The Habonim Dror North America
Hagadah
Written By
Josh
Cohen
Hebrew
Calligraphy by Alexis Kort
Layout and Editing by Jamie Levin and Josh Cohen
A publication of The
Habonim Dror North America Press
New York 2001- 5761
Guide
Note: This book is arranged with various selections (readings or
songs) followed by questions for discussion.
The selections are to be read either by the head of the household, or
group, or by individuals, really however you see fit. The italicized questions that follow selections are to be posed
to the group for discussion.
Table of Contents
Letter from Josh Cohen Rakaz T’nua 3
The Seder Plate Kadesh (four cups of) wine 4
Urchatz (washing of hands) 6
Karpas (fresh herbs, spring environment) 6
Yachatz
(breaking of Matzah, and related info) 7
Magid
(the exodus from Egypt, and themes of liberation) 8
Rachtzah
(washing hands, and water resources) 20
Motzee
Matzah (Blessing the Matzah, The Yeast in the Dough) 20
Maror
(bitter herbs, and national struggle) 22
Korech
(Matzah, and Maror sandwich) 22
Shulcahn
Orech (festive meal, and facts about hunger) 23
Tzafun
(Afikoman) 24
Barech-Hallel
(Blessing after the meal) 24
Nirtzah
(conclusion) 24
Shiron
(songs not included in the rest of the Seder) 25
13 Adar,
5761/March 8, 2001
Shalom,
I present to you the Habonim Dror North
America Hagadah for the year 2001/5761.
Before you read ahead I want to explain what this book is all
about. As Racaz Tnua (movement
volunteer) it is my responsibility to create a resource book for the
movement. In the past, these books have
consisted of peulot (activities) or other resources for use within the
movement. I decided this year to do
something a little bit different.
Recently, Habonim Dror Britain put out a wonderful Hagadah for its
members and we decided that it would be a good idea for our movement to have
one too. There has been a lot of
discussion of late about the place of Judaism in our movement. I began to think, what would be better than
a Habonim Dror Hagadah to foster a unique Jewish culture in our movement?
Now that the “why” is clear I will explain what
exactly the Habonim Dror Hagadah is.
The Hagadah is, in a sense, a resource book. It is a combination of traditional sources, songs, contemporary
ideas of my own, pieces from the movement and old Hagadot, and other related
sources. The way it is intended for use
is really up to you. It is meant to
create an interactive Seder for your family or community. There are various readings intended to
prompt discussion about Pesach, one of our most important holidays. If you already have a Pesach Seder tradition
that is close to your heart (which you probably do) please consider this book
as a supplement. Also, this book is to
be used at Habonim Dror functions.
Every Ken (local chapter), and Habonim Dror community should have its
own Seder in which to use this book. With
that I will wish you a Chag Sameach.
Sincerely,
Josh Cohen
Racaz Tnua
The Seder Plate:
Take a look at the Seder plate. Notice the orange. Why is it there? It is
said that when a women asked a Rabbi why she was not allowed on the Bimah
(alter) to hold the Torah, The “learned Rabbi” responded, stroking his beard
that “A women should be on the Bimah like an orange should be on a seder
plate.” If that is so, and the Rabbi is
correct then an orange should, indeed be on our Seder Plate.
How does this proverb relate to the role of women in Judaism?
In what ways can we change our traditions in order to make them more
egalitarian?
Kadesh
Blessed art thou, Lord, our
God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit
of the vine.
This
part of the Seder is reserved for the Kiddush.
During the Seder we are to drink four cups of wine. They are designated to represent the
following:
1
Zionism: On Pesach we discuss our
exile from Eretz Yisrael to Mizrayim (Egypt) and then our deliverance back to
The Land of
Israel. It is significant to consider Zionism on
Pesach.
Have we been delivered?
Have we delivered ourselves?
Is Zionism a return from exile for the Jewish
people?
Drink
cup number one.
2
Socialism: Justice is a recurring theme on Pesach. We are meant to bring guests who are less fortunate into our
homes for a Pesach meal. We eat Maror,
bitter herbs, in order to remind us of the bitterness of oppression that our
people suffered as slaves in Egypt. We
are then supposed to empathize with oppressed people. Today’s Pharaoh is global capitalism enslaving people into the
bondage of its sweatshops. We must use
this cultural memory to move forward and defeat the modern day Pharaoh and
deliver the world to a new order of justice, freedom, and solidarity.
