We All Make The Seder

The text above is meant to be read at the beginning of seder, immediately after lighting the candles and before explaining the order. If you are so inspired, in advance you could ask people to bring their own reading or version of the blessing for specific parts of the seder.

The practice in many families is for one person, often a male head of household, to lead the seder. This year I am [or “we are,” if a team is leading] thinking about leadership differently than in past generations. Some people cling to an authoritative ideal of a single, strong leader. Our tradition, however, offers a different picture. The story of Passover is filled with shared leadership, as we will hear tonight when we come to tell the story.

In honor of shared leadership, I am [we are] inviting each of you at our table to collaborate at any point in the seder by adding your voices. Please feel free to contribute from Jewish tradition or from your experience to add to the fullness of the story we tell at our seder, tonight. [Or, if people were asked to contribute in advance, you could say: “We look forward to our seder being enriched tonight by the contributions everyone has brought with them, which will add to the fullness of the story we tell at our seder.”] As we raise our individual voices, may our commitment grow even stronger to widening the circle of voices we listen to and learn from in our community, our nation, and the wider world.


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: https://www.movingtraditions.org/we-all-make-the-seder