“Let all who are hungry come in and eat.
Let all who are needy come and make Passover.”
~the Haggadah
Master of Ceremonies … (Introductory narration)
CANDLE BLESSING
Master of Ceremonies … (Hostess lights the candles.)
Mothers: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have sanctified us by your commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Blessed are You, our God, King of the Universe. You have kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season. May our homes be consecrated by the light of your countenance, shine upon us in blessing and bring us peace.
All: Amen.
CUP OF THANKSGIVING – KIDDUSH
Master of Ceremonies … (Host pours cups of wine or apple cider.)
All: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have created the fruit of the vine.
Master of Ceremonies …
Fathers: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have made of one blood all the people of the earth. You have exalted mankind by breathing life into his mind and the love of freedom into his hearts. You have sanctified us so that we might know and say what was holy and not profane, what was freedom and what was slavery.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, who with love has allowed us to give ourselves and you solemn days for your festivals and seasons for gladness.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, You allowed Israel to imagine this day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, the season of our freedom as well, a holy convocation, a memorial of the departure from Egypt.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Who sanctified Israel, all of mankind and all the seasons.
(All are invited to drink from their filled cups.)
RAHATZ AND KARPAS
Master of Ceremonies …
All: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. YOu created the fruit of the soil.
Master of Ceremonies … (All are invited to perform RAHATZ (washes) the KARPAS (usually watercress or parsley) by dipping this symbol of spring into salt water, a reminder of the tears of the Israelites shed in Egypt.)
MATZEE – MATZO
Master of Ceremonies …
Fathers: Behold! This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in want come and celebrate this Passover with us. May it be God’s will to redeem us from all evil and from all servitude. For this year not only we, but all wo/men, are slaves and ALIENS — next year we pray that all wo/men shall be free. This year, wo/men eat as ALIENS in a land not wholly theirs. Next year, we pray all wo/men will celebrate in a world made one and a world made free.
Priest: It was at this moment that Jesus made perhaps His most incredible statement and still, to this day, unbelieved and unaccepted by many. Instead of the usual words of Blessing over the matzo bread, which the fathers at each table have just prayed Jesus said: “Take this and eat it; this is My [Flesh] Body.”
(All are invited to eat matzo and horseradish).
CUP OF MEMORY AND HAGGADAH
Master of Ceremonies and Children … (Host pours cups of wine or apple cider.)
Fathers: The SYRIANS pursued our fathers who went down into Egypt and stayed there and grew into a nation great and strong and populous. The Egyptians enslaved and persecuted us, making our lives unbearable. We cried to YAHWEH, and He heard us and looked down upon our labor and distress. And He brouth us out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arms, with great terror, with signs and wonders. Therefore, even if all of us were wise and men of understanding, it would still be our duty from year to year to tell the story of deliverance from Egypt. To dwell on it is praiseworthy.
Lector: It is well for all of us, whether young or old , to consider how God’s help has been our unfailing stay and support through ages of trial and persecution. Ever since He called our father Abraham from the bondage of idolatry of His service of truth, He has been our guardian. For not in one country alone, nor in one age, have violent men risen up against us, but in every generation and in every land, tyrants have sought to destroy us. And the Holy One, blessed be He, has delivered us from their hands.
The Torah tells us that when Jacob, our father was a homeless wanderer, he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, with few in number. All the souls of his household were three-score and ten. And Joseph was already in Egypt because he was governor over the land as Pharaoh had commanded. And Israel dwelt in the land of Goshen; and they got their possessions therein and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly. And Joseph died and all his brethren and all that generation.
Now there arose over Egypt a new king, one who knew not of Joseph. And he said unto his people: “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too might for us. Come, let us deal wisely with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies to fight against us and so leave out country.”
Therefore, they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with burdens. And they built for Pharaoh the store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more the Israelites multiplied and the more they spread abroad.
And the Egyptians dealt ill with us and afflicted us and laid upon us cruel bondage. And we cried unto the Lord, the God of our fathers. And the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and Egypt with a might hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and with wonders. He sent before us Moses and Aaron and Miriam. And He brought forth His people, His chosen ones, with joy and with singing. And He guided them in the wilderness as a shepherd would his flock.
He commanded us to observe this “Passover” in its season from year to year, that His law shall always remain in our mouths, and that we shall declare His might to our children and His salvation unto all generations.
(All are invited to drink from their filled cups.)
