WOMEN’S HAGGADAH

KOL TIKVAH

Introduction

What is a Woman’s Seder? The Passover story is based on the theme of oppression to freedom. This is a resounding theme for women. Women have found themselves oppressed - oppressed by gender, oppressed by society, oppressed by unrealistic expectations. Despite oppression, women have continue to rise and find freedom.

Some might say that we have reached an age where women are truly equal and no longer need a Seder of their own. However, for all of the gains that women have made, inequality still exists. Women are still oppressed by unequal pay, illegal trafficking of women, and pervasive bigotry that extends beyond women.

The purpose of the Passover Seder is to share the story so that we can learn from it. As the activist Emma Goldman said:

“The history of progress is written in the blood of men and women who have dared to espouse an unpopular cause, as, for instance, the black man’s right to his body, or woman’s right to her soul.”

As long as there is inequality in the world, we need to tell the story. We begin the story with oppression then journey to freedom and end with the hope of a world renewed.

Welcome

B’ruchot HaBaot Music and Lyrics by Debbie Friedman

B’ruchot ha-ba-ot ta-chat kan-fei ha-Sh’chinaB’ruchim ha-ba-im ta-chat kan-fei ha-Sh’chinaMay you be blessed beneath the wings of Sh’chinaBe blessed with love, be blessed with peace.

Awaken, Arise!Awaken, Arise to the wholeness of your being.Awaken, Arise to the beauty of your soul.Hitor’ri hit’or’ri ki va oresKumi Ori(Wake up, wake up, for your light is coming. Arise my light!)

Hadlakat Neirot - Candlelighting

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם אשרקדשנו במצותיה וצונו להדליק נר של יום

טוב.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvoteha v’tzivanu lahadlik ner shel Yom Tov.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who makes us holy with mitzvot, and call upon us to kindle the light of this Festival day.

Shecheyanu - Blessing this Special Moment in Time

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם שעשתהנסים לאמותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam she-astah nisim l’imoteinu bayamim hahem baz’man hazeh.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who made miracles for our mothers before us and enabled us to reach this season.

Order of the Seder

Kadesh קדשUrchatz ורחץKarpas כרפסYachatz יחץMagid מגיד

Rachtza רחצה Motzi מוציא מצה

MatzahMaror מרורKorech כור

Shulchan שלחן עורOrech

Tzafun צפוןBarech ברHallel הלל

Nirtzah נרצה

Kadesh - Cup #1

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם בוראת פרי הגפן.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam boreit p’ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who creates the fruit of the vine.

Urchatz - Ritual Washing Hands

By Laurel Almerinda

This symbolic washing recalls the story of Miriam's Well.  Legend tells us that this well followed Miriam, sister of Moses, through the desert, sustaining the Jews in their wanderings.  Filled with mayim chayim, waters of life, the well was a source of strength and renewal to all who drew from it. One drink from its waters was said to alert the heart, mind and soul, and make the meaning of Torah come alive.

We will now wash our neighbor's hands, using a pitcher and bowl.

Pour the water to over your neighbors’ right hand. Repeat. Repeat again. Pour the water to over your neighbors’ left hand. Repeat. Repeat again. Dry hands.

Karpas - Dipping Greens into Saltwater

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם בוראת פרי האדמה.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam boreit p’ri ha-adamah.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who creates the fruit of the earth.

Yachatz - Breaking the Middle Matzah

Yachatz, Becca Wiener from haggadot.com

How often do we think about the meaning of yachatz? We merely break the middle matzah and hide one-half of it for the children to find and collect a

reward at the end of the Seder.

Normally when we break bread we say a prayer. Yet, when we break the

middle matzah….no prayer. How can that be? We Jews have prayers for everything we do. So what does the breaking of the matzah into two pieces

symbolize?

On Passover, we celebrate freedom. But, to reach freedom, the Jewish

slaves had to escape from Egypt and Pharoah’s army. Miraculously, the Red Sea split and the Jews were able to cross without harm. Yet Pharoah’s

army was swallowed alive. Is splitting the matzah a symbol of the splitting of the Red Sea?

