Tonight we gather together to celebrate Passover, our holiday of freedom. We will eat a great meal together, enjoy (at least!) four glasses of wine, and tell the story of our ancestors’ liberation from slavery in Egypt. We welcome our friends and family members from other backgrounds to reflect with us on the meaning of freedom in all our lives and histories. We will consider the blessings in our lives, pledge to work harder at freeing those who still suffer, and begin to cast off the things in our own lives that oppress us.

Tonight we drink four glasses of wine, two cups before the meal and two glasses after the meal. Why four?

The traditional explanation for the four cups of wine relates to the four expressions of redemption describing the Jews’ exodus from Egypt in the Bible. 1. “I will take you out…” 2. “I will save you…” 3. “I will redeem you…” 4. “I will take you as a nation…” (Exodus 6:6-7). The rabbis who wrote the Mishnah (rabbinic literature documenting oral traditions) said seder participants should drink a glass of wine, a toast if you will, for each of these expressions.  

These four promises, in turn, have been interpreted as four stages on the path of liberation: becoming aware of oppression, opposing oppression, imagining alternatives, and accepting responsibility to act.

A toast: Wine is a symbol of joy and happiness and we are grateful to be able to gather with friends and family to observe this festival just as people have done for centuries.

Drink the first glass

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!

Nothing on the Seder table is selected randomly; each item has it’s purpose and often it’s specific place. The Seder plate holds at least six of the ritual items that are discussed during the Seder: the bone, maror, charoset, karpas, salt water, orange, and egg.

BONE
One of the most striking symbols of Passover is, traditionally, a roasted lamb shankbone (tonight a chicken bone), which commemorates the paschal (lamb) sacrifice made the night the ancient Hebrews fled Egypt. 

MAROR (BITTER HERB)
Bitter herbs (usually horseradish) bring tears to the eyes and recall the bitterness of slavery. The Seder refers to the slavery in Egypt, but we are called to look at the many faces slavery has taken throughout history and still takes today, as well as our own bitter enslavements.

CHAROSET
There’s nothing further from maror than charoset (“cha-ROH-set”), the sweet mix of fruits and spices that represents the mortar used by the Hebrew slaves to make bricks.

KARPAS
Karpas is a green vegetable, usually parsley. Karpas symbolizes the freshness of spring. 

SALT WATER
Salt water symbolizes the tears and sweat of enslavement, though paradoxically, it’s also a symbol for purity, springtime, and the sea.

ORANGE
The orange on the seder plate is a modern feminist tradition that now acts as a symbol of the fruitfulness of all Jews, whether they be LGBTQ, female, male, transgendered, or otherwise.

EGG
The egg (baytsah) is a symbol of fertility, springtime, and renewal. This symbol pays homage to the Goddess worshipped by the ancient Israelites and their neighbors in Canaan and throughout the surrounding lands. In modern Jewish tradition it stands in place of one of the sacrificial offerings which was performed in the days of the Second Temple. 

Our faith gives us many holidays to celebrate throughout the year and they are all times for self reflection, gently guiding us to a better path in life. We are each given a chance to reflect on our past year; to think about where we have been and how we will live our lives in the year to come. We reaffirm our commitment to lead good and meaningful lives, promoting peace and social justice wherever we go.

Passover, like many of our holidays, combines the celebration of an event from our Jewish memory with a recognition of the cycles of nature. As we remember the liberation from Egypt, we also recognize the stirrings of spring and rebirth happening in the world around us. The symbols on our table bring together elements of both kinds of celebration.

We now take a vegetable, representing our joy at the dawning of spring after our long, cold winter. Most families use a green vegetable, such as parsley or celery, but some families from Eastern Europe have a tradition of using a boiled potato since greens were hard to come by at Passover time. Whatever symbol of spring and sustenance we’re using, we now dip it into salt water, a symbol of the tears our ancestors shed as slaves. Before we eat it, we recite a short blessing:

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.

We look forward to spring and the reawakening of flowers and greenery. They haven’t been lost, just buried beneath the snow, getting ready for reappearance just when we most needed them.

