Don't walk in front of me I may not follow

Don’t walk behind me I may not lead

Just walk beside me and be my friend

And together we will walk in the way of God.

 The Hebrew word ביחד (B'yachad) means together. And together, anything is possible. 

Together we will reach out with our hearts to our ancestors. We will reach out to each other as we celebrate our lives. And together we will reach out heart to heart to those who are not yet free.

Wine can symbolize many things. The first glass of wine symbolizes hope. When Moses started to plead for freedom, the reality of possibly being free became believable. This first glass of wine symbolizes the hope that this Seder will be over and we can eat food. Had we not had this vary sip of the wine, the reality that this Seder will end, would have seemed like a dream far out of reach. Had Moses not plead for freedom, it would have seemed impossible. 

 

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 dip the parsley into the salt water we are told that we taste the tears that our ancestors wept during slavery. But why don’t we taste the tears of happiness? Why only the tears of misery? After all, the tears of happiness are what signified the hope that we are a free people. Good always comes at the end. If it’s not good, it’s not the end. The Israelites made it out of Egypt together, so let’s taste the tears of happiness, together.

When we break the Matzah in half, we are symbolizing the split of the red sea. When we break the Matzah, we symbolize the hope that we can eat. When the red sea split, it symbolized the permission; yes you may pass, after hearing the word NO NO NO. During the Seder we get bored and we ask “When can we eat” and until this breaking of the Matzah, we get told NO NO NO. It is hope that there is food, and that we have permission to eat it. 

I am a Jew because, born of Israel and having lost her, I have felt her live again in me, more loving than myself. I am a Jew because, born of Israel and having regained her. I wish her to live after me, more living than myself.

I am a Jew because the faith of Israel demands of me no abdication of the mind.

I am a Jew because the faith of Israel requires of me all the devotion of the mind.

I am a Jew because in every place where suffering weeps, the Jew weeps.

I am a Jew because every time when despair cries out, the Jew hopes.

I am a Jew because, for Israel, the world is not yet completed: we are completing it.

I am a Jew because for Israel, Humanity is not yet fully formed; humanity must

perfect itself.

Edmond Fleg

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

“A lesson for all of us is that for every loss, there is victory, for every sadness, there is joy, and when you think you’ve lost everything, there is hope.” ―Geraldine Solon

Why is it that through all the bad things our ancestors went through, that they didn’t lose hope?

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops… at all.”  -Emily Dickinson

“Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway.” –Mary Kay Ash

What do you think the victories of the Jewish People say about whether or not hope is eternal?

chorus--{And the women dancing with their timbrels,

followed Miriam as she sang her song,

sing a song to the One whom we've exalted,

Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long}

 

And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety

the tapestry she wove was one which sang our history.

With every strand and every thread she crafted her delight!

A woman touched with spirit, she dances toward the light

 

chorus

 

When Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea

the wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe.

Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstretched hand

and we would pass to freedom and march to the promised land!

 

chorus

 

And Miriam the prophet took her timbrel in her hand,

and all the women followed her just as she had planned,

and Miriam raised her voice in song-

She sang with praise and might

We've just lived through a miracle (yelled):We're going to dance tonight!!

 

MI CHAMOCHA

Like the plagues of our ancestors' time in Egypt, modern life has it's plagues as well. In this ritual the cup of wine we enjoy at this seder is diminished because, in our times as well, freedom, health and lives of others are curtailed. Each drop of wine we pour represents the hope and prayer that people will cast out the plagues that threaten everyone everywhere they are found...beginning in out own hearts.
>
> The making of war
> the teaching of hate and violence
> despoliation of the Earth
> perversion of justice and of government
> fomenting of vice and crime
> neglect of human needs and suffering
> oppression of nations and people
> corruption of culture
> subjugation of science, learning and human discourse
> the erosion of personal and civil freedoms

We are grateful that we are together on this night as a family ~ Dayenu

We are grateful that we are together to share this moment ~ Dayenu

We are grateful that we are together, alive and healthy ~ Dayenu

We are grateful that we are able to eat together ~ Dayenu

We are grateful that we have a light shining upon us ~ Dayenu

We are grateful for everything and everyone that we have ~ Dayenu

We are grateful for all that has touched our lives ~Dayenu

We are grateful that our ancestors never gave up home, and to them we drink the second glass of wine together ~ Dayenu

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.

Matzah. It’s flat, it has holes in it, it breaks easily, it crumbles, it’s bitter, and it’s nothing creative, yet Jewish people and Non-Jewish people that observe Passover eat it every day for at least 8 days out of the year. Sometimes more.

 “Something second hand and broken, still can make a pretty sound, and that second hand white baby grand still has something beautiful to give.” Megan Hilty

Every year we look at Matzah like it’s nothing special. But it represents something more than a large bland cracker. It represents hope. Matzah still has a beautiful lesson to teach us, and even though the Matzah in front of us is broken, it still has a beautiful story to tell.

 maror

Time for Matzah ball soup! I HOPE we can enjoy this TOGEHER J

The third cup of wine symbolizes the hope of freedom in that we are 3/4 of the way done with the seder. After crossing the sea, the Iraelites knew that 3/4 of their troubles were over. They were no longer slaves, that were forced to work for pharoah. However they still had a dessert to cross in hopes of reaching the land of milk and honey that is Israel today. Let's drink this third cup of wine to being 3/4 done with the seder, and being 3/4 free. 

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, borei pri ha'gafen.

Elijah is a symbol of hope because he represents the peace and love that will come to this Earth upon his presence. Let us drink to Elijah!

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, borei pri ha'gafen.

At the end of the seder, it is traditional to say or sing " Next Year in Jerusalem". We sometimes think of this as a literal wish, though far fewer of us have actually found ourselves in Jerusalem for seder the following year -- congratulations if you have!

But Jerusalem is more than a place, it is a feeling, it is a hope.  At this point in the seder, 1/2 or 1/4 sheets of paper should be passed around to each participant, along with an envelope and writing utensil.  Folks are invited to write a brief note to their future selves inspired by "next year in Jerusalem." As metaphor: what is our own personal Jerusalem where we hope to see ourselves a year from now? 

Everyone seals and addresses their envelope to themselves, and the seder leader, or whoever is leading this exercise takes responsibility for keeping the notes all year and mailing them the following Pesach season.

This exercise can be done formally when everyone sits down to dessert or it can be introduced when the break for the meal happens and people can elect to write the notes at their leisure. 

I often have a basket out for people to drop their notes in.