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The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah | מוֹצִיא מַצָּה The familiar hamotzi blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ...

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The four questions of Passover are a formal way of asking why we celebrate passover, consume matzah and bitter herbs, and why we recline instead of sit up during the Passover meal. Then we tell the story of how God helped Moses lead our people out of slavery and into freedom.  Instead of this formality, we'd like you to turn to your neighbor and engage in the first of four short disscussions around our four freedom questions.  1. Who is free...

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The idea for the Freedom Seder was hatched 51 years ago, and took place in Washington DC, eight days after the assasination of Dr. Martin Luther King. People in the city were rebeling, and a Jewish man and civil rights activist named Arthur Waskow was deeply affected by the military presence in the city brought on by the violence. A year later, he wrote is own Haggadah, and over 800 Washingtonians, black, white, jewish and christian, came together in a church...

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Dipping the bitter herb in sweet charoset | maror  |מָרוֹר      In creating a holiday about the joy of freedom, we turn the story of our bitter history into a sweet celebration. We recognize this by dipping our bitter herbs into the sweet charoset. We don’t totally eradicate the taste of the bitter with the taste of the sweet… but doesn’t the sweet mean more when it’s layered over the bitterness? בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל...

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The seder officially begins with a physical act: lighting the candles.  In Jewish tradition, lighting candles and saying a blessing over them marks a time of transition, from the day that is ending to the one that is beginning, from ordinary time to sacred time.  Lighting the candles is an important part of our Passover celebration because their flickering light reminds us of the importance of keeping the fragile flame of freedom alive in the world. Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech...

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The Seder Plate We place a Seder Plate at our table as a reminder to discuss certain aspects of the Passover story. Each item has its own significance. Maror – The bitter herb. This symbolizes the harshness of lives of the Jews in Egypt. Charoset – A delicious mix of sweet wine, apples, cinnamon and nuts that resembles the mortar used as bricks of the many buildings the Jewish slaves built in Egypt Karpas – A green vegetable, usually parsley, is...

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Pesach is a time of inclusion. On seder night, there are two moments where we metaphorically 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...

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Maimonides urged us to care for our bodies so that we would be free to concentrate our energies on God. In the modern world, one of the greatest threats to our physical health is mental stress. Stress causes insomnia, digestive problems, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, depression, memory impairment and countless other complications. As women, we are particularly vulnerable to the stress caused by multiple and exhausting commitments to our families, friends, jobs and communities. This year, let us learn how to...

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Eating the meal! | shulchan oreich | שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ Enjoy! But don’t forget when you’re done we’ve got a little more seder to go, including the final two cups of wine!

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What does freedom feel like in our bodies? Now we wash our hands, and remember that Passover is a holiday of sensation as much as it is the telling of the story of how we were once slaves and now we are free. The bitterness of the herbs, the crack of the matzah, the bloom of spring, sensations are important when we celebrate this holiday. What does freedom mean to you in today's world? 3min facilitated discussion, one person per table...

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What are you favorite songs about freedom? Freedom soundtrack:

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Octavia Butler quote: "All that you touch you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change."

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Please feel free to use this time to recline on a cushion, or lean up against the leaning pole, honoring the spirit of royalty... which all of us seek to embody here tonight in our celebration of freedom. 

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Dip your green vegetable in your saltwater to celebrate spring while listening to Rites of Spring. 

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Who are your prophets of freedom? Who is a prophet of freedom that you know personally in your life? What have they taught you about being more free? “Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end...

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We refill our glasses again, and give thanks for the meal and the company. What are you thankful for so far in 2019? What is one hard and complicated thing you've learned about yourself so far in 2019 and why are you thankful for this?

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Dara's story of her rite of spring. Does anyone else have any stories about a time they created or felt joyous spring passage in times of darkness?

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What does freedom feel like in our bodies? Now we wash our hands, and remember that Passover is a holiday of sensation as much as it is the telling of the story of how we were once slaves and now we are free. The bitterness of the herbs, the crack of the matzah, the bloom of spring, sensations are important when we celebrate this holiday. What does freedom mean to you in today's world? 3min facilitated discussion, one person per table...

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Dara's story of her rite of spring. Does anyone else have any stories about a time they created or felt joyous spring passage in times of darkness?