The story we recall tonight is the product of Israelite imagination. It does not describe actual events. 

There are aspects that are somewhat disturbing. Some parts of the narrative even suggest that Pharaoh is not completely responsible for his own behavior. Just when it seems that he might relent, the Israelites’ God actually “hardens his heart!” 

In any case, both Pharaoh and the God of the Israelites are responsible for much torment. To our modern sensibilities, neither of them comes out looking very good.

Yet if we strip away these and other problematic elements, we are left with a theme that continues to inspire: the thirst for freedom.

How many peoples of the earth have suffered under the taskmaster’s lash? How many continue to live in misery?

The slavery and redemption described in our legend may not depict actual events, but they do portray real human shortcomings. They remind us that at their worst, people exploit each other with little regard for their shared humanity.

Our legend also portrays real human heroism. It reminds us that, like Moses or the midwives, Shifra and Pu’ah, when people are at their best they are capable of performing great deeds of valor inspired by empathy and loving kindness.

The history of the Jews has frequently revealed the worst in people. As a tiny nation, Jews were vulnerable to countless cruelties. When it was possible, they fled in search of safer homes. But it was not always possible.

Their history of suffering came to an awful climax in the twentieth century when they fell victim to a horrifying genocide. Yet today, for the first time in millennia, Jewish communities are flourishing throughout the world.

Does this not call for a special responsibility?

Sadly, we do not find that adversity leads inevitably to an elevated ethic of compassion. Sometimes pain creates so much bitterness that those who were once oppressed now become the oppressors. We must make every effort to overcome this tendency.

Perhaps our Seder can help us to do just that.

Let us strive to translate its core idea into reality. Let our celebration of freedom encourage us to double and re-double our efforts to ease the lot of those who have yet to taste true freedom.

Unfortunately, there is no difficulty finding such people. They may be found in every nation of the world, including our own. They are children who go hungry each day. They are women who are enslaved to human traffickers. They are men who labor ceaselessly for inhumane wages. They are countless. They are legion.

Our path to Tikkun Olam — repair of the world — begins when we each recognize the power of our individual contributions.

No one person can change the world. To do so we must stand together. Once we begin to do our share, we will understand how what each of us does can ripple forward until it joins with the efforts of others to form great waves of change. It requires no supernatural miracles. It requires only that we respond to the best part of our humanity.

- 

Rabbi Jeffrey L. Falick
Birmingham Temple Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
 

The holiday of Passover is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Jewish calendar. Some believe that’s because the holiday is primarily home-based and does not require membership or involvement in a synagogue or temple, although it can. The history of Passover, like most Jewish holidays, is multi-layered. It began with the celebration of spring, the rebirth of nature, and the birth of baby animals. The Exodus from Egypt was a later layer, which became the central and compelling story of the holiday. Although the story of the liberation of the Jews from Egypt is central in religious Judaism, remnants of the older nature holidays, both pastoral and agricultural, are easy to identify, such as the shank bone and the matzah.

Since the archaeological record is clear—there is no material evidence of the Exodus or corroborating documents of the story—Secular Humanistic Jews are left with the disturbing question: If the story isn’t true, can we and do we want to continue celebrating the holiday? The themes of this holiday are universal. It is not difficult to identify with a story of liberation. There are many other reasons why we can and do continue celebrating Passover. Celebrating the holiday connects us to the Jewish people and our traditions. The theme of liberation and freedom is universal and timeless. Telling the entire story, both the myth and the history, only enriches our celebration of the creative imagination of our people at this time of year.

Rabbi Miriam Jerris from the Society for Humanistic Judaism, March 2020

This blessing can be recited as we light the candles to begin the Passover Seder and to celebrate the arrival of spring:

Blessed is the light in the world.
Blessed is the light within humanity.
Blessed is the light of Passover.

