I chose this video because it explains not only HOW the seder works, one of the biggest parts of Passover, but also gives minute details onto the history behind the historic holiday. I also liked how it didn't overwhelm the listener with a ten minute long video on how the Jews were held as slaves and then we cooked our bread for 18 minutes and then the sea split yada yada yada, as this is the introduction and is meant to give a narrow view onto the story of Pesach rather than dive right in. Overall, it has nice labeling and explanations that cover the general basis of what Passover is about, and as a starter to the entire Haggada, is a good general overview to dip the reader's toes into the split sea that is Pesach.

It’s been a crazy week. The world with all its worries and bothers is still clamoring for your attention. The first step is to forget all that. Leave it behind. Enter into a timeless space, where you, your great-grandparents and Moses   all coincide.

The beginning of all journeys is separation. You’ve got to leave somewhere to go somewhere else. It is also the first step towards freedom: You ignore the voice of Pharaoh inside that mocks you, saying, “Who are you to begin such a journey?” You just get up and walk out.

This is the first meaning of the word, “Kadesh” -- to  transcend   the mundane world. Then comes the second meaning: Once you’ve set yourself free from your material worries, you can return and  sanctify   them. That is when true spiritual freedom begins, when you introduce a higher purpose into all those things you do. 

Kiddush (the blessing over wine) |  kadeish  | קַדֵּשׁ  

All Jewish celebrations, from holidays to weddings, include wine as a symbol of our joy – not to mention a practical way to increase that joy. The seder starts with wine and then gives us three more opportunities to refill our cup and drink.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who chose us from all peoples and languages, and sanctified us with commandments, and lovingly gave to us special times for happiness, holidays and this time of celebrating the Holiday of Matzah, the time of liberation, reading our sacred stories, and remembering the Exodus from Egypt. For you chose us and sanctified us among all peoples. And you have given us joyful holidays. We praise God, who sanctifies the people of Israel and the holidays.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,  שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, she-hechiyanu v’key’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who has kept us alive, raised us up, and brought us to this happy moment.

Drink the first glass of wine!

I chose this article because it goes further than simply reciting the blessing. It describes and dives into the meaning behind Kadesh as well as transporting you back to Egypt circa Jews in slavery era. When you read the words written by Madrigal, you feel as though you too are standing there in the heat, sweat soaking through your scarce clothing and caressing your thin bones. The lash of the cruel whip rains down around you and all you can hear are your fellow Jews yelling in agony. It allows one to walk in our ancestors shoes and experience the pain and torture they too felt, therefore enabling true sympathy and appreciation for our freedom that the entire holiday is about.

I chose this contribution by Berkowitz because it educated me on why we even wash our hand on Seder. For years I completed this action in a trance, over and over year after year. Now, I have a new understanding to it, that it is the idea of us questioning things around us. I wish to add it to my Haggadah in hopes of others also learning why we must hand wash on Seder, and even though this paragraph is mere, it encompasses this entire concept. 

Together as we wash our hands, they move into the bowl of water, and back out of the water. Why do we do this? Are our hands really getting clean without soap? We won’t be eating for some time, why do we do this so early?

The washing of our hands suggests that we are open to question. One question that is always asked is about hope.

Rick Recht answers in his song:

This is the hope that holds us together, Hatikvah, the hope that will last forever, the hope is still real.

From the Diaspora, to the exodus, to the holocaust, to war, to independence, to more wars, to threats, bombing, and peace, Israelis never give up hope. We are strong people because we have hope. And the hope holds us together. That’s why the Israeli National Anthem is Hatikvah, because that means hope.

When we bless the green parsley and dip it in the salty water, we remember the spring, and we remember the long, sad years of our slavery.

When we left Egypt,

we bloomed and sprouted,

and songs dripped from our tongues

like shimmering threads of nectar.

All green with life we grew,

who had been buried,

under toil and sorrow,

dense as bricks.

All green in the desert we grew,

casting seeds at a promise.

All green we grew. 

I chose this page because I personally connected with its' use of poetry as a tool to describe karpas' significance at the seder. Each line depicts the sorrows and woes our ancestors experienced through similes and figurative language, fully stitching the reason as to why we have saltwater, AKA "tears", at our Seder. The undertone of the poem is bitter, yet the words hitting the ears of the listener so soft lulling them so that they are able to understand the reason why we strangely must dip parsley into saltwater on this holiday: to put ourselves in our ancestors shoes and feel the sadness they felt when they were slaves. 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’adamah.

