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One copy of the Slave Bible, first published in 1807, sits today in the permanent collection of the Fisk University Library in Nashville. Originally intended for use in worship by enslaved people in the British West Indies, the biblical text was carefully redacted to exclude all references to the Exodus from Egypt. Imagine a Bible with no Moses, no burning bush, no Israelites fleeing slavery, no split sea and no revelation at Sinai. This version of the text, gutted of that...

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This is not only the bread of our affliction, but also the lechem oni, the bread of those in dire need.  It's called that because of its purposeful lack of ingredients — only unleavened flour and water, nothing to make it rise, and it must be baked in haste — the food of those with nothing, those who've left everything, in desperate need of a miracle. It is the bread we took with us when we rushed out of Egypt to...

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The Stupidity of Having an Answer A novel does not assert anything; a novel searches and poses questions. I invent stories, confront one with another, and by this means i ask questions. The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything. The wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything.   The novelist teaches the reader to comprehend the world as a question. There is wisdom and tolerance in that attitude. in a world built on sacrosanct...

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A Reflection Adapted from A Commofn Road to Freedom, Leonard Fein and David Saperstein, 1996 The very first thing we are told that we must know about God, and the very first thing that God tells us wa are to know, is this:  I am Adonai Your God who brought you out of Egypt.   God tells us this before commanding us not to steal and not to kill, before commanding us to observe the Sabbath day and not to worship other...

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TO BE HOPEFUL in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to...

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This set of readings was formulated in order to highlight and celebrate Miriam’s role in the deliverance from slavery and her leadership throughout the wandering in the wilderness. When the seder table is set, we place an empty cup alongside Elijah’s cup. Each attendee at the seder then pours a bit of his or her water into the cup. This contribution symbolizes that, at every stage of her life, Miriam was integral in the Exodus of the Is- raelites from Egypt....

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Passover is the great Jewish family holiday -- but with a critical message about our ethics and values. We eat the Karpas, the green vegetable -- and recall our concern for the environment. We dip into the salt water of tears -- and remind ourselves to care for the oppressed. We eat the bitter herbs -- and sharpen our concern for the stranger. We taste the matzah, the bread of affliction -- and feel the memories of our servitude to Pharaoh....

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This year, in addition to kindling the holiday lights, we light a yahrzeit candle to remember all that was lost this past year. “A Light in the Darkness” by Rabbi Danny Burkeman.  In the beginning, when there was just darkness, God declared, “Let there be light,” and there was light. In an instant the darkness disappeared, and that radiance spread throughout the world. God’s first act of creation was to bring light into the darkness, to illuminate the world. With this...

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On Passover, we remember the ten plagues that were inflicted on the Egyptian people. Thousands of years later, modern-day plagues of inequality should ignite contemporary responses to combat these injustices. Many of the most vulnerable members of our society are disproportionately affected; they cannot be “passed over” or ignored, especially during this important holiday. This moral impetus has become even clearer as our society and the world has grappled with the twin modern-day plagues of the COVID-19 pandemic and renewed, widespread...

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This year we will be observing a bittersweet anniversary. Last year was the first Seder we observed in quarantine and we hoped that it would be our last. For most of us, it will not be.Those of us whose observance allows it will be able to hear the Haggadah with friends over Zoom. But we will not be cooking with grandparents or meeting new babies or hugging dear friends who are home for the holiday. We will be missing loved ones...