Barukh ha-or ba-olam
Barukh ha-or ba-adam
Barukh ha-ror ba-Pesakh

(If this blessing is different or new to you: Judaism is a constantly evolving conversation, practice, and identity. This text has been used by tens of thousands of Jews over the past fifty years.)

You will not find an orange included in any ancient Haggadah. It is a brand new tradition and it demonstrates just how quickly new traditions can spread. 

Its origins lie in a fable that some university students invented for a feminist Haggadah in the 1980s. It tells the story of a girl who asks a rabbi about the placein Judaism for a lesbian. The angri rabbi retorts, "There's as much room for a lesbian in Judaism as there is for a crust of bread on the Seder plate."

When a prominent professor of Jewish studies came across the students' Haggadah, it gave her an idea for a new ritual. Placing bread on her Seder plate was out of the question. This, she believed, who suggest that people who were different violated Judaism. But maybe another symbol might do the trick. She selected the orange, noting that "it suggests the fruitfulness for all Jews when lesbians and gay men are contributing and active members of Jewish life."

Today thousands of Jews around the world place an orange on their Seder plate. It serves as a proud statement of inclusivity. 

The wine of Passover is the wine of joy, the wine of love, the wine of celebration, the wine of freedom:

Freedom from bondage and freedom from oppression,

Freedom from hunger and freedom from want,

Freedom from hatred and freedom from fear,

Freedom to think and freedom to speak,

Freedom to teach and freedom to learn,

Freedom to love and freedom to share,

Freedom to hope and freedom to rejoice,

Soon, now, in our days, and forever.

Precious is the life within the world.

Precious in the life within us.

Praised are those who bring forth the fruit of the vine

L’chaim!

The four questions;

Why is this night different from all other nights?

Why on this night do we eat Matzoh 

Why on this night do we dip our food

Why on this night do we eat bitter herbs 

MAGGID - STORY

These questions are important. But before I answer them, let me tell you the story of Jewish hope.

Our ancestors lived in the land of Israel. But their children have wandered the earth to look for freedom and dignity. Our roots are in Israel. But our branches travel the surface of the globe.

Some of our ancestors traveled to Egypt. It was a time of famine and they were hungry. The king of Egypt welcomed them and gave them food and shelter. In later years, an unfriendly king became the Pharaoh of Egypt. He made them slaves and burdened them with heavy work. But they resisted despair. Choosing hope, they fled from Egypt. They returned to Israel and created a free nation. Passover celebrates their will to live.

Our ancestors also traveled to America. The rulers of Europe were often cruel and hateful to the Jews. They drove them from land to land and filled their lives with terror. Our mothers and fathers did not despair. Having heard of a free land across the sea, they pursued their dream. They endured the danger of long voyages and unknown places before they reached their destination. Their exodus from persecution was an epic drama. Never before in the history of our people had so many traveled so far to find liberty. Because of their foresight, we are here tonight to celebrate our freedom in a free land.

We cannot forget the bold rebirth of the state of Israel. What began as a vision of dreamers became a reality of practical men and women. Some came to avoid hatred. Others came to build love and unity. They traveled from the four corners of the earth seeking what no other land could give them; the power of roots and the dignity of belonging.

The search for freedom is also the will to live. The exodus from Egypt is one of many victories. In every century we have chosen to survive. Passover celebrates this undying resolution that unites our past with our present and our present with our future.

There is a story about four children at a Passover Sedar.

The wise child asks "what does all this mean?"

to this child we say "this is our Passover Seader, it is a day of rembrance and reflection"

The rebelious child asks "what does all this mean to you?"

to this child we say "this is a key part of our Jewish idenity, engaging in this tradition helps us connect to our Jewish roots"

The simple child asks "What is this?"

to this child we say "this is our Sader, it is a celebration of life and triumph over adverisity"

There is a child who is to young to ask 

To this child we invite to sit and hear the story of Passover.