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.

WE’RE UNBREAKING UP

Reflect: Our world is broken and we are often unintentionally the source of that breaking. What’s something (object, relationship, etc.) you intentionally or unintentionally broke this past year?

The Jewish tradition teaches that it’s not up to us to finish the work of repairing all that is broken with the world, but that we still must engage and do all we can. What actions will you take this year to heal and repair?

Break the middle matzah of the three at the head of the table – the bigger half magically becomes the Afikoman (more on that later). See if you can snag it when the leader isn’t looking and hold it ransom – we can’t finish our #friendseder™ without it!

I chose this article because it details the important message accompanied with the breaking of the middle matzah on seder: that it is important as Jews to try and heal the world for not just the sour actions we've commited, but for the shambles created by others too. I wholeheartedly agree, that we must try and help the world as that is what being a good person is, and was glad to have found an article reciting Yachatz's real-world theme.

When I came across this page, as a typical theatre geek, I could not resist. Passover rituals mixed with The Sound of Music? What could be better! My reason for choosing this article is purely selfish: in my haggadah I wanted as much music-set-to-passover-themes as possible. So finding this parody, one that carries over all of the themes of Maggid, (the story of Passover being told - dare I now say sing - by a chosen person) I squealed with excitement. Passover can be long and hefty, and therefore I wanted to make it just a little bit more fun with some classic tunes that still relate to Pesach, and specifically, "just another part of Passover" revamped into an exciting moment. 

Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes

Out with the hametz, no pasta, no knishes

Fish that's gefillted, horseradish that stings

These are a few of our passover things. 

Matzoh and karpas and chopped up haroset

Shankbones and kiddish and yiddish neuroses

Tante who kvetches and uncle who sings

These are a few of our Passover things. 

Motzi and maror and trouble with

Pharoahs Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbarrows Matzah balls floating and eggshell that cling

These are a few of our Passover things. 

When the plagues strike

When the lice bite When we're feeling sad

We simply remember our Passover things

And then we don't feel so bad. 

Free people ask questions. We begin our Seder with questions. Although the custom is that the youngest at the table asks, tradition instructs that all must ask:

Ma Neeshtana ha-laila ha-zeh meekol ha-laylot? Sheh-bichol ha-laylot anoo ochleem chametz oo-matzah. Halailah hazeh chametz oomatz. Sheh-bi'chol ha-laylot anoo ochleem sheh-ar yerakot. Ha-lailah hazeh maror.

Sheh-bi'chol ha-laylot ayn anoo mat-bee- leen afeeloo pa-am echad. Ha-laila hazeh sh'tay pi-ameem. Sheh- bi'chol ha-laylot anoo ochleem bayn yoshveen oo-bayn misoobeen. Ha-laila hazeh koolanoo misooveen.

Why is this night of Passover different from all other nights of the year? On all other nights, we eat either leavened or unleavened bread. Why on this night do we eat only matzah? On all other nights, we eat vegetables of all kinds. Why on this night must we eat bitter herbs? On all other nights, we do not dip vegetables even once. Why on this night do we dip twice greens into salt water and bitter herbs into sweet charoset? On all other nights, everyone sits up straight at the table. Why on this night do we recline and eat at leisure? 

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Asking questions is an important part of the Seder. Encourage everyone at the table to ask not just the questions listed in the book, but whatever question comes to mind during the Seder. The Seder is designed for distraction, digression, and discussion. So, if you don’t finish the whole thing tonight...there’s always tomorrow, or next year! What would be your four questions? 

I chose this page because it highlights the importance to include the 4 questions due to the entire theme of Pesach being the fact that we can even commemorate this holiday because we are alive and free human beings. That we can even ask questions, of which our ancestors could not because we are free and therefore have the ability to. 

(source: edited from The Wandering is Over Haggadah)

As we tell the story, we think about it from all angles. Our tradition speaks of four different types of children who might react differently to the Passover seder. It is our job to make our story accessible to all the members of our community, so we think about how we might best reach each type of Beatle:

What does John, the wise Beatle, say?

