haggadah good feeling about this shel pesach katz-hanna family 2 A Haggadah is a story in and A Note about Gendered of itself. It is a snapshot, Language (oy) Hebrew, like frozen in time. It is the sum of many other languages, has its parts and its parts standing all alone. This Haggadah aims “male” and “female” words. In to capture who we are at this many Jewish communities, time: right now. It is meant to the prayers are rewritten to encapsulate our joys and our include feminine G-d language sorrows, our struggles and our instead of the traditional mas- triumphs. It speaks the lan- guage of today laced with the culine. Gendered language hope of tomorrow. The New is binary system that does American Haggadah says: not accurately represent the “Like all before expanse of divinity. Language it, this haggadah hopes to be is imperfect and we often lack replaced.” It is permanent and fleeting. It is all we are and the exact words or phrases nothing at all. It is Mitzrayim to describe our unique hu- and the promised land. Read it man experience. Throughout all and consume every word or this haggadah you may see gloss over the parts that don’t instances of non-masculine call out to you yet. language. Feel free to use it if When we talk about the Torah, it feels good to you, or make Jews commonly say, “turn it, something of your own. turn it, everything is in it” and so, too, everything is in these pages. what are guests of honor? Throughout this haggadah you will see “guests of honor” named in various parts of the seder. By reading their stories, we invite them to sit with us at the table. This is evocative of the tradition of Ushpizin: in- viting guests into the Sukkah, a temporary dwelling, each Sukkot.

3 The Seder Plate The seder plate is central to the holiday. Everything on it symbolizes a part of story: Zeroa- Usually the Zeroa is a shank bone, a representation of the paschal lamb and ritual sacrifice. Since this house is vegetarian, the Zeroa is a beet on our plate.

Charoset- A mixture of apples, wine, and walnuts. The symbolizes the mortar used to build structures in Egypt.

Chazaret- A bitter herb for use in the hillel sandwich later in the seder. The sandwich is a combination of bitter and sweet, remind- ing us that there is good with the bad.

Karpas- A green vegetable that symbolizes renewal and spring.

Beitza- A hard boiled egg symbolizing life and death, spring, and beginning again.

Maror- The bitter herb, usually , to remind us of the bitterness of slavery.

Olive- A symbolic reminder of the olive trees in Palestine that are the livelihood for many Palestinians and continue to be systemat- ically destroyed. The olive branch was a symbol of peace given to us in the story of Noah, and the olive sits on the seder plate today as a symbol of the occupation, which is anything but peaceful.

Orange- The orange on the seder plate has taken on many meanings but was originally used as a symbol for gays and lesbians. Among the items on the seder plate the orange stands out as distinctly differ- ent. May we see the orange as a symbol of solidarity with all of those who “don’t belong.”

4 Pictured: The Israeli Black Panther movment in 1971. Their sign reads, “Golda, teach me Yiddish.” (Golda Meir, the Israeli Prime Min- ister.)

A group of Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews named after the US Black Panther movement organized combat the Israeli erasure of Sephardi and Mizrahi culture and practice. Ashkenazim, white Jews from Eastern Europe, who speak Yiddish and have certain customs, are in many places considered the norm of the Jewish experience (see: Yiddish, klezmer, countries of origin.) While Ari’s family is Ashkenazi and they joyfully observe Ashkenaz customs and their identity, we hold the multiplicity of Jewish experiences this Passover. We all stood at the foot of Sinai together reciev- ing Torah, and the brilliance of ways we celebrate that Torah must not be whitewashed. We’re drinking a lot of wine! Ari- ana’s family has a story about her father’s first seder with her mother’s “If we don’t mean the family. Harry Stiefel z”l, Linda’s words we are saying grandfather, continued to fill Alex’ when we pray, then cup to the top with each of the four cups--which was a lot of wine to what are we doing?” drink! So, let this be a lesson: you --Rachel Adler don’t have to drink four full cups! Or, party on dude. Or, let’s drink some grape juice and know that we all have different relationships to alcohol. 5 Questions are not only if we carry nothing welcome during the course else into Diaspora, we carry of the evening but are vital these stories, these scrolls to tonight’s journey. Our that unroll a history we revere and obligation at this seder parade thru aisles involves traveling from on the highest of holy days. slavery to freedom, prod- we kiss the corner of tallis ding ourselves from apathy to our lips, put cloth to text to action, encouraging the to praise words Moses brought off transformation of silence the mount, our ancestors lugged into speech, and providing thru the desert. stories told and told a space where all different again at a kitchen table some where, levels of belief and tradition the 5th and 15th time we heard can co-exist safely. Because them bored out our seder mind, but leaving Mitzrayim--the nar- the 50th and 502nd time something row places, the places that stuck so we wrote them down oppress us—is a personal in our most reverent hand style as well as a communal in the blackest of ink on bone passage, your participation parchment. we record the trials and and thoughts are welcome rivals and lineage and and encouraged. We re- heroes of our families cuz we love member that questioning books itself is a sign of freedom. mourn all the storied bodies The simplest question can burned by the those who hate books have many answers, some- with messy endings. we love books times complex or contradic- cuz books are bodies of stories tory ones, just as life itself and stories make history and we are is fraught with complexity a people who believe and contradictions. To see in the stories of people to tell histo- everything as good or bad, ry matzah or , Jewish or and mourn all the bodies and sto- Muslim, Jewish or “Gentile”, ries is to be enslaved to simplic- burned before they are recorded in ity. Sometimes, a question the Eternal book, authored has no answer. Certainly, we by the voiceless and Voweless. must listen to the question, before answering. excerpt, from Kevin Coval

6 May the light of the candles we kindle together tonight bring radiance to all who still live in darkness. May this season, marking the deliverance of our people from Pharaoh, rouse us against anyone who keeps others in servitude. In gratitude for the freedom we enjoy, may we strive to bring about our own liberation and the liberation of all people everywhere.

Lighting these candles, we create the sacred space of the Festival of Freedom; we sanctify the coming-together of our community.

Lighting these candles, we create the sacred space of the Festival of Freedom; we sanctify the coming-together of our community --R. Barenblatt, Velveteen Rabbi

On the first night, we light the candles.

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu ruach ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Breath of Life, who sancti- fies us with your commandment to kindle the holiday lights.

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu melech ha’olam, shehecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

Blessed are you, Adonai, sovereign of all worlds, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment. 7 KADESH First cup: for simcha! Kol sasson v’kol simcha, joy and gladness! The following sentence is a kabbalistic "kavanah" or intention, aimed at encouraging us to sanctify and drink our wine with the holy intention of connecting transcendence and imma- nence, mystically bringing together the aspect of God which is limitless and beyond comprehension with the aspect of God which is manifest (some might say "exiled") in creation.

Hin'hi muchan u-m'zuman l'kayem mitzvat kos rishonah m'arbah cosot l'shem yichud kudsha brich hu u-schinteh.

I take upon myself the mitzvah (connective-commandment) of this first of four cups of wine, in the name of the unification of the Holy Blessed One with Shekhinah!

