As I read through and participated in this Seder tonight, I could not put out of my mind the many Refugees who have left their homeland to seek places of safety rather than dealing with Violence and/or poverty.
-------
THE SEDER CELEBRATION
THE SEDER BEGINS
PEOPLE:Tonight, we participate in the Seder of two communities, African-American and Jewish-two communities that have known the struggle for freedom. We were oppressed, we were enslaved; out task tonight is to remember that history. We dreamed dreams-dreams of equality, justice, and peace; tonight we are privileged to renew those dreams.
Leader:
Many of the symbols used tonight may be strange to some gathered here. But the message of the songs and the symbols will be familiar; their message is one of freedom. We are together because we know that justice and freedom are indivisible. May this message ring through the hills and valleys of our land and across the seas.
We gather for a sacred celebration. Linking and bonding the past with the future, we heed once again the Divine call to service. Living this story, that is told for all people, we gather to observe the Passover, as it is written.
PEOPLE:
You shall keep the feast of Unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out lf Egypt. You shall observe this day throughout your generations as a practice for all times. Remember the day on which you went forth from the house of bondage, and how God freed you with a mighty hand.
LEADER:
To celebrate the Seder is not merely to recall the Exodus; it is to recapture it. So it is not enough to remember, we must enter the story and, through prayer, song symbol and ceremony, make it our own. We must feel the lash and feel the hope that defeats its pain. We must feel the water at our feet and the fresh breeze of freedom on the face.
PEOPLE:
And as we do, then our hearts will be open to all today who still live in Pharoah's domain, and to all those for whom the Exodus has not yet happened. This great gift of freedom was given to us. These miracles were done for us. For us the waters parted. Let us merit what has been given us by becoming the agents of freedom for all God's children who dwell in darness.
LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES
LEADER:
Our Pasover celebration begins with the lighting of the candles. As we kindle these light, we rededicate ourselves to keep alive the burning flame of justice.
PEOPLE:
We praise You, O God, Sovereign of the universe, Who sanctifies us through the commandments to kindle the Festival (Shabbat) lights.
THE FIRST CUP: THE CUP OF HISTORY
LEADER:
The first cup is the cup of sanctification which reminds us of the sacred bond between God and the Jewish people, and between us and the generations preceding and following us.
PEOPLE:
We praise You, God, Sovereign of the universe! You have called us for service from among the peoples, and have hallowed our lives with commandments. Praise are You, Adonai our God, Who gave us this joyous heritage and Who sanctifies (Shabbat) Israel and the Festivals.
(Raise cups, but DO NOT drink)
LEADER:
The Sheh'heh'cheh'yanu blessing is prayer of thanks we offer to God for the opportunity to celebrate new beginning and joyous occasions. Tonight we recite this blessing in gratitude for this opportunity to come together.
PEOPLE:
We praise You, O God, Sovereign of the universe, Who has kept us in life, sustained us, and brought us to this very moment!
KARPAS (PARSLEY): REBIRTH AND RENEWAL
LEADER:
The Passover Festival of Freedom was grafted onto a yet more ancient hliday, the holiday that marked the spring harvest.
LEADER:
The fresh greens of spring serve a special purpose at this point in our Seder. As we dip the parsley, or karpas, into salt water, we remember all those who still suffer under the yoke of oppression with this symbol of the tears of slavery.
PEOPLE:
(We dip and eat the greens)
YACHATZ: A BOND FORMED BY SHARING
LEADER:
There are three pieces of matzah, the bread of poverty and affliction, this plate. We break the middle matzah and conceal one half as the aikomen, an ancient Greek word for "desert." Why do we break the matzah in half?
PEOPLE:
Because the story we are about to tell is a story of how a people were broken by slavery. We begin with the break, but we do not conclude our Seder until the halves are reunited, symbolizing how this brokenness was made whole by freedom.
LEADER:
For Jewish people, the hope of freedom is symbolized by the prayer: "Next year in Jerusalem."
THE SEDER SYMBOLS: PESACH, MATZAH, MAROR
LEADER:
(Holding up the shank bone)
What is the meaning of THIS?
The Pesach, or shan bone, is a reminder of God's instruction to the Jews to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood - an indication to the Angel of Death to "pass over" their houses and spare their first-born.
(Holding up the matzah)
The matzah was meant to recall that the dough prepared in haste by the Israelites did no have time to rise before the final act of deliverance. And they baked unleavened cakes of dough since they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay, not had they prepared provisions for themselves (Exodus 12:39[Exodus 12:39 They baked matzah loaves from the dough they had brought out of Egypt, since it was unleavened; because they had been driven out of Egypt without time to prepare supplies for themselves.]).
PEOPLE:
We link ourselves today as we fulfill the commandment: For seven days shall you eat matzah, that you may remember your departure from Egypt as long as you live (Deuteronomy 16:3[Deuteronomy 16:3 You are not to eat any hametz with it; for seven days you are to eat with it matzah, the bread of affliction; for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste. Thus you will remember the day you left the land of Egypt as long as you live.]).
LEADER:
(Holding up maror)
What is the meaning of THIS?
We eat maror, or bitter herbs, to remind us of how the Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors.
PEOPLE:
Today, as well, wherever slavery or oppression of any sort remains, we taste its bitterness.
MOTZI, MATZAH, MAROR: THE BLESSING OF FOOD
LEADER:
We link ourselves with our brothers and sisters in this world who are not yet free as we fulfill the commandment to eat matzah, the bread of affliction.
PEOPLE:
We praise you, O God, Sovereign of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth. We praise You, O God, Sovereign of The Universe, Who hallows our lives with commandments, and has commanded us regarding the eating of matzah.