The wise Beatle asks, What are the testimonies and laws which God commanded you?

You must teach this Beatle the rules of observing the holiday of Passover.

“Is there anybody ...to listen to my story…?” - John, “Girl”

What does Paul, the wicked Beatle, say?

The wicked Beatle asks, What does this service mean to you?

To you and not to himself! Because he takes himself out of the community and misses the point, set this Beatle’s teeth on edge and say to him: “It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.” Me, not him. Had that Beatle been there, he would have been left behind.

“You got to give the other fella hell ... so live and let die” - Paul, “Live and Let Die”

What does Ringo, the simple Beatle, say?

The simple Beatle asks, What is this?

To this Beatle, answer plainly: “With a strong hand God took us out of Egypt, where we were slaves.”

“Oh what joy for every girl and boy, knowing they're happy and they're safe” - Ringo, “Octopus’s Garden”

What about George, the Beatle who doesn’t know how to ask a question?

Help this Beatle ask.

Start telling the story:

“It is because of what God did for me in taking me out of Egypt.”

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“I don't know, I don't know” - George, “Something”

Do you see yourself in any of these Beatles? At times we all approach different situations like each of these Beatles. How do we relate to each of them?

The significance of this page in relation to what it adds to my Haggadah is that it explains a deep conversation in a comprehendable and humourous manner. Also, it uses relatable and well-known figures to lure the reader and keep them hooked. Finally, the article also uses famous Beatles songs such as "Girl" and "Live and Let Die" to express the message of this discussion in a catchy and memorable way.

Sefer Shemot illustrated through LEGOs

This picture captures the entire Exodus in a creative manner. Complete with Moses splitting the sea, and our ancestral Jewish slaves standing behind awaiting salvation, it is the perfect addition to my Haggadah. It simply portrays the complicated ordeal in a creative and unique light through Legos, a childhood toy that most anyone has at least played with once in their lives  and can relate to. 

It’s not a barbarous jape, Moira Rose. It’s the Ten Plagues. Which, actually, do seem barbarous. But are certainly not a jape (a practical joke).

So. The Plagues. There’s Blood in the water, Frogs everywhere, Lice (or maybe gnats), Wild Beasts/Swarm, Pestilence, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness and Death of the First Born.
 

This meme was chosen because Moira Rose is an icon and the Ten Plagues are just a con. Together, they are the ultimate pair. By the simple listing of each plague, and the combination of Moira Rose screeching on the screen, one is bound to remember the plagues through memory by association. 

The plagues and our subsequent redemption from Egypt are but one example of the care God has shown for us in our history. Had God but done any one of these kindnesses, it would have been enough – dayeinu.

אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָֽנוּ מִמִּצְרַֽיִם, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu hotzi- hotzianu, Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim Hotzianu mi-mitzrayim, Dayeinu

If God had only taken us out of Egypt, that would have been enough!

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָֽנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה, דַּיֵּנוּ

Ilu natan natan lanu, natan lanu et ha-Torah, Natan lanu et ha-Torah , Dayeinu

If God had only given us the Torah, that would have been enough.

 The complete lyrics to Dayeinu tell the entire story of the Exodus from Egypt as a series of miracles God performed for us. (See the Additional Readings if you want to read or sing them all.)

Dayeinu also reminds us that each of our lives is the cumulative result of many blessings, small and large. 

This passage truly portrays the message of how much God provides for us. How he has given us the seas and the moon, and the entire Earth in general... how we must eternally be grateful because he gives us everything and yet still more. This theme is expressed in the song, Dayeinu, and this article shows just how much meaning it really holds.

Our hands were touched by this water earlier during tonight's seder, but this time is different. This is a deeper step than that. This act of washing our hands is accompanied by a blessing, for in this moment we feel our People's story more viscerally, having just retold it during Maggid. Now, having re-experienced the majesty of the Jewish journey from degradation to dignity, we raise our hands in holiness, remembering once again that our liberation is bound up in everyone else's. Each step we take together with others towards liberation is blessing, and so we recite: 

                                                         --Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Congregation Netivot Shalom, Berkeley, CA

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, asher kidshanu bemitvotav vetzivanu al netilat yadayim.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִּם.

