Pesach/Passover

As Emma Lazarus taught us, “until we are all free, we are none of us free.” Even once the Israelites left that narrow place, Egypt, they were still pursued by Pharaoh and his army. They eventually came to stand at the shore of the sea, at the crossroads of history; that is where we stand today. 

I wonder if, this year, the lachma anya, the matzah that represents deprivation, can help us bring some meaning to the wait. While for many months our deprivation has been uncontrolled, now it is controlled, in that we can realistically hope and pray and plan for a future of abundance. 

Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Rabbi Lev Meirowitz-Nelson, and Ronit Schlam offer simple tips to make 2020's unusual seder meaningful instead of daunting.  The webinar can be a useful resource whether you are the people at your seder will be tweens or older — leading a seder for young children is its own, separate challenge — and if…

A d'var Torah for Chol HaMoed Pesach. “Let My people go,” God famously said to Moses. We usually don’t finish the quote, which ends “...so that they may serve Me.” Freedom, the rabbis say quite plainly, is another kind of servitude. The cheirut, freedom, that the Jews achieved on Passover (z’man cheiruteinu, the time of our…

A d'var Torah for Pesach by T'ruah rabbinic intern Frankie Sandmel and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. This d’var Torah is based on Dr. El-Sayed’s remarks on the T’ruah webinar on March 18, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic will, without doubt, be at the center of all our Passovers. No matter how you mark the holiday, the impact will…

The supplement offers a discussion activity for the Four Children and a reading to deepen the significance of opening the door for Elijah.

T’ruah’s updated haggadah on fighting modern slavery features an engaging examination of this critical human rights issue, with classical and contemporary texts. It also includes dozens of side-commentaries by rabbis, activists, and survivors of human trafficking, and original artwork by children held in detention centers.

With the seders behind us, we are on our way to the Red Sea. But we’re not fully free yet. On the last day of Passover, according to tradition, we find ourselves trapped, with the Red Sea in front of us and Pharoah’s army closing in from behind. Moses tells us, “Have no fear! Stand by…

Many years ago I was a guest at a seder in Jerusalem. Around the table, in classic Yerushalmi (Jerusalemite) style, was a sampling of all the typical residents and tourists. Some were American, some native Israelis, some Yemenite immigrants, some religious, some heretics, some crazy. Old, young, and in between. It was a lively scene, and…

A supplemental reading and discussion prompts for your Passover seder, as you retell the story of our slavery in Egypt. We recommend you download and print this beautifully designed PDF in full color, but you can also scroll down for the full text. Find more Passover resources here.       Our oppression in Egypt was…