THE REVISED HAGADA.

THE

REVISED

HAGADA:

Home Service
FOR

THE FIRST TWO NIGHTS OF PASSOVER.

TRANSLATED, EDITED, AND ANNOTATED
BY

REV. A. A. GREEN
(Minister of the Hampstead Synagogue),

AUTHORISED BY T H E VERY R E V . THE

AREENBEG

CHIEF

RABBI.

LONDON:
& CO., 80, CHANCERY LANE, W.C,
1897.
5657.

PREFACE.
—*—T H E present edition of the Hagadah for Passover aims at
supplying what has long been a distinct want in the Ritual
literature of English Jews. Among the many cherished
domestic ceremonies of Judaism, there is none that holds in
our hearts the peculiarly dear place accorded to the Seder.
I t is an occasion upon which are blended, in happiest
combination, the most potent influences which have contributed towards making Israel great—pride in our national
mission to the world, appreciation of that continuity of
God's mercies w^hich has marked Israel's great place in
history, and the joyous service of the Lord in the happy
family worship which has been, since the dispersion of our
race, the true secret of all our greatness. It is just Seder
evening which links the Israelite, who has known the
blessing of observant Judaism, to the best in his national
history and the dearest in his personal recollection. One
of the cherished aims of this edition of the Hagadah is to
enable the Seder so to continue. The critical notes and the
explanations of the ceremonies are intended to invest the
whole of the function with living interest for parents and
children and to serve as a helpful guide to teachers and
students. • The translation is entirely new, and only in one
instance has there been any departure from the literal
meaning of the Hebrew—viz., in the case of 2YP * f iritf.
>t
I t was impossible to translate HTb ^m** TOtPn, for
which I have substituted the nine Jewish festivals as
more in consonance with our modern ideas of what is
adapted for the perusal of children.

5
My thanks are, due to Dr. M. Friedlander for his invaluable assistance as far back as the time when, as one
of his pupils, I first was attracted to the subject and
began to make researches; and he has supplemented
my early debt to him, when, many years ago, he accompanied me to the British Museum to assist me in
perusing the manuscripts, by reading and correcting the
entire proofs of the present work, and giving me the
benefit of his suggestions. I am also deeply indebted to
the Chief Eabbi, who has afforded me the utmost encouragement and has given me much information and
assistance—for which the book is much the better—and
for which I cannot be sufficiently grateful. I am also
indebted to the students' friend, the late Dr. Asher, who
first suggested the publication of such a book as this, and
who contributed to my early papers on this subject many
of the explanations of the ceremonies which I am now able
to offer.
My thanks are due to my publishers for practical advice
and the personal care given to the production of the book;
and I am very grateful to Mr. Paul Leffman as well as to
my wife, whose services I have been compelled to enlist
in taking down the whole of the work from dictation. I
have to thank the Rev. S. Singer and the Jewish Education
Board for their permission to use Mr. Singer's translation
of the Grace and the iifttW, in the authorised Jewish
Prayer Book. Finally, I am indebted to my dear father,
to whom I owe all my incentive to, and opportunities for
study, and to whose memory this—my first publicationis with reverence and gratitude dedicated.
A. A, GREEN.
March, 1897.

INTRODUCTION.

T

HE modern Egyptians have a proverb to the effect
that, whoever once drinks of the sweet waters of
the Nile will not rest content until he has slaked his thirst
in them once more.
How true this is, only they can really tell who have set
their feet within the magic boundary of the enchanting
land of the Pharaohs. Not even in the Holy Land itself
is one brought more closely into touch with the sacredness
of history. Here in a past, the remotest known to acknowledged history, intellect and sentiment gave birth to
civilization. There are some ancient histories, reaching
very far back, which, like hills whose summits are in the
clouds, are lost in that cloudland of legend where the firm
path of history no longer extends and where we reach the
fairy domain of Mythology. But in the case of the history
of Egypt, as in no other instance, though we go back to
Myth if we retreat far enough into its past, yet there are
many thousands of years of unbroken substantial historical
record. It may be said of Egypt that, among the countries
of the world which yet bear their ancient name, it stands
alone as having been great when mighty empires which
have risen and fallen were undreamed of—as having enjoyed
for thousands of years the proud position of mistress of the
known world. For years—that may be also reckoned by
thousands—she knew no superior, though she recognised
powerful rivals. Her kings were great statesmen and
warriors. Her people were enterprising, intelligent, and
law-abiding. Her literature, if not nobly great, was of no
mean order. Painting, sculpture, and architecture, reached
a standam which modern progress is but glad to admire;

7
while engineering reached a high level of perfection
thousands of years ago, that modern science finds it not
only difficult to excel, but impossible to imitate or even to
understand.
The greatest of men was born on the banks of its
wondrous river; his master mind was educated within the
walls of its colleges. Egypt, if not the cradle of the
Jewish race, was at least the school wherein the growing
nation acquired the equipment for its virile individuality.
In the land of the Pharaohs was struck by the Jewish race
the first telling blow for the world's greatest prize—•
personal and religious freedom. In later times the mighty
powers of the western world have, in succession, there set
up the centre and pivot of their empire and he would be
a bold man now who would venture to say that Egypt
belongs entirely to the past and has no share in the
greatness of the future.
Such then is the mystic land teeming with historical
interest and present fascination, the land indissolubly
linked with the traditions of the Israelite, and to which,
with the recurrence of the Passover, his thoughtful
attention is ever re-directed.
The Egyptian Empire was already very old when the\
first connecting link with Hebrew history was formed.;
We read in the Bible that Abraham, the founder of the
Hebrew race, forced by a famine to leave the land of
Canaan wherein he was sojourning, directed his steps to
Egypt where he was hospitably received.
I t was natural that the patriarch, who had as yet
no fixed abode, but travelled about after the manner of
the shepherd chiefs from whom he sprang, should have
sought to escape a Palestinian famine in a country so
favoured by nature as to be, what it now remains, a fruitful land of plenty. But the Egyptian monuments reveal
to us a fact which throws some light on the motive of
Abraham. The ruling dynasty of Egypt at that particular
time was that of the Hyksos, or Shepherd Kings, so called

8
by the native population of Egypt, because they originally
came, as did Abraham himself, from the pastoral district of
Mesopotamia. This will easily account both for the attraction which Egypt must have had for Abraham, and for the
welcome he received from the Pharaoh himself, to whose
presence the patriarch seems to have had easy and natural
access, and with whom he associated upon seemingly equal
terms.
These same Shepherd Kings were still the reigning
dynasty when, nearly two centuries later, Abraham's greatgrandson, the Semite lad Joseph, became associated with
the Egyptian court in the capacity of a slave in the household of one of Pharaoh's high officers. The years that had
elapsed between the visit of Abraham and the presence of
Joseph had not been without their effect upon the destinies
of the Shepherd Kings. The dynasty had never been
popular. The people had always resented the intrusion of
a foreign line of kings, while the priests, who held a position
of peculiar influence in ancient Egypt, had never been
reconciled to the expulsion of the whole Egyptian royal
line with which the chief among their order were connected
by blood as well as by sympathy. The influence of the
Hyksos was on the wane when there occurred the famine,
which was predicted and provided for by the sagacity of
Joseph. The rapid rise of an unknown Hebrew lad to
the premier position in the land of Egypt is made more
intelligible to us if we recollect that the failure of the
" wise men" of Egypt gave the reigning Pharaoh a
welcome opportunity of displaying to a grateful people,
at the same time, the ineptitude of the priests and the
ability of a Semite.
Joseph was not alone the saviour of Egypt; his success
was a prop to the tottering throne of the Semitic line
of kings and, without doubt, staved off their downfall
which in fact seems to have taken place very shortly after
his career was closed.
We can understand why Joseph urged upon his brethren

9
that they should be careful to explain how they became
" Shepherds/' a name which was, as the Bible puts it, an
" abomination" to the Egyptian populace and distasteful
to the house of Pharaoh itself. We can also understand
how, at a slightly later stage, while Joseph was careful, in
the interests of the Hyksos, to purchase for Pharaoh the
cattle, the lands, and the persons of the people, he was
statesman enough to refrain from touching the lands of the
priests, an act of recognition calculated to win the allegiance
of that powerful caste to the reigning house of his royal
master.
The book of Genesis at its close leaves Joseph at the
zenith of his influence, the benefactor of the people and
the favourite of the king; while the Israelites enjoy to the
utmost extent the reflection of his popularity.
The first chapter of the Book of Exodus, however, offers
a complete and unaccountable transformation.
The
Israelites are slaves, oppressed by all the rigours of an
oriental serfdom. They are overworked, overpowered,
and persecuted. Joseph is completely forgotten and the
king himself " knew not Joseph" and is ignorant even of
the name of the eminent benefactor of his country.
Egyptian history supplies the missing fly-leaf between
the Books of Genesis and Exodus. All mystery is cleared
up, all incongruities satisfactorily explained, for not only
had a new king arisen who " knew not Joseph," but a new
dynasty was now reigning, the Pharaohs of which neither
knew of, nor cared about, any member of the hated
foreign ruling power.
The Hyksos had been expelled and the Israelites who
remained bore the full brunt of resentment both of kings
and people, and were condemned to the labour of prisoners
and criminals, the building of the cities and temples which
the new dynasty—who were active builders—raised in
every direction. The Pharaoh of the Oppression was
Rameses II., otherwise known, and deservedly so, as Rameses
the Great.

10
He was of Nubian descent, and the capital of his kingdom
was a beautiful city on either side of the "Nile in Upper
Egypt, on the left bank (the modern Luxor) being the
residential part of the capital, while on the right bank, at
Thebes, were the colleges of the priests and the tombs of
the kings—the relics of the former being now to be seen in
fair preservation. The tombs, situated at the base of the
Libyan Mountains, are to this day extant, beautiful and
interesting beyond description.
One of the tombs in the Libyan Mountains, opened
comparatively recently, is that of Seti I., the father of
Rameses the Great. It is a perfect Paradise of artistic
beauty and archaeological interest. The walls are covered
with magnificent bas-reliefs, describing the career of the
departed monarch, and the gigantic mummy of the king
who reigned for the best part of a century has been
removed to what is perhaps the most glorious museum in
the world, that of Boulaq, midway between Cairo and the
Pyramids of Ghizeh. The present writer was at Luxor in
the early part of 1891, and followed with the deepest
interest the excavations of the French Archaeological
Expedition, superintended by that kindest of French
scholars and gentlemen, M. Bouriant.
The slow process of excavation at that time was rewarded
by the discovery of the enormous head of the colossal
statue of Rameses the Great, which proved to be the
largest and the most complete presentment of the features
of the Pharaoh of the Oppression.
The thick Nubian lips and the cruel stern expression
seemed to do ample historic justice to the antetype of unbending despotism, and. the writer could not gaze upon it
without the thought that if the surrounding magnificent
ruins were relics testifying to the glory and power of the
mighty Pharaoh, he (the Jew) and his wondrous race, constituted a still more marvellous testimony to the power
which preserves, through the greatest vicissitudes known
to humanity, the scions of " a wise and understanding

11
people," though rock-hewn monuments may crumble and
decay.
To the Jew upon the plain of Thebes, the words
addressed to the greatest of his race seem always to say,
€<
The place whereon thou standest is holy ground." Here
Moses lived, worked and studied. Here he laid the
foundation of that phenomenal store of knowledge which
so completely fitted him to be the great teacher he
subsequently became. Here, amid the luxury of the
Egyptian court, his great heart was touched by sympathy
with his oppressed people, and his great mind formulated
the first conceptions of their deliverance. Hence he fled
an exile in disgrace, to return the triumphant messenger of
a power beyond the might of a Pharaoh and a hope
superior to the impoverished ambition of a race which,
seemingly, had inherited no capacity except contentment to
serve and to slave.
There are one or two points in the history of the flight
of Moses in connection with which some light is shed by
Egyptian history, upon the, narrative in the Bible. It would
be an error to suppose that, when Moses left Egypt, his
interest in the condition of his brethren lay dormant until
it was awakened by the incident of the burning bush.
Not only is it impossible to conceive such an apathy on
the part of a Moses, but there is every evidence that during
the time he was away from Egypt, Moses was thinking
out his future work and was in touch with his friends in
the land of the Pharaohs.
The Bible tells us that Moses took his flocks to
pasture at the back of the wilderness, and came to Mount
Horeb. The wilderness is not a very profitable place
wherein to pasture flocks, and the point did not escape
the notice of the Rabbis, who explained it by the
Midrashic tradition that Moses selected this wild spot " i n
order that his sheep might not graze upon the land of
others." Moses had very probably a far more interestingmotive in seeking the wilderness of Sinai. Horeb was a

12
penal settlement of Egypt, to which political offenders were
exiled to work in the mines. When we remember that
Rameses the Great was a powerful and arbitrary ruler,
engaged in many wars and surrounded by the inevitable
oriental accompaniment of plot and counterplot, it is
not surprising that there should be many disaffected
persons of all grades; and it is equally natural to suppose
that Moses would be anxious to hear from these some
report of the condition of his brethren in Egypt. Not
only did the great heart of Moses beat so strongly with
sympathy with his people, but the mind of a cultured
Egyptian, trained within the court circle, and now exiled
among simple shepherds, would surely have yearned for
information concerning what was transpiring in the
Metropolis of the civilized world. Was his meeting with
his brother Aaron unpremeditated ? Surely not. For is
there a more reasonable supposition than that, hasty as
was his flight, Moses before he left the land of Egypt,
came to an understanding with his family and friends as
to where he might be found and where information might
reach him.
There is one aspect of the gigantic task of Moses which
does not always receive the appreciation it merits. We
fully understand, as a rule, the value of his mission to
Pharaoh and appreciate the courage which enabled him to
stand before the tyrant and demand the recognition of his
God and the release of his people. But this was little
compared with the still more stupendous task that lay
before him—viz., that of teaching the Israelites themselves
the nature of the God who had sent him, and inspiring
them with the hope of redemption and the necessary trust
in God and confidence in himself. To put it in a word,
his prospects of persuading Pharaoh were better than his
chances of convincing the Hebrews he had come to rescue.
We must remember that the people had passed 200 years in
slavery. Serfdom is, to this day, the greatest enemy to a
people's progress, and the disabilities of such modern serf-

13
dom as has come under our notice are to be multiplied
manifold when considering the mental equipment of a
nation of serfs more than three thousand years ago.
Moses knew this and understood his difficulty so well
that we find him doubting, not only whether Pharaoh would
receive him, but whether Israel would credit him. " They
will not believe me," was his simple comment upon the
message which God had given him to the people he was
eventually to lead. The coercion of Pharaoh was a simple
matter compared with the conversion of Israel at that
moment. How difficult was this phase of the task, and
how its accomplishment was kept in view, is illustrated by
the name of God by which Moses first acquainted the
Hebrews with the nature of their deliverer. He was
commanded to inform the Hebrews that the name of the
God of their fathers who had sent him to them was
" I am that I am." Many attempts have been made to
explain this name and to give it various meanings that fall
within the legitimate province of homiletic theology, but
its meaning and purpose are transparently clear.
What religion the Hebrew serfs of Pharaoh had was
largely tinged with, if not completely dominated by, the
ideas prevalent among the Egyptian fellaheen of their class
and time. Their own traditions had worn very thin. It
happens that the gods of the Egyptian religion rejoiced in
a remarkable multitude of names. Early Egyptologists
astonished the world by their discovery of the names of
thousands of deities, but later scholars succeeded in
establishing the fact that the gods of Egypt were comparatively few, while their names were legion. Isis alone
rejoiced in 1,000 names, while other gods came within
measurable distance of this number. Naturally, as in all
oriental religions, every possible attribute of praise was
used in the glorification of the gods. The vocabularies of
power, virtue and glory, were exhausted many times over.
Had Moses, therefore, given the Hebrews any conventional
name of their God, the very attempt at description would

14
have defeated his purpose, and the God of whom he spoke
would have been straightway identified with one of the
great deities of Egypt. The God " I am " was something
new to Egypt. The name set the people's thought and
reflection at work, which was the reason for its selection,
and the Midrash is very near the mark in the old tradition it has preserved, that Pharaoh and his wise men
(the priests) denied the existence of such a god as Moses
described, because they were unable to find any such name
in their records of the deities.
How slowly the work of Moses progressed the Bible
narrative makes sufficiently clear. I t was the genius of
this greatest of men that he knew how " to labour and to
wait." Sharper grew the penalties of slavery, greater the
manifestations of God's power, till at last, between what
they were asked to believe, and what they were called upon
to suffer for it (best test of its worth), the Hebrews had
advanced sufficiently in their faith to be able to leave the
greatest country of the then world and follow, trustingly,
the man who, but a short time back, had had to explain to
them who was their God, and had not dared to ask for
them more than three days' absence under his care.
The details of the extra penalties which Pharaoh imposed
upon the Hebrews in resentment of the interposition of
Moses are most interestingly illustrated by the customs of
the Egypt ofs to-day. So conservative have Egyptians
been, that the tourist in Egypt, at the end of the nineteenth
century, can see many habits which have remained unchanged since the days' when Israel made bricks for
Pharaoh and worked in his fields. A walk in a neighbourhood such as Luxor, where we have the monuments of the
Egypt of old and the Egyptians of to-day working under
their shadow, enables one to glance from one to the other
and to see that the sculpture on the monument of
thousands of years a£o might have been done from the
model of the living man at work near it. The " work in
the fields," in which the Hebrews laboured " with rigour/'

15
has known no alteration; while the bricks used in the
building of the villages are made in precisely the same
manner as the method employed by the builders of Pithom
and Rameses. The " straw," the absence of which was the
crowning torture of the Hebrews, is used to give cohesion
to the mud of which the bricks are made.
Although, thanks to British influence, the visitor to
Egypt is spared any illustration of the sufferings of the
Hebrew " officers " (gang-masters) who were beaten when
the tale of bricks was incomplete, we are able to form a
fairly accurate estimate of the extent of this cruelty. The
" Kourbash " is a whip cut from, the hide of the rhinoceros,
and vies (aptly enough) with the Russian knout as a
terrible engine of brutality. So implanted had it become as
the symbol of authority and punishment, that though the
British Government forbade its being used after the fashion
of the Pharaohs, it was found necessary to permit it to be
carried as a badge of office by those placed in authority
over a native gathering. The leader of a gang of workmen
still carries it, the police at the Nile stations still flourish it
meaninglessly at the crowd of idlers and mendicants, while
the mere mention of the word, in a sufficiently menacing
tone of voice, is enough to disperse a crowd of pestering
children whose acquaintance with the traditions of serfdom
is fuller than their knowledge of European disposition.
But if to the well-read man or woman the archaeological
value of the Egyptian monuments and the present interest
of modern Egypt are great and absorbing, who shall
adequately describe the feelings with which the modern
Israelite approaches the celebration of Passover, the world's
great festival of freedom, Israel's charter of justification,
the link between the greatness of our national past and the
splendid potentiality of our racial future ? The whole
genius of the celebration is summed up in the suggestive
words of the Hagadah, " In every generation each Israelite
shall bethink himself as though he had been delivered from
Egypt." This is perfectly t r u e ; for the harmony o£

16
Israel's destiny and mission has not been affected by the
lapse of time or the changes in circumstances which have
marked what has happened from the hour of the Exodus
till the present moment.
The Exodus was a protest against the subversion of
personal rights and a consecration of the descendants of
distinguished, God-fearing forbears to the belief in the
one God of the world, whom their ancestors were the
first to recognise and to teach. With a steadiness of
purpose unparalleled in the history of national consistency,
Israel has been unswervingly true to these two great ideas.
We have taught the unity of God until it has become an
axiom in the trend of belief along which the intelligence
of the world securely travels towards the religion of the
future. We have exhibited an implicit obedience to the
commands of God, from which the world has gathered its
best examples of religious influence in every day life. We
have suffered for our principles under a universality of disability and with a personal heroism that make our racial
story a record of the world's truest nobility, and constitutes
the Passover the anniversary of the granting of the greatest
patent of aristocracy that one race can claim without conceit, and others can acknowledge without humiliation. No
service could sufficiently afford expression to our feelings of
pride and gratitude on the recurrence of such a festival.
No liturgy, however gorgeous or beautiful, could do us
justice as the epic of our wonderful racial story. The
mere recital of the accompanying Seder service leaves unfulfilled the purpose of the Passover, unless we resolve
that by act and heart we Jews will endeavour to leave
nought undone that will give us the inspiration and our
fellow-men the conviction that we are, more than ever?
" A great, a wise, and an understanding people."

