The Hebrew word “Kiddush” means sanctification. But it is not the wine we sanctify. Instead, the wine is a symbol of the sanctity, the preciousness, and the sweetness of this moment. Held together by sacred bonds of family, friendship, peoplehood, we share this table tonight with one another and with all the generations who have come before us. We belong. We belong to one another. And we belong to the generations who have come before and who will come after us, sharing this sacred story and celebration. Let us rise, and sanctify this singular moment.

IN DEPTH The blessing praises God for creating the "fruit of the vine." We recite the blessing, not over the whole grape, but over wine — squeezed and fermented through human skill. So, too, the motzee blessing is recited not over sheaves of wheat but over bread, leavened or unleavened, ground


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: Valley Beth Shalom Haggadah