Parts of the Seder

Passover Haggadah

The Passover seder is traditionally divided into 15 steps, sometimes viewed as the steps from slavery toward freedom. In addition to the traditional 15 steps, our listing provides the constituent parts of maggid, the telling of the Passover story, as well as several other rituals commonly found at the seder. One of the crucial elements of slavery was that the Jews were not able to form themselves as a viable community. Egyptian taskmasters rigidly regulated their lives, preventing any sense of communion and solidarity. And so, on Pesakh night, the essence of the seder is to constitute ourselves as a Jewish community. Three quintessential acts define Jewish community, and all three of those are at the core of our seder experience: we break bread, demonstrating our covenantal relationship to each other and to God; we learn Torah; and we invite the poor and hungry to share our meal with us, demonstrating that our community is one which extends itself to those in need. 

Latest Rituals

The text is taken completely from the source, but arranged as a found poem.
a plate of matzah and spring flowers
“She taught me to walk headlong … into impossible waters”
woman with long brown hair shown from behind in a white tunic sitting in desert sand, her arms raised to the sky with arcs of sand falling on both sides, looking at setting sun in grayish brown cloudy sky
An intention for washing hands during Urkhatz
close up of cupped white hands under flowing water
“The entire seder takes place between the two halves of a broken matzah.”
close up of pile of matzot shown from the side
“I am walking / because there was no sense in staying”
woman walking barefoot in desert wearing loose striped dress with hair blowing in the wind
“Not that we didn’t feel responsible, but really it was God”
closeup of wine glass and person's hand holding a haggadah
“Miriam’s timbrel still echoes among the rocks”
Miriam’s Well
“The last three years have not been easy, even for the children who are acting like they have been”
The Four Children of the (Continued) Pandemic
Statements of gratitude paired with each of the 15 steps of the Passover seder
15 Steps of Gratitude, 15 Steps to Freedom: For the Passover Seder
“However we have abused ourselves or others, something within us remains pure”
Recovery Dayeinu

The Reconstructionist Network

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