Reciting The Four Children reminds us of the Jewish obligation to teach the next generation about this powerful story, and, importantly, not to tell the story in the one way that might be easiest for us. Rather, we should invite our children to be a part of the conversation, strive to meet the children where they are individually, respect the way each one learns and interacts in the world, and respond accordingly and appropriately.

Our story begins millennia ago, when Jacob’s son Joseph arrived in Egypt. Though he entered Egypt a poor servant, he was soon singled out for his cleverness, his wisdom, and his ability to interpret dreams. He ascended to one of the highest positions in all of Egypt, helping Pharaoh govern the Egyptian people. Joseph’s family soon joined him in Egypt, as did many, many Israelites. The Israelites prospered, and they multiplied.

Generations went by, and a new Pharaoh arose in Egypt. This Pharaoh did not like the Israelites. They were too “numerous” for him, and he felt deeply threatened. Pharaoh treated the Israelites very harshly; they worked all day and all night in awful conditions. They had become the Pharaoh’s slaves, and they were suffering most terribly under his oppressive rule. And yet, still, they managed to survive and even increase in numbers. 

Dismayed and disturbed, the Pharaoh took action against the Israelites. He declared that all sons born to Hebrew women must be killed. But two brave Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, defied the Pharaoh’s decree. 

Another courageous woman, by the name of Yocheved, also gave birth to a son. She decided to place him in a basket and put the basket in the river Nile, near the place where people came to bathe. Her baby was found by none other than the Pharoah’s daughter, who scooped him up and raised him as her own. She named the baby Moses, meaning “drawn from the water”

As Moses got older, though he began to recognize the oppression of his people. When he witnessed an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave, Moses killed the taskmaster. Realizing what he had done, Moses fled the palace and ended up in Midian, where he got married and became a shepherd. One day, while guiding his flock, Moses came upon a curious sight; it was a burning bush, but the bush would not be consumed. It wasn’t burning up! There, God spoke to Moses saying that he, along with his brother Aaron, would be the one to take the Israelites out of Egypt. 

Moses then returned to Egypt, where and Aaron approached the Pharaoh. Moses spoke the famous words, “Let my people go!” but Pharaoh answered, “No!” Moses assured Pharaoh that God would send punishments if Pharaoh did not relent. And so began a forceful and frightening campaign of plagues that God sent upon Pharaoh and the Egyptian people.

There were 10 plagues in total: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, diseases, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the most severe of all, the death of every Egyptian first-born son. In order to protect the Israelite children from the Angel of Death, the Israelites marked their doors with lamb’s blood, so that their houses would be passed over (hence the holiday name, “Passover”). With every plague, Pharaoh hardened his heart more and more. But with that final, fatal blow, Pharaoh surrendered and ordered the Israelites to leave Egypt.

We are taught that the Israelites were in such a hurry to leave Egypt that their bread had no time to rise. That’s why we eat the unleavened bread, called matzah – in remembrance of their hasty, harrowing escape.

But no sooner did the Israelites leave Egypt than the Pharaoh changed his mind. Pharaoh immediately sent his armies after the Israelites. They were gaining on them with every minute that passed! The Israelites fled as fast as they could. But they soon reached a great body of water.

With the sea in front of them and Pharaoh’s armies behind them, they would surely perish!

The Israelites cried out to God, and, miraculously, God heard them. With an outstretched arm, God parted the sea in front of them. The Israelites walked through the body of water on dry land! As soon as they passed through, the sea closed up, saving our people from the hands of the Egyptians and beginning the Israelites’ epic journey to the Promised Land.

When earlier we recalled the story of the Exodus, we acknowledged it as a work of fiction. Yet only one hundred years ago, most scholars still believed that the tale was true in many of its details. 

Then they started digging … literally … with shovels and pails. It eventually became clear that the story we had told ourselves for millennia did not take place. There had been no mass flight from Egypt, no conquest of the land of Israel, otherwise known as Canaan. The Israelites were natives of the land; they were Canaanites themselves!

So how did the story come to be?

