The Shabbat Before Pesach

HaShabbat Shelifnei Pesach

הַשַּׁבָּת שֶׁלִּפְנֵי פֶּסַח

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Hebrew

בְּפָרֶךְ. וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבֹדָה
קָשָׁה בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים וּבְכָל
עֲבֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה, אֵת כָּל עֲבֹדָתָם
אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ בָהֶם בְּפָרֶךְ.

Sephardi

B'farekh. Vayemareru et chayeihem ba'avodah
kashah b'chomer uvilvenim uvechol
avodah basadeh, et kol avodatam
asher avdu vahem b'farekh.

English

storage houses for Pharaoh, called Pitom and Ra'amses. "And they made us do hard work." As it says in the Torah: The Egyptians made the Children of Israel do backbreaking work. They made their lives bitter with hard work by making them work with mortar and bricks and all kinds of work in the fields. All the work that the Egyptians made them do was crushingly hard.

Hebrew

וַנִּצְעַק אֶל יְיָ אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ,
וַיִּשְׁמַע יְיָ אֶת קֹלֵנוּ, וַיַּרְא
אֶת עָנְיֵנוּ וְאֶת עֲמָלֵנוּ וְאֶת לַחֲצֵנוּ.
"וַנִּצְעַק אֶל יְיָ אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ,"
כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְהִי בַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים
הָהֵם וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, וַיֵּאָנְחוּ
בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָעֲבֹדָה וַיִּזְעָקוּ,
וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים מִן
הָעֲבֹדָה. "וַיִּשְׁמַע יְיָ אֶת קֹלֵנוּ,"
כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶת
נַאֲקָתָם, וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ
אֶת אַבְרָהָם אֶת יִצְחָק וְאֶת יַעֲקֹב.
"וַיַּרְא אֶת עָנְיֵנוּ," זוֹ פְּרִישׁוּת דֶּרֶךְ
אֶרֶץ, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים
אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיֵּדַע אֱלֹהִים.
"וְאֶת עֲמָלֵנוּ," אֵלּוּ הַבָּנִים, כְּמָה
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כָּל הַבֵּן הַיִּלּוֹד הַיְאֹרָה
תַּשְׁלִיכֻהוּ, וְכָל הַבַּת תְּחַיּוּן. "וְאֶת
לַחֲצֵנוּ," זֶה הַדְּחַק, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
וְגַם רָאִיתִי אֶת הַלַּחַץ אֲשֶׁר
מִצְרַיִם לֹחֲצִים אֹתָם.

Sephardi

Vanitza'ak el Adonai Elohei avoteinu,
vayishma Adonai et koleinu, vayar
et onyeinu ve'et amaleinu ve'et lachatzeinu.
"Vanitza'ak el Adonai Elohei avoteinu,"
Kemah shene'emar: Vayehi vayamim harabim
hahem vayamat melech Mitzrayim, vayeianechu
venei Yisrael min ha'avodah vayiz'aku,
vata'al shav'atam el haElohim min
ha'avodah. "Vayishma Adonai et koleinu,"
Kemah shene'emar: Vayishma Elohim et
na'akatam, vayizkor Elohim et berito
et Avraham et Yitzchak ve'et Ya'akov.
"Vayar et onyeinu," zo perishut derech
eretz, kemah shene'emar: Vayar Elohim
et b'nei Yisrael, vayeda Elohim.
"Ve'et amaleinu," elu habanim, kemah
shene'emar: Kol haben hayilod haye'orah
tashlichuhu, vechol habat techayun. "Ve'et
lachatzeinu," zeh hadechak, kemah shene'emar:
Vegam ra'iti et halachatz asher
Mitzrayim lochatzim otam.

English

The Torah continues in the following verse: We cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our suffering, our labor, and our pressure. "We cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers." As it says in the Torah: During the long period that Moses lived in Midyan, the king of Egypt died. The Children of Israel groaned from the hard work, and they cried out. Their cries, caused by the hard work, went up to God. "And the Lord heard our voice." As it says in the Torah: God heard the groaning of the Jewish Nation, and God remembered the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would bring the Jewish Nation to the Land of Israel. "And saw our suffering." "Our suffering" refers to Pharaoh's decree to separate the Jewish husbands and wives so they wouldn't be able to have normal family life. God saw the suffering of the Jewish Nation, as it says in the Torah: God saw the Children of Israel, and God took their cries to heart. "Our hard work." This refers to the children who are referred to in Torah as a man's strength. Pharaoh issued a decree against the children. As it says in the Torah: Pharaoh said, "Throw every newborn boy into the Nile river, and keep every girl alive." "And our pressure." This refers to the pressure that the Egyptians applied to the Jewish Nation, allowing them no rest. God saw the pressure, as it says in the Torah: God said, "I have also seen the pressure with which the Egyptians are pressuring them."