ELEMENTS OF THE PASSOVER FEAST
Master of Ceremonies …
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Pesach? (Lector’s wife picks up the lamb bone and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: Pesach means the Paschal Lamb which our forefathers sacrificed to the Lord in memory of that night when the Holy One passed over the houses of Egypt. As it is written: “When your children ask you: What is the meaning of this ritual? You sall say to them: The sacrifice of the Passover is in honor of YAHWEH, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, striking the Egyptians, and saving our houses.” (Exodus 12:26-27)
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Matzo? (Lector’s wife lifts up a piece of matzo and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: This is the bread of affliction which our fathers took with them out of Egypt. As it is written: “They baked cakes with the dough which they had brought from Egypt, which was unleavened, because they had been driven out of Egypt with no time for delay and had not provided themselves with food for the journey.” (Exodus 12:39)
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Moror? (Lector’s wife lifts up the bitter herb, which is actually horseradish, and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: Moror means bitter herb. We eat Moror to recall that the Egyptians embittered the lives of our fathers, as it is written: “The Egyptians, then, dreaded the Israelites and reduced them to cruel slavery, making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field work.” (Exodus 1:13-14)
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of the Roasted Egg? (Lector’s wife lifts up the Roasted Egg and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: The Roasted Egg is a symbol of life everlasting. A festive temple offering.
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Haroses? (Lector’s wife lifts up the Haroses and displays it to the geust.)
Lector: Haroses represents the mortar Israelites used in making bricks in Egypt.
Lector and Wife: In every generation, each person ought to regard himself as though he had personally come out of Egypt, as it is written: “On this day you will explain to your son, “This is because of what YAHWEH did for me when I came out of Egypt.” (Exodus 13:8)
PSALM 114
The Lord’s Wonders at the Exodus
Master of Ceremonies …
Lector: When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a foreign nation,
All: Judah became His sanctuary and Israel His domain.
Lector: The sea fled at the sight and the Jordan stopped flowing.
All: Sea, what makes you run away? Jordan, why stop flowing? Why skip like rams, you mountains? Why like lambs, you hills?
Lector: Tremble, O earth, at the coming of your Master, at the coming of the God of Jacob.
Master of Ceremonies …
All: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have created the fruit of the vine.
Master of Ceremonies …
THE KOREKH
Master of Ceremonies …
Fathers: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have sanctified us by Your commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of unleavened bread.
Master of Ceremonies …
All: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have sanctified us by Your commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of bitter herbs and haroses.
Master of Ceremonies …
(Sedar (dinner) is now served.)
SEARCH FOR THE AFIKOMAN
Master of Ceremonies … (Children search for Alikoman.)
Fathers: Let us bless the name of the Lord.
All: May the name of the Lord be blessed from now to eternity.
Fathers: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You feed the entire world with your goodness, with grace, with loving kindness and with pity. You give bread to all flesh, for your loving kindness endures forever. In your great goodness, food has not been and shall not be lacking for us, for ever and ever. For the sake of your great goodness you are god, who feeds and supports all and does good to all and prepares food for all your creatures.
All: Blessed are you O Lord, who feeds all your creatures.
THE CUP OF BLESSING
Master of Ceremonies … (Host pours cups of wine or apple cider.)
Priest: We believe it was ata this time that the institution of the Most Precious Blood was made. “This is the Cup of My Blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be shed for the forgiveness of sins.”
(All are invited to drink from their filled cups.)
PSALM 116
Thanksgiving to God for Help in Need
Master of Ceremonies …
Lector: How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?
All: The Cup of Salvation I will take up, calling on the name of the Lord.
Lector: I will pay what I owe to the Lord in the presence of His whole nation.
All: Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful ones.
Lector: O Lord, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid.
All: To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving in the name of the Lord. Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have created the fruit of the vine.
Master of Ceremonies …
RECEPTION OF ELIJAH
Master of Ceremonies … (Elijah knocks on door, which is opened. Elijad’s cup is filled. Elijah arrives.)
CUP OF FREEDOM AND FINAL BENEDICTION
Master of Ceremonies …
Priest: With songs of praise, we have lifted up the cups symbolizing the divine promises of salvation and have called upon the name of God. As we offer Benediction over this fourth cup, let us again lift up our souls to God in faith and in hope. May He who broke Pharaoh’s yoke forever shatter all fetters of oppression and hasten the days when swords shall, at last, be broken and wars ended.
Soon may He cause the glad tidings of redemption to be heard in all lands, so that mankind, freed from violence and from wrong, and united in an eternal covenant of brotherhood, may celebrate the universal Passover in the name of our God of Freedom.
