A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
KADESH
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
URCHATZ
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
KARPAS
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
YACHATZ
There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces. Wrap up the larger of the pieces and, at some point between now and the end of dinner, hide it. This piece is called the afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek. After dinner, the guests will have to hunt for the afikomen in order to wrap up the meal.
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
MAGGID
The
Question
The
Answer
MAGGID
The Story
Bang, bang, bang
Hold your hammer low
Bang, bang, bang
Give a mighty blow
For it’s work, work, work
Every day and every night,
For it's work, work, work
When it's dark and when it's light.
Dig, dig, dig
Get your shovel deep
Dig, dig, dig
There's no time for sleep
For it's work, work, work
Every day and every night
For it's work, work, work
When it's dark and when it's light.
Oh listen, oh listen Oh listen King Pharoah!
Oh listen, oh listen Please let my people go.
They want to go away,
They work too hard all day.
King Pharoah, King Pharoah,
What do you say?
“No, No, No. I will not let them go.”
“No, no, no, he will not let them go.”
One morning when Pharoah
awoke in his bed
There were frogs in his bed,
and frogs on his head
Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes
Frogs here, frogs there
Frogs were jumping everywhere.
MAGGID
The Four Children
Said the parents to their children, “From your bondage you’ll cut loose,
You will eat your fill of matzah, you will drink four cups of juice.”
Now these parents had four children, yes their kids they numbered four,
One was wise and one was wicked, one was simple and a bore.
And the fourth was sweet and winsome, was so young and also small,
While the other asked the questions, this one could not speak at all.
Said the wise one to the parents, “Would you please explain the laws...
Of the customs of the Seder, will you please explain the cause?”
And the parents proudly answered, “’Cause our forebears ate in speed,
Ate the Pesach lamb ’ere midnight, and from slavery were freed.
“So we follow their example, and ’ere midnight we must eat
The afikoman (O so tasty!), which will be our final treat.”
MAGGID
The Four Children
Then did sneer the child so wicked, “What does all this mean to you?”
And the parents’ voice was bitter, as their grief and anger grew.
“If yourself you don’t consider as a child of Yisrael,
Then for you this has no meaning, you could be a slave as well.”
Then the simple child said simply, “What is this?” And quietly,
The good parents told their offspring. “We were freed from slavery.”
But the youngest child was silent, and just could not ask at all,
but with eyes all bright with wonder, listened to the details all.
Now dear children heed this lesson, and remember evermore,
What the parents told their children, told their kids that numbered four.
Every Seder tells a story that belongs to you and me,
You and I were slaves in Egypt. Now we’re blessed with liberty.
MAGGID
The Ten Plagues
MAGGID
Dayeinu
MAGGID
Seder Symbols
פֶּסַח מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר
Pesach Matzah U'Maror
The shank bone represents the Pesach, the special lamb sacrifice made in the days of the Temple for the Passover holiday. It is called the pesach, from the Hebrew word meaning “to pass over,” because God passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when the plagues came.
The matzah reminds us that when our ancestors were finally free to leave Egypt, there was no time to pack or prepare. Our ancestors grabbed whatever dough was made and set out on their journey, letting their dough bake into matzah as they fled.
The bitter herbs provide a reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the life of hard labor our ancestors experienced in Egypt.
MAGGID
In Every Generation
B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et-atzmo, k’ilu hu yatzav mimitzrayim. | בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָֽיִם: |
In every generation, everyone is obligated to see themselves
as though they personally left Egypt.
Second Cup
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
RACHTZA
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
MOTZI/MATZAH
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
MAROR
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
KORECH
When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the biggest ritual of them all was eating the lamb offered as the pesach or Passover sacrifice. The great sage Hillel would put the meat in a sandwich made of matzah, along with some of the bitter herbs. While we do not make sacrifices anymore – and, in fact, some Jews have a custom of purposely avoiding lamb during the seder so that it is not mistaken as a sacrifice – we honor this custom by eating a sandwich of the remaining matzah and bitter herbs. Some people will also include charoset in the sandwich to remind us that God’s kindness helped relieve the bitterness of slavery.
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
SHULCHAN ORECH
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
TZAFUN
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
BARECH
You are the Source of Life for all that lives
and Your blessing flows through me.
Third Cup
BARECH
Eliyahu hanavi, Eliyahu hatishbi, Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi Bimheirah v’yameinu, yavo eleinu im mashiach ben-David, im mashiach ben-David | אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי. בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵֽינוּ עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד, עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד. |
Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad: Return to us speedily, in our days with the messiah, son of David.
Elijah’s Cup
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
HALLEL
Fourth Cup
A SIMPLE SEDER
Rabbi David Paskin
www.davidpaskin.com
NIRTZAH