Our Haggadah

our haggadah [[This Haggadah is the product of many people’s hard work and dedication. Excerpts are taken – with tremendous gratitude – from Paul Adler’s Passover for the People, Micah Bazant & Dara Silverman’s Love and Justice in Times of War Haggadah, and Rabbi Rachel Barenblat’s The Velveteen Rabbi’s Haggadah for Pesach.]] Let us begin… [[Go around the table and introduce yourself. Everyone should say their name and gender pronoun preferences.]] By stating our preferences at the beginning of our time together, we take the pressure off individuals to find space and courage to identify themselves to strangers. Even if there are no transpeople at your Seder, this is a chance for non-trans folks to think about something they take for granted – that their gender will be seen and respected. At our Seder we will tell stories of fights for liberation from oppression in the past and in the present. As we light the candles on the table and start our evening together, we dedicate ourselves to stepping away physical distractions, like cell phones, and mental distractions, like thoughts or anxieties that may be running through our heads. As we light the candles we give ourselves the gift of being present with those around us. The Seder The word Seder means ‘order’ – here’s ours: Kaddesh – reciting the Kiddish Urchatz – washing the hands Karpas - blessing for the green vegetable Yachatz – breaking of the middle matzah Maggid – telling the story Rachtzah – washing the hands before the meal Motzi Matzah – prayer for the beginning of the meal and blessing for the matzah Maror – blessing for the bitter herbs Korech – Hillel’s sandwich Shulchan Orech – the meal Tzafun – the afikomen Barech – saying grace Hallel - praise Nirtzah – conclusion THE SHEHECHIANU The Shehechianu is said whenever we do anything for the first time, and tonight is the first time our particular group is gathered together to celebrate the Seder. הַזֶּה לַזְּמַן וְהִגִּיעָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ הַעוֹלָם מֶלֶךְ יְיאֱלֹהֵינוּ אַתָּה בָּרוּךְ Barukh atta Adonai Eloheinu melekh Blessed is the Eternal, for giving us life, for ha'olam she-heheyanu v'qiyy'manu sustaining us and bringing us to this time. v'higiy'anu lazz'man hazzeh. HINEI MA TOV Hinei ma tov uma na’im How sweet it is to be with our brothers/sisters, Shevet achim/acyot gam yachad together in community. THE FIRST CUP OF WINE According to some traditions, no one should pour their own cup of wine at a Seder. Originally, this was to emulate Roman noblemen who offered a model of freedom for early Seders. Today, this custom reminds us that we cannot be liberated by ourselves – only through cooperation and helping each other can we find our common freedom. Tonight we drink four cups of wine. Why four? Some say the cups represent our matriarchs – Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. Another interpretation is that the cups 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, have been interpreted as four stages on the path of liberation: becoming aware of oppression, opposing oppression, imagining alternatives, and accepting responsibility to act. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh "Blessed are You our G-d, Ruler of the universe, haolam, bo're p'ri hagafen. Who creates the fruit of the vine [[Drink your first cup of wine]] URCHATZ: WASHING THE HANDS The symbolic washing of the hands that we now perform recalls the story of Miriam's Well. Legend tells us that this well followed Miriam, sister of Moses, through the desert, sustaining the Jews in their wanderings. Filled with mayim chayyim, waters of life, the well was a source of strength and renewal to all who drew from it. One drink from its waters was said to alert the heart, mind and soul, and make the meaning of Torah clearer. [[People may wash their hands]] KARPAS: EAT A GREEN VEGETABLE [[Pass the parsley around, dipping it into the salt water.]] At this point in the Seder, it is traditional to eat a green vegetable dipped in salt water. The green vegetable represents rebirth, renewal and growth; the salt water represents the tears of enslavement. Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melekh Blessed is the One, who sustains all life, and brings ha’olam borei p’ri ha’adamah. forth fruits from the earth. YACHATZ: BREAKING THE MIDDLE MATZAH This is the bread of affliction, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat; let all who are needy come and celebrate the Passover with us. Now we are here; next year may we be in a land of peace. Now we are slaves; next year may we be free. Traditionally, Seders require three matzot. Why three? Three are our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Three are the segments of the people of Israel, Kohen, Levi and Yisrael. [[Break the middle piece of matzah and wrap the larger half in a cloth or napkin. This piece of matzah is now called the “afikoman,” and must be eaten before the Seder concludes. Often it is hidden away by adults, for the children to find; the children may collectively bargain for better gifts before giving it back]] Maggid: Telling the Story Maggid, the Hebrew word for “story,” is the center of Seder; this is where we recount the history of the exodus. This Seder joins a tradition of using the Maggid to reflect not only a historical liberation story, but also tales of struggles for justice happening today. Consider the following tale, featured in many traditional Haggadot. The story is of a particular Seder featuring five of the great rabbis of antiquity: Akiva, Yehoshua, Eliezer ben Azarya, Eliezer, and Tarfon. One year, these rabbis held a Seder, which lasted all night, only finishing when the rabbis’ students called them for morning prayers. That’s usually as much information as we’re given, with the moral of the story apparently that Jews have a fondness for talking. It is often neglected that the Seder took place in 132 C.E., in the midst of the Bar Kokhba revolt, a guerrilla uprising by the Jews against the Roman Empire. This revolt’s immediate trigger was the Romans threatening to mess with the Temple Mount; but it was also the product of anger fueled by years of Roman colonialism. It is known that at least one of the Rabbis, Akiva, was a leader in this revolt. Because of rebel activities, the Roman authorities had forbidden gathering of Jews. The seder described in this passage was used not only as a chance to discuss the liberation from Egypt, but also to plan next steps in the revolution. This tale may be read as a story of how one liberation begets another. Celebrating our collective freedom from servitude – as we do tonight – can be a radical act. Such continual reinterpretation and questioning of Jewish texts and customs are some of the greatest defining traits of Judaism. In that spirit, we go into the four questions. THE FOUR QUESTIONS Mah nishtanah halaila hazeh mikol halaylot? Shebakhol halaylot anu okhleen khamaytz u’matzah, halaila hazeh kulo matzah. Shebakhol halaylot anu okhleen sh’ahr y’rakot, halaila hazeh maror. Shebakhol halaylot ayn anu matbeeleen afeelu pa’am akhat, halaila hazeh sh’tay f’ameem. Shebakhol halaylot anu okh’leen beyn yoshveen u’vayn m’subeen, halaila hazeh kulanu m’subeen. Why is this night different from all other nights? Why is it that on all other nights we eat either bread or matzah, but on this night we only eat matzah? Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs? Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice? Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position? On all other nights we may eat either leavened bread or matzah; tonight, only matzah, that we may recall the unleavened bread our ancestors baked in haste when they left slavery. On all other nights we need not taste bitterness; tonight, we eat bitter herbs, that we may recall the suffering of slavery. On all other nights we needn’t dip our food in condiments even once; tonight we dip twice, in saltwater to remember our tears when we were enslaved, and in haroset to remember the mortar and the bricks which we made. On all other nights we eat sitting up; tonight, we recline, to remind ourselves to savor our liberation. THE FOUR CHILDREN At Passover each year, we read the story of our ancestors’ pursuit of liberation from oppression. When confronting this history, there are numerous questions that come up, not just for children, but also for all of us as actors in a complicated world. Here we take a moment to reflect on four questions that can arise out of the story of Passover. They are questions we ask, and are asked, by ourselves, our friends, and our families, about how to pursue justice. One asks: “The Torah tells me, ‘Justice, justice you shall pursue,’ but how can I pursue justice?” Empower him always to seek pathways to advocate for the vulnerable. As Proverbs teaches, “Speak up for the mute, for the rights of the unfortunate.

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