Blessed are You ETERNAL our God, Master of time and space, who has sanctified us with commandments and instructed us regarding lifting up our hands.

This page adds a depth to hand washing, especially since it is now the second time we robotically repeat this action at the long seder. One could've just monotonely instructed on how hand washing is important because of germs etc., but this article goes as far as to depict a message and even possibly evoke an emotion from its' reader, for example they discuss how one may "feel our People's story more viscerally" when completing this washing. 

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר

קִדְשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם.

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam

asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu

al n'tilat yadayim.

Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning washing of hands.

According to Jewish law we wash our hands before eating because there was a law to be pure. The blessing above is said before every time we eat bread. Back in ancient times they would do this also, so we follow this ritual as our ancestors did.

The procedure for washing is identical to the washing done earlier at Urchatz. However this washing will be followed by two other blessings and one should try not to speak from the time of the blessing until after eating the matzah. One tradition is that everyone except the leader of the Seder goes to the kitchen. A large cup is filled with water which is poured two times on the left and two times to the right. The rachtzah blessing is recited, hands are dried, and everyone returns to the table to recite the next two blessings before eating the matzah. Then someone brings water and the cup to the leader of the table can wash at the table.

 

Discussion Question:
Does it make sense in modern times to wash our hands before every time we eat bread?

I chose this clip because it carefully articulates not one, not two, but SEVERAL empowering themes behind the Passover cracker we call Matzah. Being the centerpiece for this holiday, Matzah is constantly under the spotlight. I know from past experiences that the only theme I ever associated Matzah with was the typical "they ran out of time and their bread only cooked for 18 minutes back in Egypt" mumbo jumbo. Now I have learned that there is in fact more themes to do with this infamous cracker?! And important ones too, themes such as hope for continuing freedom and that Matzah makes us remember our ancestors victory and miraculous escape from Pharoah's grasp. 

Matzah is both a reminder of our past and a symbol of our future. It was first used to celebrate the spring festival when our farming ancestors threw out their sour dough — the leavening — and baked unleavened bread to welcome the New Year.

Later the Matzah became associated with the Exodus from Egypt. As the Torah says, “And they baked unleavened bread from the dough which they brought out of Egypt. There was not sufficient time to allow it to rise, for they were fleeing Egypt and could not wait.” Matzah recalls the slavery of our ancestors, their triumph over tyranny.

In our own generation, Matzah has become a symbol of hope, urging us to speak for those who do not yet know freedom. We who celebrate Passover commit ourselves to the continuing struggle against oppression. We become the voices for those locked within prison cells, for those exiled from their homes, their families, their communities. We who know freedom are the guardians of their ideas.

(Eat Matzah)

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ.

TRANSLITERATION

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu,
Melech haolam,
haMotzi lechem min haaretz.

TRANSLATION

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who brings forth bread from the earth.

At a Passover seder we say an additional blessing before eating the matzah.

HEBREW TEXT

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ, בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצוָּנוּ, עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה.

TRANSLITERATION

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu al achilat matzah.

TRANSLATION

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us regarding the eating of Matzah.

https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/prayers-blessings/blessing-over-matzah

Harry Potter had much bitterness in his life. Deprived of his parents at a young age, his life at the Dursleys was miserable. At Hogwarts, through no fault of his own, he was the target of both students and teachers. And of course he was always in life threatening peril from the man who had killed his parents. If anyone had the right to feel embittered, it was Harry. And yet, he showed that you can experience bitterness without becoming embittered. You can take the lessons of your suffering and use them to appreciate your blessings and to spare others suffering. This is how we experience the bitter herb at Passover. We recognize the bitterness of our servitude, but as we are about to see, we use it as a prelude to sweetness and as a lesson to prevent others from suffering like we did.

It is very clever how this article uses the well known story of the wizard Harry Potter’s tragic past as an analogy to what the Jewish people went through. It puts a twist on the typical “we cried and that’s why we eat Maror on Pesach” and instead portrays the emotions behind why we do it through the tragic tale of poor orphan Potter. It spins his story as "bitter", just like this herb, contrasting how despite Harry's many shortcomings he never let the bitterness depress him and instead got through it. This parallels the message of Maror, how it represents our sadness and misery as slaves, but also that we made it out and survived our "bitterness". Through this sharp witted comparison, one is more likely to emphasize with our history as we put ourselves in our people’s situation, and make this part of Seder more meaningful.

