Kadesh
TAKE A DEEP BREATH. You have made it to the Seder, to this consecrated place where we tell and tell again stories of liberation and justice being built. Take a deep breath. You have made it through a year of struggle, of solidarity, of heartbreak. You have bravely crossed the sea. You have mourned our dead. Take a deep breath. You have cleaned out the chametz – muck of life, the forbidden crumbs of keeping us from renewal and liberation. Take a deep breath!
The seder opens with kiddush (the sanctification over wine). Kiddush (blessing the wine) is the opening act of every Shabbat and holiday meal. But kiddush – a ritual, sanctification of time – has an intimate and unique connection to Pesach’s central theme: freedom.
Kiddush says out loud. We sanctify the day and define its meaning! We proclaim this day as significant, holy and meaningful. We fashion time, claim ownership of it, and fashion it as a potent contact point with spirit, community, peoplehood and tradition. This is a quintessential act of Jewish freedom.
Kadesh reminds us that true freedom and self-respect is to master and control time for ourselves, to shape our life in accordance with our values.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
Blessed is the spirit of freedom who creates the fruit of the vine.
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