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Pour the second glass of wine for everyone. The Haggadah doesn’t tell the story of Passover in a linear fashion. We don’t hear of Moses being found by the daughter of Pharaoh – actually, we don’t hear much of Moses at all. Instead, we get an impressionistic collection of songs, images, and stories of both the Exodus from Egypt and from Passover celebrations through the centuries. Some say that minimizing the role of Moses keeps us focused on the miracles God...

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One of most beloved songs in the Passover seder is "Dayenu". A few of us will read the stanzas one at a time, and the everyone else will respond, "Dayenu" – meaning, “it would have been enough”.How many times do we forget to pause and notice that where we are is exactly where we ought to be? Dayenu is a reminder to never forget all the miracles in our lives. When we stand and wait impatiently for the next one to...

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GARLIC ON THE SEDER PLATE  Dori Midnight I began placing garlic on our seder plate a few years ago, as it has been central to my work of reconnecting to and re-enlivening Jewish folk healing traditions and a lifelong love. After the birth of Nishmat Shoom (the queer, radical, non-zionist minyan project I am part of, whose name, inspired by this work, means Breath or Soul of Garlic), many of the Garlic Eaters in our community began adopting this practice and...

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CUP OF REDEMPTION At a traditional seder we fill a cup of wine for the prophet Elijah who is a symbol of redemption. At this seder we are raising a cup of water as a symbol of the redemption that women have brought through the generations. All: Water is the symbol of life. Reader: The biblical prophet Miriam saved her brother from the waters of the Nile, she led the song of victory aber the waters of the red sea parted...

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THE MATZAH OF HOPE and PEACE Neal Borovitz Avadim Hayinu:  Not only were we slaves to the Pharaoh of Egypt, we have also been enslaved and persecuted by other Pharaohs.  Among these Pharaohs of every age were the Kings of Babylonia, the Emperors of Greece and Rome, the Churchmen and Nobles of Medieval Spain, Hitler and his Nazi followers, the Pharaohs of Moscow, and the dictators, potentates and terrorists of the contemporary Arab world.  The Babylonian exile was followed by a...

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We start our Seder, as we start every holiday, with blessings and setting our intention. Who are we? Why are we here? Take a moment and consider one thing that you are bringing to this table. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ One to three volunteers should read the blessings: the first sanctifying the wine, the second sanctifying the time, and the third thanking G-d for keeping us alive and bringing us to this table. This last blessing is usually only said on the first night...

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Ritually wash hands without reciting the blessing. The need for hand washing before eating vegetables is no longer considered a ritual requirement for traditional Jews, but it is preserved here in the seder. Before we embark on this journey through time and space together, what things do you want to wash your hands of? What do you want to cast aside? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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This vegetable is a symbol of the coming spring. We dip it in salt water to remember the tears of our ancestors in Egypt. Others say we dip the karpas in salt water to remind ourselves of Joseph, whose brothers dipped his amazing technicolor dream coat in blood as they sold him into slavery in Egypt. What things in our lives during this season make us feel hope? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What memories make the hope difficult or meaningful? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Take less than...