Welcome to Sinai. As we have just crossed the Red Sea, we have had to make many hard choices for both ourselves and those around us: freedom or slavery? Pettiness or tolerance? Materialism or life? In many ways, we are in shock at our recent actions. We find ourselves reflecting on what we’ve done. Did we really just leave Egypt? Did a band of slaves—no—ex-slaves really push the leader of one of the greatest empires of our time to let his workforce just leave? Many of us are in shock. Some of us are crying. All of us realise that it is important to never forget our actions and the actions of our ancestors. We know what we have done will rock the world for generations to come.

Which brings our journey to today 5781. Although the Seder as we know it today wasn’t developed for hundreds of years after we became free, it has become the standard for how we remember our escape from the hand of tyranny. The difficult decisions that our people had to make in the Exodus from Egypt are similar to the ones we've made in the past year and decisions that we still have to make as this pandemic begins to feel like it might soon be over.  This Seder, which last year seemed strange in format but is now the everyday norm, allows us to make the responsible decision for ourselves and our communities.  So as we learn, laugh and socialise together in spirit whilst being physically apart for a second year, we remember the decisions our ancestors made for us, which in turn allowed us to be here today.  


haggadah Section: Introduction