(We eat the matzah)
PEOPLE:We take the matzah in our hand and we invite all who hunger to share this meager bread with us. Those in need are often nameless to us, faceless. But all of us are required to reach out a hand to those in need, to share our blessings.
LEADER:
An so we say together:
PEOPLE:
This is the bread of afflection that our ancestors are in the land of Egypt, Let all who are hungry enter and eat; let all who are needy join our Passover feast. This year, we are here; next year, may we be in Jerusalem. This year, we are slaves; next year, may we be free. Once we were slaves; today we are free people!
MATZAH OF HOPE
LEADER:This is the matzah of hope. We are brothers and sisters in sorrow. But most of all, we are brothers and sisters in hope. Whether Jew or African-American or whatever, the only enslavement we acknowledge is this: We are prisoners of hope.
PEOPLE:
"We must affirm that every human life is a reflection of divinity, and every act of injustice mars and defaces the image of God in humanity." (Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.)
THE FOUR QUESTIONS
LEADER:We come to the four questions the tradition has proposed to us. So let these four questions serve as examples. Let them serve as the beginning of our discussions.
Why is this night different from all other nights?
- On the other nights we eat leavened bread or matzah; why on this night only matzah?
- On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, why on this night do we especially eat bitter herbs?
- On all other nights we do not dip herbs at all, why on this night do we dip them twice?
- On all other nights we eat either siting up or reclining, why on this night do we all recline?
Because on all other nights we eat alone in our own communities - in our own homes - while tonight we've crossed boundaries to eat with one another.
Because on all other nights we recite our personal histories - to ourselves - while tonight we are listening to each other's stories.
Because on all other nights we focus on our particular identity, while tonight we are conscious of our universal humanity.
Because on all other nights we accept our separateness while tonight we acknowledge our incompleteness and seek to build bridges across the gaps that have kept us apart.
MAROR
PEOPLE:
We praise You, O God, Sovereign of The Universe, Who hallows our lives with commandments, and has commanded us regarded the eating of matzah.
LEADER:
And now, finally, we approach the meal, a kind of intermission in the Seder. We begin with the charaset, mixture of apples, nuts, wine and spices into a paste. Its texture symbolizes the mortar our ancestors used to build the Pharoah's pyramids; its sweetness symbolic of the blessing of freedom.
It is customary to begin the meal with hard boiled eggs dipped in salt water. The egg has come to symbolize growth, new life, and hope. The roasted egg on the Seder plate has come to represent the ancient Temple service in Jerusalem, the holy City.
And now, finally, we approach the meal, a kind of intermission in the Seder. We begin with the charaset, mixture of apples, nuts, wine and spices into a paste. Its texture symbolizes the mortar our ancestors used to build the Pharoah's pyramids; its sweetness symbolic of the blessing of freedom.
It is customary to begin the meal with hard boiled eggs dipped in salt water. The egg has come to symbolize growth, new life, and hope. The roasted egg on the Seder plate has come to represent the ancient Temple service in Jerusalem, the holy City.
SHULCHAN ORECH: THE MEAL IS SERVED!
BIRKAT HAMAZON: PRAYER AFTER THE MEAL
LEADER:
Friends, let us say grace.
PEOPLE:
May the name of the Eternal One be blessed, now and forever!
LEADER:
Let us praise God of Whose bounty we have partaken!
PEOPLE:
Blessed is the name of God now and forever. With your permission, let us thank God whose food we have eaten. Blessed is God whose food we have eaten and through whose goodness we live. Blessed is God and blessed is God's name.
THE THIRD CUP: THE CUP OF THE CHILDREN
LEADER:
Elijah the Prohet challenged the injustice of the king and overthrew the worship of Ba'al. He healed the sick and helped the widow. This man of mystery became associated with the messianic hopes of our people. The prophet Malachi promised Elijah would come to announce that time when all humanity would celebrate freedom. (We open the door)
PEOPLE:
As we confront the injustice of this world may we be like Elijah, who in defense of justice, challenged power.
LEADER:
Hence, he has a place in every Seder. We open the door that he may enter, and set a cup of wine to represent the triumph of justice and freedom for all God's children, May Elijah the Prophet come soon and in our time, ushering in the Messianic age.
NIRTZAH: CONCLUSION
LEADER:
The story we have told, this year as every year, is not yet done. It begins with them, then it continues with us now. We remember not out of curiosity or nostalgia, but because it is our turn to add to the story.
PEOPLE:
Our challenge this year, is to feel the Exodus, to open the gates of time and become one with those who crossed the Red Sea from slavery to freedom. Our challenge this day, is to reach out our hands to them and help them cross to freedom land.
LEADER:
As our Seder comes to an end, we raise our cups one last time and speak of hope. These things we have seen and continue to see with our own eyes all over the world today, the stunning transformation to a land of promise, free at last, freedom and peace, at last.
PEOPLE:
So the dream is not a fantasy, the hope is not a delusion. Let our final cup be raised in honor of all who give freedom a face and a name, whose lives nourish the blossoms of freedom around the world and enable us to hope. Next year, may all who are today denied freedom dwell in the Jeusalems of their longing, united with their loved ones, together, at home, at last.
(We raise our cup)
We praise You, O God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
(We drink the fourth cup)
ALL PEOPLE RE CREATED EQUAL.
NO PERSON IS GOOD ENOUGH TO GOVERN ANOTHER.
BETTER TO DIE FREE THAN TO LIVE AS SLAVES.
LEADER:
The Seder service now concludes. Its rites observed in full. Its purposes revealed.
PEOPLE:
This privilege we share will always be renewed until God's plan I known in full, and God's highest blessing sealed
---------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment