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The second expression of redemption is: I will free you. The Hebrew word  V’hitzalti  generally refers to a “quick fix,” a need for Divine help. It goes without saying that this was the experience of the Exodus – an entire supernatural sequence of events that saw the Jews become a free people overnight.  V’hitzalti  teaches us that we must never despair; God’s salvation and assistance can come faster than the blink of an eye. We must never despair, no matter what...

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Pesach is a time of inclusion. On seder night, there are two moments where we open our doors and invite others in. One is at the opening of the Magid portion of the seder, when we say, “All who are hungry come and eat.” There is a beautiful message here: we were once slaves; poor and hungry, and we remember our redemption by sharing what we have with others. The other, comes towards the end of the seder, when we open...

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As you dip the beauty of greens into the water of tears, please hear my cry. Can’t you see that I am slowly dying? My forests are being clear cut, diminished. My diverse and wondrous creatures -- birds of the sky and beasts of the fields -- small and large are threatened with extinction in your lifetimes. My splendid, colorful floral and fauna are diminishing in kind. My tropical places are disappearing before us, and my oceans are warming. Don’t you...

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One of the most important parts of the Seder is retelling the story of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt. As a matter of fact, it is an obligation for every parent to educate their children about the story of leaving Egypt, including teaching the ten plagues. However, every year, towards the end of Maggid, after the plagues have been mentioned, we also say דצ"ך עד"ש באח"ב, an acronym for the ten plagues. Why would it be necessary to vocalize this acronym...

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Sit back, and let someone else pour you a cup of wine. Pouring your own cup of wine? It just doesn’t cut it for tonight’s royalty (yes, that’s you) while you are waited on, please pour your neighbor a cup of wine – yes we are all royalty tonight! 

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Finally, we have: I will take you as my own people. This symbolizes relationships. Building relationships and solidifying them. God wanted a relationship with us not only then; He wants one with us NOW. Every relationship takes work. Whether with our friends, colleagues or spouses, a relationship can never remain stagnant or stale. It must always be nurtured. So, too, we must nurture our relationship with God through prayer, study and good deeds!

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The following Seder is for a weeknight. (On Shabbat we add the words in parentheses) רָיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי. וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאַָם. וַיְכַל אֱלֹקִים בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה. וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אוֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בֶָּרָא אֱלֹהִים לַעֲשׂוֹת (Vay'hi erev vay'hi voker yom hashi-shi. Vay'chulu hashamayim v'ha-aretz v’choltzva’am. Vay’chal Elohim bayom hashvi’i, m'lachto asher asah, vayishbot bayom hashvi-i, mikol-mlachto asher asah. Vay'vareich Elohim,...

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The Big Three (Paschal Offering, Matzah, and Maror) have formed the core of the Seder since biblical times. Yet through the centuries, the way we encounter these three things have changed. Today we dredge through Maggid, often rushing through it to get to the main meal, but during the times of the mishnah and gemara most of this storytelling would have happened as the Paschal lamb was being prepared. Each family would sacrifice and roast an offering then gather around and...

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In the Passover haggadah, we tell the story of the four children: one who is wise, one who is wicked, one who is simple, and one who does not know how to ask questions. In reality, we know that no one child is fully wise, wicked, simple, or silent. At one point or another, every child — and for that matter, every adult — demonstrates each of these characteristics. Tonight, we use the example of the four children to illustrate the...

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V’hee She-amdah We lift up our cup wine and cover the matzah, as we recite the following and recall God's promise to Abraham, emphasizing eternal divine watchfulness. וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ, שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבָד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם. V'hi she-am'dah la-avoteinu v'lanu. Shelo echad bilvad, amad aleinu l'chaloteinu. Ela sheb'chol dor vador, om'dim aleinu l'chaloteinu, v'hakadosh Baruch hu matzileinu mi-yadam. This covenant that remained constant for our ancestors and for...

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אֵלּוּ עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת שֶׁהֵבִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל הַמִּצְרִים בְּמִצְרַים , וְאֵלוּ הֵן Eilu eser makot sheheivi hakadosh baruch hu al hamitzrim b'mitzrayim, v'eilu hein: These are the Plagues that the holy one, blessed be he, brought upon Egypt. דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימְרוֹת עָשָׁן   Dam V’eish V’tim’ro ashan  “Blood, and fire and pillars of smoke…” “Before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes, I will set wonders in the sky and on the earth… blood, fire and pillars of smoke:...