Does the Pesach tradition instruct us to reach outside of
the Jewish community to fight oppression?
Are Socialism and Jewish tradition compatible?
Drink
cup number two.
3
Judaism: The Seder is a tradition
that is meant to be timeless.
Throughout the world, since the time of the Beit Mikdash (temple) Jewish
people have been celebrating Pesach.
This, and other holidays, gives us continuity throughout history and the
world. Our holidays and traditions give
us a unique cultural identity as a Jewish People regardless of where,
and when we are.
What does Jewish Continuity mean to you?
How does Pesach contribute our Jewish identity?
Drink
cup number three.
4
Peace: Pesach is a holiday of
deliverance from slavery therefore we must ask what kind of world we wish to be
delivered to. Many of our proverbs wish
for peace in the world, Sim Shalom (put on peace), Oseh Shalom
(make peace).
Where are these themes in the Pesach story?
Does deliverance have to be achieved through violence?
Bring Peace and spread a canopy of peace on Israel and
the world.
Urchatz
Wash hands (no blessing)
Karpas
In
this part of the Seder we dip fresh green herbs in salt water. We take this time to honor mother earth, and
shed tears for her, as she is being mistreated.
Spring
And When Oh man you will
return to nature- on that day your eyes will open, you will gaze into the eyes
of nature, and in its mirror you will see your own image. You will know that you have returned to
yourself, that when you hid from nature you hid yourself. When you return you will see that from you,
from your hands and from your feet, from your body, and from your soul, heavy,
and hard, oppressive fragments will fall, and you will begin to stand erect.
-A. D. Gordon
From
these passages how do Jewish, and Zionist sources tell us to treat the
environment?
What
is the relationship between God, Judaism, Zionism and the Earth?
Yachatz
Break a piece of matzah in half and hide the afikomen.
In the mean time here are a few facts about matzah:
Chametz
(leavened or bread which is allowed to rise), which is forbidden during the
entire holiday of Pesach, is defined as any fermented grain product
(specifically from one of the “five grains” mentioned in rabbinic literature:
wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye; rice, millet, and beans, while not
explicitly forbidden in the Talmud, are not eaten by Ashkenazi Jews because
they undergo a process similar to fermentation). Fermentation is presumed to take place within 18 minutes after
the exposure of the cut grain to moisture.
Matzah, which is required as a central element at the seder and which is
the stable food throughout the week of Pesach, is defined as the bread made from
grain, water and dough without fermentation.
The problem, of course, is how to make such as dough without causing
fermentation. This is accomplished by 3
means.
1.
Protecting the
ingredients from moisture and heat prior to mixing.
2.
Preparing the
dough very rapidly.
3.
Baking at
extremely high temperatures.
The flour must be absolutely dry, and stored in a cool dark place. According to the strictest interpretation,
it should have been watched from the time of reaping to ascertain that it was
never exposed to moisture, such flour is known as Shemurah.
According to a more lenient view, it is sufficient if the flour was
watched from the time of milling.
Magid
In this part of the
Seder we tell the story of The Exodus of the Nation of Israel from Egypt (Eretz
Mizrayim). Here is a traditional
version of the story:
Egypt was our first exile and
the prototype for future exiles.
Jacob, or patriarch, took his
entire household to Egypt because of the economic crisis and famine raging in
Eretz Yisrael.
“And he went down to Egypt
and he stayed there” teaches us that Jacob our father did not come down to
Egypt to settle permanently, but merely to stay there for a while. The Jews said to Pharaoh, “We have come to
stay awhile in the land for there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants
in the land of Canaan.”
Egypt seemed hospitable. Jacob’s son, Joseph, had recently risen to
the position of the highest economic bureaucrat in Pharaoh’s court. The Jews became important to the economic
development of Egypt, using their ingenuity to save it from the threat of
famine. They were convinced that their
value to the economy would guarantee security, and trusted that the power
structure would remain forever favorably disposed to them.
The Jews came to feel at home
in this exile. Years, even centuries
after the famine in Eretz Yisrael had ended and it was possible to go home
again, they lingered on and on because it was comfortable and because they
trusted that things would go on like this indefinitely.
