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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome!
In my family, the holidays were always a time of bringing people together, and being with the people that mean the most to us. Whether you're Jewish, have or haven't been to a seder before, thank you all for being here to celebrate the holiday with us.
Tonight we observe a colourful and joyous festival which our people have celebrated for more than two thousand years. We began as slaves in the land of Egypt. Today we are free people.
Tonight we celebrate their freedom and ours. But we also remember all those of our generation who are not yet free. May this seder ignite within each of us an enthusiasm to work for the freedom of all.
The Seder Plate consists of five items. Each plate is set up a bit different, but they all have the same items. Here's a brief description of what is on the plate:
At the top is the Maror, bitter herbs cut into small pieces or fresh grated horseradish, which represents the bitterness of slavery.
To the right is the Zroa, a roasted shankbone or beet, which represents the sacrifices we have made to survive.
Next is the Karpas, which is either parsley or celery, which represents rebirth. On this plate, there is a separate space for lettuce at the bottom.
To the right of the Maror is the Beitzah, a hard boiled or roasted egg, which symbolizes creative power, our rebirth.
And last is the Charoset, a mixture of finely chopped apples, nuts and cinnamon mixed with a little wine, which represents the bricks and mortar we made in ancient times.
The seder plate is generally placed on the table in front of the leader, but we also set a second plate at the other end of the table.
Other items on the table are: three matzahs, which should be placed separately in matzah covers, or folded separately in one or two large napkins; wine for the four glasses you're meant to drink during the seder; salt water for dipping, which represents our tears, both then and now; pillows or cushions, should anyone want to use; the cup of Elijah, a large wine glass filled with wine, and the cup for Miriam, a large wine glass filled with water.
The cup of Elijah not only commemorates the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery, but also calls to mind the future redemption when Elijah and the Messiah shall appear. The cup of Miriam signifies our desire to bring refreshment and healing to our world.
We also have two other items on the table. An orange is included as a way of acknowledging the role of people who feel marginalized within the Jewish community. Professor Susannah Heschel explains that in the 1980’s some students placed bread crusts on the Seder plate as a protest against the exclusion of women, gays and lesbians. Heschel adapted this and placed an orange on her seder plate, asking that each attendee take a segment of the orange and spit out the orange seeds, which were said to represent homophobia.
And an olive, as a representation of the olive branch the dove brought to Noah after the flood, is on the table as an embodied prayer for peace. We pray for peace in the Middle East, and any place where war is destroying lives and taking away freedom.
The seder officially begins with the candle lighting. In the Jewish tradition, lighting candles and saying a blessing over them marks a transition of time, from the day that is ending to the one that is beginning.
בָּ רוּך אַ תָּ ה יְ יָ, אֱ להֵ ינוּ מֶ לֶ ך הָ עוֹלָ ם, אֲ שֶׁ ר קִ דְּ שָׁ נוּ בְּ מִ צְ וֹתָ יו וְ צִ וָּ נוּ לְ הַ דְ לִ יק נֵ ר שֶׁ ל יוֹם טוֹב.
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel yom tov. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to light the holiday candles.
As we light the candles and welcome the glow of Passover into our homes, we pray that all those suffering around the world find light in the darkness. We pray that our experience tonight helps us to ignite the spark of justice within each of us. We pray that we have the strength to carry forth this light into the world, creating a beautiful and bold fame that inspires others to work by our sides to pursue freedom and justice for all people.
Tonight we drink four cups of wine. Maybe they represent our matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. Maybe they represent the Four Worlds: physicality, emotions, thought and essence.
Maybe they represent the four promises of liberation G-d makes in the Torah: I will bring you out, I will deliver you, I will redeem you, I will take you to be my people. The four promises, in turn, suggest four stages of liberation: becoming aware of oppression, opposing oppression, imagining alternatives, and accepting responsibility to act.
This first cup of wine reminds us of G-d's first declaration: V'hotzaiti - "I will bring you out from the oppression..."
May this first cup of wine rouse each of us to the injustice that persists in our world today. May we recognize our own capacity to make a difference and commit ourselves to building a better world.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise G-d, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Drink the first glass of wine!