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Maror מָרוֹר Now take a kezayit (the volume of one olive) of the maror. Dip it into the Charoset, but not so much that the bitter taste is neutralized. Recite the following blessing and then eat the maror (without reclining): בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מָרוֹר. Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al achilat maror. Praised are you, Adonai, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has taught us...

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Take the middle matzah and break it into two, one piece larger than the other. The larger piece is set aside to serve as Afikoman. This is traditionally hidden, by the leader of the Seder for the children to “steal” or “find” and then ransom for a something at the end of the Seder. The smaller piece is put back, between the two matzot. This smaller piece, along with the top matzah is what will be used for the “Motzi-Matzah” and...

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וַנִּצְעַק אֶל יי אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ, וַיִּשְׁמַע יי אֶת קֹלֵנוּ, וַיַּרְא אֶת עָנְיֵנוּ וְאֶת עֲמָלֵנוּ וְאֶת לַחֲצֵנוּ. וַנִּצְעַק אֶל יי אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ - כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְהִי בַיָמִים הָרַבִּים הָהֵם וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַים , וַיֵאָנְחוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָעֲבוֹדָה וַיִּזְעָקוּ, וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים מִן הָעֲבֹדָה. וַיִּשְׁמַע יי אֶת קֹלֵנוּ - כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶת נַאֲקָתָם, וַיִּזְכּוֹר אֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ אֶת אַבְרָהָם, אֶת יִצְחָק ואֶת יַעֲקֹב. וַיַּרְא אֶת עָנְיֵנוּ - זוֹ פְּרִישׁוּת דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּני יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּדַע...

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it might be dusk. if it’s dusk, the world, bright and round and still awake, rocks my dreams between white hands and memories and distant music. then the hour has arrived, and i, a seven-year-old boy whose name i’d rather postpone, rise from my chair facing the purple sky, and go down the steps one by one until i come to a corridor where my mother, father and brothers await me with lanterns that move in every direction. the hunt of...

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בָּרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם, בָּרוּךְ הוּא. בָּרוּךְ שֶׁנָּתַן תּוֹרָה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָנִים דִּבְּרָה תּוֹרָה . אֶחָד חָכָם, וְאֶחָד רָשָׁע, וְאֶחָד תָּם, וְאֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל Baruch hamakom, baruch hu. Baruch shenatan torah l'amo yisra-eil, baruch hu. K'neged arba-ah vanim dib'rah torah. Echad chacham, v'echad rasha, v'echad tam, v'echad she-eino yodei-a lishol The Torah speaks of four types of children: one is wise, one is wicked, one is simple, and one does not know how to ask. חָכָם מָה הוּא...

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For example, when the Torah says “I will bring you out,” it is a wake-up call, meaning that sometimes we just have to pick up and leave a miserable situation. Sometimes things aren’t working out. It might be a neighborhood issue, social issue or workplace issue. When things aren’t going the way they should, we must get out, just like God knew it was time to take us out of Egypt. In fact, our sages teach us:  Meshaneh makom, meshaneh mazal  ...

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For example, when the Torah says “I will bring you out,” it is a wake-up call, meaning that sometimes we just have to pick up and leave a miserable situation. Sometimes things aren’t working out. It might be a neighborhood issue, social issue or workplace issue. When things aren’t going the way they should, we must get out, just like God knew it was time to take us out of Egypt. In fact, our sages teach us:  Meshaneh makom, meshaneh mazal  ...

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The second expression of redemption is: I will free you. The Hebrew word  V’hitzalti  generally refers to a “quick fix,” a need for Divine help. It goes without saying that this was the experience of the Exodus – an entire supernatural sequence of events that saw the Jews become a free people overnight.  V’hitzalti  teaches us that we must never despair; God’s salvation and assistance can come faster than the blink of an eye. We must never despair, no matter what...

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Miriam’s Cup (Kos Miryam) A relatively new Passover tradition is that of Miriam’s cup (Kos Miryam in Hebrew). Not every household includes Miriam's Cup at the Seder table, but when it is used the cup is filled with water and placed next to Elijah’s cup. Miriam was the sister of Moses and a prophetess in her own right. When the Israelites are freed from bondage in Egypt, Miriam leads the women in dance after they have crossed the sea and escaped...