---

The bitter herbs serve to remind us of how the Egyptians embittered the lives of the Israelites in servitude. When we eat the bitter herbs, we share in that bitterness of oppression. We must remember that slavery still exists all across the globe. When you go to the grocery store, where does your food come from? Who picked the sugar cane for your cookie, or the coffee bean for your morning coffee? We are reminded that people still face the bitterness...

---

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...

---

Oh GodI am almost afraid to look over my shoulderTo see how far I’ve comeThe expanse seems impossibly wideAnd yetHere I amDancingSinging Your NameSurrounded by love and familyBreathing hope in and outI raise my eyes to the horizon and it feels so closeI am giddy with reliefYour sea is calm now at our backsThe line of the brown rocksFrom which we leaptOnly hours agoSeems a distant memoryThis moment is all joy and wonderWe sing and we singCircles within circles of men...

---

Use this piece before singing Hallel and think about what it means to transition from slavery to freedom. Exodus and Liberation translate many different ways for different communities, religious groups, and individuals. Chief Tom Dostou of the Wabanaki Nation of Massachusetts offers the following prayer in an excerpt from a larger piece describing his journey across his ancestral homeland of “Turtle Island.” "We will pray for the American peoples who send their sons and daughters out to foreign lands to be...

---

All Who Are Hungry The Power of Choice The Haggadah is asking which of two categories we fall under: Are we here because we are hungry, or are we here because we are needy? "Need" is defined as "awareness of a lack." Freedom is not simply something that's "nice" to have; rather it is a necessary factor to our very being. As much as we need food to exist, we need freedom to live. Just as a man starving in the...

---

In the years of wandering in the desert, Miriam's well accompanied the Israelites. Accodring to tradition, Miriam's well is still with us. Every Saturday night, at the end of Shabbat, its waters flow out into wells everywhere in the world. While the return of Elijah is left to the future and all its potential, Miriam is present with us always. She and her waters sustain us as we await Elijah. She is here to provide healing, inspiration, and wisdom. There is...

---

The world’s refugee camps are some of the most desolate backdrops against which people fleeing violence and persecution rebuild their lives. The Akre Refugee Camp in Iraq, which houses hundreds of Syrian families, was built out of the remains of a former Saddam Hussein prison. The Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan, one of the world’s most populous refugee camps, consists of endless rows of beige tents and caravans with almost no plant or animal life. Dust storms, heat, and blindingly bright...

---

Come, let us gather as one, bound together by love and the shared hope that all Jews, and all people, will one day live free and in peace. Together, let us recall the story of Passover, relived time and again by Jews throughout the world. As we move through the Seder, reaffirming our belief in a faith so rich in history and life, may we take into our hearts the memory of all who have and continue to enrich our lives...