THE REVISED HAGADA.

THE SEARCH FOR LEAVEN.
On the evening before the Passover the ceremony is
observed of the search for leaven by the head of the family,
who makes a round of the rooms of his house for the
purpose of discovering and removing any leaven which
may have escaped attention in the preparation of the
house for the festival. In observant Jewish households,
by the time the Eve of the Passover arrives, all preparations have been so thoroughly made that the house is free
from the presence of all leavened food, except the necessary
provision for the next day's early meal, which is confined
to one or two apartments. The search for leaven proceeds notwithstanding, and it is customary to place little
packets containing a small piece of bread in each of the
rooms which have alread}^ been prepared for the Passover.
These are looked for and collected by the head of the
family who burns them the following morning after
breakfast together with any leavened bread that may then
be in the house,
Before commencing the Search the following blessing is said:—

: pari iJijpa W « « ]
" Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the Universe,
who hast sanctified us with thy precepts, and commanded
us to remove the leaven/'
B

18
After the Search the following declaration is made:—

vbK avian vh^t wieh? *q«n

KVWJI

^nW 1 ??

" All leaven that is in my house which I have not seen,
and have not removed, I declare annulled, and to be of no
more worth to me than the dust of the earth."
On the following morning, at the prescribed hour, all
leaven is carefully removed, it being the duty of the head
of the family to personally supervise its being burnt, when,
in order to absolve the family from the responsibility of the
accidental presence in the house of any leaven which may
have been overlooked, the following declaration is made:—

M^TI iTWbrn wiBha ^3*n t^v^ni ^ x p r r b

"All leaven which is in my house, that I have seen
and that I have not seen, that I have removed and that I
have not removed, I hereby declare annulled, and of no
more worth to me than the dust of the earth."
THE SEDER TABLE.
The following is the equipment of the Seder table:—
1. The ROASTED SHANK-BONE of a lamb.
This is to represent the Paschal Lamb, the first ordination of the Passover in Egypt. During the period of the
Temple the lamb was sacrificed by the head of the family
in the precincts of the Sanctuary and formed the family
meal on the Passover evening.
2. A ROASTED EGG.—This represents the " Hagigah " or
Festival Offering ordained for each of the festivals. When

19
the family was large it formed part of the meal in addition
to the Paschal Lamb.
3. THREE

MITZVOTH.—These

are

specially

prepared

Matzoth, somewhat thicker than those for ordinary use.
The meaning of the word " Mitzvoh " is " Commandment"
or " Duty." These are the " Duty " Matzoth, because they
are consecrated to the fulfilment of the Mitzoth (duty)
from the very commencement of their preparation.
4. The BITTER HERBS.—These take the form of horseradish and are typical of the bitterness of the Egyptian
bondage.
5. The " HAROSETH."—This is a compound of apples,
almonds, raisins and cinnamon. I t is a popular error to
believe that the " haroseth " is typical of the bricks and
mortar used by the Hebrew serfs of the Pharaohs. I t is,
however, a usual Oriental accompaniment of such dishes as
bitter herbs and should be used in the Seder as a sauce
into which to dip the horseradish.
I t is especially
mentioned by the Rabbis as an antidote against the possible
ill effects of partaking of the Bitter Herbs.
6. PARSLEY or LETTUCE.—These formed the usual preliminary course of an Oriental meal, and were retained
in the Seder either to provide against the little ones
(who are chiefly considered right through the Seder) becoming faint during the narrative which delayed the
evening meal, or to excite their interest and curiosity.
7. SALT WATER or VINEGAR.—Into this the lettuce or
parsley is dipped, a wholesome Orientalism.
8 The FOUR CUPS OF WINE.—Sufficient wine must be
prepared to provide for four cups to be drunk during the
Seder. Various homiletic reasons have been given for the
use of just four cups, but the number is fixed by the
Iliiual requirements of the Seder alone. Four cups are
required—the first for the Kiddush, the second for the
B2

20
Blessing of Redemption, the third for the Grace after
meals, which was generally terminated with the sanctification ; and the fourth is to provide a Sanctification at the
end of the reading of the Hallel, with which the service
essentially concludes.
9. T H E CUP OF ELIJAH.—This is a spare cup of wine
placed upon the table, and not used during the ceremony.
There is no doubt as to its origin and meaning, but there is
some difficulty in accounting for its name.
The cup of Elijah is a guest cup, set apart in readiness
for any visitor who may enter the family circle in response
to the invitation offered in the early portion of the Seder.
Jewish hospitality was always very real and, on the Seder
night, it was at its best. I t was useless to give an
invitation without the care that, should it be accepted,
there would be provision for the fulfilment by the guest
of the requirements of the Ritual.
I suggest the following explanation: Passover night
is the Night of Redemption, and Elijah is essentially,
in Jewish theology, the prophet of redemption. Whatever national sentiment there might be in the heart of
the Hebrew was always appealed to on this night, when
he recounted the story of that first blow for freedom
which his forefathers struck in the history of the world—
an inspiration for any son of Israel—and felt, more keenly
than ever, the galling restrictions which sought to keep
him a stranger in the land in which he was living, and
which he always loved. Whatever was Jewish and manly
in him cried out for redemption, and, as Elijah's coming
was promised by the prophet as the herald of Israel's new
redemption, we can easily understand how, on this night
of nights, any token of a happier Israel was looked and
longed for. Who so welcome, then, as Elijah ? What
more natural than that, in the generous disposition towards
any stranger under the influence of that generous hour,
he should be as welcome as Elijah, and that the cup set

21
aside for the stranger should be even named, in graceful
and gracious goodwill, after him for whom all Israel hoped
and waited.
10. A PILLOW or CUSHION for the use of the head of the
family who conducts the service. This leaning upon a
pillow during the evening is sometimes explained as a
<l
sign of freedom/' in token of which a " leaning position
is adopted." Apart from the fact that a " leaning position "
is hardly established in the world of manners as a sign of
freedom, this ceremony is one of the many Orientalisms,
pure and simple, the retention of which lends so much
charm to the Seder.
I t is, of course, an Oriental custom to recline during
meal times. When the Jews moved to Western Europe
they still retained, among the delights of the Seder, this
habit from their former associations, though the link now
is somewhat remote between the solitary cushion and the
oriental banquet.

22

:tsnp
On Friday Evening commence:—
1j?3 'PIJ1 3 ^ . 'H.'l

Q*nSx ^5)1 J OKIX by yy$n) a w n hy)_ ' w n DV
• V ^ n oi»a rrtaety • rim im to^Sft •V,5BTI ci»a
TSBfa DV-J1X DV^K "Sll^l 5 WSJ 1B^ i M ^ ^30

DT6K

ana Ttfaj taax1?^*? na&? in »a in« snp^.
5 rrtfew1?

0?t Week-days commence here.—Adding on Friday Evening the words
in brackets;—*

-Vsp ua-iria igte • c^yn TJ% w r i ^ « HPK* ijria
11 vb-\m) • vnixaa u ^ p l * p ^ ' ^ a W ^ T J • &y
ongto o nnuftS nina^ on sabbath add) naqsa ^ n ^
na^'n on sabbath add) DV n« • flfe^ a*$&rt D*an nnafe^
on Sabbath add) U n ^ P t

ffiT HTPj

rtSSH

Jll

(DV f l $ ]

njH

jrirra ua *a • Dnyp J W ^ "T^T &Hp K*$3 (naqaa
Htftti (nae*i on sabbath add) D»sttn ^>aa nehp unwi
.. - .

T

-

:

•

-

T

T

•

T

;

-J •

T

;

fiW3/i h n p ^ a qirD>i nan^a on sabbath add) ^ n p
(i na^'n on sabbath add) ehpa •) nna i p a • U t t ^ n
: o^abpi Wife*
0 » Saturday Wight add the following till &$>?.

i $®n ••tfxa a - p • nSiyn ij^& wrib® \) nm •spna
pa S n a s n • D ^ V 9 ^ ^"SiS t! n j ? ^ T1*13
• a*sy^ 'wib" .pa • ij^ir^ nix pa • h)rh &np

23
SANCTIFICATION.
On Friday Evening commence :—
il

And it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day."

" Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all
the host of them. And on the seventh day God had ended
his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh
day from all his work which he had made. And God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified i t ; because that in
it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made."
On Week-days commence here, adding on Friday Evening the words in
brackets :—

" Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
" Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe,
who hast chosen us from all peoples, exalted us above all
tongues, and sanctified us with thy commandments. Thou
hast, in love, ordained for us, O Lord our God (Sabbaths
for rest), solemn days of joy and festive times of gladness,
even this day of (rest and of) the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
a holy convocation, a memorial (in thy love) of the Exodus
from Egypt. Thou hast chosen us and sanctified us above
all peoples, and thou hast given us an inheritance of (loving
favour) joy and gladness, days of (Sabbath and) festival.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hast sanctified (the Sabbath)
Israel and the days of Festival"
On Saturday night omit :—-

"Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe,
who hast preserved us in life, sustained us, and enabled us
to reach this season."
On Saturday night continue .•—

" Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the Universe,
who hast made a distinction between sacred and profane,
between light and darkness, between Israel and other

24

t-\Wlp pa • n&vpn *a* n ^ S ^a^'n Qi* pa
r\0n wzfr\ DV n $ J^nan *to tf' flB^pk na^
Wife* ^fcy n^ nehpi fi^an 'ne^p nfewsn »&•

: ttrp7 vnp pa Tiaan i] r\m ^fna • W ? p 3
• !D»»p] w r w • D^iyn ^
w r W ^ nriK i p a
Drink the first cup of wine.

:f m
7%e celebrant of the Seder washes his hands.

&>m# parsley or lettuce is then distributed to all present, who on partaking
of it say:—

t nzrmn n s *oia Dbiyn ^>a wnW «

PUJIX i p a

:prp
SETTING ASIDE OF T H E AFICOMAN.1

The celebrant breaks in two the middle Mitzvah, leaving one half in its
place and setting the other half aside as the Aficoman.
The shankbone and the egg2 are removed from the Seder dish which is
then uplifted by those present, while the following is said:—

• DH»an «sn«3

NJI>15S

&a*$ H mv K&t£> «na

necessary adjunct to the Seder, until it is redeemed with presents, which
the parent has taken care to provide. This curious custom has a
still more curious origin. It is based on a misrendering of a line in the
Talmud, which says W» tihw m p U T i n h^Wl DTIDD W 3 iVtD D^Din
" It is right to hasten to the Matzah (i.e., to the meal) on the evening of
Passover, so that the little ones shall not fall asleep over the service."
The word D^SDin means u hasten," but it also can mean " to snatch." The
- Talmudic injunction thus received the extraordinary interpretation
" Snatch the Matzah, etc., etc." The Matzah was accordingly abstracted
by the children in order that they should keep awake, and, needless to
say, the purpose of, the Talmud did not suffer from the error of
translation. The Aficoman is placed beneath the pillow upon which
the celebrant reclines, probably to represent the dough carried on the
shoulders of the Israelites of the Exodus.
2
These are removed, leaving the Bitter Herbs and the Matzah, the
Bread of Affliction.

25
peoples, between the seventh day and the six days of
work. Thou hast made a distinction between the holiness
of the Sabbath and the holiness of a Festival, sanctifying
the seventh day above all others. It is with thy holiness
that thou hast distinguished and sanctified thy people
Israel. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hast made a
distinction in the degrees of holiness.
" Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the Universe,
who hast preserved us in life, sustained us, and enabled us
to reach this season."
Drink the first cup of wine.
The celebrant of the Seder washes his hands.
Some parsley or lettuce
is then distributed to all present, who on partahing of it say;—

" Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the Universe,
Creator of the fruit of the earth."
SETTING ASIDE OF THE AFICOMAN. 1
The head of the household brealis in two the middle Matzah, leaving one
half on the Seder dish, and placing the other half aside as the Aficoman.
The shanh-bone and the egg2 are removed from the Seder dish, which those
present then tahe hold of while the following is said :-+-

" THIS is the bread of affliction which our fathers did eat
1

Aficoman is a word of Greek derivation meaning " After Meal,"
or dessert. To explain this ceremony it is necessary to go back to the
time of the Temple, when the paschal lamb formed the meal on Passover
night. So much importance was attached to the partaking of the lamb,
that it was the custom to reserve a small portion to be eaten quite at the
conclusion of the meal, the object being that the lamb should be the last
thing actually tasted that night. With the fall of the Temple the Passover sacrifice ceased, but the custom then obtained of eating a small
piece of Matzah at the end of the meal, to represent the use formerly
made of the portion of the lamb. The separation of the Aficoman at
this early stage of the Seder, is probably to attract the attention, and
arouse the interest of the children of the family. In connection with
this, a very curious custom has obtained in places on the Continent, and
may be met with in some families in this country. The head of the
family good-naturedly connives at the " Snatching of the Aficoman " by
the children whose privilege it then becomes to retain possession of this

28

h*£B7i • PIDSJI wi ijntf'i ^ • ^.1] *0V. PW! ^
•H^y Kft^n • SNn&vi wpxa nKsri rw 1 ? ' x p n
: pnin *J2 nNan niB^p
T/ie egg and shankbone are replaced and the second cup of wine is filled.7
The youngest competent at the table then says:—

ribhn
htttf
• ii-ia
n^n

htttf Tir?^n h$b n-jn rhfpn nmm na
*n^o fe ron nSfpn rrapi pari p^sta y*t
eta) n-tn n ^ n • rrtpv ii*# p^iK «N niV^n
* nnN Dys ^ S N \bmi? m pa n i ^ n ^atf

D*3B¥ pa p ^ «

m

ni^n

bsM

t DWS ^

mn

: paoa ^ 2 n-jn nSfpn • p3D& p3i
57^ following

response is then given:—

tory sense) to magnificence. The invitation at the commencement of
the service is self-explanatory. The long pause before the meal on this
night has obscured the original simple meaning of the opening of the
door after the Grace, concerning which, see further, note, p. 69.
2
The fervent hope of the Jews of the early days of the dispersion,
from which period this dates.
3
The Kabbis were studiously—nay religiously literal. As the Bible
prescribes for the narrative of the Passover by saying that it is to be
made " When thy son asketh thee," it was provided that the service
should inevitably commence with such a question on the part of a child.
4
This refers to the custom of dipping the fresh salad into salt water,
and the bitter herbs into Haroseth.
5
" We all lean," another Orientalism.
The word p2D)D means
" banqueting," compare page (29), where theEabbis named were ( J ^ p P )
banqueting at B'nei Berak. The terms \*2W and J^2Dp when used in
the Talmud mean " ordinary m e a l " and " banquet" respectively.
6
Here commences the Hagadah, or narration proper. I t is the answer
of the parent to the question of his child. I t is of deepest interest to

27
in the land of Egypt. Leb all who are hungry come in
and eat 1 ; let all who require come in and celebrate the
Passover. This year we celebrate it here, may we celebrate
it next year in the land of Israel. This year we are in
exile, next year we may be free." 2
The egg and shanh-bone are replaced and the second cup of wine is filled.
The youngest competent at the table then saysz ;—

Wherefore is this night distinguished from all other nights?
On all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened
bread, but on this night only unleavened bread. On all
other nights we partake of all kinds of herbs, but on this
night, especially, bitter herbs. On all other nights we do
not dip the herbs once, but on this night we do so twice. 4
On all other nights we take our meal either sitting or
leaning, but on this night we all lean.5
The foliowing response is then given :—

WE

WERE SLAVES to

Pharaoh in

Egypt, 6

and

the

Lord our God brought us forth from thence with a strong
1
" Let all who are hungry come in and eat." This formula was by
no means confined to the Passover evening. Jewish hospitality always
dictated a liberal welcome at all festivities to the needy and the stranger.
The Talmud (Taanith 20b) relates of Rav Hunnah, of whose wealth and
benevolence there are many records, that " Whenever he took a meal he
used to open his doors, and say, whoever is hungry let him come in
and eat." Seder night has retained so many Orientalisms that it is easy
to understand that this formula is a survival of the old banqueting customs of the Jews. I t was not only the habit to thus open the door before
meals to welcome any passing stranger, but the doors were again opened
at the termination of the meal, in order that the guests might resume
their journey thus hospitably interrupted. This accounts for the otherwise mysterious ceremony of opening the door after the evening meal on
the Seder night. Briefly, this opening and closing of the doors was an
accompaniment of every grand banquet, for the more splendid the entertainment the more lavish the bounty to all comers. On the Seder every
Hebrew is enjoined by the Rabbis to be as princely as his means will
allow and this ceremony is merely an Oriental pretension (in no deroga-

28

yn&, ^Hj^n s'#n *& &$ • n?itM s?i-ip^ npm T3

n#o f rninn na D^nv 1&3 • mpi U^S * D^nj uta

Vn] • jrja *aa f*3$? w jtoiig ^ni: N3/py «ni:
!!K3^ 15? ' i - i ^ n ink ^ on*£ JTKT? ons&a

Dy&> p | *JM *TI • nnry }| i w ^ *ai *\m
*: }
a
sjriNx Di*-n5* liars |r^>

*I»N^ N$T

;a rwT!f>

note 3 thereon). In the absence of a decision in the Talmud, all three
forms have been retained in the Hagadah and they are all said, though
the original intention was, doubtless, that one of them should be
selected.
1
This paragraph concerning the illustrious Rabbis who found the
subject of the Exodus of such absorbing interest, has in itself the
deepest interest for us, as it cannot be traced in any Midrash, and,
therefore, is probably original in the Hagadah. It is the Hagadah's
own comment on the preceding paragraph. If these distinguished
Rabbis "found the subject of the Exodus so absorbing, how much more
must there be for us to learn about it. In the Tosefta there is a
similar story related of Rabban Gamaliel.
2
From the Mishnah Berachoth.

