The Open Source Haggadah

The third cup is poured now, and recite Birkat Hamazon (Blessing after the Meal) over it.
A Song of Ascents. When the L-rd will return the exiles of Zion, we will have been like dreamers. Then our mouth will be filled with laughter, and our tongue with joyous song. Then will they say among the nations, "The L-rd has done great things for these." The L-rd has done great things for us, we were joyful. L-rd, return our exiles as streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with joyous song. He goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed; he will surely come [back] with joyous song, carrying his sheaves.

A Psalm by the sons of Korach, a song whose foundation is in the holy mountains. The L-rd loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of G-d. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon unto those that know me; behold Philistia and Tyre, as well as Cush, "This one was born there." But of Zion it will be said, "This man and that man was born there," and He, the Most High, will establish it. The L-rd will count the register of the nations, "This one was born there." Selah. Singers and dancers alike [will chant], "All my inner thoughts are of you."

I will bless the L-rd at all times; His praise is always in my mouth. The ultimate conclusion, all having been heard: fear G-d and observe His commandments, for this is the whole of man. My mouth will utter the praise of the L-rd, and all flesh shall bless His holy Name forever and ever. And we will bless the L-rd from now and forever; Halleluyah praise G-d.

Before mayim acharonim (washing fingers) the following verse is said:
This is the portion of a wicked man from G-d, and the heritage assigned to him by G-d.
After mayim acharonim, the following verse is said:
And he said to me: This is the table that is before the L-rd.
When the Grace after Meal is said with a quorum of three or more males over the age of 13, the leader begins:
Gentlemen, let us say Grace!
The others respond:
May the Name of the L-rd be blessed from now and forever.
The Leader [repeats the response and] continues:
With the permission of the masters, teachers and gentlemen, let us bless He of whose bounty we have eaten.
The others respond:
Blessed be He of whose bounty we have eaten.
The leader repeats this response.

Those present who did not partake of the meal respond:

Blessed and praised be His Name always, forever and ever.
If there is a quorum of ten males over the age of 13 then the leader begins:

Gentlemen, let us say Grace!

The others respond:

May the Name of the L-rd be blessed from now and forever.

The Leader repeats the response and continues:

With the permission of the masters, teachers and gentlemen, let us bless our G-d He of whose bounty we have eaten.

The others respond:

Blessed be our G-d He of whose bounty we have eaten.

The leader repeats this response.

Those present who did not partake of the meal respond:

Blessed be our G-d and praised be His Name always, forever and ever.

All who ate, male and female recite the Grace:

Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who, in His goodness, feeds the whole world with grace, with kindness and with mercy. He gives food to all flesh, for His kindness is everlasting. Through His great goodness to us continuously we d o not lack food, and may we never lack it, for the sake of His great Name. For He is a [benevolent] G-d who feeds and sustains all, does good to all, and prepares food for all His creatures whom He has created, as it is said: You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Blessed are You L-rd, who provides food for all.

We thank You, L-rd, our G-d, for having given as a heritage to our fathers a precious, good and spacious land; for having brought us out, L-rd our G-d, from the land of Egypt and redeemed us from the house of slaves; for Your covenant which You have sealed in our flesh; for Your Torah which You have taught us; for Your statutes which You have made known to us; for the life, favor and kindness which You have graciously bestowed upon us; and for the food we eat with which You constantly feed and sustain us every day, at all times, and at every hour.

For all this, L-rd our G-d, we thank You and bless You. May Your Name be blessed by the mouth of every living being, constantly and forever. As it is written: When you have eaten and are satiated, you shall bless the L-rd your G-d, for the good land which He has given you. Blessed are You, L-rd, for the land and for the food.

Have mercy, L-rd our G-d, upon Israel Your people, upon Jerusalem Your city, upon Zion the abode of Your glory, upon the kingship of the house of David Your anointed, and upon the great and holy House which is called by Your Name. Our G-d, our Father, Our Shepherd, feed us, sustain us, nourish us and give us comfort; and speedily, L-rd our G-d, grant us relief from all our afflictions. L-rd, our G-d, please do not make us dependent upon the gifts of mortal men nor upon their loans, but only upon Your full, open, holy and generous hand, that we may not be shamed or disgraced forever and ever.

On Shabbat add:

May it please You, G-d, our G-d, to strengthen us through Your commandments, and through the precept of the Seventh Day, this great and holy Shabbat. For this day is great and holy before You, to refrain from work and to rest thereon with love, in accordance with the commandment of Your will. In Your will, G-d, our G-d, bestow upon us tranquility, that there shall be no trouble, sadness or grief on the day of our rest. G-d, our G-d, let us see the consolation of Zion Your city, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem Your holy city, for You are the Master of [all] salvations and the Master of [all] consolations.]

