Passover is a time of rememberance and connection - not just to others at the table, but to forefathers and foremothers and to the entire history of the Jewish people. Not just to the Jewish people, but people everywhere, all over the world, who share experiences of opression, liberation, and struggle. In this moment, where the world is facing political and economic upheval over a worldwide pandemic that has us all sheltering away from others, it is perhaps now more than ever that these other, less visible connections matter. The story of Passover is one of slavery and liberation for a certain people, but also a warning never to forget where you come from or those who still remain in chains.

No matter what is on the Seder plate this year, dictated by supplies or quarintine or social justice, no matter what readings are included in the Haggadah, no matter if you can gather in a large group or you go through the motions as an individual, no matter if this is your fist Seder or your hundredth, no matter if you were born Jewish, or converted, or are just joining someone else, let this passover serve as a light to the world, a reminder that the rituals of life endure in the face of hardships and suffering, that the adaptability of the Seder is mirrored by the adaptability of the people who participate in it.


haggadah Section: Introduction