See the 2022 Guide for Pesach HERE

We want to begin by reminding everyone how important and critical it is to keep social distancing, even from our own family members, especially those who are above 60 or immunocompromised. Many of us will have to have this year Seder separated from our family members FOR THEIR OWN PROTECTION. And by protecting our loved ones this year,  B”H, next year, we can celebrate all together.  

We realize that in many household people will spend this Pesach with their nuclear family: father, mother, children. And for many parents, especially young parents, this will be the first time that they will be running the Seder on their own.  

The text of this Haggadah has been prepared for this particular scenario. And because not everyone is able to read the entire Haggadah in Hebrew, in this version we have preserved what I consider to be the most representative and known texts in the original Hebrew, and the rest we presented it in English. We also brought here an abbreviated version of Birkat haMazon. 

If for you this version of the Haggadah is still difficult to follow, you should know that under present circumstances you can surely rely on the plain halakha that allows to recite the entire Haggadah in English, or in any language that you understand. 

We hope that this text of the Haggadah will serve its purpose just for this year. 

We pray that next year, we will celebrate Pesach with all our family members and read and sing the entire Haggadah together, B”H, in Yerushalayim. 

 קדש

The cups are rinsed and then filled with wine (it is customary to add three drops of water to each cup of wine). Then, the Kiddush is said while standing 

אֵלֶּה מועֲדֵי ה’  מִקְרָאֵי קדֶשׁ, אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אתָם בְּמועֲדָם: וַיְדַבֵּר משֶׁה אֶת מעֲדֵי ה’  אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:

סַבְרִי מָרָנָן:

עונים: לְחַיִּים

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגֶּפֶן.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר בָּנוּ מִכָּל עָם, וְרוֹמְמָנוּ מִכָּל לָשׁוֹן, וְקִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו. וַתִּתֶּן לָנוּ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה,  מוֹעֲדִים לְשִׂמְחָה, חַגִּים וּזְמַנִּים לְשָׂשׂוֹן, אֶת יוֹם חַג הַמַצּוֹת הַזֶה, וְאֶת יוֹם טוֹב מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה, זְמַן חֵרוּתֵנוּ בְּאַהֲבָה, מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ, זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. כִּי בָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ וְאוֹתָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, מוֹעֲדֵי קָדְשֶךָ בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְשָׂשׂוֹן הִנְחַלְתָּנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי, מְקַדֵּשׁ  יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַזְּמַנִּים.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶה.

Now, sit down and drink the wine while leaning on your left side

ורחץ

Now, the hands are washed but the berakha “Al netilat Yadaim” is not said 

כרפס

Take a small amount of celery and dip it into vinegar and say the following berakha before eating it

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה.

יחץ

Split the middle Matzah in two, and conceal the larger piece to use it for the afikoman.

מגיד 

Now, hold the broken Matza and recite the following (some hold the three matzot in their hands) 

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

Now, the cups and rinse and filled with wine for the second time. Put aside the seder plate.  The youngest person in the family should read the following

מַה נִּשְּׁתַּנָה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת, שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אֶנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּעַם אֶחָת והַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעָמִים.

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין חָמֵץ אוֹ מַצָּה, והַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כּוּלוֹ מַצָּה.

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת, והַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר.

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָנוּ אוֹכְלִין ושוֹתִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין, והַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָנו מְסֻבִּין.

The Seder Plate is returned to its place and we continue reading the Haggada. The matzot should be covered when reading the Haggadah and covered when we lift the cups of wine

עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם, וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מִשָּׁם בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה. וְאִלּוּ לֹא הוֹצִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם, עדֲיִן אֲנַחְנוּ וּבָנֵינוּ וּבְנֵי בָנֵינוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם. וַאֲפִילוּ כֻּלָנוּ חֲכָמִים, כֻּלָנוּ נְבוֹנִים, כֻּלָנוּ יוֹדְעִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, מִצְוָה עָלֵינוּ לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם. וְכָל הַמַרְבֶּה לְסַפֵּר בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.

THE STORY OF THE FIVE RABBIS

It happened once [on Pesach] that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon were reclining in Bnei Brak and were telling the story of the exodus from Egypt that whole night, until their students came and said to them, “The time of [reciting] the morning Shema has arrived.”

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said, “Behold I am like a man of seventy years and I have not merited [to understand why] the exodus from Egypt should be said at night until Ben Zoma explicated it, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 16:3), ‘In order that you remember the day of your going out from the land of Egypt all the days of your life;’ ‘the days of your life’ [indicates that the remembrance be invoked during] the days, ‘all the days of your life’ [indicates that the remembrance be invoked also during] the nights.” But the Sages say, “‘the days of your life’ [indicates that the remembrance be invoked in] this world, ‘all the days of your life’ [indicates that the remembrance be invoked also] in the days of the Messiah.”

THE FOUR SONS 

Blessed be the Place [of all], Blessed be He; Blessed be the One who Gave the Torah to His people Israel, Blessed be He. Corresponding to four sons did the Torah speak; one [who is] wise, one [who is] evil, one who is innocent and one who doesn’t know to ask.

What does the wise [son] say? “‘What are these testimonies, statutes and judgments that the Lord our God commanded you?’ (Deuteronomy 6:20)” And accordingly you will say to him, as per the laws of the Pesach sacrifice, “We may not eat an afikoman [a dessert or other foods eaten after the meal] after [we are finished eating] the Pesach sacrifice (Mishnah Pesachim 10:8).”

What does the evil [son] say? “‘What is this worship to you?’ (Exodus 12:26)” ‘To you’ and not ‘to him.’ And since he excluded himself from the collective, he denied a principle [of the Jewish faith]. And accordingly, you will blunt his teeth and say to him, “‘For the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt’ (Exodus 13:8).” ‘For me’ and not ‘for him.’ If he had been there, he would not have been saved.

What does the innocent [son] say? “‘What is this?’ (Exodus 13:14)” And you will say to him, “‘With the strength of [His] hand did the Lord take us out from Egypt, from the house of slaves’ (Exodus 13:14).'”

And [regarding] the one who doesn’t know to ask, you will open [the conversation] for him. As it is stated (Exodus 13:8), “And you will speak to your son on that day saying, for the sake of this, did the Lord do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt.”

It could be from Rosh Chodesh [that one would have to discuss the Exodus. However] we learn [otherwise, since] it is stated, “on that day.” If it is [written] “on that day,” it could be from while it is still day [before the night of the fifteenth of Nissan. However] we learn [otherwise, since] it is stated, “for the sake of this.” I didn’t say ‘for the sake of this’ except [that it be observed] when [this] matza and maror are resting in front of you [meaning, on the night of the fifteenth].