Thus, they denied their own
homeland, their own real identity and little by little began to forget that
they had ever lived on their own soil.
And then, when their mental
slavery was complete, they were easily reduced to physical slavery.
As rulers changed upon
Egypt’s throne, the new Pharaoh found the Jews’ economic rule obsolete. He preferred to ignore the contributions
that Joseph and his family had made to Egyptian society, he needed slave labor
to erect the monumental status symbols of his empire and found it expedient and
easy to enslave the Jews.
The Jews did not raise their
voices or their hands in protest.
Then Pharaoh came to fear
that the Jews--his domestic colony--would upset the social and demographic
balance of his kingdom by their population explosion and would be a potential
threat in case war broke out.
To counter this threat, he
initiated a policy of genocide: the drowning of all the newborn Jewish males.
Again, the Jews did not raise
either their voices or their hands in protest.
It was only after the death
of Pharaoh, who had instituted the slavery policy, that the Jews began to
realize the nature of their oppression.
Until that point, they had believed that it was due solely to this King
and that it would pass. When they saw
that the Pharaoh’s death changed nothing, they finally understood that their
oppression would last as long as they remained in exile.
But still they did not raise
their hands in protest.
Moshe, who was to lead the
liberation struggle of his people, was one of the many assimilated Jews in
Egypt. He grew up in Pharaohs court,
the adopted son of the ruler’s daughter.
But Moshe, searching for his
identity, was impelled to seek out his own people. One day he went out among the Jewish slaves and saw an Egyptian
overseer beating a Jew. He killed the
overseer and hid his body in the sand.
The next day, a group of Jews threatened to turn him in and he hand to
escape quickly to Midyan.
Having left Egypt and his own
people, Moshe decided to settle down and raise a family in the peace of the
desert.
He could not avoid the
situation in Egypt. His identity and
destiny followed him even to the desert.
The vision of a burning but not consumed bush represented the ending
struggle of his people’s liberation struggle.
At first Moshe impressed the
Jewish establishment and they agreed to delegate him and his brother Aaron to
make a transitional demand of Pharaoh for a three-day religious festival in the
desert.
Pharaoh met with Moshe and
Aaron but refused to accept their demand.
He denounced them as outside agitators who intended to aggravate the
workers’ discontent. He ordered the
overseers to eliminate the supply of straw from the bricks, a necessary
ingredient, which increased the workload.
Pharaoh thus acted as a
classic oppressor, tightening rather than loosening the bonds of oppression at
the first sign of insurgency.
The Jewish establishment,
upon being told that these new burdens were the fault of Moshe and Aaron,
turned against them. The Pharaoh was unmoved
by Moses and Aaron’s pleas for justice and mercy and unfazed by threats of dire
consequences.
Pharaoh watched as his world
came crashing down around him. Frogs
and locusts swarmed over the land. The
stench of blood rose from the rivers.
Boils and lice covered the skin of the Egyptians.
Just as after the allied
invasion, Hitler devoted his energies to destroying the Jews rather than
fighting his military enemies. Pharaoh,
as an oppressor, was unable even to act in his own self-interest and bring an
end to the Plagues by letting the Jews go.
Moshe realized that, in
dealing with an oppressor, it is not enough to demonstrate superior
magic-making power or even to create massive civic disturbances. The oppressor had to be brought to his
knees.
So it was only when Pharaoh’s
first-born son died in the tenth plague that he broke and told the Jews to go.
Pharaoh however, was still an
oppressor. He quickly had a change of
heart and mobilized his chariots and cavalry to recapture the Jewish slaves, who
were now on the shores of the Red Sea.
The Jews turned around and
saw the approaching army of the Egyptians.
Even though they were 600,000 strong and the Egyptians numbered only
600, they were frightened. They turned
on Moshe for bringing them to this pass.
The waters did not divide
until on man, Nachshon, walked into the sea.
In doing this he renounced his slavery and was ready to take the
ultimate risk for his freedom, thus he became a free man. Only after Nachshon and those who followed him
had made their first break with slavery did the waters part and drown the army
of Egyptians.
A persons dream is not important because it does or does
not happen, but because
It could happen . . .