Tonight we drink four cups of wine. Why four? Some say the cups represent our matriarchs—Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah—whose virtue caused God to liberate us from slavery. Another interpretation is that the cups represent the Four Worlds of physicality, emotions, thought, and essence. Still a third interpretation is that the cups represent the four prom- ises of liberation God 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 (Exodus 6:6-7.) The four promises, in turn, have been interpreted as four stages on the path of liberation: becoming aware of oppression, opposing oppression, imagining alter- natives, and accepting responsibility to act. This first cup of wine reminds us of God’s first declaration: V'hotzaiti —“I will bring you out from the oppression...” --R. Rachel Barenblatt, Velveteen Rabbi’s Passover Haggadah 8 guest of honor: naamah

Our first cup of wine of the seder, newness. We joyfully come together and settle in to the rhythm of our seder. rit- ually opens space, consecrates it. Naamah, Noah’s wife. So named in Genesis Rabbah 2:3. In other commentaries she is named as both Noah’s wife, and Enoch’s daughter. Naamah is also associated with a demon of the same name.

In Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso’s “A Prayer for the Earth, the story of Naamah Noah’s Wife” Naamah is responsible for gathering all plants and seeds before the incoming flood. She traverses the whole world, harvesting seeds, bulbs, and plants so that the world will flower after it is renewed. And, after the flood, the destruction, the fear, she returns to dry land and replants all the seeds she collected. God gifts her a vision of the future, where all would be lush and green, because of her work. It closes, “Naamah slept in the quiet of growing things.” We dedicate this first blessing of the fruit of the vine to Naamah, whose name means “pleasant.”

9 Kiddush: blessing over the wine

And all the wine is all for me--The National 10 We pour the first cup. The matsot are uncovered:

On Shabbat, begin here: And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their host. And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because He rested on it from all of His work which God created in doing (Genesis 1:31-2:3).

On weekdays, begin here: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who cre- ates the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has set us apart with your mitzvot and taken pleasure in us. And You have given us, Lord our God, [Sabbaths for rest], appoint- ed times for happiness, holidays and special times for joy, [this Sabbath day, and] this Festival of Matsot, our season of freedom [in love] a holy convocation in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. For You have chosen us and sanctified us above all peoples. In Your gracious love, You granted us Your [holy Sabbath, and] special times for happiness and joy. Blessed are You, O Lord, who sanctifies [the Sabbath,] Israel, and the appointed times. On Saturday night add the following two paragraphs: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the light of the fire. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who distinguishes between the holy and the profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and

11 the nations, between the seventh day and the six working days. You have distinguished between the holiness of the Sab- bath and the holiness of the Festival, and You have sanctified the sev- enth day above the six working days. You have distinguished and sanc- tified Your people Israel with Your holiness. Blessed are You, O Lord, who distinguishes be- tween the holy and the holy. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has grant- ed us life and sustenance and permitted us to reach this season.

Drink while reclining to the left and do not recite a blessing after drinking.

12 One person reads the directions for this meditation slowly aloud: Close your eyes and focus on your body breathing/being breathed. Draw to your mind your ancestors – genetic or spiritual. Imagine them in the different places they lived, the lands and seas they traveled, by choice and for their lives, in freedom and enslaved. Imagine them holding what was precious to them, imagine this gift coming down through the generations to you. Imagine the places they were broken and take a moment to feel the body of your ancestors, its stitches and its scars. (29) Thank them for the parts of your heritage you love and forgive them for the pain. Now visualize yourself as the ancestor of the generations to come. Accept their grat- itude and forgiveness.(1) Everyone open your eyes and read together: We invite to the room the spirits of our ancestors. We honor you and we forgive you. Thank you for bringing us to this moment. May our lives contribute to the healing of all of our peoples, and all of the worlds. Say the blessing over the wine --Love and Justice Haggadah

When my Grandma Carle was born, Anna wrapped her daughter in the quilt to welcome her warmly into the world. Carle was given a gift of gold, flower, salt, and bread. Gold so she would never know poverty, a flower so she would always know love, salt so her live would always have flavor, and bread so that she would never know hunger. --The Keeping Quilt, by Patricia Polacco 13 Blessing of BLESSING FOR Each Other Social Justice Traditionally, at Passover As we come together this year seders and other holiday the world can seem grim, and at celebrations, as well as times we are very tired and lose weekly on Shabbat, par- hope of any change occurring, ents will say a blessing over their children. Our especially with the pace and level families come in different of destruction the US government forms, and today we are is perpetrating. What we drink to able to bless each other. tonight is our community foment- ON this Passover when we ing change together, around this are able to come togeth- table and around the world. We all er as a group to observe are engaged in struggle, personally, the commandments and in this country, and internationally. traditions of Passover, we This year, we drink to the people should bestow blessings around the world who have taken over each other. the streets, the buildings, the cities Traditional: May God make in protest of unjust, racist and you like Ephraim and Me- classist wars. Tonight we come to- nashe, like Sarah, Rebec- gether to recount the stories from ca, Rachel and Leah. May the past, share stories of present God bless you and watch struggles, and envision together over you, May God shine the future we will build with our God’s face toward you allies. Share stories of active resis- and show you favor. May tance in which you have participat- God be favorably disposed ed or that have inspired you over toward you, and may God grant you peace. the past year. --L&J

Blessing of each other: May God keep you safe in your travel, grant you peace in your years. May God bestow friendship Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu and family, excitement and melakh ha-olam, asher kid’shanu love, health and passion, knowledge and confi- b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu lirdof tzedek dence. May God grant you Blessed is the Source, who shows peace. Amen us paths to holiness, and commands us to pursue justice. 14 orchatz Handwashing ritual

At this point in the seder we wash our hands to begin the ritual meal. Often, folks will remove all rings and wash their hands bare. At larger meals, a representative is usually chosen to wash their hands on behalf of all in attendance. Mindful Every day about the exceptional, I see or I hear something the fearful, the dreadful, that more or less the very extravagant -- but of the ordinary, kills me the common, the very drab, with delight, that leaves me the daily presentations. like a needle Oh, good scholar, I say to myself, in the haystack how can you help of light. It is what I was born for -- but grow wise to look, to listen, with such teachings as these -- to lose myself the untrimmable light inside this soft world -- to instruct myself of the world, over and over the ocean’s shine, the prayers that are made in joy, out of grass? and acclamation Nor am I talking -Mary Oliver 15 On washing hands after near misses: When I guests of honor: was little, when- ever we would shifra & puah Shifra and Puah, Egyptian midwives, are return home after the heroes of our entire story!The story a near miss my opens with Pharoah commanding that mother would all baby boys born to Jewish women are have us wash our to be killed--Pharoah feared an uprising, hands with the and thought that elimination of Jewish intention of wash- men would keep that from happening. ing off any danger But Shifra and Puah, who knew the we had picked beauty of birth and life could not up since we left support infanticide, and so claimed that home. We’d kick every time they arrived to assist a Jewish off our shoes and woman give birth, she had already head to the kitchen finished labor. Their lies kept the Jewish sink. “Wash it off,” people alive! Their fierce fight for life, she’d say, “and even at risk of their own safety, inspires take your time.”-B us to continue taking risks for justice! 16 During this time, let us also remember the indigenous peoples that lived on this land before it was stolen by the U.S. government. If you know the names of the indigenous tribes that lived and live in your area, take a moment to say these names aloud. If you don’t know, take a moment to reflect on this.

