Kadesh: The Five Women of Exodus

Recitation at the Beginning:

(As everyone drinks, the following is read.)

Five Jewish heroines each took significant, risks to save lives during the Exodus story, and each of them played a critical role in the work for liberation. May their courage inspire us today to speak out against all forms of misogyny, tyranny, and oppression, and to work for a more just world.

The First Cup of Wine - Shifra and Puah:

Shifra and Puah were the midwives who refused Pharaoh’s orders to kill any boys born to an Israelite family. When confronted by Pharaoh, they lied and claimed that they simply couldn’t get there before the babies were born. These midwives risked their own lives to help save the Israelites from destruction and genocide. They practiced civil disobedience from their unique position of influence and refused to “just follow orders” when those orders were unjust. We honor their resistance. Let us all say their names together: Shifra and Puah.


haggadah Section: Kadesh
Source: National Council of Jewish Women: Steph Black and R' Danya Ruttenberg