XI Shulchan Orekh…..The Festive Seder Dinner!!
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Those demonstrations or teachings on the Seder conducted without a dinner can use many of the traditional songs during this interim.
The following are some songs taken from the “Judasim 101: Peasach” website:
Many people think of Pesach as a time of deprivation: a time when they cannot eat bread or other leavened foods. This is not the traditional way of viewing the holiday. Pesach is Z'man Cheiruteinu, the Time of Our Freedom, and the joy of that time is evident in the music of the season. There are many joyous songs sung during the seder.
Mah Nishtanah (Why is it Different?)
This is the tune sung during the youngest participant's recitation of the Four Questions:
Why is this night different from all other nights, from all other nights? Mah nishtanah ha-lahylah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-layloht, mi-kol ha-layloht?
1) On all other nights, we may eat chametz and matzah, chametz and matzah. On this night, on this night, only matzah. She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin chameytz u-matzah, chameytz u-matzah. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, kooloh matzah.
2) On all other nights, we eat many vegetables, many vegetables. On this night, on this night, maror. She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin sh'ar y'rakot, sh'ar y'rakot. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, maror.
3) On all other nights, we do not dip even once. On this night, on this night, twice. She-b'khol ha-layloht ayn anu mat'bilin afilu pa'am echat, afilu pa'am echat. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, sh'tay p'amim.
4) On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, either sitting or reclining. On this night, on this night, we all recline. She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin bayn yosh'bin u'vayn m'soobin, bayn yosh'bin u'vayn m'soobin. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, koolanu m'soobin.
Dahyenu (It Would Have Been Enough For Us)
This is one of the most popular tunes of the seder, a very up-beat song about the many favors that G-d bestowed upon us when He brought us out of Egypt. The song appears in the haggadah after the telling of the story of the exodus, just before the explanation of Pesach, Matzah and Maror. I provide just two sample verses from a rather long song. The English does not include all of the repetition that is in the Hebrew.
Had He brought us out of Egypt and not judged them, it would have been enough for us. Ilu hotzi-hotzianu hotzianu mi-Mitzrayim, v'lo asah bahem s'fateem dahyenu.
(Chorus) It would have been enough for us. Dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu.
Dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu!
Had He judged them and not done so to their idols, it would have been enough for us. Ilu asah bahem s'fateem, v'lo asah beyloheyhem, v'lo asah beyloheyhem dahyenu.
Chorus, etc.
Eliyahu Ha-Navi (Elijah, the Prophet)
Many people sing this song when the Cup of Elijah is poured and the door is opened in anticipation of his return.
Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah, Elijah, Elijah the Gileadite Eliyahu ha-Navi, Eliyahu ha-Tishbi, Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu ha-Giladi.
Speedily and in our days, come to us, with the messiah, son of David, with the messiah, son of David. Bimhayrah v'yamenu, yavo aleynu, im Moshiach ben David, im Moshiach ben David.
Adir Hu (He is Mighty)
Adir Hu is a great sing-along song, because it has a lot of repetition. You don't need to know much Hebrew to get by with this one! It's also got a catchy tune. It's sung as the seder comes to a close. It expresses our hope that the messianic age will begin soon, and the Temple will be rebuilt. Each line of praise begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in alphabetical order, a common gimmick in Jewish hymns.
He is mighty, He is mighty Adir hu, adir hu
Chorus:
May He soon rebuild his house
Speedily, speedily and in our days, soon.
G-d, rebuild! G-d, rebuild!
Rebuild your house soon! Chorus:
Yivneh vayto b'karov
Bim'hayrah, bim'hayrah, b'yamenu b'karov
E-yl b'nay! E-yl b'nay!
