How is this night different from other nights?  On other nights we are not obligated to ask the questions of what separates us from redemption.  Tonight we are so obligated. 1)  Why are women not yet universally recognized as being created in the divine image? 2)  Why are Israelis still living in a state of war? 3)  Why are millions of people still suffering from hunger? 4)  Why are there still dictators who prevent the voices of their people from being...

For the chief musician, on common instrument: a song of rebellion. Praise rising up. Praise unlawful assembly. Praise the road of excess and the palace of wisdom. Praise glass houses. Praise the hand that cradles the stone. Praise refusal of obedience. Praise the young on Raamses Street. Praise Galileo. Praise acceleration. Praise bombshells and en masse. Praise sit-down strikes. Praise outside agitators. Praise Red Emma. Praise her pistol and praise her restraint. Praise living your life. Praise Joan of Arc. Praise...

At the end of the seder, it is traditional to say or sing " Next Year in Jerusalem". We sometimes think of this as a literal wish, though far fewer of us have actually found ourselves in Jerusalem for seder the following year -- congratulations if you have!But Jerusalem is more than a place, it is a feeling, it is a hope.  At this point in the seder, 1/2 or 1/4 sheets of paper should be passed around to each participant,...

By Avigayil Halpern Blood: Young girls tuck tampons quickly into backpacks, secret them in purses, hide them in Ugg boots. It’s not blue dye that the river is running with, and periods are more trouble than the pamphlet in that goody bag from middle-school health class would leave one to believe. “It’s beautiful to be female,” we’re told, but nobody accounts for cramps and cramps and cramps and bloodied sheets and cramps. We are under no obligation to love our bodies,...

Who Knows One? 1.            One is Hashem, one is Hashem, one is Hashem! In the Heaven and the Earth        אחד אלוהינו שבשמיים ובארץ         2.            Two are the tablets that Moshe brought             שני לוחות הברית               3.            Three are the Fathers    שלושה אבות        4.            Four are the Mothers    ארבע אימהות      5.            Five are the books of the Torah חמישה חומשי תורה          6.            Six are the books of the Mishnah             שישה סידרי משנה             7.            Seven are the days of the week ooh-ah                שיבעה ימי...

Refugees Give Refuge: A Rhode Island Mitzvah Contributed by Mishael Zion When we retell the story of our flight from Egypt, we come to appreciate all those who have been refugees and fugitives. The oldest standing synagogue in North America was built in 1763 in Newport, Rhode Island, by Spanish-Portuguese immigrants, descendants of persecuted Marrano Jews. They had come to America so they could, for the first time in generations, openly practice their Judaism in their new home. In the center...

If we were to end a single genocide, but not stop the wars that kill people as we sit here. it would not be sufficient If we were to end those bloody wars, but not disarm the nations it would not be sufficient If we were to disarm the nations, but not prevent some people from starving while others wallowed in luxury it would not be sufficient If we were to make sure that no person starved, but we were not...