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Bricks, Bricks, Bricks!

A Passover Play

by Susan Tacherra

Narrator: Welcome! Let's tell the story of Passover! Please welcome our cast of players as I introduce them.

Narrator: Once upon a time, a long long time ago, and far far away in the ancient land of Egypt, there was a kind Pharaoh who was King over all of Egypt who needed help figuring out some terrible and awesome dreams he was having. Only Joseph, the Jew from Israel --you know-- Jacob's son? The one who was sold into slavery by his brothers? He was the only one who could help the Pharaoh figure out the dreams. Joseph helped store the extra food during the seven years of plenty, and helped feed the starving people during the seven years of famine. The Pharaoh was so grateful that he invited Joseph's whole, entire family, even his old father Jacob, and all his eleven brothers, and all their families, to come and live forever in the land of Egypt. Things were fine, for awhile, but everything changes over time. Many years passed. The nice Pharaoh became old and died, and his children and then his grandchildren, and even their grandchildren were born, grew old, and died. There was a brand new Pharaoh. And this one was not kind at all! By then, Joseph's family had grown very large. Thousands and thousands of Hebrews now lived in Egypt. No one remembered the time long ago when Joseph had helped Egypt. The new Pharaoh began thinking about all the Hebrews that lived in his county.

Pharaoh: There's a lot of Jews in my country now!
Who are they anyway?
They're not really Egyptians like me.
I don't trust 'em!
What if my enemy comes? They might turn against me! What'll I do then?
(Pause)
Ahh haa!
I'll take away their freedom! Turn em into slaves!
I will make em build bricks by squishing mud and straw together.
They'll have to make hundreds and hundreds and thousands off bricks for walls around my biggest cities!!!
Work, Work, Work!
They'll be too tired for anything else so they'll never be able to turn against me!
Heh, heh, heh. I'll fix em!

[Enter a slave.]

Slave: Now I'm forced to be a slave to Pharaoh.
I have to work work work very hard all the time and make bricks, bricks, bricks, all the time bricks!
I can't plant my crops anymore.
I have no time to spend with my family.
I feel terrible.
Not only that, but the Pharaoh's men, the slavedrivers, are soooo mean to me!
They beat me and won't leave me alone.
I'm afraid and sad.
Work, work, work, and not even so much as a "Thank You"!

[To the tune of "I've Been Working On the Railroad"]

Pharaoh Doesn't Pay (authorship unknown)
I've been working on these buildings,
Pharaoh doesn't pay
I've been doing what he tells me
Like making bricks from clay
Can't you feel the master calling
"Hurry up, and make a brick!"
Can't you feel the master hurt me
Until I'm feeling sick.

Oh, this is a mess,
Oh this is a mess
Oh this is a mess for Jews, for Jews
Oh is this a mess
Oh is this a mess
Oh is this a mess for Jews

Someone's in the palace with Pharaoh
Someone's in the palace we know oh oh oh
Someone's in the palace with Pharaoh
Why do they treat us so?
Work, work, work all day
Work, work, work, all day
Why do they treat us so, oh oh?
Work, work, work, all day
Work, work, work all day
Why do they treat us so?

Pharaoh: Everything is going soo great!
I love having so many slaves!
So much free labor!
Who cares how they feel?

[Enter a slavedriver.]

Pharaoh: What? You have a secret to tell me?

[Slavedriver comes over and whispers in Pharaoh's ear, making loud whispering sounds.]

Pharaoh: Oooooh Nnooooo!!
Are you telling me that a Jewish baby boy will what??
He will what???
And he will also lead these slaves away????? To Where??
To Freedom??? Oh Noooooo!!
What can I do now???
Aah Haaa! I know! I'll have all baby boys thrown into the river!
That'll fix em!

Narrator: But not everyone listened to the Pharaoh's wicked orders to destroy all the baby boys! There were two midwives, Shifrah and Puah, we should all take a few minutes to remember... They said "We will not do what is wrong... even if the Pharaoh himself ordered it!! Vive la résistance!!!"

Yocheved: My baby boy is so beautiful! I love him so much!
My friends Shifrah and Puah have already saved many babies,
And now I will save my own beautiful baby.
Miriam! Miriam! Come here!
You are a big girl now honey, and I need your help to save your baby brother.