In our family we have On washing hands coming adopted the tradition of home from the cemetery: washing our hands be- Upon coming home from tween blessing the wine the cemetary, Ashkenazi and blessing the bread on jews have the tradition of Shabbat. We use this time washing hands before to wash off the week and entering the house. I have ready ourselves for the clean visceral memories of setting calm of shabbos. out dish towels and pitchers of water on the front steps, waiting for the rest of the funeral procession to get home.- A 17 Renewal of Spring We dip a spring vegetable into salt water-the spring vegetable reminding us of potential and promise and the salt water reminding us of the tears and the pain along the way. This is an invitation to hold complexity—a reminder that change is possible even in what seems like endless darkness. As you dip the green vegetable into the salt water, affirm for yourself the potential for justice even as we hold the tears of occupation. --JVP 5775 Haggadah

While the sound of suffering As the soil warms and the Sails lost in the listening days grow longer, dew forms As the voices of heartache hail along new sprouts of grass, The power of presence bring life back. Awaken, People as portals Awaken, Awaken! And rise! Let Passports to heaven Here is a protest in the form earth come to life again, and of a prayer welcome the light of Spring! -Leslie, on the Spring Equinox ---Poet Aja Monet Read at the Dream Defenders Ferguson to Palestine action in Nazareth, Winter 2014

18 On my very first Passover, we Parsley is a gentle but useful used green peppers as our aborificent herb that when Karpas. From that point for- boiled into a tincture, can ward, whenever I think of Kar- induce a period or very early pas I always imagine green abortion. Our rebirth in Spring, peppers. Even the word itself celebration of newness and sounds like peppers to me! --B fresh opportunity, can look like many different paths. We honor the multiple uses of parseley and dip it twice. -A

A small piece of onion, parsley, or boiled potato is dipped into saltwater and eaten (after reciting the blessing over vegeta- bles). Dipping the karpas is a sign of luxury and freedom. The saltwater represents the tears of our ancestors in Mitzrayim. This year may it also represent tears of Black parents and families mourning the loss of their Black youth at the hands of police brutality. --Yehudah Webster, 5775 Jews for Racial and Economic Justice Black Lives Matter Haggadah Supplement

Dip a small piece of vegetable in salt water and recite the blessing before eating (keep in mind that this blessing also applies to the maror, bitter herbs, that will be eaten later)

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu ruach ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’adamah. Blessed are you, Adonai, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the earth. 19 yachatz THE SHATTERING

Open the door as a sign of hospitality; lift up matzah for all to see. (This prayer originated in Babylon during the first Exile, and is therefore in Aramaic, not Hebrew.)

Ha lakhma anya, di akhalu avhatana, b’ara d’mitzrayim. Kol dikhfin yei-tei v’yeikhol, kol ditzrikh yeitei v’yipsach. Hashata hakha, l’shanah haba’ah b’arah d’yisrael. Hashata avdei, l’sha- nah haba’ah b’nei khorin.

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 the Land of Israel. Now we are slaves; next year may we be free.

Close the door. Break a middle matzah and wrap the larger half in a cloth or napkin. This piece of matzah is now called the “,” and must be eaten before the seder con- cludes. Often it is hidden away by adults, for the children to find; the children may request a ransom before giving it back.

“There is nothing as whole as a broken heart.” Kotzker Rebbe 20 We break the matzah as we broke the chains of slavery, and as we break chains which bind us today. We will no more be fooled by movements which free only some of us, in which our so- called “freedom” rests upon the enslavement or embitterment of others.

Traditionally, seders require three matzot. Why three? Three are our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Three are the seg- ments of the people Israel, Kohen, Levi and Yisrael. The three matzot could even represent thesis, antithesis and synthesis: the two opposites in any polarized situation, and the solution which bridges them.

Break a middle matzah and wrap the larger half in a cloth or nap- kin. This piece of matzah is now called the “afikoman,” and must be eaten before the seder concludes. --R. Rachel Barenblatt, VRPH guest of honor: moses

In traditional haggadot tellings of the story of Exodus, Moses is not metioned at all, lest we deify him. And, later in the story, the exact location of Moses’ grave is unknown, to keep it from being a site of pilgramage. We are reminded time and time again Moses is just an- other human, who had a special job. When Moses shatters the first set of the Ten Commandments, we are reminded of his humanity. In the shattering, Moses becomes a new kind of leader, more clear- ly imperfect in the face of stress. In our shattering and healing and reshattering, may we be blessed with reminders of our humanity.

We will now bless the matzah, “the bread of affliction”, and as we bless it and eat it we dedicate our selves to fighting op- pression in all its forms so that never again shall anyone have to eat this bread of affliction, even as we understand so many currently suffer. --JVP 5775 Haggadah 21 Reader 1: Some do not get the chance to rise and spread out like golden loaves of , filled with sweet raisins and crowned with shiny braids. Reader 2: Rushed, neglected, not kneaded by caring hands, we grow up afraid that any touch may cause a break. There are some ingredients we never re- ceive. Reader 1: Tonight, let us bless our cracked surfaces and sharp edges, unafraid to see our brittle- ness and brave enough to see our beauty. Reader 2: Reaching for whole- ness, let us piece together the parts of ourselves we have found, and honor all that is still hidden. --Haggadah, compiled by Rachel Timoner by Micah Bazant by 22 Maggid tell the story by Irma Wagner, nun, activist, artist. Irma Wagner, by

Standing on the parted that there there is no way shores of history to get from here to there we still believe what we except by joining hands, were taught marching before ever we stood at together Sinai’s foot; —adapted from Michael that wherever we go, it is Walzer eternally Egypt that there is a better place, a promised land; that the winding way to that promise passes through the wilderness

23 The 4 QUESTIONS

Mah nishtanah halaila hazeh Why is tonight different from all mikol halaylot? other nights?

1. Shebakhol halaylot anu okh- 1. On all other nights we may eat leen khamaytz u’matzah, halaila either leavened bread or matzah; hazeh kulo matzah. tonight, only matzah 2. Shebakhol halaylot anu okh- 2. On all other nights we need not leen sh’ahr y’rakot, halaila hazeh taste bitterness; tonight, we eat maror. bitter herbs. 3. Shebakhol halaylot ayn anu 3. On all other nights we needn’t matbeeleen afeelu pa’am akhat, dip our food in condiments even halaila hazeh sh’tay f’ameem. once; tonight we dip twice. 4. Shebakhol halaylot anu 4. On all other nights we eat okh’leen beyn yoshveen u’vayn either sitting up or leaning back; m’subeen, halaila hazeh kulanu tonight, we recline. m’subeen

24 The 4 Answers

All: On all other nights we eat leavened bread and matzah. Why on this night only matzah? Reader: Avadot hayinu. We were slaves. We were slaves in Mitzray- im. Our mothers in their flight from bondage in Mitzrayim did not have time to let the dough rise. With not a moment to spare they snatched up the dough they had prepared and fled. But the hot sun beat as they carried the dough along with them and baked it into the flat unleavened bread we call matzah. In memory of this, we eat only matzah, no bread, during Passover. This matzah represents our rush to freedom.

All: On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables. Why on this night do we make certain to eat bitter herbs? Reader: Avadot hayinu. We were slaves. We eat maror to remind us how bitter our ancestors’ lives were made by their enslavement in Mitzrayim.