The next step of the Seder is to fulfill the mitzvah of eating bitter herbs (usually fresh ground horseradish or romaine lettuce). Maror is symbolic of the bitterness of slavery. We do not, however, eat the maror alone, but temper it with a small amount of
charoset*. Some people have the custom of dipping the maror into charoset and then shaking off the charoset. (*A tasty mixture of chopped walnuts, wine, cinnamon and apples that represents the mortar the Jewish slaves used to build Pharaoh’s cities--recipes may vary by community).

Everyone takes some maror and dips it in the charoset. All then recite the following blessing, after which everyone should immediately eat their maror without leaning to the left.

Ba’ruch Ah’tah Ah’doh’nai Eh’lo’hay’nu Melech ha’o’lam ah’sher kidishanu b’mitz’vo’tav v’tzee’vanu al ah’chee’laht ma’ror.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us in His commandments and commanded us to eat bitter herbs.

***POINTS TO PONDER***

How Much Maror?
In order to fulfill the commandment of eating maror, the rabbis determined that one must eat a k’zayit (“like an olive”) of maror. Depending on what one chooses to use for maror, this measurement translates into:
--For those eating grated horseradish: a little more than one ounce.
--For those eating romaine lettuce leaves: enough leaves to cover an area roughly the size of a sheet of paper.
--For those eating stalks of lettuce: an amount comparable to an area equal to a 3x5 photograph.

Bitter-Sweet Slavery

One may look at this mixture of the bitter herbs (a reminder of slavery) with the sweet charoset as symbolic of the fact that not all that one considers bitter lacks sweetness, and vice-versa. It was only through the bitterness of slavery that the
Jews were able to recognize and accept the freedom inherent in the Torah and to unite into one nation.

Your Thoughts

As you eat the maror , reflect on what significance maror has to you:

Korech כּוֹרֵךְ

זֵכֶר לְמִקְדָּשׁ כְּהִלֵּל. כֵּן עָשָׂה הִלֵּל בִּזְמַן שבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הָיָה קַיָים: הָיָה כּוֹרֵךְ מַצָּה וּמָרוֹר וְאוֹכֵל בְּיַחַד, לְקַיֵים מַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: עַל מַצּוֹת וּמְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ.

Zeicher l'mikdash k'hileil. Kein asah hileil bizman shebeit hamikdash hayah kayam. Hayah koreich pesach, matzah, u-maror v'ocheil b'yachad. L'kayeim mah shene-emar. “Al matzot um'rorim yochlu-hu.”

Eating matzah, maror and haroset this way reminds us of how, in the days of the Temple, Hillel would do so, making a sandwich of the Pashal lamb, matzah and maror, in order to observe the law “You shall eat it (the Pesach sacrifice) on matzah and maror.”

It is important that as Jews we are aware that the Torah is our central guide. That it can help us live a mitzot filled life, and that God established it onto us as his sacred people. The laws of Judaism, the Torah, are the glue to the entire religion. This article shines light on the law aspect of the prayer Koreich. It says that when one eats "matzah, maror and haroset" we are actually remembering how many years ago our ancestors did this as to follow the holy law "You shall eat it (the Pesach sacrifice) on matzah and maror". 

Repair the World and Be’chol Lashon invite you to explore how the Jewish community, a multiracial and multiethnic people, can examine our past and present journeys from Exodus to freedom. Ask guests to read the questions aloud and share their own Passover traditions!

Question: Why do Jews from Gibraltar sprinkle a little bit of brick dust into their charoset? Answer: To remind them of the bricks that the Israelite slaves were forced to make.

Question: What do Hungarian Jews place on the Seder table to represent the precious gifts given to the Israelites as they departed Egypt? Answer: Gold and Jewelry

Question: When they read the piece of the Haggadah that begins “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt” (In Hebrew “Avadim Hayinu”), Jews from this country take a pillowcase filled with heavy objects and carry it on their backs around the table. Answer: Syria

Question: Which symbol from the seder plate do the Kavkazi Jews of the Caucasus hide for the children to find instead of the matza? Answer: An Egg

Question: Why do many Middle Eastern Jewish families whip each other with scallions at the Seder table? Answer: To mimic the whips of slave drivers in Egypt.

