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Jewish celebrations usually include wine as a symbol of joy. Wine sanctifies an occasion and makes it holy. During the Passover Seder we drink four cups of wine, why four? In the Book of Exodus, God convinced the Jews to leave Egypt using four statements: I shall take you out I shall rescue you I shall redeem you I shall bring you We toast each of these statements with a cup of wine. Pour and raise your first cup of wine/grape...

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Every year we sit down for the Passover seder to commemorate our Exodus from Egypt. While we were fortunate to have this opportunity, even if it was after many years, there are still those in the world that have not yet had their exodus from oppression. Many people are underpaid and work under inhumane conditions. As we sit here tonight, let us reflect on how we may provide those in need with their exodus, just as God did when we were...

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Child labor in cocoa fields has been documented in the following countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, (leading supplier, accounting for around 40% of production) Guinea and Nigeria.Hundreds of thousands of children work in cocoa fields, and many of them are exposed to hazardous conditions, where they:- Spray pesticides and apply fertilizers without protective gear- Use sharp tools, like machetesSustain injuries from transporting heavy loads beyond permissible weight- Do strenuous work like felling trees, and clearing and burning vegetationThese children are treated...

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When we bless the green parsley and dip it in the salty water, we remember the spring, and we remember the long, sad years of our slavery.When we left Egypt,we bloomed and sprouted,and songs dripped from our tongueslike shimmering threads of nectar.All green with life we grew,who had been buried,under toil and sorrow,dense as bricks.All green in the desert we grew,casting seeds at a promise.All green we grew. 

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The Third Cup of Wine A cup to the freedom fighters this is a prayer for all freedom fighters, a prayer for the tired, the burnt out, the heartsick, the cynical this is a prayer for all freedom fighters brave enough to cry, for the reaching around of arms, the firm handclaps of comradeship, the sanctuary of bodies when we need to hide our faces. this is a prayer for wordless understanding, the flickering human eye flames of humor and warmth,...

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We encourage you to ask four questions of your own... about anything... ask them of yourselves and of each other. Can we be humble enough to admit when we do not know something, rather than pretending to have the answer? Can we be gracious enough to answer another’s question without shaming them for not knowing? Can we be brave enough to inquire within, and ask ourselves our own hard questions? Can we open our hearts to the love that wants to...

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Take turns reading the 10 quotes below, followed by a 2 minute moment of silence. Each quote is taken from a news article from the alst year.  “I can barely buy a piece of stale bread, that’s why my children are dying before my eyes.” [Yemen] “The Rakhine burned their houses down,” she said, referring to civilians from the Buddhist ethnic group that gives Rakhine State its name. “My friend is gone forever.” [Myanmar] "I don't have my son with me....

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This symbolic washing of the hands recalls the story of Miriam's Well. Legend tells us that this well followed Miriam, sister of Moses, through the desert, sustaining the Jews in their wanderings. Filled with mayim chayim, waters of life, the well was a source of strength and renewal to all who drew from it. One drink from its waters was said to alert the heart, mind and soul, and make the meaning of Torah become alive. In Hebrew, urchatz means “washing”...

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Maggid – Exodus Story At the end of the biblical book of Genesis, Joseph brings his family to Egypt. Over the following centuries, the descendants of Joseph's family (the Hebrews) become so numerous that when a new king comes to power he fears what might happen if the Hebrews decide to rise against the Egyptians. He decides that the best way to avoid this situation is to enslave them (Exodus 1). Despite pharaoh's attempt to subdue the Hebrews they continue to...

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OSEH SHALOM Oseh shalom bim-romav Hu ya'seh shalom aleynu Ve'al kol yisrael Ve'imru, imru Amen HE WHO MAKES PEACE He who makes peace in his high places He shall make peace upon us And upon all of Israel And say Amen

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Betzet Yisrael miMitzrayim  Beit Yaakov me-ham loez Haitah Yehudah lekadsho  Yisrael mamshelotav Hayam raah vayanos HaYarden yisov leakhor