PASSOVER HAGGADAH

Fri, 29 March 2013 = 18th of Nisan, 5773

Pesach IV , 3rd day of the Omer

[Note: if you have ever tried in good faith two pronounce a non-English Hebrew word in good faith, you are automatically enlisted in the Hebrew Girls Choir for reading the Hebrew parts. It doesnt matter if youre a girl or not, so too bad.] The Seder commences, the blessing is recited: [Hebrew Girls Choir (*H*G*C*):] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, asher kidsheynu bmitzvotav vtziveynu lhadlik ner shel yom tov. [SLEEPY:] Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who sanctifies us with your commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights. [The candles are lit and the prayer of thanksgiving is recited:] [*H*G*C*:] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, shehech-eh-yaynu vkiymanu vhigieynu lazman hazeh. [DOC:] Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this occasion.

Blessings of the guests:

[*H*G*C*:] Yvarehchcha Adonai vyishmrehcha. [GRUMPY:] May God bless you and keep you. [*H*G*C*:] Yaeir Adonai panav eilechcha vchunehka. [SNEEZY:] May God look kindly upon you and be gracious to you.

[*H*G*C*:] Yisa Adonai panav eilechcha vyaseim lcha shalom. [DOPEY:] May God reach out to you in tenderness and give you peace.

Welcoming guests: [*H*G*C*:] Bruchim habaim bshem Adonai.

[HAPPY:] Blessed are you who come in the name of God.

I. Kaddesh: Blessing over wine

[BASHFUL:] The first cup of wine is a reminder of Gods first promise in Exodus 6:6I will bring you out. [All cups are filled and raised as the blessing is recited:] [*H*G*C*:] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, boray pri ha-gafen. [SLEEPY:] Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

II. Urchatz: Washing of the hands

[SLEEPY:] The washing of hands is a symbol of purification before dipping and eating the karpas. [The pitcher is passed around and each guest washes his or her hands.] Psalm 2:1-7 [***EVERYONE:***] Judge me, O God; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in God; I shall not slide. Examine me, O God, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy loving kindness, before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O God: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. [The Seder continues as the hands of the guests are quickly washed or dipped]

III. Karpas: Dipping of Parsley in Saltwater

[Karpas is passed around and the saltwater for dipping follows] [*H*G*C*] Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, boray pri ha-adamah [Grumpy:] Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the earth. [DOC:] This vegetable represents the humble origins of the Jewish people, and the salt water reminds us of the tears of slavery. [Matzah is passed around and wine is sipped freely]

IV. Yachatz: Breaking of the middle Matzah

[The middle piece of matzah is broken in half. One part is saved for the afikoman, which gets wrapped and hidden by one of the guests. The smaller half is the bread of affliction (lechem oni) and will be eaten with the top matzah later in the seder.]

[SLEEPY:] Rabbis have noted that a slave would never eat a complete matzah; he would always save a part for a later meal when he might have no food at all. The broken matzah, symbolizing poverty, reminds us that while we have enough to eat, we have not always had, and others past and present often have not. [The cover is removed from the matzah; the matzah is raised] [*H*G*C*:] Ha lach ma anya. Kol dikhfin, yeitei vyeikhol. [HAPPY] This is the bread of affliction. Let all who are hungry come and eat.

