Seder-Masochism

SEDER-MASOCHISM

Written by God, Moses, or A Series of Patriarchal Males, depending on whom you ask

Moses

Animated and Directed by Nina Paley

Moses

Produced by Nina Paley and Producer X

Moses

Hoop-de-doo-de-doo-de Moses

Moses!

Moses!

Moses!

Behold this golden goblet of wine.

It is a symbol of joy as we celebrate the festival of Passover.

Many long years ago on this night,

our ancestors heard the call of freedom

and tonight that call rings out once more,

commanding us to champion the cause

of the oppressed peoples throughout the world.

I don't know, are you recording?

I can't tell.

I think so...

Don't waste this.

I hope so...

Okay.

All right!

So what do you want me to do?

I want you to sing the...

the...Passover...

uh...

You know, you'd go like, baruch-atah-adonai-eluh...

No, that's not what I sang on Passover.

I really don't know what I used to...

Well, OK, there's this part, which is the Kaddish

And I will do the best I can, Nina -

excellent -

Because it's been years and years and years -

When was the last Seder you did?

When did you leave the house?

(Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God,

King of the Universe

Who createst the fruit of the vine.)

Sorry, when I'm not burping I'll do it again.

We now drink our first cup of wine.

It is customary for each person to drink four cups of wine at the Seder table.

These four cups symbolize the ancient Four Freedoms

which are represented in the liberation of the Jewish people from bondage.

Ooh-ahh, rat-a-tat-boom!

Make the sound of a jet plane zoom.

Ooh-ahh, rat-a-tat boom!

Make the sound of a bomb.

You've got to believe in something

Why not believe in me?

You've got to believe in something

Why not believe in me?

Tell me, brother,

What have I - I -

done to you

to make you mean and treat me

the way you do?

Go on and wave your flag,

brother,

start your revolution.

I'm willing to let you do your thing,

Tell me why are you blind when it comes to mine?

You've got to believe in something

Why not believe in me?

Me, me, me, me, believe in me

You've got to believe in something

Ooh yeah

Why not believe in me?

Why don't you let the Wilson sisters set you free?

Take the chain off your brain

Believe in me, Oh I said now -

Take the chain off your brain

Believe, yeah hey

You always want to be like that

We're under you, can't believe

STOP! Take a look at yourself.

Don't refuse

You've got to believe in something

Why not believe in me?

Why don't you let the Wilson sisters set you free?

You've got to believe in something

Why not believe in me?

You've got to believe in something

Why not believe in me?

You've got to believe in something

Why not believe in me?

We were once the slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt

And the Lord, our God,

delivered us from bondage by His might.

Go down,

Moses.

Way down in Egypt land.

Tell old Pharaoh...

to...

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

Now, when Israel was in Egypt land...

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

Oppressed so hard they could not stand...

LET MY PEOPLE GO!

So the Lord said,

Go down, Moses,

way down in Egypt land.

Tell old Pharaohs

to let my people go.

LET MY PEOPLE GO.

So Moses went to Egypt land.

LET MY PEOPLE GO

He made old Pharaoh understand.

LET MY PEOPLE GO

Yes, the Lord said:

Go down,

Moses,

Way down in Egypt land.

Tell old Pharaohs

to let my people go.

LET MY PEOPLE GO

"Thus spoke the Lord,"

bold Moses said,

LET MY PEOPLE GO

"If not, I'll smite your first-born dead."

LET MY PEOPLE GO

'Cause the Lord said,

Go down,

Moses

Way down in Egypt land

Tell old Pharaoh

to LET MY PEOPLE GO!

WAY DOWN IN EGYPT LAND

Tell old

Pharaoh

to let my people

GO!

Oh, when I was a kid I knew this, word by word.

And this is what we did in Hebrew school.

We learned these things by rote.

And I could do everything, and then at the Seder I would have a certain...

You know, as the kid, the youngest male, I would have certain...

special roles, like asking about...

asking the Four Questions...

...one of which is, "Why is this night...

...whatever..."

THE SEDER PLATE

Shankbone

Roasted Egg

Parsley

Bitter Herbs

Romaine Lettuce

Apple, nuts, wine and honey

Matzoh

"Ha lachma anya."

This is the bread of poverty which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.

Let all who are hungry and needy

enter, and eat with us.

Oh, here's a question.

Yeah?

Since you cared so little about it, or for it,

why did you keep doing Passover anyway?

Well I still believed in the fact that, uh,

you had a heritage, and I wanted you guys to know something about your heritage.

And it was a happy, kind of, uh,

I mean there are the sad times, the Exodus and all that stuff...

which is the sad part of Passover...

but, uh...

It was happy and sad both.

You know, happy from the fact that Jews were getting out of Egypt,

and it was, uh...

sad that...

there had to be all these mean Jews before the Pharaoh...

gave in to the Jewish people, and...

they had an opportunity to

for Moses to lead them through the split Red Sea, and then of course,

the Sea came back together again

and killed all these Egyptians...

But, uh...

I thought you should know a little something about

the heritage of a...

of what was basically our family.

We now reach the reading of the Ten Plagues

which God brought to the Egyptians.

As each one of these Plagues is mentioned,

a drop of wine is spilled from the goblet

into a plate.

THE TEN PLAGUES

BLOOD

Which a-way,

which a-way,

do that blood-red river run?

From my back window

to the rising sun.

Red river, red river,

won't you tell me what to do?

Mmmm, worried as I can be.

Which a-way, which a-way,

do that blood-red river run?

From my back window

to the rising sun.

FROGS

FROGS!