Urchatz - Washing of Hands

Leader:
With the second cup of wine we remember God’s promise to save the Israelites from the forced labor of the Egyptian taskmasters. With this cup we turn our thoughts to those in our community who have been forced back into the underground economy. We think about the returning citizens among us who so desire a fresh start and a family- sustaining job, but who are forced by society’s discrimination...

By Eliyahu Kitov

It is a mitzvah that the Passover matzot be made specifically for the purpose of fulfilling the obligation to eat matzot on Passover, as the verse (Exodus, 12:17) states: You shall guard the matzot. The matzah must be guarded to ensure that it does...

Scene 1: In the Desert Moses is galloping (skipping on foot while clopping coconuts together to sound like hoofbeats) across the desert. He comes to a burning bush.

Bush: Halt! Who goes there!

Moses: A shrubbery! A talking shrubbery! One that looks nice, but is not too expensive. It is a good shrubbery. I like the laurels...

As you bless the four cups of wine and remember the different ways God protected the Children of Israel during their exodus from Egypt, offer these words of blessing for the ways we can stand in support of today’s refugees as they journey to safety. This is the first of the blessings over the four cups of wine that we say throughout the Passover Seder. You will find the other three blessings interspersed...

Quien, quien, quien, como Jehová?
Que con su poder el mar abrió.

Oirán las naciones lo que El hizo,
Oirán dondé quiera sus prodigios,

Su pueblo le cantara, con panderos danzarán,
Y dirán quién, quién, como Jehová.

_________________________

ּעֲבָדִים...

We come together from our separate lives, each of us bringing our concerns, our preoccupations, our hopes, and our dreams. We are not yet fully present: The traffic, the last-minute cooking, the final details still cling to us. Our bodies hold the rush of the past few hours.

It is now time to let go of these pressures and really arrive at this seder. We do this by meditating...

The Third Cup of Wine

A cup to the freedom fighters

this is a prayer for all freedom fighters, a prayer for the tired, the burnt out, the heartsick, the cynical

this is a prayer for all freedom fighters brave enough to cry, for the reaching around of arms, the firm handclaps of comradeship, the sanctuary of bodies when we need to hide our faces.

this is a prayer for wordless...

Leader:
God brought ten plagues upon the Egyptian people as part of the Israelites’ journey to freedom. Tonight we read ten modern plagues that result from unfair, inequitable, and excessive practices in the criminal justice system. As we read each plague we remove a drop of wine from our glasses to symbolize our anguish at the suffering these plagues have caused.

Recite together:

...

(1) How big of a problem is this?

According to the U.S. department of state, there are over 12 million slaves around the world.

(2) What is being done about the problem?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assists victims of trafficking in the United States by funding service programs and through public information campaigns.

(3) Why isn't more being done?

Money doesn't...

As we wash our hands for the first time this evening, we remember that we have the freedom to access resources that many do not. Ask yourself these questions:

In what ways are we free today?
What does freedom mean for Jews in America? For Jews around the world?
What does freedom mean for people of all backgrounds around the world? Are there many who are not free?

ALL: Tonight we might have put an oyster on our Seder plate.

While I didn’t particularly want to put something traif atop that most kosher of dishes, this Passover falls on the first anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. And since BP, the leaseholder of the failed well, seems intent with its new television ads...

In the Exodus story, the plagues that led to our escape from Egypt were just the beginning of many miracles that God performed for us. To show our appreciation for all of the blessings we have received, we say that had God done even just one of these kindnesses, it would have been enough – dayeinu. ​

Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, hotzianu mi-mitzrayim. Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, dayeinu!

Refrain:...