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Passover celebrates freedom, exemplified in the story of our Exodus from Egypt. Thatstory leads our entry into Israel—not exactly a simple redemption tale. Especially notnow, as Israelis and Palestinians continue to fight for their mutual Promised Land, andto shed blood in pursuit of its ownership.In light of that situation, some of us may have complicated feelings about identifyingwith Israel. But “Israel” doesn’t refer only to the Land. “Israel” is the name which wasgiven to Jacob after he spent the night wrestling...

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Some scholars believe there are four kinds of parents as well.The Wise Parent is an utter bore. "Listen closely, because you are younger than I am," says the Wise Parent, "and I will go on and on about Jewish history, based on some foggy memories of my own religious upbringing, as well as an article in a Jewish journal I have recently skimmed." The Wise Parent must be faced with a small smile of dim interest.The Wicked Parent tries to cram...

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ALL: We raise our cups in remembrance. Remember all the people we have touched. Remember all the gardens we have tended and the battles we have won. Remember all the steps we have taken and the decisions we have made. Remember our friends and allies. Remember all that is good and rejoice. We think, on this night of reflection and remembrance, as we celebrate together, the liberation from Egypt. Remember the liberation of each and all of us. L'CHAIM! (Drink wine)

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A cup to our teachers: To those we have known and those whose work has inspired us, and made space for our lives. We are graeful to you who did and said things for the first time, who claimed and reclaimed our traditions, who forged new tools. Thank you to the teacher around us of all ages -- the people we encounter everyday -- who live out their values in small and simple ways, and who are our most regular and...

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Said the parents to their children, “From your bondage you’ll cut loose, You will eat your fill of matzah, you will drink four cups of juice.” Now these parents had four children, yes their kids they numbered four, One was wise and one was wicked, one was simple and a bore. And the fourth was sweet and winsome, was so young and also small, While the other asked the questions, this one could not speak at all. Said the wise one...

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1. Wherever you live, it is probably Mitzrayim.2. There is a better place, a promised land.3. The way to this promised land is through the wilderness -- there is no way to get there except by joining together and marching.

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Here are some occurances at the annual Obama White House seder:*An the annual reading of the Emancipation Proclamation right before Elijah sneaks in.*The President has a vocal impersonation of Pharaoh.*the Secret Service always knows where the afikomen is hidden. “It’s no different than you hiding it at your grandmother’s house, except there’s a Secret Service person watching you stash it away. And the house is a bit bigger,”*The group uses the Maxwell House Haggadah, serves Manischewitz wine and shmura matzo, and...

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Find the afikoman and distribute it to all who are seated at the table. When the Temple still stood in Jerusalem, it was customary to make an offering of a paschal lamb at this season. Now we eat the afikoman in memory of the offering. Tzafun means “hidden,” and the afikoman is usually hidden for children to find. Why end the meal thus? Because we want the dinner to end with the taste of slavery/freedom in our mouths—thus the taste of...

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Chad Gadya חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא דְזַבִּין אַבָּא בִּתְרֵי זוּזֵי חַד גַּדְיָא, חַד גַּדְיָא Chad gadya, chad gadya Dizabin abah bitrei zuzei Chad gadya, chad gadya. One little goat, one little goat: Which my father brought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat: The cat came and ate the goat, Which my father bought for two zuzim. One little goat, one little goat: The dog came and bit the cat That ate the goat, Which my father bought for...

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בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה.Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’adamah.Blessed are You, Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.

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Questions are not only welcome during the course of the evening but are vital totonight’s journey. Our obligation at this seder involves traveling from slavery tofreedom, prodding ourselves from apathy to action, encouraging thetransformationof silence into speech, and providing a space where all different levels of belief andtradition can co-exist safely. Because leaving Mitzrayim--the narrow places, theplaces that oppress us—is a personal as well as a communal passage, yourparticipation and thoughts are welcome and encouraged. We remember that questioning itself is...

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I have taken in the light that quickened eye and leaf. May my brain be bright with praise of what I eat, in the brief blaze of motion and of thought. May I be worthy of my meat.-Wendell Berry

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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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Water is refreshing, cleansing, and clear, so it’s easy to understand why so many cultures and religions use water for symbolic purification. We will wash our hands twice during our seder: now, with no blessing, to get us ready for the rituals to come; and then again later, we’ll wash again with a blessing, preparing us for the meal, which Judaism thinks of as a ritual in itself. (The Jewish obsession with food is older than you thought!) To wash your...

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A) Some of the questions people are really asking as they participate in a seder: 1. How many more hours until we eat? 2. Why on this night do some of us traditionally eat balls of reconstituted fish parts? 3. Will G-d strike me down if I get up to go to the bathroom during the maggid? 4. Why on this night do said fish balls always have slice of carrot on top, and is it true that jelled broth is...

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I have taken in the light that quickened eye and leaf. May my brain be bright with praise of what I eat, in the brief blaze of motion and of thought. May I be worthy of my meat.-Wendell Berry

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Some scholars believe there are four kinds of parents as well.The Wise Parent is an utter bore. "Listen closely, because you are younger than I am," says the Wise Parent, "and I will go on and on about Jewish history, based on some foggy memories of my own religious upbringing, as well as an article in a Jewish journal I have recently skimmed." The Wise Parent must be faced with a small smile of dim interest.The Wicked Parent tries to cram...