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Humanity manifests itself in brotherhood most frequently in “dark times.” This kind of humanity actually becomes inevitable when the times become so extremely dark for certain groups of people that it is no longer up to them, their insight or choice, to withdraw from the world. Humanity in the form of fraternity invariably appears historically among persecuted peoples and enslaved groups. ... This kind of humanity is the great privilege of pariah peoples; it is the advantage that the pariahs of...

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I speak to you as an American Jew. As Americans we share the profound concern of millions of people about the shame and disgrace of inequality and injustice which make a mockery of the great American idea. As Jews we bring to this great demonstration, in which thousands of us proudly participate, a two-fold experience -- one of the spirit and one of our history. In the realm of the spirit, our fathers taught us thousands of years ago that when...

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The first hand-washing of the seder is unusual. The rabbis point out that even a child would wonder at least two things: why do we wash without a blessing and why do we bother to wash when we will not be eating our meal for some time. They suggest that we wash our hands here in order to raise questions. Questions, both of wonder and of despair, are crucial to our time at the seder and, really, our growth as human...

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The Passover Haggadah recounts ten plagues that afflicted Egyptian society. In our tradition, Passover is the season in which we imagine our own lives within the story and the story within our lives. Accordingly, we turn our thoughts to the many plagues affecting our society today. Our journey from slavery to redemption is ongoing, demanding the work of our hearts and hands. Here are ten “modern plagues”:   Homelessness In any given year, about 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness,...

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זֹאת כּוֹס מִרְיָם, כּוֹס מַיִם חַיּים. זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצִרָיִם This is the cup of Miriam, the cup of living waters. Let us remember the well of Miriam gave life to the Israelites as the struggled through the wilderness. דרש רב עוירא: בשכר נשים צדקניות שהיו באותו הדור נגאלו ישראל ממצרים Rabi Avira taught: By the merit of righteous women, a generation of Israel was redeemed from Egypt. (Sotah 11b)

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Maggid – Beginning מגיד Raise the tray with the matzot and say: הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא דִי אֲכָלוּ אַבְהָתָנָא בְּאַרְעָא דְמִצְרָיִם. כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח. הָשַׁתָּא הָכָא, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. הָשַׁתָּא עַבְדֵי, לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין. Ha lachma anya dee achalu avhatana b'ara d'meetzrayeem. Kol deechfeen yeitei v'yeichol, kol deetzreech yeitei v'yeefsach. Hashata hacha, l'shanah haba-ah b'ara d'yisra-el. Hashata avdei, l'shanah haba-ah b'nei choreen. This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land...

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As we rejoice at our deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge that our freedom was hard-earned. We regret that our freedom came at the cost of the Egyptians’ suffering, for we are all human beings made in the image of God. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them. Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass for a drop for each plague. These are the ten plagues which God brought down...

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Karpas כַּרְפַּס The Green Vegetable בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה: Barukh atta Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei p'ri ha-adamah.  Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who has created the fruit of the earth.

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Dayeinu It would have been too much if only Columbine had been the single scar on the flesh of our country. Dayeinu! It would have been too much if only the lecture halls at Virginia Tech had transformed into morgues. Dayeinu! It would have been too much if only the innocence of Newtown’s young children had been savaged. Dayeinu! It would have been too much if only Orlando’s nightclub had been drenched with the blood of innocent women and men. Dayeinu!...

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Who Asks The Four Questions?  תנו רבנן: חכם בנו שואלו, ואם אינו חכם אשתו שואלתו. ואם לאו הוא שואל לעצמו. ואפילו  שני תלמידי חכמים שיודעין בהלכות הפסח שואלין זה לזה The rabbis teach that if a son is wise enough, then he asks, but if he is not wise enough, then the man’s wife asks. But if he has no wife, then he asks himself. And even if there are only two wise sage, and both of them know all the...

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(Recited on Shabbat)  וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר  יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי, וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל-צְבָאָם: וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וַיִשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה: וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ, כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל-מְלַאכְתּוֹ, אֲשֶׁר-בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת Vayehi erev vayehi voker yom hashishi vayechulu hashamayim veha'aretz vechol tezva'am.  Vayechal elohim bayom hashvi'i melachto asher asah. Vayishbot bayom hashvi'i mikol melachto asher asah.  Vayevarech elohim et yom hashvi'i vayekadesh oto. Ki vo shavat mikol melachto asher barah elohim la'asot.  There...

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"Passover" By Yehuda Amichai My father was a god and did not know it. He gave me The Ten Commandments neither in thunder nor in furry; neither in fire nor in cloud But rather in gentleness and love. And he added caresses and kind words and he added “I beg You,” and “please.” And he sang “keep” and “remember” the Shabbat In a single melody and he pleaded and cried quietly between one utterance and the next , “Do not take...

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Karpas כַּרְפַּס The Green Vegetable בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה: Barukh atta Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, borei p'ri ha-adamah.  Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who has created the fruit of the earth.