V. Maggid: the Telling of the Passover story four different ways:

The First: Ma Nishtanah - the Four Questions

[*H*G*C*] Mah nishtanah halailah hazeh mikol haleilot? [SLEEPY:] Why is this night different from all other nights? [DOC:] Because on this night, we forever commemorate how that God brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders. Therefore is this night different from every night. [*H*G*C*:] Shebchol haleilot anu ochlin chametz umatzah. Halailah hazeh kulo matzah? [GRUMPY:] Other nights, we eat leavened or unleavened bread. On this night, why only matzah? [SNEEZY:] Because that on this night, we forever commemorate how that HaShem showed mighty wonders on the house of Pharaoh, and on all of Egypt, so that our ancestors were thrust out of Egypt and were forced to leave in great haste, and could spare no time for the rising of the bread. Therefore on this night, and for seven nights, we eat only matzah [*H*G*C*] Shebchol haleilot anu ochlin shear yirakot. Halailah hazeh maror? [DOPEY:] Other nights, we eat all manner of herbs. On this night, why only bitter herbs? [HAPPY:] Because on this night, we forever commemorate the bitterness of oppression, endured by our ancestors in the land of Egypt, and the bitter cries of the oppressed, which were heard in Egypt and can be heard everywhere to this day [*H*G*C*:] Shebchol haleilot ein anu matbilin afilu paam echat. Halailah hazeh shtei famim? [BASHFUL:] Other nights, we do not dip at all. On this night, why do we dip twice? [SLEEPY:] On this night, we forever commemorate the tears of our ancestors, which were poured out in Egypt. We dip once for their tears, and again for the tears HaShem wept over those he destroyed [GRUMPY:] We dip once for the tears of the past, and again we dip for the tears of today.

[DOPEY:] We dip once to commemorate the tears of pain of oppression, and once more to celebrate the tears of joy of deliverance. [HAPPY:] The answer for these questions is the preview of the journeyGod bringing his people out of Egypt (slavery).

Avadim Hayinu:
[***EVERYONE!!!***] We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but God brought us out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

The Second: Arba Banim - the Four Sons

[SLEEPY] We tell the Passover story four different ways to address the needs of four different kinds of people. DOC] The wise child must ask, What is the meaning of the laws and rules Adonai has commanded us? [GRUMPY] Adonai has commanded us to remember his works, to love him and to love each other, and never to forget his mighty acts. [SNEEZY] The wicked child must ask, What does this service mean to YOU? [DOPEY] It is because of this that God did for ME when I went free from Egypt. Whosoever did not observe the commands of HaShem would have been left behind in Egypt. If you had withdrawn from community in Egypt, marked yourself an outsider looking in, you also would have been left behind with the Egyptians and would not have been delivered [HAPPY] The simple child must ask, What does this all mean? [***EVERYONE!!!***] WITH A MIGHTY HAND, AND OUTSTRETCHED ARMS, SHOWING MIGHTY SIGNS AND WONDERS ON PHARAOH AND ON HIS HOUSE, GOD DELIVERED US OUT OF EGYPT, OUT FROM THE HOUSE OF SLAVERY!!! [BASHFUL] What happens with the child who does not know how to ask? [DOC] We tell this child that we observe Pesach to remember what God did for us when we were freed from slavery. We teach him also the merits of asking and seeking. [SNEEZY] We are reminded that God has delivered us and kept us, and we praise Him for his faithfulness in giving us the strength to survive.

[Vhee sheamda: Gods Promise]

DOC] We praise God, whose promise of the covenant has stood the test of time.

The Third: Four Biblical Verses, Ten Plagues, Dayenu

Deuteronomy 26:5-8: [***EVERYONE***] And thou shalt speak and say before HaShem, A Syrian ready to perish, my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: And when we cried unto HaShem, God of our fathers, HaShem heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: And HaShem brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: [SNEEZY] As each plague is recited, we each sprinkle a drop of wine on our plate. In this way, we remember that wine is a symbol of joy and joy must be lessened as we think of the Egyptians, who perished in the Sea of Reeds. [DOC] Sprinkle wine? [GRUMPY] On the plate. Dip your finger in the wine, sprinkle it on the plate [SLEEPY] And God said to Pharaoh [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***] LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [GRUMPY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [DOPEY] The first plague, Dam [SPRINKLE WINE] [BASHFUL] The turning of the Niles waters to blood [DOC] They shed Israelite blood, God gave them blood to drink [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [SNEEZY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The second plague, Tzefardeah: [Sprinkle! On your own now!] [HAPPY] The invasion of the frogs- When Israel multiplied and grew mighty, Egypt feared him for the sake of an overthrow, and afflicted him. Now God frustrated the cause of Egypt, and afflicted and overthrew the land with frogs [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [BASHFUL] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The third plague, Kinim:

