The Four Cups

We will drink the first of four cups of wine

And give up control

To the wine, to the story, to God.

We are in Mitzrayim, the narrow place, And God says to us:

I Shall Take You Out,

I Shall Rescue You,

I Shall Redeem You,

I Shall Take You to Me.

Sanctify the day with the First Cup.

I Shall Take You Out, sez God,

From the burdens of Egypt.

That's nice. But what about

The burdens of now?

War, sex slavery, exploitation, inequality,

Not much changes.

We better get out from under,

Resist the oppressor

And make our own places free.

So drink from the Cup of Sanctification.The fruit of our hopes and prayers.

Tell the Story of a People's Creation with the Second Cup.

I Shall Rescue You, sez God,

From someone else's definition

Of you are, of what you can be.

Inspired by God, we free ourselves.

Moses or Abraham Lincoln or Betty Friedan

Freedom is not something we can be given

Freedom is something we must create.

So drink from the Cup of Deliverance

The fruit of our arduous journey.

Thank the chain of work that created the Seder meal with the Third Cup.

I Shall Redeem You, sez God

With an outstretched arm

Scattering the seeds

To the earth to the vineyard to the farmworker to the winemaker to the bottle to the grocer,

All for this glass of wine.

Redemption is hard work,

Forgivenss requires self awareness,

Teshuvah ain't for babies.

So drink from the Cup of Redemption

The fruit of our many labors.

Praise God's Awesome Glory with the Fourth Cup.

I Shall Take You to Me, sez God

For a people

And be your GodIn eternal covenant.

Gosh, can I get a job description first?

Commitment to obligation

Requires freedom to choose

And freedom to disobey.

So drink from the Cup of Restoration

The fruit of our Holy Connection

God says to us:

I Shall Take You Out.

I Shall Rescue You.

I Shall Redeem You.

I Shall Take You to Me.Drink.

Amen

haggadah Section: Kadesh

Source: http://triganza.blogspot.com/

Featured clips

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But why is there an orange and a tomato on the Seder plate?

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But why is there an orange and a tomato on the seder plate? This is not traditional for Passover. Tomato - This tomato brings our attention to the oppression and liberation of farmworkers who harvest fruits and vegetables here in the United States. And it reminds of us of our power to help create justice. A tomato purchased in the United States between November and May was most likely picked by a worker in Florida. On this night when we remember...

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The Exodus: Coming Out

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The Exodus: A Personal Coming Out, In Every Generation “In our tradition leaving Egypt wasn’t an historical event alone. In our tradition, it was a personal and existential leaving as well. "בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ\עַצְמָהּ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא\ה מִמִּצְרַיִם” (In every generation a person must regard themselves as though they personally had gone out of Egypt) Whenever we leave a narrow place, a place of constriction, painful servitude, a place where we are not authentically who we...

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by Milken School Global Beit Midrash

Koreich

Korekh

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It Happened at Midnight

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On the First Seder Night AND THUS IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT Of old, most of the wonders You did perform at night. At the head of the watches is this very night. Full victory came to Abraham, When he divided his company that night. IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT ! You judged the king of Gerar in a dream at ngiht; You frightened Laban in the midst of the night; And Israel wrestled with God and prevailed at night. IT HAPPENED AT...

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The Afflicted Matza

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The top MatzohAnd bottom Matzoh are,it is said,Pesach substitutesFor the two loaves of challah on Shabbat,Supposedly a reminderOf the two portions of mannaThey received in the dessertEvery Friday before Shabbat. But the middle matza?!Ah,That's for the seder.We break it in halfAnd call it the bread of affliction,Just like the unleavened breadWe ate as we fled slavery Matza Number Two,The afflicted matza, We break it in halfAnd separate ourselves from joySo we don't forget the painThat has been ours.We break it in...

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Kadesh

by Trisha Arlin

We will drink the first of four cups of wineAnd give up controlTo the wine, to the story, to God.We are in Mitzrayim, the narrow place, And God says to us:I Shall Take You Out,I Shall Rescue You,I Shall Redeem You,I Shall Take You to Me. Sanctify the day with the First Cup.I Shall Take You Out, sez God,From the burdens of Egypt.That's nice. But what about The burdens of now?War, sex slavery, exploitation, inequality,Not much changes.We better get out from...