---

Israel When found in the liturgy (religious text) does not refer to the modern nation/state of Israel, rather it derives from the blessing given to Ya’akov (Jacob) by a stranger with whom he wrestles all night. When the stranger is finally pinned, Ya’akov asks him for a blessing. The stranger says, “Your name will no longer be Ya’akov but Yisrael for you have wrestled with G-d and triumphed.” Therefore when we say “Yisrael” in prayer we are referring to being G-d-wrestlers,...

---

In lighting the candles at dusk we symbolize the end of an ordinary day and the beginning of an extra-ordinary ritual, a moment which reminds us of the first day of creation. ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותין וציונו להדליק נר של שבת ויום טוב Brucha Yah Shechinah, eloheinu Malkat ha-olam, asher kid’shatnu b’mitzvotayha vitzivatnu l’hadlik ner shel (Shabbat v’) Yom Tov. (Ashkenazi pronunciation, fem.) Baruch atah Adonai, eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, asher kid-shatnu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel...

---

What else does the afikomen hunt teach? It teaches that finding requires seeking. That seeking, in and of itself, is worthwhile and fun. That discovering new meaning demands that we keep looking. That we can’t bring anything to a satisfying conclusion without the patience and persistence needed to get there. Rabbi David Wirtschafter

---

Long before the struggle upward begins, there is tremor in the seed. Self-protection cracks, roots reach down and grab hold. The seed swells, and tender shoots push up toward light. This is karpas: spring awakening growth. A force so tough it can break stone.  Why do we dip karpas into salt water? At the beginning of this season of rebirth and growth, we recall the tears of our ancestors, friends and neighbors in bondage. And why should salt water be touched...

---

At Passover each year, we read the story of our ancestors’ pursuit of liberation from oppression. When confronting this history, how do we answer our children or our contacts when they ask us how to pursue justice in our time? WHAT DOES THE REVOLUTIONARY CHILD ASK? “The Torah tells me, ‘Justice, justice you shall pursue,’ but how can I pursue justice?” WHAT DOES THE SKEPTICAL CHILD ASK? “How can I solve problems of such enormity?” WHAT DOES THE INDIFFERENT CHILD SAY?...

---

Hinei ma tov umanaim Shevet achim gam yachad  (x2)  Behold how good and How pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together Avadeem Hayinu עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ עַתָּה בְּנֵי חוֹרִין Avadeem hayinu atah bnei chorin. We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt  -- now we are free

---

"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...

---

מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילות Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot? Why is this night different from all other nights? שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכלין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מצה Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah. On all other nights we eat both leavened bread and matzah. Tonight we only eat matzah. שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror. On all other nights we eat...

---

This is the Bread of Affliction - Ha Lachma Anya Reader 1: In America, over 11 million undocumented immigrants live in our midst.We identify with their struggles from our memory as Jews freed from Egyptian servitude, and as Americans living in a country built by immigrants. As we look upon the broken middle matzah before us, this is our story - an immigrant story -- in three parts: Memory, Action, Vision. Memory All read: Ha lachma anya -- this is the...

---

A Cup to our Teachers: To those we have known and those whose work has inspired us, and made space for our lives. We are grateful to you who did and said things for the first time, who claimed and reclaimed our traditions, who forged new tools. Thank you to the teachers around us of all ages-- the people we encounter everyday--who live out their values in small and simple ways, and who are our most regular and loving reminders of...

---

זרוע – Z’roa: a shankbone or beet, which represents the mighty hand and outstretched arm that liberated us from Mitzrayim. Jewish tradition teaches us that we are God’s partners in the continual act of creating a more just world in which all human beings are treated with dignity and compassion. As we recall the strength that God extended to the Jewish people in the season of our escape from oppression, we extend our arms to embrace those in our world still...

---

In Hopes of Freedom From Abuse For All Author unknown. Adapted by Hannah Litman and Rachel Novick. CW: Abuse Sometimes, we cannot say Dayenu. We have the right to say, “No, this is not enough, I will not settle for this.” Sometimes, we wish we could say Dayenu. What would be enough? When we can make choices about our own bodies, our own identities, and our own lives, Dayenu When courts, law enforcement and mental health professionals stop blaming the survivor,...

---

“So who has found the afikomen?” we ask. The finders hold the napkin-covered matzah tightly in their hands and are determined to bargain. It is a part of our lesson plan—this small rebellion. Each year we teach a new generation to resist bondage, to envision someplace better, to savor freedom, and to take responsibility for the journeys of their lives. And each year with the afikomen ritual, they hold power in their hands, just long enough to say, “yes” or “no”...

---

Rituals are inherently meaningless. Met superficially, they remain superficial. We give them meaning by choosing what qualities to entertain in our consciousness. But myths are more than they appear. The stories are coded messages, heard by whatever part of our consciousness is open to receive them. Met with authenticity, a ritual can be transformative. They are as relevant to our lives as we allow them to be. The goal, then, is to look beyond the ritual for the deeper meaning. Holiness...

---

To uprooting oppression and transforming all of our living cultures. We refuse to give up our voices, our histories, our blood to the corporations and the governments, to the pharaohs of the present day. We refuse to leave behind any of our people who do not look or desire or move or speak or believe the way we do. We refuse to be left behind ourselves. We are powerful agents of change, and we are transforming our cultures to be so...

---

מִן הַמֵּצַר קָרָאתִי יָּהּ, עָנָּנִי בַמֶרְחַב יָהּ. עָנָּנִי Min hameitzar karati yah Amani vamerchav yah Anani (3x) From a narrow place, I cried out to Hashem. Hashem answered me with wide expanse. "It is good to give thanks, Not because G-d needs our praise, But because we do. To awaken to wonder, to holiness, to G-d. It is good to give thanks for through thanksgiving comes awakening." -Rami Shapiro

---

Leader: Chaverim vachaveirot n'vareich! Let us praise God! Group: Y'hi shem Adonai m'vorach mei-atah v'ad olam. Praised be the name of God, now and forever. Leader: Y'hi shem Adonai m'vorach mei-atah v'ad olam. Birshut hachevrah, n'vareich Eloheinu she-achalnu mishelo. Praised be the name of God, now and forever. Praised be our God, of whose abundance we have eaten. Group: Baruch Eloheinu she-achalnu mishelo uv'tuvo chayinu. Praised be our God, of whose abundance we have eaten, and by whose goodness we live....

---

1. Once upon a time our people went into exile in the land of Egypt. During a famine our ancestor Jacob and his family fled to Egypt where food was plentiful. His son Joseph had risen to high position in Pharaoh’s court, and our people were well-respected and well-regarded, secure in the power structure of the time. 2. Generations passed and our people remained in Egypt. In time, a new Pharaoh ascended to the throne. He found our difference threatening, and...

---

What else does the afikomen hunt teach? It teaches that finding requires seeking. That seeking, in and of itself, is worthwhile and fun. That discovering new meaning demands that we keep looking. That we can’t bring anything to a satisfying conclusion without the patience and persistence needed to get there. Rabbi David Wirtschafter