Baruch atah Adonai eloheinu Melekh ha-olam, asher kid-shanu b-mitzvotav v-tsivanu lirdof tzedek.

Blessed are the forces that show us paths to righteousness and compel us to pursue justice.

In 1872 Susan B. Anthony said, “It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed this Union. We formed it not to give the blessings of liberty but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people—women as well as men.”

In 1994 Nelson Mandela said, “The oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away my freedom is a prisoner of hatred. He is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not free if I am taking away someone else’s freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken away from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.” 

Adapted from from Silverman, Dara and Micah Bazant. 2003. Love and Justice in Times of War Hagaddah. Quotes from Arnow, David. 2004. Creating Lively Passover Seders.


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: Adapted from Silverman and Bazant's "Love and Justice in Times of War Haggadah" (2003)