---

But why is there an orange and a tomato on the seder plate? This is not traditional for Passover. Tomato - This tomato brings our attention to the oppression and liberation of farmworkers who harvest fruits and vegetables here in the United States. And it reminds of us of our power to help create justice. A tomato purchased in the United States between November and May was most likely picked by a worker in Florida. On this night when we remember...

---

We’ve been bound by a hardened heart And our inability to see ourselves in each other. We have been puffed up by ego and pride. Enslaved by how things have always been. And now it is time to go. But fear threatens to paralyze. How can we possibly exist any other way? Our imagination falters The attachment to what we know is so great It doesn’t matter that it causes us so much pain. We dig in. We will not be...

---

The Wise Child (Enters and sits near the leader. He is eager and earnest.) "Tateh,   teach me everything about Pesach...all the laws, the customs, the rituals...everything! I want to learn it all!" The Wicked Child (Enters and Stands, glaring at the leader. He is angry and full of contempt.) "Dachau, Mumbai, terrorism, murder. What good have all your pious prayers done you?! To hell with your ritual, and to hell with you!" (He sits.) The Simple Child (Enters, walks over and...

---

Pack Nothing. Bring only your determination to serve and your willingness to be free. Don’t wait for the bread to rise. Take nourishment for the journey, but eat standing, be ready to move at a moment’s notice. Do not hesitate to leave your old ways behind - fear, silence, submission. Do not take time to explain to the neighbors.Tell only a few trusted friends and family members. Then begin quickly, before you have time to sink back into the old slavery....

---

Passover combines the celebration of an event from Jewish memory with a recognition of the cycles of nature. As we remember the liberation from Egypt, we also recognize the stirrings of spring and rebirth happening in the world around us. The symbols on our table bring together elements of both kinds of celebration. We now take a vegetable, in this case parsely, to represent our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. Whatever symbol of spring and...

---

The formal telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with lots of questions and answers. The tradition that the youngest person asks the questions reflects the centrality of involving everyone in the seder. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us the Four Questions to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. If everyone at your seder is around...

---

had you-i been given but seconds in this unreal reality, and the ten-thousand things not made themselves known to me-you, daiyenu, had the ten-thousand things made themselves known to me-you, and your-my blood not thudded circuitously, stubbornly, daiyenu, had your-my blood thudded circuitously, stubbornly, and these atoms not stayed gathered into matter as me-you, daiyenu, had these atoms stayed gathered into matter as me-you, and you-i not been born earthly entity, daiyenu, had you-i been born earthly entity, and these lungs...

---

Slaves eat quickly, stopping neither to wash nor to reflect. Tonight, we are free. We wash and we express our reverence for the blessings that are ours. Pass a bowl of water, a small cup and a towel around the table. Everyone pours three cupfuls over their fingers. There is no blessing over this washing.

---

There they were at the Seder table, as they always are. Between the first cup and the second cup, right in the middle of the telling of the tale, they made their appearance, right on schedule. First was the wise child, the one who seems to have all the answers; sober, sensible and responsible in everything he does. “We knew the end was coming,” said the wise child. “Mom had a long life, a good life. Her time had come. We...

---

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”...

---

Leader: With the second cup of wine we remember God’s promise to save the Israelites from the forced labor of the Egyptian taskmasters. With this cup we turn our thoughts to those in our community who have been forced back into the underground economy. We think about the returning citizens among us who so desire a fresh start and a family- sustaining job, but who are forced by society’s discrimination to return to the illegal drug trade so that they can...

---

URCHATZ  The Leader of the Seder only, now washes his/her hands from an ewer into a bowl held by another celebrant, wiping them dry on a hand towel. We have accepted the need for leadership, we wash the leaders's hands. This small, formal act of service is a symbol of our recognition of their leadership. This is an ancient Jewish ritual in and of itself.  At this point in the Seder, washing the hands has a specific purpose other than to...

---

It Would Have Been Enough For Us If God only brought us out of the Narrow Places but did not make judgement on our oppressors. . . If God only made judgement on our oppressors but did not make judgement on their gods . . . If God only made judgement on their gods but did not strike down their first-born . . . If God only struck down their first-born but did not give us their wealth. . . If...

---

Our ancestors were wandering Arameans who went down to the Narrow Places with a few people - who lived there and who became a great nation - powerful and numerous. Then the Egyptians mistreated us, making us suffer and subjecting us to harsh labor. We cried out to the God of our ancestors who heard our voice and saw our misery. God brought us out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs...

---

ספירת העומר : Counting of the Omer begins on the second day of Pesach as spiritual preparation and anticipation for the giving of the Torah on Shavuot. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. Leviticus 23:16 בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל סְפִירַת הָעֹמֶר Blessed are you, God, ruler of the universe, who makes us holy with your good rules...