All: On all other nights we do not usually dip food once. Why on this night do we dip twice? Reader: Avadot hayinu. We were slaves. The first time we dip our greens to taste the brine of enslavement. We also dip to remind ourselves of all life and growth, of earth and sea, which gives us sustenance and comes to life again in the springtime. The second time we dip the maror into the charoset. The charoset reminds us of the mortar that our ancestors mixed as slaves in Mitzrayim. But our charoset is made of fruit and nuts, to show us that our ances- tors were able to withstand the bitterness of slavery because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom.

All: On all other nights we sit on straight chairs. Why on this night do we relax and recline on pillows during the seder? Reader: Avadot hayinu. We were slaves. Long ago, the wealthy Romans rested on couches during their feasts. Slaves were not allowed to rest, not even while they ate. Since our ancestors were freed from slavery, we recline to remind our selves that we, like our ancestors, can overcome bondage in our own time. We also recline to remind ourselves that rest and rejuvenation are vital to continu- ing our struggles. We should take pleasure in reclining, even as we share our difficult stories.

25 A little discussion, eh? Share four questions that are coming up for you at this time. They can be specific (like, why only four questions?) or general (What is the meaning of life and my existence and how did I end up here tonight?) --Love & Justice Haggadah By Sara Shaoul

Avadim hayyinu l’far’oh b’mitz- We were slaves to a Pharaoh rayim, v’yotzi-ehnu Adonai in Egypt, and the Eternal led us Eloheynu mi-sham b’yad out from there with a mighty khazakah hand and an outstretched arm. u’vizro’a n’tuyah, v'ilu lo hotzi Had not the Holy One led our ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu et-avo- ancestors out of Egypt, we and teinu mi-Mitzrayim, harei anu our children and our children’s uvaneinu children would still be enslaved. u'vnei vaneinu, m'shuabadim Therefore, even if all of us were hayyinu l'Pharaoh b'Mitzray- wise, all-discerning, scholars, im. V'afilu kulanu chachamim, sages and learned in kulanu k'vonim, kulanu z'kein- Torah, it would still be our duty im, kulanu yod'im et-ha-Torah, to tell the story of the Exodus. mitzvah aleinu l'saper b'y'tziat Mitzrayim. V'chol hamarbeh l'saper bitziyat Mitzrayim, harei zeh m'shubach. 26 The 4 Children

Four times the Torah bids us tell our children about the Exodus from Egypt. Four times the Torah repeats: “And you shall tell your child on that day” From this, our tradition infers four kinds of children...The Torah speaks of four kinds of children: one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who does not yet know how to ask.

The Wise One says: “What is the meaning of the rules, laws and practices which God has commanded us to observe?” You shall tell him the story of the Exodus and shall teach him Torah, midrash and commentary, down to the last detail. The Wicked One says: “What is the meaning of this service to you?” You shall tell her “I do this because of the wonderful things which God did for me when God brought me out of Egypt.” You shall say “for me,” not “for us,” because in asking what the service means “to you” she has made it clear that she does not consider herself a part of the community for whom the ritual has meaning. The Simple One asks, “What is this?” You shall tell him of the deliverance from the house of bondage. The One Who Does Not Know How To Question, for her you must open the way. Revolutionary mah hi omeret? Tomatos go Lama lo la’asot ma’shehu? rotten--not “Why are we wasting time with children! all of this religious stuff? Religion There’s no is the opiate of the masses. Why on this night are we not instead such thing as smashing the state?” a rotten kid. --L&J --Linda 27 In the traditional haggadah, without introduction or expla- nation, the following account is related:It came to pass that Rabbi Eliezer, and Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Elazar son of Azarya, and Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon were in Bnei Brak discussing the Exodus from Egypt. They discussed it all night, until their students came to them to say, "Our teachers, the time has come for saying the morning Shema!" --R. Rachel Barenblatt

So the story goes that they planned a rebellion that night. For as long as op- pression exists in the world, we must not only talk, but act to overthrow it --L&J guest of honor: joseph

The penultimate of Jacob’s 12 sons, Joseph is sold into slavery and taken to Egypt, where he ultimately saves his family, and the rest of Egypt, from famine. It is through this travel that the Isra- elites end up in Egypt, generations later to be brought out during the Exodus. Before Joseph’s death, he makes his decendents vow to bring his remains with them when the Israelites leave Egypt, as he predicts they one day will. And, they keep their word--without enough time for the bread to rise, the Israelites remember to bring Joseph’s bones from Egypt back into the land of Israel, keeping good on a centuries old promise. 28 Thoughts about Mitzrayim and Yisrael We want to acknowledge the distinction between “mitzrayim”- the narrow place- where the story we tell at Passover takes place and Egypt, the modern-day nation state. We are not conflating contemporary Egyptians with the pharaoh and taskmasters that appear in the Passover story. In the U.S., and worldwide, anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia saturate our media and our culture, and we must be vigilant to oppose it and interrupt it at Memory is not a static deposit; it every turn. is neither rules nor happenings that confront us unchanging. Jews The word Yisrael (Israel) continually re-remember; we when found in the liturgy (religious text) does not refer retell and recast our past in light of to the modern nation/state changing communal experience and of Israel, rather it derives changing communal values. Maggid, from the blessing given to the Hebrew word for “story,” is at Ya’akov (Jacob) by a the root of the word haggadah. We stranger with whom he are commanded to tell the story of wrestles all night. When the Exodus as though each of us the stranger is finally pinned, Ya’akov asks him were personally liberated from Egypt. for a blessing. The strang- Hasidic tradition holds that not only er says,“Your name will no did God speak the universe into being longer be Ya’akov but Yisrael in the time before time, but God for you have wrestled with continues to speak us into existence G-d and triumphed.” There- even now. In re-telling the story of fore when we say “Yisrael” the Exodus, we speak ourselves into in prayer we are referring to being G-d-wrestlers, not our communal past. Israelis. --JVP 5775 Haggadah --R. Barenblatt 29 The Exodus a story in seven short chapters, by Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt

1. Once upon a time our people went into galut, exile, in the land of Egypt. During a famine our ancestor Jacob and his family fled to Egypt where food was plentiful. His son Joseph had risen to high position in Pharaoh’s court, and our people were wellrespected and well-regarded, secure in the power struc- ture of the time.

2. Generations passed and our people remained in Egypt. As rulers came and went, a new Pharaoh ascended to the throne. He felt threatened by Otherness, 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; midrash tells us he was radiant with light.

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 min ha-mayim m’shitihu, from the water she drew him forth. She hired his mother Yoch- eved as his wet-nurse. Thus he survived to adulthood, and was raised as Prince of Egypt.

30 3. Although a child of privilege, as he grew he became aware of the slaves who worked in the brickyards of his father. When he saw an overseer mistreat a slave, he struck the overseer and killed him. Fearing retribution, he set out across the Sinai alone. God spoke to him from a burning bush, which though it flamed was not consumed. The Voice called him to lead the Hebrew people to freedom. Moses argued with God, pleading inadequacy, but God disagreed. Sometimes our responsibilities choose us.

4. Moses returned to Egypt and went to Pharaoh to argue the injustice of slavery. He gave Pharaoh a mandate which re- sounds through history: Let my people go. Pharaoh refused, and Moses warned him that Mighty God would strike the Egyptian people. These threats were not idle: ten terrible plagues were unleashed upon the Egyptians. Only when his nation lay in ruins did Pharaoh agree to our liberation.

