A Passover Seder by Elie Wiesel

[Music] ha ha ha ma anja this is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt that all those who are hungry come and eat with us thus begins the tale the unique tell the tale of the Seder that ancient family ceremony in which Jews the world overjoyed in a living an event that took place some 30 odd centuries ago I am Elie Wiesel like most Jewish children I especially loved the Passover holiday the Seder transformed us my father became a king my mother a queen but a lifetime separates me from the child I once was it's not that I love Passover any less now but I do love it differently now I love it for the questions it raises the compassionate evokes the memories it keeps alive and it's challenge to children to us to ask questions what I particularly love is the idea that all over the world Jews performing the same rituals tonight we invoke the same images we eat the same matzah we sing the same songs and together we remember a turning point in our history the book we read from this evening is called the Haggadah a Hebrew word meaning the telling of the tale tonight Jewish law commands us to retell the story of the actual a story that belongs to all of us a story of freedom and a story for hope and so let us start together Anna did you ask mom where I should put the Manta okay Jenny for the monsoon front of getting out on the side okay the seder plate [Music] now where did I put the Haircutters oh [Music] yes in my grandpa at satyrs when he was a boy and his grandpa and all the plant parts before him - how you doing Jenny okay ma'am Patti know what goes on the Seder Plate grandma taught me now I'll teach you did you know the entire story of Passover is told right on this plane it is each food is a symbol of the holiday the shank bone is placed here the shank bone represents the Paschal Lamb which the Jews offered to God at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem where does the Anka the egg is placed here the egg in its roundness symbolizes the cycle of life what's next next is my roar my roar is the bitter herb which reminds us how bitter it was to be Pharaoh slaves get a spoonful of haroset Kairos it represents the mortar which our ancestors used in building the pyramids parsley or Karpis comes next why parsley parsley stands for spring hope and renewal it's beautiful so can we eat now wait not yet there is an order to everything tonight the Hebrew word Seder means order I found them now we can begin [Music] grandma let me help you with the candle oh I would love it Anna [Music] baru Fattah el okay new mela column ball ray pari hagafen blessed are You Lord our God who creates the fruit of the vine [Music] and now not yet Michael it's time to dip our sleee in salt water as a way to remember the tears of our ancestors boroff otto hashem elokenu mela Fulham bourree bourree Hama blessed are You Lord our God who creates the fruit of the earth [Music] daddy what now now I'm going to break the middle matzah this bigger piece is the afikomen I'm going to save it for last because this will be the very last thing we're going to eat tonight what's going on how did I get here watch we're daddy hide stop you call me if we find it then I'll give us presents for it how come because he needs it to finish the Seder since the afikomen is so important I should probably put someplace safe hey wait a minute why am i going someplace else now let's see where was I oh yes this is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt but all those who are hungry come and eat with us you mean like people who are really poor and don't have enough to eat they should share in the Passover meal with us yes When I was your age living in the old country we were never without a stranger at the Seder going from one synagogue to another 1,000 studied to another looking for a stranger with whom we could share to Seder and been so worried at the pool and the uprooted were the most sought after and the most beloved of guests in some towns before Passover to show their charitable lists in yet another way one by one they would enter a room in community house there they would find the plate filled with money those who had money left some those who needed money took something no one knew how much was given or how much was taken this way those who needed money didn't feel embarrassed or ashamed does everybody understand what grandpa was talking about yes and now for my favorite part of the Seder the four questions who is the youngest hmm it's okay Michael you start we'll all help all right [Music] Oh why is this night different from all other nights on all of the nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread wine is Magda we'd only unleavened bread Sheva cold Holly load on you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and all of the night to eat all kinds of herbs why am this night to eat only bitter herbs [Music] [Applause] [Music] I'm all the mates we need mats at Barb's even once why on this night to mediate it twice Chabert whole Halloween [Music] Oh all the nights we sitting or reclining why on this night must be all reclined all right these are very good questions and we will answer them by telling a story that happened a long time ago we were all slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt it was a time of misery for the children of Israel we were forced to work day and night making bricks falling stones and building cities for the cruel Pharaoh then Pharaoh became even more wicked and he ordered that every newborn Jewish boy be thrown in the Nile families were torn apart God saw our suffering and he delivered us with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm had God not brought forth our ancestors out of Egypt then we our children and