Kadeish קדש – recital of Kiddush blessing and drinking of the first cup of wine
As we begin the seder, there is a great deal of anticipation. Looking forward to that first sip of wine, taste of matza, warm soup…instead of counting how many pages to the next section, focus in on each step of this ritual. One method is to narrate (either out loud or in your mind) each step as objectively as possible: “I am holding the glass. I am opening the wine. I am pouring the wine. I am holding up the glass. [say blessing] I am sipping the wine. I am swallowing the wine.” Notice what arises in this practice - is it calm and presence, or more agitation or anticipation? Bonus: try it for each of the 4 cups and see how it changes. (From Mindfulness Practices for Every Step of the Seder Contributed By Sarah Chandler)

Tonight with each cup we fill. we will recall the treasured roles of women who participated in, or were inspired by the Passover story.   Please fill your sups as we read: 

  • Held together by the sacred bonds of friendship and peoplehood, we share this table tonight with one another and with all the generations of women who have come before us.
  • With this cup, we bless the memory of Yocheved and Miriam whose love of family and commitment to our people made possible our freedom and the festival we are blessed to have celebrated for centuries… and for centuries to come.
  • For it was Yocheved who birthed Moses and defied Pharoah’s murderous decree by trusting in God and placing her firstborn son in a basket to begin a perilous journey down the Nile.
  • And it was Miriam who carefully followed her baby brother along the banks, and who spotted Pharaoh’s daughter, and cleverly suggested that she find a Hebrew nursemaid to suckle the child.
  • In this way, against all odds, Moses was able to be cared for, nurtured, and taught by his mother Yocheved and his sister Miriam.  His heritage was not lost – and eventually, we were redeemed.

haggadah Section: Kadesh