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Just about everybody experiences the sense of being foreign sometime in their lives. Most of the adults at this table have immigrated from a foreign country. But even if you have lived in the same city your entire life, as an adult you no longer live in the same neighborhood you lived in when you were growing up. Your home is defined not only by place but also by time. People have changed; circumstances have changed. As a foreigner in that...

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The Second Cup: We drink to ending Materialism and to celebrating Earth and Spirit through Empathy and Justice DAYENU: THE PATH OF MANY STEPS TOWARD FREEDOM What are the Ten Healings that can begin to make our world a Beloved Community? [For each of the Ten Healings, we drink some wine or grape-juice and then say L’Chaim!—To Life!] Create organic farms in countrysides and cities. Purchase home and company electric power from wind-based suppliers. Families buy hybrid or electric cars; convince...

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In the years of wandering in the desert, Miriam's well accompanied the Israelites. Accodring to tradition, Miriam's well is still with us. Every Saturday night, at the end of Shabbat, its waters flow out into wells everywhere in the world. While the return of Elijah is left to the future and all its potential, Miriam is present with us always. She and her waters sustain us as we await Elijah. She is here to provide healing, inspiration, and wisdom. There is...

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Maror (bitter herbs, such as horseradish)--the symbol of bitterness and slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. Today, in a Jewish community that is free, this bitterness takes on another layer of meaning. We acknowledge that there are many among us who are embittered by their feelings of resentment, discomfort, and fear. We know that there is just cause for some of these feelings of fear, for Jews were "other" for so many centuries and mistreated just because they were different. This...

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The whole point of the seder is to ask questions. This is your time to ask about things that confuse you, things you don’t understand, or even things you don’t agree with. There really is no is no such thing as a stupid question, especially tonight.  - Joy Levitt (age 16) Questions are not only welcome during the course of the evening but are vital to tonight’s journey. Our obligation at this seder involves traveling from slavery to freedom, prodding ourselves...

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The most devastating effect of slavery, ultimately, is that the slave internalizes the master's values and accepts the condition of slavery as his proper status. People who live in chronic conditions of poverty, hunger, and sickness tend to show similar patterns of acceptance and passivity. As with slaves,their deprivation deprives from their political and economic status and then becomes moral and psychological reality. It is this reality that was overthrown in the Exodus.—Irving Greenberg We got used to standing in line...

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When we talk about God we are talking about the spiritual energy of the universe which makes it possible to transcend the tendency of human beings to pass on to others the hurt and pain that has been done to us, the force that permeates every ounce of Being and unites all in one transcendent and imminent reality. God is the Force in the universe that makes possible the transformation from “that which is” to “that which can and ought to...

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The next item on our plate is the karpas: the vegetable representing spring. Many families use a green leafy vegetable because the green makes people think about freshness, coming alive, being healthy- all the wonderful things that go along with freedom. But when families do not have enough resources they can't always get fresh fruits and vegetables. When our family lived in Eastern Europe it was also difficult to get fresh green vegetables, so our tradition is to use what those...

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Passover is rich in social justice themes. It is impossible to study the story of our redemption and not feel compelled to eradicate injustice in the world today. Among the primary social justice themes found in the Exodus story and in the Passover observance are hunger and homelessness and oppression and redemption. “This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all those who are hungry come and eat with us. Let all who...

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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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After washing our hands for the second time, and calling to mind the importance of water, we say:  ָבּרוּךְ ַא ָתה יי, ֱאלֹ ֵהינוּ ֶמ ֶלךְ ָהעוֹ ָלם, ֲא ֶשר ִק ְד ָשנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצווֹ ָתיו, ְו ִצ ָוּנוּ ַעל ְנִטיַלת ָיָדִים.  Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al nitilat yadayim. Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and Commaned Us to Wash Our Hands For...

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Make Those Waters Part Let us retell the story of our struggle for the promised land Let us remember how freedom is won so our children will understand Once we were slaves in Egypt, our people and our land were apart But when Moses stood before that troubled sea, he could Make those waters part Once we were slaves in America, we were given white men’s names They scattered our families, they shattered our lives, while they kept us bound in...

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Continuity with the Future: Seders and Climate Change Joelle Novey, Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) From the Shalom Center's "Purim to Pesach" Project  “In every generation one must look upon herself as if she personally came out of Egypt.” On Pesach, we are told to feel as if we personally went free from Egypt, Mitzrayim, and the rituals of the seder help us cultivate that “memory” in many ways. We eat not only the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate in...