Continue:
Our G-d and G-d of our fathers, may there ascend, come and reach, be seen and accepted, heard, recalled and remembered before You, the remembrance and recollection of us, the remembrance of our fathers, the remembrance of Mashiach the son of David Your servant, the remembrance of Jerusalem Your holy city, and the remembrance of all Your people the House of Israel, for deliverance, well-being, grace, kindness, mercy, good life and peace, on this day of the Festival of Matzot, on this Festival of holy convocation. Remember us on this [day], L-rd, our G-d, for good; recollect us on this [day] for blessing; help us on this [day] for good life. With the promise of deliverance and compassion, spare us and be gracious to us; have mercy upon us and deliver us; for our eyes are directed to You, for You, G-d, are a gracious and merciful King.

Rebuild Jerusalem the holy city speedily in our days. Blessed are You, L-rd, who in His mercy rebuilds Jerusalem. Amen.

Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, benevolent G-d, our Father, our King, our Might, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Maker, our Holy One, the Holy One of Jacob, our Shepherd, the Shepherd of Israel, the King who is good and does good to all, each and every day. He has done good for us, He does good for us, and He will do good for us; He has bestowed, He bestows, and He will forever bestow upon us grace, kindness and mercy, relief, salvation and success, blessing and help, consolation, sustenance and nourishment, compassion, life, peace and all goodness; and may He never cause us to lack any good.

May the Merciful One reign over us forever and ever.

May the Merciful One be blessed in heaven and on earth.

May the Merciful One be praised for all generations, and be glorified in us forever and all eternity, and honored in us forever and ever.

May the Merciful One sustain us with honor.

May the Merciful One break the yoke of exile from our neck and may He lead us upright to our land.

May the Merciful One send abundant blessing into this house and upon this table at which we have eaten.

May the Merciful One send us Elijah the Prophet may he be remembered for good and may he bring us good tidings, salvation and consolation.

May the Merciful One bless my father, my teacher, the master of this house, and my mother, my teacher, the mistress of this house; them, their household, their children, and all that is theirs; us, and all that is ours. Just as He blessed our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, "in everything," "from everything," with "everything," so may He bless all of us (the children of the Covenant) together with a perfect blessing, and let us say, Amen.

From On High, may there be invoked upon him and upon us such merit which will bring a safeguarding of peace. May we receive blessing from the L-rd and just kindness from the G-d of our salvation, and may we find grace and good understanding in the eyes of G-d and man.

(On Shabbat add: May the Merciful One cause us to inherit that day which will be all Shabbat and rest for life everlasting.)

May the Merciful One cause us to inherit that day which is all good.

May the Merciful One grant us the privilege of reaching the days of the Mashiach and the life of the World to Come. He is a tower of salvation to His king, and bestows kindness upon His anointed, to David and his descendants forever. He who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

Fear the L-rd, you His holy ones, for those who fear Him suffer no want. Young lions are in need and go hungry, but those who seek the L-rd shall not lack any good. Give thanks to the L-rd for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Blessed is the man who trusts in the L-rd, and the L-rd will be his trust.

Recite the blessing for the wine, and drink in reclining position.

Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

The fourth cup is poured and the door is opened. Say the following:

Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not acknowledge You, and upon the kingdoms that do not call upon Your Name. For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.Pour out Your indignation upon them, and let the wrath of Your anger overtake them. Pursue them with anger, and destroy them from beneath the heavens of the L-rd.

CUP OF ELIJAH

READER:
We have eaten the feast of our freedom and we have recalled the redemption of our people. But the dream of Passover transcends the Jew and reaches out to all people.

Many centuries ago, there lived a prophet whose name was Elijah. He was a brave man who denounced the slavery of his day. Legend has it that he never died and that he will return some day to announce the coming of a new world in which war, human cruelty, and the enslavement of one person by another will find no place. In his image, he embodies the vision of all wise people, his spirit brings a message of hope for the future, brings faith in the goodness of humanity, and brings the assurance that freedom will come to all.

HOST:
Let us open the door and invite Elijah to enter and join with us as we drink the wine of our freedom.

(Fill the cups with wine; open door; all rise)

HOST:
May the spirit of Elijah enter the hearts of all of us, and inspire us to build a good world, in which justice and freedom shall be the inheritance of all people.

(All raise glasses of wine and say:)

AY-LEE-YA-HOO HA-NO-VEE.
AY-LEE-YA-HOO HA-TISH-BEE.
AY-LEE-YA-HOO AY-LEE-YA-HOO AY-LEE-YA-HOO HA-GI-LA-DEE.

We raise the last cup of wine and affirm our unity with all people in thestruggles for human freedom.

May slavery give way to freedom.
May hate give way to love.
May ignorance give way to wisdom.
May despair give way to hope.
Next year, at this time, may everyone, everywhere, be free!

