As we rejoice at the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge this freedom was hard-earned. We regret that freedom came at the cost of others’ suffering, for we are all made in the image of God. Therefore, we take away just a little bit of our joy of wine by placing a drop of it on our plates as we recite each of the Ten Plagues.
Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass to get a drop for each plague.
דָּם dam Blood
צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ tzfardeiya Frogs
כִּנִּים kinim Lice
עָרוֹב arov Beasts
דֶּֽבֶר dever Cattle disease
שְׁחִין sh’chin Boils
בָּרָד barad Hail
אַרְבֶּה arbeh Locusts
חֹֽשֶׁךְ choshech Darkness
מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת makat b’chorot Death of the firstborn
The Ten Plagues wreaked havoc on the country of Egypt and all its inhabitants, including the mighty Pharaoh. They ruined livestock and agriculture, water and health, staples in ancient society as well as today. While the plagues in our story have a clear message and purpose, they are still often things that plague our world today. What else might you add to this list? What are the plagues of our day? What work can we do to rid our world of them?
We praise you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, who redeemed us and our ancestors from slavery, enabling us to reach this night and eat matzah and bitter herbs. May we continue to reach future holidays in peace and happiness.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe,
who creates the fruit of the vine.
Drink the second glass of wine!
Chad Gadya comes last deliberately. It's a silly, cumulative folk song on the surface — a cat eats a goat, a dog bites the cat, a stick beats the dog, and so on — but it's traditionally interpreted as a symbolic history of the Jewish people, with each animal or force representing a different empire that conquered and was then conquered, until God appears at the end and sets everything right.
Chad gadya, chad gadya
Which my father brought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
The cat came and ate the goat,
Which my father bought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
The dog came and bit the cat
That ate the goat,
Which my father bought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
The stick came and beat the dog
That bit the cat that ate the goat,
Which my father bought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
As in many world cultures and religions, water is a symbol of purification in Judaism. We will wash our hands twice during our seder—now, with no blessing, to get us ready for the rituals to come, and then again later, with a blessing, to prepare us for the meal, which Judaism thinks of as a ritual in itself. (The Jewish obsession with food is older than you thought!)
To wash your hands, you don’t need soap, but you do need a cup to pour water over them. Pour water on each of your hands three times, alternating between them.
Celebrating Passover gives us all the opportunity to pause and reflect on what brings us together.
Let’s take a moment to consider what we hope to get out of our evening together. Go around the table and share one hope or expectation you have, or something you want to learn at tonight’s seder.
The Passover Haggadah recounts ten plagues that afflicted Egyptian society. In our tradition, Passover is the season in which we imagine our own lives within the story and the story within our lives. Accordingly, we turn our thoughts to the many plagues affecting our society today. Our journey from slavery to redemption is ongoing, demanding the work of our hearts and hands. Here are ten “modern plagues”:
Homelessness
Hunger
Inequality
Greed
Discrimination and hatred
Silence amid violence
Environmental destruction
Stigma of mental illness
Ignoring refugees
Powerlessness
As we rejoice at the Israelites’ deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge this freedom was hard-earned. We regret that freedom came at the cost of others’ suffering, for we are all made in the image of God. Therefore, we take away just a little bit of our joy of wine by placing a drop of it on our plates as we recite each of the Ten Plagues.
Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass to get a drop for each plague.
דָּם dam Blood
צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ tzfardeiya Frogs
כִּנִּים kinim Lice
עָרוֹב arov Beasts
דֶּֽבֶר dever Cattle disease
שְׁחִין sh’chin Boils
בָּרָד barad Hail
אַרְבֶּה arbeh Locusts
חֹֽשֶׁךְ choshech Darkness
מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת makat b’chorot Death of the firstborn
The Ten Plagues wreaked havoc on the country of Egypt and all its inhabitants, including the mighty Pharaoh. They ruined livestock and agriculture, water and health, staples in ancient society as well as today. While the plagues in our story have a clear message and purpose, they are still often things that plague our world today. What else might you add to this list? What are the plagues of our day? What work can we do to rid our world of them?
We praise you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, who redeemed us and our ancestors from slavery, enabling us to reach this night and eat matzah and bitter herbs. May we continue to reach future holidays in peace and happiness.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe,
who creates the fruit of the vine.
Drink the second glass of wine!
Chad Gadya comes last deliberately. It's a silly, cumulative folk song on the surface — a cat eats a goat, a dog bites the cat, a stick beats the dog, and so on — but it's traditionally interpreted as a symbolic history of the Jewish people, with each animal or force representing a different empire that conquered and was then conquered, until God appears at the end and sets everything right.
Chad gadya, chad gadya
Which my father brought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
The cat came and ate the goat,
Which my father bought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
The dog came and bit the cat
That ate the goat,
Which my father bought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
The stick came and beat the dog
That bit the cat that ate the goat,
Which my father bought for two zuzim.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
Chad gadya, chad gadya:
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.
As in many world cultures and religions, water is a symbol of purification in Judaism. We will wash our hands twice during our seder—now, with no blessing, to get us ready for the rituals to come, and then again later, with a blessing, to prepare us for the meal, which Judaism thinks of as a ritual in itself. (The Jewish obsession with food is older than you thought!)
To wash your hands, you don’t need soap, but you do need a cup to pour water over them. Pour water on each of your hands three times, alternating between them.
Celebrating Passover gives us all the opportunity to pause and reflect on what brings us together.
Let’s take a moment to consider what we hope to get out of our evening together. Go around the table and share one hope or expectation you have, or something you want to learn at tonight’s seder.
The Passover Haggadah recounts ten plagues that afflicted Egyptian society. In our tradition, Passover is the season in which we imagine our own lives within the story and the story within our lives. Accordingly, we turn our thoughts to the many plagues affecting our society today. Our journey from slavery to redemption is ongoing, demanding the work of our hearts and hands. Here are ten “modern plagues”:
Homelessness
Hunger
Inequality
Greed
Discrimination and hatred
Silence amid violence
Environmental destruction
Stigma of mental illness
Ignoring refugees
Powerlessness
showing
1-6
of
337
Page
1
of
57
