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The great sage Hillel provided us with the tradition of constructing the Hillel sandwich, combining the bitterness of the maror with the sweetness of the charoset between the fortitude of the two pieces of matzah--the symbol of freedom. Through this ritual, we think about mortar and brick. We think of the Israelites traveling through the desert with no homes, no place to land and build up their strong communities, and only the matzah as a reminder of their freedom. It is...

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Pesach is a time of inclusion. On seder night, there are two moments where we metaphorically open our doors and invite others in. One is at the opening of the Magid portion of the seder, when we say, “All who are hungry come and eat.” There is a beautiful message here: we were once slaves; poor and hungry, and we remember our redemption by sharing what we have with others. The other, comes towards the end of the seder, when we...

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Why do we eat a meal during the seder? One reason is that on Pesach we act like kings and we must have feast like kings and eat together like royalty. We also commemorate the Beit Hamikdash were everyone was required to eat the korban pesach together.

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One element of the story of the exodus that the Roberts' version elides is God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart. Moses Maimonides (ca 1135 - 1204 CE) recognized this element of the story as a significant paradox since it seemed to suggest that God forced Pharaoh to make the wicked decisions that brought about the punishment of the plagues. As Maimonides recognizes, if this were so, then the notion that the plagues were a punishment as well as a means of the...

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The Wise Child (Enters and sits near the leader. He is eager and earnest.) "Tateh,   teach me everything about Pesach...all the laws, the customs, the rituals...everything! I want to learn it all!" The Wicked Child (Enters and Stands, glaring at the leader. He is angry and full of contempt.) "Dachau, Mumbai, terrorism, murder. What good have all your pious prayers done you?! To hell with your ritual, and to hell with you!" (He sits.) The Simple Child (Enters, walks over and...

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Pour the Second cup: resistance to oppression [Read:] In every generation, a Pharaoh rises up to enslave us. In every generation, every human being must seek to free the community anew. [All join in singing:] When Israel was in Egypt's land, Let my people go; Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go! (Chorus:) Go down, Moses, 'Way down in Egypt's land; Tell ol' Pharaoh, Let my people go! Thus says the Lord, bold Moses said, Let my...

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"A Not-So-Serious Passover Play for the Classroom or the Dining Room" by S. Mitchell CHARACTERS: Slave Narrator, G_d (as a voice offstage), Moses, Aaron, Burning Bush, Pharoah SLAVE NARRATOR: In Egypt we Hebrews had a difficult life. All day we worked under the whips of the taskmasters, making bricks and stacking them into giant pyramids, using nothing but our bare hands and a mixture of apples, raisins and nuts to bind the bricks together. We ate nothing but horseradish and drank...

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Rabbi Gamliel taught that when we tell the story of the Exodus, we must also explain the meaning of the most important symbols: zeroah, matzah, and maror. (Leader holds up each symbol as the designated portion is read.) Zeroah is a roasted shank bone, which reminds us that God told the Israelites to put lamb’s blood on our doors to escape the tenth plague, the slaying of the first born. We eat matzah because there was not enough time for the...

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A Rabbi who came to America in the 1920's relates the following story:  "When I first came into the city, I saw a big store. I walked inside and noticed people taking shopping carts and going aisle to aisle, piling as much food as they wanted into their carts. No one said anything to them, and no one stopped them. People filled up their wagons to their hearts' content. This seemed very strange to me. Indeed, this must be the land...

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Bienvenido, shalom, welcome to Seder A La Mexicana: a journey from exilio (exile) to liberdad (freedom.) We start by setting intentions for the event with all of you here tonight. The first one is that of inclusión, Pesach is a time of inclusion. Tonight we come together to recreate in story and espíritu (spirit) of Moses and the Israelites journey from Mitsrayim (Egypt or a "narrow bridge") to liberdad, the land of Israel. Tonight we honor our ancestors, the curanderas (healers,)...

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ALL: We raise our cups in remembrance. Remember all the people we have touched. Remember all the gardens we have tended and the battles we have won. Remember all the steps we have taken and the decisions we have made. Remember our friends and allies. Remember all that is good and rejoice. We think, on this night of reflection and remembrance, as we celebrate together, the liberation from Egypt. Remember the liberation of each and all of us. L'CHAIM! (Drink wine)

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Reader 1: This week Jews all over the world are observing Pesakh at their own Seders. The word "Seder" means "order", and "Hagada" means "The Telling." The traditional Hagada contains very specific rituals and readings. Our Hagada has been changed to include a secular content emphasizing the ideal of the struggle for freedom and human dignity. Reader 2: Pesakh has been observed by the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years. The holiday was celebrated by many: a slave in Herod's...

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Bashanah haba-ah Neshev al ha-mir-peset Ven-is-por tse-porim no-de-dot. Ye-lodim be-khufsa Ye sa-ha-ku to-feset Beyn ha-bayit le veyn ha-sadot. Od-tireh od-tireh Kamah-tov-ye-yey Bashanah bashanah ha-ba-ah  (repeat stanza) Soon the day will arrive When we will be together And no longer will we live in fear. And the children will smile Without wondering whether On that dark day new clouds will appear. Wait and see, wait and see What a world there can be If we share, if we care, you and me  ...