29
hand and outstretched arm. If the most holy, blessed
be He, had not brought forth our fathers from Egypt,
then we, our children, and our children's children, would
have been slaves to the Pharaohs in Egypt. Now, even
though all of us were wise, all of us of great understanding, all of us (learned as) elders, all of us familiar with the
Scripture, it would still be our duty to tell again the story
of the Exodus from Egypt, and the more we find to say of
the Exodus from Egypt, the more praiseworthy are we.
It happened to Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi
Elazar bon Azariah, Rabbi Akibah, and Rabbi Tarfon, that
they were once banqueting at B'nei B'rak, and were speaking
about the Exodus from Egypt all that night until their
disciples came and said to them, " Rabbis! the time has
arrived for saying the morning SHEMA !" l
Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said,2 " I am about seventy
years old, and I did not understand why the story of the
departure from Egypt should be told at night until Ben
Zoma explained it thus: 'The Bible says (Deut. xvi. 3),
'•That thou mayest remember the day when thou earnest
forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life."
Had it said '' The days of thy life," it would have referred
only to the day. But as it says, "'All the days of thy
life," it means to include the nights. The Sages, however,
say, had it said only " the days of thy life," it would have
note that the Hagadah, as we have it, contains three complete Hagadahs
or " narrations," as to the choice of one of which the Talmud discusses
(Talm. Pesachim 116a,), without coming to a definite decision as to which
is to be preferred. The main principle laid down was JTOJl ?*nn&
rQKQ D^DDI, i.e., " to commence with something not quite so dignified
in Israel's history, and to proceed to some episode more praiseworthy."
Here agreement ended. The question now arose, which of the forms
known to the Talmud was to be used for preference. The form commencing l ^ n D'H'iy (upon which the present note) is the recommendation of the well-known Shemuel. His equally famous colleague, Rav,
preferred the form of Hagadah commencing n?nDD " In remotest days "
(see page 33, and note 3 thereon). The Mishnah mentions the form commencing *OK 12K *D1tt " A Syrian ready to perish," (see page 35, and

30

v^ anpix ov.prjrn :ni^Vn ^ s n

•njn tsbiyri y^

J rv#sri

rto^

TJn *$*• ^

N*??1?

toy1? mto }W ifra • win ipia rtpan •spna
nn^ 'Q3n im rnin rn:n O'os nysn& iti$
: b)mh snv tow nnxi * an inxi • yeh
,

.

-

..

..

T V :

v

T

v ;

T

^

T

T

D'tDSBfeni D'pnni nn»n na iate wn na D^n
•

T

:

• - :

J* \ " :

r

T

••

-

T T

: j^p'flij nosn -ins pTtpab p« nosn
M ^ tn^> nxtfi rnbyn na laia win na w i
V T

•,• T

~

T

-; T

T

••

r

T

T

• ij?y$ i|)3 '•tan p ia^s? nx wtfintf ^ • i'? *6i
n^y n? nisya ib iaxi va'tf n« nrijxi nj-ix ejat]
Scientific criticism has other methods than those of the makers of
Midrash, but will never be able to detract from the value and beauty of
many of the Midrashic explanations, while for critical reverence the
world must look to our sages for example for ever. The passage under
comment is a fair specimen of Midrash though not one of the best.
The Bible has four references to the question of the son, there must be
then a reason for the repetition. The reason is, of course, that the four
questions refer to as many different classes of enquirers, and the Midrash
then proceeds to fit the questions to the enquirers.
3
The law that Aficoman was to be the last thing partaken of is
almost the last paragraph of the Mishnah upon the Seder ceremonies.
The expression, therefore, " Telling him of all the laws of the Passover
down to the law that no Aficoman may follow that of the Paschal
lamb," was tantamount to saying " Tell him all the laws, from first to
last."
4
Literally, " Make his teeth blunt."

31
referred to this world alone, but as it says, " All the days
of thy life," it means to include also the days of the
Messiah.'"
Blessed is the Omnipotent! Blessed be He ! Blessed is He
who gave the Law to His people Israel! Blessed be He ! x
Four times does the Bible refer to the enquiring son.
This indicates that the Bible thought of four kinds of
enquiring sons—the wise son, the wicked son, the simple
son, and the one that is too young to enquire himself.2
Which is the wise son's question? " What mean the
testimonies and the statutes and the judgments which the
Lord our God hath commanded you ?" (Deut. vi. 30.)
Thou must answer him by telling him of the laws of the
Passover down to the law that no aficoman may follow
the Paschal lamb.3
Which is the wicked son's question ? " Wha.t mean you
by this service ? " (Ex. xii. 26.) When he thus says You,
he purposely excludes himself, and so rejects one of the
principles of Judaism. Therefore mayest thou retort upon
him 4 by quoting (Exod. xiii, 8), " This is done because of that
which the Lord did for me when J came forth from Egypt."

1

This passage is best explained by the manner in which it is here
printed. I t has no connection whatever with the passages of Midrash
which follow, and which have been invariably printed with it in one
paragraph. This is the conclusion of one of the three complete forms
of Hagadah above referred to. I t is possibly a fragment of a long'er
prayer written in short lines of benediction, the refrain being Kin "p^Q
" Blessed be He." It happens very curiously, that the important duty
of narrating the Exodus to our children is the only Mitzvah for which no
regular blessing (rD*12) is prescribed.
2
This interesting specimen of Midrash—from the Mechilta—has
always required clearness of translation rather than elaborate explanation.
Four times does the Pentateuch, in speaking of the Passover, refer to
the natural and desirable contingency that the child should ask for an
explanation of the Passover ceremonies. Nothing escaped the attention
of the Rabbis, who examined the text of the Bible with the minutest
search for any possible suggestion in every word, nay in every letter.

32

•w

v!

rvn iW • sb tib\ h J £2H¥$? W 8

? "
a1?

: 'TJOJ rrn
T

: •

T

T

mini t ? * w • iS nn^ m hteyh y-tv i:iw}
•nxxa ^ ^ nb's? nj ^aya nb&6 NVin di»a ^a1?

iav,5 ^

•PIT

"fl^n ' t f ' ^ 5 9 ^

^ * tf»3

ua^p wayi wniaa vn rnj rniay nafy rbmt?
• csyn-Sa-^ ysfin* nz?N»i ifctatf irniayS dipsn
da^nia^ tatf» y\$n iaya S J O ^ »&SK ^ " ^

n

^

D*rft« nay?} o i m *3$ cn^K *aa rnri 'dSij/a
• dnriN

• ^ K J • Tian nayft orna&rm da*a&rriK npxi
-n$ i1? jn«^ i j n n ^

na-«i jyja pK-Saa frfo*

ib'yS JPM • ^ a n $ apy* n« prra'j? JPINJ * pnr
•

2

T

=

•

; T

T T

i

-=-=

•••

••••'

" Simple " is but another term for " uninformed."
" In remotest days." Here commences the second of the alternative
forms of the Hagadali found in the Talmud. It is as short and as concise
as the first.
4
" The flood." The river Euphrates.
3

33
For me (thou canst say), and not for him; if he had been
there he would not have been redeemed.1
Which is the simple 2 son's question ? " What is this ? "
Thou must answer him by saying: " By strength of hand
the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of
bondage."
If the son is too young to enquire, thou shalt open the
subject to him, as it is said (Exod. xiii. 8), " And thou
shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done
because of that which the Lord did for me when I came
forth from Egypt."
u
And thou shalt show thy son in that day."
When
does the Bible mean that the explanation shall commence ?
Should it be from the New Moon (of Nisan) ? N o : for
the Bible says, " In that day." Does " that day " mean the
daytime ? N o : for the Bible says " This is done," &c. I t
would not have said " This is done," except it referred to
the moment when the Matzah and bitter herbs were there
before thee (to be indicated).
In remotest days 3 our ancestors were idolaters, but now
God has brought us to worship Him, as it is said (Joshua
xxiv. 2), " And Joshua said unto all the people : Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other
side of the river 4 in old time, even Terah, the father of
Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served
other gods.
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of
the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan,
and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac. And I gave
unto Isaac, Jacob and Esau : and I gave unto Esau mount
Seir ; to possess i t ; but Jacob and his children went down
into Egypt.
1
A reference to the Midrashic tradition that there were numerous
malcontents in the ranks of Israel, in Egypt, who doubted Moses, and left
Egypt during the plague of darkness. These, according to the Midrash,
were met and annihilated by the Amalekites.

G

34

ifl-ijsnt* KVI ipn| • hvrjlyfy innaan n$&? n^na
dna^1? n»K$ n a i nib^^ • fjiffrn^ asm awn n,ma
an; Dnaa1? naN»5 n&K3# • D^nan pa r n a a wax
on« «») ovftgi &rh K1? p $ a sjgnr rvir nj *a jrrn
:*rtn| t^ana *«£ p-nrtN)
Z?]/£ wp £7t<? <?&£? of wine and

say:—

nay naSa nn& *&# * «S} wniatfS mjay^ ^ 1
wW canity nini nin Saa^ J ^ W 4 wniW? « ^
: DT& w ^ a Kin ipna rmpni • wtfiW?
The cup is replaced on the table.

• waa apsr1? r\wvb *si«n ja1? ^pa n& • n a ^ *re
n« nipyi #pa }a^ Dnafn ?y t ^ n» K1? njn&#
0 $ nj»i n$ jnxa nn»i *aK nak •sn^ ^%W * ^ n
jam d«y ^inn ^ QE> w &y;& 'n&a
TT

T

T

:

•

T

:

-

T :

nkba • w w • ntt^n •§ ^y DWK • nan?15?
•
.....

_|......

.

T

• • : •

TTJI

j _._

the clearer understanding of this arrangement, the text commented upon
is printed within marks of quotation.
3
Here at once we see the Midrashic method. The text means
" A Syrian ready to perish was my father" ; but with Midrashic
licence—the privilege of homilists of all ages—the passage is translated
" A Syrian would have caused my father to perish," and is commented
upon accordingly.
* Note, again, the text within marks of quotation.

m
Blessed be God who keepeth His promise to Israel!
Blessed be He ! x
Blessed be the Lord who determined when the bondage
should end, performing that which He promised to our
father Abraham in the " Covenant of the Pieces/' as it is
said (Gen. xv. 13), " And God said unto Abraham, Know
of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that
is not theirs, and shall be enslaved; and shall be afflicted
four hundred years ; and also that nation, whom they shall
serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with
great substance."
The cup of wine u lifted up while the following is said :—

And it is this (same promise) that hath been maintained to
our forefathers and to us, for there has not been only one
to rise up against us to destroy us, but in every generation
there have arisen against us those who would destroy us,
and the Holy One (blessed be He) has delivered us from
their hands.
The cup is replaced on the taole:—

Enquire and learn what Laban, the Syrian, 2 sought to do
to Jacob our father. For while Pharaoh decreed sentence
against the male children, Laban sought to destroy the
whole (of the family of Jacob), as it is said (Deut. XXVL 5),
" A Syrian (Laban) would have caused my father to perish/
and he went down to Egypt, and sojourned there with a few,
and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous."
" And he went down into Egypt," 4 inspired thereto by
the word of God. " And he sojourned there." This teacies
1

Probably another fragment of the old blessing, of which pa*t is
found on page 30, see note 1.
2
This is the third form of Hagadah, and is the one menticned
by the Mishnah. It happens that the Mishnah in prescribing this £>rm
says of the Jewish father, that *ltf *QN ^D")KD VT\\y\ " H e shallexplain from the passage ' A Syrian ready to perish was my fathe*.'"
The word EHH was taken to mean "Give Midrashic explanation."
The Hagadah therefore quotes a whole passage from the Midrash. Tor

c 2

36

rrpp p«-*3 «N^ pata i^1? njris-^K vi&#3 n i s ^

hty t c# D»i|XD ^sob" Vii# isfa? • ^ c^ w
«*?! wish n s Ssnb* ^ TON3^ n&3 • o«yi :
: cna p a n H 1 ^ . "ik£ Tx%z yyxwn
^nni YW? ™ ?
$«} nay ^ p ^ ^

n

£? 3 ran-)
D

T&$0

no? • ini

-"^ DH? 'IS? ^ ^ 3 *W?fil

:r»B>j3 rniy w^y W - ^ ^ P Bnysn ^nk ^1!1
)h ntysnty nari I O N ^ JIM 'Dnxsn una TO

37
that our ancestor Jacob did not go down to Egypt to remain
there, but only to sojourn; as it is further said (Gen,
xlvii. 4), "They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn
in the land are we come, for thy servants have no pasture
for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan;
now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in £he
land of Goshen."
"With a few," as it is said (Deut. x. 22), " T h y fathers'"
went down into Egypt with three score and ten persons;
and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of
heaven for multitude."
" And became there a nation." This teaches that Israel
became distinguished. "Great and mighty," as it is said
(Ex. i. 7), " And the children of Israel were fruitful, and
increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding
mighty, and the land was filled with them."
"And populous/' as it is said (Ezek. xvi. 7), " I have
caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou
hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments; thy shape is perfected, and thine hair is
grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare."
" And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us
and laid upon us hard bondage " (Deut. xxvi. 6).
" And the Egyptians evil entreated us," as it is said (Ex.
i. 10) " Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they
multiply, and it come to pass * that when there falleth out
any war they join also unto our enemies and fight against
us and so get them up out of the land."
"And afflicted us," as it is said (Ex. i. 11), "Therefore
they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with
their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities
(Pithom and Rameses)." " And laid upon us hard bondage,"
as it is said (Ex. i. 13), "And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour."
1

For explanation of this fear of the Egyptians see the introductory
essay,

38

*T)*1 ^abjrnx \\ y&Bty wnh&? *rb® *;-SK psraai
:«5MTtrn^ uS^B-n^ w . 3 r ^
*ri*i T&N30 nft? • «*JTQN ^n'7N »^>« pyp)
-p. 7^7^-m imKsi onxo t?o na»i onn D'a-in

D^*T5
'p*-*

••

T :

•

••

:

:

T

••-

• - :

•

J % v
•

T T-

••

T

•

-

T

^ j/hnhyn-fto D^75*n-7K DTOI:£2> Syrii • >ipwi rnhsri
-n$ D\i7K »a^i " ^ a ^ n&i • lijrnK •* ^OTpn^.-nx Dn-nx-na innrnx o ^ x isp. s n p ^

: ap£-n$
TEK^ H£| • pK 1JTT Wt^1§ I • «!5V"^ NT!
T
:D7I7& JH*1 *7*W* *3?ITIK D737J* «n»l

-nx 'nw, nri " t b ^ n£! • pmn nj • ttxn?-n^
tonix Q'xniS DHV£ iBte F&fci
N;iTbi!) n^toj anpi nprq T S • Dyixafc * ««•#»!
*
jD^nsiMi ninkn^i 7na

•narfl njn nSfpa

QHM?

H*& 'fi'PVl ^ #

' to$Ett

tion of a Bible text. The independence of the God of Israel of any
agent is a fundamental principle of Judaism, and is insisted upon with
eqlual noteworthy emphasis in the prayer i"PD5? ^""D (Authorised Prayer
Bdok, page 143). There we find p r 6 « n i i?3? &6l K3S>m ^ ^ ^ *6
fcWp^DD " I rely not on any man nor upon any angel, but on the God of
Heaven alone, who is the only true God."

89
" And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers,
the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and
our labour and our oppression" (Deut. xxvi. 7).
" And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers/'
as it is said (Ex. ii. 23), " And it came to pass in process of
time that the king of Egypt died; and the children of
Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and
their cry came up to God by reason of the bondage."
"The Lord heard our voice," as it is said (Ex. ii. 24),
" And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His
covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."
" And He saw our affliction/' This refers to Egyptian
tyranny over Hebrew family life:* as it is said (Ex. ii. 25),
" And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had
respect unto them.' ,
" And our labour/' This refers to the condemned male
children of the Hebrews, as it is said (Ex. i. 22), " Every son
that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter
ye shall save alive/'
" And our oppression." This refers to its severity, as it
is said (Ex. iii. 9), " And I have also seen the oppression
with which the Egyptians oppressed them/'
" And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a
mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great
terribleness, and with signs and wonders " (Deut. xxvi. 8).
" And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt/ 5 2 Not
by the hands of an angel, nor by the,hands of a seraph, nor
by the hands of a messenger; but it was the Holy One,
blessed be He, himself, and himself alone, as it is said
(Ex. xii. 12), " F o r I will pass through the land of Egypt
this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of
1

According to a Talmudic legend, the Egyptian persecution of Israel
took the form of imposing separations and restrictions in the home life
of the people which added to their affliction and to the pity with which
God regarded their bondage.
s
This deserves notice as something more than a Midrashic elabora-

40

VT^S b#) nana-m) cnrK£ QHV& p ¥ 5 -riaa-^a
: ^ ^ D*&£# n t a Dnva
-Sa ''ran) t ^ a KS) *J*J •»*]?& p a n ^ 1 5 ^
• D*tps# n.^y>\4 Dyira •nSN ^
: s Te *6] *J« * " t o
pf>
J iris KS] wn ^ •» »JN • n^^n KS) ^
rrin »p! n-n -TO&J> n&a ••nyp « nprq Ta
j t e i npaa D^aaa Dnbrja a^sa rn|>a n^K ^j?fca
t i t o -aa -):n
nsbtf ianrn

noa • annn « • rn&3 inra
: DS^Y W n ? ^ • iTa
nDjrj 1 IN *I&N|^ rifta • n s w ^ « • b ^ ^ibsi
nhka nb£>a »te a ^ a *ta i1? nnpb Kia1? CD'HSM
a w t o n^D3 yhpsi nprn Tai nan^ai D*nsto;a
: T W ? onxoa DD'HSN *• DaS nfew-iBte ^ba a ^ a
J v

••

:

I&K|0

• - : • :

v

••

v:

T:

V T

T

v

T

-:

:

:

n:Tn n$3n-n$ I O N ^ naa •nissn nj •ninboi
j nhfcrrnK ia nmn iBte ^jTa nj?n
ta^nsto woi
• :

• -

T

IDN3B>

:

- v: v v

rraa • o n n? •Ernsbni
T

;

T

-

v

• :

:

5

: |Bty nhani •tfKJ • en • p&s ) D w ' a
•o»fl# rwau 5hDi •twitf nptn "pa
• - :

T

:

-

: •

• - ;

JTT

-:

T;

•II-IK
••-

ttff& D*naiaM * D ^ nhfcyi * w ^

w
T T

N^jfa^

hand," " outstretched arm," and " great terribleness," each contain two
terms, and this fact to the keen searcher after Midrashic explanation was
sufficient to indicate a double force in their effect. The expressions
" s i g n s " and " w o n d e r s " being plurals, suggested the inference of the
Midrash that their force was much greater than would have been
expressed by the terms u a sign " and " a wonder" in the singular.

41
Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgment; I am the Lord."
"For I will pass through the land of Egypt," i.e., I, myself,
and not an angel; " And will smite all the first-born/' I,
myself, and not a seraph; " And against ail the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgment," I, myself, and not a
messenger. " I am the Lord " ; it is I and no other.
" With a mighty hand." This refers to the murrain, as
it is said (Ex. ix. 3), " Behold the hand of the Lord is upon
thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the
asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep.
There shall be a very grievous murrain."
" And with an outstretched arm." This refers to the
sword, of which it is said * (1 Chron. xxi. 16), " Having
a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem."
"And with great terribleness." This refers to the
revelation by God (to Israel) of His divine presence, as it
is said (Deut. iv. 34), " Or hath God assayed to go and take
him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a
mighty hand and by a stretched out arm, and by great
terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for
you in Egypt before your eyes/'
" And with signs." This refers to the rod (of Moses), as
it is said (Ex. iv. 17), " And thou shalt take this rod in
thine hand wherewith thou shalt do signs."
"And with wonders." This refers to the blood, as it is
said (Joel ii. 30), " And I will show wonders in the heavens
and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke."
Another explanation is, that these expressions: " A
mighty hand," " A n outstretched arm," "Great terribleness," " Signs " and " Wonders," each denote a double share
in the plagues of which they were the instrument. 2
1

Referring to the vision of David when the progress of the destroying
angel was intercepted. The Midrash means that this sword of destruction, which we find punishing Israel in the time of David, was the same
sword used by the destroying angel in Egypt on the night of the Exodus.
2
What the Midrash m'eans to convey is that the expressions " m i g h t y

42

frnx&n by wn ipi3femjxitvyyp ntoa im hx
• }fj ^

J Dnxaa

J rfhtos ni& • ^ n • n|iK
^"iy "spH • Q ^ P ^C1? pfo n!C

n

T n ! '3*3

D^nxsri }pW iota r\m pao • naix V?an *pv ^ 1
D?isa| • ntoa a w n ipS t^rr^i • rtofc *ro Dn?M
J
QTI^N J;3VN njns ?N fi^-pn wpPi Tate NVI na
T i r m h&p) t<j) lain ^ n na DJTI V?) : Nnn

D!TVW n#v» ni&K • ni3£ i^y • j?5v«5 ^ nsa
J nisa n*g»&n ^ D»n W) • r>to£ *w ^
^inpn wariB* n$o* nsa ^

pa£ • T#K i?f ^ *|i

nnWa rq$ ns?n n^s? )m pin m - n ^ i&$#
• vhw rm\ • D$M# syn - nriK rrv?» • twn ^4?^
tion was seized upon for what became, as in cases like these, a whole
superstructure of Midrash. In Egypt the finger of God is spoken of,
at the Eed Sea the hand of God. Such importance did the Kabhis
place upon the merest accident of expression that a sage like Eabbi
Jose, in his reverent desire to glorify the manifestation of God's power,
could argue that, as there are five fingers to the hand 7 so the hand of
God administered fifty plagues, whereas the finger imposed only ten.

