To make Kiddush is to declare a moment holy. “Here I am, ready to perform the mitzvah of the first cup of wine and to dedicate this whole evening ‘to telling the story of miracles and wonders that were performed for our ancestors in Egypt on the night of the 15th of the month of Nisan’ more than 3,200 years ago. This is what the Torah commands us: ‘Remember the day of your Exodus from Egypt’ “ (Ex. 13:3; Maimonides, Chametz 7:1).

We say this to get ready for the seder, to set a Cavanah, or intention as a sort of mindfulness exercise. ​

We are about to drink our first cup of wine which will symbolize gratitude for life.                                       

Let us raise our cups to signify our gratitude for life, and for the joy of knowing inner growth, which gives human life its meaning. And with raised cups, we say together:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
she-hechiyanu v’key’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything,
who has kept us alive, raised us up, and brought us to this happy moment.

We now drink the first glass of wine!

Elijah

This is the cup of Elijah. According to Jewish tradition, the Prophet Elijah was a brave man who denounced the slavery of his day. Legend teaches that he will return one day to lead everyone to peace and freedom.

It was customary during the Passover Seder to open the door of the house for Elijah, in the hope that the age of universal peace may soon be at hand.

We, too, open the door to peace, knowing that Elijah's task is really our own. Only when we have made a world where nation shall not lift up sword against nation, where justice is universal, and where each person is free, will the age-old dream of peace be real.

To begin our singing for the night Hallel, we sing a song about Elijah, Eliayu Hanavi:

אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי,

אֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ,אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי.

בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵֽינוּ

עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד, 

עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד.

Eliyahu hanavi Eliyahu hatishbi Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi Bimheirah b’yameinu, yavo eileinu Im mashiach ben-David, Im mashiach ben-David

Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad: return to us speedily, in our days with the messiah, son of David.

Welcome to the Davidson Hillel Seder! We are so excited to spend it with all of you.

There's a few things to explain about Judaism and Jewish texts before we start.

First, the word Seder, means order, and so the Passover seder has a specific order that we will follow tonight.

Second, If you're wondering why the book is backwards, it actually isn't! We read right to left, because that's the way the Torah is written. Another thing, is that each prayer and song has Hebrew, English, and something called a transliteration, which is the Hebrew translated into English, so that everyone can follow along.

Third, this Haggadah, was created by a Hillel student during her Ministry Fellowship along with her wonderful mentor, Rabbi Michael Streiffer, on a website that can be added and edited at any time, so the hope is that it will be edited in years to come. It is a mix of different Haggadot around the world and Passover related books. The goal was to make a Haggadah that was accessible for both Jewish and non-Jewish students, since at the Davidson Seder, we have a lot of both. There is not much God language because many Jewish people celebrate Passover more as a tradition and to be with family and friends than to celebrate a belief in God.

Finally, the Haggadah has some extra interpretations for certain parts of the Seder because in the Jewish tradition, there are always more interpretations as rabbis through history visit and revise the thoughts of those before them. For the purpose of the Seder, that means that we'll be following certain pages together, but feel free to look at the pages we don't read and read them on your own if they sound of interest to you.

Thanks and enjoy!

This is the bread of poverty and persecution that our ancestors ate in the land of egypt. As it says in the Torah "seven days shall you eat.... matzot- the bread of poverty and persecution" (Deut. 16:3) so that you may "remember that you were a slave in Egypt.." (Deut. 26:12).

Let all who are hungry, come and eat

Let all who are in need, come and share the Pesach meal.

This wear we are still here- Next year, in the land of Israel.

This year we are still slaves- Next year, free people.

However, scholars have noted that long before the Jews celebrated Passover, farmers of the Middle East celebrated Chag Ha-matsot, the festival of unleavened bread, at this time of year. This was a festival where unleavened bread was made from the new grain harvest that took place at this time of the year        

    The old fermented dough was thrown out so that last year's grain would not be mixed with this year's. Therefore, the new season began with the eating of unleavened bread--matsah. Later on, the Jewish people incorporated this agricultural festival into the celebration of freedom and renewal we now call Passover.

 

Matzah is the symbol of our affliction and our freedom. Legend has it that when Moses and his followers fled Egypt, they moved so quickly that the bread they baked did not have time to rise.

בְָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ:

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה:

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat matzah.

Distribute and eat the top and middle matzah for everyone to eat.