Or, is this silent and reflective act of the breaking of the matzah a symbol for our incompleteness? We have prayers to be finished and promises to

be redeemed. We hide part of the broken matzah, hoping it will be found at the end of the Seder, and pray that we will ultimately know ourselves. We

continue to discover what makes us whole. As we hide the larger broken part of the matzah we recognize that more is hidden to us than revealed.

With many generations before us and with each other here, our search for our future presses on. And, the revelation of our true selves is yet to come.

Maggid - Telling the Story

The Heroic and Visionary Women of Passover

By Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Appointed by President William Jefferson Clinton in 1993, she is known as

a strong voice for gender equality, the rights of workers, and separation

between church and state.

Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt is a rabbi at Adas Israel Congregation in

Washington, D.C.. She is co-creator of two nationally recognized

community engagement projects—MakomDC and the Jewish Mindfulness

Center of Washington.

On Passover, Jews are commanded to tell the story of the Exodus and to

see ourselves as having lived through that story, so that we may better

learn how to live our lives today. The stories we tell our children shape what

they believe to be possible—which is why at Passover, we must tell the

stories of the women who played a crucial role in the Exodus narrative.

The Book of Exodus, much like the Book of Genesis, opens in pervasive

darkness. Genesis describes the earth as “unformed and void, with

darkness over the surface of the deep.”1 In Exodus, darkness attends the

accession of a new Pharaoh who feared the Israelites and so enslaved

them. God alone lights the way out of the darkness in Genesis. But in

Exodus, God has many partners, first among them, five brave women.

There is Yocheved, Moses’ mother, and Shifra and Puah, the famous

midwives. Each defies Pharaoh’s decree to kill the Israelite baby boys. And

there is Miriam, Moses’ sister, about whom the following midrash is taught:

[When Miriam’s only brother was Aaron] she prophesied… “my mother is

destined to bear a son who will save Israel.” When [Moses] was born the

whole house… filled with light[.] [Miriam’s] father arose and kissed her on

the head, saying, “My daughter, your prophecy has been fulfilled.” But

when they threw [Moses] into the river her father tapped her on the head

saying, “Daughter, where is your prophecy?” So it is written, “And [Miriam]

stood afar off to know what would be[come of] the latter part of her

prophecy.”2

Finally, there is Pharaoh’s daughter Batya, who defies her own father and

plucks baby Moses out of the Nile. The Midrash reminds us that Batya

knew exactly what she doing:

When Pharaoh’s daughter’s handmaidens saw that she intended to rescue

Moses, they attempted to dissuade her, and persuade her to heed her

father. They said to her: “Our mistress, it is the way of the world that when

a king issues a decree, it is not heeded by the entire world, but his children

and the members of his household do observe it, and you wish to

transgress your father’s decree?”3

But transgress she did.

These women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their

world. They were women of action, prepared to defy authority to make their

vision a reality bathed in the light of the day.

Retelling the heroic stories of Yocheved, Shifra, Puah, Miriam and Batya

reminds our daughters that with vision and the courage to act, they can

carry forward the tradition those intrepid women launched.

While there is much light in today’s world, there remains in our universe

disheartening darkness, inhumanity spawned by ignorance and hate. We

see horrific examples in the Middle East, parts of Africa, and Ukraine. The

Passover story recalls to all of us—women and men—that with vision and

action we can join hands with others of like mind, kindling lights along paths

leading out of the terrifying darkness.

1 Genesis 1:2

2 Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14a

3 Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 12

Ma Nishtana

By Mara and Wayne Schulman

A British Jew is waiting to be knighted by the Queen. He is to kneel in front of her and recite a sentence in Latin when she taps him on the shoulders

with her sword. However, when his turn comes, he panics in the

excitement of the moment and forgets the Latin. Then, thinking fast, he

recites the only other sentence he know is a foreign language, which he remembers from the Passover seder:

“Ma nishtana ha-layla ha zeh mi kol ha-laylot.”

Puzzled, Her Majesty turns to her advisor and whispers, “Why is this knight different from all other knights?”