מִתְּחִלָּה עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, וְעַכְשָׁיו קֵרְבָנוּ הַמָּקוֹם לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹאמֶר יְהוֹשֻעַ אֶל כָּל הָעָם, כֹּה אָמַר יי אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: בְּעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר יָשְׁבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מֵעוֹלָם, תֶּרַח אֲבִי אַבְרָהָם וַאֲבִי נָחוֹר, וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים. וָאֶקַח אֶת אֲבִיכֶם אֶת אַבְרָהָם מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וָאוֹלֵךְ אוֹתוֹ בְּכָל אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן, וָאַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעוֹ וָאֶתֵּן לוֹ אֶת יִצְחָק, וָאֶתֵּן לְיִצְחָק אֶת יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת עֵשָׂיו. וָאֶתֵּן לְעֵשָׂו אֶת הַר שֵּׂעִיר לָרֶשֶׁת אֹתוֹ, וְיַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו יָרְדוּ מִצְרָיִם.

Blessed be the One who keeps His promise to Israel, blessed be He; since the Holy One, blessed be He, calculated the end [of the exile,] to do as He said to Avraham, our father, in the Covenant between the Pieces, as it is stated (Genesis 15:13-14), “And He said to Avram, ‘you should surely know that your seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation for which they shall toil will I judge, and afterwards they will go out with much property.'” 

Cover  the matza, lift up the cup and say:

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ, שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם.

Put down the cup of wine from your hand and uncover the matza.

THE STORY OF CAPTIVITY AND REDEMPTION

Go out and learn what Lavan the Aramean sought to do to Ya’akov, our father; since Pharaoh only decreed [the death sentence] on the males but Lavan sought to uproot the whole [people]. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 26:5), “An Aramean was destroying my father and he went down to Egypt, and he resided there with a small number and he became there a nation, great, powerful and numerous.” 

“And he went down to Egypt” – helpless on account of the word [in which God told Avraham that his descendants would have to go into exile]. “And he resided there” – [this] teaches that Ya’akov, our father, didn’t go down to settle in Egypt, but rather [only] to reside there, as it is stated (Genesis 47:4), “And they said to Pharaoh, ‘To reside in the land have we come, since there is not enough pasture for your servant’s flocks, since the famine is heavy in the land of Canaan, and now please grant that your servants should dwell in the Land of Goshen.'” 

“As a small number” – as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:22), “With seventy souls did your ancestors come down to Egypt, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.” 

“And he became there a nation” – [this] teaches that Israel [became] distinguishable there. “Great, powerful” – as it is stated (Exodus 1:7), “And the Children of Israel multiplied and swarmed and grew numerous and strong, most exceedingly and the land became full of them.” 

“And numerous” – as it is stated (Ezekiel 16:7), “I have given you to be numerous as the vegetation of the field, and you increased and grew and became highly ornamented, your breasts were set and your hair grew, but you were naked and barren.” 

“And the Egyptians did bad to us” (Deuteronomy 26:6) – as it is stated (Exodus 1:10), “Let us be wise towards him, lest he multiply and it will be that when war is called, he too will join with our enemies and fight against us and go up from the land.” 

“And afflicted us” – as is is stated (Exodus 1:11); “And they placed upon him leaders over the work-tax in order to afflict them with their burdens; and they built storage cities, Pithom and Ra’amses.” 

“And put upon us hard work” – as it is stated (Exodus 1:11), “And they enslaved the children of Israel with breaking work.” 

“And we we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice, and He saw our affliction, and our toil and our duress” (Deuteronomy 26:7). 

“And we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors” – as it is stated (Exodus 2:23); “And it was in those great days that the king of Egypt died and the Children of Israel sighed from the work and yelled out, and their supplication went up to God from the work.” 

“And the Lord heard our voice” – as it is stated (Exodus 2:24); “And God heard their groans and God remembered His covenant with Avraham and with Yitschak and with Ya’akov.” 

“And He saw our affliction” – this [refers to] the separation from the way of the world, as it is stated (Exodus 2:25); “And God saw the Children of Israel and God knew.” 

“And our toil” – this [refers to the killing of the] sons, as it is stated (Exodus 1:24); “Every boy that is born, throw him into the Nile and every girl you shall keep alive.” 

“And our duress” – this [refers to] the pressure, as it is stated (Exodus 3:9); “And I also saw the duress that the Egyptians are applying on them.” 

“And the Lord took us out of Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched forearm and with great awe and with signs and with wonders” (Deuteronomy 26:8). 

“And the Lord took us out of Egypt” – not through an angel and not through a seraph and not through a messenger, but [directly by] the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, as it is stated (Exodus 12:12); “And I will pass through the Land of Egypt on that night and I will smite every firstborn in the Land of Egypt, from men to animals; and with all the gods of Egypt, I will make judgments, I am the Lord.” 

“And I will pass through the Land of Egypt” – I and not an angel. “And I will smite every firstborn” – I and not a seraph. “And with all the gods of Egypt, I will make judgments” – I and not a messenger. “I am the Lord” – I am He and there is no other.

“With a strong hand” – this [refers to] the pestilence, as it is stated (Exodus 9:3); “Behold the hand of the Lord is upon your herds that are in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the cattle and upon the flocks, [there will be] a very heavy pestilence.” 

“And with an outstretched forearm” – this [refers to] the sword, as it is stated (I Chronicles 21:16); “And his sword was drawn in his hand, leaning over Jerusalem.” 

“And with great awe” – this [refers to the revelation of] the Divine Presence, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:34), “Or did God try to take for Himself a nation from within a nation with enigmas, with signs and with wonders and with war and with a strong hand and with an outstretched forearm and with great and awesome acts, like all that the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt in front of your eyes?” 

“And with signs” – this [refers to] the staff, as it is stated (Exodus 4:17); “And this staff you shall take in your hand, that with it you will preform signs.” 

“And with wonders” – this [refers to] the blood, as it is stated (Joel 3:3); “And I will place my wonders in the skies and in the earth: 

THE TEN PLAGUES

And when he says, “blood and fire and pillars of smoke” and the ten plagues and “detsakh,” “adash” and “ba’achab,” he should pour out a little wine from his cup.

blood and fire and pillars of smoke.”

Another [explanation]: “With a strong hand” [corresponds to] two [plagues]; “and with an outstretched forearm” [corresponds to] two [plagues]; “and with great awe” [corresponds to] two [plagues]; “and with signs” [corresponds to] two [plagues]; “and with wonders” [corresponds to] two [plagues].

These are [the] ten plagues that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought on the Egyptians in Egypt and they are:

אֵלּוּ עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת שֶׁהֵבִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל הַמִּצְרִיִים בְּמִצְרַיִם, וְאֵלוּ הֵן:

דָּם. צְפַרְדֵּעַ. כִּנִּים. עָרוֹב. דֶּבֶר. שְׁחִין. בָּרָד. אַרְבֶּה. חֹשֶׁךְ. מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת.

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הָיָה נוֹתֵן בָּהֶם סִמָּנִים:

דְּצַ”ךְ. עַדַ”שׁ. בְּאַחַ”ב.