To wash your hands, you don’t need soap, but you do need a cup to pour water over your hands. Pour water on each of your hands three times, alternating between your hands. If the people around your table don’t want to get up to walk all the way over to the sink, you could pass a pitcher and a bowl around so everyone can wash at their seats… just be careful not to spill!
Too often during our daily lives we don’t stop and take the moment to prepare for whatever it is we’re about to do.
Let's pause to consider what we hope to get out of our evening together tonight. Go around the table and share one hope or expectation you have for tonight's seder.
Spring reminds us that we are again given a chance for renewal; a new chance to create peace and goodness in our world. At this point in the seder, it is traditional to eat a green vegetable dipped in salt water to symbolize this renewal. The salt water represents the bitter tears shed by our ancestors in slavery.
We have become slaves to the cities we build and to the cars we drive. Trees are cut down to make way for future slums and fossil fuels are burnt polluting our blue skies. Have we forgotten that it is the soil from which humanity came? Each year the earth displays the miracle of creation. What good is the newest packaging and latest chemical substitutes if we are drowned in mounds of waste? As Spring re-awakens all that is green, let us re-awaken our ties to the natural world and our bonds to the earth.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree ha-adama.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruits of the earth.
Dip the greens into the salt water and eat it.
Breaking the matzah | yachatz | יַחַץ
On Shabbat and holidays, we traditionally have two loaves of bread, a symbol of the double portion of "manna from heaven." On Passover, we have matzah on the table. This is the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.
There are three pieces of matzah on the table. We now take the middle of the three matzot and break it in two. The larger of these pieces, the afikomen, is wrapped in a napkin. This piece is then hidden, and the guests must find it before the meal can be ended.
The host uncovers and holds up the three pieces of matzah and says:
This is the bread of poverty which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, come and eat; all who are needy, come and celebrate Passover with us. Let's work towards a time when all who are hungry will eat as free people.
Pour the second glass of wine for everyone.
The Haggadah doesn’t tell the story of Passover in a linear fashion. We don’t hear of Moses being found by the daughter of Pharaoh – actually, we don’t hear much of Moses at all. Instead, we get an impressionistic collection of songs, images, and stories of both the Exodus from Egypt and from Passover celebrations through the centuries. Some say that minimizing the role of Moses keeps us focused on the miracles God performed for us. Others insist that we keep the focus on the role that every member of the community has in bringing about positive change.
Select ONE question from the list below and ask your neighbor:
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For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
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If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
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What do you value most in a friendship?
Passover is the celebration of life. The story of the Jewish people is truly a tyiumph of life and freedom. Against all odds, the Jewish people have done more than survive - we have adapted creatively to each new time, each new place, from the birth of our ancient nation to the present day. And as free people, we ask questions.
מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילות
Ma nishtana halaila hazeh mikol haleilot?
Why is this night different from all other nights?
- שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכלין חָמֵץ וּמַצָּה הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלּוֹ מצה
Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin chameitz u-matzah. Halaila hazeh kulo matzah.
- שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר
Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror.
- שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אֵין אָֽנוּ מַטְבִּילִין אֲפִילוּ פַּֽעַם אחָת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה שְׁתֵּי פְעמים
Shebichol haleilot ain anu matbilin afilu pa-am echat. Halaila hazeh shtei fi-amim.
- שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין בֵּין יוֹשְׁבִין וּבֵין מְסֻבִּין. :הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה כֻּלָּֽנוּ מְסֻבין
Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin bein yoshvin uvein m’subin. Halaila hazeh kulanu m’subin.
1. On all other nights we eat both leavened bread and matzah. Tonight we only eat matzah.
2. On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but tonight we eat bitter herbs.
3. On all other nights we aren’t expected to dip our vegetables one time. Tonight we do it twice.
4. On all other nights we eat either sitting normally or reclining. Tonight we recline.
Wise Daughter
The wise daughter understands that not everything is as it appears. She is the one who speaks up, confident that her opinion counts. She is the one who can take the tradition and ritual that is placed before her, turn it over and over, and find personal meaning in it. She is the one who can find the secrets in the empty spaces between the letters of the Torah. She is the one who claims a place for herself even if the men do not make room for her. Some call her wise and accepting. We call her creative and assertive. We welcome creativity and assertiveness to sit with us at our tables and inspire us to act.