(All drink the last cup of wine; close door; be seated)

All recite:

When we returned from far away
Our home looked as it looks in dreams:
The sun shines, gates swing
Open of themselves, and someone
Sings a song we had forgotten
As we now remember laughter.
Then strangers said, Great things
Were done for them.
The Lord
Did great things for us then. A good.
But you must do great things again,
Because we live with heaviness
And twist and scatter like a river
Delta bogged in marsh and reeds.
We started sadly so we'd end up
Smiling, for anyone begins, sows
Seed with tears to reap his own,
The happy harvest, no?
(Psalm 126)

Fill the third cup of wine.

If three or more adults attend the Seder, introduce Grace with the following:
[Should a minyan (ten or more) be present, the bracketed words are also included]:

The leader of the Seder says:
Let us say Grace.

The adults respond:
May the Name of the Lord be blessed now and ever.

The leader of the Seder says:
Let us bless the One [our God]
Whose food we have eaten.

The adults respond:
Let us bless the One [our God]
Whose food we have eaten and through whose goodness we live.


Otherwise, begin the blessing here.

The leader says:
Bless the Lord, blessed be his name.

All respond:
Bless you, Lord our God, master of the universe
Who feeds the world from goodness, feeds all
That lives with purpose and feeling,
With bread for being, with food for all the creatures
He has made, and makes, and kept, and touched, and fed
And has, and will, forever.

Thank you for the place, the land you gave to those who went
Before us, and to us;
Thanks for bringing us up from Egypt, out of slavery,
And teaching us to sign
The contract with our bodies, giving us your book,
The wisdom and the law
By which we know life, and good
From death and evil.

For these gifts, and for our food
Which never fails us
We thank you, and we bless your name,
As it is written: "When thou hast eaten and art full,
Then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God
For the good land which he hath given thee." (Deuteronomy 8:10)
Bless you, o Lord, for the land and for the food.

Remember kindly, Lord our God, Israel, your chosen nation
And Jerusalem, your city,
Look on Zion, mount of glory, and the kingdom
Of the House of David, your anointed
And regard the Temple
Where your holy name is called

And hear us, father, lead us, guard us, keep us, teach us,
Carry us away from all our troubles,
God, and quickly, in our day

So we do not need the gifts or loans that flesh and blood extend us
But only let us take the needful, God,
From your hand only, always open, full, without shame or disgrace.

On the Sabbath, add the following passage:

Strengthen us, God, because it pleases you
We keep your commandments, and the Sabbath day.
On the seventh day you rested and we rest to work your will.
So you will give us rest, God, on this Sabbath:
Rest from tears and sadness, sighs and grief.
And let us live to see you build your home again,
Jerusalem.

Otherwise, continue here:

Our God, our fathers' fathers' God
Hear and remember us, our fathers
And Jerusalem, the Messiah
Son of David and all Israel,
Let all return to you, and you
Return us to ourselves.
And may we all be saved
By our remembering
This Festival of the Unleavened Bread.

Remember us, o God, for good.
We look to you, and may we live
To see you build Jerusalem, and quickly.
Bless you, Lord, the builder of Jerusalem.
Amen.

One rises from the table and, opening the door, recites the following verses:


Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee,
And upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwellingplace. (Psalm 79:6-7)
Pour out thine indignation upon them,
And let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. (Psalm 69:24)
Persecute and destroy them in anger
From under the heavens of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:66)

Close the door, and return to the table.

MIRIAM AND ELIJAH

Three thousand years ago, a farmer arose in the Middle East who challenged the ruling elite. In his passionate advocacy for common people, Elijah sparked a movement and created a legend which would inspire generations to come.

Elijah declared that he would return once each generation in the guise of someone poor or oppressed, coming to people's doors to see how he would be treated. Thus would he know whether or not humanity had become ready to participate in the dawn of the Messianic age. He is said to visit every seder, and sip there from his cup of wine.

Tonight we welcome two prophets: not only Elijah, but also Miriam, sister of Moses. Elijah is a symbol of messianic redemption at the end of time; Miriam, of redemption in
our present lives.

Miriam’s cup is filled with water, evoking her Well which followed the Israelites in the wilderness.

After the crossing of the Red Sea, Miriam sang to the Israelites a song. The words in the Torah are only the beginning:

Sing to God, for God has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and driver, God has hurled into the sea.

So the Rabbis asked: Why is the Song of Miriam only partially stated in the Torah? And in midrash is found the answer: the song is incomplete so that future generations will finish it. That is our task.

Open the door for Elijah and Miriam.

We raise Miriam’s goblet and pray together:

You abound in blessings,
God, creator of the universe,
Who sustains us with
living water. May we, like
the children of Israel leaving
Egypt, be guarded and
nurtured and kept alive in the
wilderness, and may You give
us wisdom to understand that
the journey itself holds
the promise of redemption.
Amen.