5. Fearful that Pharaoh would change his mind, our people fled, not waiting for their bread dough to rise. (For this reason we eat unleavened bread as we take part in their journey.) Our people did not leave Egypt alone; a “mixed multitude” went with them. From this we learn that liberation is not for us alone, but for all the nations of the earth. Even Pharaoh’s daughter came with us, and traded her old title (bat-Pharaoh, daughter of Pharaoh) for the name Batya, “daughter of God.”

6. Pharaoh’s army followed us to the Sea of Reeds. We plunged into the waters. Only when we had gone as far as we could did the waters part for us. We mourn, even now, that Pharaoh’s army drowned: our liberation is bittersweet because people died in our pursuit.

7. To this day we relive our liberation, that we may not become complacent, that we may always rejoice in our freedom. 31 Excerpt from All the Pharoahs Must Fall by Kevin Coval

wake in this new day look around neighbors are allies we don’t have to compete with we can ally and fight with them there are more of us who don’t drill or bomb or legislate more of us who 3rd shift and wash dishes more of us who forge papers and sneak over fences more of us worried about unlawful arrests and whose worry arrests in the night without sleep

wake in this new day we will all die soon let us live while we have the chance while we have this day to build and plot and devise to create and make the world just this time for us this time for all this time the pharaohs must fall Leek woodcut by Marcia Neblett 32 The Ten Plagues from Love & Justice “…The Holy One sat in judgment over the Egyptians and drowned them in the sea. In that instant, the ministering angels wished to sing before the Holy One, but G-d rebuked them, saying “Those I have created with my own hands are drowning in the sea, and you utter song in my presence?” -Babylonian Talmud. Sanhedrin 39b

Reader 1: The idea of justice embodied in our story is direct and unquestioned—punishment for punishment, murdered children for murdered children, suffering for suffering. The people of Mitzrayim suffered because of their own leader, who is in part set-up by an angry G-d eager to demonstrate his own superiority. In our story, all of this was necessary for freedom. Jews have been troubled by this for generations and generations, and so, before we drink to our liberation, we mark how the suffering diminishes our joy by taking a drop of wine out of our cup of joy for each of the ten plagues visited on the people of Mitzrayim.

Reader 1: We are about to recite the ten plagues. As we call out the words, we remove ten drops from our overflowing cups, not by tilting the cup and spilling some out, but with our fingers. This dipping is not food into food. It is personal and intimate, a momen- tary submersion like the first step into the Red Sea. Like entering a mikvah (a ritual bath).

Reader 2: We will not partake of our seder feast until we undergo this symbolic purification, because our freedom was bought with the suffering of others.

Reader 1: As we packed our bags that last night in Egypt, the dark- ness was pierced with screams. Our doorposts were protected by a sign of blood. But from the windows of the Egyptians rose a slow stench: the death of their firstborn.

Reader 2: Ya Shechina, soften our hearts and the hearts of our ene- mies. Help us to dream new paths to freedom.

Reader 1: So that the next sea-opening is not also a drowning; so that our singing is never again their wailing. So that our freedom leaves no one orphaned, childless, gasping for air. 33 “In Ashkenazic homes, when the ten plagues are recited, each per- son dips a pinky in the wine and diminishes it by ten drops. Sephar- dic families are much more superstitious! Often, it is only the leader who recites the plagues so that others will not be ‘contaminated’; As in my house, the leader empties a special cup of wine into a bowl, then washes his or her hands. Among Levantine and Balkan Jews (from Turkey, for instance), nobody even looks at the wine that is spilled out.”

For each plague flick or pour a drop of wine onto the plate. Dam...... Blood Tzfardeyah...... Frogs Kinim...... Lice Arov...... Wild Beasts Dever...... Blight Shichin...... Boils Barad...... Hail Arbeh...... Locusts Choshech...... Endless Night Makat B’chorot...... Slaying of the First-Born

Reader: The Pharaoh of the Passover story is not just a cruel king who happened to live in a certain country. The Pharaoh that our ancestors pictured, each and every year, for century after century was for them every tyrant, every cruel and heartless ruler who ever enslaved the people of his or another country.

And this is why Passover means the emancipation of all people in the world from the tyranny of kings, oppressors and tyrants. The first emancipation was only a foreshadowing of all the emancipa- tions to follow, and a reminder that the time will come when right will conquer might, and all people will live in trust and peace.

Now, we commemorate some of the plagues that ravage our present-day societies. Everyone may call out current plagues and spill drops. 34 10 Plagues of the Occupation of Palestine This year we take more drops of wine from our cup to grieve the plagues of apartheid, occupation and war being inflicted on Palestine: 1. Home demolitions - Destroying the same homes again and again. 2. Uprooting Olive Trees - Destroying income and heritage for generations of Palestinian families. 3. Blockades and Checkpoints - Subjecting Palestinians to daily humiliation and violence by denying access to work, medical care and seeing their families and loved ones. 4. Destruction of Villages – Destroying over 400 Palestinian towns since 1948. 5. “Administrative detention” – Imprisoning and torturing Pal- estinian adults and children indefinitely, without trial. 6. The “Security wall” – Limiting movement, destroying homes, and increasing surveillance by building a 30-foot high concrete wall around the West Bank with gun towers and electric fencing. 7. Theft of resources – Destroying the Palestinian economy, exploiting Palestinian labor, and stealing water and fertile land. 8. False Democracy – Denying civil rights to all non-Jews through Apartheid laws, then calling it a democracy. 9. Erasing histories – Invisibilizing the ancient history and culture of Palestine to generations of children. 10. War Crimes – Violating interna- tional law, by dis- abling and torturing children and adults and massacring Palestinians (in Sabra, Shattila, Deir Yassin and others) Summer 2014, A message on the wall Summer 35 10 Plagues of the Occupation on Jewish People For every lie told in the name of the Jewish people there is also a plague: 1. Distorting and cen- soring Jewish voices against the occupation, by branding dissenters as self-hating Jews or not “real” Jews. Embroidery by Lee Porter 2. Denying the full civil rights of Mizrahim, (Jews of Arab, Asian, and African Descent) who are over half the population of Israel 3. Suppressing current radical and progressive Jewish cul- tures of resistance. 4. Selling out the struggles of the Bund (an Eastern European network of Jewish Socialist groups), and other working-class Jews to the highest Imperialist bidder. 5. Dishonoring the memory of all of our ancestors who were murdered, from the Inquisition to the Shoah (Nazi Holocaust). 6. Hardening the hearts of a generation of young Jews all over the world against Jewish tradition. 7. Creating conditions of Palestinian desperation and hope- lessness that give rise to violent attacks. 8. Manipulating Jewish fears and histories of persecution and genocide to justify persecution and genocide. 9. Forcing Israeli youth to serve in the military and defend the illegal occupation. 10. Becoming the pawns of the US government and corpora- tions

36 The Heroic and Visionary Women of Passover Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Rabbi Lauren Holtzblat 5775 D’var tzedek for American Jewish World Service

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 “un- formed 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 des- tined 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 37 Freedom. It isn’t once, to walk out under the Milky Way, feeling the rivers of light, the fields of dark— freedom is daily, prose-bound, r outine remembering. Putting together, inch by inch the starry worlds. From all the lost collections. ---Adrienne Rich is your prophecy?” So it is written, “And [Miriam] stood afar off to know what would be[come of] the latter part of her proph- ecy.”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 in- tended to rescue Moses, they attempted to dissuade her, and persuade her to heed her father. They said to her: “Our mis- tress, it is the way of the world that when a king issues a de- cree, 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, Mir- iam and Batya reminds our daughters that with vision and the courage to act, they can carry forward the tradition those intrepid women launched.

