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Here is a kid and adult friendly alternative to for the Maggid section (the Passover story section) of the Haggadah. This short play/skit is in the style of "sedra scenes" -- a contemporary take which makes the story current but stays true to the Exodus narrative. I've written it for large crowds -- so there are 13 parts, but if you have a smaller gathering you can easily double up. LET MY PEOPLE GO! A short play for the seder CAST:...

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At this point, I will symbolically wash my hands for all of us, without saying the blessing. As I take a moment to wash my hands, imagine that you are washing away all anxiety and stress in your life, and allow yourself to be filled with the hope that the world can be a better place for us all.

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Four questions: 1. What's up with the matzoh?When we left Egypt, we were in a hurry. There was no time for making decent bread.2. What's the deal with horseradish?Life was bitter, like horseradish.3. What's with the dipping of the herbs?It's called symbolism. 4. What's this whole slouching at the table business?Free people get to slouch.

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Leader: Let us all refill our cups. Leader picks up cup for all to see. This is the cup of hope. The seder tradition involves pouring a cup for the Hebrew prophet Elijah. For millennia, Jews opened the door for him, inviting him join their seders, hoping that he would bring with him a messiah to save the world. Yet the tasks of saving the world - once ascribed to prophets, messiahs and gods - must be taken up by us...

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The 4 questions are said by the youngest person at the table. If the youngest is incapable of reciting the questions, or has trouble, the host may say them, everyone may say them, or an individual may help the youngster: מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילות Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot? Why is this night different from all other nights? שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכלין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מצה Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah....

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The seder officially begins with a physical act: lighting the candles.  In Jewish tradition, lighting candles and saying a blessing over them marks a time of transition, from the day that is ending to the one that is beginning, from ordinary time to sacred time.  Lighting the candles is an important part of our Passover celebration because their flickering light reminds us of the importance of keeping the fragile flame of freedom alive in the world. Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech...

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Hillel, the rabbi who lived in Jerusalem during the time of King Herod, invented the “Hillel sandwich” a combination of the three elements given in the biblical commandment to eat matzah, bitter herbs and the Pascal lamb. Instead of eating the lamb, however, today we substitute charoset. We take some matzah and smear some maror on end and some charoset on the other. We then top off the sandwich with another piece of matzah. When we eat, we begin with the...

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Fill the second cup of wine or juice. We raise this second cup in Openness and reaffirm our openness to staying in this moment and learning from others around us. בָּרּוְך אַ תָּ ה יְיָּ, אֱֹלהֵּינּו מֶׁ לְֶׁך הָּעֹולָּם, בֹורֵּ א פְ רִ י הַגָּפֶׁן Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri hagafen. Blessed are You, Source of All Life, Spirit of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the 

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Q: What do you call someone who  derives pleasure from the bread of  affliction? A: A matzochist.

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Yachatz We hide a piece of matzah to remind us of the poor who dare not eat without setting aside some food for the next meal.  We break the matzah to remind us that we must set aside some of our own food for those who go hungry today This is the bread of poverty and affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.  Let all who are hungry come and eat with us.  Let all who are in...

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At Passover each year, we read the story of our ancestors’ pursuit of liberation from oppression. When confronting this history, how do we answer our children when they ask us how to pursue justice in our time? What does the activist child ask? “The Torah tells me, ‘Justice, justice you shall pursue,’ but how can I pursue justice?” Empower her always to seek pathways to advocate for the vulnerable. As Proverbs teaches, “Speak up for the mute, for the rights of...

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The seder officially begins with a physical act: lighting the candles. In Jewish tradition, lighting candles and saying a blessing over them marks a time of transition, from the day that is ending to the one that is beginning, from ordinary time to sacred time. Lighting the candles is an important part of our Passover celebration because their flickering light reminds us of the importance of keeping the fragile flame of freedom alive in the world. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, מֶֽלֶךְ...

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Nirtzah marks the conclusion of the seder. Our bellies are full, we have had many glasses of wine, we have told stories and sung songs, and now it is time for the evening to come to a close. At the end of the seder, we honor but modify the tradition of declaring, “Next year in Jerusalem!” by declaring "Next year in peace!" And so we conclude: Now our seder is over According to custom and law. As we were worthy to...