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Around our tables sit four daughters: Wise Daughter The wise daughter understands that not everything is as it appears. She is the one who speaks up, confident that her opinion counts. She is the one who can take the tradition and ritual that is placed before her, turn it over and over, and find personal meaning in it. She is the one who can find the secrets in the empty spaces between the letters of the Torah. She is the one...

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Dom, Dom, This Plague is Red (sung to the sung of Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead) (by Gary Teblum) Dom, Dom, this plague is red Which bad plague The bloody plague Dom, Dom, the plague of blood is red Pharoah – hear what I said Let them go, or you’ll be dead. Pharoah, the plague of blood is red. The Nile will turn to blood Oh no, that’s worse than flood Yo-ho, yo ho, yo ho Don’t cling, just let...

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Leader: With the fourth cup of wine we remember God’s promise to take the Israelites as God’s own people. Just as God took on the Israelite people, we pledge to look out for the different members of our community. As citizens of the United States we share certain rights of citizenship, such as a social safety net, equal access to employment, student aid, and jury service. However, these rights are denied to those who have felony convictions. As a united community...

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There they were at the Seder table, as they always are. Between the first cup and the second cup, right in the middle of the telling of the tale, they made their appearance, right on schedule. First was the wise child, the one who seems to have all the answers; sober, sensible and responsible in everything he does. “We knew the end was coming,” said the wise child. “Mom had a long life, a good life. Her time had come. We...

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Quien, quien, quien, como Jehová? Que con su poder el mar abrió. Oirán las naciones lo que El hizo, Oirán dondé quiera sus prodigios, Su pueblo le cantara, con panderos danzarán, Y dirán quién, quién, como Jehová. _________________________ ּעֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ הָיִינו. עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין Avadim hayinu hayinu. Ata b’nei chorin. We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. Now we are free.

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The Pesach story begins in a broken world, amidst slavery and oppression. The sound of the breaking of the matza sends us into that fractured existence, only to become whole again when we find the broken half, the afikoman, at the end of the Seder. This brokenness is not just a physical or political situation: It reminds us of all those hard, damaged places within ourselves. All those narrow places from which we want to break to free. In Hebrew, Egypt...

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Traditionally, The Four Sons/Daughters include a wise one, a wicked (or rebellious) one, a simple one and one who does not even know enough to ask. Each of the first three ask questions about the Seder, essentially "Explain all this to me - what are my responsibilities?" "What has all this nonsense you are babbling about got to do with me?" and "What IS all this anyway?" while the fourth is silent - requiring the adults to be proactive in providing...

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All Who Are Hungry The Power of Choice The Haggadah is asking which of two categories we fall under: Are we here because we are hungry, or are we here because we are needy? "Need" is defined as "awareness of a lack." Freedom is not simply something that's "nice" to have; rather it is a necessary factor to our very being. As much as we need food to exist, we need freedom to live. Just as a man starving in the...

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Kadesh Kiddush, sanctification with wine. Urchatz Washing hands. Karpas Sanctifying and dipping the parsley. Yachatz Breaking the middle matzah. Maggid Telling the story of Pesach. Rachtza Washing hands. Motzi Sanctifying the 'bread'. Matzah Sanctifying the matzah. Maror Sanctifying the bitter herbs. Korech Eating a Hillel sandwich. Shulchan Orech Eating dinner. Tzafun Looking for the afikoman. Barech Saying the Birkat HaMazon (grace after meal). Hallel Psalms of praise. Nirtzah Concluding the Seder.

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Why does this sound familiar? Nearly all Jewish holidays: They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat! What's with all the questions? “In addition to celebrating the freedom to ask, in itself one of Judaism's revolutionary contributions to religion, on this night we focus on the importance of inquiry. In Judaism, not only are questions tolerated, they are encouraged... Not only does Judaism tolerate and encourage questions, it sanctifies them!”—Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson How do I pronounce 'charoset'? The transliterated 'ch'...

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The day ends. The earth turns from sunshine to dusk and then to darkness. We assume for ourselves the task of kindling candles in the night, to enlighten the dark corners of our world. We still live in perilous times. Behind us, though receding into the memories of even the oldest among us, we can still sense the fires of Auschwitz and Hiroshima. Before us, the threat of acts of terrorism and gun violence. We gather tonight to create from fire,...