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Finding and eating the Afikomen | tzafoon | צָפוּן The playfulness of finding the afikomen reminds us that we balance our solemn memories of slavery with a joyous celebration of freedom. As we eat the afikomen, our last taste of matzah for the evening, we are grateful for moments of silliness and happiness in our lives.

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The Cup of Elijah We now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder. In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of God to a disbelieving people. At the end of his life, rather than dying, he was whisked away to heaven. Tradition holds that he will return in advance of messianic days to herald a new era of peace, so we set a place for Elijah...

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Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our 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, representing our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. Most families use a...

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The Seder is all about answering questions. But one question remains unanswered, and that’s the most important question – Why? We are taught, “In every generation, each person must see him/​herself as if s/​he were redeemed from Egypt.” But why? Why return to Egypt year after year? Why re-taste the bitterness of slavery? Ask the Torah – What difference does this experience make for me? How am I shaped by the experience of slavery and liberation? Here is the Torah’s response....

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And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted. Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long. And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety. The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history. With every thread and every strand she crafted her delight. A woman touched with spirit, she dances toward the light. And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam...

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Who can share an answer to the Four Questions? On all other nights we eat bread or matzah. Why on this night do we eat only matzah? On all other nights we eat any kind of vegetable. Why on this night do we eat only maror? On all other nights we do not even dip once. Why on this night do we dip twice? On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining. Why on this night do we recline?

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My Angry Self – Violent and oppressive things are happening to me, the people I love and people I don’t even know. Why can’t we make the people in power hurt the way we are all hurting?Expressing our anger, releasing our anger, knowing and claiming our anger is an important step in the process of liberation, but hatred and violence can never overcome hatred and violence. Only love and compassion can transform our world. My Ashamed Self – I’m so ashamed...

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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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We pledge to rise up in Revolutionary Love. We declare our love for all who are in harm’s way, including refugees, immigrants, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, LGBTQIA people, Black people, Latinx, the indigenous, the disabled, and the poor. We stand with millions of people around the globe rising up to end violence against women and girls (cis, transgender and gender non-conforming) who are often the most vulnerable within marginalized communities. We vow to see one another as brothers and sisters and fight...

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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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Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb | koreich | כּוֹרֵךְ When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the biggest ritual of them all was eating the lamb offered as the pesach or Passover sacrifice. The great sage Hillel would put the meat in a sandwich made of matzah, along with some of the bitter herbs. While we do not make sacrifices any more – and, in fact, some Jews have a custom of purposely avoiding lamb during the seder so...

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There's a Sefardic custom -- Iraqi or Afghani, by most accounts -- of asking these three questions at the start of the seder: either to one participant who's shouldered a pack and is orbiting the table, or each person to the person sitting beside them. Who are you? I am Yisrael. Where are you coming from? I am coming from Mitzrayim. Where are you going? I am going to Yerushalayim. Who are you? I'm Yisrael. I'm a God-wrestler. I'm someone who...

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Even as we celebrate our freedom, our happiness is not complete. We remember the suffering of the Egyptians, who are also God's children. We celebrate our freedom, but we do not rejoice in their suffering. We spill a drop of our wine as we name of each of the plagues. Blood | dam | דָּם Frogs | tzfardeiya | צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ Lice | kinim | כִּנִּים Beasts | arov | עָרוֹב Cattle disease | dever | דֶּֽבֶר Boils | sh’chin | שְׁחִין...

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A Hasidic rabbi by the name of Zusha used to say, "When I die and come before the heavenly court if they ask me, 'Zusha, why were you not as great as Abraham?' I will not be afraid. I will say that I was not born with Abraham's intellectual capabilities. And if they ask me, 'Zusha why were you not like Moses?' I will say that I did not have his leadership skills. But when they ask me 'Zusha why were...

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Ilu hotzi hotzi'anu hotzi'anu mi'mitzrayim Hotzi'anu mi'mitzrayim dayenu Dai-dai-yeinu dai-dai-yeinu dai-dai-yeinu Dayenu, dayenu! Ilu natan natan lanu natan lanu et ha'shabbat Natan lanu et ha'shabbat dayenu Dai-dai-yeinu dai-dai-yeinu dai-dai-yeinu Dayenu, dayenu! Ilu natan natan lanu natan lanu et ha'torah Natan lanu et ha'torah dayenu Dai-dai-yeinu dai-dai-yeinu dai-dai-yeinu Dayenu, dayenu! Translation: If God had only brought us out of Egypt it would have been enough! If God had only given us the Sabbath it would have been enough! If God had only...

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Who can share an answer to the Four Questions? On all other nights we eat bread or matzah. Why on this night do we eat only matzah? On all other nights we eat any kind of vegetable. Why on this night do we eat only maror? On all other nights we do not even dip once. Why on this night do we dip twice? On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining. Why on this night do we recline?

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There's a Sefardic custom -- Iraqi or Afghani, by most accounts -- of asking these three questions at the start of the seder: either to one participant who's shouldered a pack and is orbiting the table, or each person to the person sitting beside them. Who are you? I am Yisrael. Where are you coming from? I am coming from Mitzrayim. Where are you going? I am going to Yerushalayim. Who are you? I'm Yisrael. I'm a God-wrestler. I'm someone who...

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Passover is a holiday built around foods as puns and symbols. Every item on the Seder plate and the Passover table has a meaning. Who knows the meaning of these things? Maror - Bitter herb Charoset - Fruit & nut paste Karpas - Green vegetable Zeroah - Shankbone Beitzah - Egg Orange Matzah Elijah's Cup Miriam's Cup