How is this night different from all other nights?

Why on this night, as we explore our journey towards freedom and justice, do we eat the bread of poverty and persecution?

We must remember that we can never truly be free until all people everywhere can share in our freedom. We remember that, fortunate as we may be, there are still so many people in our region who have no choice but to eat the bread of poverty and persecution.

Why on this night, do we combine the message of Passover with a discussion of racial justice?

As we create a space where people feel comfortable sharing their stories of deliverance from a narrow place, we advance relationships and strategies for liberation in our journey towards wholeness.

Why on this night do we dip the herbs twice, first in salt water and then in sweet charoset?

We dip first in salt water, because on this night, we recognize that there are people throughout our region whose tears still drench their food. Then we dip again in the charosset to represent not only the mortar that our enslaved ancestors were forced to use, but also the mortar that we must all use to build a better community and a sweeter world.

Why on this night, do we celebrate freedom with a call to action?

In a traditional seder, a posture of reclining at the table is adapted into the celebration of freedom because it is a behavior historically allowed only for free people. Tonight we celebrate our freedom from a narrow place with a call to action, challenging ourselves to understand that we cannot simply recline! There is still much work to do to impact the lives of others.


haggadah Section: -- Four Questions