[HAPPY] The invasion of lice Pharaoh made Israel to scratch the earth for clay and straw to make bricks- God made the Egyptians scratch their heads and their bodies. The earth scratched by Hebrews became lice scratched by Egypt. [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [DOPEY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The fourth plague, Arov (wild beasts, or flies): [SNEEZY] The invasion of swarms. During this plague, the swarms attacked the humans, filled the houses. [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [GRUMPY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The fifth plague, Dever [DOC] The killing of the cattle with disease (sickness)the Israelites had been forced to tend the herds of the Egyptians; now the disease came and killed the herds. Their forced services were now revoked [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [SLEEPY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The sixth plague, Shchin

[DOC] The bodies of the Egyptians became covered with boils [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [SLEEPY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The seventh plague, Barad:

[GRUMPY] The showering with hailstones [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [DOPEY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The eighth plague, Arbeh: [GRUMPY] The overrunning of the country by locuststhe Israelites were forced to tend the fields and vineyards of the Egyptians, then their fields were destroyed by locusts. [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [DOPEY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh

[***EVERYONE***] The ninth plague, Choshech: [SNEEZY] The envelopment by darknessthe Egyptians darkened the lives of the Israelite slaves, and they were cursed with darkness. [***EVERYONE SHOUTS***]: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! [HAPPY] And Pharaoh would not. So God plagued Pharaoh [***EVERYONE***] The tenth plague, Makkat Bechorot: [SNEEZY] The killing of the firstbornPharaoh decreed that all firstborn males of the Israelites be cast into the Nile and drowned, now his firstborn and Egypt: the final plague, the killing of the Egyptian firstborn. [HAPPY] say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith HaShem, Israel, my son, my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, thy firstborn. (Deut 4:22,23) [***EVERYONE SCREAMS AND SHREIKS IN TERROR!!!***] AAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!! [BASHFUL] These are the signs and wonders referred to in Deuteronomy 26:8 (eser makhot, literally the ten slaps) that were exacted against the Egyptians to demonstrate Gods supreme power. [SLEEPY] This third telling of the story of Passover is concluded with the singing of Dayenu; once again we are moved to thank God for all he has done for us.

AVIVA PLAYS GUITAR, DAYENU IS SUNG:

Ilu hotzi, hotzianu Hotzi'anu mimitzrayim. (repeat) Dayenu Ilu natan, natan lanu, Natan lanu, et ha-Shabbat. (repeat) Dayenu Ilu natan, natan lanu, Natan lanu, et ha-Torah. (repeat) Dayenu Had God only taken us out of Egypt: It would have been enough for us. Had God only given us the Shabbat: It would have been enough for us. Had God only given us the Torah: It would have been enough for us.

The Fourth: Pesach, Matzah, Maror

DOC] The last telling of the Maggid explains the three primary symbols of Passover. Each item is held up as it is described. [GRUMPY] Pesach is the lamb offering, the roasted bonea reminder that God passed over our ancestors houses in Egypt, which they had sprinkled with the blood of the lamb, during the night of the tenth and final plague, the killing of the Egyptian firstborn.

[SNEEZY] Matzah is unleavened bread, a reminder of the speed with which we left Egypt. [DOPEY] Maror are bitter herbs, a reminder of the hardships of slavery.

Bchol Dor VDor:

[BASHFUL] In Every Generation the Maggid is ended with the recitation of the verse: In Every Generation it is the duty of each of us to imagine that it is we ourselves who were saved from the bondage of Egypt. [DOPEY] The second cup of wine, the cup of redemption, is a reminder of Gods second promise in Exodus 6:6I will deliver you. [The cups are filled and raised as the blessing is recited:] [*H*G*C*:] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu, melech ha-olam, boray pri hagafen. [SNEEZY] Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. [Everyone drinks.]

VI. Rachtzah
[The pitcher is passed around and everyone washes his or her hands and recites the following blessing silently:] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu bmitzvotav vtzivanu al ntilat yadaim. (Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who sanctifies us by Your commandments and commands us on the washing of the hands.)

VII. & VIII. Motzi and Matzah

[After washing of the hands:] [All three pieces of matzah are lifted up as the blessing for bread, Motzi, is said:] [*H*G*C*] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, ha motzi lechem min ha-aretz. [SLEEPY] Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates bread from the earth. [The special matzah blessing is recited immediately after:] [*H*G*C*] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu, bmitzvotav, vtzivanu al acheelat matzah

[DOC] Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us by your commandments and commands us to eat matzah. [The upper matzah and the broken middle piece are distributed to everyone and eaten plain.]