1 Genesis 1:2 2 Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14a 3 Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 12b 38 Memory her Yiddish behind my clumsy by Jenny Aisenberg American tongue, Peppering my speech with the Standing on the corner of occasional oy or genug 72nd and Amsterdam, a flag inStanding on this street corner one hand She stands for a moment’s A sheaf of flyers in the other, respite Hollering for workers’ rights to Between the shirtwaist factory unionize, And the withered cabbage and I wonder if my grandmother potatoes at home, waiting to My great-grandmother be chopped Ever stood on this spot, this She doesn’t look up exact spot in New York City This is because of what the On her way somewhere Lord my God did for me when If she paused and looked up I was a slave What did she see? In the land of Egypt, when I She sees important offices she worked for five dollars a week will never keep, perhaps in a Lower East Side sweat- She sees nothing–after a shop twelve-hour day basting seams I hand out flyers on a crowded in a street full of people with other Sweatshop, who looks up at things on the sky? Their minds, my desperation But does she see me, To make myself worthy of Her American girl-child you. crystallized in her bones, Imbued in her blood, biding my time Waiting to redeem her To grow up comfort- ably, Never sleep hungry, go to college, Lose all her stories and 39 Dayyenu The name of this beauti- ful prayer is , which means “it would have suf- ficed” or “we would have been satisfied.” Perhaps “grateful” would be a better translation. Dayenu is the song of our gratitude. A Jewish philoso- pher was once asked, “what is the opposite of hopeless- ness?” And he said, “Dayenu,” the ability to be thankful for what we have received, for what we are. The first prayer that a Jew is expected to recite upon waking expresses hir gratitude for being alive. This holds for all generations, and surely ours. For each of us, every day should be an act of grace, every hour a miraculous offering. Love & Justice

Ilu hotzi hotzianu hotzianu mi’mitzrayim Hotzianu mi’mitzrayim dayenu (If you had only brought us out of Mitzrayim – Dayenu!)

Dai-dai-yenu, Dai-dai-yenu, Dai-dai-yenu Dai-yenu, Dai-yenu! lu natan natan lanu natan lanu et ha'shabbat Natan lanu et ha'shabbat dayenu (If you had only given us Shabbat – Dayenu!)

Ilu natan natan lanu natan lanu et ha'torah Natan lanu et ha'torah dayenu (If you had only given us the Torah – Dayenu!) 40 SECOND CUP: For History! b’chol dor vador: In every generation!

Tonight we may bless wine using several variations on the traditional Hebrew, reflecting different ways of conceptualiz- ing the Divine. Choose one of the following two blessings for the second cup of wine: a feminine version, or the traditional.

Brucha At, Shekhinah, ruach ha-olam, boreit pri hagafen. Blessed are you, Shekhinah, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the vine.

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu ruach ha’olam, borei p’ri hagafen. Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the vine.

41 “Tonight is the night we sanctify storytelling.” --New American Haggadah

The story of Exodus is a story from the Narrow Place to a place of greater expanse.

So: Name countries, cities, states, you have lived in, and/or your ancestors have lived in.

So: Name your Narrow Places. Where are you heading?

So: Tell a story of a journey! Any journey!

So: What is liberation? 42 Pesach, Matzah, u’Maror

Reader: Rabbi Gamaliel said that those who do not mention three things on Passover, did not fulfill the obligation to tell the story:

Pesach, Matzah, and Maror

Pesach Point to the beet, yam or shank-bone all say together: Reader: Why did our ancestors eat the Pesah offering at their seder? As a reminder that G-d passed over the houses marked with lambs’ blood, as it is written , and you shall say , ‘ It is the Passover offering for God, who passed over the hous- es of the Israelites in Mitzrayim and saved our homes.”

Matzah Raise the matzah: Reader: This matzah, this unleavened bread, why do we eat it? As a reminder that there was not sufficient time for the dough of our ancestors to rise before the Source of strength was revealed and redeemed us. As it is written, “And they baked the dough which they brought from Mitzrayim into matzot.” (Exodus 12:39)

Maror Raise the maror: Reader: This maror, this bitter vegetable, why do we eat it? As a reminder that the Pharaoh embittered the lives of our ancestors, as it is written: “And they embittered their lives with the hard labor in mortar and bricks, with every servitude of the field, with torment.” (Exodus 1:14)

43 All read: B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et atzmo k’ilu hu yatzah mee-mitzrayim.

In every generation one must see oneself as if one had per- sonally experienced the Exodus from Egypt. As it is written: “You shall speak to your children on that day, saying, this is how the Holy Blessed One redeemed me from Egypt. It wasn’t merely my ancestors who were redeemed, but the Holy Blessed One also redeemed us with them, as it is said, ‘And we went forth from there, in order that God might lead us to the land which had been promised to our ancestors.’”

From What I Will Tell My Jewish Kids by Kevin Coval: and what was it Marx demanded, we live as Moses bent and davening toward justice. a radical equity where everything is sacred or nothing is. 44 From the 5775 JFREJ Black Lives Matter supplement Suffering insilenceisnota Jewish virtue. Complaining. Protest. Wailing. injustice intheworld? we’re callous. Sowhat reminds usof and misery. We’re busy; we’re overwhelmed; andgenocides, wars and unfairness, hunger forgetting: about prejudice are of masters God’s problem isourproblem aswell. We ourexistence. But did we remind Himof us, andthenforgot us. Onlyby wailing God forgets. Ashockingidea:Godchose --New AmericanHaggadah 45 rachtza washing up The symbolic washing guest of honor: of the hands that we now perform recalls miriam the story of Miriam's Well. Legend tells Miriam, who accompanied her baby us that this well fol- brother Moses down the Nile river. Clever Miriam, who suggested to Batyah lowed Miriam, sister that he find a nursemaid, and suggest of Moses, through the Moses’ own mother. desert, sustaining the Joyful Miriam, who led the Israelites in Jews in their wander- celebration of their new freedom, for ings. Filled with may- dancing feet say more than any prayer imei chayyim, waters could. of life, the well was Giving Miriam, the Prophetess gifted with a source of trength locating water in the dessert. Miram who, and renewal to all who after she died, the waters dried up. drew from it. One drink from its waters was “Know that the sound of this tambourine has great power, it causes those with pure sould to said to alert the heart, be filled with joy, and evil creatures to cringe mind and soul, and and flee as fast as they can.” from Miriam’s make the meaning of Tambourine, adapted by Howard Schultz Torah become more clear. -R. Barenblatt

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kidsha- nu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu al n'tilat yadayim. Blessed are You, Source of all Being, who sanctifies us with Your commandments, and commands us to wash our hands. 46 motzi matzah

