PASSOVER HAGADA FOR EVERYONE TO READ AND RESPOND WITH

KIDDUSH: THE FIRST CUP

(The first cup of wine is poured.) (Material in parentheses is translation or actions, and we do not say it out loud.) LEADER: Attention, Ladies and Gentlemen: Let us lift our first cup together and bless the name of the Lord.

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech Haolam, Boray, pree hagafen.

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

KARPAS: THE GREEN VEGETABLE

LEADER: Passover comes in the springtime, when the earth is becoming green with new life. This vegetable, the karpas, represents the new life.

(Lifting salt water) But life in Egypt for the children of Israel was a life of pain and salty tears, like this water. Let us take a sprig of karpas and dip it in the salt water, remembering that in life sometimes there are tears.

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech Haolam, Boray, pree ha adama.

( Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.)

LEADER: Now let us all together eat the karpas, the green vegetable dipped twice in salt water.

THE CUP OF PLAGUES AND THE PASSOVER LAMB.

LEADER: Moses left the wilderness and returned to Pharaoh's palace. But God warned Moses that the Pharaoh would not obey Him.

ALL: And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. (Exodus 3:19-20)

LEADER: God sent plagues to Egypt, one by one, yet Pharaoh hardened his heart more with each plague. Only after the tenth and most awful plague did Pharaoh relent and let the Israelites go. As we recite each plague, let us dip a little finger into the cup, allowing a drop of wine to fall.

(Do not drink from the cup at this time.)

ALL: One. Blood!

Two. Frogs!

Three. Lice!

Four. Beasts!

Five. Cattle plague!

Six. Boils!

Seven. Hail!

Eight. Locusts!

Nine. Darkness!

Ten. Death of the Firstborns!

LEADER: For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night...

ALL: I, and not an angel.

LEADER: ...and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast;...

ALL: I, and not a seraph.

LEADER... and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment:...

ALL: I, and not a messenger.

LEADER: I am JEHOVAH. (Exodus 12:12)

ALL: I myself and no other.

MATZO: The Unleavened Bread.

But just as the afikomen will return in a short while, so Christ rose from the dead. (Breaks off a piece of the other half of the middle piece and distributes it.) Let us now share the bread of Passover.

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech Haolam, Hamotzi lechem Min ha-aretz.

(Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.)

MAROR. THE BITTER HERBS

LEADER: On all other nights, we eat all kinds of vegetables, but on Passover we eat maror, bitter herbs. As sweet as our lives are today, let us still remember how bitter life was for the children of Israel. For the Egyptians

... made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field... (Exodus 1: 14)

Let us put some maror onto a piece of matzo and bless God even for the bitterness. (All eat.)

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech Haolam, asher qidshanu bumitzvotav vutsivanu al akilat maror.

(Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to eat bitter herbs.)

KHAROSET: MORTAR AND RECLINING

LEADER: On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once, but tonight we dip them twice. We have already dipped parsley in salt water.

(Lifting the kharoset mortar.) The children of Israel toiled to make treasure cities for Pharaoh, working in brick and clay. We remember the mortar of the building with the Kharoset, made from apples, honey,nuts, and wine. Let us once again scoop bitter herbs onto matzo. But this time, before we eat, dip the herbs ino the sweet kharoset.

ALL: (Lifting the matzo with the maror and kharoset) We dip the bitter herbs into kharoset to remind ourselves that even the most bitter of circumstances can be sweetened by hope in God. (All eat.)

DAYENU

LEADER: How great Is God's goodness! For each of his acts, we declare Dayenu, which means, ``It would have been sufficient.''

If He had only smitten the Egyptians' first-born, and had not parted the Red Sea

ALL: Dayenu!

LEADER: If He had only parted the Red Sea, and had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years

ALL: Dayenu!

LEADER: If He had only supplied our needs in the desert for forty years, and had not fed us manna

ALL: Dayenu!

LEADER: If He had only fed us manna, but had not given us the Torah

ALL: Dayenu!

LEADER: If He had given us the Torah, and not given us the land of Israel,

ALL: Dayenu!

LEADER: In thanks, let us now drink the second cup.

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai!

(Blessed are you, O Lord!)

(Here, sometimes people sing the Dayenu song.)

THE PASSOVER SUPPER

(Now we eat.)

THE AFIKOMEN

(The afikomen is found by a child, and ransomed by the Leader.)

LEADER: The final food for Passover is the afikomen. It is said that the taste of the afikomen should linger in our mouths.

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech Haolam, Hamotzi lechem Min ha-aretz.

(Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.)

LEADER: After this, Jesus said, ``This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'' (Luke 22:19)

Let us now eat the matzo, thinking of the body of the Lamb of God.

THE THIRD CUP AND ELIJAH

LEADER: Let us fill our cups for the third time this evening. (Lifting the cup.) Jesus too lifted his cup, saying, ``This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.'' (Luke 22:20)

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech Haolam, Boray, p'ree hagafen.

(Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.)

(All drink the third cup of wine.)

LEADER: (Lifting the extra cup from Elijah's place at the table) This cup is for Elijah the Prophet. At this time, let one of the children open the door to welcome Elijah to our seder. (A child opens the door)

ALL: ``See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful Day of the Lord comes.'' (Malachi 4:5)

THE FOURTH CUP (136th Psalm: Confitemini )

LEADER: Let us lift our cups for the fouth and last time.

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good,

ALL: For his mercy endureth for ever.

LEADER: To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn,

ALL: For his mercy endureth for ever.

LEADER: And brought out Israel from among them.

ALL: For his mercy endureth for ever.

LEADER:To him which divided the Red sea into parts,

ALL: For his mercy endureth for ever.

LEADER: And made Israel to pass through the midst of it,

ALL: For his mercy endureth for ever.

LEADER: But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea,

ALL: For his mercy endureth for ever.

LEADER: O give thanks unto the God of heaven,

ALL: For his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136: 1, 10-16, 23-24 26, some extra cut now)

LEADER: (lifting the cup) Let us lift our cups and bless the Name of the Lord.

ALL: Barukh ata Adonai, Elohaynu Melech Haolam, Boray, p'ree hagafen.

(Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.)

(Drink the fourth cup of wine)

CONCLUSION OF THE SEDER

LEADER: The Passover Seder is ended, according to custom and law. O Pure one in Heaven above, speedily lead Your redeemed people to Zion in Joy.

ALL: LASHANA HABA AH BI YERUSHALAYIM!

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!

Last updated: March 26, 2013. URL: sdfsdf Comments: [email protected].