Maggid
The Four Questions
The Four Kinds of Children
The Promise
Exile
Bondage
Deliverance
The Plagues
The Blessings (Dayenu)
The Four Answers
Psalm 113
Psalm 114
Here we begin retelling the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
Fill the second cup of wine. The Leader uncovers the matzohs and, raising
the plate for all to see, recites:
This is the bread of affliction, which our parents ate in Egypt.
Let all who hunger come and eat.
Let all who need come and celebrate the Passover.
Now we are here; next year may we be in Israel.
Now we are slaves; next year may we be free.
Put down the plate, and cover the matzoh.
The youngest person present at table asks the four questions:
What makes this night different from all other
nights?
1. On any other night we eat both leavened and unleavened bread;
Why on this night do we eat only unleavened bread?
2. On any other night we eat herbs of all kinds;
Why on this night do we eat only bitter herbs?
3. On any other night we do not dip our herbs even once;
Why on this night do we dip them twice?
4. On any other night we eat our meals either sitting upright, or reclining;
Why on this night do we all recline?
The Leader of the Seder uncovers the matzoh, and begins the reply:
We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord our God brought us out
from there
with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
Now, if God had not brought our forbears out from Egypt, then even we, our
children,
and our children's children might still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.
Therefore, even if we were all wise, all old, all steady, all learned in
the ways of God,
it would still be our duty to tell the story of the departure from Egypt.
And the more one dwells upon the features of the Exodus, the more one should
be praised.
Once Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah and Rabbi Tarfon
met together in Bene Barak and sat up all night talking about the departure
from Egypt, until their disciples came and said to them: Masters, it is
time to recite the morning Sh'ma.
Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah said: I have lived to be a man of threescore years
and ten, yet I did not understand why the story of the Exodus should be
told at night until Ben Zoma explained it to me. He said: It is said, "That
thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt
all the days of thy life." (Deuteronomy 16:3) "The days of your
life" would have meant the days only, but "all the days of your
life" includes the nights also.
The Sages of Israel explain it further: "The days of your life"
refers to this world, while "All the days of your life" includes
the time of the Messiah.
Blessed is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who gave the Torah to his people
Israel.
Bless the Lord.
The Torah speaks of four kinds of children:
The wise child, the wicked, the simple one, the one too young to know to
ask.
The wise child asks: "What mean the testimonies, and the statutes,
and the judgments, which he Lord our God hath commanded you?" (Deuteronomy
6:20) To that one, you explain all the laws of Passover, down to the very
last detail about the Afikoman.
The wicked child asks: "What mean you by this service?" (Exodus
12:26) By saying "you," and not "we" or "me,"
he excludes himself from the group, and denies God. Answer that child plainly:
"This is done because of that which the Lord did for me when I came
out of Egypt." (Exodus 13:8) For me, not for you: had you been there
in Egypt, you would not have been redeemed.
The simple child asks: "What is this?" Answer that one: "By
strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage."
(Exodus 13:14)
Of the child too young to ask, it is written: "And thou shalt show
thy son in that day, saying,
This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth
out of Egypt." (Exodus 13:8)
One might think that the Seder should be performed on the first day of Nisan.
But the Torah states: "in that day," on Passover. If the celebration
is to be "in that day," one might think that the Seder should
be conducted in the daylight. But the text states "because of that,"
(Exodus 12:8) referring to the time when unleavened bread and bitter herbs
are served, on Passover night.
Once people only worshipped idols, but now we
have learned of the one, creator of the universe, and worship even as it
is told:
"And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,
Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah,
the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led
him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave
him Isaac. And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount
Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt."
(Joshua 24:2-4)
Bless God, who kept the promise to Israel- Blessed be He.
For the Holy One, Blessed be He, saw the end of our bondage, and told it
to Abraham at the Covenant of the Sacrifice: "And he said unto Abram,
Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not
theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward
shall they come out with great substance." (Genesis 15:13-14)
Raise the cup of wine and say:
This promise, that God made to Abraham and his children God also made to
us, in every generation. More than once, in every generation, they have
risen up against us, to destroy us. But the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers
us from the destroyers' hands.
Hear what Laban the Aramaean tried to do against
our father Jacob. While Pharaoh only condemned the male children, Laban
sought to destroy our whole people. For it is written: "A Syrian ready
to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there
with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous."
(Deuteronomy 26:5)
"And he went down into Egypt," in obedience to God's word, "and
sojourned there." This teaches that Jacob did not mean to settle in
Egypt. As it is written: "They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn
in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks;
for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee,
let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen." (Genesis 47:4)
"Few in number," as it is said: "Thy fathers went down into
Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made
thee as the stars of heaven for multitude." (Deuteronomy 10:22)
"And there they became a nation," teaching us that they could
be told apart from the Egyptians.
