בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָֽיִם

B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et-atzmo, k’ilu hu yatzav mimitzrayim.

In every generation, everyone is obligated to see themselves as though they personally left Egypt.

Reader: The seder reminds us that it was not only our ancestors whom God redeemed; God redeemed us too along with them. That’s why the Torah says “God brought us out from there in order to lead us to and give us the land promised to our ancestors.”

Reader: The freedom we celebrate tonight is not only freedom from slavery. It is also the freedom to live in peace, with dignity and with hope for a bright future. This constant vision has inspired the Jewish people since the ancient times recorded in the Bible.

Reader: For many centuries, most Jews lived in Europe, where they were often persecuted. They were driven from place to place, and their lives were often filled with terror and despair.

Reader: There came a time when many Jewish families heard of a place called America, where they could live without fear. This was the promise that America held out to them and to many other suffering people.

Reader: By the thousands, and then by the millions, year after year they crossed a large ocean, enduring the dangers of that long voyage before reaching the shores of America.

Reader: Even then for a time they suffered from poverty and homelessness, but because of their perseverance, courage, and skills, they [we] are here tonight celebrating this festival of freedom in a free land.

Reader: This evening, as we celebrate this [our own] freedom let us take notice of the struggles toward freedom in many other parts of the world.

Reader: Freedom for Israel. Freedom for humankind. Freedom for the whole world.


haggadah Section: -- Cup #2 & Dayenu
Source: Modified from The Wandering is over and A Humanist Modern Haggadah