Parts of the Seder

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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 sederOne 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

Four Questions to interview Jewish women at Passover

adult grandchild and grandmother at dinner table

Making room for yourself at the seder

Two children participate in a meal, one pouring a drink, with plates and glasses on the table.

Lifting up the stories of refugees during the seder

A collage of four people posing individually or in pairs, each in different settings.

Passover and Food Justice Seder supplement

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Passover Pyramid Cut Out

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A blessing welcoming people of other faiths to a Passover seder

Five people holding hands, walking in a field, backlit by a setting sun under a partly cloudy sky.

A haggadah supplement focusing on the theme of #BlackLivesMatter and the experiences of Jews of color

Illustration with #BLM and Hebrew letters, featuring hands, buildings, and flowers. Text: Jewish Visions for Liberation.

The four daughters of the Passover seder seen as different parts of ourselves

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Miriam’s Cup reinterpreted to highlight the relationship between adoptive moms and adopted daughters

A vintage illustration of women playing musical instruments and dancing in a pastoral setting.

Four questions and a reading for four children through the lens of food justice

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