Question: Because Moses floated in the river what item do many Jews of Tunisia decorate with a colored cloth in this, and place on the Seder table? Answer: A basket

Question: At Passover, the Abayudaya Jews of what country celebrate the anniversary of the overthrow of the brutal dictator Idi Amin, who outlawed the practice of Judaism? Answer: Uganda

Question: At the beginning of the Seder, what do Jews from Morocco pass above their heads three times while reciting "In haste we came out of Egypt”? Answer: A Seder Plate

Question: Tunisian Jews place a fish bowl with live fish swimming in it on the Passover table. Which part of the Exodus story does this commemorate? Answer: The crossing of the Red Sea

Question: What do Iraqi Jews tie to the back of a small child while telling them to guard it until end of the Seder? Answer: The Afikomen

Question: In which country is the Seder “interrupted” by a knock on the door by a member of the family dressed up as a nomad. The leader of the Seder asks: “Where are you coming from?” (Egypt) Where are you going?” (Jerusalem). Answer: Iraq

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According to research done by Be’chol Lashon, 20% of American Jews identify as African American, Latinx, Asian, mixed race, Sephardi and Mizrahi. This year, join us as we celebrate Passover rituals from diverse Jewish communities and traditions.

Download the PDF place cards here: https://werepair.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Passover_Place_Cards.pdf

There is not just one type of jew. There is not just one type of way things are done in Judaism, how things are said or recited or sung. That's the beauty of this religion, so much diversity exists amongst so many different kinds of people from Alaska to Tennessee, to Africa to England. And every single one of them are all considered Jews. Seder is interpreted in so many ways around the world, and each is as special as the next. This article articulates this point, and beautifully too. 

Shalom Sesame takes on the Broadway Musical! Join the Muppets as they search high and low for "Matzah in the House."

This clip used childhood nostalgia combined with a parody of the popular song "Master of the House" from Les Mis to represent one of the final parts of the Seder, finding and eating the afikomen. Watching it makes one chuckle with the remembrance of childhood and its Sesame Street days, as well as teen years nostalgia with the remembrance of obsessing over the awe inspiring show "Les Mis". 

Lift the third cup of wine and read together.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

Blessed are You, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. 

Emboldened to welcome refugees into our communities, may we remember that true welcome is not completed upon a person’s safe arrival in our country but in all the ways we help people to rebuild their lives. As God provided for our needs on the long journey from slavery to the Promised Land, let us give the refugees in our communities the tools they need not just to survive but to thrive: safe homes to settle into, quality education for their children, English language tutoring, access to jobs, and all of the things we would want for ourselves and our families. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who gives us the opportunity to be your partner in ongoing redemption.

Drink the third cup of wine.

Third Question

Discuss as a group: What do you think makes some people stay and continue to experience unimaginable trauma and others flee in search of refuge and asylum? Can you understand both ways of thinking?

In Judaism one of our main themes is compassion. Compassion towards others in their situations, but also feeling enough compassion to help them. This page realizes this idea, and deeply expresses it - compassion. How we must not just have compassion from afar for someone, but have enough to assist them through their difficulties. We may also recognize this concept because of how God reacted with compassion for us during so many different instances, specifically when we were slaves in Egypt and he guided us to Israel.  

Leader:
Let us all refill our cups.

Leader picks up cup for all to see.

This is the cup of hope.

The seder tradition involves pouring a cup for the Hebrew prophet Elijah. For millennia, Jews opened the door for him, inviting him join their seders, hoping that he would bring with him a messiah to save the world.

Yet the tasks of saving the world - once ascribed to prophets, messiahs and gods - must be taken up by us mere mortals, by common people with shared goals. Working together for progressive change,we can bring about the improvement of the world, tiqqun ha-olam - for justice and for peace, we can and we must.

Leader:

Let us now symbolically open the door of our seder to invite in all people of good will and all those in needto work together with us for a better world.Let us raise our fourth cup as we dedicate ourselves to tiqqun olam, the improvement of the world.

Everyone:

"L' Tiqqun Olam!"

All drink the fourth cup.

