Haggadot Contributors

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1. Once upon a time our people went into galut, exile, in the land of Egypt. During a famine our ancestor Jacob and his family fled to Egypt where food was plentiful. His son Joseph had risen to high position in Pharaoh’s court, and our people were well-respected and well-regarded, secure in the power structure of the time. 2. Generations passed and our people remained in Egypt. In time, a new Pharaoh ascended to the throne. He found our difference threatening,...

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The Seder Plate Karpas:  Karpas represents the initial flourishing of the Israelites during the first years in Egypt. At the end of the biblical book of Genesis, Joseph moves his family to Egypt, where he becomes the second-in-command to Pharaoh. Protected by Joseph's exalted status, the family lives safely for several generations and proliferate greatly, becoming a great nation. The size of this growing population frightens the new Pharaoh, who enslaves the Israelites, lest they make war on Egypt. Even under...

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Gathered around the Seder table, we pour four cups, remembering the gift of freedom that our ancestors received centuries ago. We delight in our liberation from Pharaoh’s oppression. We drink four cups for four promises fulfilled. The first cup as God said, “I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians.” The second as God said, “And I will deliver you from their bondage.” The third as God said, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great...

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The word Seder means “order.” While order can be oppressive when it suppresses creativity and choice, order can also be a liberating source of stability. In the first chapter of Genesis, the world is fashioned out of chaos, each stage of Creation providing the foundation for the next. First light bursts out from darkness; then the waters appear, followed by trees and plants; then animals, from small to large; and finally, human beings. The organizing principle of Creation is itself a...

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Pack Nothing. Bring only your determination to serve  and your willingness to be free. Don’t wait for the bread to rise. Take nourishment for the journey,  but eat standing, be ready to move at a moment’s notice. Do not hesitate to leave your old ways behind— fear, silence, submission. Only surrender to the need  of the time— to love justice and walk humbly with your God. Do not take time to explain to the neighbors. Tell only a few trusted friends...

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Not with a strong hand And not with an outstretched arm And not with great awe And not with signs And not with wonders Rather hesitantly, with small steps, terrified by darkness Softly Dedicated Purposefully With accuracy And love Carrying little signs like the wrinkles of passing time, the transition of seasons, my changing body, the pearls of my longings. Getting out of Egypt

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Not the peace of a cease-fire, not even the vision of the wolf and the lamb, but rather as in the heart when the excitement is over and you can talk only about a great weariness. I know that I know how to kill, that makes me an adult. And my son plays with a toy gun that knows how to open and close its eyes and say Mama. A peace  without the big noise of beating swords into ploughshares, without...

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It has rained for five days running the world is a round puddle of sunless water where small islands are only beginning to cope a young boy in my garden is bailing out water from his flower patch when I ask him why he tells me young seeds that have not seen sun forget and drown easily.