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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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(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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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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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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by Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled...

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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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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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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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When we talk about God we are talking about the spiritual energy of the universe which makes it possible to transcend the tendency of human beings to pass on to others the hurt and pain that has been done to us, the force that permeates every ounce of Being and unites all in one transcendent and imminent reality. God is the Force in the universe that makes possible the transformation from “that which is” to “that which can and ought to...

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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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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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Sharing our Own Naratives The Seder seeks not only to strengthen our individual connections to the Jewish past, but also  to forge our connections to each other. We begin the act of creating relationships and building community by sharing our own narratives with each other.  What is your favorite Passover ritual? What makes Passover special for you? What brings you to this Seder?