-

We all have aspects of ourselves that sometimes get buried under the stresses of our busy lives. What has this winter taught us? What elements of our own lives do we hope to revive this spring?

There are three pieces of matzah stacked on the table. We now break the middle matzah into two pieces. The host should wrap up the larger of the pieces and, at some point between now and the end of dinner, hide it. This piece is called the afikomen, literally “dessert” in Greek. After dinner, the guests will have to hunt for the afikomen in order to wrap up the meal… and win a prize.

We eat matzah in memory of the quick flight of our ancestors from Egypt. As slaves, they had faced many false starts before finally being let go. So when the word of their freedom came, they took whatever dough they had and ran with it before it had the chance to rise, leaving it looking something like matzah.

Uncover and hold up the three pieces of matzah and say:

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. This year we are here; next year we will be in Israel. This year we are slaves; next year we will be free.

These days, matzah is a special food and we look forward to eating it on Passover. Imagine eating only matzah, or being one of the countless people around the world who don’t have enough to eat.

What does the symbol of matzah say to us about oppression in the world, both people literally enslaved and the many ways in which each of us is held down by forces beyond our control? How does this resonate with events happening now?

Yeast is a metaphor for things of the earth that rise and grow: children maturing, grain stalks shooting up, the tumescence that signifies male sexual desire--all rise. Growth is implicitly associated with the female. Dough, composed of four elemental feminine symbols--water, salt, grain, and yeast--becomes the quintessential foodstuff called "the staff of life." Dough rising slowly in an oven is metaphorical for a baby growing in a mother's womb; "a bun in the oven" in modern parlance. In all emerging agricultural societies, kneading dough and baking bread were acts symbolic of fertility. Made of grain--the sacred gift of agriculture--bread baked by a mother for her family combined earth, hearth, and love.

Jewish communities around the world have slightly different versions of the Passover ceremony, but eating matzah and forgoing leavened bread is an unbroken tradition harkening back millennia. The symbolism of unleavened bread subtly devalues an important female contribution to culture, and indirectly demotes the role of the Goddess.

Virtually every sect, culture and religion has a spring ritual that celebrates the female themes of fertility, birth, resurrection, renewal, and the return of nature's gifts. The Exodus marks the beginning of the Hebrew people's rebirth and their rededication to the principles of their religion. Yet, the leitmotifs of the Passover story are deprivation, deliverance by a male deity, swearing fealty to Him alone, and the hardships of the Wandering, all of which glorify male ethics and values. This most important myth surrounding the birth of a distinct culture contains neither a single major female participant* nor any statement of the themes of resurrection, fertility, sexuality, and the fruitfulness of the land.

* Miriam is the only [pervasive] female character in this drama. Despite her early heroism and courage, Yahweh turns her into a leper for speaking her mind. (Num. 12:10)

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.

The formal telling of the story of Passover is framed as a discussion with lots of questions and answers. The tradition that the youngest person asks the questions reflects the centrality of involving everyone in the seder. The rabbis who created the set format for the seder gave us the Four Questions to help break the ice in case no one had their own questions. Asking questions is a core tradition in Jewish life. If everyone at your seder is around the same age, perhaps the person with the least seder experience can ask them – or everyone can sing them all together.

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.

On all other nights we eat both leavened bread and matzah.
Tonight we only eat matzah.

שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת אָֽנוּ אוֹכְלִין שְׁאָר יְרָקוֹת הַלַּֽיְלָה הַזֶּה מָרוֹר

Shebichol haleilot anu ochlin shi’ar yirakot haleila hazeh maror.

On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables,
but tonight we eat bitter herbs.

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.

On all other nights we aren’t expected to dip our vegetables one time.
Tonight we do it twice.

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.

On all other nights we eat either sitting normally or reclining.
Tonight we recline.

Our story starts in ancient times, with Abraham, the first person to have the idea that maybe all those little statues his contemporaries worshiped as gods were just statues. The idea of one God, invisible and all-powerful, inspired him to leave his family and begin a new people in Canaan, the land that would one day bear his grandson Jacob’s adopted name, Israel.

God had made a promise to Abraham that his family would become a great nation, but this promise came with a frightening vision of the troubles along the way: “Your descendants will dwell for a time in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years; however, I will punish the nation that enslaved them, and afterwards they shall leave with great wealth."

