One of the key (and intoxicating) elements of the traditional Passover Seder are the mandatory four cups of wine. Spaced evenly throughout the Seder they punctuate major blocks of this elaborate ritual: beginning it (with Kadesh), retelling the Passover narrative (with Maggid), concluding the blessing after the meal (with Barech), and concluding praising God (with Hallel).

Although there are various explanations for the particular number of cups, most often cited is the correlation between the four cups and the “Four Expressions of Redemption” attributed to God in Exodus 6:6-7. There God pledges to redeem the Ancient Israelites from Egypt with the words

“...I will bring you out... I will free you ...I will redeem you ... I will take you ...” (“... v’hoseiti... v’hesalti... v’gaalti... v’lakachti...”) Thus, each cup captures one ingredient of the full redemption. The Seder celebrates and relives a redemption in which the people were passive. In the four verbs used to describe the redemption God is the active subject and the people are passive objects. In fact, traditional rabbinic texts describe, at length, how the Ancient Israelites were undeserving of the redemption because, from the Rabbis' perspective, they had forgotten about God.

At this Passover Seder, however, we will not be celebrating a passive redemption, but learning from the lessons of Passover and committing ourselves to acting in the interests of justice and peace in the coming year. We will not merely be objects of redemption, but active participants in pursuing justice. Walking through our Seder we will declare our own four commitments to working for peace and justice for the Palestinian people. Through this Seder we will each reflect upon what needs to be done, what we can do, and what we must do in the coming year to advocate for peace through justice for Palestine and Israel. As we come to approach each of the four cups we invite you to meditate in silence upon your own words of commitment.


haggadah Section: Kadesh
Source: Jewish Voices for Peace