we be whole and at peace. 

Let us say:

לְשּׁנָהָ הבַּאָהָ בּ חִֵרוּת

L’shana ha-ba b’heroot

Next year in freedom.

צֶדֶ֥ק צדֶֶ֖ק תּרְִדּףֹ֑

Tzedek tzedek tirdoff!

Justice, Justice We Shall Pursue!

We can go around the room and say "Next year in..." filling in a hope or desire inspired by the theme of slavery, freedom and liberation.

Source: All of us or none and The Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah

Shabbos goy to open this link and screenshare  and play this song w audio shared

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד

בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

Shema yisrael Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad

(softly) Baruch shem k’vod malchuto l’olam va’ed

Hear, O Israel, the Eternal is Divine, the Eternal is One

Blessed is the name of Their glorious domain, for ever and ever

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 two zuzim.

One little goat, one little goat:

The stick came and beat the dog

That bit the cat that ate the goat,

Which my father bought for two zuzim.

One little goat, one little goat:

The fire came and burned the stick

That beat the dog that bit the cat

That ate the goat,

Which my father bought for two zuzim.

One little goat, one little goat:

The water came and extinguished the

Fire that burned the stick

That beat the dog that bit the cat

That ate the goat,

Which my father bought for two zuzim.

One little goat, one little goat:

The ox came and drank the water

That extinguished the fire

That burned the stick that beat the dog That bit the cat that ate the goat,

Which my father bought for two zuzim.

One little goat, one little goat:

The butcher came and killed the ox,

That drank the water

That extinguished the fire

That burned the stick that beat the dog That bit the cat that ate the goat,

Which my father bought for two zuzim.

One little goat, one little goat:

The angle of death came and slew

The butcher who killed the ox,

That drank the water

That extinguished the fire

That burned the stick that beat the dog That bit the cat that ate the goat,

Which my father bought for two zuzim.

One little goat, one little goat:

The Holy One, Blessed Be He came and

Smote the angle of death who slew

The butcher who killed the ox,

That drank the water

That extinguished the fire

That burned the stick that beat the dog That bit the cat that ate the goat,

Which my father bought for two zuzim.

Un Cavritico

Un cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.

Y vino el gato y se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.

Y vino el perro y que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.

Y vino el palo y aharvo el perro, que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.

Y vino el fuego y quemo el palo, que aharvo el perro, que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.

Y vino la agua y ya mato el fuego, que quemo el palo, que aharvo el perro, que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim. Y vino el buey y se bevio la agua, que ya mato el fuego, que quemo el palo, que aharvo el perro, que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.

Y vino el shoket y degollo el buey, que se bevio la agua, que ya mato el fuego, que quemo el palo, que aharvo el perro, que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim. Y vino el malah amavet y degollo shoket, que degollo al buey, que se bevio la agua, que ya mato el fuego, que quemo el palo, que aharvo el perro, que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim. Y vino el Santo Bendicho y degollo el malah amavet, que degollo shoket, que degollo al buey, que se bevio la agua, que ya mato el fuego, que quemo el palo, que aharvo el perro, que mordio el gato, que se comio el cavritico, que lo merco mi padre por dos levanim, por dos levanim.

Adir hu, yivei baito b’karov. Bimheirah, bimheirah, b’yamainu b’karov. El b’nai, El b’nai, b’nai baitcha b’karov.

Bachur hu, gadol hu, dagul hu, yivei baito b’karov. Bimheirah, bimheirah, b’yamainu b’karov. El b’nai, El b’nai, b’nai baitcha b’karov.

Hadur hu, vatik hu, zakai hu, chasid hu, yivei baito b’karov. Bimheirah, bimheirah, b’yamainu b’karov. El b’nai, El b’nai, b’nai baitcha b’karov.

Tahor hu, yachid hu, kabir hu, lamud hu, melech hu yivei baito b’karov. Bimheirah, bimheirah, b’yamainu b’karov. El b’nai, El b’nai, b’nai baitcha b’karov.

Nora hu, sagiv hu, izuz hu, podeh hu, tzadik hu, yivei baito b’karov. Bimheirah, bimheirah, b’yamainu b’karov. El b’nai, El b’nai, b’nai baitcha b’karov.

Kadosh hu, rachum hu, shadai hu, takif hu yivei baito b’karov. Bimheirah, bimheirah, b’yamainu b’karov. El b’nai, El b’nai, b’nai baitcha b’karov.

אַדִיר בִּמְלוּכָה, בָּחוּר כַּהֲלָכָה, גְּדוּדָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה. 