Without bread there is no Torah. Pirkei Avot 3:2

Baruch atah, Adonai eloheinu,melech ha’olam, hamotzi lech- em min ha’aretz. Blessed are you, Adonai, Breath of Life, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Baruch atah, Adonai eloheinu, melech ha’olam, asher kidsha- nu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivanu al achilat matzah. Blessed are you, Adonai, Breath of Life, who sanctifies us with the commandment to eat 47 A Prayer for guest of Eating During Passover in 1944,t here was no matzah at the honor: Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, but the rabbis would batyah not allow the inmates to en- Batyah, daughter of Pharoah, danger their lives by fasting. who drew Moses from the Nile They decreed that chametz and raised him as her own. could be eaten, provided the Who co-parented with following prayer be recited Yocheved, who found a child in before meals. need and ignored the warnings of her servants and brought Our Father in Heaven, behold him home to safety. For all it is evident and known to parents, espcially those who thee that it is our desire to do raise children in times of Thy will and to celebrate the danger. For adoptive families, festival of Passover by eating who find each other through matzah and by observing the the bullrush. prohibition of leavened food. But our heart is pained that the enslavement prevents us and we are in danger of our lives. Behold, we are pre- pared and ready to fulfill Thy commandment, “And ye shall live by my commandments and not die by them.”

We pray to Thee that Thou mayest keep us alive and prserve us and redeem us speedily so that we may observe Thy statues and do Thy will and serve Thee with a perfect heart. Amen. 48 Maror the bitterness Why do we eat maror? Maror represents the bitterness of bondage. Why do we eat haroset? It symbolizes the mortar for the bricks our ancestors laid in Egypt.

Though it represents slave labor, haroset is sweet, reminding us that sometimes constriction or enslavement can be masked in familiar sweetness.

Eating the two together, we remind ourselves to be mindful of life with all its sweetness and bitterness, and to seek balance between the two.

Everyone eats some maror and haroset.

--R. Barenblatt

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu melech ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu al achilat maror.

Blessed are you, Adonai, sovereign of all worlds, who s anctifies us with the commandment to eat the bitter herb. 49 Korech a hillel sandwich We now take some maror and charoset and put them be- tween two pieces of matzah and give the sandwich to the person on our left. In doing this, we recall our sage Hillel (head of the Sanhedrin, the What is Joey’s favorite food? supreme council of Yisrael, 1st Sandwiches! century B.C.E.) who, in Season 4 Episode 12 remembrance of the loss of the Temple, created the Korech sandwich. He said that by eating the Korech, we would taste the bitterness of slavery mixed with the sweetness of freedom. This practice suggests 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

And if not with others, how? -Adrienne Rich

A Jew-hater mocked Hillel by asking if he could teach the whole Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel replied, “What is hateful to yourself, do not to another. This is the whole To- rah; all the rest is commentary.” (27)

Eat the Hillel sandwich. --L&J 50 shulchan orech a festive potluck meal! In some Ashkenazi traditions, the Afikomen is hidden during the meal, for the ‘children’ to find later. This ceremony reminds us that what is broken can be repaired and that what is lost can be regained, as long as we re- member it and search for it. --L&J tzafun the search The Seder cannot officially end until everyone has had a taste of the afikomen. In this way, the afikomen will help us conclude the ritual and become whole again. Nothing is eaten after the afikomen, so that the matzah may be the last food tasted. Afikomen traditions vary.

In some Sephardi and Mizrahi traditions: Take the middle matzah that is under the cloth, give everyone a piece and say:

Zeher lekorban Pesah afikomen ha-ne-ehal al asova In rememberance of the Pesakh offering which was eaten until we were satisfied.

In some Ashkenazi traditions: Search for the afikomen. Whoever finds it may demand a reward. Gifts of tzedakah given in honor of the holders of the afikomen are a great reward. When it is found, each person eats a small piece. 51 Reader: “So who has found the afikomen?” we ask. The finders hold the napkin-cov- ered matzah tightly in their hands and are determined to bargain. It is a part of our lesson plan—this small rebellion. Each year we teach a new generation to resist bondage, to envision someplace better, to savor freedom, and to take responsibility for the journeys of their lives. And each year with the afikomen ritual, they hold power in their hands, just long enough to say, “yes” or “no” with all eyes on them. With people waiting. “We can’t finish the seder without it.” Just long enough to learn to ask for what they want. --L&J guest of honor: asenath In Genesis 41, Asenath daughter of Potifar is given to Joseph in marriage. This in part marks Joseph’s arrival as powerful leader in Egypt, and a mem- ber of Egyptian secular society.

This panics the rabbis, and so they crafted a drash (expiation) in Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, placing Asenath as the dauther of Dinah, who at her birth was snatched up by an eagle and taken to Egypt, where she was raised in the house of Potifar, later to marry Joseph--thus making Ephraim and Menasseh, their sons, children of two Israelites.

There is an apocryphal tale of Asenath, who chose to convert in her desire to marry Joseph, and had her conversion ritual officiated by an angel with a honeycomb.

For us, we see Asenath as a moment of b’shert: she was meant to be. In her conception, her location in Egypt, and how very eeriely similar her journey was to Moses’, she was in the right place at the right time. She is also a foremother for all of us who make ourselves into the people we want to be, to build family the way we desire, to shape and reshape our realities.

We invite Asenath to our Pesach table and think of all the close calls, lucky chances, that have brought us together this Pesach.

52 barech blessing + thanks Let us praise the Eternal, of Whose bounty we have partaken and by Whose goodness we live. On this Festival of Matzot, inspire us to goodness. On this Festival of Freedom, make us a blessing. On this Festival of Pesach, preserve us in life. All-Merciful, You are our Source. Sustain us with honorable work. Make us worthy of the promise of a world that is yet to come. May the One who blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, bless this home, this table, and all assembled here; and may all our loved ones share our blessing. May the One who brings harmony into the spheres on high bring peace to earth for all humanity. --R. Barenblatt Carrots woodcut by Marcia Neblett

Brich rachamana, malka d'alma, marei d'hai . You are the source of life for all that is and your blessings flow through me.

"Blessed is the merciful one, sovereign of all worlds, source of this bread." According to the Talmud, this one-liner is the briefest bless- ing one can make while still fulfilling the obligation to bless one's meal. The Aramaic and the English line which appears beneath it can be sung to a variety of melodies. --R. Barenblatt 53 Third CUP: For Resistence! Dayyenu: when enough is enough, rise up rise up! We cannot shake the chains of slavery all at once. Systemic change begins with small, quiet acts of resistance. With this cup, remember the acts of those before us that led to great change, allowing us to live our lives as we do today. Then, remember the battles we are fighting, collectively and alone. Let this drink steel you, inside and out, for continued resistance, and continued change. Art by Bread & Puppet Art Bread by

Brucha At, Shekhinah, ruach ha-olam, boreit pri hagafen. Blessed are you, Shekhinah, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the vine.