For Hallel, I scrolled through an inordinate amount of clips, each one sounding like the next, or merely stating what occurs in this section in a dull way. This clip struck me because it discusses a theme of "improving the world". It insists that the bettering of the world "must be taken up by us mere mortals", rather than the idea of a theoretical "Messiah" whose coming has been predicted for centuries yet his presence is still unknown... This is the truth, it is only up to us to change the world we live in for it is just that, the world WE live in. 

Before you conclude the Seder and say the words “next year in Jerusalem,” read this section and perform the closing ritual – the fifth communal cup.

Leader: At the beginning of the Passover Seder, we are commanded to consider ourselves as though we, too, had gone out from Egypt. At the end of the Seder (and once in the middle) – we say the words, “Next year in Jerusalem” to recognize that, just as redemption came for our ancestors, so, too, will redemption come for us in this generation. For those of us fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads, we may understand these words to mean that the parts of us that feel adrift will find steady footing. However, for the world’s more than 68 million displaced people and refugees, these words can be a literal message of hope that they will be able to rebuild their lives in a safe place.

Participant: After experiencing unimaginable trauma and often making harrowing journeys out of danger, refugees across the United States are finding liberation after oppression. For Mohammad Ay Toghlo and his wife, Eidah Al Suleiman, the dream of “Next year in Jerusalem” has become a reality in Buffalo, New York. After war came to their village outside Damascus, they witnessed the murder of their pregnant daughter and the kidnapping of their son. They sold their car to pay a large ransom and then ultimately escaped to Lebanon. After a lengthy vetting process, Mohammed, Eidah, and their youngest son, Najati, received word they would be resettled by HIAS through the Jewish Family Service of Buffalo. Mohammed says that, when he found out, he thought he was dreaming because “the United States is such a big thing for us that I don’t even see that in my dreams; I was so happy.” Najati is learning English and enrolled in school, and he says that, when he finds himself on the street on the way to school or to an appointment and he needs assistance, people go out of their way to communicate with him and help, even reading his body language to try to understand what he needs. While the family’s move is bittersweet because their oldest son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren remain in Lebanon and they worry constantly about their safety, Najati says that, here, in the United States, “wherever we go, we find helpful, loving people.” As he settles into his new life here, Najati made a drawing to express his gratitude for the opportunities that the Jewish Family Service of Buffalo and the United States government have provided him and his family. The drawing expresses thanks to the United States and features a large Jewish star, surrounded by the phrase “Thank you, Jewish Family” in Arabic. The family’s life in Buffalo is not free from difficulty, but they are beginning to pick up the broken pieces of the trauma they have experienced to fulfill new hopes and new dreams here in America.

Group: As we now end the Seder, let us pass around a fifth cup into which we will each pour a drop of wine as we express our prayers for the world’s refugees.

Pass an empty wine glass around the Seder table and have everyone add a drop of wine from their untasted cup (from the “Kavanah for Opening the Door for Elijah”) into this new communal cup. After everyone has added some wine to this fifth communal cup, read this blessing aloud together:

Tonight, we honor the strength and resilience of refugees and asylum seekers across the globe. We commit ourselves to supporting them as they rebuild their lives and to championing their right for protection. Just as our own people now eat the bread of liberation, we pray that today’s refugees and asylum seekers will fulfill their dreams of rebuilding their lives in safety and freedom in the year to come.

Blessed are all those who yearn to be free.
Blessed are we who commit ourselves to their freedom.
Blessed are You, Adonai Our God, source of strength and liberation.

לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָ בִּירוּשָׁלָֽיִם

L’shana ha’ba’ah b’Yirushalayim!

Nirtzah is not just about having Seder "Next Year in Jerusalem", the concept of reaching our homeland and achieving "redemption"... It is also about helping those who may not be in as fortunate situations as we are attain refuge/sanctuary and better lives. This article divulges into this meaning, and that's why I knew I had to choose it because it discussed not just waiting for ourselves to get something but doing Mitzvot by helping others get it too. 