דָּגוּל בִּמְלוּכָה, הָדוּר כַּהֲלָכָה, וָתִיקָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ: 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה. 

זַכַּאי בִּמְלוּכָה, חָסִין כַּהֲלָכָה טַפְסְרָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ: 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה. 

יָחִיד בִּמְלוּכָה, כַּבִּיר כַּהֲלָכָה לִמוּדָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ: 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה. 

מוֹשֵׁל בִּמְלוּכָה, נוֹרָא כַּהֲלָכָה סְבִיבָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ: 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה. 

עָנָיו בִּמְלוּכָה, פּוֹדֶה כַּהֲלָכָה, צַדִּיקָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ: 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה. 

קָּדוֹשׁ בִּמְלוּכָה, רַחוּם כַּהֲלָכָה שִׁנְאַנָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ: 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה. 

תַּקִיף בִּמְלוּכָה, תּוֹמֵךְ כַּהֲלָכָה תְּמִימָיו יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ: 
לְךָ וּלְךָ, לְךָ כִּי לְךָ, לְךָ אַף לְךָ, לְךָ יי הַמַּמְלָכָה, כִּי לוֹ נָאֵֶה, כִּי לוֹ יָאֶה.

Translation: Because it is proper for Him, because it befits Him. Mighty in sovereignty, rightly select. His minions say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” Exalted in sovereignty, rightly glorious. His faithful ones say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” Blameless in sovereignty, rightly powerful. His generals say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” Singular in sovereignty, rightly strong. His learned ones say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” Exalted in sovereignty, rightly awesome. Those who surround Him say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” Humble in sovereignty, rightly saving. His righteous ones say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” Holy in sovereignty, rightly merciful. His multitudes say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” Strong in sovereignty, rightly supportive. His perfect ones say to Him: “Yours and Yours, Yours because it is Yours, Yours and only Yours— Yours, Adonai, is sovereignty!” 

Transliteration: 

Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Adir bimlucha, bachur kahalcha, g’dudav yomru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Dagul bimluchah, hadur kahalachah, vatikav yom’ru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Zakai bimluchah, chasin kahalachah taf’srav yom’ru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Yachid bimluchah, kabir kahalachah limudav yom’ru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Moshail bimluchah, nora kahalachah savivav yom’ru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Anav bimluchah, podeh kahalachah, tzadikav yom’ru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Kadosh bimluchah, rachum kahalachah shinanav yom’ru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

Takif bimluchah, tomaich kahalachah t’mimav yom’ru lo: l’cha u’l’cha, l’cha ki l’cha, l’cha af l’cha, l’cha Adonai hamamlachah, Ki lo na’eh, ki lo ya’eh.

אֶחָד מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

אֶחָד אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ.

Who knows 1? I know 1! 1 is Our God, 1 is Our God, 1 is Our God, in the heavens and the earth.

שְׁנַיִם מִי יוֹדֵעַ?

 שְׁנַיִם אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ.

Who knows 2? I know 2! 2 are the tablets that Moses brought and ….

שְׁלֹשָׁה מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 3? I know 3! 3 are the fathers, and ….

אַרְבַּע מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

אַרְבַּע אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 4? I know 4! 4 are the mothers, and ….

חֲמִשָּׁה מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

חֲמִשָּׁה אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 5? I know 5! 5 are the books of the Torah, and ….

שִׁשָּׁה מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

שִׁשָּׁה אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 6? I know 6! 6 are the books of the Mishnah and ….

שִׁבְעָה מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

שִׁבְעָה אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבְּתָא, 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 7? I know 7! 7 are the days in a week and ….

שְׁמוֹנָה מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

שְׁמוֹנָה אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

שְׁמוֹנָה יְמֵי מִילָה, 

שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבְּתָא, 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 8? I know 8! 8 are the days till circumcision and ….

תִּשְׁעָה מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

תִּשְׁעָה אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

תִּשְׁעָה יַרְחֵי לֵדָה, 

שְׁמוֹנָה יְמֵי מִילָה, 

שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבְּתָא, 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

 Who knows 9? I know 9! 9 are the months of pregnancy, and ….

עֲשָׂרָה מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

עֲשָׂרָה אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

עֲשָׂרָה דִּבְּרַיָּא, 

תִּשְׁעָה יַרְחֵי לֵדָה, 

שְׁמוֹנָה יְמֵי מִילָה, 

שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבְּתָא, 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

 Who knows 10? I know 10! 10 are the 10 commandments and ….