Raise the glass of wine and say:

וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ וְלָֽנוּ

V’hi she-amda l’avoteinu v’lanu.

This promise has sustained our ancestors and us.

For not only one enemy has risen against us to annihilate us, but in every generation there are those who rise against us. But God saves us from those who seek to harm us.

The glass of wine is put down.

In the years our ancestors lived in Egypt, our numbers grew, and soon the family of Jacob became the People of Israel. Pharaoh and the leaders of Egypt grew alarmed by this great nation growing within their borders, so they enslaved us. We were forced to perform hard labor, perhaps even building pyramids. The Egyptians feared that even as slaves, the Israelites might grow strong and rebel. So Pharaoh decreed that Israelite baby boys should be drowned, to prevent the Israelites from overthrowing those who had enslaved them.

But God heard the cries of the Israelites. And God brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm, with great awe, miraculous signs and wonders. God brought us out not by angel or messenger, but through God’s own intervention. 

Moses Goes Down To Egypt by Nina Paley www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp2WdyeAHIM

Music by Louis Armstrong

(Chorus sings in BOLD)

Go down Moses

Way down in Egypt land

Tell old pharaoh

To Let my people go!

Now, When Israel was in Egypt land

Let my people go!

Oppressed so hard they could not stand

Let my people go!

So the Lord said: go down,

Go Down

Moses

Moses

Way

Way

down

Down

in Egypt land

Tell old pharaoh to

Let my people go!

Let my people go!

So Moses went to Egypt land

Let my people go!

He made old pharaoh understand

Let my people go!

Yes the lord said: go down,

Go Down

Moses

Moses

Way

Way

down

Down

in Egypt land

Tell old pharaoh to Let my people go!

Let My People Go!

Thus spoke the lord, bold Moses said:

Let my people go!

If not I'll smite, your firstborn dead

Let My People Go!

Cause-the lord said : go down,

Go Down

Moses

Moses

Way

Way

down

Down

in Egypt land

Tell old pharaoh

To Let my people go!

Way down in Egypt land

Tell old pharaoh

To let my people go

By Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Rabbi Lauren Holzblatt

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 the 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.

1 Genesis 1:2 2 Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14a 3 Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 12b 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton in 1993, she is known as a strong voice for gender equality, the rights of workers, and separation between church and state.

Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt is a rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C.. She is co-creator of two nationally recognized community engagement projects—MakomDC and the Jewish Mindfulness Center of Washington.

Image Credit: Time Magazine https://time.com/3823889/ruth-bader-ginsburg-2015-time-100/

As we rejoice at our deliverance from slavery, we acknowledge that our freedom was hard-earned. We regret that our freedom came at the cost of the Egyptians’ suffering, for we are all human beings made in the image of God. We pour out a drop of wine for each of the plagues as we recite them.

Dip a finger or a spoon into your wine glass for a drop for each plague.

These are the ten plagues which God brought down on the Egyptians:

Blood | dam | דָּם

Frogs | tzfardeiya |  צְפַרְדֵּֽעַ

Lice | kinim | כִּנִּים

Beasts | arov | עָרוֹב

Cattle disease | dever | דֶּֽבֶר

Boils | sh’chin | שְׁחִין

Hail | barad | בָּרָד

Locusts | arbeh | אַרְבֶּה

Darkness | choshech | חֹֽשֶׁךְ

Death of the Firstborn | makat b’chorot | מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת

The Egyptians needed ten plagues because after each one they were able to come up with excuses and explanations rather than change their behavior. 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 behaviors do we need to change to fix them? 

One morning when Pharaoh awoke in his bed

There were frogs in his bed and frogs on his head.

Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes,

Frogs here,

Frogs there,

Frogs were jumping everywhere.

Remembering the ten plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians when Pharaoh refused to free the Israelites, we have the opportunity tonight to recognize that the world is not yet free of adversity and struggle. This is especially true for refugees.

After you pour out a drop of wine for each of the ten plagues that Egypt suffered, we invite you to then pour out drops of wine for ten modern plagues afflicting refugee communities worldwide and in the United States. 