Traditionally, the Seder is concluded with the prayer for "next year in Jerusalem." Let us conclude our Seder this year with the prayer that next year will bring us closer to liberation for all including:

Peace within ourselves and our comunity

Safe harbor for refugees and immigrants

Respect for the aspiration and humanity of women and girls

The promise of dignity and human rights for every human regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental abilitity 

I chose this conclusion because of its inclusion of peace for every type of human regardless of race, gender, orientation, etc. As some of the final words recited on Seder, it is beautiful that they may be those proclaiming peace and rights for these people, especially since the entire message of Passover is our nation gaining freedom from being slaves. Therefore it is only fitting that we wish upon others that same chance of freedom, of peace, and important that we include every type of person in that conversation.

This modern Passover Miracle story is perfect for sharing with friends and family at your Seder.

At Passover, every person is supposed to feel as though he himself left Egypt. For me and the Jewish community of Uganda, we do not need to imagine. In our lifetime, we were rescued from ‘slavery’ and saved by divine intervention in order to celebrate.

When Field Marshal Iddi Amin Dada took power in Uganda by way of the gun in 1971, he outlawed Judaism and confiscated our synagogues and most of the Hebrew books. Practice of Judaism was punishable by death. He was a modern day Pharaoh. He gave the community two alternatives, either to convert to Islam or Christianity, or remain unaffiliated. He murdered anyone suspected of opposing his rule and judicial executions were the order of the time. Many Abayudaya feared for their lives and converted to the two majority religions, Islam and Christianity. However, things did not go well for the Christians either. The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda was run over by army trucks in a stage-managed accident; and the chief Justice, who was also Christian, was shot dead on Amin’s orders.

Growing up during this era was a hard pill to swallow. Adults and children would shout insults at Jews and no one did anything to stop them. We were not permitted to wear any Jewish symbols including kippot. Nor were we allowed to appear anywhere near the synagogue premises. We dared only to pray and learn under the cover of the night in our bedrooms. My father, Rabbi Yondav Keki, was caught studying Torah in the Sukkah that he had built in the back yard of our house and only survived after the arresting officer demanded a bribe. Three leaders of the community, including Yaakov Were and Yaakov Kasakya, were arrested and tortured for collecting iron sheets that had been blown off the roof of the Moses Synagogue in Nabugoya.

In that same year when a hijacked plane full of Jews was held at Entebbe by Palestinian terrorists with the permission of Amin, a fast was secretly declared and silent prayers were conducted, each family praying in their bedrooms. The daring rescue of the hostages gave hope to community members that soon or later Amin would go.

This came to pass on Wednesday 11, April 1979, corresponding to 14 Nisan, 5739, Erev Pesach when the new Government, comprised of Ugandan rebels and Tanzanian troupes, declared freedom of worship. This was considered a miracle from above and was celebrated in a special style. More than four cups of 80% proof Uganda banana wine were served making everyone excessively happy by the end of the Seder. No more than 300 of the nearly 3,000 earlier members remained steadfast and loyal to Judaism, which makes me think that had Amin’s regime continued for another five years, the community would not have survived.

Passover remains a special moment for all us. I will always remember my first Seder ever. It is amazing that the reign of terror ended and that freedom of worship was reinstated at the season of freedom. Each year as the community grows, Passover is the moment that we celebrate both our ancient and modern freedom. With the help of Jews from around the world the synagogue that was destroyed is being rebuilt to be better and stronger than ever and the numbers of our community have nearly returned to their earlier size. That Uganda would have been a Jewish state had Herzl’s proposal been successful, that the hijackers chose Entebbeairport as their final resting place, and that Amin like Pharoah was humiliated on the Eve of Pesach could not have simply been a mere coincidence. It was our Passover miracle.

Originally published here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/jewish-and/a-modern-passover-miracle/

At the end of the strenuous Seder, after scrolling through pages of emotions and reading/listening to stories of our traumatic past as slaves, it is time for a final story to uplift the table members and conclude the Seder. This story is one that relates to Passover as a whole because it depicts horrifying events but at the end we sigh in relief as everything resolves and turns out alright, and so these two reasons are what led to my decision in including this story as the very final article in my Haggadah. 

It's only fitting at the end of our seder we finish it off with our national anthem, as Jews, our homeland's song. Specifically, the homeland that the entire seder has been about reaching as well as having been our ancestors' sanctuary from being slaves. Therefore, praising its' protection and our devotion to it is a felicitous tribute and an empowering moment.