43
These are the ten plagues which the Holy One, blessed
be He, did bring upon the Egyptians in Egypt, namely:
Blood, frogs, lice, vermin, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts,
darkness, slaying of the first-born.
Rabbi Judah made of them (of the initial letters of each
of these terms) the following signs n'n'K'3 W"ry_: Y T ^ . x
Rabbi Jose of Galilee said : " Whence do we know that
while the Egyptians suffered ten plagues in Egypt, they
were, at the Red Sea, smitten with fifty plagues." 2 Of
Egypt, it is said (Ex. viii. 19), " Then the magicians said
unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God." While of the
Red Sea it is said (Ex. xiv. 31), " And Israel saw that
great hand with which the Lord wrought againsb Egypt),
and the people feared the Lord, and believed in the Lord
and in his servant Moses."
Now, if with the finger of God they were smitten with
ten plagues, then we may say that in Egypt (where they
were smitten by the finger of God) they were smitten with
ten plagues, while at the Red Sea (where the whole hand
of God was manifest) they were smitten with fifty
plagues.
Rabbi Eleazer said, Whence can we tell that each plague
that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the
Egyptians in Egypt was equal to four plagues ? Because
it is said (Ps. lxxviii. 49), " He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, WRATH and INDIGNATION, and TROUBLE,
by SENDING EVIL ANGELS among them." Now WRATH
indicates one plague, INDIGNATION a second, TROUBLE a

third,

SENDING EVIL ANGELS

a fourth; hence we may say

1
The object of R. Judah was simply to avoid the mention of the
plagues by their names.
2
This paragraph and the two that follow it have given rise to a
great amount of criticism, the trend of which has been to question their
seriousness and utility. They are but ordinary specimens of simple
Midrash—not the Midrash at its best, but still not Bible criticism at its
worst. It will be borne in mind (see p. 31, note 2) that the Rabbis searched
the Bible text most keenly for possible suggestion. The least justifica-

44

^p? cnv»3 nny& "tox 'jEna £m * 3 ^ ^W 2 ?
tntoft D^KJS ^ o»n W) 'ni3£ &W]^
«*## n?»i na» ^
\isb • ipte £^py: '51
Eton ^ njvn DH#?3 D**-«sn by ton Tp3 ehijpri
mtt D»n may isx jhn D rbvh ibmtf *r\S3b
a
T T

:

•DW

-- ;

:

- v:v v

rmy 'nm tea fnn 'Dnn

^K^S

T

: v

-

I

-:

- -

T

ipS D n Ssn • niao D^bn ^
»

nn^o

dH$?a nnya ^DK

t u^y Dips'? ninia niWa naa
:

nb>y *6i:
• ttp&& DFQ nby &$
dC^rte nby *6i
•DPpnSttti n&yy &$

«H

D^SB> DH|

: «n

• DITTOS Jin

jw
.. -

• u^
•

&«

Ditea nx «•? mj *&i
T

T

v

T

J _T

.

• Dalea n « « S }ru &K
. a»n n x « S jnp a1?}

the refrain " D a y e n u " indicating that any one of these manifestations
of God's beneficence would have been sumcient to call forth our
gratitude. Some misunderstanding of the meaning of this refrain makes
it necessary to emphasise that it does not mean that any one of the
benefits referred to would have been sufficient for our needs, but would
have been sufficient to claim our grateful acknowledgment.

45
that in Egypt they were smitten with plagues equal to
forty, while at the Red Sea they were smitten with plagues
equal to two hundred.
Rabbi Akiba said, Whence may we say that each plague
thnt the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the
Egyptians in Egypt was equal to five plagues ? Because it
is said, " He cast upon them the FIERCENESS OF HIS ANGER,
WRATH a n d INDIGNATION, a n d TROUBLE, b y SENDING EVIL
ANGELS." T h e FIERCENESS OF HIS ANGER is One, WRATH is a

second, INDIGNATION is a third, TROUBLE is a fourth, SENDING
EVIL ANGELS is a fifth. Hence we may say, that in Egypt
they were smitten with plagues equal to fifty, while at the
Red Sea they were smitten with plagues equal to two
hundred and fifty.
How many are the benefits which God has conferred
upon us ? x
If He had brought us from Egypt, and had not executed
judgments upon the Egyptians : I t would have sufficed for
our gratitude.
If He had executed judgments upon the Egyptians, and
had not then executed judgments upon their gods : I t would
have sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had executed judgments upon their gods, and had
not slain their first-born : It would have sufficed for our
gratitude.
If He had slain their first-born, and had not then given
us their substance: It would have sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had given us their substance, and had not then
divided the Red Sea: I t would have sufficed for our
gratitude.
1

It is not possible to fix either the date or the author of this composition. It is found in Hagadahs of the time of Maimonides, though
Maimonides does not include it in his version. As it is found nowhere
except in the Hagadah, it may be inferred that it was one of the few
piyutim written especially for the Seder. Starting from the period of
the Exodus, various incidents in the history of Israel are enumerated,

46

• Q»n m xfo jnp fox
t w*
»n

ranna iainn « T ^ C ^ 1
• nnna toim i n w i ^iW
T

j«n

T T;

v

:

T

• v: v

ininsi unx ypv ifo)

• iaina unx yp® fox
x « n n?f tri/anx nanaa u?1? pap K^ :

• rutf n^a-ia laisa ya-a psb fox
• T

TT

: u*l

: -

: • -

T

•• : T

I

•• •

n|^'n n« ^ }ro *&]
• n|^'n nsst )h |rg &K
• *jp i n ^
«aij3 fox
rninn ns* vb }ru *6i

t u»i

• rntan nx «^ jnj &$
"wife* px1? «D*ian ^ i

: u**

..

T

. .

j

.......

T

. . .

.

• h$isr y1*6 up\?an fox
tm

n^nan n'3 nx «S r m

^

DipaS nSf^jpi rtasa naia nsa^ nsa nrig Vy
nfewj • Dnpstr Dna n^yi: •&?">?$? «N*tin£ •wVy
jhj?) • c?i»P nx «S \iw\ * Dnniaa jn$ • Drvn^a
«H¥ Pj3#) * n?"30l ^i|n:? ^T^OI ' D** i*< %h
* *yp ir» ^

u ^ p * r\W* ™$ %h 1™] ' 1 ^ n$

47
If He had divided the Red Sea for us, and had not then
made us to pass through its midst on dry land : I t would
have sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had made us to pass through its midst on dry
land, and had not sunk our adversaries in the midst
thereof: I t would have sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had sunk our adversaries in the midst thereof,
and had not provided for our needs in the desert for forty
years: I t would have sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had provided for our needs in the desert for forty
years, and had not fed us with the manna : I t would have
sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had fed us with the manna, and had not given us
the blessing of the Sabbath : It would have sufficed for our
gratitude.
If He had given us the Sabbath, and had not brought
us to Mount S i n a i : l It would have sufficed for our
gratitude.
If He had brought us to Mount Sinai, and had not given
us the Law: I t would have sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had given us the Law, and had not brought us to
the Land of Israel: I t would have sufficed for our gratitude.
If He had brought us to the Land of Israel, and had
not built for us the House of His Choice (the Temple): I t
would have sufficed for our gratitude.
How much, therefore, has the goodness of the Almighty
been doubled and redoubled towards us ! For He brought
us from E g y p t ; He executed judgments upon the
Egyptians; He executed judgment upon their gods; He
slew their first-born; He gave us their substance; He
divided for us the Red Sea; He made us to pass through
its midst on dry land; He sunk our adversaries in the
midst thereof ; He provided for our needs in the desert for
forty years; He fed us with the manna; He gave us the
blessing of the Sabbath; He brought us to Mount Sinai;
In order there to enjoy the glories of the Revelation.

48

nsrn * 7xnb». px1? up^rin] • nnifin na «^ \m
j wniiiy 73 75? i s ^ • rrynan jva. nx «^>
o n r i n^7^ na« KW 73 • n$iK njn 7 « ^ i |3n
rrcft np$ • jn &KI * irnin H* ^ £ **& i";ps3 ^
The celebrant points out the bone of the lamb to the children.

via. 75? wn •sp-ia ^Hj^n nps^ wtf 75; • n& m# 75?
^ wn npa raj a r n ^ l i£K3# • c n p ? «»nb«
Dnx&riK )%m d;np3 7N^J-*|5 ^3-71? nps I^N
: nnnBh dun np»i W i wns nxi
-:-:•-

TT

J •-

• •

••

v :

T

The celebrant now points to the Matzah,

NiW vw 7y • n o q^'W

D ^ K «K#

« nxe

on^5? n ' w ny r&nrfr ^ ^ ^ D i ^ P W
n&K3# •D^KJI «in ^n3 ennj?n D^Wt *pba ^
K7 *3 ni¥o niiy DH$$& W#PI n^K: pxsn-nj* w&\
ni* D3) fi^TOn1? ^ **7i & V & lEhiri p n
H&
{DnS «8ty K7
V T

T

The bitter herbs are now pointed out.

vrpw D^-75? • n& Q^-75? D>!?3iK UK# nj nhfc

word "IDK frequently means " t o explain" rather than to " s a y . " The
Rabbis of the Gemara were, in fact, called " Amoraim " because they
explained the Mishnah.

49
He gave us the Law; He brought us to the Land of Israel;
He built for us the Temple in which we atoned for our
iniquities.
Kabban Gamaliel said,* " Whoever does not explain
these three things on the Passover has not fulfilled his
duty, and these are they: The Passover offering; the
unleavened bread; the bitter herbs.
The celebrant points out the hone of the lamb to the children.

What is the reason for the sacrifice of the Passover
which our fathers partook of in the time of the
Temple? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, passed
over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt as it is said
(Ex. xii. 27), " Ye shall say it is the sacrifice of the Lord's
Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of
Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered
our houses.
And the people bowed the head and
worshipped."
The celebrant now points to the Matzah.

This unleavened bread :—Why is this eaten ? Because
the dough of our ancestors had not time to become
leavened ere the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One,
blessed be He, appeared to them and redeemed them, as it
is said (Ex. xii. 39), " And they baked unleavened cakes of
the dough which they brought forth from Egypt, for it
was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt,
and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual."
The bitter herbs are now pointed out.

This bitter herb which we now eat:—What does it
mean ? I t is eaten because the Egyptians embittered the
lives of our forefathers in Egypt, as it is said (Ex. i. 14),
1
This is from the Mishnah. Rabban Gamaliel's meanir g is made
lear by translating the word ">£>& by " explain.' 5 I n the Talmud the
D

50

m a y Saai ta^a^ai n&ha n&p masa nn**n m
: Tisa ana ^nay I # K Dmay-^a nx mfra
-:

T

T

:

« .. .

I

VT

:

v

.

v

:

T

:

T

v

T

|T

—:

": -

T

T

-;

T

v

•• -

v

••

T

v

*

T

K!in &aa to»> rw rftW? am a>n im fn Saa
• :

: -

v

:*

1

T

T

T

-

T

T :

ibxS Kftn &i>a spa ? fnssi\ T&NIIB* • Dnxsa x r
«*nta« riK *6 : Dnxaa *nt«a h « nb>y nr "naya
):

-.

• :

: -

T

%: v v
*

-

....

. T. . .

v

• :

.

T.

- .

TT

.

.

T

T

_. -

y

Dnay ^ uniN CJM KW • wn ijftafc?ftj3n^415^2
^ nn1? «nfc wan ryaS defo wirtn urriw lawe*
T

•• T

T

• T

I-

- ;

T

•

•

T

I

- V! V V

: wriaxS yaK>j -I^K pvNn n«
X?/£ «jf> £A^ cup of wine while the following is said:—

1

nab ? 7$$b nag^ ^ n ^ nftin'p D*a;n u n ^ yy$h
}ft] wrrtaa!? n r o f ^ •o^pi nW? ipa^ I T ^
to • t-tnrh n n a s a uwxin nVxn D»D3n ^a m
I

T

•

••

: - ••

:

•

T

v •• T

. . -

T

• Sfta nta^ rr?Bx»i • ate cvV Saxtfi • rmt^h
: mVSn nehn rrvtf vW? TDKA * rhah "rtay^
T

T

;

: -

T

T

T

-:

..

_.

.

..

T

•

T T

;

-

v

:

..

..

T

.

T

•., : •

.

.

:

Psalm cxiii.

«.&# *.T : * D&rnx ft^n ^ nay £hn I i r f e
*
magnificent psalms that is the vehicle of Israel's praise to God on all
festive occasions. If there is an occasion when, more than at other
times, we feel their every word it is on this passover night. It is,
however, interesting to note that their position in this service takes us
back directly to a feature of the Temple service. The Hallel was sung
in the Temple while the Passover sacrifice was being made. In later
times as the family meal was supposed to represent the old Passover
family sacrifice, the Hagadah arranges for its being partaken of between
the singing of the Hallel. We, therefore, find that part of the Hallel
is sung immediately before the meal and the remainder immediately
after it. ,

51
" And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in
mortar and in bricks, and in all manner of service in the
field; all their service wherein they made them serve was
with rigour."
In every generation each one of us should regard himself
as though he himself had gone forth from Egypt, as it is said
(Ex. xiii. 8), " And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, 1
saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did
unto me when I came forth out of Egypt." Not our
ancestors alone did God redeem then, but he did us redeem
with them, as it is said (Deut. vi. 23), " And he brought
us out from thence, that he might bring us in to give us
the land which he sware unto our fathers."
Lift the cup of wine and say :—

Therefore 2 we are in duty bound to thank, to praise, to
glorify, to exalt, to honour, to bless, to extol, and to give
reverence to Him who performed for us, as well as for our
forefathers, all these wonders. He has brought us forth
from 3 bondage to freedom, from 4 sorrow to joy, from
5
mourning to festival, from 6 darkness to bright light,
and from 7 slavery to redemption. Now, therefore, let us
sing before Him a new song, Hallelujah !
HALLEL. 8
Psalm cxiii.

Praise ye
1

the Lord.

Praise, 0

ye servants of the

The Hagadah means to say, " Thou shalt tell thy son as though
thou and he equally shared the redemption of that very day."
3
This is an introduction to the Hallel, taking the place of the introductory blessing usually said when the Hallel is read in the morning
prayers.
3
i.e.. The Exodus from Egypt.
4
The return from the Babylonian exile.
5
Refers to the institution of Purim.
6
Refers to the Maccabean victories.
7
Is the fond hope for the future.
8
No explanation is needed for reading the Hallel, the collection of
D 2

52

V5 * : ni33 Qw'rr^y * I Msrhshs di t » D#
&
T

.

•

-

T

-

-

T

:

•

T

-

T

T

;

«

1

{F*ix3i d^^'s nixi ? ^ 3 $ O T t r g ^ •ri»aa©ri wr6x
D^H3-ny *5^n^> : }V3x onj rtsefoto hiT -)|>y& vrpa
nri£k> c^an-ax n^sn rnpy *y#to : toy *3HJ ay

Psalm cxiv»

nn^n .• ryS Dy» 3py;. iv3 ar$& Wfy! r«*¥?
l-pri DJ»I ntn q»n :vnlSt5teo hxrter iehpS rmT
I

:-~

T-

T

T

T

-

T

:

: -

••

T

; •

:}T

:

T

^npin nnnn : Tinx1? 3bn prwi Dun *3 D»n ^>-no
^sVp p x ^ fl"t$ ^ W M«X"W ^^3? B'1?^3
J yp-SWtib

B^$Vn D?D-DJ« TWI? ^shn : 3py! 9 1 ^

S?^ ^ a n ^ • DSiyn IJSD wrbx « nnx ^-13
nxo to VbxS njri nSfpn «»*ari^ • t n r a a wrfbg nx
}:i33 D*ri»^ tibvh »*ONIJ^? Q^an onti^ s^rf?}
to} ia»nap JO oe> Ssjfoi • ^rntayj o w ) ^yy
*(? nntoi • jte*f? ^qa«? Tp W D ^ y ^ nete D^nosn

53
Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the
name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun until the going down of the
same the Lord's name is to be praised. The Lord is high
above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who
is like unto the Lord our God, that hath his seat on high,
that humbleth himself to behold the things that are in
heaven and in the earth ? He raiseth up the poor out of
the dust, and lifteth up the needy from the dunghill; that
he may set them with princes, even with the princes of his
people. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and
to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

Psalm cxiv.

When Israel went forth out of Egypt, the house
of Jacob from a people of strange language; Judah
became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea saw it
and fled; Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped
like rams, the little hills like young sheep. What aileth
thee, 0 thou sea, that thou fleest ? Thou Jordan, that thou
turnest back ? Ye mountains, that ye skip like rams; ye
little hills like young sheep ? Tremble, thou earth, at the
presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob ;
which turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a
fountain of water.
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the
Universe, who didst redeem us and our ancestors from
Egypt, and hast brought us even to this night to eat thereon unleavened bread and bitter herbs. So, 0 Lord our God,
and the God of our fathers, mayest thou enable us to attain
to other feasts and sacred days in future, with gladness at
the rebuilding of thy city and with joy in thy service.
There (in Jerusalem rebuilt) may we partake, in thy
favour, of the sacrifices and of the Passover offerings

54

"

T ;

•

- T

T :

Drink the second cup of wine.

WASHING THE HANDS.

Wash the hands and say:—

THE UNLEAVENED BKEAD.

2%<? celebrant distributes to each one present a piece of the first and of the
second Matzahs. These are eaten after the following blessing is said:—

^ nw

stricken people. He, therefore, inserted the remaining part of the
blessing, breathing in every line the hopeful longing of a brave,
undaunted patriot. He gained his point against the more pessimist
counsel of Rabbi Tarphon and eventually, lost his life, a martyr to
the Jewish cause.
2
In preparation for the meal, which actually commences with the
eating of the unleavened bread.
3
Some versions of the Hagadah prescribe that one piece of Matzah
shall be eaten immediately after the lirst of the two blessings, and
that another piece shall be eaten after the second blessing, thus marking
the difference between the bread of an ordinary meal and the special
duty that, this night, Matzah shall be eaten.

55
offered upon thine altar, when we will offer to thee a new
song for our redemption and our salvation. Blessed art
thou, O Lord, redeemer of Israel. 1
Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the Universe,
Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Drinh the second cup of wine.

