The foundation of the age-long tradition of celebrating the Passover Seder derives from a statement in the Mishnah which says, “In every generation, each inpidual is obligated to see him/herself as if he/she personally was redeemed from Egypt.  As the Torah teaches ‘You shall teach your children on that day, saying it is because of what the Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt…’” Each year as we recite the Seder, we say these words that embody the entirety of the Seder’s imperative.  Our mission of the evening is to relive the experience of our ancestors, and our Seder Read more...

As we approach the last few days of Passover, we also approach the culmination of the many miracles that brought our people to freedom. Beginning with the marvelous story of Joseph in Egypt, of his remarkable dreams and his ability to save Egypt from famine, we witnessed the enslavement of the Israelites, the birth of Moses and his extraordinary upbringing in Pharaoh's palace. Upon discovering his true nature, Moses revolts against the stifling cruelty of Pharaoh's power, fleeing to Median where he encounters a bush that burns yet is not consumed. Read more...

In every generation, all are obligated to view themselves as having personally left Egypt, since it is said, "And you shall explain to your child on that day, 'It is because of what Adonai did for me when I went free from Egypt'." Therefore we are obligated to thank, praise...and bless the One who performed all these miracles for our ancestors and for us, for bringing us from slavery to freedom, anguish to joy, mourning to festival, darkness to great light, and subjugation to redemption. --Mishnah, P'sahim.  Also in the Haggadah Read more...

Each year, we gather around our tables, surrounded by friends and family, to recount the tale of our ancestors' miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery.  As we unpack our Haggadot and look to the classical words of the rabbis and sages of old, it is worth stopping for a moment to examine the very first passage of the Seder ritual. Read more...