Wicked Daughter
The wicked daughter is the one who dares to challenge the simplistic answers she has been given. She is the one who asks too many questions. She is the one not content to remain in her prescribed place. She is the one who breaks the mold. She is the one who challenges the status quo. Some call her wicked and rebellious. We call her daring and courageous. We welcome rebellion to sit with us at our tables and make us uneasy.
Simple Daughter
The simple daughter is the one who accepts what she is given without asking for more. She is the one who trusts easily and believes what she is told. She is the one who prefers waiting and watching over seeking and acting. She is the one who believes that the redemption from Egypt was the final act of freedom. She is the one who follows in the footsteps of others. Some call her simple and naive. We call her the one whose eyes are yet to be opened. We welcome the contented one to sit with us at our tables and appreciate what will is still to come.
Daughter Who Does Not Know How to Ask
Last is the daughter who does not know how to ask. She is one who obeys and does not question. She is the one who has accepted men’s definitions of the world. She is the one who has not found her own voice. She is the one who is content to be invisible. Some call her subservient and oppressed. We call her our sister. We welcome the silent one to sit with us at our tables and experience a community that welcomes the voices of women.
These are important questions. But before we answer them, let us read the story of Jewish hope. The tale of the Jews' first quest for freedom from slavery in Egypt was written so long ago that no one knows how much of it is fact and how much is fiction. Like all good stories, however, the lessons it teaches are valid and important.
We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt and the Eternal G-d brought us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Now if G-d had not brought out our forefathers from Egypt, then even we, our children and our children's children might still have been enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Therefore, even if we were all wise, all people of understanding, and even if we were all old and well learned in the Torah, it would still be our duty to tell the story of our departure from Egypt.
It is written that long ago, during a time of famine, the ancient Israelites traveled to Egypt. According to this legend, the Israelites at the time were all in a single gamily - Jacob and his children. One of Jacob's sons was Joseph, whose wisdom caused the Pharaoh to promote Joseph to a leadership role.
Generations passed and our people remained in Egypt. In time, a new Pharaoh ascended the throne and ordered our people enslaved. In fear of rebellion, Pharaoh decreed that all Hebrew boy-children be killed. Two midwives named Shifrah and Puah defied his orders, claiming that "The Hebrew women are so hardy, they give birth before we arrive!" Through their courage, a boy survived.
Fearing for his safety, his family placed him in a basket and he floated down the Nile. He was found and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, who named him Moshe because "from the water she drew him forth." Moses grew as a child of privilege, but he became aware of the slaves, and in his anger over their mistreatment, he struck and killed an overseer. He then left Egypt, finding out who he was from G-d speaking to him through the burning bush.
Moses returned to Egypt and went to Pharaoh to argue the injustice of slavery. He gave Pharaoh a mandate which resounds through history: Let my people go.
Pharaoh refused, and Moses warned him that G-d would strike the Egyptian people. It was only after the plagues that Pharaoh agreed to their liberation. Fearful that Pharaoh would change his mind, the Jewish people fled, not waiting for their bread to rise - which is where matzah comes from.
At our Passover seder, we celebrate the story of Moses and the people he led out of slavery 3,000 years ago. We celebrate the struggle of all people to be free. Throughout the centuries, the story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt has inspired Jews and non-Jews in times of persecution and hardship.
The freedom we celebrate tonight is not only freedom from slavery. It is also the freedom to live in peace, with dignity and with hope for a bright future. This constant vision has inspired the Jewish people since the ancient times recorded in the Bible.
By: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt for AJWS
On Passover, Jews are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus and to see ourselves as having lived through that story, so that we may better learn how to live our lives today. The stories we tell our children shape what they believe to be possible—which is why at Passover, we must tell the stories of the women who played a crucial role in the Exodus narrative.
The Book of Exodus, much like the Book of Genesis, opens in pervasive darkness. Genesis describes the earth as “unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep.”1 In Exodus, darkness attends the accession of a new Pharaoh who feared the Israelites and so enslaved them. God alone lights the way out of the darkness in Genesis. But in Exodus, God has many partners, first among them, five brave women.