B'nay vayt'kha b'karov
He is distinguished, He is great, He is exhalted
(Chorus) Bachur hu, gadol hu, dagul hu,
(Chorus)
He is glorious, He is faithful, He is faultless, He is righteous
(Chorus) Hadur hu, vatik hu, zakay hu, chasid hu,
(Chorus)
He is pure, He is unique, He is powerful,
He is wise, He is King, He is awesome,
He is sublime, He is all-powerful, He is the redeemer, He is all-righteous
(Chorus) Tahor hu, yachid hu, kabir hu,
Lamud hu, melekh hu, nora hu,
Sagiv hu, izuz hu, podeh hu, tzaddik hu
(Chorus)
He is holy, He is compassionate, He is almighty, He is omnipotent
(Chorus) Kadosh hu, rachum hu, shaddai hu,
takif hu
(Chorus)
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XII Tzafun: The Afikoman
The father or leader of the Seder now brings forth the hidden piece of Matza that had been broken, wrapped in white linen and buried. If during the Seder, the Matza, called the “Afikoman”, which means, “that which comes after”, has been taken from its hidden place by one of the children, then the father or leader of the Passover Seder will have to redeem it in silver. The piece of Matza is the last thing eaten at the Seder…and is called the “dessert”.
As I said before, the Matza is taken out of the Matza cover at the beginning of the Seder. The Matza cover is divided into three compartments. This represents the one God who has revealed Himself in three specific persons: the Father (Jehovah), the Son (Yeshua – Jesus)and the Holy Spirit (Ruach Hokodesh). The same is seen in the Old Testament description of the three courts of the Tabernacle. They call the Afikoman, the hidden bread.
The son (center piece Matza) is hidden between the other two pieces..”the Father and the Holy Spirit”. The Jewish people understood the Father and the Spirit, but they did not understand the Son. He was hidden. I am reminded of the (1 Colossians 3:3) “your life is hid with Christ in God.” Timothy calls Christ the “mystery of the ages” (1 Tim 3:16). This middle piece is broken. Jesus said at that last Passover, “this is my body broken for you;” (1 Corinthians 11:24) And like Jesus, the Matza is wrapped in white linen and buried. (Matthew 27:59) “And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in clean linen cloth.” (Matthew 27:60) “And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock:” With the third cup of wine….redemption, the bread is brought forth from its entombment and all at the table eat of it with the wine. It is the last thing eaten, as if “he who eats of this bread, shall never hunger.” (John 6:35)
The parallels between the Messiah and the hidden bread are obvious and in the ancient copies of the Haggadah, this was reflected in it writing. One of them, written over 100 years ago reflects that connection.
“I am ready and prepared to keep the commandment eat the Afikoman for the sake of the G_d and His presence, may it be counted as done in the name of all Israel. I am observing the commandment so that I may remember the Passover lamb that was eaten at the end of the Seder before midnight, may the eating of the Afikoman also achieve all the spiritual things accomplished in the Passover lamb itself. May it be thy will O Lord our G_d and the G_d of our Fathers, that you build the holy temple soon during our lifetime. May we be able to bring our offerings there and eat of the Passover lamb during our lifetime, as the Torah says. And then, of the first year, roasted over the fire, together with the Matza and Moror, may we be able to do this in our holy city of Jerusalem soon in our lifetime.”
Jesus, as the father of the Passover, took the bread and He blessed it, saying, “ Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” This is another prophetic utterance reflecting His resurrection to come three days later.
Let’s take a closer look at the bread.
….It’s STRIPPED (Isaiah 53:51) “By His stripes we are healed”.
….It’s PIERCED (Zech 12:10) “And they shall look upon Him who they have pierced.”
….It’s PURE, without leaven. (1 John 3:5) “In him was no sin”.
….It was PLACED On DISPLAY. (Exodus 5:22/John 12:32) “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.”
….Jesus was born in Bethlehem (which mean the “HOUSE OF BREAD”)
….Jesus was raised in Nazareth (Which means a stalk of grain)
….Jesus used images of bread all though his teaching. He was “baked in the fire”, judged on our behalf. And He was buried of the 2nd feat day, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and risen on the Festival of First Fruits.