Freedom from a master is but
the first step towards liberation. A
revolution in the Jews’ consciousness and life-style was the second step. This was taken when the whole nation stood
at Mount Sinai and declared, “We shall practice and we shall learn the Torah.”
But the learning process was
not immediate. The minds of the Jews
remained enslaved throughout the 40 long years in the desert, even though their
bodies were free. Every time there was
a crisis, the Jews forgot the bitterness of slavery and remembered only the
security.
For this reason the whole
generation of Jews that came out of Egypt was unable to make the personal
revolution of casting off this galut (Diaspora) mentality and immigrate
to Eretz Yisrael. With the exception of
two men, all of them (including Moshe) died in the desert.
It was the next generation of
Jews, who had not experienced slavery that went up to the Promised Land.
Only when the Jews were
settled down again in their own homeland and became masters of their own
destiny, did they achieve true liberation.
What historical parallels
can you draw between this story and recent Jewish history?
What lesson can we learn
from this?
Do we need another
“revolution of consciousness” from the mentality of exiles to the mentality of
a free people?
The following is
another important story of Pesach:
At twilight on the second day of creation, God embedded a precious
liquid jewel in the earth, a miraculous well of pure, sparkling water. From one generation to the next, the well
belonged to those who knew how to draw up its water. Filled with mayim
chayyim, living waters, the well was a reminder to all who drank or drew
from it, that Jewish history and texts are also awell from which all may drink
and be restored.
During their Egyptian slavery, the Children of Israel lost access to
the well itself. Only by the merit of
Miriam, sister of Moshe and Aaron, did the well reappear to them during their
desert wanderings. It was revealed to
her because of the power of her voice, her intimate understanding, and insight;
she was thought worthy to be the keeper of the well.
Miriam’s father, Amram, had divorced Yochevad because he felt that by
doing so, he could prevent more births.
He wished to avoid creating more victims of the Pharaoh’s decree to kill
Jewish first-born males. But Miriam
challenged him; ‘Pharaoh has decreed that all baby boys be killed, but you are
making things worse by preventing all female births as well.’ So Amram remarried Yochaved and Moshe was
conceived. It was only the midwives’
dedication and the astonishing efforts of the women who persuaded their
husbands to keep creating new children in the face of danger that kept the
Jewish people alive.
Here we fill a glass with unique water and draw from it the depths of
tradition and the power of woman. Appreciate
Shifrah and Puah, the midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh’s order to murder all
newborn boys. Appreciate Yocheved, the
mother of Moshe. Appreciate Miriam, the
sister of moshe. Appreciate the
Pharoah’s daughter who rescues Moshe from the Nile. Pharaoh pays no mind to the women, yet it is through their daring
actions that it all began. It is
because of them that we are here tonight; it is because of them that we thank
God for our freedom. Pesach teaches us
about birth, both physical and spiritual.
The stories of Miriam abound with themes of creativity, birth and
redemption; the Legend of Miriam’s Well weaves these together.
In
what way are women vital to The Jewish People’s successful escape from Egypt?
What
does the story of Miriam’s Well teach us about the power of women?
How
can this story be applied to today’s world?
The following are the four questions traditionally
asked by the youngest member of the seder:
The following four questions correspond respectively
to the traditional questions above.
Discuss.
Question 1
Why
must we maintain a connection with our past as a Jewish Nation?
Question 2
Why
must we, as Jews take responsibility to empathize with those who are oppressed
as we were?
Question 3
What
is the significance of Pesach as a night that is different from all other
nights?
Question 4
One
Talmudic answer to this question is that we recline because we no longer have
to sit up, and do hard labor. We have
power so we can rest. Do You Agree with
this?
In
the democratic struggle for human dignity, the spirit of Pesach has played a
glorious role. The eternal quest for
human freedom has received sustenance and encouragement from the liberation of
Egypt’s slaves a millennia ago.
For Jews, Pesach marks their
birth as a free people, and its religious significance has therefore been
profound. Its exalted theme, freedom,
has been woven into the very texture of Jewish Life. The repeated reminder that God delivered the Jews from Mizrayim
(Egypt) is associated with numerous laws, observances, and ethical instructions
in the Torah. The chachamim
(wise people) have made the idea, that liberty must be won and won again in
every generation and by each individual, an integral part of daily
prayers. This identification of the
Jewish religion with the struggle for freedom has given The Jewish People the
will to live, and the will to believe that “there’s a silver lining in every
cloud”, and that God is watching them.