1. Violence
2. Dangerous journeys
3. Poverty
4. Food insecurity
5. Lack of access to education
6. Xenophobia
7. Anti-refugee legislation
8. Language barriers
9. Workforce discrimination
10. Loss of family

Refugees are not the only people suffering in modern times. What other modern "plagues" afflict the earth and its inhabitants today? 

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. 

אִלוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִצְרַים

אִלוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַשַׁבָּת

אִלוּ נַָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה

Ilu ho-tsi, ho-tsi-a-nu,
Ho-tsi-a-nu mi-Mitz-ra-yim,
Ho-tsi-a-nu mi-Mitz-ra-yim,
Da-ye-nu!

.. CHORUS:
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu!
..
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Dai, da-ye-nu,
.. Da-ye-nu, da-ye-nu!

Ilu na-tan, na-tan la-nu,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-Sha-bat,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-Sha-bat,
Da-ye-nu!

.. (CHORUS)

Ilu na-tan, na-tan la-nu,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-To-rah,
Na-tan la-nu et-ha-To-rah,
Da-ye-nu!

.. (CHORUS)

Had He brought all, brought all of us, brought all of us
out from Egypt,
then it would have been enough. Oh, dayenu.

Chorus:
Da-da-yeinu_____, da-da-yeinu_____, da-da-yeinu_____,
dayeinu, dayeinu, dayeinu.

(repeat)

Had He given, given to us, given to us all the Sabbath,
then it would have been enough. Oh, dayenu.

Chorus

Had He given, given to us, given to us all the Torah,
then it would have been enough. Oh, dayenu.

Chorus

בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָֽיִם

B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et-atzmo, k’ilu hu yatzav mimitzrayim.

In every generation, everyone is obligated to see themselves as though they personally left Egypt.

The seder reminds us that it was not only our ancestors whom God redeemed; God redeemed us too along with them. That’s why the Torah says “God brought us out from there in order to lead us to and give us the land promised to our ancestors.”

---

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who redeemed us and our ancestors from Egypt, enabling us to reach this night and eat matzah and bitter herbs. May we continue to reach future holidays in peace and happiness.

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!

The blessing over the meal and matzah | motzi matzah | מוֹצִיא מַצָּה

The familiar hamotzi blessing marks the formal start of the meal. Because we are using matzah instead of bread, we add a blessing celebrating this mitzvah.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאָֽרֶץ

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who brings bread from the land.

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.

Distribute and eat the top and middle matzah for everyone to eat.

Hillel, the rabbi who lived in Jerusalem during the time of King Herod, invented the “Hillel sandwich” a combination of the three elements given in the biblical commandment to eat matzah, bitter herbs and the Pascal lamb.

Instead of eating the lamb, however, today we substitute charoset. We take some matzah and smear some maror on end and some charoset on the other. We then top off the sandwich with another piece of matzah.

When we eat, we begin with the bitter side and move to the sweet side, reminding us that though our slavery was indeed bitter, our redemption is sweeter still…The step of Korech was developed to accommodate an argument among the sages. Hillel thought that the matzah and maror (and lamb) should be eaten together. Other sages though they should be eaten separately. Therefore Jewish tradition opted to do both: first we eat them separately and then we do it again together.

Another interpretation of the Hillel sandwich is that part of the challenge of living is to taste freedom even in the midst of oppression and to be ever conscious of the oppression of others even when we feel that we are free.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? 

But if I am for myself only, what am I?

And if not now, when?

-- Hillel

If there is a hard, high wall and an egg that breaks against it, no matter how right the wall or how wrong the egg, I will stand on the side of the egg. Why? Because each of us is an egg, a unique soul enclosed in a fragile egg. Each of us is confronting a high wall. The high wall is the system which forces us to do the things we would not ordinarily see fit to do as individuals . . . We are all human beings, individuals, fragile eggs. We have no hope against the wall: it's too high, too dark, too cold. To fight the wall, we must join our souls together for warmth, strength. We must not let the system control us -- create who we are.