WASHING OF T H E HANDS. 3
On washing the hands before the meal the following is
said:—
Blessed art thou, 0 Lord, King of the Universe, who
hast sanctified us with thy precepts, and commanded us
concerning the washing of the hands.
THE UNLEAVENED BREAD. 3
The celebrant distributes to each one present a piece of the first and of the
second Matzahs. These are eaten after the following blessing is said :—

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the
Universe, who bringeth forth bread from the earth.
Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the
Universe, who hast sanctified us with thy precepts, and
commanded us to eat unleavened bread.
1

This is the blessing of redemption. The first sentence, simply
expressing gratitude for being spared to celebrate the Passover, is the
composition of Eabbi Tarphon, of whom we read in the earlier
parts of the Hagadah. Tarphon lived in troublous times for Israel,
shortly after the crushing blow which deprived Israel of nationality.
H e was one of those who, though patriotic to the core, accepted the
blow with comparative resignation. H e was satisfied, therefore, in
formulating the blessing of redemption, with this plain expression of
gratitude for the attainment to the festival. Not so, however, his
friend, Eabbi Akiba. Akiba's whole soul longed for the restoration.
He would acknowledge no blessing of redemption which, praising God
for favours past, did not entreat Him for further grace towards His

56

THE BITTER HERBS.

The celebrant now distributes a piece of the horse-radish dipped into the
haroseth, before partaking of which the following blessing is said;—

T

• -;

-

T

• :

:*p:>
HILLEl/S CEREMONY.

A piece of horse-radish, placed between two pieces of Matzah, is then
distributed and the following is said:—

rrc» ^ i 3 rrn • DJJ? e^pen n*3# JE>?3 bbr\ nby j |
OHha* r t o Vy i£K3&> na djp^ • nrj$ ^ w in»i

THE EVENING MEAL IS NOW TAKEN.

:pas
JL£ £ < ^?ti o/ £/i<? evening meal, prior to the Grace after meals, the celeA?
brant distributes to all present a piece of the Matzah set aside in the earcy
part of the ceremony, after which nothing more is eaten.

and bitter herbs, or whether they were simply meant to be eaten
during the course of the same meal. I n order to satisfy himself he
took them all three together, and this ceremony is in remembrance of
what Hillel did, the second piece of Matzah representing the passover
lamb.
_ * For the explanation of this see note 1, p. 25.
.

57

THE BITTER HERBS.
The celebrant now distributes a piece of the horse-radish dipped into the
haroseth, before partaking nfwhich the following blessing is said :—

Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, Kino; of the universe,
who hast sanctified us with thy precepts and commanded
us concerning the eating of the bitter herbs.

HILLEL'S CEREMONY. 1
This commemorates what Hillel did; for so did Hillel in
the time when the Temple existed. He used to take a piece
of the Passover lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs
and partake of them together, in order to fulfil literally
what is said in the Torah, " with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs shall they eat i t " (namely the Passover lamb).

THE AFICOMAN. 2
J t the end of the evening meal, prior to the Grace after meals, the celebrant distributes to all present a piece of the Matzah set aside in the
early part of the ceremony, after which nothing more is eaten.

1
This is an example of the love for literality which distinguished
the Rabbis and which was not too small even for the great mind of
Hillel. The Bible says (Ex. xii. 8), " And they shall eat the flesh in
that night roast with fire, and unleavened bread ; with bitter herbs
they shall eat it." Hillel was in doubt whether the Bible meant that
the paschal lamb was to be eaten together with the unleavened bread

58
The third cup is then filled, and Grace said as follows:—

G-BACE A F T E B M E A L S .

Psalm cxxvi.

««n ji»s r\y$-n$
j) a^a • niW&n i*#
V &* T nri «i^!i ws pins? vhw IK : mrfrtrrs
T a' X

nba ^

li^n map* nana ny&ns nnnin :^33

27^ following Introduction is customary if three or more Males, above
the age of thirteen, have eaten at table together:

He who says Grace commences thus:—

TJie others respond:-—

.£fe W7M ^ ^ ^ Grace proceeds:—

»0tal rwia
T/7 £&£?•<? Je present ten or more Males above the age of thirteen, the
word
is added.

tiWfc ^ 3 ^ ^ (WTjbx) "SJI^
:Z%0 others respond:—

59
GRACE AFTER MEALS.
Psalm cxxvi.

A Song of Degrees.

When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we
were like unto them that dream. Then was our mouth
filled with laughter, and our tongue with exultation: then
said they among the nations, The Lord hath done great
things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us,
whereof we are glad. Bring back our captivity, 0 Lord, as
the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy. Though hegoeth on his way weeping, bearing
the store of seed: he shall come back with joy bearing his
sheaves.
The following Introduction is customary if three or more Males, above
the age of thirteen, have eaten at table together :
He who says Grace commences thus:—

Let us say Grace.
The others respond :—

Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth
and for ever.
He who says Or ace proceeds:—

With the sanction of those present,
If there be present ten or more males above the age of thirteen, the words
" our God " are added :—

We will bless him (our God) of whose bounty we have
eaten.
The others respond :

Blessed be he (our God) of whose bounty we have
eaten, and through whose goodness we live.

60

He who say* Grace replies:—

If less than three Males above the age of thirteen be present, begin here—

df^rrm. }-n •oStyn ^
w n ^ T» nfia ip3
»
- ^ DP/? jrfa wn • D^n-i^ npna jna i3i&3 • fe
"iDm6 Ton ^ian teiftM : Vran aSw1? » * ifra
a
• T

- T

-

T

:

: -

** :

T

•

T T

•Srm ^ -rays iv) zhiih prp uir'-©iT W| vh
-hi1?' |ira p?ai bbh 3TO hb? Dinso^i JT ton ^
T
: ^an-n$ jfn •« nnx ^ns • *n3 ^ vni-n.3
p x WJYQ**1? ^nan^ Sy «*n^ « "f? nrfn
rwa wrfot « uns«w ^sn ' m m i mta man
I

v v ••

••

v:

T

:

••

T

v

- :

T

T

:

T

v

T :

D

nannf W ^ l ^ 1 ' ^3y *V3& «nnw • DVW&
• Mnsrtf n# Tj^n Sy] *tfiJH&W^rnto hs) • u^33
j? nnK2> pra rfr*3^ Wl *ttfijtfn$> nop) jn ovn ^ i
j n y s r ^ i ny-'mi DV-^3 Tan «n1« wifiM
T T

••

T :

T

;

• T

T :

•

•• : ~ :

T

• ^nix D ^ & I ^ onto urqg wrta^ » ^3n Vyi
• 3^33 t Tfl rfrtj/p Tfift *nJ?3 ^3 ^0 YW.
n3bn nan-Vy THSM «-n« roiM riyns^i isfatfi
T

-

)

VT

T

-

) v

v:

T:

v

T

:

- ••

T

; T T

;

1 -

T

; -

T

;

: ' ^ T W I n^'^y * " ^ T $ 'i ? !^ - ^
• Tyy d?^n* W] 4 ^ y ^SH^'^y wnSg « Drri
• s|rp#b -in ITS ndpa Wi * ^T33 \wh p*v Wl

61
He who says Grace replies:—

Blessed be he (our God) of whose bounty we have eaten,
and through whose goodness we live.
Blessed be he, and blessed be his name.
If less than three Males above the age of thirteen be present begin here:—

Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the universe,
who f eedest the whole world with thy goodness, with grace,
with lovingkindness and tender mercy; thou givest food
to all flesh, for thy lovingkindness endureth for ever: and
through thy great goodness food hath never failed us,
neither will it fail us for ever and ever, for thy great
name's sake, since thou nourishest and sustainest all beings,
and doest good unto all, and provides^ food for all thy
creatures whom thou hast created. Blessed art thou, O
Lord, who givest food unto all.
We thank thee, 0 Lord our God, because thou didst give
as an heritage unto our fathers a desirable, good and ample
land, and because thou didst bring us forth, O Lord our
God, from the land of Egypt, and didst deliver us from the
house of bondage; as well for thy covenant which thou
hast sealed in our flesh, thy Law which thou hast taught
us, thy statutes which thou hast made known unto us, the
life, grace and lovingkindness which thou hast vouchsafed
unto us, and for the food wherewith thou dost constantly
feed and sustain us on every day, in every season, at every
hour.
For all this, 0 Lord our God, we thank and bless thee !
Blessed be thy name by the mouth of all living continually
and for ever, even as it is written, And thou shalt eat and
be satisfied, and thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the
good land which he hath given thee. Blessed art thou, O
Lord, for the land and for the food.
Have mercy, O Lord our God, upon Israel thy people,
upon Jerusalem thy city, upon Zion the abiding place of
thy glory, upon the kingdom of the house of David thine

62

^•n.nn) • «DTO ^ l ^ l «D31S ^ T 13sn * ^ 5 ^
j; i^nvri-^ ^31 t wjrrtir^jb r\ynb wrbx «
•DnaiSn H ^ J & dm iba runa H ^ K1? «\ifo
*&# •nanim ntfhj-n nmnsn n«Wi rr 1 ? DK *3
T

T T

:

-

••

T T

:

•

T :

:

T

T T

J:-

T

T

-

T

:

-

:

~

T

••

•• : -

v<.

•

J :

T :

J iv) tfytfc 0^35 *&] ^i33
0» Sabbath add till n i o n j n ^J)31.

•y*3Bfa DV rn?2?3i ^pnixaa *i3*rjSN * rn^qrp nyn
*
tan snipi Sn| nj DV »3 • njri &nprf\ hasp nag>n
"^irpi • ^Ixn njtos M3q«5 is ni^l te-rae^ "?p3t/?
|?3331 "^VB }i»x n&ma WHSK ": i3*nn) •uorms
W51 ntyitrn Sys KVI nm ^3 • s$hp TV ta1?^-)*
nVTI n^T.l y^-1 *&!! n ^ ! • wrrtsst \iVl wnS«
fnsn • wrftag p"i3n wfrj^ wh T -on ipsn y&B^
aD
1
pi3Ti • Tj^*ip *vy D : ? ^ p3n: • Tpj^y nn |a rr#9
ion1? jn1? nnto1? rials'? • y:*b S&r$* r\% ^ y ^s
«15j •njn rt^sn 3n ava Q ^ B ^ D'*^|i? tD^O^
b u y w ) Tipnn^ 13 131751 T ^ W ? i3 wri^K »
•
i3^y Dnni iMn) Din tfl&rni rnyi£» ^3131 - D ^
: nn$ Dimi pan ^ h$ '2 * wry sp^t '2 ' W&fa)

63
anointed, and upon the great and holy house that waf
called by thy name. O our God, our Father, feed us
nourish us, sustain, support and relieve us, and speedily, C
Lord our God, grant us relief from all our troubles. W<
beseech thee, 0 Lord our God, let us not be in need eithe:
of the gifts of flesh and blood or of their loans, but only o:
thy helping hand, which is full, open, holy and ample, s<
that we may not be ashamed nor confounded for evei
and ever.

On Sabbath say :—

Be pleased, 0 Lord our God, to fortify us by thy com
mandments, and especially by the commandment of th
seventh day, this great and holy Sabbath, since this day i
great and holy before thee, that we may rest and repos
thereon in love in accordance with the precept of thy wil
In thy favour, O Lord our God, grant us such repose tha
there be no trouble, grief or lamenting on the day of ou
rest. Let us, O Lord our God, behold the consolation o
Zion thy city, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem thy hoi;
city, for thou art the Lord of salvation and of consolation.
Our God and God of our fathers ! May our remembranc
rise and come and be accepted before thee, with the remem
brance of our fathers, of Messiah the son of David th;
servant, of Jerusalem thy holy city, and of all thy peopl
the house of Israel, bringing deliverance and well-bein^
grace, loving-kindness and mercy, life and peace on thi
day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Eemember us, 0 Lord our God, thereon for our well
being; be mindful of us for blessing, and save us unt
life; by thy promise of salvation and mercy, spare us an
be gracious unto us; have mercy upon us and sa^e us, fo
our eyes are bent upon thee, because thou art a graciou
and merciful God and King.

64

nna wia • « w a nnnaa ehhn TB D ^ I T rua
t fax • bhvhi) varn$ m> •»
wax
trnj?
•^i
• vh
iDth

Wo • oSiyn ^ a wn'W i) nrix i p a
ttg^ij? U*T#* « ^ wanta tty?8 * i ^ a
^tpani si&n ^ a n o w nyn uyVn • apg!
w tfin ^t?a wn n»an tan a n DV-^&J>
\rh >iih ybnx win utato wn ^ a j wn

v v :

I •• :

~

•• : : •

T

•• :

T

T :

nam * n y ^ nri3 noWoi rhxn •nnSi Dsan-^
•^ n ^ x

ib

• jarnn • nyi cVtyV w^y ip^a: ton • jarnn
nn1? nan^ *wi jarnn : p a s i DW'3 "pan* wn
ni6 ^ T»nn?) * D*n$j nvs^ «? nxsn?) • Dnn
4
farm t ntaria upri:s* win • janin i D*a;ty ;a^iy;i
waaip uri^r NVTI • TOW ^ya uW ntes* w i
njn n^n nria n r a n ^ wn • |arnn $ u y ^
uS nS^: Kin •lannn JVW w 1 ? ^ nj fnW b$\
ntato ni-iib>3 i ^ - i t o •ai^1? t o i warn n»SK-nx
T

:

V

-

*

-

T

• T -

T • ••

The following has to be varied according to circumstances:—

nx • n-jn rvan ^ 3 . nia *:?x nx "spy, win • fannn
JINI wva nw Dnix • n n ivan rtaya »niia *SK
v :

T

••

v :

_

T

v -

. - -

-

-: -

•

T

• •

• «V I B ^ ^ nx) write • on? n|>x_ ^ n $ ayni

65
And rebuild Jerusalem the holy city speedily in our
days. Blessed art thou, 0 Lord, who in thy compassion
rebuildest Jerusalem. Amen.
Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the universe;
0 God, our Father, our King, our Mighty One, our
Creator, our Redeemer, our Maker, our Holy One, the Holy
One of Jacob, our Shepherd, the Shepherd of Israel, O
King, who art kind and dealest kindly with all, day by
day thou hast dealt kindly, dost deal kindly, and wilt deal
kindly wTith u s : thou hast bestowed, thou dost bestow,
thou wilt ever bestow benefits upon us, yielding us grace,
loving-kindness, mercy and relief, deliverance and prosperity, blessing and salvation, consolation, sustenance and
support, mercy, life, peace and all good; of no manner of
good wilt thou let us be in want.
The All-merciful shall reign over us for ever and ever.
The All-merciful shall be blessed in heaven and on earth.
The All-merciful shall be praised throughout all generations, glorified amongst us to all eternity, and honoured
amongst us for everlasting. May the All-merciful grant
us an honourable livelihood. May the All-merciful break
the yoke from off our neck, and lead us upright to our land.
May the All-merciful send a plentiful blessing upon this
house and upon this table at which we have eaten. May
the All-merciful send us Elijah the prophet (let him be
remembered for good), who shall give us good tidings,
salvation and consolation.

The following has to he varied according to

circumstances:—

May the All-merciful bless my honoured father, the
master of this house, and my honoured mother, the mistress
of this house, them, their household, their seed and
all that is theirs, us also and all that is ours, as our fathers
E

66

hsb 733 3psr\ pny ormx wnhs tt*^^ iD3
• nbhy

P13733 nrr uVs ante ip3* js * 73

• Di7^ rrja^?1? ^ F I # nttT wSyi: Dn^y: vus1?* nnas
rrrxxaai •«»#» »ri?K& rip-rat » n&to P1373 KBW
t D1K1 DVT7K W 3 3i& 73^1
T T

:

•

v:

••

•• ;

v •• :

On Sabbath add till DV2^yn.

t ate &$> di* «^n?_ wn • jtonnri
:N3n d^yn «n^ rypipn nto^ «3£ wn 4 |»niri

ny iyil^ -tin1? W&V *>£n ^W\ ^ n W ! ^P
bv) w1?? nSbw nfcp»! wn v#i$$ tfb# *¥$ i&^P
j fox wstt) 7*nb»-73
wh dn»S3 : v«T7 niona rx *3 • vehp "-n« an*
T

• • :

T •• •

: - ! • • •

T

|:

T:

V

:

• 3iD-^3 *f? rrin t 3i&-73 npn!-N7 *) •gh'i} * ^$ni
j p^n ^n-^S sr3£>tti • ^"v-n^ nnis : i*npn tb))h ^
*n«n *iy3 : in&3& « rrro • «a ntsy iBte *i3an ^ i a
•

•

T

—

-

: •

T;

T T

;

T

-

- : •

v

-;

v v -

J

T

fy i\ i urh-wpb i n n zm j r w *n^TK7) * wp?-d$
t Di7^'3 iay-ns i p r j ; • pr toy1?
Drink the third n/jp of wine.

67
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were blessed each with his own
comprehensive blessing; even thus may he bless all of us
together with a perfect blessing, and let us say, Amen.
Both on their and on our behalf may there be such
advocacy on high as shall lead to enduring peace ; and may
we receive a blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from
the God of our salvation; and may we find grace and good
understanding in the sight of God and man.

On Sablath:—

May the All-merciful let us inherit the day which shall
be wholly a Sabbath and rest in the life everlasting.
May the All-merciful let us inherit the day which is
altogether good.
He is a tower of salvation to his k i n g ; and showeth
lovingkindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed,
for evermore. He who maketh peace in his high places,
may he make peace for us and for all Israel, and say ye,
Amen.
O fear the Lord, ye his holy ones ; for there is no want
to them that fear him. Young lions do lack and suffer
hunger; but they that seek the Lord shall not want any
good. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for
his lovingkindness endureth for ever. Thou openest thine
hand, and satisfiest every living thing with favour. Blessed
is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose trust the
Lord is. I have been young and now I am old ; yet have
I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for
bread. The Lord will give strength to his people; the
Lord will bless his people with peace.
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe;
Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Drink the, third cup of wine,

E 2

68
OPENING OP THE DOOB.

ep$a efry? : O^BM sj$x jiiqi fjajn arfep|B#
The fourth cup of wine is then filled, after which the Hallel is resumed.
Seder service, introduced, into the houses of their hosts, dead bodies
of children which were afterwards pointed out to the invading mob
as the justification for and incentive to unbridled outrages. I t was
nothing uncommon that, when the doors were opened at this part of
the service, there were found lurking outside enemies and spies.
The joy of a happy home circle was turned into dread as the family
tremblingly awaited scenes of violence, which might leave widows
and orphans that very night, which might usher in the Passover morning with bloodshed and outrage, which might give them for many
months, if not for years, a legacy of a hopeless misunderstanding and
misrepresentation. Is it any wonder, then, that the Jew should turn to his
God, that he should pray against enemies such as these to the Almighty,
whose divine behests he was obeying in the innocence of his heart and
amidst the happiness of his home ? There would arise to his lips the
words of the psalms and the prophets bidding Israel hope against its
relentless foes. It must not be forgotten that these words are not
original. They are merely quotations from the psalms and from the
prophet Jeremiah. When men lay their wrongs before God in prayer
they prove their freedom from personal vindictiveness, and the fact that
our forbears, under the sting of all their sufferings, uttered no original
maledictions but contented themselves by quoting a few words from the
Bible, entitles them not alone to exemption from the charge of vindictiveness, but bids us admire them again and again for their splendid tolerance
and moderation. Whether these verses are to be said now is a question
which we English Jews may indeed pause to consider. But at least in this
happy land, and wherever the rule of England bears its beneficent sway,
we Jews can open our doors and thank God for our freedom, can utter
classical denunciations against the practices of the wicked, and know
that no punishment can fall upon those who perpetuate racial hatred, that
will not be considered duly merited by the noble God-fearing nation, of
whom it is our privilege to be here a part.

