The following passage chronicles how God raised us, step by step, from the degradation of slavery to the heights of freedom. We say Dayeinu after each act to express our thankfulness for that act alone. Dayeinu means “it would have been enough.” It would have been enough for God to take us out of Egypt, but God went on to provide us with many more freedoms. The haggadah teaches us that each step along our paths must be acknowledged and celebrated as “enough.” Only then can we approach life with a true awareness of what we have, and only then can we hope for change.

Reader

Had God taken us out of Egypt,
And not done justice with the Egyptians

Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had done justice with the Egyptians
and not with their Gods

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had done justice with their Gods
and not killed their first born sons

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had killed their first born sons
and not given us their wealth

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had given us their wealth
and not split the sea for us

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had split the sea for us
and not guided us through it on dry land

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had guided us through it on dry land
and not drowned our oppressors in it

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader

If God had drowned our oppressors in it
and not fi lled our needs in the desert for forty years

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader

If God had fi lled our needs in the desert for fourty years
and not fed us manna

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had fed us the manna
and not given us the Sabbath

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had given us the Sabbath
And not brought us near before Mount Sinai

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If God had given us the Torah
and not brought us into the land of Israel

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Reader
If god had brought us into the land of Israel
and not built us the temple

​Ensemble
It would have been enough.

Together we sing:

Ilu ho-tsi, ho-tsi-a-nu,
Ho-tsi-a-nu mi-Mitz-ra-yim,
Ho-tsi-a-nu mi-Mitz-ra-yim,
Da-ye-nu!
CHORUS:
Dai, da-ye-nu,
Dai, da-ye-nu,
Dai, da-ye-nu,
Da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu!
Dai, da-ye-nu,
Dai, da-ye-nu,
Dai, da-ye-nu,
Da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu!
Ilu na-tan, na-tan la-nu,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-Sha-bat,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-Sha-bat,
Da-ye-nu!
(CHORUS)
Ilu na-tan, na-tan la-nu,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-To-rah,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-To-rah,
Da-ye-nu!
(CHORUS)


haggadah Section: Maggid - Beginning