A Feminist Ma Nishtana by Alexandra Benjamin

At all other Seders, our minds can be full of stressful anticipation for the night different from all other nights, whether we are surrounded by our

nearest and dearest, our friends, or complete strangers. Tonight, may we

enjoy a calming and empowering evening surrounded by our "sisters".

At all other Seders, we can be concerned about food- whether we have eaten too much or too little, whether people find what we've prepared tasty,

how we're going to survive the sheer quantities of matzot and our overall

appearance. Tonight, may we all be free of food and body consciousness,

anxieties and insecurities.

At all other Seders, we read of the heroic struggles and soul-searching of our forebears as they left Egypt. Tonight, we will consider our personal acts

of heroism as we struggle to break free from the shackles which imprison

our respective souls, and celebrate the many Heroines in our daily lives.

The Four Board MembersBy Carol Fischer

Over the years, I have had the privilege to serve as a chairperson, officer or president of many different organizations. It’s my experience that with each

group the members often fell into different categories. Often reminiscent of

the four sons in the Haggadah.

There’s always the “wise” one. The one

who asks intelligent questions and collaborates idea on how together we

can solve an issue. This is the one who listens to all sides of the issue.

This is the one who listens to all sides of the issue, weighs the

consequences of each action and then makes a clear, well thought out decision. This person uses their words sparingly - only speaking when

there is something of value to say - not just to hear themselves talk.

In contrast, there’s also the “wicked” one. The one who asks questions just

to hear themselves talk, often not listening to the answers. They ask, “How are you going to solve this issue?” “What is your plan?” Yours, not theirs,

not ours. They disassociate themselves from the issue. They don’t think

they can be part of the

solution. They bear no responsibility.

The simple one rarely participates in any

discussion. They can be seen daydreaming, looking at their phone or

simply doodling. Like the wicked one, they don’t think they are part of the

solution. They are aloof. They ask, “What is this issue?” “What can I do about it?” Unlike the wicked one, they exhibit a willingness to learn, to try.

The one who does not know how to ask is too timid to participate. They

might be new to the group. They often feel too insecure to speak up for

fear of being drowned out by the more aggressive voices. This person

needs training and encouragement to participate. They will find their voice. We are enriched by their presence.

Ten Plagues

PLAGUES OF OUR LIVES

As we prepare to celebrate the Festival of Freedom, let us think for a moment about slavery. What does it mean to live your life at someone else’s mercy? To never be good enough. To always be subjugated. To live in fear. The penalty for escaping is severe punishment or death. The penalty for staying is loss of self. A battered woman is a slave to her abuser, as the Israelites were slaves to Pharaoh. Our ancestors, while free, complained of hunger and wanted to go back to Egypt, where, even if enslaved, at least they had food. Yes, even today, some still blame women who return to their abusers. We speak today for those women who still live in slavery, still feel the daily yoke of a Pharaoh’s oppression. Battered women live under a domestic reign of terror and can only dream of the promise of freedom. These plagues dwell in the desert where she must wander for years, often alone. If she is one of the lucky ones, she will arrive safely in the Promised Land of a new life.

We recite together: Disbelief

Blame Injury

Humiliation Trauma Stalking Threats

Loneliness Nightmares

. . . and ALL plagues of violence against women.

Dayeinu

אלו הוציאנו ממצרים דינו.אלו נתן לנו את השבת דינו.

אלו נתן לנו את התורה.Ilu ho’tzianu mi’Mitzraim, Dayeinu. Ilu natan lanu et ha-Shabbat, Dayeinu. Ilu natuan lanu et ha-Torah, Dayeinu.

If God had only taken us out of Egypt, it would have been enough.If God had only given us Shabbat, it would have been enough.If God had only given us the Torah, it would have been enough.

Cup #2

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם בוראת פרי הגפן.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam boreit p’ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who creates the fruit of the vine

Rochtzah - Washing Hands

By Laurel Almerinda

This time we will wash our own hands. As we wash, let us wash away something we want to rid ourselves of this coming year.

Once everyone has washed, we will recite the blessing together. After the

blessing we will remain in silent reflection until reciting the blessing for

bread and partaking of some.