There is Yocheved, Moses’ mother, and Shifra and Puah, the famous midwives. Each defies Pharaoh’s decree to kill the Israelite baby boys. And there is Miriam, Moses’ sister, about whom the following midrash is taught:
[When Miriam’s only brother was Aaron] she prophesied… “my mother is destined to bear a son who will save Israel.” When [Moses] was born the whole house… filled with light[.] [Miriam’s] father arose and kissed her on the head, saying, “My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled.” But when they threw [Moses] into the river her father tapped her on the head saying, “Daughter, where is your prophecy?” So it is written, “And [Miriam] stood afar off to know what would be[come of] the latter part of her prophecy.”2
Finally, there is Pharaoh’s daughter Batya, who defies her own father and plucks baby Moses out of the Nile. The Midrash reminds us that Batya knew exactly what she doing:
When Pharaoh’s daughter’s handmaidens saw that she intended to rescue Moses, they attempted to dissuade her, and persuade her to heed her father. They said to her: “Our mistress, it is the way of the world that when a king issues a decree, it is not heeded by the entire world, but his children and the members of his household do observe it, and you wish to transgress your father’s decree?”3
But transgress she did.
These women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their world. They were women of action, prepared to defy authority to make their vision a reality bathed in the light of the day.
Retelling the heroic stories of Yocheved, Shifra, Puah, Miriam and Batya reminds our daughters that with vision and the courage to act, they can carry forward the tradition those intrepid women launched.
While there is much light in today’s world, there remains in our universe disheartening darkness, inhumanity spawned by ignorance and hate. We see horrific examples in the Middle East, parts of Africa, and Ukraine. The Passover story recalls to all of us—women and men—that with vision and action we can join hands with others of like mind, kindling lights along paths leading out of the terrifying darkness.
As we read the 10 plagues, we spill drops of wine from our cups, mourning the suffering the Egyptians endured so that we could be free. This year, as these drops spread across our plates, let us turn our hearts toward the millions of people around the world suffering today’s plagues of hatred, prejudice, baseless violence and war.
Blood | dam | דָּם
We comfort and mourn for those whose blood has been spilled.
Frogs | tzfardeiya | צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ
We protest the proliferation of violence.
Lice | kinim | כִּנִּים
We stop infestations of fear and hatred.
Beasts | arov | עָרוֹב
We appeal to all people to act with humanity.
Cattle disease | dever | דֶּֽבֶר
We overcome the sickness of racism and bigotry.
Boils | sh’chin | שְׁחִין
We tend to those who suffer from disease.
Hail | barad | בָּרָד
We respond to storms and disasters that claim lives.
Locusts | arbeh | אַרְבֶּה
We fill the air with voices for change.
Darkness | choshech | חֹֽשֶׁךְ
We bring light to those who live in the shadows.
Death of the Firstborn | makat b’chorot | מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת
We inspire the next generation to carry on the struggle for a better world.
The Egyptians needed ten plagues because after each one they were able to come up with excuses and explanations rather than change their behaviour. Could we be making the same mistakes? Make up your own list. What are the plagues in your life? What are the plagues in our world today? What behaviours do we need to change to fix them?
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.
The second cup of wine is dedicated not only to the struggles of the Jewish people, but to all people seeking a secure life free of fear and persecution.
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.
Drink the second glass of wine!
Matzah is a symbol of the simple bread of poverty. Matzah reminds us of the great haste in which the Israelites fled from Egypt. For one week each year, matzah becomes the symbol of those days when people had little, reminding us that our lives are much more than the material things we have our own.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתַָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מַצָּה:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat matzah.
We eat the maror, or bitter herbs, to remind ourselves that the Egyptians embittered the lives of our people. Even today, oppression remains in the world, and we are meant to taste its bitterness. As we eat the bitter herbs, we are reminded to remove any bitterness from our own lives, for bitterness will kill even sooner than death. If we become used to bitterness in our lives, it is very hard to ever leave it behind.
During this festival of life, it's important for us to remember our lost sisters and brothers - the millions who died, victims of the Holocaust. Their anguish and death must be with us, even in our times of celebration. We resolve that we will remember them.
