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מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. אֵין אַדִּיר כַּה', וְאֵין בָּרוּךְ כְּבֶן עַמְרָם.  אֵין גְדוֹלָה כַּתּוֹרָה, וְאֵין דּוֹרְשָׁהּ כְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.  Ein Adir ka'Adonai, V'ein Baruch k'ven Amram.  Ein G'dolah ka'Torah, V'ein Dorsha k'Yisrael. מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל.  מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. אֵין הָדוּר כַּה', וְאֵין וָתִיק כְּבֶן עַמְרָם. ...

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From COEJL’s “Preparing for Passover: Readings for the Seder Table” Stewart Vile Tahl, COEJL One of Passover’s lessons is learned to distinguish between more and enough. Dayenu means “it would have been enough for us.” Often, enjoying more wealth and comfort stimulates our desire for more – more attention, more comforts, more money, more, and more, and more. Passover and the Haggadah teach us to be mindful of what our real needs are, of what constitutes “enough.” What constitutes enough for...

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by Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled...

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At this point, I will symbolically wash my hands for all of us, without saying the blessing. As I take a moment to wash my hands, imagine that you are washing away all anxiety and stress in your life, and allow yourself to be filled with the hope that the world can be a better place for us all.

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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...

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The answers to the first three questions are drawn from Michelle Alexander’s groundbreaking book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (2010). Excerpts are cited with “NJC” and the page number. Question #1 Why does America have the highest incarceration rate of any developed nation in the world? Many factors have increased the incarceration rate, including the War on Drugs, the imposition of mandatory minimum sentencing, and privatization of prisons, which creates financial incentives for keeping people...

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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 world was awakened and shattered by the images of a little boy whose body lay lifeless amidst the gentle surf of a Turkish beach this past summer. Another nameless victim amongst thousands in the Syrian Refugee Crisis, the greatest refugee crisis since WWII. But this little boy, like every little boy ,had a name. His name was Aylan Kurdi (age 3), he drowned along with his older brother, Galip (age 5), and their mother, Rihan, on their own exodus to...

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The Third Cup: Ending Militarism and Moving toward a Worldwide Fellowship There are three aspects to the growing militarization of America: (A) The military overseas, through great increases in military budgets and the longest war in American history; (B) The militarization of domestic U.S. police forces, especially those intended to deal with Black and Latino communities; and (C) the rising number of deaths by gunfire, including by weapons intended for war. Let us look at each: “A nation that continues year...

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English What makes this night different from all [other] nights? 1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice? 2) On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah? 3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror? 4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline? Hebrew Mah nishtanah halyla hazeh mikol halaylot...

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Tonight we drink four cups of wine. Why four? Some say the cups represent our matriarchs—Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah—whose virtue caused God to liberate us from slavery. Another interpretation is that the cups represent the Four Worlds: physicality, emotions, thought, and essence. Still a third interpretation is that the cups represent the four promises of liberation God makes in the Torah: I will bring you out, I will deliver you, I will redeem you, I will take you to be...

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Persian and Afghan Jews lightly hit each other with scallions during Dayenu to symbolize the slaves being whipped by the Egyptians

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After the Seder, Turkish Jews would have the father throw grass, coins, and candy for children to collect. This is a symbol of the wealth the Jews brought out of Egypt. The grass represents the reeds of the Red Sea and a wish that the year ahead should be "green" and productive. Some families take parsley (a sign of Spring) and recite a verse in Arabic. With each word, they cross the parsley in their hands from one shoulder to the...

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Persian and Afghan Jews lightly hit each other with scallions during Dayenu to symbolize the slaves being whipped by the Egyptians.