"Great and mighty," as it is written: "And the children of
Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed
exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them." (Exodus 1:7)
"And populous," as it is said: "I have caused thee to multiply
as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou
art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair
is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare." (Ezekiel 16:7)
"And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and
afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage." (Deuteronomy 26:6)
"And the Egyptians evil entreated us," as it is told: "Come
on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass,
that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and
fight against us, and so get them up out of the land." (Exodus 1:10)
"And afflicted us," as it is told: "Therefore they did set
over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built
for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses." (Exodus 1:11) "And
laid upon us hard bondage," as it is said: "And the Egyptians
made the children of Israel to serve with rigour." (Exodus 1:13)
"And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard
our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression."
(Deuteronomy 26:7)
"And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers," as it is
recorded: "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of
Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage,
and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage."
(Exodus 2:23)
"The Lord heard our voice," as it is said: "And God heard
their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac,
and with Jacob." (Exodus 2:24)
"And looked on our affliction," meaning the husbands and wives
slept apart, to prevent the to-be-conceived from knowing Pharaoh's persecution,
as it is told: "And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God
had respect unto them." (Exodus 2:25)
"And our labour," referring to the drowning of the male children,
as it is written: "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every
son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall
save alive." (Exodus 1:22)
"And our oppression," as it is recorded: "Now therefore,
behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also
seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them." (Exodus
3:9)
"And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt
with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness,
and with signs, and with wonders." (Deuteronomy 26:8)
"And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt," not by the hand
of an angel, not by the hand of a seraph, not by the hand of a messenger,
but the Holy One, Blessed be He, of his own self brought us out, as is said:
"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against
all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord." (Exodus
12:12)
"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night:" I, and
not an angel. "And will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt:"
I, and not a seraph. "And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute
judgment:" I, and not a messenger. "I am the Lord:" I am
that I am and no other.
"With a mighty hand," meaning the pestilence, as it is told: "Behold,
the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the
horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep:
there shall be a very grievous murrain." (Exodus 9:3)
"And with an outstretched arm," the sword, of which it is written:
"A drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem." (1Chronicles
21:16)
"And with great terribleness," meaning the Revelation of the Divine
Presence, as it is written: "Or hath God assayed to go and take him
a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and
by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm,
and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you
in Egypt before your eyes?" (Deuteronomy 4:34)
"And with signs," the rod of Moses, as has been told: "And
thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs."
(Exodus 4:17)
"And with wonders," the water made blood, as it is written: "And
I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth,
Spill a drop of wine for each of these three:
"Blood,
and Fire,
and Pillars of Smoke." (Joel 2:30 KJV/ Joel 3:3 JPS)
Others say, "With a mighty hand" stands for two plagues; "and
with an outstretched arm" -stands for two; "and with great terribleness"
-two; "and with signs" -two; "and with wonders" -two.
These make the ten plagues which the Holy One, Blessed be He, brought upon
the Egyptians in Egypt:
Spill one drop of wine for each of the ten
plagues:
Blood (Dam)
Frogs (Tzfardea)
Lice (Kinim)
Beasts (Arov)
Pestilence (Dever)
Boils (Shchin)
Hail (Barad)
Locusts (Arbe)
Darkness (Choshech)
Slaying of the First-born (Makat Bechoroth)
Rabbi Judah called the plagues by this mnemonic:
Spill three drops of wine, one for each watchword:
DeTZaKh ADaSH BeACHaB.
Rabbi Jose the Galilean said: How do we know that the Egyptians were smitten
with ten plagues in Egypt, and with fifty plagues by the Red Sea?
With regards to Egypt, it is written: " Then the magicians said unto
Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and
he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said." (Exodus 8:19 KJV/
Exodus 8:15 JPS)
With respect to the Red Sea, it is written: "And Israel saw that great
work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord,
and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses." (Exodus 14:31) One finger
for each plague on land: ten plagues. But at the Red Sea, the whole hand
of God, five fingers ten times: fifty plagues.
Rabbi Eliezer said: How can we show that each and every plague the Holy
One, Blessed be He, visited upon the Egyptians had the force of four plagues?
It is told: "He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath,
and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them." (Psalm
78:49) "Wrath" makes one; "indignation", two; "trouble"
three; "sending evil angels" makes it fourfold. Thus, we can say
that the Egyptians were smitten with forty plagues in Egypt, and with two
hundred plagues by the Red Sea shore.
Rabbi Akiva said: "Where do we learn that each and every plague the
Holy One, Blessed be He, visited upon the Egyptians was equal to five plagues?
It is written: "He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath,
and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them." "The
fierceness of his anger" makes one; "wrath", two; "indignation"
three; "trouble" four; "sending evil angels" makes five
times. Thus, we have ten times five, fifty plagues in Egypt, and five times
fifty, two-hundred fifty plagues at the Red Sea.