HARUKI MURAKAMI

The egg at the the Seder meal appears as a delicious and symbolic "appetizer," served peeled of its hard shell and, in most households, swimming in salt water representing the sea, source of life.

It seems that the egg, a longstanding symbol of fertility and the cycle of life and rebirth - of resurrection of life and nature in the spring after the harsh winter - is now a symbol of beginnings, of hope. It stands as a symbol of resilience to suffering. Most foods, when cooked, become softer and fall apart. The egg, however, gets tougher - hard boiled - the longer you cook it, an appropriate symbol of a people persecuted and "steeled by adversity" stubbornly resurrected as a nation determined to live anew.

The story goes something like this: Around the time of the Jewish feminist movement in America--the 1970's--a rabbi plublicly stated that “A woman belongs on the bimah like an orange belongs on a seder plate.” In order to show that women DO belong on the bimah —that women have the right to a place in Jewish ritual and in Jewish leadership—people began to place oranges on their seder plates. 

But recently I found out that this popular story is an urban legend that sprung up around a real and different experience. Here is an excerpt from Professor Susannah Heschel in her own words, from an article that she wrote for The Jewish Daily Forward in 2013:

“At an early point in the seder… I asked each person to take a segment of the orange, make the blessing over fruit and eat the segment in recognition of gay and lesbian Jews and of widows, orphans, Jews who are adopted and all others who sometimes feel marginalized in the Jewish community.

“When we eat that orange segment, we spit out the seeds to repudiate homophobia and we recognize that in a whole orange, each segment sticks together. Oranges are sweet and juicy and remind us of the fruitfulness of gay and lesbian Jews and of the homosociality that has been such an important part of Jewish experience, whether of men in yeshivas or of women in the Ezrat Nashim.”

To honor both the history and the legend that sprung up around it, I invite each of you to take a segment of the orange as we make the blessing over fruit that grows on trees:

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam, borai p'ri haetz.

Now please eat the segment in recognition of gender equality, of LGBTQIA Jews, and of widows, orphans, Jews who are adopted, interfaith couples and families, and all others who sometimes feel marginalized in the Jewish community.

Eating the meal! | shulchan oreich | שֻׁלְחָן עוֹרֵךְ

Enjoy! But don’t forget when you’re done we’ve got a little more seder to go, including the final two cups of wine!

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.

Refill everyone’s wine glass.

We now say grace after the meal, thanking God for the food we’ve eaten. On Passover, this becomes something like an extended toast to God, culminating with drinking our third glass of wine for the evening:

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, whose goodness sustains the world. You are the origin of love and compassion, the source of bread for all. Thanks to You, we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for everyone. We praise God, source of food for everyone.

As it says in the Torah: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise God for the earth and for its sustenance.

Renew our spiritual center in our time. We praise God, who centers us.

May the source of peace grant peace to us, to the Jewish people, and to the entire world. Amen.

The Third Glass of Wine

The blessing over the meal is immediately followed by another blessing over the wine:

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 third glass of wine!

Singing songs that praise God | hallel | הַלֵּל

This is the time set aside for singing. Some of us might sing traditional prayers from the Book of Psalms. Others take this moment for favorites like Chad Gadya & Who Knows One, which you can find in the appendix. To celebrate the theme of freedom, we might sing songs from the civil rights movement. Or perhaps your crazy Uncle Frank has some parody lyrics about Passover to the tunes from a musical. We’re at least three glasses of wine into the night, so just roll with it.

Fourth Glass of Wine

As we come to the end of the seder, we drink one more glass of wine. With this final cup, we give thanks for the experience of celebrating Passover together, for the traditions that help inform our daily lives and guide our actions and aspirations.

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 fourth and final glass of wine! 

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 thread and every strand
she crafted her delight.
A woman touched with spirit, she dances
toward the light.

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.

As 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.

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 the Prophet took her timbrel in her hand,
And all the women followed her just as she had planned.
And Miriam raised her voice with song.
She sang with praise and might,
We've just lived through a miracle, we're going to dance tonight!

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.