Hebrew

וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יְיָ מִמִּצְרַיִם בְּיָד
חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה
וּבְמֹרָא גָּדוֹל וּבְאֹתוֹת וּבְמֹפְתִים.
"וַיּוֹצִיאֵנוּ יְיָ מִמִּצְרַיִם," לֹא עַל
יְדֵי מַלְאָךְ וְלֹא עַל יְדֵי שָׂרָף
וְלֹא עַל יְדֵי שָׁלִיחַ,1 אֶלָּא
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּכְבוֹדוֹ
וּבְעַצְמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְעָבַרְתִּי
בְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה,
וְהִכֵּיתִי כָל בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם
מֵאָדָם וְעַד בְּהֵמָה, וּבְכָל אֱלֹהֵי
מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים, אֲנִי יְיָ.
"וְעָבַרְתִּי בְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם," אֲנִי
וְלֹא מַלְאָךְ. "וְהִכֵּיתִי כָל בְּכוֹר
בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם," אֲנִי וְלֹא שָׂרָף.
"וּבְכָל אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה
שְׁפָטִים," אֲנִי וְלֹא הַשָּׁלִיחַ.
"אֲנִי יְיָ," אֲנִי הוּא וְלֹא אַחֵר.

Sephardi

Vayotzi'einu Adonai miMitzrayim b'yad
chazakah uvizroa netuyah
uvmora gadol uvo'tot uvmofetim.
"Vayotzi'einu Adonai miMitzrayim," lo al
yedei mal'akh v'lo al yedei saraf
v'lo al yedei shaliach,1 ela
Hakadosh Baruch Hu bikhvodo
uveatzmo, shene'emar: Ve'avarti
ve'eretz Mitzrayim balailah hazeh,
vehikeiti kol bechor be'eretz Mitzrayim
mei'adam ve'ad behemah, uvechol elohei
Mitzrayim e'eseh shefatim, ani Adonai.
"Ve'avarti ve'eretz Mitzrayim," ani
v'lo mal'akh. "Vehikeiti kol bechor
be'eretz Mitzrayim," ani v'lo saraf.
"Uvechol elohei Mitzrayim e'eseh
shefatim," ani v'lo hashaliach.
"Ani Adonai," ani hu v'lo acher.

English

The Torah continues in the following verse: The Lord took us out of Egypt with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, with a great display, with signs, and with wonders. "The Lord took us out of Egypt." We were taken out of Egypt, not through an angel, not through a fiery angel called a Saraf, and not through a messenger.1 Rather, it was the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, in His glory, Who took us out, as it says in the Torah: I will pass through the land of Egypt on the night of Pesach, and I will slay every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man to animal, and I will carry out judgments and punish all the gods of Egypt. I, the Lord, will do this personally. "I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night." I and not an angel. "And I will slay every firstborn in the land of Egypt." I and not a fiery angel. "And I will carry out judgments and punish all the gods of Egypt." I and not a messenger. "I, the Lord." It is I and no one else.

Hebrew

"בְּיָד חֲזָקָה," זֶה הַדֶּבֶר, כְּמָה
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנֵּה יַד יְיָ הוֹיָה
בְּמִקְנְךָ אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה, בַּסּוּסִים
בַּחֲמֹרִים בַּגְּמַלִּים בַּבָּקָר וּבַצֹּאן,
דֶּבֶר כָּבֵד מְאֹד. "וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה,"

Sephardi

"B'yad chazakah," zeh hadever, kemah
shene'emar: Hineh yad Adonai hoyah
b'miknekha asher basadeh, basusim
bachamorim bagmalim babakar uvatzon,
dever kaved me'od. "Uvizroa netuyah,"

English

"With a strong hand." This refers to the plague of Deadly Disease in Animals, as it says in the Torah when Moses warned the Egyptians: Behold, the hand of the Lord will punish you by placing a very deadly disease on your animals in