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם אשרקדשנו במצותיה וצונו על נטילת ידים.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvoteha v’tzivanu al netflat yadaiim.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who makes us holy with mitzvot and commanded us to wash our hands.

Motzi Matzah - Eating Matzah

By Pam MarshallMotzi: The Blessing over Bread

Passover is about so much and yet so little. At its simplest, it is about the Exodus - Freedom. But what is a basic philosophical concept has become an elaborate meal. It is about family gathering from afar. It is about special dishes, both in use and appearance. It has grown for a commandment to roast lamb to multiple entrees of lamb, brisket and chicken. The dessert can be as simple as the broken piece of afikomen or as complex as a perfected flourless chocolate cake. But for me, it is about the bread.

Who doesn't love bread? Rye, sourdough, pita, saltines. And, yes, even matzah. Bread feeds the body and feeds the soul. Bread has fed the world and sustained humanity. Bread, mashed grain and water, is what brought nomadic hunter/gatherers from the wilderness into communities 10,000 years ago. And as communities developed, spiritual life evolved and humanity blossomed, with one of the truest signs of community being the ritual and communal breaking of bread.

That is the beauty of Passover for me. We share bread, we literally break bread, and we do it together ritually as a Jewish community. Our motzi and the eating of matzah connects us to all Jews who have been breaking bread together for the past 5,000 years. And we are further connected to all humanity who has been breaking bread together since the dawn of civilization.

By JoAnn Levey Matzah

Matzah is often referred to as both the Bread of Slavery and the Bread of Freedom, to remind us of both the hardship of slavery and our people’s hasty transition to freedom.

There are 2 theories to explain why there are 3 matzot on the seder plate. The 3 matzah represent Kohen, Levi and Yisrael.Sarah baked cakes for her husband’s 3 angelic visitors. The 3 patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

A new tradition adds a 4th matzah to represent hope for Jews that are still enslaved by oppression around the world. When we celebrate Passover, we commit ourselves to the continuing struggle against oppression.

In our generation, matzah has become a symbol of hope, urging us to speak for those who do not yet know freedom. We become voices for those locked in prison cells, exiled from their homes, families and communities

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולםהמוציאה לחם מן הארץ.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who brings forth bread from the ground.

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם אשרקדשנו במצותיה וצונו על אכילת מצה.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvoteha v’tzivanu al achilat matzah.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who makes us holy with mitzvot and commanded us to eat matzah.

Maror - Bitter Herbs

Haggadah Shel Pesach compiled and written by Miriam Grant, Jo Hirshmann, and Elizabeth Wilson

The maror stimulates our senses, let us use it as a stimulus to action to remind us that struggle is better than complicit acceptance of injustice. We

taste the bitter herbs and recognize the bitter consequences of exploitation:

the loss of lives and the waste of the powerful potential of all people.

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם אשרקדשנו במצותיה וצונו על אכילת מרור.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvoteha v’tzivanu al achilat maror.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who makes us holy with mitzvot and commanded us to eat the bitter herbs.

Korech - Hillel Sandwich

By Chris Wilson

We eat the bitter herb and matzah. We add the charoset and often speak of mixing the bitter with the sweet. However, we also refer to the sweet charoset as symbolizing the mortar used by our people in slavery to build structures for their Egyptian masters.

This reminds us that, in our own country, we also have beautiful places that were built by slaves. We recall First Lady Michelle Obama's speech in which she said, of the White House: "today, I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves." And, there are many other such landmarks including the US Capitol, George Washington's Mt. Vernon, and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Therefore, despite its sweetness, the charoset also reminds us of the evils of slavery in our own country and elsewhere in the world today and calls us to work against it as we strive to heal our world.

זכר למקדש כהלל. כן עשה בזמן שבית המקדש היה קים.

Zecher l’mikdash k’Hillel. Ken asah Hillel b’zaan she’beit hamikdash haya kayam.

In memory of the Temple according to Hillel. This is what Hillel would do when the Temple existed.

היה כור מצה ומרור ואוכל ביחד לקיםמה שנאמר: על מצות ומרורים יאכלהו.

