A Flat (Bread) Out Message

Lean to the left, wear royal garments Be generous with the wine, In tears dip your food, in bitter leaves partake On flat bread for the poor dine.

Are we wealthy, are we paupers? Are we kings or are we slaves? What message are we trying to send In the way tonight we behave?

The children ask, the father answers “The reason we act like so, Is to remind us what we cannot forget; We were slaves long ago.

“Our nation was being born Our oppressors wanted it to die, To put an end to our growth Many times over they tried.

“They enslaved us to break our spirit But G-d was with us through and through, We remained strong we multiplied And to our roots we remained true.

“Ten plagues were put on the enemy Each one measure for measure, During the 9^th, we looked and planned What we’d take with us of their treasure.

“The night before Exodus The final plague began, We ate Korban Pesach, firstborn Egyptians lay dead And Pharaoh begged us to leave his land.

“When morning arrived, we were ready to go ‘No baking,’ Moshe said, The dough on our backs left to rise in the sun Became matzos, flat bread.

“We were paupers once, not princes, We were slaves, not royalty, But now each year we reminisce And are grateful to be free.”

The flat bread reminds us of slavery And everything it entails, As well our freedom to serve Hashem When we became Am Yisrael.