During the long and dreary
centuries of adversity, Jews have found renewed strength and hope in The
Festival of Freedom. Pesach unites the
generation of today with their heroic ancestors from the Days of Moshe, The
Inquisition, the “blood libels” of The Middle Ages, the cruel pogroms of
Russia, the uprising of The Warsaw Ghetto, and the unspeakable catastrophe of
Nazi Germany. Strength and freedom were
triumphant in the birth of The State of Israel. Despite degradation and suffering the Jews learned from their
past faith, and had confidence in their eternal redemption. Today, Pesach still calls The Jewish People
to hold their sacred conviction that justice and freedom for will prevail on
the face of the earth.
On the most obvious
level, how is Pesach associated with the concept of human freedom?
How does the conception that God is
constantly protecting his chosen people play a role in Jewish history?
In the introduction to her Iyunim Chadashim
(the new commentaries) in Sefer Shmot (The Book of Exodus), Nechamah
Leibowitz claims that Galut Mizrayim (exile in Egypt) was an educational
experience for the nation. She cites
some examples of Mitzvot (commandments) from the Torah concerning the treatment of one’s fellow human beings,
specifically the Ger (stranger), Yatom(orphan), Almanah(widow),
and the Eved Ivri (Hebrew slave) to prove her point. At the end of each commandment slavery in
Egypt is mentioned. The Nation of
Israel’s experiences in Egypt served as a lesson for them as they were being
transformed in to a nation. All of the
suffering and pain that we had to endure taught us to value human life and
feeling, to understand what hardship and slavery is, and what it means to be
degraded and taken advantage of. We, in
turn, realize how wrong it is to inflict such treatment on anyone else. To demonstrate
this point she presents the following story:
During the reign of the The Chashmonaim
(Hasmonian Dynasty) in Judah, The Romans were contemplating the possibility of
making a pact with Israel. They sent a
Roman senator to Judah to inspect the land, and to see whether it would be a
wise step for The Romans to take. The
senator sent back a letter warning the Romans that they would be making a
mistake signing a pact with these Jews whose laws are foolish, such as resting
on the seventh day and sending their slaves free after six years of work. He continued to say that there is no
comparison in the small amount of slaves that it holds. While the ratio of slaves to citizens in
Rome was 23-1, here in Judah it was 1-20.
He warns Rome to take heed of this nation; for it is their custom to set
slaves free after a certain period of time, and if the owner hits or harms his
slave he is considered the guilty one.
When he asked anyone why they don’t have the slave system of any other
civilized nation they would answer, “Avadim Hayinu L’Par’oh B’mizrayim”(We
were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt). Then
he relates a story about how a master and a slave were brought to court,
because a slave tried to run away. The verdict was that the slave had to
complete his six years of service, and then may go free. Why was there such an absurd verdict? “Avadim Hayinu L’Par’oh B’mizrayim”(We
were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt).
Therefore, he concludes that there is no way to reach an understanding
between Western Civilization and The Jewish Nation because of the difference in
regard for human freedom. The Jewish
Nation is a dangerous threat to Rome.
What were the moral
lessons that we gained through our sufferings in Mizrayim (Egypt)?
How are these experiences supposed to influence
our dealings with other oppressed groups?
Sing:
Be’er Borochov Said. . .
To most peoples, the festival
of Spring is a festival of liberty.
But it is remarkable that,
with these peoples, it is not human beings nor the nation, but a deity who is
liberated at the festival of Spring: the resurrection of the deity symbolizes
the Spring, the revival of Life.
Only the Jews, in their
national consciousness, have dared to connect the liberation of nature with the
liberation of the nation, with the Exodus from Egypt.
How
are the liberation of the Earth and The Exodus related on Pesach?