THE MIRACLES

Rabbi Yose Hagelili says, “From where can you [derive] that the Egyptians were struck with ten plagues in Egypt and struck with fifty plagues at the Sea? In Egypt, what does it state? ‘Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh: ‘This is the fingerof God’ (Exodus 8:15). And at the Sea, what does it state? ‘And Israel saw the Lord’s great handthat he used upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord; and they believed in the Lord, and in Moshe, His servant’ (Exodus 14:31). How many were they struck with with the finger? Ten plagues. You can say from here that in Egypt, they were struck with ten plagues and at the Sea, they were struck with fifty plagues.” 

Rabbi Eliezer says, “From where [can you derive] that every plague that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was [composed] of four plagues? As it is stated (Psalms 78:49): ‘He sent upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and fury, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil.’ ‘Wrath’ [corresponds to] one; ‘and fury’ [brings it to] two; ‘and trouble’ [brings it to] three; ‘a sending of messengers of evil’ [brings it to] four. You can say from here that in Egypt, they were struck with forty plagues and at the Sea, they were struck with two hundred plagues.” 

Rabbi Akiva says, says, “From where [can you derive] that every plague that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was [composed] of five plagues? As it is stated (Psalms 78:49): ‘He sent upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and fury, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil.’ ‘The fierceness of His anger’ [corresponds to] one; ‘wrath’ [brings it to] two; ‘and fury’ [brings it to] three; ‘and trouble’ [brings it to] four; ‘a sending of messengers of evil’ [brings it to] five. You can say from here that in Egypt, they were struck with fifty plagues and at the Sea, they were struck with two hundred and fifty plagues.” 

כַּמָה מַעֲלוֹת טוֹבוֹת לַמָּקוֹם עָלֵינוּ!

אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם וְלֹא עָשָׂה בָּהֶם שְׁפָטִים, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בָּהֶם שְׁפָטִים, וְלֹא עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, וְלֹא הָרַג אֶת בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ הָרַג אֶת בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת מָמוֹנָם, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת מָמוֹנָם וְלֹא קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּם, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּם וְלֹא הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה וְלֹא שִׁקַּע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ שִׁקַע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ וְלֹא סִפֵּק צָרְכֵנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ סִפֵּק צָרְכֵּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה וְלֹא הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת הַמָּן, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת הַמָּן וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַשַׁבָּת, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, וְלֹא קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְלֹא הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, דַּיֵינוּ.

אִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא בָנָה לָנוּ אֶת בֵּית הַמִקְדָּשׁ, דַּיֵינוּ.

How much more so is the good that is doubled and quadrupled that the Place [of all bestowed] upon us [enough for us]; since he took us out of Egypt, and made judgments with them, and made [them] with their gods, and killed their firstborn, and gave us their money, and split the Sea for us, and brought us through it on dry land, and pushed down our enemies in [the Sea], and supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years, and fed us the manna, and gave us the Shabbat, and brought us close to Mount Sinai, and gave us the Torah, and brought us into the land of Israel and built us the ‘Chosen House’ [the Temple] to atone upon all of our sins.

THE THREE THINGS WE NEED TO MENTION IN THE SEDER

רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר: כָּל מִי שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ בַּפֶּסַח, לֹא יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ, וְאֵלוּ הֵן: פֶּסַח, מַצָה, וּמָרוֹר.

Look at the shank bone and say

The Pesach [passover] sacrifice that our ancestors were accustomed to eating when the Temple existed, for the sake of what [was it]? For the sake [to commemorate] that the Holy One, blessed be He, passed over the homes of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is stated (Exodus 12:27); “And you shall say: ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord, for that He passed over the homes of the Children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and our homes he saved.’ And the people bowed the head and bowed.” 

Hold the matza in your hand and say 

This matza that we are eating, for the sake of what [is it]? For the sake [to commemorate] that our ancestors’ dough was not yet able to rise, before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed [Himself] to them and redeemed them, as it is stated (Exodus 12:39); “And they baked the dough which they brought out of Egypt into matsa cakes, since it did not rise; because they were expelled from Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they made for themselves provisions.” 

Hold the maror [lettuce] in your hand and say 

This maror [bitter greens] that we are eating, for the sake of what [is it]? For the sake [to commemorate] that the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is stated (Exodus 1:14); “And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.” 

בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה יי לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרַיִם. שֶׁלֹּא אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בִּלְבָד גָּאַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אֶלָּא אַף אוֹתָנוּ גָּאַל עִמָּהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאוֹתָנוּ הוֹצִיא מִשָׁם, לְמַעַן הָבִיא אוֹתָנוּ, לָתֶת לָנוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשָׁבַּע לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ.

Cover the matzot , lift the cup of wine and say

לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִים, לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, וּלְקַלֵּס, לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ אֶת כָּל הַנִסִּים הָאֵלּוּ. הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה, ומִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. וְנֹאמַר לְפָנָיו הַלְלוּיָהּ.

הַלְלוּיָהּ. הַלְלוּ עַבְדֵי יי, הַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם יי. יְהִי שֵׁם יי מְבֹרָךְ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם. מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד מְבוֹאוֹ מְהֻלָּל שֵׁם יי. רָם עַל כָּל גּוֹיִם יי, עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם כְּבוֹדוֹ. מִי כַּיי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ הַמַּגְבִּיהִי לָשָׁבֶת, הַמַּשְׁפִּילִי לִרְאוֹת בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ. מְקִימִי מֵעָפָר דָּל, מֵאַשְׁפֹּת יָרִים אֶבְיוֹן. לְהוֹשִׁיבִי עִם נְדִיבִים, עִם נְדִיבֵי עַמּוֹ. מוֹשִׁיבִי עֲקֶרֶת הַבַּיִת, אֵם הַבָּנִים שְׂמֵחָה הַלְלוּיָהּ.

בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם, בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז. הָיְתָה יְהוּדָה לְקָדְשׁוֹ, יִשְׂרָאֵל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָיו. הַיָּם רָאָה וַיָּנֹס, הַיַרְדֵּן יִסֹּב לְאָחוֹר. הֶהָרִים רָקְדוּ כְאֵילִים, גְּבָעוֹת – כִּבְנֵי צֹאן. מַה לְּךָ הַיָּם כִּי תָנוּס, הַיַּרְדֵן – תִּסֹּב לְאָחוֹר? הֶהָרִים – תִּרְקְדוּ כְאֵילִים, גְּבָעוֹת – כִּבְנֵי צֹאן? מִלִּפְנֵי אָדוֹן חוּלִי אָרֶץ, מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלוֹהַּ יַעֲקֹב. הַהֹפְכִי הַצּוּר אֲגַם מָיִם, חַלָּמִיש – לְמַעְיְנוֹ מָיִם.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר גְּאָלָנוּ וְגָאַל אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְהִגִּיעָנוּ הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה לֶאֱכָל בּוֹ מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר. כֵּן יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ הַגִּיעֵנוּ לְמוֹעֲדִים וְלִרְגָלִים אֲחֵרִים הַבָּאִים לִקְרָאתֵנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם, שְׂמֵחִים בְּבִנְיַן עִירָךְ, וְשָׂשִׂים בַּעֲבוֹדָתָךְ. וְנֹאכַל שָׁם מִן הַזְּבָחִים וּמִן הַפְּסָחִים אֲשֶׁר יַגִּיעַ דָּמָם עַל קִיר מִזְבַּחֲךָ לְרָצוֹן, וְנוֹדֶה לְךָ שִׁיר חָדָש עַל גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ וְעַל פְּדוּת נַפְשֵׁנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Drink the cup of wine while leaning on the left

Portions for the Seder

WINE: We drink 4 cups throughout the Seder, reclining on the left. Minimum quantity of wine per cup is rebi’it, approximately 3 oz. per cup. If needed, wine could be diluted 1/3 or if needed, grape juice could be used. 