In a moment, we will partake of our fourth cup of wine, the Cup of Freedom. It is a reminder of freedom, its hopes, struggles and dreams for so many enslaved nations and individuals. As committed children of God, we are called to witness this precious gift and make it known to all peoples of the earth, those who seek justice, those who lack any rights, and those who fight for freedom.
All: Praised are You, O Lord our God, King of the Univers. You have created the fruit of the vine.
Master of Ceremonies …
(All are invited to drink from their filled cups.)
Priest: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and have mercy on you. May the Lord life up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
All: So mote it be! So mote it be! So mote it be!
Master of Ceremonies …
Narrator … (Closing)
Shalom … L’Chaim …
—
Addendum: Draft saved at 3:23:18 pm. Last edited by FLYNN on 20111007 at 17:26:27 PM PDT. This was originally a static page, which will have been deleted. It was a Seder dinner held at our local parish hall last year.
“Let all who are hungry come in and eat.
Let all who are needy come and make Passover.”
~the Haggadah
Master of Ceremonies … (Introductory narration)
CANDLE BLESSING
Master of Ceremonies … (Hostess lights the candles.)
Mothers: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have sanctified us by your commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights.
Blessed are You, our God, King of the Universe. You have kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season. May our homes be consecrated by the light of your countenance, shine upon us in blessing and bring us peace.
All: Amen.
CUP OF THANKSGIVING – KIDDUSH
Master of Ceremonies … (Host pours cups of wine or apple cider.)
All: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have created the fruit of the vine.
Master of Ceremonies …
Fathers: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have made of one blood all the people of the earth. You have exalted mankind by breathing life into his mind and the love of freedom into his hearts. You have sanctified us so that we might know and say what was holy and not profane, what was freedom and what was slavery.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, who with love has allowed us to give ourselves and you solemn days for your festivals and seasons for gladness.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, You allowed Israel to imagine this day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, the season of our freedom as well, a holy convocation, a memorial of the departure from Egypt.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Who sanctified Israel, all of mankind and all the seasons.
(All are invited to drink from their filled cups.)
RAHATZ AND KARPAS
Master of Ceremonies …
All: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. YOu created the fruit of the soil.
Master of Ceremonies … (All are invited to perform RAHATZ (washes) the KARPAS (usually watercress or parsley) by dipping this symbol of spring into salt water, a reminder of the tears of the Israelites shed in Egypt.)
MATZEE – MATZO
Master of Ceremonies …
Fathers: Behold! This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in want come and celebrate this Passover with us. May it be God’s will to redeem us from all evil and from all servitude. For this year not only we, but all wo/men, are slaves and ALIENS — next year we pray that all wo/men shall be free. This year, wo/men eat as ALIENS in a land not wholly theirs. Next year, we pray all wo/men will celebrate in a world made one and a world made free.
Priest: It was at this moment that Jesus made perhaps His most incredible statement and still, to this day, unbelieved and unaccepted by many. Instead of the usual words of Blessing over the matzo bread, which the fathers at each table have just prayed Jesus said: “Take this and eat it; this is My [Flesh] Body.”
CUP OF MEMORY AND HAGGADAH
Master of Ceremonies and Children … (Host pours cups of wine or apple cider.)
Fathers: The SYRIANS pursued our fathers who went down into Egypt and stayed there and grew into a nation great and strong and populous. The Egyptians enslaved and persecuted us, making our lives unbearable. We cried to YAHWEH, and He heard us and looked down upon our labor and distress. And He brouth us out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arms, with great terror, with signs and wonders. Therefore, even if all of us were wise and men of understanding, it would still be our duty from year to year to tell the story of deliverance from Egypt. To dwell on it is praiseworthy.
Lector: It is well for all of us, whether young or old , to consider how God’s help has been our unfailing stay and support through ages of trial and persecution. Ever since He called our father Abraham from the bondage of idolatry of His service of truth, He has been our guardian. For not in one country alone, nor in one age, have violent men risen up against us, but in every generation and in every land, tyrants have sought to destroy us. And the Holy One, blessed be He, has delivered us from their hands.
The Torah tells us that when Jacob, our father was a homeless wanderer, he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, with few in number. All the souls of his household were three-score and ten. And Joseph was already in Egypt because he was governor over the land as Pharaoh had commanded. And Israel dwelt in the land of Goshen; and they got their possessions therein and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly. And Joseph died and all his brethren and all that generation.
Now there arose over Egypt a new king, one who knew not of Joseph. And he said unto his people: “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too might for us. Come, let us deal wisely with them to stop their increase; otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies to fight against us and so leave out country.”
