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By Recorded Sound Archives, March 11, 2013 3:38 pm

Ma Nishtana (מה נשתנה‎) is also known as The Four Questions.

Recited by the youngest child at the table it evokes our own childhood experience and the pride we felt participating in the family seder.

Sung by Fran Avni’s Singing Children’s Chorus

Mah nishtanah, ha-laylah ha-zeh,mi-kol ha-leylot?

She-b’khol ha-leylot ‘anu ‘okhlin chameytz u-matzah, ha-laylah ha-zeh, kulo matzah?

She-b’khol ha-leylot ‘anu ‘okhlin sh’ar y’raqot, ha-laylah ha-zeh, maror?

She-b’khol ha-leylot ‘eyn ‘anumatbilin ‘afilu pa`am ‘achat, ha-laylah ha-zeh, shtey fe`amim?

She-b’khol ha-leylot ‘anu ‘okhlin beyn yoshvin u-veyn m’subin, ha-laylah ha-zeh, kulanu m’subin?

Dayenu (דַּיֵּנוּ) is a song of gratitude for all the gifts that God has given us.

It is more than a thousand years old.

Sung by Chaim Parchi

Ilu ilu hotzianu hotzianu mimitzrayim, v’lo asah bahem sh’fatim, dayeinu!

Ilu ilu asah  bahem , asah bahem sh’fatim v’lo asah be’eloheihem, dayeinu!

Di-di-yeinu! Di-di- yeinu! Di-di-yeinu! Dayeinu, dayeinu, dayeinu!

Di-di-yeinu! Di-di-yeinu! Di-di-yeinu! Dayeinu, dayeinu!

Adir Hu (אדיר הוּא) “Mighty is He” is a hymn traditionally sung towards the end of the Seder.

Performed by Safam, music by Shlomo Carlebach

Adir hy yivneh beito Yivneh beito beito b’karov

El b’nei, el b’nei, b’nei beitcha b’karov,

Bimhera bimhera bimhera b’karov.

Chad Gadya (גדי אחד) “One Little Goat” is a playful song popular with the children.

It is sung at the end of the seder.

Sung by Ralph Levitan

Chad gadya, chad gadya. Chad gadya, chad gadya,

Dizabin abah dizabin abah dizabin abah bitrei zuzei.

Chad gadya, chad gadya.

Ve-ata shunra ve-akhlah le-gadya,

Dizabin abba bitrei zuzei.

Chad gadya, chad gadya, ve-ata kalba ve-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya.

Echad Mi Yodea (אחד מי יודע) is a cumulative song meaning that each verse is built upon the previous one.

There are thirteen verses in all.

Sung by Deborah Katchko-Gray

Sung by Deborah Katchko-Gray

English Translation:

Who knows one?

I know one.

One is our God, in heaven and on earth.

Who knows two?

I know two.

Two are the tablets of the covenant;

One is our God, in heaven and on earth……..

Who knows thirteen?

I know thirteen.

Thirteen are the temperaments of God;

Twelve are the tribes of Israel;

Eleven are the stars of Joseph‘s dream;

Ten are the [Ten] Commandments;

Nine are the months of pregnancy;

Eight are the days of circumcision;

Seven are the days of the week;

Six are the books of the Mishnah;

Five are the books of the Torah;

Four are the Matriarchs;

Three are the Patriarchs;

Two are the tablets of the covenant;

One is our God, in heaven and on earth.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, March 29, 2012 11:58 am

Passover  traditions and memories . . . .

A time for family gatherings.

A time to ask the ”four questions.”

A time to search for the afikomen.

A time to recite the ten plagues.

A time for choroses and horseradish on matzo.

A time for Elijah’s glass of wine.

The Passover Seder  allows us to join together  in the warmth and safety of our homes to celebrate and remember our Jewish heritage.

If music and song have been a part of your Passover Seder over the years  the recordings in the JSA’s Passover Collection of Songs are sure to revive nostalgic memories of the past and to inspire new traditions for the future.

And if you are not already familiar with the wonderful music of the Passover Seder, it’s not too late to  join in and sing along!

Click here for links to the JSA’s Passover Album Collection.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, April 8, 2011 8:37 am

What makes this holiday different from all other holidays?

Growing up in a Jewish home has given me wonderful memories of the Passover holidays we celebrated when I was a child.  Weeks before Passover my mother would start liberating the Pesach tableware from the nooks and corners where they had been stashed since last year. The whole house had to be cleaned. When we were done, of course, not a crumb of chametz remained. And the cooking and baking!  I can still close my eyes and imagine the wonderful aromas that emanated from my mother’s kitchen. Matzo meal cookies were my favorites.  It was my job to stick a finger in the center of  the cookie mixture and then fill the indentation with a bit of strawberry jam.

Now my grand-daughter helps her mother make the cookies. The cast has changed but the play is the same. One generation passes customs and traditions on to the next.

Music helps us to remember the past  while celebrating the present. The JSA has compiled this special mix of holiday songs for you to enjoy. Many of this year’s tunes were on last year’s Passover Music Mix, but there are also a few new  ones.  These songs were selected from albums on the JSA website.  They are for your listening pleasure only.  They may not be copied, reproduced or sold.

All of the songs in this music mix can be heard on the JSA website all year long. Selections from the following albums were used to create this 2011 Passover Music Mix.

Around the Table – A User-friendly Haggadah by Gadi Elon

Celebrate with Cindy by Cindy Paley.

Haggadah Songs by Chaim Parchi.

Psalm Songs from Rock Creek by Cantor David Schneyer.

Mostly Matzoh by Fran Avni.

The Passover Collection by Safam.

Passover Seder Service by Cantor Samuel Malavsky and the Family Choir.

Passover Sing-a-long can be found in the Children’s Village record label collection.

A Singing Seder by Cindy Paley.

Songs My Bubbe Should Have Taught Me by Lori Cahan-Simon can be found in the JSA participating performers collection.

Songs of the Haggadah by Cantor Benjamin Maissner.

Canciones de Pesah/Passover Songs by Gaston Bogomolni can be found in the JSA participating performers collection.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, March 22, 2010 2:38 pm

Why is this night different from all other nights?

On this night  we celebrate the gift of freedom with special foods, stories and song. On this we night we have a seder!

To help make your Passover even more festive, the JSA has compiled this special mix of holiday songs. This year’s Passover Music Mix includes familiar traditional songs and also many children’s tunes that educate as well as entertain.

Click here to hear all 19 songs or to listen to your favorites.

These songs were selected from albums on the JSA website.  They are for your listening pleasure only.  They may not be copied, reproduced or sold.

All of the songs in this music mix can be heard on the JSA website all year long. Selections from the following albums were used to create this 2010 Passover Music Mix.

Around the Table – A User-friendly Haggadah by Gadi Elon

Chag Sameach/Happy Holiday by Judy Caplan Ginsburgh.

Celebrate with Cindy by Cindy Paley.

Haggadah Songs by Chaim Parchi.

Menorah’s Little Seder by Gladys Gewirtz.

Mostly Matzah by Fran Avni.

Mother Goose Rhymes for Passover can be found in the KTAV record label collection.

The Passover Collection by Safam.

Passover Seder Service by Cantor Samuel Malavsky and the Family Choir.

Passover Sing-a-long can be found in the Children’s Village record label collection.

A Singing Seder by Cindy Paley.

Seder by Cantor Moshe Koussevitzky.

Canciones de Pesah/Passover Songs by Gaston Bogomolni can be found in the JSA participating performers collection.