ברוּךְ אַתָּה יְיַָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ עַל אֲכִילַת מרוֹר:
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who made us holy through obligations, commanding us to eat bitter herbs.
Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb | koreich | כּוֹרֵךְ
When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the biggest ritual of them all was eating the lamb offered as the pesach or Passover sacrifice. The great sage Hillel would put the meat in a sandwich made of matzah, along with some of the bitter herbs. While we do not make sacrifices any more – and, in fact, some Jews have a custom of purposely avoiding lamb during the seder so that it is not mistaken as a sacrifice – we honor this custom by eating a sandwich of the remaining matzah and bitter herbs. Some people will also include charoset in the sandwich to remind us that God’s kindness helped relieve the bitterness of slavery.
It is customary to begin the Passover meal with hard-boiled eggs flavoured with salt water. The egg is symbolic of new life, and of hope; the salt water, a symbol of tears. Eggs, unlike other foods, harden when they are cooked, symbolic of our faith being tempered and hardened by the forces of our history.
It's almost time to eat! Before we chow down, let's fill that third glass of wine and give thanks for the meal we're about to consume.
On Passover, this becomes something like an extended toast to the forces that brought us together:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
Group says: We praise force of the world, that created the fruit of the vine, that sustains the world.
[Everyone: Drink the third glass of wine.]
Now, LET'S EAT!
Finding and eating the Afikomen | tzafoon | צָפוּן
The playfulness of finding the afikomen reminds us that we balance our solemn memories of slavery with a joyous celebration of freedom. As we eat the afikomen, our last taste of matzah for the evening, we are grateful for moments of silliness and happiness in our lives.
We now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah and Moses' sister, Miriam, to join our seder.
In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of G-d to a disbelieving people. At the end of his life, rather than dying, he was whisked away to heaven. Tradition holds that he will return in advance of messianic days to herald a new era of peace, so we set a place for Elijah at many joyous, hopeful Jewish occasions, such as a baby’s bris and the Passover seder.
אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי,
אֵלִיָּֽהוּ, אֵלִיָּֽהוּ,אֵלִיָּֽהוּ הַגִּלְעָדִי.
בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽנוּ יָבוֹא אֵלֵֽינוּ
עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד,
עִם מָשִֽׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד.
Eliyahu hanavi Eliyahu hatishbi Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu hagiladi Bimheirah b’yameinu, yavo eileinu Im mashiach ben-David, Im mashiach ben-David
Tonight we also welcome Miriam, a symbol of redemption in our present lives. Miriam's cup is filled with water, as because of her merit, a wonderful well of healing, sweet, fresh water followed the Israelites in their wanderings in the wilderness.
Nirtzah marks the conclusion of the seder. Our bellies are full, we have had several glasses of wine, we have told stories and sung songs, and now it is time for the evening to come to a close. At the end of the seder, we honor the tradition of declaring, “Next year in Jerusalem!”
For some people, the recitation of this phrase expresses the anticipation of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem and the return of the Messiah. For others, it is an affirmation of hope and of connectedness with Klal Yisrael, the whole of the Jewish community. Still others yearn for peace in Israel and for all those living in the Diaspora.
Though it comes at the end of the seder, this moment also marks a beginning. We are beginning the next season with a renewed awareness of the freedoms we enjoy and the obstacles we must still confront. We are looking forward to the time that we gather together again. Having retold stories of the Jewish people, recalled historic movements of liberation, and reflected on the struggles people still face for freedom and equality, we are ready to embark on a year that we hope will bring positive change in the world and freedom to people everywhere.
In The Leader's Guide to the Family Participation Haggadah: A Different Night, Rabbi David Hartman writes: “Passover is the night for reckless dreams; for visions about what a human being can be, what society can be, what people can be, what history may become.”
What can we do to fulfill our reckless dreams? What will be our legacy for future generations?
Our seder is over, according to Jewish tradition and law. As we had the pleasure to gather for a seder this year, we hope to once again have the opportunity in the years to come. We pray that God brings health and healing to Israel and all the people of the world, especially those impacted by natural tragedy and war. As we say…
לְשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָׁלָֽיִם
L’shana haba-ah biy’rushalayim
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!
