Dear Haverim,
The Haggadah is a script and everyone around the table gets to be part of the drama! “Improv” is even better – using the stories as a jumping-off point for animated discussion, spirited singing, intergenerational learning and profound introspection.
It’s important to realize and acknowledge, as we travel through the Seder, that each of us contains, at different stages of our lives, the diverse attitudes of the “Four Children.” Sometimes, sadly, we even act like Pharoah, but, if we are fortunate, the Moses within us wins out.
Through the Haggadah, we are reminded that we can aspire to be heroic when we manifest the courage of the Hebrew midwives Shifra and Puah, and empathic when we spill sad drops of wine from our cups for the Ten Plagues.
A good Seder joins familiarity and surprise, repetition and discovery, and ethical challenges and growth.
Please listen to each other respectfully at the Seder, especially if the discussion turns to Israel, Gaza, anti-Semitism, and American politics. Consider having an empty chair at your table to remember the Israeli hostages in Gaza and a fig on the plate as a symbol of peace. Click here for some modern Seder songs.
Experience the joy of liberation during Pesach, feel compassion for the enslaved and marginalized, and prepare for the twists and turns of life in the wilderness, while always dreaming of a better life in a more utopian future. That was our Biblical story then, and it’s still the story of everyone’s life now!
Chag Pesach Sameach,
Rabbi Arnie Rachlis