IX. Maror
[maror, the bitter herb, is distributed along with matzah. Each guest eats the matzah and maror and recites the following blessing:] [*H*G*C*] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu bmitzvotav vtzivanu al acheelat maror. [***EVERYONE:***] Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us by your commandments and commanded us to eat maror. [SNEEZY] The full soul loathes a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. (Prov. 27:7)

X. Korech
[Korech is the eating of maror, charoset, and matzah together as Hillels sandwich. The bottom piece of matzah, the last of the three, is distributed to all guests, and everyone makes and eats sandwich.]

XI. Shulchan Orech: the Set Table

[The Haggadahs are safely stored and the meal is brought out. The Haggadahs are redistributed after the meal.]

XII. Tzafun
[Tzafun, the afikoman that was hidden earlier is now found, and everyone eats a piece of it as the traditional seder dessert.] [SLEEPY] The return of the afikoman traditionally symbolizes an act of redemptiontikkun olam (repairing the world).

XIII. Barech: Grace after Meals

[*H*G*C*] Baruch atah Adonai, ha-zan et ha-kol. DOC] Blessed are you, Lord, who feeds all. [GRUMPY] When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shall bless God thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the God thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his

judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest [when] thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt; And thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then your heart be lifted up, and thou forget God thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; (Deut 8:10-14) [SNEEZY] The third cup of wine is a reminder of Gods third promise in Exodus 6:6I will redeem you [Wine is poured, and the blessing is said:] [*H*G*C*] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, boray pri ha-gafen.

[DOPEY] Blessed are you, God our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

XIV. Elijahs Cup:

[Elijahs Cup filled] [HAPPY] We fill a cup for Elijah, to pour out in honor of the blood of all the Martyrs of God from the beginning of the world until now, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the martyrs of the inquisitions, the Shoah, the Crusades. These accepted death, rather than to bow down to church, state, or any false god like Pharaoh [Elijahs cup is emptied, then filled again] [BASHFUL] We fill a cup to Elijah, to pour out in honor of all Palestinian people who may die innocently and unjustly because of Hegel, Herzl, and Jabotinsky, and pray that Elijah, the harbinger of Moshiach, comes quickly [Elijahs cup is emptied, then filled again] [HAPPY] We recognize Elijah not only as the harbinger of Moshiach, but also a wild man, a man of the wild

XV. Hallel: Songs of Praise that King David wrote

[SNEEZY] We give thanks to God by reciting the first part of the Hallel. We lift our wine cups as we say it together: (the full Hallel is Psalms 113-118) [*H*G*C*]: Hodu lshem ki tov, ki lolam chasdo. Yomar na yisrael ki lolam chasdo. Yomru na veit Aharon ki lolam chasdo. Yomru na yirei HaShemi ki lolam chasdo. (Psalm 118:1-4) [Wine cup is refilled]

[DOC] the blessing for the fourth cup of wine is a reminder of Gods fourth promise, I will take you for me as a people (Exodus 6:7) [*H*G*C*] Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, boray pri ha-gafen. [SLEEPY] Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. [***EVERYONE***] Therefore, it is our responsibility to give thanks, to sing praises, and to show honor to God, who has brought us from slavery to freedom, from times of sadness to times of happiness. Hallelujah. [The wine is not drunk until after the recitation or singing of Psalms 113 and 114.] [*H*G*C*]: (Hebrew only) Psalm 113 (excerpt) Halleluyah hallu avdei Adonai Hallelu et shem Adonai Yehi shem Adonai mvorach Meatah vad olam Halleluyah! O servants of God, give praise Praise the name of God. Let the name of God be blessed. Now and forever. Psalm 114 Btizeit Yisrael, mi mitzrayim Beit Yaakov meam loez Haytah Yehudah lkodsho Yisrael mamshelotav When Israel went forth out of Egypt House of Jacob from the people of a foreign tongue, Judah became Gods holy place, Israel became Gods seat of rule.