Therefore, they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with burdens. And they built for Pharaoh the store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more the Israelites multiplied and the more they spread abroad.
And the Egyptians dealt ill with us and afflicted us and laid upon us cruel bondage. And we cried unto the Lord, the God of our fathers. And the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and Egypt with a might hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and with wonders. He sent before us Moses and Aaron and Miriam. And He brought forth His people, His chosen ones, with joy and with singing. And He guided them in the wilderness as a shepherd would his flock.
He commanded us to observe this “Passover” in its season from year to year, that His law shall always remain in our mouths, and that we shall declare His might to our children and His salvation unto all generations.
(All are invited to drink from their filled cups.)
ELEMENTS OF THE PASSOVER FEAST
Master of Ceremonies …
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Pesach? (Lector’s wife picks up the lamb bone and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: Pesach means the Paschal Lamb which our forefathers sacrificed to the Lord in memory of that night when the Holy One passed over the houses of Egypt. As it is written: “When your children ask you: What is the meaning of this ritual? You sall say to them: The sacrifice of the Passover is in honor of YAHWEH, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, striking the Egyptians, and saving our houses.” (Exodus 12:26-27)
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Matzo? (Lector’s wife lifts up a piece of matzo and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: This is the bread of affliction which our fathers took with them out of Egypt. As it is written: “They baked cakes with the dough which they had brought from Egypt, which was unleavened, because they had been driven out of Egypt with no time for delay and had not provided themselves with food for the journey.” (Exodus 12:39)
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Moror? (Lector’s wife lifts up the bitter herb, which is actually horseradish, and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: Moror means bitter herb. We eat Moror to recall that the Egyptians embittered the lives of our fathers, as it is written: “The Egyptians, then, dreaded the Israelites and reduced them to cruel slavery, making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field work.” (Exodus 1:13-14)
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of the Roasted Egg? (Lector’s wife lifts up the Roasted Egg and displays it to the guests.)
Lector: The Roasted Egg is a symbol of life everlasting. A festive temple offering.
Master of Ceremonies and Guests: What is the meaning of Haroses? (Lector’s wife lifts up the Haroses and displays it to the geust.)
Lector: Haroses represents the mortar Israelites used in making bricks in Egypt.
Lector and Wife: In every generation, each person ought to regard himself as though he had personally come out of Egypt, as it is written: “On this day you will explain to your son, “This is because of what YAHWEH did for me when I came out of Egypt.” (Exodus 13:8)
PSALM 114
The Lord’s Wonders at the Exodus
Master of Ceremonies …
Lector: When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a foreign nation,
All: Judah became His sanctuary and Israel His domain.
Lector: The sea fled at the sight and the Jordan stopped flowing.
All: Sea, what makes you run away? Jordan, why stop flowing? Why skip like rams, you mountains? Why like lambs, you hills?
Lector: Tremble, O earth, at the coming of your Master, at the coming of the God of Jacob.
Master of Ceremonies …
All: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have created the fruit of the vine.
Master of Ceremonies …
THE KOREKH
Master of Ceremonies …
Fathers: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have sanctified us by Your commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of unleavened bread.
Master of Ceremonies …
All: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have sanctified us by Your commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of bitter herbs and haroses.
Master of Ceremonies …
(Sedar (dinner) is now served.)
SEARCH FOR THE AFIKOMAN
Master of Ceremonies … (Children search for Alikoman.)
Fathers: Let us bless the name of the Lord.
All: May the name of the Lord be blessed from now to eternity.
Fathers: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You feed the entire world with your goodness, with grace, with loving kindness and with pity. You give bread to all flesh, for your loving kindness endures forever. In your great goodness, food has not been and shall not be lacking for us, for ever and ever. For the sake of your great goodness you are god, who feeds and supports all and does good to all and prepares food for all your creatures.
All: Blessed are you O Lord, who feeds all your creatures.
THE CUP OF BLESSING
Master of Ceremonies … (Host pours cups of wine or apple cider.)
Priest: We believe it was ata this time that the institution of the Most Precious Blood was made. “This is the Cup of My Blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be shed for the forgiveness of sins.”
(All are invited to drink from their filled cups.)
PSALM 116
Thanksgiving to God for Help in Need
Master of Ceremonies …
Lector: How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?
All: The Cup of Salvation I will take up, calling on the name of the Lord.
Lector: I will pay what I owe to the Lord in the presence of His whole nation.
All: Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful ones.
Lector: O Lord, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid.
All: To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving in the name of the Lord. Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe. You have created the fruit of the vine.