In the late second millennium B.C.E., Egypt dominated Canaan. The pharaohs demanded regular tribute from vassal kings who in turn exploited their own peasant populations.

According to some scholars, in the thirteenth century B.C.E. the region experienced significant upheavals and power shifts. Taking advantage of these changes, many peasants rebelled, throwing off the yoke of their vassal kings. Archeological remains reveal that some fled to and cleared Israel’s central highlands, where tribes and towns began to form. In a long, complicated and gradual process they became known as the Israelites. Did this contribute to inspiring our story?

If so, the Exodus tale may have served as an allegory about liberation from Egypt’s ongoing domination and exploitation of Canaan’s populace. The narrative may also reflect other ancient regional instabilities. Famines and droughts provoked repeated migrations. The Torah’s stories about Abraham and Sara’s journey to Canaan and their grandchildren’s descent to Egypt may disclose memories of these population shifts.

Other historians suggest an alternative possibility. They propose that the Exodus story was influenced by the experience of one tribe, the Levites, that may have come to Israel from Egypt. Many Levite names, including Moses and Aaron, are Egyptian in origin. The Levites were cultic experts and possessed no territory. Were they the outsiders who circulated the original Exodus tale?

The details are buried in history, but history gives wings to legends and legends yield heroes like Moses. Over hundreds of years, our story emerged with its account of one great man, dedicated to justice and to the liberation of his people. He challenged Pharaoh and led the Israelites to freedom. For millennia he has inspired many others who have been downtrodden or enslaved to bring about their own deliverance. And that’s why we told it tonight!

For more on these ideas, see S. David Sperling, The Original Torah: The Political Intent of the Bible’s Writers (New York: New York University Press, 1998); and Richard Elliott Friedman, The Exodus [New York: HarperOne, 2017].

-

Rabbi Jeffrey L. Falick, Birmingham Temple Congregation for Humanistic Judaism

There is a Jewish expression "Dieanyue" which means "it would be enough" Tonight we drink our second cup oof wine and think about what would cause us to say "enough"

Repeat after me

If only we had our freedom

Dieanyue

If only were in the Promised Land

Dieanyue

If only there was no more poverty

Dieanyue

If only there was no more suffering

Dieanyue

The legends of our Rabbinic sages teach us that a miraculous well of healing waters accompanied the children of Israel throughout their journey in the desert, providing them with water. This well was given to Miriam, the prophetess, to honor her bravery and devotion to the Jewish people. According to the legend, both Miriam and her well provided comfort and gave our forbearers the faith and confidence to overcome the hardships of the Exodus. We fill Miriam’s cup with water to honor her contribution to the Jewish people. Like Miriam, Jewish women in all generations have been essential for the continuity of our people. Women passed down songs and stories, rituals and recipes, from mother to daughter, from generation to generation. Let us each fill the cup of Miriam with water from our own glasses, so that our children may continue to draw from the strength and wisdom of our heritage.

We place Miriam’s cup on our Seder table to honor the important and often unrecognized role of Jewish women in our tradition and history, to tell their stories that have been too sparingly told.
 

FOURTH CUP OF WINE

(The Cup of Responsibility, The Liberated Haggadah, Rabbi Peter Schweitzer)

Tonight we are free, while so many remain enslaved.

Let us not stand idly by.

Let us work to bring them freedom too.

Tonight we are free, while so many remain embittered.

Let us not stand idly by.

Let us work to bring them gladness too.

For freedom does not come by chance.

It is born of earnest struggle.

It is the gift of life, which we must now bring to others.

Precious is the life within the world.

Precious in the life within us.

Praised are those who bring forth the fruit of the vine

L’chaim!

Jew's believe the prophet Elijah will arive on Passover and usher us to the promised land. SO we open the door and see if he has arrived.

The Aficomin is the "dessert" portion of Passover, I have broken it in half and hidden it in the bedroom. The person who finds it gets a prize