MATZA: Minimum portion for Matza is kazayit. In abodat yad Matza, Circled Matza, that is 1/4 of matza per portion. Machine Matza, square matza, 1/3 per portion. We eat minimum 3 (or, preferable, 4) portions of Matza during the Seder, while reclining on the left.

MAROR: The minimum portion of Maror is also kazayit. That is, a whole large Romaine lettuce leaf, or two Romaine lettuce stems (or half of a medium size endive).

רחצה

Now, we wash the hands and recite the blessing.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם. 

מוציא מצה

Hold the two whole Matzot and the broken Matza together and say:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ

The broken matza is placed back on the table, and while holding the upper whole Matza and the broken middle matza say:  

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה

Take a piece of matza of the upper Matza and the same amount from the broken Matza, dip them in salt and eat while leaning on the left. The extra Matzot on the table can also be used. Everyone has to eat at least the equivalent of one half (½) of a circle handmade Shemura Matza, or two thirds (2/3) of a regular square machine Shemura Matza to fulfill the mitzva at this point. 

מרור

Take a piece of lettuce (kazayit), dip it in the Charoset (Halig) and say the following berakha 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מָרוֹר

Eat the maror without leaning on the left side

כורך

Take a piece of the lower matza (minimum  ¼ Circle Shemura Matza or 1/3 of Square Machine Matza)   and a piece of lettuce (minimum equivalent of 1 large romaine lettuce), dip it in the Charoset, and eat leaning on the left,  after saying the following:

מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר בְּלֹא בְרָכָה, זֵכֶר לַמִּקְדָּשׁ, בְּיָמֵינוּ יְחֻדָּשׁ, כְּהִלֵּל הַזָּקֵן שֶׁהָיָה כּוֹרְכָן וְאוֹכְלָן בְּבַת אַחַת, לְקַיֵּים מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: עַל מַצּוֹת וּמְרוֹרִים יֹאכְלוּהוּ

שולחן עורך

Now, dinner is served. We eat and drink at will. We also eat an egg in remembrance of Korban Chagiga. 

צפון

After dinner, we eat a portion (kazayit) of the Afikoman (the hidden half matza) after saying the following. The minimum to eat is ¼ Circle Shemura Matza or  1/3  of Square Machine Matza, other matza on the table may be used as well. 

זֵכֶר לְקָרְבַּן פֶּסַח הַנֶּאֱכָל עַל הַשָׂבָע

Now we rinse the cups, fill them with wine, and recite the Birkat haMazon, the grace after meal. This is an abbreviated version of Birkat haMazon that you can say,  if it is difficult for you to recite the normal Birkat haMazon. Birkat hamazon could also be said entirely in English. 

ברך

בִרְשׁוּתְכֶם 

נְבָרֵך (בעשרה: אֱ-לֹהינוּ) שֶׁאָכַלְנוּ מִשֶּׁלוֹ:

המסובים עונים: בָּרוּךְ (בעשרה: אֱ-לֹהינוּ) שֶׁאָכַלְנוּ מִשֶּׁלוֹ וּבְטוּבוֹ חָיִינוּ:

המזמן: בָּרוּךְ (אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ) שֶׁאָכַלְנוּ מִשֶּׁלּוֹ וּבְטוּבוֹ הַגָּדוֹל תָּמִיד חָיִינוּ

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ–לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הָאֵל הַזָּן אוֹתָנוּ וְ אֶת הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּחֵן בְּחֶסֶד בְּרֶוַח וּבְרַחֲמִים רַבִּים נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לְכָל–בָּשָׂר כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ וּבְטוּבוֹ הַגָּדוֹל תָּמִיד לֹא חָסַר לָנוּ וְאַל יֶחְסַר לָנוּ מָזוֹן (תָּמִיד) לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד כִּי הוּא אֵל זָן וּמְפַרְנֵס לַכֹּל וְשֻׁלְחָנוֹ עָרוּךְ לַכֹּל וְהִתְקִין מִחְיָה וּ מָזוֹן לְכָל–בְּרִיּוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא בְרַחֲמָיו וּבְרֹב חֲסָדָיו כָּאָמוּר פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת–יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל–חַי רָצוֹן בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ הַזָּן אֶת הַכֹּל.

נוֹדֶה לְּךָ יי אֱ–לֹהֵינוּ עַל שֶׁהִנְחַלְתָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָּה טוֹבָה וּרְחָבָה בְּרִית וְתוֹרָה חַיִּים וּמָזוֹן עַל שֶׁהוֹצֵאתָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וּפְדִיתָנוּ מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים וְעַל בְּרִיתְךָ שֶׁחָתַמְתָּ בִּבְשָׂרֵנוּ וְעַל תּוֹרָתְךָ שֶׁלִּמַּדְתָּנוּ וְעַל חֻקֵּי רְצוֹנָךְ שֶׁהוֹדַעְתָּנוּ וְעַל חַיִּים וּמָזוֹן שָׁאַתָּה זָן וּמְפַרְנֵס אוֹתָנוּ

ועַל הַכֹּל יי אֱ–לֹהֵינוּ אֲנַחְנוּ מוֹדִים לָךְ וּמְבָרְכִים אֶת שְׁמָךְ כָּאָמוּר וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת יי אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל–הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן–לָךְ בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי עַל הָאָרֶץ וְעַל הַמָּזוֹן

רַחֵם יי אֱ–לֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ וְעַל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמָּךְ וְעַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם עִירָךְ וְעַל הַר צִיּוֹן מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדָךְ וְעַל הֵיכָלָךְ וְעַל מְעוֹנָךְ וְעַל דְּבִירָךְ וְעַל הַבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ שֶׁנִּקְרָא שִׁמְךָ עָלָיו אָבִינוּ! רְעֵנוּ זוּנֵנוּ פַּרְנְסֵנוּ כַּלְכְּלֵנוּ הַרְוִיחֵנוּ הַרְוַח לָנוּ מְהֵרָה מִכָּל–צָרוֹתֵינוּ וְאַל תַּצְרִיכֵנוּ יי אֱ–לֹהֵינוּ לִידֵי מַתְּנוֹת בָּשָׂר וָדָם וְלֹא לִידֵי הַלְוָאָתָם אֶלָּא לְיָדְךָ הַמְּלֵאָה וְהָרְחָבָה הָעֲשִׁירָה וְהַפְּתוּחָה יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁלֹּא נֵבוֹשׁ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְלֹא נִכָּלֵם לְעוֹלָם הַבָּא וּמַלְכוּת בֵּית דָּוִד מְשִׁיחָךְ תַּחֲזִירֶנָּה לִמְקוֹמָהּ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינו.

אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, יַעֲלֶה וְיָבוֹא יַגִּיעַ יֵרָאֶה וְיֵרָצֶה יִשָּׁמַע יִפָּקֵד וְיִזָּכֵר זִכְרוֹנֵנוּ וְזִכְרוֹן אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, זִכְרוֹן יְרוּשָׁלַיִם עִירָךְ, וְזִכְרוֹן מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד עַבְדָּךְ, וְזִכְרוֹן כָּל עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל לְפָנֶיךָ, לִפְלֵטָה לְטוֹבָה לְחֵן לְחֶסֶד וּלְרַחֲמִים לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וּלְשָׁלוֹם בְּיוֹם חַג הַמַּצּוֹת הַזֶּה בְּיוֹם טוב מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה

זָכְרֵנוּ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ בּוֹ לְטוֹבָה, וּפָּקְדֵנוּ בוֹ לִבְרָכָה, וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ בוֹ לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים בִּדְבַר יְשׁוּעָה וְרַחֲמִים; חוּס וְחָנֵּנוּ, וַחֲמֹל וְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ, וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ כִּי אֵלֶיךָ עֵינֵינוּ כִּי אֵל מֶלֶךְ חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אָתָּה

וְתִבְנֶה יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִירָךְ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה. בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלָֽיִם . אָמֵן:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ–לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, לָעַד הָאֵל אָבִינוּ, מַלְכֵּנוּ, אַדִּירֵנוּ, בּוֹרְאֵנוּ, גּוֹאֲלֵנוּ, קְדוֹשֵׁנוּ קְדוֹשׁ יַעֲקֹב, רוֹעֵנוּ רוֹעֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַמֶּלֶךְ הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב לַכּל, שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם הוּא הֵיטִיב לָנוּ, הוּא מֵיטִיב לָנוּ, הוּא יֵיטִיב לָנוּ, הוּא גְמָלָנוּ הוּא גוֹמְלֵנוּ הוּא יִגְמְלֵנוּ לָעַד, חֵן וָחֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים וְרֶוַח וְהַצָּלָה וְכָל–טוֹב.

עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא בְרַחֲמָיו יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.

 כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא וּבְשֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֶקְרָא.

סַבְרִי מָרָנָן. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן.

We drink the third cup of wine while reclining on our left side

Now, we pour the fourth cup of wine and we recite the Halel

הלל

שְׁפֹךְ חֲמָתְךָ אֶל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדָעוּךָ וְעַל מַמְלָכוֹת אֲשֶׁר בְּשִׁמְךָ לֹא קָרָאוּ. כִּי אָכַל אֶת יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת נָוֵהוּ הֵשַׁמּוּ.

Since they have consumed Ya’akov and laid waste his habitation (Psalms 79:6-7). Pour out Your fury upon them and the fierceness of Your anger shall reach them (Psalms 69:25)! You shall pursue them with anger and eradicate them from under the skies of the Lord (Lamentations 3:66). 

Not to us, not to us, but rather to Your name, give glory for your kindness and for your truth. Why should the nations say, “Say, where is their God?” But our God is in the heavens, all that He wanted, He has done. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have a mouth but do not speak; they have eyes but do not see. They have ears but do not hear; they have a nose but do not smell. Hands, but they do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they do not make a peep from their throat. Like them will be their makers, all those that trust in them. Israel, trust in the Lord; their help and shield is He. House of Aharon, trust in the Lord; their help and shield is He. Those that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; their help and shield is He. 

יי זְכָרָנוּ יְבָרֵךְ, יְבָרֵךְ אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, יְבָרֵךְ אֶת בֵּית אַהֲרֹן. יְבָרֵךְ יִרְאֵי יי, הַקְּטַנִים עִם הַגְּדֹלִים. יֹסֵף יי עֲלֵיכֶם, עֲלֵיכֶם וְעַל בְּנֵיכֶם. בְּרוּכִים אַתֶּם לַיי, עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. הַשָּׁמַיִם שָׁמַיִם לַיי, וְהָאָרֶץ נָתַן לִבְנֵי אָדָם. לֹא הַמֵּתִים יְהַלְלוּ יָהּ וְלֹא כָּל יֹרדֵי דוּמָה. וַאֲנַחְנוּ נְבָרֵךְ יָהּ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם. הַלְלוּיָהּ

I have loved the Lord – since He hears my voice, my supplications. Since He inclined His ear to me – and in my days, I will call out. The pangs of death have encircled me and the straits of the Pit have found me and I found grief. And in the name of the Lord I called, “Please Lord, Spare my soul.” Gracious is the Lord and righteous, and our God acts mercifully. The Lord watches over the silly; I was poor and He has saved me. Return, my soul to your tranquility, since the Lord has favored you. Since You have rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I will walk before the Lord in the lands of the living. I have trusted, when I speak – I am very afflicted. I said in my haste, all men are hypocritical. 

מָה אָשִׁיב לַיי כָּל תַּגְמוּלוֹהִי עָלָי. כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא וּבְשֵׁם יי אֶקְרָא. נְדָרַי לַיי אֲשַׁלֵּם נֶגְדָה נָּא לְכָל עַמּוֹ. יָקָר בְּעֵינֵי יי הַמָּוְתָה לַחֲסִידָיו. אָנָא יי כִּי אֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ, אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ בֶּן אֲמָתֶךָ, פִּתַּחְתָּ לְמוֹסֵרָי. לְךָ אֶזְבַּח זֶבַח תּוֹדָה וּבְשֵׁם יי אֶקְרָא. נְדָרַי לַיי אֲשַׁלֵם, נֶגְדָה נָא לְכָל עַמוֹ. בְּחַצְרוֹת בֵּית יי, בְּתוֹכֵכִי יְרוּשָלַיִם. הַלְלוּיָהּ. 

הַלְלוּ אֶת יי כָּל גּוֹיִם, שַׁבְּחוּהוּ כָּל הָאֻמִּים. כִּי גָבַר עָלֵינוּ חַסְדוֹ, וֶאֱמֶת יי לְעוֹלָם. הַלְלוּיָהּ. 

הוֹדוּ לַיי כִּי טוֹב, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.

יֹאמַר נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. 

יֹאמְרוּ נָא בֵית אַהֲרֹן, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. 

יֹאמְרוּ נָא יִרְאֵי יי, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. 