אַחַד עָשָׂר מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

אַחַד עָשָׂר אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

אַחַד עָשָׂר כּוֹכְבַיָּא, 

עֲשָׂרָה דִּבְּרַיָּא, 

תִּשְׁעָה יַרְחֵי לֵדָה, 

שְׁמוֹנָה יְמֵי מִילָה, 

שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבְּתָא, 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 11? I know 11! 11 are the stars in Joseph's dream and ….

שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

שְׂנֵים עָשָׂר אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

שְׂנֵים עָשָׂר שִׁבְטַיָּא

 אַחַד עָשָׂר כּוֹכְבַיָּא, 

עֲשָׂרָה דִּבְּרַיָּא, 

תִּשְׁעָה יַרְחֵי לֵדָה, 

שְׁמוֹנָה יְמֵי מִילָה, 

שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבְּתָא, 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 12? I know 12! 12 are the Tribes of Israel and ….

שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר מִי יוֹדֵעַ? 

שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ: 

שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר מִדַּיָּא שְׂנֵים עָשָׂר שִׁבְטַיָּא

 אַחַד עָשָׂר כּוֹכְבַיָּא, 

עֲשָׂרָה דִּבְּרַיָּא, 

תִּשְׁעָה יַרְחֵי לֵדָה, 

שְׁמוֹנָה יְמֵי מִילָה, 

שִׁבְעָה יְמֵי שַׁבְּתָא, 

שִׁשָּׁה סִדְרֵי מִשְׁנָה, 

חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה

אַרְבַּע אִמָּהוֹת, 

שְׁלֹשָׁה אָבוֹת, 

שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית, 

אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

Who knows 13? I know 13! 13 are the attributes of God and ….

ECHAD MI YODE'A

Echad mi yode'a 
Echad ani yode'a 
Echad Elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Shnaim mi yode'a
Shnaim ani yode'a
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Shlosha mi yode'a,
Shlosha ani yode'a. 
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Arba mi yode'a
arba ani yode'a
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Chamisha, mi yode'a
Chamisha, ani yode'a
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Shisha, mi yode'a? 
Shisha, ani yode'a
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Shiv'ah mi yode'a
shiv'ah ani yode'a. 
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Shmonah mi yode'a
shmonah ani yode'a
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Tish'ah mi yode'a
tish'ah ani yode'a. 
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milahshiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Asara mi yode'a
asara ani yode'a
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Achad asar mi yode'a
achad asar ani yode'a
achad asar kochvaya
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Shneim-asar mi yode'a
shneim-asar ani yode'a
shneim-asar shivtaya
achad asar kochvaya
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz. 

Shlosha-asar mi yode'a
Shlosha-asar ani yode'a 
Shlosha-asar midaya
shneim-asar shivtaya
achad asar kochvaya
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

I KNOW ONE

1 who knows 1
1 I know 1 
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

2 who knows 2
2 I know 2 
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

3 who knows 3
3 I know 3 
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

4 who knows 4
4 I know 4 
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

5 who knows 5
5 I know 5
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

6 who knows 6
6 I know 6 
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

7 who knows 7
7 I know 7 
7 are the days in a week till Shabbat
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

8 who knows 8
8 I know 8 
8 are the days to the brit milah
7 are the days in a week till Shabbat
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

9 who knows 9
9 I know 9 
9 are the months before birth,
8 are the days to the brit milah
7 are the days in a week till Shabbat
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

10 who knows 10
10 I know 10 
10 are the commandments
9 are the months before birth,
8 are the days to the brit milah
7 are the days in a week till Shabbat
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

11 who knows 11
11 I know 11 
11 are the stars in Joseph's dream
10 are the commandments
9 are the months before birth,
8 are the days to the brit milah
7 are the days in a week till Shabbat
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

12 who knows 12
12 I know 12 
12 are the Tribes of Israel
11 are the stars in Joseph's dream
10 are the commandments
9 are the months before birth,
8 are the days to the brit milah
7 are the days in a week till Shabbat
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.

13 who knows 13
13 I know 13 
13 are the attributes of God 
12 are the Tribes of Israel
11 are the stars in Joseph's dream
10 are the commandments
9 are the months before birth,
8 are the days to the brit milah
7 are the days in a week till Shabbat
6 are the orders of the mishnah
5 are the books of the torah,
4 are our matriarchs,
3 are our forefathers
2 are the tablets of the commandments
1 is Our God who is in the heavens and on earth.