What’s
that I hear now, ringin’ in my ear
I’ve
heard that sound before
What’s
that I hear now, ringin’ in my ear
I
hear it more and more
It’s
the sound of freedom callin’
Ringin’
up to the sky
It’s
the sound of the old ways a-fallin’
You
can hear it if you try
You
can hear it if you try
What’s
that I see now
Shinin’
in my eyes
I’ve
seen that light before
What’s
that I see now
Shinin’
in my eyes
I
see it more and more
It’s
the light of freedom shinin’
Shinin’
up to the sky
It’s
the light of the old ways a-dyin’
You
can see it if you try
You
-an see it if you try
What’s
that I feel now
Beatin’
in my heart
I’ve
felt that beat before
What’s
that I feel now
Beatin’
in my heart
I
feel it more and more
It’s
the rumble of freedom callin’
Climbin’
up to the sky
It’s
the rumble of the old ways a-fallin’
You
can feel it if you try
You
can feel it if you try
If
you try
-Phil Ochs
1940-1976
The
First Seder on the First Day of The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising:
On the evening of April 19th I entered the house at
No. 4 Kurza Street in order to get some flashlight batteries for our fighting
group. Passing through a number of
apartments I suddenly found myself in the apartment of Rabbi Mayzel. As soon as I stepped over the threshold I
realized that it was Passover, the night of the first Seder. The
room looked as if it had been struck by a Pogrom. The bedding was jumbled together, the chairs were upset, and the
floor was strewn with various objects.
The window glass had been broken by the detonations. All of this happened during the day before
the inhabitants of the apartment came back from the bunkers. Only a table in the middle of the room had a
festive appearance and contrasted strikingly with the rest of the furniture,
and the other objects in the room.
The wine in the goblets on the table was as red as the
blood of the Jews who perished on that same day, the eve of Passover. The Hagadah was read by the Rabbi to the
accompaniment of the incessant shooting and bursting of shells which were heard
in the ghetto throughout the whole night.
The flames from the burning houses threw an
ever-brighter light through the windows, and by this flickering light you could
see the faces of the people sitting in the dark room around the Seder
table. When the Rabbi read the portion
of the Hagadah, “Pour out your wrath” he and his companions broke out in to
loud weeping. I felt that it was the
weeping of people condemned to death who already were intimate with the thought
of death but were still afraid of it at the hour of its arrival. The words of the Rabbi were filled with
sorrow for those Jews who had not lived to see the First Seder night, but his
tone, at the same time, betrayed the unspoken prayer for survival until the
Second Seder night.
Together with the rise and fall of shooting and the
fires around, the spirits grew weaker, and stronger. In the minutes of growing hopefulness the Rabbi expressed the belief
that a miracle may yet happen, as once in Egypt. But then the next minutes brought a wave of despair, and the
awareness that we are a deserted generation, which is doomed to perish down to
the last man.
The deeper the Rabbi plunged into the Hagadah, the
more oppressive became his mood. In his
thoughts the former liberation was contrasted against the hopelessness of the
present time, and he could not forget the situation with no way out. He was already tired from sitting in bunkers
the whole day, numb from the incessant shooting in the streets, stirred, and
confused by every bit of news about the situation in the ghetto, and now he was
sitting at the Seder like a stranger.
His inner feelings were adverse to any festive mood. He put aside the Hagadah and in utter
depression dropped his head heavily over the table, raising it from time to
time when he wanted to talk to me. He
wished to hear from me a few comforting words, he wanted to know about the
battles that were going on the first day of the uprising, and also about our
plans for the future.
What distinguishes this story from other’s from the
Sho’ah (Holocaust)?
Was their Seder a type of resistance?
Uncover the matzah:
This
is the poor bread which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let anyone who is hungry, come in and eat;
let anyone who is needy, come in and make Pesach. This year we are here; next year we shall be in the land of
Israel. This year we are slaves; next
year we shall be free.
What
themes does this passage stress?
What
is its message?
Blood
Frogs
Lice
Beasts
Plague
Boils
Hail
Locusts
Darkness
Slaying Of The First
Born
|
|
Here are 10 modern Plagues
APATHY DISUNITY
ENVIRENMENTAL DEGRADATION
HOMOPHOBIA
HUNGER POVERTY
RACISM POLITICAL
OPPRESSION
SEXISM WAR
Rachtzah
Now we wash our hands before the meal. We should take this time to consider the
things that we take for granted. For
example, many people in this world do not have clean water to drink and wash
with.
Blessed art thou, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who has given us
your commandments and has commanded us concerning the washing of hands.