69
OPENING OF THE DOOR 1
"Pour out Thy wrath upon the nations who know
thee not, and upon kingdoms which call not upon
thy name. They have consumed Jacob, and they have
desolated his dwelling.
Pour out upon them thine
indignation ; let the fierceness of thy anger overtake them.
Pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the
heavens of the Lord."
The fourth cup of wine is now filled, after which the Hallel is resumed.
1

This ceremony of opening the door has heen referred to and
explained in a previous note. I t is a relic of the old banqueting
customs of the Hebrews on great occasions, when the doors were
opened before a meal to permit of the entering of the needy and the
stranger, and were again opened at the termination of the meal, when
the guests thereupon departed. Like so many other customs, the
original meaning of which has been forgotten or obscured, this custom
of opening the door has attracted to it many fanciful explanations,
The verses from the Bible which are read have lent much colour to
the explanation that the door is opened in order, to give effect to
malediction uttered against the enemies of Israel. This suggestion
has obtained sufficiently among Jews and their enemies to present to
us, in the bitterest irony, the historical truth that the verses against
our enemies have made us more enemies than they have punished.
The importance of the subject necessitates a somewhat detailed
explanation which, happily, can be established with absolute clearness.
These verses were not originally part of the Hagadah, as was the
ceremony of opening the door. From the early Middle Ages down to
the most recent years the happy festival of Passover has been a time
of the utmost peril and sorrow to Jews in nearly all parts of the world.
The terrible blood accusations would almost make us smile at their
very absurdity, did we not know the almost irreparable havoc they
have caused in all ages. The coincidence of Passover with Easter,
when the Christian populations were celebrating the anniversary of
the Crucifixion, tempted the monks to inflame the popular mind against
the peace-loving Jews who could expect on the Passover that the
peaceful harmony of the Seder would be broken in upon by a mob,
composed of fanatics searching for the blood of Christian children (!)
and ruffians of the lowest class, bent upon pillage and outrage. I t
was not uncommon for the monks themselves to send into the houses
of hospitable Jews, pretended Israelites, who, admitted freely to the

70

HALLEL.

Psalm cxv.

-7y spjpri"7V Ttaa J > ^ ^ *5 ^"? *& * ^ vk
|E
*
wrbx) • i=in*ri7« Krn»K B:i3n JTT&K* n&S : ijrm
nb>y& i n n sps Dn^sy tn&j>y rsn-n&ft* 73 B W 3
..

-.

-

T T ;

| V V

V

•• -

-;

T

T

}

"

T

% "I
•

• T T

-

1

: * n ! N7) art ? a^y n§T N7i anS ns JQ-JK H*
KS] arvT : pim* N7i Bri^K ty&E» *&1 ^O1? D-^W
vri! antes : aihja wnj *6 ttfei* K7] air^-i p # ^
tanry "3 n&3 htnfr
T

: v

T

-

-

;

••

T

jeans ntMriBte 73 t a n w

: •

v T

- ••

v

-:

v

••

*

j ^ n c m w an?y "3 13D3 hn« n*3 t t o n Buza
T • T

T: V

T

-

;

•

I

-; -

••

T

• T

: tftn DDJBI anry "3 in&3 * *X7>
»
rvs-nx 1173* Snfe* rvs-n** 1173* 1173* «iar **
T •

I •• T :

••

T

:

•

T

T ; %•

••

v

T -

\ •• T :

:

•

J •• T :

T:

T T

- ••

T

I •• T :

: —: -

T

•• :

T

.

P1^
a3,L?y
awn
IW77TI*

:

T

:

J

B3^y: « sp* t a^7|n-ay a^j|?n ^ 'gy. " p ^
t p x i D$B> nb'y v1? DJ!^ owia. ta3^3-7y]
ta*nten-K7 : a*]N-»^ jro pan] v1? a?»^
J-IFBttD fo* 1 7 3 ttmW t!-?W1 HT"73 N71
13
T

. . . .

T

-: - :

1 wbbn • B7iy nyi
T

-; -

T

*

-

:

Psalm cxvi.

\m n^n-*3 : »iwnpi >!?ip-nx ** 1 y&e^a vans*
^aaa 7 i K ^ n ^ i njp-43ni W $ ^1j?« * W ^
petej n ^ f i £ nax *opN V : " D ^ ***W |tyj n1V

71
HALLEL.
Psalm cxv.

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy
name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's
sake. Wherefore should the nations say, Where is now
their God ? But our God is in the heavens : he hath done
whatsoever he pleased. Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they
speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have
ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell
not; they have hands, but they handle not; feet have
they, but they walk n o t ; neither speak they through their
throat. They that make them shall be like unto them ;
yea, every one that trusteth in them. 0 Israel, trust thou
in the Lord: he is their help and their shield. O house of
Aaron, trust ye in the Lord: he is their help and their
shield. Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is
their help and their shield.
The Lord hath been mindful of u s ; he will bless us: he
will bless the house of Israel: he will bless the house of
Aaron. He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small
and great. The Lord increase you more and more, you and
your children. Blessed are ye of the Lord, which made
heaven and earth. The heavens are the heavens of the
Lord; but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down
into silence; but we will bless the Lord, from this time
forth for evermore. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalm cxvi.

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my
supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,
therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. The cords
of death compassed me, and the pains of Sheol gat hold
upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon

72

: w p ^ J T ^ N siy&T?£ w» HK ro$? *#53 J3^n
*#? "151^ V W $ 0 *QTO fiirjKS « * ^ I^JIS
?
J iti Dixn-b nana *nnaN ntt : IKP VW»
T

T T T

T V

^

:

T

' :

T

T

;

*

: -

T

: -

*

;

•-;

T

T

-

•

•

T

• T

T

Ti2? *W2 » HUN : VTpr6 r m n » w $ i »
»
nnw H5.J naja ^ : Ttffch J?Wfi ^ W II T!l y *^S

Psalm cxvii.

-; -

T

T

^ :

T:

v v:v

: ~

Psalm cxviii.

t npn a'piy'p »3

ato-»| v1? ^ n

: Yipn p^ij/p *3

•?#$» tq-i&tf

t npn D^ivV *5
1 Vtfjn thsh *3
; -

T

^ :

•

P** n '5 x2 ^ " ^
" **n* to VI&K*
T:

••

: •

T

;

•• t

73
the name of the Lord ; 0 Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my
soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea our God is
merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought
low and he saved me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul;
For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou
hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears,
and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in
the land of the living. I believe, for I will speak : I was
greatly afflicted: I said in my haste, All men are a lie.
What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits
toward me ? I will take the cup of salvation, and call
upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the
Lord, yea, in the presence of all his people. Precious in the
sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 0 Lord, truly
I am thy servant: I am thy servant, the son of thine
handmaid; thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer to
thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the
name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord,
yea, in the presence of all his people ; in the courts of the
Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye
the Lord.
Psalm cxvii.
O praise the Lord, all ye nations: laud him ail ye
peoples. For his mercy is great toward us ; and the truth
of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalm oxviii.1
O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for
his mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say: That
his mercy endureth for ever. Let the house of Aaron
now say : That his mercy endureth for ever. Let them now
that fear the Lord say : That his mercy endureth for ever.
Out of my distress I called upon the Lord: the Lord
answered me mid set me in a large place. The Lord is on
my side ; I will not fear : what can man do unto me ? The
Lord is on my side among them that help me : therefore
1

For Traditional Music see page 108.

14>

£33 ^13D trf?»&$ *3 V 0fc?3 ^33D £ 3 ^ 3 J 0*5/133
^N3 tt^r £3^3-13 ryot) t th'b$ *5 :; d^3 ^33p
: 7 3 $ VI Sbi1? ^Jvrn n'rn : t ^ a g *3 « &#$ D T ?
^n^3 nsneh nm i Sto : nyi^S • W n a* m a n *w
.. T: T :

T

•

T •

|

T

•

•

• ;-

T

••»":•:

»T

••nip! is? t n r ^ S TgDNi njrot *3 ni&K-i6 i S n
•nte D3-«3K jrrc-ny&?> V ^ W J 'Wl & nisSi n*
^rrjy: *3 ^nix ; ta iKhT* D y r c v1? * W * nt : rr
ete-t1? nnri o^an >IDX» f3N (repeat) j ny^ 1 ? ^ w i
(repeat) • tfV}^ H ^ S l K*Pl M& rUTH J* n $ ? (repeat) JH33

(repeat) : ^ nnafew n^jj « nfcw Di»n m
T

T

T

T

T

T

'

:

~

T

;

;

: ;

• :

*

T

T

T;

T

T

T

T

T

•

:

~

:

-

T

T

•

T T

T

T

T;

T

•,•

T

T T

» I hx (repeat) • M fySfc D31J313 « D$3 X3H VPSI
T:

«

(repeat) : h 3 | » n

T:

ri\Yp

•• •

v

:

-••

T:

••

:

T

-

j

T

1 $ £3^3*23 JlTrit*t «•? 1K»1

3ib-*3 \h rrtn (repeat) • ^ a h g • j ^ ijnix) nnx ,!?«
(repeat) • ^ D H D^tyS * |

75
shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. I t is better
to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
I t is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
princes. All nations compassed me about: in the name of
the Lord I will cut them off. They compassed me about;
yea they compassed me about: in the name of the Lord I
will cut them off. They compassed me about like bees ;
they are quenched as the fire of thorns : in the name of the
Lord I will cut them off. Thou didst thrust sore at me that
I might fall: but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my
strength and song; and he is become my salvation. The
vcice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the
righteous : the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The
right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the
Lord doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare
the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore :
but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me
the gates of righteousness: I will enter into them, I will
give thanks unto the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter into it.
I will give thanks unto thee, for thou hast answered
me, and art become my salvation. {Repeat this verse.) The
stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the
corner. (Repeat) This is the Lord's doing : it is marvellous in our eyes. (Repeat) This is the day which the Lord
hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Repeat.)
Save now, we beseech thee, 0 Lord: save now, we beseech
thee, 0 Lord: O Lord, we beseech thee, send now prosperity : O Lord, we beseech thee, send now prosperity.
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we
have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. (Repeat.)
The Lord is God, and he hath given us light; bind the
sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
(Repeat.) Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto
thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. (Repeat.) O
give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his
mercy endureth for ever. (Repeat.)

76 '

D'lTW YT90J ' W ^ ^ (1?5?) ^ ' ^ - 1 ^ XTO1) rrt* runs Sar#» I T S ^ y Saj *$n W
sja# m whpy iB^jp!) rcnsn laaiY) riK|n insfcri.
"

T

-

T

-t.

r

Psalm oxxxvi.

: nprt pSij£> »3
t npn

3ip> ^s ^ vrin

DSI^V ' 3

p ^ K n t(V? vtin
p^n^n •'inah vtirt

t ftpn pSiyS *S
i'm P^ty1? »3
mpn p ^ >
3
: ftprt p'pty1? »3

HiS nfriji n i ^ n&]h
n ^ n s p w ' n n^j/p

J npri pSij/? »
5
1
m p n p ?^ *3

p^n$ onto nb'j/?

1

:npn DSiy ? \s
1

mpn pSiy ? *a
mpn ri?))h *s
m p n pSiyS *3
mpn pSij/? »3
: npn pSiy1? ^3

P W hv p x n yph1?

Pi>3 th^ijj

^f^-m

1

n ^ a n^jpp ? tfastoi n^n-m
pnnipns DH?5 nsp1?
ppifift Wife* Kxi'i
nji&$ yVipi nj5TTq Y S
pnu1? tpD-Q? ip1?
T

•

•• T : •

••

iain? W l ^ ! Y3yrn

77
Let men praise thee, 0 Lord, for all thy works. And let
the righteous, who do thy will and all thy people the
house of Israel, joyfully praise, bless, laud, glorify, exalt,
reverence, declare holy and ascribe royalty to thy name, O
our King. For to thee it is right to give thanks, and to
thy name it is iitting to sing, for from everlasting unto
everlasting thou art God.
Psalm cxxxvi.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: For his
mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods: For his mercy
endureth for ever.
0 give thanks unto the Lord of lords: For his mercy
endureth for ever.
To him who alone doeth great wonders: For his mercy
endureth for ever.
To him that by understanding made the heavens: For
his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that spread forth the earth above the waters :
For his mercy endureth for ever.
To him that made great lights : For his mercy endureth
for ever.
The sun to rule by day: For his mercy endureth for ever.
The moon and stars to rule by night: For his mercy
endureth for ever.
To him that smote Egypt in their first-born: For his
mercy endureth for ever.
And brought out Israel from among them: For his
mercy endureth for ever.
With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm : For
his mercy endureth for ever.
To him which divided the Red Sea in sunder: For his
mercy endureth for ever.
And made Israel to pass through the midst of i t : For
his mercy endureth for ever.

78

: non nSiy'p *3 : non d7ty7 *3

*i3"]fi3 isy Y W *
D^a D*37& ns&7

J ftpn dSij/p *a
: npn d^ty1? *3

nbari ijSa fiivth
jfcran ^ a jty'?5)

tftpn D^j/p »3

r^niS D^TSJ froi

: i^jpn D^J/? *3
: ftpri d^ij/? *3
J inpn tbtyh »s

H35? T^H^ 1 ? ^03
uS " 3 « ! ? $ ^
1?
u nap MJ?T§!1

5 HDH D7ty7 *3

*)fc>3 737 DH7 tnj

;

-

T

r

:

: ftpn d^ij/p *3

T

T

T

:

v v

I "

dw'n Wp niri

-73 nni orn'fe *; ^afcrm •spaji *n-73 naefo
oVtyrrja • Tpft uaSa sp$t oahrrt IKSJJI Hp%
7Kia i^a «•? px YIV 1 ?^ * ^ W dbiyrny]
r n v ny-733 ornai DJnsa1! 7'xai rnia y^iai
n^i^xnn *ri7$ t r\m K W ^Sa uS px rifjwi
S^nan nnSin-73 j n ^ nn3-73 *i7K • DtfhDatrn
:a*arna vnvn^ nans. iaSiy jruan nins^rin nha
• d w p fpan] a ^ Tfttf?fl • j ^ r ^ DW;-N7 *;j
sjjgto^ d,!?$iJ •f&teri) oniD^t ^rian) • a»a^K i ? t o }
ny& K^a «•§ 17K : ania wi^g ^H*1? ^ t a^ss
*5qi&3 rn# wnin$b>) vVii jia?3 nri ujtfB^ a»3

79
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Bed Sea:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
To him which led his people through the wilderness:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
To him which smote great kings: For his mercy endureth
for ever.
And slew famous kings: For his mercy endureth for ever.
Sihon king of the Amorites: For his mercy endureth for
ever.
And Og king of Bashan: For his mercy endureth for ever.
And gave their land for an heritage : For his mercy
endureth for ever.
Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: For his mercy
endureth for ever.
He giveth food to all flesh : For his mercy endureth for
ever.
0 give thanks unto the God of heaven: For his mercy
endureth for ever.
The breath of every living being shall bless thy name, 0
Lord our God, and the spirit of all flesh shall continually
glorify and exalt thy memorial, O our King; from everlasting to everlasting thou art God; and beside thee we
have no King who redeemefch and saveth, setteth free and
delivereth, who supporteth and hath mercy in all times of
trouble and distress; yea, we have no King but thee.
He is God of the first and of the last, the God of all
creatures, the Lord of all generations, who is extolled with
many praises, and guideth his world with lovingkindness
and his creatures with tender mercies. The Lord slumbereth
not, nor sleepeth ; he arouseth the sleepers and awakeneth
the slumberers; he maketh the dumb to speak, looseth the
bound, supporteth the falling, and raiseth up the bowed.
To thee alone we give thanks. Though our mouths
were full of song as the sea, and our tongues of exultation
as the multitude of its waves, and our lips of praise as the

80

wpfsob ana? r« • ni^»K3 niVp W ^ Y • D*2?^ n^?3
• ym-m " p ^ w*nta« ^ K ) . wri^s j* ^p rrnin5?
D^y? nm-i T!] D » § ^ *©*px CJ^N tj^«a nnx-Vy
* ^ ^ D^XSO tmv\ wntas-ay rpfc>y# nizri&n
JD&M unai nyis • u r n a emny rraai «»;+?«
^

T T

:

T

: -

T

T :

T

• :

• 1 -;

••

•

• • • . • :

DT3 ajSnai «$pta wft) ujpjwrr riria •'flfib^a
^3}y-&6) * T # P ^ T f n^n-ny : y n ^ o w f l
a n s a \sho x mb urfcx « tteterr'an • spiDn
•T

••

J-

-

••

-VT

v:

T:

••

: •

- :

J

-:

VT

itfg {i&r^ w»B$a fins3f> n$Eqi mil 05 ™ W
tt&iYi ^TKB»I ^3^**1 to-an rn» tn p • u*sa niafe>
-:

•

-: T

•

:

-

•

-: T

•

..

| ..

.

.

T

.

-

T; ns-^3 *3 :«si?& ^fcrns « * ^ ) ^ip?) wns$
- ^ 'jr^n i? p 2 - t ^ : *V5^'n ^ p ^ ' ^ 1 *!"nv
run&Nn Ttoxy ta • ^nstf n;n3 • ywb mar nvS^
: i^riiD jta$« ^yi «$& pjn& >:y h»& : ^ J M *a »*
T
9nri S^n • ^p-py! *w ^ - r n ^ *w *Tj^-n^>*7''. «£
TV?ru J p « j o$g> njp p^y ba NTH-fii Ttaari
nyf? nti^g *sj^ip Dtf-n« p ^ pKSM sjrjiety
San : tehj? D#-n« ^ T ^ l r n i * W
^
rrc?b i^aan • ^W *fa?3 Sfriri • ^y ntewvp?
: KBW di XD3 by 3&n»n "^en • spniantoa *ntom
T

•

T

•• •

-

••

|v v ~

1 v

:

:

T

- :

81
wide-extended firmament; though our eyes shone with
light like the sun and the moon, and our hands were
spread forth like the eagles of heaven, and oar feet
were swift as hinds, we should still be unable to thank
thee and to bless thy name, O Lord our God and God of
our fathers, for one thousandth or one ten thousandth part
of the bounties which thou hast bestowed upon our fathers
and upon us. Thou didst redeem us from Egypt, O Lord
our God, and didst release us from the house of bondage;
during famine thou didst feed us, and didst sustain us in
plenty ; from the sword thou didst rescue us, from pestilence
thou didst save us, and from sore and lasting diseases thou
didst deliver us. Hitherto thy tender mercies have helped
us, and thy lovingkindnesses have not left u s : forsake us
not, 0 Lord our God, for ever. Therefore the limbs which
thou hast spread forth upon us, and the spirit and breath
which thou hast breathed into our nostrils, and the tongue
which thou hast set in our mouths, lo, they shall thank,
bless, praise, glorify, extol, reverence, hallow, and assign
kingship to thy name, 0 our King. For every mouth shall
give thanks unto thee, and every tongue shall swear unto
thee ; every knee shall bow to thee, and whatsoever is
lofty shall prostrate itself before thee; all hearts shall fear
thee, and all the inward parts and reins shall sing unto thy
name, according to the word that is written, All my bones
shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee ? Thou deliverest the
poor from him that is too strong for him, the poor and the
needy from him that robbeth him. Who is like unto thee,
who is equal to thee, who can be compared unto thee, O
God, great, mighty, and awful, most high God, Possessor of
heaven and earth ? We will praise, laud and glorify thee,
and we will bless thy holy name, as it is said (A Psalm of
David), Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within
me, bless his holy name. Thou art God in thy power and
might, great in thy glorious name, mighty for ever and
awful by thy awful acts, the King who sitteth upon a high
and lofty throne.
F

82 '

T

•

:

T

T

• T

I -

T -

D

fle^i • "JpW 'PTO ^;nai * "^nnri D ^ ; *aa
:.Bhj3nri a^inp 3 ^ •B&Viru? D n w
IKSIV n^a ^jnfe* rra ^
niaai ni^qp&ai
tan^n-^a nain p # • -fn) in-^aa ua'pfc ^
nae?1? ^ n ^ nnin^ wnia*t ^SKI WHSK ^ fjs1?
nar^a W D^p^ nWV •pn^ Tft/» Q^i1? T891?
i sj^eto "pay ^ - j a i n rrtna^ni flW
e>nprn Shan ^ a n Sxn • ua^a nyS f0 nan^.
wniaa *ri^) wnSx ;* n«; ^ *3 • p«M DW'a
rnia^ n^-|| n ^ n W ^ fy rn&n: fe nna^i v#
nnya rrtiqfrfl niaia r u a ^ n^'np rnasri] nVnft
•nina^ia ^ i | * ^ D ^K •« n m "fna to^ty-iyi
• r m n . T | into* • nW#jirj jfrg • rfenfrri %
0/i the first night the following is said:—

iftVpn ^qa *ri»i p ^

:rM>a
T

: - -

trb^n
: rbh

n ^ s n D*BJ ah TK
T

•• : •

• •

T

nr nito^x tfxna
k pSma farm pnx 13

alphabet, each three lines being accompanied by the refrain " And it
came to pass at-midnight."
2
A general introduction to the theme of the composition.

