Pesach is a time of radical empathy.

Mishnah Pesachim teaches us that בכל דור ודור חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים: In every generation a person is obligated to see themselves as if they were liberated from Egypt. In Hebrew, Egypt is known as 'Mitzrayim,' a narrow place. The seder asks that we identify with those currently oppressed, marginalized, or restricted; those who yearn and fight for freedom. Not out of pity, but because we are or have been them.

Pesach is also a night of questions. During this seder, we will not only ask the traditional Four Questions, but also invite each other to become living documents and witnesses to oppression and liberation.

We begin with two questions. Please turn to your neighbor, and ask: Which communities or individuals are currently in Mitzrayim - in a narrow place? And when have you dwelt in Mitzrayim?


haggadah Section: Introduction