for Kara

that we find our spring selves again,

shed the thick protective layers of winter

that shield but separate us

from the world out there.

We sit at the seder table

tired, yes, from all the work of preparation,

but hoping to be refreshed,

hoping in spirit to be refreshed.

Sitting at the seder table

we encounter

our younger selves,

wide-eyed, asking questions.

We become each year once again

the four sons, child-like,

spring-like, ready each year once again

to go out from Egypt

with nothing

but a pack on our back,

ready to walk once again

out into the wilderness

in search of our freedom

and our God.

© Merle Feld, Finding Words, URJ Press 2011


haggadah Section: Introduction