Each Passover, we join to drink four cups of wine to represent the promises of freedom. This Passover we will make four new promises: to protect, adapt, conserve, and mitigate. As we welcome Elijah for a fifth cup of wine, we will also welcome a commitment to climate action, to promote justice and health for our earth and all its inhabitants. 

As we begin our Passover seder, we remember that, while we drink wine, that more than 1 in 10 people (785 million) still lack basic water services, including the 144 million who drink untreated surface water, and more than 884 million people did not have safe water to drink.  Some 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely managed drinking water services, 4.2 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation services, and 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities. 

This need not be the case. Our first cup of wine is our first promise: We will work to ensure that everyone has access to clean water, free from pollution and we will work to invest in sanitation and hygiene for all. 

Together, we recite: 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, borei p’ri hagafen 

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine
 


haggadah Section: Kadesh