S3
He who inhabiteth eternity, exalted and holy is his
name ; and it is written, Exult in the Lord, O ye righteous;
praise is seemly for the upright.
By the mouth of the upright thou shalt be praised, by
the words of the righteous thou shalt be blessed, by the
tongues of the loving ones thou shalt be extolled, and in
the midst of the holy thou shalt be hallowed.
In the assemblies also of the tens of thousands of thy
people, the house of Israel, thy name, O our King, shall be
glorified with joyous cries in every generation ; for such is
the duty of all creatures in thy presence, 0 Lord our God,
and God of our fathers, to thank, praise, laud, glorify,
extol, honour, bless, exalt and adore thee, even beyond all
the words of song and praise of David the son of Jesse, thy
servant and anointed.
Praised be thy name for ever, 0 our King, the great and
holy God and King, in heaven and on earth ; for unto thee,
O Lord our God, and God of our fathers, song and praise
are becoming, hymn and psalm, strength and dominion,
victory, greatness and might, renown and glory, holiness
and sovereignty, blessings and thanksgivings from henceforth even for ever. Blessed art thou, O Lord, God and
King, great in praises, God of thanksgivings, Lord of
wonders, who makest choice of song and psalm, O King
and God, who art the life of all worlds.

On the First Night the following is said :—

" And it came to pass at midnight." J
Oft hast thou wondrously performed many miracles: at
night. 2
At the beginning of the first watch of this very night.
1

This composition does not originally belong to the Seder service,
but is taken from the piyyutim read on Sabbath Haggadol. The author
is probably Rabbi Janai. It is an acrostic on the letters of the Hebrew
F 2

i Thhn
trhh
xrb"h
T

: n^Wj ^PJS *n?l
Di7^3 "17$ ^ JW
EtoK3 ^ N j-nn$n
17 73W W? 7K7&J" W

: -

: rMn *?ri3 w
: rb^n
x rhhz
x n&
i rM>3
T

:-

~

;rM
T

: ~

•xrj3 rran& Dhris >7to3 JTJT
DQiipa 1 ¥ K7 D^n
K&
*33i33 n^p n^hn T U nD>t?
:n^Vn ^ 3 T
W
mT$ J r a n •«« ?)Si^ epn& ppT
jifc^NS 1 3 ^ 73 JHS
niirj n rbp rrt-n&o E»xt?
: nS^n

: n^73
tnV?
{nS^s
T

: -

T

-

:~

x rbhb
T

T

7

: : -

•

TO

TW

is ;n$ ehp ^33 na&#&
™*s?3 -inis rrtns nisa y#to
Dnfip 3H31 *JJg 7&3 HK#
: n'pfei ^q3 wi
W TTJ3 i^v sjrwi rrniy
na t?^ 1 ? ip-tfl rnis
da 7|7h xnx ns?) "iDi^'3 rrw
tn'pin *?ri3 *n;i

Here the poem leaves the past, and in the remaining verses,
expresses hope for Israel's future.

85
Thou didst give victory to Abraham when he divided
his band of rescuers in the night. 1
Thou didst rebuke the king of Gerar in a dream at
night.
Thou didst cause Laban to tremble at night. 2
Israel wrestled with the angel and prevailed in the night.
The first-born of Egypt thou didst smite in the middle of
the night.
The Egyptians found not their strong ones when they
arose that night. 3
The army of Sisera thou didst overthrow, even the stars
of night helping. 4
When scornful Sennacherib attacked thy city, thou didst
slay his whole host in the night.
Bel and his image were humbled in the darkness of the
night. 5
To Daniel was revealed a vision in the night.
Belshazzar, drinking from the holy vessels, was smitten
on that night. 6
Daniel, rescued from the lions' den, interpreted the dread
visions of night.
Haman, in his enmity, wrote his instructions against the
Jews at night. But thou didst conquer him by the King's
sleep departing at night.
Now do thou tread the winepress for the prosperity of
them that ask, « What of the night ? " 7
Watchman of Israel! Cry thou and say, that morning
will come for us, though now it be night.

1

When he set forth to the rescue of Lot.
On the eve of his meeting with Jacob.
3
" Their strong ones," meaning their first born.
4
Referring to the passage in Deborah's song : " The stars in their
courses fought against Sisera."
5
The image of Nebuchadnezzar.
6
The holy vessels, here referred to, being the plate taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the temple at Jerusalem.
2

86

: rbh
trMn
t nS^n-^i
: rhh

vb\ DV ih Kin *\m PV Y$
^ c|« DV ^ »3 jrtf n D-J
pvn-^ ^[-py1? npin D*I$B>
i w n PV "ma ym
:rM>n *vna w i
0?i £/itf second night

say:—

: npa naj D^nagi p a
: nps
: np|

mm ninyia b| ete-qi
S^ nixn: *rrWp ^
i np|) nit 0£0&K!

: npsa
: np||

rtsa

pi»n Ph| ripin vrta
niay ontfb Typn

the very rarest words and expressions, and even a fairly good Hebrew
scholar will find himself baffled sometimes by Kalir's use of some
expression which may only occur once throughout the Bible. All his
poems are, moreover, filled with the most accidental and inferential of
reference to Midrashic traditions which, familiar to Kalir, have frequently to be searched for most laboriously by those of his readers who
desire to understand the full meaning of what he has written. The
scheme of the present composition, for which Kalir takes as his text
the refrain, " And ye shall say I t is the sacrifice of the Passover," is the
enumeration of various incidents in the history of Israel all of which,
the Midrash suggests in some place or other, occurred on the Passover
or were connected with it. This explanation will suffice for the lines
which are not specially commented upon in the notes which follow.
2
The first two lines are introductory.
3
This refers to a tradition in the Midrash, that the covenant which
God made with Abraham (Genesis xv. 9 to 21) took place on the date
which afterwards became that of the Exodus.
4
This refers to the visit of the angels to Abraham. (See Genesis
xviii.)

87
Hasten the clay of redemption, of which it is said, " It
shall be then neither day nor night."
0 Most High ! make known that to thee belongeth day
and night.
Appoint watchmen for Zion day and night.
Shed the brightness of day where Israel sits in darkness
as of night.

On the Second Night the following is said ;—-

" Ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Passover." 1
Thou didst manifest thy wondrous power on the
Passover.2
First, of all festivals, didst thou prescribe the Passover.
Thou didst reveal to Abraham the occurrences of the
night of the Passover.3
Thou didst stand at his door at the heat of day on the
Passover.4
1
This composition, like that which precedes it, was not originally
written for this service, but for the morning service of the second day
of Passover, of which it has also remained a part. In style it is much
more obscure and difficult than the preceding acrostic, and scholars have
had no hesitation in assigning its authorship to Eabbi Elazar Kalir, the
famous writer of piyutim, who, among the many contributors to the
literature of the Prayer Book, enjoys the twofold distinction of being, at
once, the most prolific and most difficult. Much difference of opinion
has existed both as to the date when Kalir flourished and the country
in which he lived. Zunz conjectures that he lived in the early part of
the ninth century, while other authorities place him as late as the
twelfth. An equal difference of opinion exists as to the place where
he lived, which the poet refers to as Kirjath Sepher and which some
have tried to identify with Cagliari in Sardinia. The composition
under notice is a very excellent specimen of Kalir's peculiar style.
He seems to have aimed at making his compositions difficult and that
he thoroughly succeeded is well known to everyone who has studied
them. His knowledge of Hebrew was very great, and his familiarity
with Midrash is perhaps unparalleled. He seems to have made use of

88

illpB

ipy i)&h -D? p "ipirrSssq
i nps rnr Pfi-iftNi

:nps

"ws^ ^ 5 ranp \\tt~hi B N I PI*

JHDS

;np35
nps

t rips raj o%rpN\
*trtfi93 rn|p rnijpp

rips

"W *"!W ^ P in* ^ 5 ^

nps

nip* np*? ih) ^ s *3pfa ^nib>
: rips ro? Dftlfcfcp.

;nps
;np|5

^x spipb nnro T DS
jnWn •rfhy JV§KTI nsx

cake of barley bread, constituted the foundation upon which Kalir made
the suggestion that the victory of Gideon took place on the anniversary
of the Passover, seeing that on the second day of Passover an omer of
the early barley was brought into the sanctuary.
5
This and the ten following lines refer to Isaiah's prophecies against
Assyria and Babylon. Isaiah's glowing orations foretold the overthrow
of Israel's enemies on a great day of redemption. As Passover is the
great festival of redemption, Kalir had no hesitation in assuming that
the redemption foretold by the prophet would coincide with the Pass-

89
He provided for the angels unleavened cakes on the
Passover.1
And to the herd did he haste to slay a calf, forecast of
the sacrifice of Passover.
Sodom provoked God and was destroyed by fire on
the Passover. 2
Lot was delivered thence having baked
bread on the Passover.

unleavened

Thou didst sweep the land of Egypt, when thou didst
pass through it on the Passover.
Thou didst smite every first-born on the night of
Passover.
Thou didst pass over thine own first-born, whose doors
were sprinkled with the blood of the Passover.
So as not to suffer destruction to enter their doors on the
Passover.
Jericho was captured at the time of Passover.3
Midian was destroyed by the cake of barley bread
made from the Omer of the Passover.4
Assyria's destruction took place on the Passover.5
When Sennacherib said : " One day shall we halt at
Nob " before the advent of the feast of Passover.
The handwriting on the wall foretold the destruction of
Babylon on the Passover.
1
See Genesis xviii., verse 6. The provision by Abraham of unleavened cakes, which were really provided in order to serve the exigencies
of a hastily-prepared meal for his guests, was, naturally, more than
sufficient to give colour to the Midrashic tradition that the time of the
angels' visit coincided with the subsequent date of the Exodus.
2
Granted the foregoing, the destruction of Sodom, which took place
at the same time, must also have coincided with the date of the Exodus.
3
The capture of Jericho followed immediately after the first celebration of the Passover by the Israelites in the land of Canaan.
4
See Judges vi., verso 13. That the Midianite soldier dreamt of a

90

j npf3

Dis vfatf? nBTj nw3 ^np

: npf?

B*?toh p | nxna yeh JV32? tf*h

: npf3
: npf

n^j/? wan ^ 1 nW

^

jn fcnpnrt ^ a ^ ' ^ Diin *JT rtyfl
1 npQ nar DJrpxi

"iini • n a f e a T ^ : PIK* iS *5 • n $ i1? »$
4
C K ^ * i? *5 ^ * ^ ^
J
^ VT&N' VTVIJI • nabna
St:n t nx* Y *3 • n«3 )b *a : naSaan *• ^? * f?
?
' 1 ^ ^ *sh m*» vpnj •naSni. i n n • r r a ^ a
• n*o iS ^a t na^an « ^ • ^ tpt ^ • ^ *a f?
vupii* inps& • naSn? ppn • natSaa *«ST J PIKJ iS *a
: na^j&n « ^ • f? sjs ^ • ^S *a ^? • ^ ^7 * 'h

transcribe in manuscript, or, later on, to set down fully in the printed
editions of the Hagadah. The expedient, common and intelligible
enough, was therefore adopted to write just the leading phrases, such
as :
" T o thee
and to thee
To thee
belongs
and to thee belongs
" Some
copyist or printer (perhaps still further to economise space) set the words
down without the necessary spaces to indicate what was left out, and
eventually the original and explanatory remarks elided altogether, and
the composition was left for generations in the chaotic condition well
known to many who have endeavoured to understand it in that incoherent form. In the present note the original marks are restored and,
with this explanation of their origin and fate, it is hoped that the meaning of the hymn will now be comparatively clear.

91
" Set the watch; prepare the table/' said the prophet
concerning Babylon's destruction on the Passover.
Esther assembled the congregation to hold three days
fast on the Passover.
Haman, head of his wicked house, thou didst cause to be
hanged on the gallows fifty cubits high on the Passover.
A double punishment wilt thou bring upon Israel's
enemies on the Passover.
Strengthen thy hand, exalt thy right hand, as on the
night, when thou didst consecrate the festival of Passover.
To Him praise has ever been, and ever will be due.1
He is mighty in His dominion, He is truly the Supreme ;
troops of his angels are continually uttering to Him, " To
thee, to thee indeed, surely to thee, to thee alone belongs
sovereignty." To Him praise has ever been, and ever will
be due. He is distinguished in His dominion, truly
honoured is He, His ministering angels continually utter
before Him, " To thee, to thee indeed, surely to thee, to thee
alone belongs sovereignty." To Him praise has ever been,
and ever will be due. He is unsullied in his dominion, He
is truly magnificent; His high angels continually utter
before him, " To thee, to thee indeed, surely to thee, to thee
alone belongs sovereignty." To Him praise has ever been,

1

This composition is, in some respects, the most remarkable feature of the literature of the Hagadah. The refrain
tfa P)£ ^? has, in some English editions of the Hagadah, been left
untranslated in hopeless incomprehension of its meaning, while in others
it has been translated literally: " Thine and thine ; " " thine, yea thine ;"
" thine, surely thine," in still more hopeless confusion. The explanation,
however, such as supplied by Laudshut, is exceedingly simple. There
are many passages, both in the Bible and Rabbinical writings, which
favour the suggestion that originally the refrain was very much longer,
and should have read :

.[rM>s n w -i©fa n*o )h) [Qto nyw nDi!?3 n$; \h *3
etc. mW>3 ^

[DVJ ^

This long refrain made the whole poem somewhat bulky, either to

92
• nshri3 1*33 • rataps T I T t n«j & *3 • nto v? *s
^

•^

t|$ ^

• tf? *3 ^p • ^

^? • i1? m i * viW?

• r p f e ? ^ a • n«j i1? *3 * HKJ 6 *3 : na^asn * :
»
• ^ »3 ^ ' ^ ^ rh iia^ v^ap Ti^qa «ifo
• MKJ i1? *3 • n*« h *a t na^b&ri « ^

•^

t|$ if?

• n w i1? \s t na^o&n « ^

•^

*s ^

•^

SJK ^

n a t f V3x^ • ro^na mni • r o ^ a a &>ii(i : n«» *h ^
j pD^ban j ; if? • if? c|« ^

•^

*3 ^

• ifp ^

• i1?

• 13^13 ^2?ifi * 1 3 ^ 3 Sj»j?Pl : H T 'h *3 • HKJ ^ *3
N
t T\W )h '2 • PttO Sb *3 :PoS&l&n » if?
v

T

•

•.•

T

•

T

T

:

- -

T:

J •

: }§an *ia xiia * c£>tyn ^ & w i j ^ ;; MAK •spia
Brink the fourth

cup of wine and say:—

•is •?»] }35n W • dSiyn ^ a wrb$ « npix ^ i a
produce of the vine is here referred to in terms of gratitude so striking,
that it is necessary to explain that the terms of this blessing are by no
means out of keeping with Jewish temperance, to which the whole
history of our race is so remarkable a tribute, and of which the Seder

93
and ever will be due. He is One in His dominion, He
is truly omnipotent; His attendant angels continually
utter before Him, " To thee, to thee indeed, surely to thee,
to thee alone belongs sovereignty." For to Him praise has
ever been, and ever will be due. He is a ruler in His
dominion, He is truly revered; His accompanying angels
continually utter before Him, " To thee, to thee indeed,
surely to thee, to thee alone belongs sovereignty." For
to Him praise has ever been, and ever will be due. He
is gentle in His dominion, He is truly our Redeemer; His
righteous angels are continually uttering before Him, " To
thee, to thee indeed, surely to thee, to thee alone belongs
sovereignty." For to Him praise has ever been, and ever
will be due. He is holy in His dominion, He is truly
merciful; His radiant angels continually utter before Him,
" To thee, to thee indeed, surely to thee, to thee alone
belongs sovereignty." For to Him praise has ever been,
and ever will be due. He is excellent in His dominion,
truly is He our supporter; His perfect angels continually
utter before Him, " To thee, to thee indeed, surely to thee,
to thee alone belongs sovereignty." For to Him praise has
ever been, and ever will be due.
During the coming year we hope to be in Jerusalem. 1
On drinhing the fourth

cup of wine say :—

Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the Universe,
Creator of the fruit of the vine.
On Sabbath the words in brackets are added :—2

"Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the Uni1
This fervent wish, " Next year in Jerusalem !" is the climax of the
loyal feeling, which has been gradually engendered right throughout the
service.
3
This is the ordinary blessing said after the drinking of wine. The

94

nsny\ naib nnbn p ^ hv) niton nawn Wl jsan
• r n ^ p yia^i nnsa ^ t o ^ wtf a^S Pi^mni jvin^
W] * ^?? D^B^T Wi *})3y Sisn^ hv wnh® j* orii
roai • n ^ n Ss) • ^rftjp Syi • ^ni33 pete {i»?
•rpin1? «^n) •w&ja rnnai •e^jsn *v& Q ^ * I *
^VvOni i" 1 ^ on sabbath add) * i-nntppj n&ips why
•3 : r-wn nispn jn DVS unpb>] (n-jn na^'n ori
n s Wl pNn W ^ n*ii3"i S?JDS> a w aia » nm
5 |S3n n s hv) yy$n hv I] nm ^na • js|n

PEAYEE FOE THE DIVINE ACCEPTANCE OP THE SEEVIOE.

: inpm ibs^p htt
J irws?1? nan }$

• ^ 9 ^ ? nps> THD bpq
• inx rtp'? wpr 1 ^ 3

fieation," and during the long history of Israel no single instance is
known of its having been perverted. The use of wine a sanctification !
How much have Jews to be proud of ! How much has the world to
learn!
1
This forms the end of a Piyut by Eabbi J. Bonfils, said during the
morning service on the Sabbath preceding the Passover. The expression " As we have been privileged to narrate the order of the Passover v
refers to the poem itself, which is a recital of the manner in which the
Paschal lamb was offered in the Temple. I t appears to have been a
former custom to recite this piyut on Seder evening or to read some
portion of the Talmud bearing upon the same subject, or even to read
the passage from the Pentateuch in which the laws concerning the
sacrifice were originally laid down.

95
verse, for the vine and for the fruit of the vine, for the
produce of the field, and for the pleasant, goodly and great
land in which thou didst delight, and which thou didst
grant as the inheritance of our forefathers, who enjoyed its
fruit, and were sated with its bounties. Be merciful, O
Lord our God, to Israel, thy people ; to Jerusalem, thy
city; to Zion, thy holy habitation; to thine altar and to thy
sanctuary. Oh, rebuild Jerusalem, thy holy city, speedily
in our days. Conduct us thither, rejoicing in its restoration that we, also, may enjoy its fruit and be sated with its
bounties. May we there be enabled to offer thee pure and
sanctified blessing (be pleased to grant us strength on this
Sabbath day), and grant us joy on this feast of Passover,
for thou art good and beneficent to all. Then shall we
render thee thanks for the land of Israel, and for the fruit
of the vine. Blessed art thou, 0 Lord, for the land of
Israel and for the fruit of the vine.