XVI. After Dinner Discussion (optional): Anti-Civ and the Seder

[The reading parts may be reassigned at this time. ] [BASHFUL:] The following is a take on the Passover story from an anti-civilization perspective. One can grow and learn from viewing the same story from different angles. Feel free to take issue, disagree, challenge, ask questions! [HAPPY:] Passover is a celebration to remember the Exodus, the miraculous deliverance from slavery God performed for the Israelites in the beginning of their history as a nation. According to Torah, the Israelites ventured into Egypt as a small clan of itinerantif not nomadicpastoralists.

[SNEEZY] Pastoralists are Shepherds, people who, in Biblical times, survived by tending roving herds of sheep and goats that had to keep mobile in an unfenced wilderness. Shepherds had to contend with dangerous wild animals, the types we only see in zoos. [DOC] They lived on the move, so they didnt plow the earth, sow seeds, or reap grains on any large scale. Sometimes they could forage as they traveled. [DOPEY:] Egypt was a land of many farmers, a very, very old land, from times when people were first learning to be civilized, to domesticate plants and animals. They had learned to control their food supply. They could plant the seeds that made bread. They learned this from the Natufian people of the Levantine corridor, where Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon are today. The same area where Joseph came from. [GRUMPY:]Farming worked alright in the Levant, but it worked really, really well in Egypt, because of the Niles faithful flooding. Especially when the weather changed, or grew dryer, the Levant would suffer. They grew lots of bread in Egypt. [SLEEPY:] Having lots of bread meant one amazing thing: they could work extra hard for part of the year, and take a lot of the rest of the year for other things, like building buildings and collecting gold, and making objects of great beauty, if little practical utility [DOC] On the other hand, a pastoralist or shepherd was always on duty. The duty could be pleasant or exciting at times. It was not alienated labor. At any time, lions or bears could attack, and steal sheep away. A Shepherd got to be closer to plants and animals and stars and sky. [SNEEZY] Farmers couldnt see many, many plants. They changed the fields from the beautiful way they were before. Many of the plants died. [HAPPY] Egypt grew abundance of bread and could store enough grain to sustain them for years in times of famine and leanness. As this abundance grew, so did the power of those who were able to manipulate and control this abundance. Some grew rich, some grew poor. Some grew so poor they would sell themselves to be slaves, if only for a roof overhead and a steady crust of bread. Things were not good for the poor [BASHFUL:] Things were not good for the rich either. Controlling the bread made them sick in their minds. Their thirst for control grew to want to capture and control more of wild nature, the origin of the seeds that made the bread, into their storehouses and barns. [HAPPY:] The people became neurotic, and wanted to take even more and more things under their control. [BASHFUL:] They wanted to control how they were perceived, becoming obsessed with their appearance. They learned to shave. Their goldsmiths crafted large hats of gold, and amazing gold jewelry, and masks of gold, and coffins of gold. Everything of gold, such as had never been seen before [GRUMPY:] They wanted to control what happened to their bodies after death, so they learned to embalm and mummify. They wanted to carefully control their fates in the afterlife, so they lined their tombs with riches. The wealthy hoarded wealth even in death, keeping gold back from the poor, who still lived on in poverty. [DOPEY:] They controlled their fellow men and reduced them to slavery, planting more and more bread, finding more and more gold, increasing more and more their splendor and grandeur. To celebrate their