מִן הַמֵּצַר קָרָאתִי יָּהּ, עָנָּנִי בַמֶרְחַב יָהּ. יי לִי, לֹא אִירָא – מַה יַּעֲשֶׂה לִי אָדָם. יי לִי בְּעֹזְרָי וַאֲנִי אֶרְאֶה בְּשֹׂנְאָי. טוֹב לַחֲסוֹת בַּיי מִבְּטֹחַ בָּאָדָם. טוֹב לַחֲסוֹת בַּיי מִבְּטֹחַ בִּנְדִיבִים. כָּל גּוֹיִם סְבָבוּנִי, בְּשֵׁם יי כִּי אֲמִילַם. סַבּוּנִי גַם סְבָבוּנִי, בְּשֵׁם יי כִּי אֲמִילַם. סַבּוּנִי כִדְבֹרִים, דֹּעֲכוּ כְּאֵשׁ קוֹצִים, בְּשֵׁם יי כִּי אֲמִילַם. דָּחֹה דְּחִיתַנִי לִנְפֹּל, וַיי עֲזָרָנִי. עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה. קוֹל רִנָּה וִישׁוּעָה בְּאָהֳלֵי צַדִּיקִים, יְמִין יי עֹשָׂה חָיִל. יְמִין יי רוֹמֵמָה, יְמִין יי עֹשָׂה חָיִל. לֹא אָמוּת כִּי אֶחְיֶה, וַאֲסַפֵּר מַעֲשֵׂי יָהּ. יַסֹּר יִסְּרַנִי יָּהּ, וְלַמָּוֶת לֹא נְתָנָנִי. פִּתְחוּ לִי שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק, אָבֹא בָם, אוֹדֶה יָהּ. זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַיי, צַדִּיקִים יָבֹאוּ בוֹ. 

אוֹדְךָ כִּי עֲנִיתָנִי וַתְּהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה.  אוֹדְךָ כִּי עֲנִיתָנִי וַתְּהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה 

אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ הַבּוֹנִים הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּה. אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ הַבּוֹנִים הָיְתָה לְרֹאשׁ פִּנָּה 

מֵאֵת יהוה הָיְתָה זֹּאת הִיא נִפְלָאֹת בְּעֵינֵינוּ.  מֵאֵת יהוה הָיְתָה זֹּאת הִיא נִפְלָאֹת בְּעֵינֵינוּ 

זֶה הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה יְהוָה נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ.  זֶה הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה יְהוָה נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ

אָנָּא יי, הוֹשִיעָה נָּא. אָנָּא יי, הוֹשִיעָה נָּא. 

אָנָּא יי, הַצְלִיחָה נָא. אָנָּא יי, הַצְלִיחָה נָא. 

בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יי, בֵּרַכְנוּכֶם מִבֵּית יי. בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יי, בֵּרַכְנוּכֶם מִבֵּית יי 

אֵל יי וַיָּאֶר לָנוּ, אִסְרוּ חַג בַּעֲבֹתִים, עַד קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. אֵל יי וַיָּאֶר לָנוּ. אִסְרוּ חַג בַּעֲבֹתִים, עַד קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ 

אֵלִי אַתָּה וְאוֹדֶךָּ, אֱלֹהַי – אֲרוֹמְמֶךָּ. אֵלִי אַתָּה וְאוֹדֶךָּ, אֱלֹהַי – אֲרוֹמְמֶךָּ

הוֹדוּ לַיי כִּי טוֹב, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. הוֹדוּ לַיי כִּי טוֹב, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

Hallel HaGadol, Songs of Praise and Thanks

You can replace the English: “Since His kindness is forever” for כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

הוֹדוּ לַיי כִּי טוֹב, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ Thank the Lord, since He is good, since His kindness is forever. Thank the Power of powers since His kindness is forever. To the Master of masters, since His kindness is forever. To the One who alone does wondrously great deeds, since His kindness is forever. To the one who made the Heavens with discernment, since His kindness is forever. To the One who spread the earth over the waters, since His kindness is forever. To the One who made great lights, since His kindness is forever. The sun to rule in the day, since His kindness is forever. The moon and the stars to rule in the night, since His kindness is forever. To the One that smote Egypt through their firstborn, since His kindness is forever. And He took Israel out from among them, since His kindness is forever. With a strong hand and an outstretched forearm, since His kindness is forever. To the One who cut up the Reed Sea into strips, since His kindness is forever. And He made Israel to pass through it, since His kindness is forever. And He jolted Pharaoh and his troop in the Reed Sea, since His kindness is forever. To the One who led his people in the wilderness, since His kindness is forever. To the One who smote great kings, since His kindness is forever. And he killed mighty kings, since His kindness is forever. Sichon, king of the Amorite, since His kindness is forever. And Og, king of the Bashan, since His kindness is forever. And he gave their land as an inheritance, since His kindness is forever. An inheritance for Israel, His servant, since His kindness is forever. That in our lowliness, He remembered us, since His kindness is forever. And he delivered us from our adversaries, since His kindness is forever. He gives bread to all flesh, since His kindness is forever. Thank the Power of the heavens, since His kindness is forever. (Psalms 136) 

The soul of every living being shall bless Your Name, Lord our God; the spirit of all flesh shall glorify and exalt Your remembrance always, our King. From the world and until the world, You are the Power, and other than You we have no king, redeemer, or savior, restorer, rescuer, provider, and merciful one in every time of distress and anguish; we have no king, besides You! God of the first ones and the last ones, God of all creatures, Master of all Generations, Who is praised through a multitude of praises, Who guides His world with kindness and His creatures with mercy. The Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps. He who rouses the sleepers and awakens the dozers; He who makes the mute speak, and frees the captives, and supports the falling, and straightens the bent. We thank You alone.

Were our mouth as full of song as the sea, and our tongue as full of joyous song as its multitude of waves, and our lips as full of praise as the breadth of the heavens, and our eyes as sparkling as the sun and the moon, and our hands as outspread as the eagles of the sky and our feet as swift as deers – we still could not thank You sufficiently, Lord our God and God of our ancestors, and to bless Your Name for one thousandth of the thousand of thousands of thousands, and myriad myriads, of goodnesses that You performed for our ancestors and for us. From Egypt, Lord our God, did you redeem us and from the house of slaves you restored us. In famine You nourished us, and in plenty you sustained us. From the sword you saved us, and from plague you spared us; and from severe and enduring diseases you delivered us.

Until now Your mercy has helped us, and Your kindness has not forsaken us; and do not abandon us, Lord our God, forever. Therefore, the limbs that You set within us and the spirit and soul that You breathed into our nostrils, and the tongue that You placed in our mouth – verily, they shall thank and bless and praise and glorify, and exalt and revere, and sanctify and coronate Your name, our King. For every mouth shall offer thanks to You; and every tongue shall swear allegiance to You; and every knee shall bend to You; and every upright one shall prostrate himself before You; all hearts shall fear You; and all innermost feelings and thoughts shall sing praises to Your name, as the matter is written (Psalms 35:10), “All my bones shall say, ‘Lord, who is like You? You save the poor man from one who is stronger than he, the poor and destitute from the one who would rob him.'” Who is similar to You and who is equal to You and who can be compared to You, O great, strong and awesome Power, O highest Power, Creator of the heavens and the earth. We shall praise and extol and glorify and bless Your holy name, as it is stated (Psalms 103:1), ” [A Psalm] of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, His holy name.” The Power, in Your powerful boldness; the Great, in the glory of Your name; the Strong One forever; the King who sits on His high and elevated throne. He who dwells always; lofty and holy is His name. And as it is written (Psalms 33:10), “Sing joyfully to the Lord, righteous ones, praise is beautiful from the upright.” By the mouth of the upright You shall be praised; By the lips of the righteous shall You be blessed; By the tongue of the devout shall You be exalted; And among the holy shall You be sanctified. 