Miriam: I'll help you, Mother!

Yocheved: Here is a tiny basket I've woven out of the tule reeds that grow by the river's edge.
We'll put our darling baby in the basket and float him down the river.
There we go, little one, into the basket.
Now Miriam... You watch carefully and see what happens.

[Miriam walks down the stage, watching the basket carefully.]

Princess: I am a princess of Egypt! I have come to bathe in the river.
Oh my gosh! Look what I've found! A baby boy!
Must be from some of those poor Hebrew slaves.
Hmmmmm. I don't care if he's a Jewish baby!
I'm lonely in the Palace.
I'll take him to live with me and I'll raise him as my own son.
He will be a Prince of Egypt!
I will call him Moses, which is a nickname for "I took him from the water".
Don't cry, baby! Don't cry, little Moses! Shhhhh shhhh shhhhh!

Miriam: Hello Princess. I hope you don't mind if I talk to you. I know you are a princess, and I see you're busy and all. But I noticed your baby was crying and crying. Perhaps he's hungry. I know a woman who might have enough extra milk to feed your child. Shall I fetch her for you?

Princess: Yes, dear child. That would be perfect!

Narrator: And so Yocheved, Moses' own mother, came to the Princess, and the Princess asked her to nurse the baby. Miriam, Moses' big sister, grew to be friends with the young Moses, taught him many things, and told him who he really was, a Hebrew like the slaves.
Moses grew to be a fine young Prince, but it was hard for him to live in the palace, and know that his people were suffering so as slaves. One day, he decided to go and see for himself how the slaves were being treated. He came upon a taskmaster beating a slave.

Taskmaster: You don't work hard enough! Take this!! (Make whip sound.)

Slave: Don't hit me! Can't you see I'm working as hard as I can? Nooo! Nooo!

Moses: Stop! Stop! Don't hit him again!! Don't you see he is weak?
Stop before I do something reallly terrible!

[Moses and the Taskmaster make fighting and hitting sounds.]

Taskmaster: Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee! [Falls down dead.]

Moses: Oh no! What have I done????? I lost my temper! I couldn't help it! I didn't mean to do it!! Ooh noo! What about the Pharaoh?? When he finds out, he'll... he'll... I know! I'll run away, far far away from this land of Egypt, and never ever come back again. Now the Pharaoh will never find me!

Narrator: So Moses left the Palace of the Pharaoh and ran far away to the land of Midian. At first he missed Egypt, his old home. But then, his past faded into the background. Years passed. He married a local girl named Zipporah, and started a little sheep business. But he never forgot the slaves still in Egypt.

Moses: It's so peaceful here. I love to sit and listen to the sheep's noises.
Herding sheep has got to be the most restful job in the world.

Sheep: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Moses: There, there, little lamb. I love living in a tent. It's so .. simple.. I feel connected to the earth here in Midian. In this simple beauty I'm beginning to understand what Miriam was trying to teach me about God.

Sheep: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Baaaaaaaaaa!

Moses: [Sees something a little bit away.]
What is that over there?
I see fire but I don't see smoke??
I can't smell any smoke either?
That's really weird.
What the...??
I feel compelled to go over there and find out what's going on.
(Moses listens as if he hears something.)
I hear a quiet voice calling and calling my name.
But there isn't any one else here.

God: [loud whisper] Moses! Moses!

Moses: Who is this? Who's there?? Who calls me??

God: I am who I am. I am who I will be.

Moses: What is this?? A tree that is flaming but not burning?
No smoke, Huh??
Woooooow! 0oooooooooooooh!

God: I have heard the crying of my people. I will get them out of Egypt. But you must be their first leader.

Moses: Me? You must be kidding!!
I'm no leader... I can't even speak in public. I stutter!
Besides, no one will believe me when I tell them I heard "the voice of God".
They'll all think I'm crazy!
They'll never believe me! I'm not even sure I believe you!

Sheep: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Moses: OK. I'll try. I'll ask Aaron, my brother, to help me.

Narrator: So Moses left the peaceful land of Midian and went back to Egypt, back to the Pharaoh.