Now that we have offered the service of the Passover
in accordance with all its prescribed ceremonies,1 we pray
that we may be privileged to fulfil all the ordinances of the
ceremony, itself, is a noteworthy example. Four cups of wine are prescribed for use in the ceremony and only four may be taken. The
Jewish Festivals were always bright, but always holy. No excess ever
marred the dignity of a Hebrew religious ceremony, and even the Passover, the most joyous night of the Jewish year, was, we see, strictly
safeguarded by a limit which was even made a ritual restriction. The
reference to the fruit of the vine is but an instance of Jewish gratitude
for the land of Israel and its produce. The staff of life was bread, and
the luxury was the fruit of the vine. We therefore find that at every
Jewish meal a special blessing was said upon breaking bread, while on
Sabbaths and Festivals there was added to the meal as a luxury in
honour of the day a cup of wine, concerning the use of which there
could be no misunderstanding, for it served as a " Kiddush" or " Sancti-

96
: ,130 *fi hnp Dfcip
: mia ji»?S cms

* mtyib pi&? IJT
* ma * ^ ^m aiipa

•J-ririaa *ninoa * aiipa in*a ma* •Nsin I H K
: aiipa ^rva ma • ma ^K • ma SK • aiipa i:^a
•aiipa in*a ma* »wn ^ i 'Kin h)~u 'Kin una
/T .

-

v : •

T

T

T

• ma VK • ma ha • aiipa u*$*a •ninoa • rnrr&a
•Kin *Ka? *Kin p w 'Kin i n n : aiipa ^n*a ma
u*£*a • nmoa • nmoa • aiipa in*a ma* • Kin i*on
lins? J aiipa "rjrva ^a • ma ^K • ma SK • aiipa
•nin&a •ninoa 'aiipa in*a ma* • wn i*n* *Kin
: aiipa ^jva ma • ma h# • ma W • aiipa i3*$*a
•aiipa in*a ma* -Kin ij^o *Kin nob «Kin i*aa
•ma b$ '.ma ^K 'Siipa u*;&*a Minoa 'Hinoa

• Kin my • Kin a\ap • Kin ni*M : aiipa ^n*a m a
• aiipa i3*o*a • ninoa • ninoa • aiipa in*a ma*
p*i? • Kin nii2 : aiipa ^jn*a ma • oa ^K • ma h$
• ninoa • ninoa • aiipa in*a ma* • Kin ^iip • Kin
: aiipa T|n*a ma • ma h$ • ma ^K • aiipa «•&$
•aiipa in*a ma* *Kin spjan *Kin *i£? *Kin omi
•ma W 'ma % • aiipa «*&$ •ninoa •ninaa
: aiipa ^n*a ma
servis paschalibus loco ejus quae a capite kylo noe incipit canitur." Adir
Hu became, however, so popular, that it was soon retained in the service
of both nights.

97
Passover in Israel restored. 0 God, who dwellest on high,
gather up the countless numbers of Israel; speedily lead
us—" the branches of thy vine "—once more to Zion, rejoicing in redemption.
O mighty God l ! Eebuild thy house speedily. Speedily
even in our days, rebuild it, O God ! Rebuild thy temple
speedily.2
Elect, great and distinguished God, rebuild thy house
speedily ! Speedily, even in our days, rebuild it, O God !
Rebuild thy temple speedily ! Honoured, all praised, pure
and righteous God, rebuild thy house speedily ! Speedily,
even in our days, rebuild it, 0 God I Rebuild thy temple
speedily!
O one and holy God, rebuild thy house speedily!
Speedily, even in our days, rebuild it, 0 God! Rebuild thy
temple speedily!
0 powerful, all wise king, rebuild thy house speedily !
Speedily, even in our days, rebuild it, 0 God ! Rebuild thy
temple speedily !
0 glorious, exalted and mighty God, rebuild thy house
speedily! Speedily, even in our days, rebuild it, O God!
Rebuild thy temple speedily !
O God, all righteous and holy redeemer, rebuild thy
house speedily ! Speedily, even in our days, rebuild it, O
God ! Rebuild thy temple speedily !
0 merciful, everlasting, and omnipotent God, rebuild thy
house speedily ! Speedily, even in our days, rebuild it, O
God ! Rebuild thy temple speedily.
1

For Traditional Music see pages 108 to 112.
This composition, which shares with "1 V T1JJB the highest place
"1
among Jewish hymns, is a comparatively late contribution to the
Hagadah, in which it took its place towards the end of the 15th century.
The Avignon Machsor has it as a song usually sung on all festivals, and
not especially on Passover. I t was first intended as a substitute on the
second night of the Seder for the Piyut HfcO vh 'O which was to be said
only on the first night. In a printed Konigsberg Hagada, of 1644, there
occurs the following instruction concerning it :—" Cantio haec secundis
3

G

98
COUNTING THE "OMER."
Oil the Second Night of the Festival the following, until in"rtri3 is said.

• H ^

Jp«^

DW'||>

wrfcx ina Tingn ninS *$

literature of the same character. There are children's songs of this description in all languages. The first of these two Seder songs for children—
" Who Knows One ? " is most closely resembled in English literature by
the u Scottish Song of Numbers."
" W e will all gae sing, boys.
Where will we begin, bo}7s ?
We'll begin the way we should,
And we'll begin at ane, boys."
I t then goes on in much the same style as our Seder songs and stops at
the number 12. One point of resemblance is " tens, the ten commandments." The selection of " Who Knows One ? " as especially
adapted for the Seder, is due to the fact that it emphasises one of the
great principles of Judaism, viz., the Unity of God.

99
COUNTING OF THE OMER.1
On the second night of the festival the following is said :—

" Blessed art thou, 0 Lord our God, King of the universe,
who hast sanctified us with thy precepts, and commanded
us concerning the counting of the Omer.
" This is the first day of the Omer.
" May it lie thy will, O Lord our God, and the God of
our fathers, to rebuild thy temple speedily, in our days,
and to make thy law our portion."

Who knows what is just ONE ? 2 I know of one. ONE
is the God of the world.
Who knows what are just TWO ? I know two. There
were two tables of the Covenant. TWO tables of the
Covenant; ONE GOD of the world.
Who knows what were just THREE ? I know three.
The three Patriarchs.
THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE
GOD of the world.
1
Although the counting of the Omer has already taken place in the
evening service at Synagogue on the second night of the festival, it is
generally reserved for this part of the Seder service. u Passover, being
also the feast of an early harvest, an offering of an omer of the new barley
was brought on the second day. From that day, forty-nine days, or
seven weeks, were counted, and on the fiftieth day, the day of first-fruit
offering was celebrated. At present, sacrifices are not offered, but the
counting of the omer is still observed."—(Dr. Friedlander's Text Book
of the Jewish Eeligion, page 27.)
2
This composition and its companion, the Story of the Only Kid, are
essentially Hebrew Nursery Rhymes and it is to be regretted, first, that
they have ever been regarded as anythiug else, and secondly, that they
have alone been preserved from what we cannot but assume was a large

G2

100

• ninax y^x * STV *M V3*IN * .srrt* ^ V51X
cwif* HTJSNJ nn$ • nnan rtn1? ^ • niax nE>'-E>
• n ^

• nnan ninS ^

' ntas nK% • nines* yan« • rnin

• n$#? nnp r w • ynr *JK ne^ • viv *o n w
• i f e ntfW • nina* yaix • rnin *Bton neton

*&| nyaB> • y-p* *#« nwtf • ynr *p nay?
• rnin ^-pn n^an • n$i? n.np nete> * xnss?
• nnan ninS o# • nbx np6# • nin&s' y a ^

• n^»& •&* njto^ • viv ^ n3to^ • ni* »a n^to^
*$?n nf'an TDfcj'p nnp n w 'Kna^ ^ n o ?
• nnan nin1? *$ • ninx n ^ * nin&s yriK • nnin

• «TT!? TH! ^VT^ * V^i* ^ ny#fl • ynv »$ ny^n
• rueb nnp n^tf • Kpatf ^ nyafc? • n^a ^ nitofc'
*3# * nin^ r\uhp • ninaa ysna * n^in »#&n neton
:p«M DW32* «*nt?^ nnK •nnan ninS

101
Who knows what were just FOUR ? I know four.
There were the four Mothers of Israel.
FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO
tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.
Who knows what are just FIVE ? I know five. There
are five Books of Moses.
FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE
Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of
the world.
Who knows what are just SIX ? I know six. There
are six Books of the Mishnah.
SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses,
FOUR Mothemof Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables
of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.
Who knows what are just SEVEN ? I know seven.
There are seven days of the week.
SEVEN days of the week, SIX books of the Mishnah,
FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE
Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the
world.
Who knows what are just EIGHT ? I know eight,
There are the eight days of initiation.
EIGHT days of initiation, SEVEN days of the week,
SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR
Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the
Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.
Who knows what are just N I N E ? l
I know nine.
There are the nine Jewish Feasts.
N I N E Jewish Feasts, EIGHT days of initiation, SEVEN
days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE
Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE
Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the
world.
1
The nine Jewish festivals are as follows :—Passover ; Pentecost;
New Year ; Day of Atonement; Tabernacles ; Eighth Day of Solemn
Assembly ; Kejoicing of the Law ; Hanucha ; and Purim. See reference in Preference.

102

•^njft rrpv TIT SM n ^ y •ynv *a w y
• K^as? *a; nyas? • n^a w rotes? • nnV »nT. n^j?
• ninsK yanx • rnin *#an rwan • n ^ a nnp n_»#
DW'a&> wnSx nnx • n^m nin'p ^ • nia« n e %
ib'y im * y-tv *JN *ik>y nnx • ynv *a w
im
n
*a? roia£> * sr^ *DT- V ^ * N»nat ™*? * K*aaia
nsran • ro#D n-jp n$? • wjiatf »aj nya2> • n^a
ninS ^ TfaK'nB^tf ^ninax yaix «min ^ a n
. . . . .

T

.

T

T

.

^ _

. _

"

T

t

\

i PMM Dw'a# wnSx nn« • m a n
I

v

• -

T T

- v

T

•

••

v:

• :

T V

-

• ynv ^^ nby D * # • ynv *a nk>y D*3B>
• Knsrc mtw • K»aata n^y nna • K»&a# itw
D*3^
T

- ;

•

T

T T - :

-

:

-

T T

-

T

-

: •

T T

*aj nyatf • r-i^a *aj roiap> • rrji? TIY_ ny^ri
• rrrtn »Bton n^an • ro^a m o n w Jonas'
nna •nnan rtnS * # TiiaK n^tf •ninax yanK
t pan* D^a^'a^ wrfo*
• -

| V T T

T

- v

••

v:

n ^ * ynV ^ n ^ n e ^ • snv *p w ngfy?
•«»aaia niyy nn« •w&atf nb>y D*30 •«*•!» Tfev
T - X

T T

- ~

T

-

T T

; «

••:

T ~ •

T T

,

• H^a *&; rotoE* •rn!? *p y ny^ri •N»na? n w
^ a n nB>an »ro$a nnp r\w& •Kfiag' w nyae>
• m a n ninS * $ • niax npty • rtnax yaitf • rrtfn
tpKM o*wra0 a»rfo* nn$
I

v

T

T

• -

T

- v

v:

T

v

103
Who knows what are just TEN ? I know ten. There
are the ten commandments.
TEN Commandments, N I N E Jewish .Feasts, EIGHT
days of initiation, SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books
of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of
Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant,
ONE GOD of the world.
Who knows what were just ELEVEN ? I know eleven.
There were the eleven stars (in Joseph's dream).
ELEVEN stars (in Joseph's dream), TEN Commandments, N I N E Jewish Feasts, EIGHT days of initiation,
SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah,
FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE
Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of
the world.
Who knows what were just TWELVE ? I know twelve.
There were the twrelve tribes of Israel.
The TWELVE tribes of Israel, ELEVEN stars (in
Joseph's dream), TEN Commandments, N I N E Jewish
Feasts," EIGHT days of initiation, SEVEN days of the
week, SIX Books of the Mishnah, FIVE Books of Moses,
FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE Patriarchs, TWO tables
of the Covenant, ONE GOD of the world.
Who" knows what are just THIRTEEN ? I know
thirteen. There are thirteen attributes of God.
THIRTEEN attributes of God, the TWELVE tribes of
Israel, ELEVEN stars (in Joseph's dream), TEN Commandments, N I N E Jewish Feasts, EIGHT days of initiation,
SEVEN days of the week, SIX Books of the Mishnah,
FIVE Books of Moses, FOUR Mothers of Israel, THREE
Patriarchs, TWO tables of the Covenant, ONE GOD of
the world.

104

* ana -in • *m nna aaa ran «na "in • «na in
:ana -in
:-

T

-

••

•• : •

-

T

I

• -

:

:-

T

-

» : -

* \m nj?a KSK pan • ana1? nSa$ • ras? xn$
t NHa nn • NH3 "in
: -

T

•KHIL>

pan
l - ~ :

T

;

T

:

T

T

: -

rta*n •snW? •aetoi • «aSa M M
t Kna nn * Kna nn • nw nria xax

:- :

T

-

T

:

:

;

T

J -

;

T

T

:

:

:

: -

T

J -

T :

I

: -

:

T

• :

T;

TT:

TT:

: KHJ nn • KHJ nn • \nr njjia «a« pan • anh
y&2i: ' x a y ? «arn • s q a ^ spfc) •KTW xnxi
in *<m nria «ax pan ' ^ H ^ ^ ^ " 1 *^^!i^t?
j ana nn • «na
T

;-

-

T

: —

Nam *>tnmh snbn •frtmh «aai •«»& xnw
xaa pan • *<n& rbxn • K - t i ^ •BB^I • *<&£>
T

•

T

:

-

;

T;

|

• -

:

| TT

T i ~ :

;

T

T J

;

T

tT;

;

T;

;

T-

) -

T

T T ;

:

T

:

-

;

in 'xna in • \nr nna

:XHI

span • t<wb xaai • x * ^ Kneh • t^ivi wwo
T ;

| - T ;
T ; T ;

T

T T :

T:

:

-

:

T

T T :

T

| - T ;

:

-

:

-

T

•

T T :

:

:

T:

: ana in • ana in • \m nfia xa« pan • KJ'U1?
«aai vN»aS xneh *tr»b \sn&\ *$ri)&r\ ana)
T T :

T

-

:

T T :

T

:

-

T

:

«
—

..

-

T T ;

* KJTI "in * rnr nna t>saK pan * *<?$ *~bw\
tans nn

105
One only kid, one only kid, which my father bought for
two zuzim. One only kid, one only kid. 1
The cat came and ate the kid which my father bought
for two zuzim. One only kid, one only kid.
Then came the dog, and bit the cat that ate the kid
which my father bought for two zuzim. One only kid, one
only kid.
Then came the stick, and beat the dog that bit the
ca-t that ate the kid which my father bought for two
zuzim. One only kid, one only kid.
Then came the fire, and burned the stick that beat the
dog that bit the cat that ate the kid which my father
bought for two zuzim. One only kid, one only kid.
Then came the water, and quenched the fire that burned
the stick that beat the dog that bit the cat that ate
the kid which my father bought for two zuzim. One
only kid, one only kid.
Then came the QX, and drank the water that quenched
the fire that burned the stick that beat the dog that
bit the cat that ate the kid which my father bought
for two zuzim. One only kid, one only kid.
Then came the slaughterer, and killed the ox that
drank the water that quenched the fire that burned the
stick that beat the dog that bit the cat that ate the
kid which my father bought for two zuzim. One only
kid, one only kid.
1
If ever there was a children's property, it is certainly this composition. It is a member of a great universal family of similar character,
and may possibly possess high claims to ancestry of the large and interesting tribe. The English variant is the old story of the old woman
who could not get her pig to market over the stile. As the JHV *D 1U8 v
emphasises the Unity of God, so does this composition exemplify the
principle of reward and punishment, while the whole history of the
Passover racounted throughout the Seder teaches the remaining fundamental principle of Judaism, the K~)Un J11&PVD the existence of God,

106

• trttih muh • artist bneh • roan "sr^a Knai
T
v

;
•

••

~ T ;

:

T

:

:

;

J - T

~ T ;
T

:

V

T

-

T T :

I T ; -

T T :

:

T

-

:

T T ;

t NJ"JI nn • ana nrt • \m njyis
a n ^ l rojsn "5|K^> &&$ •wn "spa
;

T

T

T I :

- ;

T

T T :

f

n^garc * a w * ? ^ 1

*W :

B^TJ^CI

;

••

- T :

^aW? Karri • N^in'p epfeq

: ana i n • ana nn • »m nna aaa pan
T

:-

-

T

: -

-

:

••

•*:•

T

-

|

• -

• XHJS
:

T

;- :

107
Then came the angel of death, and slew the slaughterer
that killed the ox that drank the water that quenched
the fire that burned the stick that beat the dog that
bit the cat that ate the kid which my father bought
for two zuzim. One only kid, one only kid.
Then came the Most Holy, and destroyed the angel of
death that slew the slaughterer that killed the ox that
drank the water that quenched the fire that burned the
stick that beat the dog that bit the cat that ate the
kid which my father bought for two zuzim. One only
kid, one only kid*

108
HALLEL.

•1. Ho
2. Yo

dn l'a do noy......
mar no beth a ha

chas do
chas do

chas

ki tob
ron,

Yo
ma
no yis ro
Yo ma no yir ei a do

do.

2. noy

Kile o
Ki le o

el,

Ki

Ki...... le o lorn chas

lorn
lorn

le o lorn

do......

ADIR HU.
VERSE 1.

1. A»dir hu yih neh be tho be

ko

rob

Bim he ro,

109

bim he ro

el

be

be yo me nu be

ne

be

tie

ko

rob

£l

be the cho be

be

ko

nX

rob.

VERSE 2.

2. Bo chur hu

ko

rob

go dol hu

do gul hu

Bim he ro,.*.. bim hero

Yib neh be tho

be yo menu be

ko

be

rob,

110

El be ne,

el

be ue"

be

ne be the clio be

ko

rob.

clio sid hu

yib

VERSE 3.

3. Ho dur hu

neh be tho

yo

me

nu

vo sik hu

be

ko

be

Za kai hu

rob,

ko.......

Bhn he ro,

rob,

El

bim he ro

be

be

ne.......

111

el

be

ne

be

ne

be the cho

be

ko

rob.

ko

rob,

VERSE 4.

4. To hor hu

yo chid hu yib neh be tho

be

Bim lie ro,

biui he ro, be yo me nu be

El be

el

ne,

be n£

be

ne be the cho be

ko.... rob.

ko

rob*

112
YEKSES 5, 6, 7, & 8.

5. Ka
6. No

bir
or

hu
hu

lo
sa

7. Po deh hu
8. Ra chum hu

mud hu
giv hu

Tsad - dik
shad dai

me lech h u \
.,
Iz zuz hu J ™

hu
hu

ko
Tak

neh

be

tho

be

ko

neh

be

tho

be

ke

Biin

rob

rob

bim

he - ro

be

bim he - ro

be

dosh h u \
kif h u f

he

.,
J10

ro,

Bim he r o , . . . . . . . .

yo

me

im . be

ko.•..*..

rob,

yo

me

nu

ko

rob,

be

El be ne,

el

be ne

be

ne be the eho be

ko rob.

El be ne,

el

be ne

be

ne be the cho be

ko

rob.