This Year We Are Slaves

Haggadah Section: Kadesh

What do these words mean? We are slaves because yesterday our people were in slavery and memory makes yesterday real for us. We are slaves because today there are still people in chains around the world and no one can be truly free while others are in chains. We are slaves because freedom means more than broken chains. Where there is poverty and hunger and homelessness, there is no freedom; where there is prejudice and bigotry and discrimination, there is no freedom; where there is violence and torture and war, there is no freedom. And where each of us is less than he or she might be, we are not free, not yet. And who, this year, can be deaf to the continuing oppression of the downtrodden, who can be blind to the burdens and the rigors that are now to be added to the most vulnerable in our midst? If these things be so, who among us can say that he or she is free?

Source:  
http://www.jewbelong.com/passover/
Clip Featured in JewBelong'sJewBelong Haggadah
Edit Clip
JewBelong Haggadah
JE
JewBelong
Table of contents
    Introduction
  • Welcome
  • The Elephant At Your Passover Seder
  • On This Night
  • As we begin tonight's seder...
  • Blessing For Anyone Who Is Not Jewish
  • Take Us Out of Egypt
  • Passover Remembered
  • There's No Seder Like Our Seder
  • Seder = Order
  • A Passover Song
  • Candlelighting
  • Woman's Prayer at Candle Lighting
  • Seder Plate
  • Bashert (Destiny)
    • Commentary / Readings
  • Ruth's Mix
    • Kadesh
  • Kiddush - The Blessing Over the Wine
  • Passover Round
  • A Time of Remembering
  • Question for Discussion
  • Readings on Freedom
  • This Year We Are Slaves
  • What Happens To Them Happens To Me
    • Urchatz
  • Urchatz
    • Karpas
  • Karpas
    • Yachatz
  • Yachatz
    • -- Four Questions
  • Four Questions
    • -- Four Children
  • The Four Sons
  • The Modern Four Sons
    • -- Exodus Story
  • What If God Had Not Taken Our Ancestors Out Of Egypt?
  • Pharoah Pharoah
  • The Story of Passover (Skit)
    • -- Ten Plagues
  • The Ten Plagues
    • -- Cup #2 & Dayenu
  • Dayeinu
  • A Contemporary Dayeinu
  • The Blessing Over the Wine
    • Rachtzah
  • Handwashing With A Blessing
    • Motzi-Matzah
  • Motzi Matzah
  • Historic Manischewitz Ad
    • Maror
  • Maror
    • Koreich
  • Just A Tad of Charoset
  • Korech
    • Shulchan Oreich
  • Shulchan Oreich
    • Tzafun
  • Tzafun
    • Bareich
  • Grace After the Meal
  • The Third Glass of Wine
    • Hallel
  • Echad Mi Yodea?
  • Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya
  • The Fourth Glass of Wine - The Cup of Elijah & Miriam
    • Nirtzah
  • Especially This Year, A Prayer For Our Country
  • Ending the Seder and Thinking About the Future
    • Songs
  • I Could Have Eaten More
  • Inspired to create
    your own Haggadah?

    Make your own Haggadah and share with other Seder lovers around the world

    Have an idea
    for a clip?

    People like you bring their creativity to Haggadot.com when they share their ideas in a clip

    Support Us
    with your donation

    Help us build moments of meaning and connection through
    home-based Jewish rituals.

    OUR TOP CONTRIBUTORS

    contributor image
    Esther Kustanowitz
    4 Haggadahs38 Clips
    contributor image
    JQ International
    1 Haggadah40 Clips
    contributor image
    MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
    5 Haggadahs109 Clips
    contributor image
    18Doors
    1 Haggadah13 Clips
    contributor image
    JewishBoston
    1 Haggadah78 Clips
    contributor image
    Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
    1 Haggadah36 Clips
    contributor image
    American Jewish World Service
    1 Haggadah44 Clips
    contributor image
    JewBelong
    3 Haggadahs57 Clips
    contributor image
    Repair the World
    12 Clips
    contributor image
    HIAS
    5 Haggadahs48 Clips
    contributor image
    Be'chol Lashon
    2 Haggadahs27 Clips
    contributor image
    PJ Library
    1 Haggadah17 Clips
    contributor image
    Jewish World Watch
    3 Haggadahs42 Clips
    contributor image
    Secular Synagogue
    10 Clips
    contributor image
    SVIVAH
    1 Haggadah9 Clips
    contributor image
    The Blue Dove Foundation
    12 Clips
    contributor image
    ReformJudaism.org
    24 Clips
    contributor image
    Jewish Emergent Network
    1 Haggadah22 Clips

    Passover Guide

    Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
    know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
    to all of your questions.

    Haggadot

    Haggadot.com by Recustom, is a free resource for all backgrounds and experiences. Consider making a donation to help support the continuation of this free platform.

    Copyright © 2024 Custom and Craft Jewish Rituals Inc, dba Recustom, dba Haggadot.com.
    All Rights Reserved. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. EIN: 82-4765805.