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Over the years, the Passover story has evolved from a story just about Moses and Aaron to include their female counterparts. We set aside a cup of water for Miriam, celebrate Shifrah and Puah for their act of bravery and comment on Pharaoh’s daughter’s defiant move. As we commemorate the leadership of matriarchs in the Exodus story, the questions about our contemporary relationship to women’s rights and liberation come to the fore. These questions contemplate how our future can be more...

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So, first of all, the four children appear in the Jerusalem Talmud, where Rabbi Hyyia, a student of Rabbi Judah the Prince, is quoted as bringing this parable.  Hyyia’s text varies quite a bit from the text we know today: for one, the simple child is not "simple" but stupid. But it is Rabbis at the time of the collection of the Mishnah and Talmud who are creating this rubric. And so we proceed:  The "Wise" Child asks about the rules...

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Among the traditional practices at the seder is the recounting of the Ten Plagues that God visited upon Egypt. It is customary to remove a drop of wine from our cups as we mention each of the afflictions.  While these plagues fell only upon the enemies of the ancient Israelites, we do not celebrate the suffering of others, even that of our foes.  Since wine is a symbol of joy, we each remove ten drops from our cups.    In adapting this...

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SALT WATER - Why do we dip our food in salt water two times on this night? The first time, the salty taste reminds us of the tears we cried when we were slaves. [Greens held up for all to see.] KARPAS - Parsley and celery are symbols of all kinds of spring greenery. The second time, the salt water and the green can help us to remember the ocean and green plants and the Earth, from which we get the...

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Leader:  Now in the presence of loved ones and friends, Before us the emblems of festive rejoicing, We gather for our sacred celebration. With the household of Israel, our elders and young ones, Linking and bonding the past with the future, We heed once again the divine call To service. Living our story that is told for all peoples, Whose shining conclusion is yet to unfold, We gather to observe the Passover, As it is written Group: You shall keep the...

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For some people, God is an integral part of their lives, for others, there is no God. Some get stuck on the word itself. While we may not agree on a singular concept of God, we share a common desire for goodness to prevail in the world. And this is the meaning of tonight: freedom winning out over slavery, good prevailing over evil. Please think of something that gives you a sense of awe in your life, whether it be nature,...

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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...

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The beauty of Urchatz was revealed to me during a women's seder.  Each participant washed the hands of another with care and kavanah (intentionality)—and without words. The sisterhood created in the sacred silence elevates communal consciousness. How will we utilize this state of purity? V'ahavtah l're'echa kamochah - to love the other as ourself. How will this ancient wisdom propel us forward to empower the silent? How will we elevate the hands of all those still in Mitzrayim? --Jessica K. Shimberg,...

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Tonight, we have joined in an unbroken chain with our ancestors and our ancestors’ ancestors (and our ancestors’ ancestors’ ancestors!) in commemorating this sacred day, remembering that we were once in bondage and now are liberated. We will be grateful. We will remember those who came before us and we will lovingly envision those who will come after. We will stand against the enslavement of any living beings and we will uplift all of our brothers and sisters and we will...

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By Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky and Liz Offenbach Whether in prayer or conversation, the words we use are not taken lightly in Judaism, especially when they are harmful to others. Jewish law actually likens the act of embarrassing a person to murder. And the Talmud, the primary source book for Jewish law, teaches that gossiping is equivalent to the murder of three people. As you sit around the Passover seder table this year, be conscious of the words you use to...

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PASSOVERTell me: how is this night different From all other nights?How, tell me, is this PassoverDifferent from other Passovers?Light the lamp, open the door wideSo the pilgrim can come in,Gentile or Jew;Under the rags perhaps the prophet is concealed.Let him enter and sit down with us;Let him listen, drink, sing and celebrate Passover;Let him consume the bread of affliction,The Paschal Lamb, sweet mortar and bitter herbs.This is the night of differencesIn which you lean your elbow on the table,Since the forbidden...

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The olive branch is a universal symbol of peace, associated with the dove in the story of Noah's Ark and the Flood. Olive trees mature slowly, so only when there was an extended time of peace, with agriculture left undisturbed, could the olive tree produce its fruit. In 2008, Jewish Voice for Peace promoted putting an olive on the seder plate as part of its Trees of Reconciliation project, which sought to donate 3,000 olive saplings to Palestinian farmers to replant...

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Bendigamos Bendigamos al Altísimo, Al Señor que nos creó, Démosle agradecimiento Por los bienes que nos dió. Let us bless the One Most High, The God who created us, Let us give thanks For the good things which God has given us. Bendigamos al Altísimo, Por el pan primeramente, Y por todos los manjares, Que cumimos juntamente. Pues cumimos y bebimos alegremente, Su merced nunca nos faltó, Let us bless the Most High, First for the bread and then for all...

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The first hand-washing of the seder is unusual. The rabbis point out that even a child would wonder at least two things: why do we wash without a blessing and why do we bother to wash when we will not be eating our meal for some time. They suggest that we wash our hands here in order to raise questions. Questions, both of wonder and of despair, are crucial to our time at the seder and, really, our growth as human...

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By Maya Kasowky What follows are short descriptions of Seder customs from around the world. For this lesson each custom can be printed out on a separate card or strip. Circling the seder plate over the heads of each participant, while saying “In Haste we left Egypt”.  The response is “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt” Where it fits in the seder: The very beginning Where it is from: Morocco and Tunisia Putting the shank bone, charoset, maror, karpas, egg,...

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A Passover script using the magical style Woody Allen created this past year with his film Midnight in Paris to tell our people's greatest story. We do this every year and plan on continuing this tradition. Hope you enjoy! Please read this like a Hollywood table read and act out the story wherever is appropriate.Thanks!Mesch and Cod

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