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This reading takes place near the beginning of the Seder in the yachatz section. It provides the primary textual inspiration for feeding the hungry during Passover, as well as calling for an end to slavery, which continues to exist around the world in various forms. It also prompts us to join together with members of the African American community for communal Seders recognizing our common experience of slavery. This passage inspires many of the social justice programs created around the observance...

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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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“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm,” Exodus 6:7 - בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech Ha’Olam Borey P’ree Hagafen. Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

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The second cup of wine is dedicated to all those struggling for freedom today, struggling to be freed from economic oppression, psychological imprisonment, and debt bondage. The Israelites of the Exodus story were not captured from foreign lands and maintained as possessions as the slaves of the 19th century, but were forced through economic and social necessity to work against their will, or face starvation and death. So too is the face of human trafficking today. An estimated 21 to 36...

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There are a few main passover symbols that can be placed on the seder plate, but not all of them are required. A few examples of the passover symbols are vegetables (Karpas), shank bone (zeroa) or roasted beet, matzah, hard boiled egg (baytzah), charoset, bitter herbs (Maror), bitter vegetables (Hazeret), or oranges (optional). The reasons behind placing the matzah and the bitter herbs stand out the most among others. each symbol, each item in itself holds a purpose, a meaning the...

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The Shehecheyanu blessing gives thanks for the arrival of any momentous time, often a holiday or a new beginning. This year, we recite the Shehecheyanu at a time of momentous tumult and pain. We grieve the killings of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Raphael Briscoe, and far too many more Black and brown men and women, boys and girls. We stand with our brothers and sisters protesting in the streets and in the halls of power seeking to...

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As Jews, we tell the story of yetziat mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt, to remind ourselves annually that our people were enslaved in a land not our own. The classical Ashkenazi haggadah text goes even further. It declares that: ְ Be'chol dor va’dor chayav adam lirot et atzmo ke’ilu hu yatzah miMitzrayim “In every generation, we are obligated to see ourselves as though we personally came out of Egypt." More than just ritual observance, we are directed to feel in our...

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We gather on Passover to recall a moment of resistance and liberation in the history of our people. The story of Exodus reminds us of the transformative power that our people wield when we confront oppression. This summer we witnessed the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of the police; in the months that followed the #BlackLivesMatter movement blossomed from that stained soil and swept the country. From Ferguson to Staten Island, Black people resisted the discriminatory...

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“Why on this night when we remember the oppression and resistance of Jews should we also think about the lives of people of color?” Because many Jews are people of color. Because racism is a Jewish issue. Because our liberation is connected. White Ashkenazi Jews have a rich history but are only a part of the Jewish story. Mizrahi & Sephardi Jews; Yemeni Jews; Ethiopian Jews; Jews who trace their heritage to the Dominican Republic, to Cuba & Mexico; to Guyana...

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 Do we all truly know that Black lives matter?  Go Down Moses is a Negro Spiritual, originally sung by enslaved Africans in the American South. It describes the Exodus story and so it has become common for Jews to sing it during the Seder. As we use the beautiful songs of Black people to enrich our Jewish traditions, Evan Traylor asks you to reflect on what it means to sing a song of freedom when so many are not free. On...

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As we open the door for the Prophet Elijah, Graie Barasch-Hagans asks us to love and support the stranger, the beggar and the familial in our struggle for collective liberation, and to recognize that these three peoples are often one and the same. As Jews we come together in our most vulnerable moments. We come as community to support our mourners in our synagogues and in our homes. As Black folks we have come to the street, to the courthouse, to...

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Singing Dayenu is a 1000-year old Passover tradition. The 15-stanza poem thanks G-d for 15 blessings bestowed upon the Jews in the Exodus. Had G-d only parted the seas for us, “It would have been enough” we say for each miracle or divine act, thus humbly appreciating the immensity of the gifts. KB Frazier’s reworking of the poem addresses us, rather than G-d. It calls us to greater action for justice, saying “lo dayenu ” (it would not have been enough)...

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Having now told the story of Jews’ Exodus from Mitzrayim we have come to know Miriam, Moses, Pharaoh, Tzipporah and the role each of them played. Sarah Barasch-Hagans & Graie Barasch-Hagans use these roles to help us understand our roles in the fight against oppression — when we are strong allies and when we still struggle to be our best selves. Author Note: In most discussions of racial justice, interracial families are often made completely invisible. This is ironic, as these...

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The song “Dayeinu,” which literally means “it would have been enough for us,” thanks God for all the miracles performed for the Jewish people: from the Exodus out of Egypt, to their journey through the desert, until they entered the land of Israel where they built a national home. In reality, no one of these alone would indeed have been enough. But we celebrate each step toward freedom before moving to the next step. If we dismiss small victories, we will...

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At the end of the seder, we pour—but do not drink—a fifth cup for Elijah the prophet, who symbolizes the coming of salvation. Jointly we can bring salvation; change is coming, but it is not yet here. We come together at Passover to connect our separate stories into the story of new freedom. We must cross the wilderness of change before we can enter a promised land of greater justice, greater freedom, greater peace, and deeper healing. Next year in a...

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The second cup of wine is dedicated not only to the struggles of the Jewish people, but to all people seeking a secure life free of fear and persecution. We hope and work particularly for the Israelis and the Palestinians that they may all learn to live together in freedom and peace. Let us strive to fulfill the words of the Prophet Micah: "They shall beat their swords in plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up...