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Pineapple- Pineapples by nature are sweet and sour, so too is life if you face the effects of depression and anxiety. The pineapple has a hard and prickly shell that one must work through to receive the rewards of its sweet and acidic fruit. Let this be a symbol of those locked in the inner shell of depression, anxiety or any other illness that detracts from the joys of living life to the fullest. “May the source of all deliver all...

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The olive branch is a universal symbol of peace, associated with the dove in the story of Noah's Ark and the Flood. Olive trees mature slowly, so only when there was an extended time of peace, with agriculture left undisturbed, could the olive tree produce its fruit. In 2008, Jewish Voice for Peace promoted putting an olive on the seder plate as part of its Trees of Reconciliation project, which sought to donate 3,000 olive saplings to Palestinian farmers to replant...

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Jill Levore's book Ghettoside argues that black boys are being murdered by their peers and their murders are being ignored by the police. In following the stories of a few victims in LA she finds the good cops among the indifferent and explores how a distrust in the police and a disbelief that the police would work for the community leaves disaster in its wake.  NPR Fresh  Air: 'Ghettoside' Explores Why Murders Are Invisible In Los Angeles Janurary 26, 2015  Dave...

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From COEJL’s “Preparing for Passover: Readings for the Seder Table” Stewart Vile Tahl, COEJL One of Passover’s lessons is learned to distinguish between more and enough. Dayenu means “it would have been enough for us.” Often, enjoying more wealth and comfort stimulates our desire for more – more attention, more comforts, more money, more, and more, and more. Passover and the Haggadah teach us to be mindful of what our real needs are, of what constitutes “enough.” What constitutes enough for...

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At this point, I will symbolically wash my hands for all of us, without saying the blessing. As I take a moment to wash my hands, imagine that you are washing away all anxiety and stress in your life, and allow yourself to be filled with the hope that the world can be a better place for us all.

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ALL: Tonight we might have put an oyster on our Seder plate. While I didn’t particularly want to put something traif atop that most kosher of dishes, this Passover falls on the first anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. And since BP, the leaseholder of the failed well, seems intent with its new television ads on making us forget about the spill, I felt that something drastic was in order to help us remember. Combining the...

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야핫츠 (yachatz) – 맛자 조각내기  Contributed by Jewish Boston 식탁위에 세 개의 맛자가 쌓여 있습니다. 우리는 이제 두 번째 맛자를 잡고 가운데를 반으로 나눕니다. 주인은 큰 쪽 조각들을 싸서, 저녁식사 하는 동안 그것을 숨깁니다. 이 조각은 아피코멘(afikomen), 그리스어로 후식이라는 의미입니다. 손님들이 저녁 식사를 마무리하기 위해 아피코멘을 찾을 예정이며, 상을 받게 될 것입니다. 우리는 이집트에서 탈출한 선조를 기념하며 맛자를 먹습니다. 노예였던 선조들은 해방되기 전에 많은 그릇된 출발에 직면했습니다. 그래서 자유라는 단어를 들을 때 가지고 있던 반죽이 어떤 것이든지 간에 그 반죽을 부풀기...

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To those unfamiliar with the terrain, the desert can seem like a harsh and empty place. Indeed, the desert of the Passover story is devoid of sustenance and life. At this point in the Seder, it is tradition to reflect on liberation and rebirth as connected ideas. To symbolize rebirth, we take a vegetable, like parsley, and dip it into salt water, which represents the tears shed by our Jewish ancestors when they were enslaved. Mixing the sweet and the bitter...

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Had G-d upheld us throughout 2,000 years of Dispersion,But not preserved our hope for return...Had G-d preserved our hope for return,But not sent us leaders to make the dream a reality...Had G-d sent us leaders to make the dream a reality, But not given us success in the UN vote  in 1947...Had G-d given us success in the UN vote  in 1947,But not defeated our attackers in 1948...Had G-d defeated our attackers in 1948,But not unified Jerusalem...Had G-d unified Jerusalem,But not...

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Following the framework of the Four Questions of the Passover haggadah, we ask four alternative questions for discussion. These questions are meant to spark conversations that can happen throughout the seder. First Question Read this narrative aloud and then discuss the question below. “When I found out I got into the University, I immediately called my ‘real’ mom in Afghanistan, whom I haven’t seen since I was 14. My family, which belongs to the Hazaras, lived under the constant threat of...

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What does freedom feel like in our bodies? Now we wash our hands, and remember that Passover is a holiday of sensation as much as it is the telling of the story of how we were once slaves and now we are free. The bitterness of the herbs, the crack of the matzah, the bloom of spring, sensations are important when we celebrate this holiday. What does freedom mean to you in today's world? 3min facilitated discussion, one person per table...

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by Joshua Ratner, Rabbis Without Borders One of my favorite parts of the Passover seder is the singing that takes place after we finish eating. There are so many great, fun songs, from “Ehad Mi Yodeah” to "Chad Gadya."Perhaps my favorite song is “Dayenu.” The words are fairly easy to sing in Hebrew, and the chorus is so catchy that even those who don’t know Hebrew can easily join in. But beyond its functionality, the content of Dayenu (literally “it would...