Motzee Matzah
We now bless the matzah
Blessed art thou, Lord, our God, King of the Universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.
Blessed art thou, Lord, our God, King of the Universe,
who has made us holy with the commandments, and has commanded us concerning the
eating of matzah.
The Yeast in the dough prevents us from doing your
will.
The exhaustion of all of the cleaning and cooking.
The exclusionary language.
The weight of history.
The utter absence of women.
The assumption that we weren’t there.
Had nothing to say.
All this we have carried with us.
The injustices and the silences.
Those we have heard, and those we have not heard.
Let us gather all this together like crumbs.
Like the chametz that we are ready to
burn.
Let us enter in to this Seder as if there is no more chametz
anywhere.
As if every women had a voice, and a name, and a
story, and a pen.
As if God had forever delighted in the image of
Herself in each, and every one of us.
As if freedom had been ours always, like an open sea.
Whether or not we clean our kitchens, sell or give
away our bread, at this moment we gather to rid ourselves of the yeast in the
dough in all of our tradition that keeps us from you, from ourselves, and from
rejoicing among our people.
We gather here, before Pesach, to temporarily put
aside the chametz that will remain part of our lives, and part of our
struggles.
In doing so, we temporarily allow ourselves to taste
freedom.
How
does this selection suggest that women should celebrate Pesach?
How are the liberation of The Jewish People on Pesach, and the
liberation of women related?
Can one exist without the other?
Maror
We eat bitter herbs in order
to remind us of the suffering that we felt under the rule of The Pharaohs. We were a nation without a home. In this part of the Seder we reflect on our
past homelessness and empathize with those who still have not achieved
statehood.
Can
the need for The Palestinian People to have a homeland be related to our past
suffering?
Must
we act?
Corech
We eat a matzah and maror sandwich
Is this a
sufficient explanation for the necessity of this tradition?
Should
we do something simply because “it is written” or because it is tradition?
Shulchan
Orech
Now we eat our festive meal. This is a perfect time to look at some facts about world hunger:
Current estimates are that 700 million people in the
world, more than the entire population of the western hemisphere, do not get
enough food for an active and healthy life.
Each year 40 million people die from hunger and
hunger-related diseases. This figure is equivalent to more than 300 jumbo jet
crashes a day with no survivors, almost half of the passengers being children.
Each year 15 million children under age 5 die - 1/4 of
all the world's deaths. Up to half of those who survive suffer malnutrition
severe enough to leave them with non-reversible damage.
Poverty and Plenty. In the Northern Hemisphere
malnutrition takes the form of over - consumption of sugars, fats and animal
products resulting in obesity, heart disease and diabetes. In the US alone, at
least 1/3 of those aged over 40 can be classified as obese. In 1982, the UK
spent 235 million on slimming aids - compared to just 50 million donated to
private aid agencies.
One person in 5 in developing countries is
undernourished; one in 5 in major industrialized countries is overweight or
obese.
Each child born in the industrialized world will
consume 20 to 40 times as much as a child in the developing world in his or her
lifetime. So small population increases in the rich world, put 8 times as much
pressure on world resources as larger population increases in the poor world.
The
story of Pesach, and its traditions always refer to poverty, “The Poor Bread”
and many other references. Could this
be directly related to hunger and poverty in the world today?
Do
we receive a directive from our traditions to act to eradicate these problems
in the traditions of Pesach?
It is customary to open the door and invite Eliyahoo
Ha’Navi to the seder for a glass of wine.
We welcome Eliyahoo as he symbolizes an end to the modern plagues through
social justice and peace on earth.
Tzafun
Aphikoman is a Greek word
referring to the after meal refreshments or entertainment. In present usage, it refers to the hidden
piece of the divided matzah. When I was
little and we sought out the Afikoman my Zeidah used to complain that it was
not acceptable to reward theft and extortion.
Nonetheless we have a great time with this tradition. Every family has their own way of
participating in this game.
Barech &
Halell
Traditionally this part of the Seder is reserved for
Birkat Hamazon and Hallel. Thanking god
for the food that we ate and our liberation.
Oh who do we thank? Oh who do
we praise?
Work and Labor.
-Chaim Nachman Bialik
As Zionists who do we thank for what we
eat?
Is it ourselves, humanity, or god?
Nirtzah