Moses: [to Pharaoh]

Let My People Go

Verse 1:	When Israel was in Egypt Land,	Let my people go!
	Oppressed so hard they could not stand,	Let my people go!
Chorus:	Go down, Moses,
	Way down in Egypt Land!
	Tell ol' Pharaoh
	To let my people go!
Verse 2:	"Thus saith the Lord," bold Moses said,	Let my people go!
	"If not I'll smite your first-born dead!"	Let my people go!
	Chorus
Verse 3:	No more shall they in bondage toil,	Let my people go!
	Let them come out with Egypt's spoil!	Let my people go!
	Chorus
Verse 4:	We need not always weep and mourn,	Let my people go!
	And wear these slav'ry chains forlorn!	Let my people go!
	Chorus
Verse 5:	As Israel stood by the waterside,	Let my people go!
	By God's command it did divide.	Let my people go!
	Chorus

Narrator: But Pharaoh would not let the people go.

Moses: Pharaoh, if you don't let my people go, all the water will turn into blood!

Pharaoh: I don't believe that! Your God could not do that!
Ooooooooooh noooooo!
What do I see????????? All the water did turn into blood!! Quick! Take your people and leave!

Narrator: But God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he decided not to let the people go.

Moses: Please let my people go. If you don't, something terrible will happen to Egypt. Frogs will cover every inch of the land.

Pharaoh: So what?? A few frogs... I'm not worried about frogs.
Aaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!
Frogs everywhere.. in my hair.. in my bed! Uuuuuuccchhh: in my food!!
Okay, okay, leave! Just take the frogs with you!

Narrator: But God hardened Pharaoh's heart again and he changed his mind.

Pharaoh: Oh, the frogs are gone????
In that case, in that case, I've decided not to let the people go.
Forget it slaves. You're not going anywhere.

Moses: Please let my people go!
If you don't, millions and millions of lice will come.

Pharaoh: Lice? Oh, believe me, we've had lice around here before. No big deal...
(Itch, itch itching grows more and more intense.) Okay, okay, leave! Just take the lice with you!

Narrator: Again, and againâ terrible plague after terrible plague:
Gnats and flies came -- millions of biting insects;
Cattle dying, and no milk and no meat, rotting carcasses everywhere;
Boils covering every part of the poor Egyptians bodies;
Hail large as your fist destroying crops, trees, homes;
Locusts that ate every leaf on every tree and every blade of grass;
Darkness that never ended, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, it was always dark;
And every time, the Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he refused to let the people go.

Moses: For the last time, Pharaoh, please PLEASE let the people go!
Or something so terrible will happen to the land of Egypt that I don't even want to say it.

Pharaoh: Listen Moses. You obviously don't get it.
What I'm saying is that nothing, nothing, is as important to me as keeping the slaves.
I will never let them go!
(Pharaoh hears something... He listens.)
What is that weeping and wailing... Who is screaming and crying so??
What is that coming toward me?
The Angel of What??
The Angel of Death!!!!!!!????
Ooooooooooooh nooooooooooo!!!!!
Don't come here!!! Go away!!!!!!!
Help!!!! All the first-born are dying!!!
Moses, take your people and leave. Leave now, immediately, right now!
Aaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!

Narrator: Turn to page 32 in your Haggadah in reciting the Ten Plagues. As we say the name of each plague, take a little drop of wine or grape juice out of your full cup, to show our happiness is not complete because of the great suffering of the Egyptian people because of Pharaoh's wicked ways.

Moses: Let's get out of here quickly before Pharaoh changes his mind again! Quick! Everyone grab their stuff. Don't bother to finish letting your bread rise. Just grab the dough the way it is; the heat of the desert sun will be enough to bake it.

Narrator: Soon after the Slaves left Egypt, Pharaoh regretted his decision and ordered his army to bring them back again. His soldiers caught up with them by the banks of the Sea Of Reeds. There was no place to go and the people had little faith.

Miriam: Hebrews, Hebrews: Listen to my brother Moses!

Moses: Turn your hearts to God with faith and courage!!!!!
I will lift up my rod and stretch my hand out over the water!!
See!? See!!!!???? The river is opening up for you to walk across!
See? It is not even wet under your feet!!!

Hebrews: We are saved!

Miriam: We made it! Let's sing Thanks to God!!!
We were slaves in Egypt and now we are free!!!
Everyone sing Dayenu! With spirit and thankfulness!!

—from our March 2002 Passover Seder

Copyright © 2002 Susan Tacherra