And in the assemblies of the myriads of Your people, the House of Israel, in joyous song will Your name be glorified, our King, in each and every generation; as it is the duty of all creatures, before You, Lord our God, and God of our ancestors, to thank, to praise, to extol, to glorify, to exalt, to lavish, to bless, to raise high and to acclaim – beyond the words of the songs and praises of David, the son of Yishai, Your servant, Your anointed one.

יְהַלְלוּךָ יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ כָּל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, וַחֲסִידֶיךָ וְצַדִּיקִים עוֹשֵׂי רְצוֹנֶךָ, וְעַמְךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּרִנָה יוֹדוּ וִיבָרְכוּ וִישַׁבְּחוּ וִיפָאֲרוּ אֶת שׁם כְּבוֹדֶךָ. כִּי לְךָ טוֹב לְהוֹדוֹת וּלְשִׁמְךָ נָאֶה לְזַמֵּר, ומֵעוֹלָם וְעַד עוֹלָם אַתָּה אֵל: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי מֶלֶךְ מְהֻלָּל בַּתִּשְׁבָּחוֹת

Drink the fourth cup while leaning to the left

The, recite last blessing. 

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, for the vine and for the fruit of the vine; and for the bounty of the field; and for a desirable, good and broad land, which You wanted to give to our fathers, to eat from its fruit and to be satiated from its goodness. Please have mercy, Lord our God upon Israel Your people; and upon Jerusalem, Your city: and upon Zion, the dwelling place of Your glory; and upon Your altar; and upon Your sanctuary; and build Jerusalem Your holy city quickly in our days, and bring us up into it and gladden us in its building; and we shall eat from its fruit, and be satiated from its goodness, and bless You in holiness and purity. [On Shabbat:And may you be pleased to embolden us on this Shabbat day] and gladden us on this day of the Festival of Matsot. Since You, Lord, are good and do good to all, we thank You for the land and for the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You, Lord, for the land and for the fruit of the vine

נרצה

Completed is the Seder of Pesach according to its law, according to all its judgement and statute. Just as we have merited to arrange it, so too, may we merit to do [its sacrifice]. Pure One who dwells in the habitation, raise up the congregation of the community, which whom can count. Bring close, lead the plantings of the sapling, redeemed, to Zion in joy.

לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשַָׁלָיִם

YOUR MISSION

April 15, Friday night, and April 16, Saturday night, we will celebrate the two PESACH SEDARIM (“Seder” in singular). These will probably be the two of the most important nights of the year. During those nights we will fulfill a very special Mitsva: והגדת לבנך, telling our children the story of Pesach: Our history. Our beginnings. Our identity.  To do that we have to recite and “teach” the Hagada to our children and our guests.  During these two nights, we become educators. And masters of ceremonies. As such, we need to organize and program the Seder in advance!

A few tips.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER 

My first recommendation is to divide the Hagada, so that everyone, children, family members, and guests, participate of the Seder. This is essential to capture and maintain the attention of our audience.

For that, we must do our homework ASAP.

1. First we have to divide the Hagada into sections or texts, like, “Abadim hayinu”, “The 4 sons,” “The 10 Plagues”, etc.

2. Once you divide the Hagada, you have to decide who can be the best candidate for each part of the Hagada. “Ma Nishtana” for example, is obviously a must for the kids. “The 4 sons” can be read, translated and / or explained by an adult. “The 10 plagues” can be played by children and adults, etc.

3. Once we are clear about our strategy for the Seder we have to text or WhatsApp asap to our guests and assign them the part of the Hagada we want them to read or explain.

For adults, for example, you may want to ask them to prepare a paragraph of the Hagada in Hebrew and English, and briefly discuss some of the ideas of the text. We should recommend them to search material for these texts, asking Rabbis, Tora scholars, and / or searching online). Apart from preparing the texts, adults can also present some interesting subjects such as “Why do drink 4 glasses of wine?, Why do we eat reclined? What does the Haroset represent” ?. etc. YOU CAN USE OUR WEBSITE FOR MANY OF THESE TOPICS: See here

Young children should be asked to sing (and perhaps explain) parts of the Hagada that are usually sung, as “Ma nishtana” or “Had Gadya”, etc. A good idea is to ask younger children, from 3 to 7 years old, to draw (before Pesah) some parts of the Hagada, bring their drawings to the Seder, and explain to their audience the significance of their artwork. This will make them feel very important.

THE SEDER MUST NOT BE BORING

The most important goal of the night is to engage the children. Ideally, they should remain awake “willingly” until the end of the Seder.

We try to achieve this by keeping the AFIQOMAN, and the prizes, for the end of the night.

Children should act and play certain parts of the Hagada, for example, the ten plagues. To make “visible” the 10 plagues we can bring plastic frogs, animal masks, ping pong balls for “hail”, black sunglasses for “darkness”, etc.

Organize educational games for children, apart from Afiqoman, like a Pesach treasure hunt. But the game has to be brief and limited to the place where the Seder is taking place. I also recommend, especially when there are many children in the Seder, to have 10-20 simple questions and answers ready, with small prizes, to reward the correct answers. Each time the Seder is about to spin out of control or is getting bored, or when everyone’s attention is needed, you can ask one of those questions, showing the prize first. In that way, you will regain control over the Seder whenever necessary. Examples of questions: “Who can say the 10 plagues? What was the name of Moshe’s Rabbenu’s grandfather?  Who can mention three foods that are Hamets?”

THE SECRET: 

The secret for a successful Seder is “anticipation and preparation”. We cannot improvise and divide the texts at the Seder night, or expect our guests to participate in an intelligent way, spontaneously, without giving them time to prepare.

Start TODAY, divide the Seder, knowing in advance who will be your guests, divide the roles, organize the plays, the texts, the songs, ask the children to do the drawings, buy the ping-pong balls, etc. and write to your guests and family, describing their specific mission.

In the times of Esther and Mordekhai the Jews of Shushan asked King Ahashverosh (Xerxes, 486-465 sec) for an extra day to fight against their enemies. The King granted their request and the Jews of Shushan fought on the 13th of Adar and on the 14th of Adar and celebrated their victory on the 15th of Adar. In chapter 9 of Megillat Esther it is told that Mordechai wanted the Jews to celebrate 2 days in a row, as if it were a Yom Tob, on the 14th and 15th of Adar. This new “festival” was not easily accepted. As is the case today with the celebration of Yom haAtzmaut or Yom Yerushalayim or the commemoration of Yom haShoa, some Jews argued that we should only celebrate the festivities mentioned in the Tora.

