Contributors

JewBelong

Summit , US
jewbelong
jewbelong

Judaism has been around for 3,500 years, so it’s obviously working for some people; but not for enough of us. The numbers are shrinking. And yeah, we get why: With all the rules and rituals, the Hebrew reading and chanting and the sometimes boring practice, it can be tricky to find all the richness, joy and spirituality at the heart of the religion. That’s where JewBelong comes in! We don’t care which of your parents is Jewish, or if neither of them is, or what your Jewish background is… or even whether you believe in God. (Yeah, we said it.) JewBelong is here to help you make your Judaism your own. It’s filled with easy-to-follow, fun, touching, humorous and always non-intimidating content. And we hope it inspires you to come up with even more new and exciting ways to live Jewishly… and well! Archie Gottesman and Stacy Stuart are the women behind Manhattan Mini Storage’s iconic billboards (check out their work here). They figured if they could rebrand something as boring as self-storage, then why not Judaism?

Drunk Elijah

by JewBelong

Blessing For Anyone Who Is Not Jewish

by JewBelong

BLESSING FOR ANYONE WHO ISN’T JEWISH (’CAUSE WE KNOW THIS IS A LOT) May everyone who shares in a Jewish life feel welcome and integrated. We lovingly acknowledge the diversity of our community and are deeply grateful for the love and support you provide by opening your heart to Judaism, no matter how big or small a part it is in your day. Your presence at this Jewish experience is valued. It is not taken for granted because not veryone in...

-- Exodus Story

What If God Had Not Taken Our Ancestors Out Of Egypt?

by JewBelong

Then we would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt, along with our children, and our children’s children. Even if all of us were wise, all of us discerning, all of us scholars, and all of us knowledgeable in Torah, it would still be a mitzvah for us to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

-- Four Children

The Modern Four Sons

by JewBelong

Following is a new interpretation of The Four Sons that illustrates the journey of many Jews living in America. We’re not judging here, just witnessing. Besides, what better time to talk about choices and change than Passover? THE FIRST (PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS THE WISE) SON Let’s call him Irving. He came to America in the early 1900s, not only because his family had a terribly poor existence in Poland, but mostly because they were running for their lives to escape the...

Question for Discussion

by JewBelong

(as if the Seder wasn’t long enough already ) Each year we ask the traditional four questions. This year we’re adding a fifth, and since Passover is about freedom, we’re going with that theme. What do you seek freedom from? Or another way to put it, what are you a “slave” to? Your phone? Vaping? CNN? Too much guilt? Exercising every damn day? Maybe something bigger, like a relationship that’s run its course, or your career. There are no wrong answers,...

Especially This Year, A Prayer For Our Country

by JewBelong

Adapted from Rabbi Ayelet Cohen Our God and God of our ancestors, bless this country and all who dwell within it. Help us to experience the blessings of our lives and circumstances, to be vigilant, compassionate, and brave. Strengthen us when we are afraid, help us to channel our anger, so that it motivates us to action. Help us to be humble in our fear, knowing that as vulnerable as we feel, there are those at greater risk, and that it...

Seder = Order

by JewBelong

Our Passover meal is called a Seder, which means "order" in Hebrew, because we go through 14 specific steps as we retell the story of our ancestors' liberation from slavery in Egypt. 1. Kadeish Kiddush (the blessing over the wine) 2. Urchatz Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the Seder 3. Karpas Dipping a green vegetable in salt water 4. Matzah Yachtaz Breaking the middle matzah 5. Maggid Telling the story of Passover 6. Rachtza Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal...

The Elephant At Your Passover Seder

by JewBelong

The Elephant At Your Passover Seder

Welcome

by JewBelong

Whether it's your first seder or your 107th, and whether you’ve cleaned your home of every last crumb of chametz (food that has leavening) or you plan to eat an English muffin for breakfast tomorrow, doesn’t matter. The Seder is a chance for us all to be taken on a short but important journey from slavery to freedom, and to join millions of Jews and non-Jews all over the world who are doing the same thing. (Think about how cool that...

Commentary / Readings

Ruth's Mix

by JewBelong

Ruth, as in The Book Of, as in the great-grandmother of King David, was part of an interfaith marriage. Ruth’s Mix welcomes everyone to the Seder table and honors the growing diversity of the Jewish people – those who were born Jewish, those who converted, those who are not Jewish, and those who just came for the singing and wine. Everyone takes a bit of Ruth’s Mix, a combination of almonds, raisins and chocolate chips. Each of these ingredients is good...

I Could Have Eaten More

by JewBelong

(to the tune of “I Could Have Danced All Night”) I could have eaten more, I could have eaten more, but it’s afikomen time. The Seder rituals and all those victuals, the evening was sublime. I had my matzo with charoset and matzo dipped in chocolate too. I drank down all my wine and now I’m feeling fine. How good to share this meal with you!

Ending the Seder and Thinking About the Future

by JewBelong

Ending the Seder and Thinking About the Future

Chad Gadya, Chad Gadya

by JewBelong

CHAD GADYA, CHAD GADYA dizabin aba bitrei zuzei, chad gadya, chad gadya. Va'ata shunra, ve'achla legadya dizabin aba bitrei zuzei, chad gadya, chad gadya. An only kid! An only kid My father bought for two zuzim Chad gadya, Chad gadya Then came the cat and ate the kid My father bought For two zuzim Chad gadya, Chad gadya Then came the dog And bit the cat That ate the kid My father bought For two zuzim Chad gadya, Chad gadya Then...

Echad Mi Yodea?

by JewBelong

WHO KNOWS ONE? Who Knows One? I know one! One is our God in the heaven and earth. Two are the tablets of the covenant. Three are the patriarchs. Four are the matriarchs. Five are the books of the Torah. Six are the sections of the Mishnah. Seven are the days of the week. Eight are the days to circumcision. Nine are the months to childbirth. Ten are the commandments at Sinai. Eleven are the stars in Joseph’s dream. Twelve are...

The Third Glass of Wine

by JewBelong

The Third Glass of Wine

Grace After the Meal

by JewBelong

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam, hazan et ha’olam kulo b’tuvo b’chen b’chesed w’rachamin. Hu noten lechem l’chol basar ki l’olam chasdo. Uv’tuvo hagadol tamid lo chasar lanu v’al yech’sar lanu mason l’olam va’ed. Ba’avur sh’mo hagadol ki hu zan um’farnes lakol umetiv lakol umechin mazon l’chol b’riyotav asher bara. Baruch Atah Adonai hazan et hakol. We praise God, Spirit of Everything, whose goodness sustains the world. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all,...

Shulchan Oreich

Shulchan Oreich

by JewBelong

The meal is served!

Tzafun

by JewBelong

The half matzo, which was hidden earlier, now needs to be found before we can finish the Seder!

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JewBelong Haggadah

JewBelong Haggadah

Compiled by Archie Gottesman & Stacy Stuart Full PDF: http://www.jewbelong.com/passover/

-- Four Questions

The Four Questions

by Old Forgotten Art Found

The formal telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with lots of questions and answers. The tradition that the youngest person asks the questions reflects the centrality of involving everyone in the seder. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us the Four Questions to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. If everyone at your seder is around...

The Journey by Mary Oliver

by Haggadot

One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice-- though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. "Mend my life!" each voice cried. But you didn't stop. You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild night,...

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