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu ruach ha’olam, borei p’ri hagafen. Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the vine. guest of honor: yocheved For Yocheved, Moses’ mother, who took a leap of faith and raised a baby boy when baby boys were under attack. For Yocheved, who took a leap of faith and let God take charge. For Yocheved, who through this faith, was able to raise and nurse and teach her son the truths of his people. For Yocheved, who whispered their family stories into his ear. For the small acts of rebellion that add up to great things. 54 hallel praise + song Songs of praise: Singing is only one way to say thank you. A foun- dational tenet of reconstructionist judaism is working to thank G-d, in any iteration you may imagine G-d, in any way you can. So, as we consider these songs, some silly, some serious, think about the ways in which you’re thankful for any of the blessings in your life. Recline, enjoy, sing loudly and bang on the table if you want, or sit quietly and take in the cacophony. No matter how you engage, your words are holy. May our voices and bodies continue to look for the G-d in all that we do and shout “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

We fill a tray with wine or grape juice to represent the Red Sea. Each person takes a candle and we dim the lights. Reader: In the story we re-told tonight, we remind ourselves that G-d parted the Red Sea for the Jews as Pharaoh’s army was bearing down on them. Micah Bazant by Before the Red Sea parted, Nachshon was the first person to step into the waters. He walked into the water up to his knees and the Sea did not part. He walked in up to his thighs and still it did not part. He walked in until the water reached up to his nose and finally the Sea parted. We are inspired by Nachson’s act of faith and by his belief that the water would part for him if he took a big enough risk. We think now about the visions of a redeemed world for which we are willing to take risks over the coming year. As each of us says out loud the vision for which we are willing to take risks, we light a candle and place it in the “Red Sea”. --L&J 55 There’s No Seder Like Our A Few of My Favorite Things Seder (Sung to the tune of “These Are (sung to the tune of "There's no a Few of My Favorite Things”) Business like Show business") by Rabbi Dan Liben Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes There's no seder like our seder, Out with the hametz, no pasta, There's no seder I know. no Everything about it is halachic Fish that’s gefillted, horserad- Nothing that the Torah won't ish that stings allow. These are a few of our pass- Listen how we read the whole over things. Haggadah It's all in Hebrew Matzoh and karpas and 'Cause we know how. There's no Seder like our seder, chopped up haroset We tell a tale that is swell: Shankbones and kiddish and Moses took the people out into yiddish neuroses the heat Tante who kvetches and uncle They baked the matzah who sings While on their feet These are a few of our Pass- Now isn't that a story over things. That just can't be beat? Let's go on with the show! Motzi and maror and trouble with Pharoahs Take Us out of Mitzrayim Famines and locusts and (sung to the tune of “Take Me slaves with wheelbarrows Out to the Ball Game") Matzah balls floating and Take us out of Mitzrayim eggshell that cling Free us from slavery These are a few of our Pass- Bake us some matzah in a over things. haste Don't worry 'bout flavor-- When the plagues strike Give no thought to taste. When the lice bite Oh it's rush, rush, rush, to the When we’re feeling sad Red Sea We simply remember our If we don't cross it's a shame Passover things For it's ten plagues, And then we don’t feel so bad. Down and you're out At the Pesach history game. 56 Cups of the Prophets Elijah’s Cup In the ninth century B.C.E., a farmer arose to challenge the domination of the ruling elite. In his tireless and passionate advocacy on behalf of the common people, and his cease- less exposure of the corruption and waste of the court, Eli- jah sparked a movement and created a legend which would inspire people for generations to come. Before he died, Elijah declared that he would return once each generation in the guise of any poor or oppressed person, coming to people’s doors to see how he would be treated. By the treatment offered this poor person, who would be Elijah himself, he would know whether the population had reached a level of humanity making them capable of participating in the dawn of the Messianic age.

57 Miriam’s Cup Reader: The story has always been told of a miraculous well of living water which has accompanied the Jewish people since the world was spoken into being. The well comes and goes, as it is needed, and as we remember, forget, and re- member again how to call it to us. In the time of the exodus from Mitzrayim, the well came to Miriam, in honor of her courage and action, and stayed with the Jews as they wan- dered the desert. Upon Miriam’s death, the well again disap- peared.

All: With this ritual of Miriam’s cup, we honor all Jewish wom- en, transgender, intersex people whose histories have been erased. We commit ourselves to transforming all of our cul- tures into loving welcoming spaces for people of all genders and sexes. Smash the binary gender system! A million gen- ders for a million people!

Reader: Tonight we remember Miriam and ask: Who on own journey has been a way-station for us? Who has encouraged our thirst for knowledge? To whom do we look as role-models for our daughters and for our- selves? Who sings with joy at our accomplishments? Each person names an act of courage or resistance that they have done in the past year, and pours water into the communal cup until it overflows.

---via L&J and "The Golden Haggadah" printed in Elliot BatTzedek Barcelona circa the year 1320 58 COUNTING THE OMER (Second through eighth nights only; for first- night seders, skip this page) “Omer” means “measures.” When the Tem- ple stood in Jerusalem, it was customary to bring harvest offerings three times a year, at Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot. Some say the tradition of Counting the Omer dates to those days. We measured the seven weeks between planting new barley and harvesting it; then offered a measure, in thanks, to our Source. Now that few of us are barley farmers, and those who are can no longer offer sacrific- es at the Temple, practices like counting the Omer must take on new meaning or risk becoming outdated husks of observance. Today we focus less on Shavuot’s harvest roots, and more on its continuing relevance as the anniversary of the day the Israelites accepted the teachings of Torah at Sinai. One midrash holds that we were all, mystically, present at Sinai to forge a personal bond with the essence of the Word: that’s a day worth commemorating. Shavuot is a holiday to anticipate joyfully. We count the Omer the way we count days to birthdays or vacations, eager for what’s coming. Tonight we celebrate our freedom from slavery; in fifty days we will celebrate our acceptance of the Torah’s teachings. Counting the Omer reminds us that we are freed not only from, but also toward. Passover and Shavuot are linked stages on our collective journey to mature, thinking, engaged Jewishness: we must be free in order to accept the joyful responsibility of connecting with God and healing the world.

Baruch atah, Yahh, eloheinu ruach ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitz- votav v’tzivanu al s’firat ha’omer. Blessed are you, Yahh, Breath of Life, who sanctifies us with the commandment to count the Omer.

Hayom yom echad la’omer! Today is the first day of the Omer! 59 fourth cup: rededication and renewal b’chol yom tamid maaseh b’reishit: every day creation is renewed

Rededication and Renewal: The fourth, and last, cup is for rededication and renewal. At the end of the seder we sing, “next year, in Jerusalem.” Though traditionally, this portion of the seder imagines the coming of the Messiah and the Olam Habah, the world to come; we might, instead take this time to imagine the world we are working tirelessly to build together, every day. Through celebration, through remembering our history, through acts of resistance we come together to fight for justice, to eliminate oppression, to build the world to come now. Selah.

Brucha At, Shekhinah, ruach ha-olam, boreit pri hagafen. Blessed are you, Shekhinah, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the vine.

Baruch atah, Adonai, eloheinu ruach ha’olam, borei p’ri hagafen. Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Breath of Life, creator of the fruit of the vine. 60 nirtzah the long jewish goodbye

We now end our Seder meal once again with the proclamation “Next Year in Jerusalem!” And so we ask: what will we do to ensure that Jerusalem lives up to its name as a city of peace? How will we respond as the Jewish state increasing- ly implements policies that claim this holy city in the name of one people only? Do we dare to dream of a city divided or a city truly united for all its inhabitants? ...and if we do believe that Jerusalem must be, once and for all, a true City of Peace, what are we willing to do to make it so? --R. Brant Rosen, 5775 JVP Haggadah 61