ROCHTZAH,
Washing Our Hands
Leader
Before we eat let us wash our hands and say together:
Group
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher
kidshanu b'mitzvo-tav, v'tzivanu al n'tee-las yadayim.
We praise you, Adonai, majestic sovereign of all life,
Who hallows our lives with commandments and bids us wash our hands.
 (The participants wash their hands.)
MOTZI,
A Blessing for Bread
Leader
We are now coming to the Seder meal. As we ordinarily begin with
the breaking of bread, we begin tonight with the breaking of matzah.
We recite two blessings; first is the regular blessing for bread,
then a special one for matzah.
(The upper and middle piece of the three matzot are broken
and distributed among the group.)
Group
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,
ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.
We praise You, Adonai, Sovereign of Life,
Who brings forth bread from the earth.
MATZAH, A Special Blessing for Matzah
Group
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher
kidshanu b'mitzvo-tav v'tzivanu al a-chilat matzah.
We praise You, Adonai, Sovereign of Life,
Who hallows our lives through commandments,
and commands us to eat matzah.
(Eat your portion of the matzah)
MAROR, A Blessing for the Bitter Herbs
(Haroset is a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, wine,
and spices)
Leader
Now each of us will take a bit of the maror, the bitter herb,
and dip it into the haroset to fulfill the commandment of this
night to eat the maror. Thus, we dip our food the second time.
Group
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam asher
kidshanu b'mitzvo-tav, v'tzivanu al a-chilat maror.
We praise You, Adonai, Sovereign of Life,
Who hallows our lives through commandments,
and commands us to eat maror.
(Eat the maror.)
KOREICH, Continuity
with Past Tradition
(We break the bottom matzoh, and use it to make a sandwich
with maror.)
Leader
Tradition adds one more custom, in honor of the great teacher, Hillel,
head of the rabbinic academy in Jerusalem around the time of the birth of
Jesus. On Passover, Hillel combined the pesach, matzah and
maror and ate them together, so he might observe the Law handed
down to him, exactly as his ancestors before him: "They shall
eat the Pesach lamb offering with matzah and maror
together." The destruction of the Temple by the Romans brought
an end forever to animal sacrifices by our people, so our sandwich
today is made only with matzah and maror.
Group
Together they shall be: the matzah of freedom,
the maror of slavery.
For in the time of freedom, there is knowledge of servitude.
And in the time of bondage, there is hope of redemption.
(According to an ancient custom, we now eat the maror
sandwiched between two pieces of matzah.)
SHULCHAN OREICH,
The Meal is Served
Leader
It is customary to begin the meal with hard-boiled eggs flavored with
salt water. This was the practice in Roman times. The egg is symbolic
of new growth, of new life, of hope. The roasted egg on the Seder
plate has come to represent the ancient Temple holiday sacrifice in
Jerusalem, the holy city.
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Last update: March 3, 1999
Created and maintained by Bob Parnes
Please send your comments to bparnes@umich.edu
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