Hayah korech matzah u’maror v’ochel b’yachad ma she’neemar: al matzot u’merurim yochluhu.

He would wrap the matzah and bitter herb and eat them together in order to fulfill what is stated (Exodus 12:15): You should eat it upon matzah and bitter herbs.

Shulchan Orech - Festive Meal

Tzafun - Eating the Afikomen

By Melissa Surbeck

The Afikomen symbolizes the Pesach sacrifice and is eaten at the end of the meal. It is eaten last to finish the seder with Matzah. It symbolizes how the Jews survived in Egypt therefore we will always sense the feeling of survival. First, we must find the afikoman. Then, we eat it in a reclining position, preferably before midnight. It is to be divided among all members of the household and each person receives the volume of an olive.

Whether we sense it or not, tasteless as it may seem, the matzah we eat now reaches deep into our core and transforms our very being.

Barech - Blessing After the Meal

ברוכה ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולםהזנה את העולם כלו בטובה בחסד וברחמים היא נותנת לחם לכל בשר

כי לעולם חסדה. ובטובה הגדולה תמיד לא חסר לנו ואל יחסר לנו מזון לעולם ועד.

בעבור שמה הגדול כי היא אל זנה ומפרנסת לכל ומטיבה לכל ומכינה

מזון לכל בריותיה אשר בראה. ברוכה ברוכה את יה הזנה את הכל.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam hazana et ha-olem kulo b’tuvah b’chen b’chesed u’vrachamim hi notenten lechem l’chol basar ki l’olam chasdah. Uv’tuvah hagadolah tamid lo chasar lanu v’ al yechsar lanu mason l’olam vaed. Ba’avur semah hagadl, ki hi el zanah u’mfarneset l’kol u’meitivah la’kol u’mechinah mazon l’chol bri’oteha asher barah. Barucha At Yah, hazanah et ha’kol.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who nourishes the entire world in goodness, in grace and in mercy; God gives bread to all flesh since God’s kinds is forever. And in God’s great goodness, we always have not lacked, and may we not lack nourishment forever and always, because of God’s great name. Since God is a power that feeds and provides for all and does good to all and prepares nourishment for all of God’s creatures that God created. Blessed are You, Adonai, who sustains all.

Cup #3

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם בוראת פרי הגפן.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam boreit p’ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who creates the fruit of the vine.

Miriam’s Cup

We open the door to welcome the prophet, Miriam, into our home. Praying for the day when all of the world will be at peace.

מרים הנביאה עז וזמרה בידהמרים תרקד אתנו להגדיל זמרת עולם

מרים תרקד אתנו לתקן את העולםבמהרה בימינו היא תביאנו

אל מי הישועה

Miriam ha-n’viah oz v’zimrah b’yada Miriam tirkod itanu l’hagdil zimrat olam Miriam tirkod itanu l’taken et ha-olam Bimheyrah v’yameynu hi t’vi’einu El mey ha-y’shuah

Miriam the prophet, strength and song in her handMiriam dance with us in order to increase the song of the worldMiriam dance with us in order to repair the worldSoon she will bring us to the waters of redemption

Hallel - Words of Praise

By Nancy Endman

Sing to the tune of Dayenu

Responsively:

Give thanks to God for God is good.God’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!Let Israel sayGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!Let the house of Aaron sayGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!Let those who revere God sayGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!The sun to reign by day and the moon and starts to reign by nightGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!

Sing Chorus to Hallelujah

Responsively:To God who smote the Egyptians with their first born and took Israel out from among themGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!To God who parted the Red Sea and caused Israel to pass through itGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!Who led the people through the wildnernessGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!Give thanks to God of all HeavenGod’s kindness endures forever, Hallelujah!

Sing Chorus to Hallelujah

Cup #4

ברוכה את יה אלהינו רוח העולם בוראת פרי הגפן.

B’rucha At Yah Eloheinu ruach ha-olam boreit p’ri hagafen.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Spirit of the World who creates the fruit of the vine

Nirtzah

לשנה הבאה ביושליםL’shanah ha’baah b’Yerushalayim

Next year in Jerusalem!