XIII The Third Cup……….Redemption
The Third Cup of wine….the cup of redemption is represented by a silver chalaise. Like in the Tabernacle and the Temple, silver always represents redemption. Traditionally the wine was mixed with a little water. Some Rabbis feel this was done so the children also could partake of the wine. I am reminded that as the Roman soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a spear, out from His side flowed blood and water. (John 19:34)
Jesus took the wine and He blessed it. Does anyone know what that blessing was? First let’s look at the Jewish wedding.
-Parallels in Jewish Tradition-
a. A contract is made with the bride, which they both sign. The groom pays the bride’s father a dowery. Often the price is very high, but under the advise of the groom’s father, the price is paid in full.
b. The groom goes to “prepare a place for her. Their new home.
c. The bride waits at home of her father…consecrated, bought with a price, with oil in her lamp, as the groom might come at night. She wears a veil if she goes out because is no longer her own.
d. With the groom, things are going as fast as possible, but even he does not know the day or the hour of the wedding, as it is in his fathers hands.
e. The big day comes. The groom gets his groomsmen ready and his best man and off they go. He sends the best man ahead to warn others of his impending arrival, who gives a great shout, “Behold the bridegroom cometh.”.
f. The best man would wait outside the room for the voice of the groom and would be told when the marriage had been consummated. (John 3:29)
g. They would have a seven day celebration that would end….with a great marriage supper. Sometimes they would even run out of wine…..unless there was someone to turn the water into wine.
Wedding/ New Testament Comparisons
a. Jesus (Yeshua) approached us with a contract as we see in Jeremiah 31:31-34, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
b. As we can see the contract is particularly advantageous to us as it forgives us of all sin and is paid in full, by Jesus Himself.
c. Jesus found the price very high, but because it was the will of the Father and because of His great love for us, the bride, He paid the price in full.
d. Then He “went to prepare a place for us, that where He is we might be also”. He went to prepare a mansion for us.
e. Like the Jewish wedding, the day and the hour are in the Fathers hands.
f. The believer is to be set-apart, sanctified, bought with the blood of Christ Himself. We are no longer our own…we belong to Him.
g. Like the bride we are to have oil in our lamps (the Holy Spirit).
h. Jesus will let us know of His coming. He sent John the Baptist before Him to tell the people that the “kingdom of God was at hand”. Before He takes the church home He will let us know, “with the trump of God and the voice of an Archangel.”
i. And we will wear beautiful white linen, which represents “the righteousness of saints”
All this is to demonstrate that blessing upon the wine, is also a toast to the bride in the lifting up the cup with the right hand and sealing the contract.
The blessing was: Blessed art thou, I Lord our God, King of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.”
“Baruck ato Adoni, Eluhaynu meleck haw olam, borey paree agophen.”
Jesus said, “I am the true vine.” We are the branches. Before Jesus comes into our lives our branches are withered from the decay of sin and we were barren of any fruit. But the Father grafted us onto the true vine of His Son so that now as we abide with Him we become a “fruitful bough…hanging over the wall” The fruit of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and patience, witnessing to the world the character of Christ.
XIV Barekh: Grace after Meals
Reading from the Haggadah: “Y’hee shaym Adoni m’vo-roch v’ad olam”.
“Let is bless G_ds name forever and ever.
“Blessed art thou, O Lord our G_d, King of the universe, who in thy goodness feedest the entire world, and in mercy providest sustenance for all living creatures. The blessing of food has never failed us, for in thy goodness, thou dost provide for all our needs.
IX Nirtzah: Closing Elijah’s Cup..The Cup of Joy
The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to herald the Messiah, and is supposed to come on Pesach to do this. The door is opened for a while at this point (supposedly for Elijah.
Tradition tells us that Jesus turned over this last cup, before it was filled saying, “I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom”. (Luke 22:18)
Every Seder closes with these words: “Next Year in Jerusalem”
“ L’shana ha’ba-ah b’Yerushalayim”
So, we to wait for that glorious day….for the marriage supper of the lamb, in New Jerusalem!!
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Whether in homes or in the local church I like to finish this Seder with communion together, to lift our cups to the Lord and give thanks for the awesome plan of the groom.
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