marvelous control over men and their marvelous power, they directed the erection of great towering monuments to their arrogance and narcissism. [SLEEPY:] These pyramids can still be seen today. Thousands of men died building the pyramids, based on the presumption that one man was better than another; one man was better than them all, even that Pharaoha manwas a god. [DOC:] When Josephs father, Israel, and his brethren came to him in Egypt, after years of separation, Joseph wanted Pharaoh to know that his family were pastoralists: [HAPPY:] And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. (Gen 46:33-34) [DOPEY:] The first pyramid recorded in the Bible was that of Adams descent: the twins sons Cain and Abel. Cain was a tiller, a farmer, an agriculturalist. Cain strove with his brother Abel and killed him. Cain built the first city, Enoch. [SNEEZY:] Large cities are not possible without growing bread. Cain, whether a literal person, eponymous ancestor or ancestral people group, learned to grow bread from the ground. The Egyptians could not have built the pyramids without growing bread. [HAPPY:] Agriculturalists must fight nature all day, and controlling and subduing nature becomes a deeply embedded, yet irrational impulse in the civilized world. Shepherds were wild, compared to the docile, refined farmers [GRUMPY:] The hatred Egyptians held for shepherds is the same hatred that Cain held for Abel. Like Josephs family, Abel kept sheep. [DOC:] Moses at one time kept sheep in Midian [SLEEPY:] King David kept sheep and several of the prophets were shepherds, like Amos. DOC] At the top of Adams pyramid is Adam, the naked, savage, primitive forager, in perfect Harmony with nature, not alienated, innocent, fed by Gods garden, wild nature. Man as he was meant to be. His way of life became lost, but it remained a fond cultural memory, a memory of a golden era before civilization [SNEEZY] There is a conflict repeated in the Bible between Pastoralists and Agriculturalists. Two conflicting ways of life, two cultures, value systems. [HAPPY:] Cain and Abel [BASHFUL:] Pharaoh and Moses [DOPEY:] In the Passover story, God resolves the conflict between Pharaoh and Moses. [GRUMPY:] How did it turn out? [DOPEY:] He destroyed Pharaoh completely

[GRUMPY:] The Passover story defines the Israelites, against the backdrop of Egypt, in stark contrast to Egypt [SLEEPY:] A pastoralist has little use for private property, for owning land, except maybe for a tomb for a loved one. If you had sheep and goats, you had to stay on the move, to find fresh grazing. The richer you were in sheep or cattle, the farther and faster youd have to go, the less use youd have for numerous possessions. You wouldnt invest a lot in building monuments, because you couldnt stay put for very long. [DOC:] Stacking rocks could be done in a day and was good enough for the Patriarchs. [HAPPY:] A farmer needs to own his land, to protect all the work he did to grow bread. [DOC:] My sheep love to graze in a farmers field, but it doesnt make the farmer very happy! [HAPPY:] Egypt is an archetype of all of civilization. All of civilization depends on growing bread, on social control, on privilege and poverty, on slavery, on private property. Egypt rose to fantastic heights and was destroyed in the story. [SNEEZY:] The birth and identity of the Israelite nation is bound up in this destruction [DOPEY:] In the story, God brought the Israelites, who had ventured into Egypt as a clan, out of Egypt as a populous nation. God violently overthrew the nation of the oppressor, and made a covenant with the downtrodden nation of the oppressed at Sinai, by the hand of Moses, adding to that covenant made earlier with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. [BASHFUL:] We never, ever want to forget what God did for us in delivering us out of Egypt. Therefore we are commanded to celebrate the Passover at a set time each year, to remember the extreme violence of Gods destruction, and the extreme mercy of his deliverance. [GRUMPY:] Many spring festivals among pagan religions focus on symbols of fertility, fruitfulness, reproduction, virility. The symbols of THIS spring festival orbit death, destruction, anguish. [SLEEPY:] Originally, each household would slay and butcher its own lamb or kid. There was an importance in this festival attached to death and having close personal experience with, witnessing, even participating in the death of a precious, innocent, cute, cuddly baby sheep or goat. Decisive actions would have to prevail against emotions and personal attachments for one painful moment. [GRUMPY:] There is also an importance of continued celebration and connection with the pastoral mode of life.

XVII. Nirtzah: the Conclusion of the Seder

[***EVERYONE***] The Seder is now concluded, in accordance with ancient precept and custom.