For this reason, some resisted that Purim was declared a day of celebration and others, who accepted to celebrate Purim, refused to celebrate for two days in a row (verse 27). Why? Although the text of the Megillah does not make any direct reference to it, there are indications that there was some tension between the Jews of Shushan and the Yehudim who lived in the land of Israel. Where was the center of the Jews? Shushan or Yerushalayim? On the one hand, Shushan was the Empire’s Capital and everything that happened in the Empire was decided there and influenced all the Jews of the world. What happened in Purim was the best example! Jerusalem, on the other hand, was only a “small” province of the Persian Empire, and although the Second Bet haMiqdash was already functioning, the city was in ruins. But it is still the heart and soul of our nation.

To avoid these tensions and finding a consensus among all Jews, the Megillah tells (v. 29) that Queen Ester and Mordekhai send a second royal edict (et kol hatoqef), mentioning, very succinctly, an apparent agreement between the Jews of Shushan and the Jews of the rest of the empire, dibre shalom ve-emet, words of peace and truth. What was this agreement about?

Part of this agreement is mentioned in the text of the Megillah, the other part, in the Mishna.

DIBRE HATSOMOT

Verse 31 of chapter 9 says: “[And Esther wrote and sent the second royal edicts] to establish these days of Purim in their appointed times, as they had established for them Mordekhai the Yehudi and Queen Esther, as they had set for them and his descendants the times of fasting and lamentations. “

According to Rabbi Abraham Eben Ezra, “the fasts” mentioned in this verse do not refer to the fast of Esther. What it actually means is that finally all the Jews of the empire, including the Jews of Israel, agreed to celebrate Purim in the same way that they had already agreed to observe the fasts decreed a few years earlier, mentioned by the prophet Zechariah (8: 19): “Thus haShem said, God of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth month, will be converted for the house of Yehudah into joy and joy …”. These fasts, like Purim, had not been mentioned in the Torah but had been universally accepted. The Megillah says that ALL Jews finally accepted to celebrate Purim, and compared the accepting of observing this new Holiday with the observance of the public fasts.

SHUSHAN PURIM

The Megillah also mentions the celebration of the second day of Purim. But, as an alternative day, not as an additional day of celebration. The Jews who live in towns and villages, the vast majority of Jews, would celebrate Purim on the 14th of Adar. While Jews who live in “walled” cities, these are fortified cities (usually, capital cities) would celebrate Purim on the 15th of Adar

Now, the second Beth haMiqdash had already been built, albeit precariously, by Zerubabel, but the city of Jerusalem was still in ruins. Jerusalem, then, did not have a wall! This situation only changed about 25 or 30 years later, with the arrival Nehemia to Yerushalayim, who built the wall to protect the city. In order to keep the dignity and honor of Yerushalayim, and consider it a walled city, the Rabbis established that cities that were walled since in the days of Yehousha bin Nun would receive the status of “walled cities” and that would include, therefore, Jerusalem.

Since then, in Jerusalem, Purim is observed on the 15th of Adar. According to some opinions, the city of Tiberia in northern Israel is also considered a walled city. Tiberias has walls in some parts of the city and the Lake Kineret, a natural fortification of the city, is also considered part of the city “walls”.

Dear Friends , these are the recordings of some of the most important Tefilot.

The audios were made, mainly, for learning the Tefila, but they can be also used as a companion for Tefila, meaning, you can listen to them while reading from your Siddur and recite the prayers with a low voice or whispering to yourself.  

May we soon be back in our minyanim and say all our Tefilot together! 

1. BIRKOT HASHACHAR (to be said before putting Tefilin)

2. KADDESH LI KOL BEKHOR (To be said after putting Tefilin)

3. ASHRE YOSHEBE BETEKHA

4. SHEMA ISRAEL 

5. AMIDA (Slow . And, you need to mention HaShem’s name after each Barukh Atta…) 

6. SHACHARIT (From Yotzer to Ga-al Israel by a Hazan). 

7. ARBIT: From Vehu Rahum until end of Hashkivenu

רוצים בגלות … שלא יפָּרדו ממשכנותיהם ועניניהם

In chapter 4 of Megillat Esther we find the first reactions of the Jews to the edict that announced the planned genocide. The Jews were terrified by these terrible news.

“And in each of the provinces, in every place where the King’s order and his decree had arrived, there was a great mourning and fasting among the Jews, weeping and lament; garments of mourning and ashes, displayed in public places. “

The words of this verse remind us the terms used by two prophets, Joel (2: 12-14) and Yesha’ayahu (58: 5) referring to a fast of contrition.

“Garments of mourning and ashes” is a clear allusion to the famous prophecy of Yesha’ayahu, chapter 58: 5, which we read no less than on the day of Yom Kippur. The great prophet of Israel mentions that during the day of forgiveness, many people focus on gestures of repentance, “dressed in mourning, and ashes, fasting and reclining “like a bush that bends [by the force of the wind] touching the ground” . But in spite of these dramatic acts, the prophet sees that repentance does not exist in the heart, these gestures of sorrow seem “an attempt to persuade God to spare them from punishment” rather than sincere manifestations or willingness to change and improve their actions. The prophet Yoel (2: 12-14) expressed a similar idea when he asked the people not to “tear their clothes, but their hearts,” for their repentance.

If we assume that by mentioning these words the text of Esther is subliminally indicating that at this time the Jews had not yet reached a level of sincere repentance, it leads us to a significant question that our sages addressed long time ago. What did the Jews do that they had to repent for? Why were they about to be punished?

The Sages of the Gemara discussed this subject. They spoke, for example, of the participation of Jews in the non Kosher King’s feasts, which indicates an advanced level of social assimilation. Or, according to other opinions, Jews did not make enough efforts to avoid practices associated with idolatry, etc.
Rabbi Yehuda haLevi in ​​his famous book “The Cuzari” formulated a harsh, and extremely relevant (and somewhat shameful) response, especially for those of us who do not yet live in Israel.

The King of the Khazars asked the Rabbi: What happened in the times of the Second Temple, when the Jews were praying to God to return to Israel, and when this was possible, in the times of Cyrus (or Ahashverosh) the Jews opted for remaining in exile, and [ironically] they kept praying that God would bring them back to Zion?”

This was the response of the Cuzari:

“This sin, not having returned to the land of Israel when they had the opportunity to do so, is what prevented us from completing the Divine plan during the time of the Second Temple, as the prophet said:” Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion  [God is once again in His land! Zekhariah 2:14] The prophecy, the Divine voice, was about to return to Israel as it was in the First Temple , and it was waiting for the Jews to return joyfully to their land. But [incredibly], this did not happened, and only some Jews returned, [the poorest] while the majority remained in a voluntary exile, since they did not want to separate themselves from their worldly affairs, their mansions and their businesses.

The waves of anti-Semitism that Jews experienced in Purim, the shadows of a potential genocide, was a wake-up call for many who lived comfortably in exile. After what happened with Haman, many Jews woke up and decided to return to Israel with Ezra and Nehemia.