How many blessings God has given Israel.
Had God brought us out from Egypt
And not visited them with judgment
It would have been
Enough
(Dayenu)
Had God visited them with judgment
And not cast down their idols
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God destroyed their idols
And not slain their firstborn
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God but slain their firstborn
And not given us their substance
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God just given us their substance
And not parted the Red Sea for us
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God parted the Red Sea for us
And not let us walk upon the dry sea bed
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God led us across the dry sea bed
And not drowned our pursuers in its waters
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God drowned our pursuers in its waters
And not kept us forty years in the wilderness
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God but kept us forty years in the wilderness
And not fed us with manna
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God just fed us with manna
And not given us the Sabbath rest
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God given us the Sabbath rest
And not led us to the foot of Sinai
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God brought us to the foot of Sinai
And not taught us the Torah
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God taught us the Torah
And not brought us into Israel
(Dayenu)
Enough
Had God brought us into Israel
And not built the Temple there
It would have been
Enough
(Dayenu)
God has showered blessings on us,
More than we can count:
God brought us out of Egypt,
And visited judgment upon the Egyptians,
Cast down their idols,
And slew their first born,
Gave us their substance,
And parted the seas for us,
Let us walk the dry sea bed,
And drowned our pursuers,
Kept us live forty years in the wilderness,
And fed us with manna,
Gave us the Sabbath rest,
And led us to the foot of Mount Sinai,
And there taught us Torah,
And brought us into Israel,
And there built the Temple
Where we might atone for our sins.
Rabbi Gamaliel used to say: Whoever fails to
mention these three things on the Passover has not satisfied his obligation:
The Passover Offering, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs.
Why did our fathers eat of the Paschal lamb during the days when the Temple
still stood in Jerusalem?
Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, passed over the houses of our fathers
in Egypt. As it is written: "That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice
of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel
in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the
people bowed the head and worshipped." (Exodus 12:27)
The leader of the Seder lifts up the matzoh and shows it to the celebrants:
This matzoh, why do we eat it?
Because the dough had not yet risen when the King of all Kings, the Holy
One Blessed be He, revealed himself to our parents in Egypt, and redeemed
them. As it is said: "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough
which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because
they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared
for themselves any victual." (Exodus 12:39)
The leader of the Seder lifts up the bitter herbs and shows it to the
celebrants:
These bitter herbs, why do we eat them?
Because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our forefathers. As it is
told: "And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar,
and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service,
wherein they made them serve, was with rigour." (Exodus 1:14)
The leader of the Seder covers the matzoh, and continues:
In every generation, every person must learn and understand how "I,
personally, have come forth out of Egypt." For it is known: "And
thou shalt show thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that
which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt." (Exodus
13:8)
For the Holy One, Blessed be He, redeemed not only our forefathers, but
our selves as well, all at once, over time. It is told: "And he brought
us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which
he sware unto our fathers." (Deuteronomy 6:23)
All lift up your wine cups and say:
Therefore we say our thanks in prayer
And song and thought and deed and blessing
Look at all the wonders made for all
Who came before, and for us.
For us the slaves made free, for us
The crying stopped, and mourning took a holiday,
For us the light from darkness, let us
Say a new song, naming being praise:
Replace the wine cups on the table. One recites:
The work is never done.
Sunset, sunrise, sky
A high chair spilling
Light crumbs on the floor.
As before, we sweep them
Into heaps, find families
Where once the barren
Wasted time like water
And a mother bears.
(Psalm 113)
When Israel went up from Egypt,
A house in a house of no law with strange language,
The land filled its promise to Jacob.
The sea saw the children on foot and drew back.
Jordan turned aside.
Boulders skipped down mountainsides like rams
Jump, like spring lambs.
What quailed the sea so it fled?
What shunted Jordan?
Skipped the mountainside?
The presence, God, which makes land pitch
Made rock melt into standing pools,
Cliffs spout fountains.
(Psalm 114)
All raise their cup of wine and say:
Bless you Lord our God, Maker of the Universe,
Who redeemed our forefathers from Egypt, and have brought us to this night
When we eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
Thus may you, Lord our God, God of our Fathers,
Bring us to future times and festivals in peace.
Bring us to God's city, to rebuild Jerusalem,
Where we may serve you and celebrate anew the acceptable offering.
Then we will sing you a new song of thanks for the deliverance of our nation,
and our souls.
Bless you, Lord our God, who delivers Israel.
Bless you, Lord our God, ruler of the universe,
Who created the fruit of the vine.
Baruch ata adonay eloheinu melech ha'olam,
bore peri ha'gafen.
Drink the second cup of wine while leaning to the left.
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