The Grass Is Never Greener Where There Is No Grass

A Look Back at Sukkhot The holiday of Sukkhot means many things to me. Viscerally, it is a chance for my body to adjust directly to the change in seasons, to acclimate to the coming fall air. It is a chance for me to watch the moon, perhaps to synch with its rhythms. The Mitzvah, focusing on the need to remember a certain lesson from the past, tells me about the unchanging Eternal One. All are known by deeds theyve done. Perhaps it is set at this time of year for other levels of purpose. The pleasantness of this time of year indicates, just possibly, one of these levels of purpose. It is set in this season for my enjoyment. This time is pleasant, and God wants me to enjoy what he has made that is pleasant. God is good. Could there be more? I am told to remember the time when bnai Yisrael dwelt in Sukkhot, the Hebrews in booths. During this holiday I remember a time in my life when I dwelt in tents and on floor mats, traveling. A time when my life was much simpler, when structure was a free gift. A time when I my possessions were few, but I was master of them. When I had nothing; when I had it all. In a deeper, spiritual sense, it shows me a glimpse of Gods economy. The economy before the fall, before the Neolithic. Gan Eden. Sukkhot is a part of the Exodus story. The Exodus is celebrated every year at Passover, and Sukkhot picks up where Passover leaves us off, in tents in the wilderness, having been saved from our enemies. Who were our enemies? The Egyptians, children of Ham, but what is the role of race? A mixed rabble journeyed out with us. If we think of Gods economy, we are forced to look at the economy of the Egyptians to provide a sense of contrast. They built the pyramids, they can build us a sense of contrast. We wandered into their land, shepherds, pastoralists, in search of food in a lean time. Cowboys without horses, driving small, fluffy cows along the open range. The Egyptians were sedentary, farmers, agriculturalists. The two cultures were Cain and Abel, resurrected, repeated. What happened to our pastoral economy when we came into contact with a more civilized culture? And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. (BReyshit/ Genesis 46:33-34) The economic separation, this ghetto, did not last, though the physical Goshen lived on, an archetypal Jewish neighborhood, perhaps. Our separate shepherding economy was sucked into, eventually under, the mainstream agricultural economy of Egypt. They had bread, Cains fruit of the ground, to offer. We stretched out our hands, slavery cuffed them. When God had mercy on us, and delivered us, he did not raise us up a few pegs within the economic hierarchy of the Egyptians. He placed us on a separate economic foundation of His own making, His own maintenance. A different mode of production, not altogether different than Adams bReyshit. He gave us our clothes by preserving them. He sent us bread from heaven and flesh to the full. He brought water from the rock and Manna from the sky. We wandered the wilderness collecting it, foraging for it. The wealth we borrowed from the Egyptians we placed in a common tent, to house the Shekinah of our common God. The wealth was one, and it was common. Relegated to God, owned by God, the common God. The One God, who alone is worthy of all our wealth. Richard B. Lee once wrote that sharing is extended more widely in the foraging mode of production than in any other and that the foraging mode of production is a form of primitive communism. This is the economy we found under our feet, bearing us up. The pre-civilization economy, foraging, gathering. Communism governed the distribution of Manna: This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. (Exodus 16:17,18) It was meted out, distributed. Neither needs nor surpluses. Equality, in a sense. Each gathered according to his ability, ate according to his need.

We dwelt as tribes, in Booths. We no longer slaved for great pyramids. We forbore to rear huge monoliths, erect beautiful columns, carve out architectural marvels in the wilderness. Why build? We couldnt stay. Who would have wanted to? We were nomads. There was no property, all were equal. How many possessions would you want to schlep across wild landscapes forty years? The psychological impetus for us to control our surroundings, to adjust it to our preference, to tear it with the plow, burn it in the brick-kiln, to stack it around and over us, to kill it by forcing our food from it, to defend it with slings and arrows, to conform it to our idea of beauty, reduce it to our flawed, haphazard concepts of orderall of this was removed, ground out of us. We wandered, we gathered. We learned to be content, were taught not to complain. Not to veer, not to cheat. We all died in the wilderness. We were all born in the wilderness, all but Yehoshua ben Nun and Calev ben Yavneh, who believed God. Finally, we came to the Land of Promise: This, precisely, is where I balk. It would, I sense, be somehow scandalous (a word with a theological provenance) if the millennia of revelation, of summons to suffering, if the agony of Abraham and of Isaac, from Mount Moriah to Auschwitz, had as its last consequence the establishment of a nation-state, armed to the teeth, a land for the bourse and the mafiosi, as are all other lands. 'Normalcy' would, for the Jew, be just another mode of disappearance. The riddle, perhaps the madness, of survival must have a greater calling. One that is integral to exile. George Steiner Quotes: Lee, Richard Borshay. Steiner, George. Errata: an Examined Life. Gr. Britain: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997. London: Phoenix, 1998