our children's children might still be slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt go ahead dad you continued the story and so God decided to punish Pharaoh with ten plagues wait a minute what about Moses isn't he part of this story of course he is but by mentioning him only once the Hagaddah is stressing that it was God not man not even a man is great as Moses who freed us from slavery and now it's said to eat not sin first we have to recite the ten plagues and as we recall each plague we spill a drop of wine why to show our compassion for the Egyptians you know wine or grape juice symbolizes joy and with each drop that we spill we give up a little bit of our joy [Music] sorry then there were frogs jumping all over the place next all the dusting to turn into lice people were itchy all the time and scratching didn't help suddenly wild beasts showed up biting chasing is scaring everyone all the animals that belong to the Egyptians got sick and died then they all broke out in boils that really hurt miles of hail make Spitfires strength bond came down so much that he's even shattered trees huge swarms of locusts with teeth my clients ate up all the grass and all the leaves on all the trees and it was nothing green left growing in all of Egypt for three days the Sun the moon and the stars disappeared it got really dark the darkness was so thin you could touch it at midnight the Angel of Death came and struck down every firstborn Egyptian Sun even Pharaoh could stand it no more he told the Jews to take whatever they could carry and leave Egypt forever and so the people of Israel gathered their possessions including the bread they were making which didn't have time to rise and so it remained flat like this matzah oh okay I get it [Music] when the children of Israel reach the Red Sea they suddenly heard of beats behind them Pharaoh had changed his mind and sent his army to stop the Jews you can imagine how our people felt trapped between Pharaohs are made in the sea then Moses raised his staff and a miracle happen the Red Sea parted and our people cross safely to freedom what happened to Pharaoh's army how come they didn't follow they did follow but the sea close up and Pharaohs army drown but we were free yes do we know no now we're going to sing a loop see hope see on ooh-ho siano me Mitzrayim bellow I saw him die [Music] [Music] LLL not come not come on and not come on the with the Shabbat below kevanna seen I die [Music] I'll Michael it would have been enough Diana just to sing this song but now it's finally time to borrow Otto hashem elokenu mela follow a share kitchen OPA Mitzvahed of the Tavano al pelota matzah borrows anta hashem elokenu melech ha-olam asher kitchen or bat mitzvah Tov bitsy von Oh Al Abdullah tomorrow [Music] I'm stuff it was a boy wish I'd been part of it that was delicious and now we need the afikomen all right but where is the afikomen I'm here over here please come and get me this book is heavier than it looks hey I know where it is what do we get in return well we can't finish the Seder without the afikomen so there you go [Music] when are we going to open the door for Elijah you know first we will say our thanks to God for our me at our chef lest be God whose food we have eaten who sustains the entire world and by whose goodness we live we thank you for liberating us from Egypt for redeeming us from the house of bondage and for teaching us your laws may we find favor in your eyes and let us all say okay Anna you know what we do now this is the cup for the prophet Elijah who mysteriously visits every Seder on this night bringing hope to all those who are in despair Anna and Michael would you please go open the door for him one day Elijah will come to stay and on that day he will accompany the Messiah to Jerusalem now before we all sing hot God young I have one more question I'd like to ask why do we do this every year year after year after year it's remembering who we are this dry happened to us to our fans you don't Ellen over and over we might forget it and so we come to the end of the Passover Seder we end with the hope that next year when we gather again people everywhere will be free [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Bianca robby ayala Katya based on about Beatrice [Music] and here we are concluding the Seder with her gaya a beautiful song which is not just about a father who buys a goat for his child it's a song about God's creatures destroying each other it may be a puzzling way to end the joyous meal but one that's fraught with meaning the sort of hard Katya reminds us that in Jewish history all creatures all elements all events are connected the gold and the cat the fire and the water the slaughterer and the redeemer they are all part of the story let me tell you the most important verse of the Seder and you should tell you child on that day this is the essence of our tradition what do we mean by tradition the Hebrew word for tradition is masala which comes from the word limits or to transmit to share to communicate we must communicate what we have learned from those who have lived before us it is my duty to tell my child not only my story but he's as well the story of our people sometimes stories are said still it is important to tell them and retell them to leave them again and again this year and next when we shall meet again around the Seder table [Music]

Channel: JewishLearn1

Views: 19,306

Rating: 4.9602976 out of 5

Keywords: Elie Wiesel, Passover, Seder, Blessings, Hebrew, Jewish, Celebration, The four questions, Mark Podwal, Family, Matzoh, Gathering, Seder Plate, Passover Meal, Jewish People, Matazh, Story, Moses, Israelites

Id: Aro4MY0PRbk

Length: 25min 15sec (1515 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 27 2018