As you prepare to celebrate PassoverPassover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt. Its Hebrew name is Pesakh. Its name derives from the tenth plague, in which God "passed over" the homes of the Jewish firstborn, slaying only the Egyptian firstborn. Passover is celebrated for a week, and many diaspora Jews celebrate for eight days. The holiday begins at home at a seder meal and ritual the first (and sometimes second) night. Jews tell the story of the Exodus using a text called the haggadah, and eat specific food (matzah, maror, haroset, etc). with your loved ones, please enjoy the AJWS Global Justice HaggadahLit. "Telling.” The haggadah is the book used at the seder table on Passover to tell the story of the Exodus, the central commandment of the holiday. It is rich in song, prayer, and legend. There are many different version of the Haggadah produced throughout Jewish history.: Next Year in a Just World, which weaves together the Passover rituals with the stories of people around the globe who are seeking freedom and justice for themselves today.
AJWS also has a new SederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted following the haggadah, a book for this purpose. The mystics of Sefat also created a seder for Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees. reading, An Exodus in Our Time: A Reflection on the Rohingya Crisis, which calls on the Jewish community to stop the horrific ethnic cleansing taking place today against the Rohingya people of Burma. AJWS has designed these resources to be used at the Seder table to inspire thoughtful reflections and conversation about the meaning of Passover today. You can find downloadable and printable versions below.
Learn more about American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and their Passover resources here.
