We start by getting to know one another:

As we embark on our adventure together here tonight, it is possible that some of us do not know each other.

Take turns around the table as each person shares his or her name and how it is that she or he has come to this Seder. Because the Seder recounts or Exodus from slavery in Egypt, you might also share:

  1. - a value learned from the experience of slavery
  2. - an object beginning with the first letter of your name:

I’m leaving Egypt and I’m taking with me a:_______________________

Similarly, a Sefardi custom suggests that we take turns, beginning with our host, and ask the person to our left:

Who are you? 

Where are you coming from? 

Where are you going?

To which the answer is:

I am Israel. I am coming from Egypt. I am going to Jerusalem.

What do “Israel,” “Egypt,” and “Jerusalem” represent to you right now? What are you doing in your life to transition from a metaphorical Egypt to a metaphorical Jerusalem? We will explore some meanings of these terms as we progress in our adventure.  


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: The Growing Haggadah