To the Sage Hillel, eating Matzah and Maror together was not a trivial matter. To him, slavery and freedom were merged in one historical event. The bread of poverty became bread of freedom and was tasted together with Maror, so that one should know both the bitterness of slavery and the joy of freedom. In the time of freedom, we remember the bitterness of slavery; in time of oppression, we keep alive the hope of freedom. This is why Hillel’s practice of eating Matzah and Maror together has such an important message for us today.

And today at our GLBT Seder, we recognize that oppression; inequality and bigotry still thrive as enemies of minorities and those that go against the flow of our society’s expectations, “norms” and barbaric mandates. The GLBT experience has changed dramatically in the last century and here today we review a timeline of events that brought us here to celebrate the ancient liberation from slavery in Egypt as told in Exodus but also to learn about the history of the GLBT cause. From the Nazi’s persecution of Jews, Homosexuals and many others in WWII, to the modern day global movements for GLBT Rights, Gay Marriage and current day anti-GLBT legislation, events have unfolded that attest to a determination to not just survive but flourish and have pride in our sexual orientation and gender identity. 


haggadah Section: Koreich
Source: JQ International GLBT Haggadah