ECHAD MI YODEA  (WHO KNOWS ONE)

Echad mi yode'a
Echad ani yode'a
Echad Elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Shnaim mi yode'a
Shnaim ani yode'a
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Shlosha mi yode'a,
Shlosha ani yode'a.
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Arba mi yode'a
arba ani yode'a
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Chamisha, mi yode'a
Chamisha, ani yode'a
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Shisha, mi yode'a?
Shisha, ani yode'a
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Shiv'ah mi yode'a
shiv'ah ani yode'a.
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Shmonah mi yode'a
shmonah ani yode'a
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Tish'ah mi yode'a
tish'ah ani yode'a.
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Asara mi yode'a
asara ani yode'a
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Achad asar mi yode'a
achad asar ani yode'a
achad asar kochvaya
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Shneim-asar mi yode'a
shneim-asar ani yode'a
shneim-asar shivtaya
achad asar kochvaya
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.

Shlosha-asar mi yode'a
Shlosha-asar ani yode'a
Shlosha-asar midaya
shneim-asar shivtaya
achad asar kochvaya
asara dibraya
tish'ah chodshei leidah
shmonah yemei milah
shiv'ah yemei shabatah
Shisha, sidre mishna
Chamisha chumshei torah
arba imahot
Shlosha avot,
shnei luchot habrit
echad elokeinu shebashamaim uva'aretz.
 

Last verse in Spanish!

Trece años del Bar Mitzvá
Doce Tribus de Israel
Once Estrellas de Iaakov
Diez Mandamientos Son
Nueve Meses de la preñada
Ocho Días del Milá
Siete Días de la Semana
Seis Libros de la Mishná
Cinco Libros de la Torá
Cuatro Madres de Israel
Tres Nuestros Padres Son
Dos Tablas de La Ley
Uno es el Creador

Last verse in English!

Who knows thirteen?
I know thirteen.
Thirteen are God's principles;
Twelve are the tribes of Israel;
Eleven are the stars of Joseph's dream;
Ten are the Commandments;
Nine are the months of childbirth;
Eight are the days before circumcision;
Seven are the days of the week;
Six are the sections of the Mishnah;
Five are the books of the Torah;
Four are the Matriarchs;
Three are the Patriarchs;
Two are the tablets of the covenant;
One is our God, in heaven and on earth.

The Cup of Elijah

We now refill our wine glasses one last time and open the front door to invite the prophet Elijah to join our seder.

In the Bible, Elijah was a fierce defender of God 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 הַתִּשְׁבִּיאֵלִיָּֽהוּ, 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

Elijah the prophet, the returning, the man of Gilad:
return to us speedily,
in our days with the messiah,
son of David.

Participant:

The Talmud teaches, "If it wasn’t for the righteousness of women of that generation, we would not have been redeemed from Egypt." The tradition of Miriam's Cup originated in Boston 1981 when a group of women who participated in a Rosh Chodesh (women’s study) group decided to honor the Prophetess Miriam during their families’ Passover Seder. By adding Miriam's Cup to our Seder table, next to the Cup of Elijah, we draw attention to the importance of Miriam and the other women of the Exodus story.

The Prophetess Miriam was bold and brave and provided strong leadership and constant encouragement to the Israelites throughout their long journey. She saved Moses from death and led the Israelites in song and dance to praise God for the miracle of splitting the Red Sea. Miriam's Cup is filled with water as a symbol of Miriam's Well. There are many legends about Miriam’s Well. It is said to have been a magical source of water that followed the Israelites for their 40 years in the desert because of the merit of Miriam. The waters of this well were said to be healing and sustaining. Thus, Miriam’s Cup is a symbol of her courage and all that sustains us through difficult times, while Elijah’s Cup is a symbol of a future Messianic time, reminding us that we must achieve balance in our own lives, not only preparing our souls for redemption, but rejuvenating our souls for the present.

DIRECTIONS: Miriam's Cup is lifted and we recite together:

This is the Cup of Miriam, the cup of living waters. Let us remember the Exodus from Egypt. These are the living waters, G-d’s gift to Miriam, which gave new life to Israel as we struggled with ourselves in the wilderness. Blessed art Thou, Lord our G-d, Who brings us from the narrows into the wilderness, sustains us with endless possibilities, and enables us to reach a new place."

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!