(א) וְאַחַ֗ר בָּ֚אוּ מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאַהֲרֹ֔ן וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יי אֱלֹקֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־עַמִּ֔י וְיָחֹ֥גּוּ לִ֖י בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃
(ב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֔ה מִ֤י יי אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶשְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹל֔וֹ לְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לֹ֤א יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙ אֶת־יי וְגַ֥ם אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֥א אֲשַׁלֵּֽחַ׃
(ג) וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֱלֹקֵ֥י הָעִבְרִ֖ים נִקְרָ֣א עָלֵ֑ינוּ נֵ֣לֲכָה נָּ֡א דֶּרֶךְ֩ שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת יָמִ֜ים בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר וְנִזְבְּחָה֙ לַֽיי אֱלֹקֵ֔ינוּ פֶּ֨ן־יִפְגָּעֵ֔נוּ בַּדֶּ֖בֶר א֥וֹ בֶחָֽרֶב׃
(ד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם לָ֚מָּה מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאַהֲרֹ֔ן תַּפְרִ֥יעוּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִמַּֽעֲשָׂ֑יו לְכ֖וּ לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
(ה) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֔ה הֵן־רַבִּ֥ים עַתָּ֖ה עַ֣ם הָאָ֑רֶץ וְהִשְׁבַּתֶּ֥ם אֹתָ֖ם מִסִּבְלֹתָֽם׃
(ו) וַיְצַ֥ו פַּרְעֹ֖ה בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא אֶת־הַנֹּגְשִׂ֣ים בָּעָ֔ם וְאֶת־שֹׁטְרָ֖יו לֵאמֹֽר׃
(ז) לֹ֣א תֹאסִפ֞וּן לָתֵ֨ת תֶּ֧בֶן לָעָ֛ם לִלְבֹּ֥ן הַלְּבֵנִ֖ים כִּתְמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֑ם הֵ֚ם יֵֽלְכ֔וּ וְקֹשְׁשׁ֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם תֶּֽבֶן׃
(1) Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness.”
(2) But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should heed Him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”
(3) They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has manifested Himself to us. Let us go, we pray, a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He strike us with pestilence or sword.”
(4) But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you distract the people from their tasks? Get to your labors!”
(5) And Pharaoh continued, “The people of the land are already so numerous, and you would have them cease from their labors!”
(6) That same day Pharaoh charged the taskmasters and foremen of the people, saying,
(7) “You shall no longer provide the people with straw for making bricks as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves.
(ה) רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים אֵלּוּ בְּפֶסַח, לֹא יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פֶּסַח, מַצָּה, וּמָרוֹר.
פֶּסַח, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁפָּסַח הַמָּקוֹם עַל בָּתֵּי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם.
מַצָּה, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁנִּגְאֲלוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם.
מָרוֹר, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁמֵּרְרוּ הַמִּצְרִים אֶת חַיֵּי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרָיִם.
בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג), וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה יי לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם.
לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִין לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, לְבָרֵךְ, לְעַלֵּה, וּלְקַלֵּס, לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ אֶת כָּל הַנִּסִּים הָאֵלּוּ, הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת, מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. וְנֹאמַר לְפָנָיו, הַלְלוּיָהּ:
(5) Rabban Gamaliel used to say: whoever does not make mention of these three things on Pesah does not fulfill their duty. And these are they: the Pesah, matzah, and bitter herbs.
The Pesah because the Omnipresent passed over the houses of our ancestors in Egypt.
The matzah because our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt.
The bitter herb because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt.
In every generation a person is obligated to regard themselves as though they personally had gone forth from Egypt, because it is said, “And you shall tell your child on that day, saying: ‘It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8).
Therefore it is our duty to thank, praise, laud, glorify, raise up, beautify, bless, extol, and adore God who made all these miracles for our ancestors and ourselves; God brought us forth from slavery into freedom, from sorrow into joy, from mourning into festivity, from darkness into great light, and from servitude into redemption. Let us say before God, Hallelujah!
Rebbe Nachman of Bratzlav
In every generation, there are souls that are extracted from their spiritual bondage. Others are made aware that they are still in bondage.
Every day, God is refining God's works, elevating human beings to a greater awareness of the Divine. Every day is like a new generation. A period in history that has never been and will never be. Today is a nonrecurrent opportunity to return to God...Tomorrow it will be something entirely different.
The Exodus symbolizes this ongoing process. Let us see ourselves as taking part.
(5) In distress I called on the LORD; the Lord answered me and brought me relief.
Rabbi Danielle Upbin
Min Ha-meitzar karati Yah, Anani b’merchav Yah
From a narrow place I called out to YAH; God answered me within the expanse
Traditionally, Psalm 118 is chanted as part of Hallel, a series of psalms recited on Jewish celebratory holy days. It is typically joyous, chanted from a place of freedom, from the headspace of having passed through the tough times. It suggests that we were enslaved and now we are free.
But it’s not uncommon for this verse to also find its way into prayer when we are still in crisis — the moments that cry out for answers, for finding our way out to the other side. This verse is a vision of how we long to feel and how we long to be seen.
Ha-meitzar literally means the constricted space, a narrow blind spot, our own personal Mitzrayim (the Hebrew word for Egypt). Mitzrayim is enslavement, darkness, hopelessness. When you are down and out, you aren’t just in the meitzar, you become it.
Notice what happens in your body when you are stressed: tightness in the chest, tense shoulders, altered breath, temperature change, the toxic loop of negative thoughts. The meitzar becomes an all encompassing grip on our sanity.
(ז) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי. אֱלקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם בּורֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:
(ח) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְרָצָה בָנוּ. וְשַׁבַּת קָדְשׁו בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצון הִנְחִילָנוּ. זִכָּרון לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. כִּי הוּא יום תְּחִלָּה לְמִקְרָאֵי קדֶשׁ זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם. כִּי בָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ וְאותָנוּ קִדַּשְׁתָּ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים וְשַׁבַּת קָדְשְׁךָ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצון הִנְחַלְתָּנוּ:
(ט) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי. מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת:
Praised are you, our God, Sovereign of time and space, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Praised are you, our God, Sovereign of time and space, who has desired us and has provided us with a path to holiness through the observance of mitzvot, and who lovingly and willingly has bestowed on us Shabbat, a measure of God's holiness, a symbol of the work of creation. For it is the first of sacred time, a symbol of the Exodus from Egypt. You have chosen us, and sanctified us among all peoples by lovingly and willingly bestowing on us Your holy Shabbat.
Praised are you, who makes Shabbat holy.