Passover

Passover is the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday in North America. What makes Passover appealing to so many of us? Is it the fact that Passover is a home-based holiday, which offers an opportunity for family and friends to gather around the seder table, recalling past memories and creating new ones? Or is it that the core themes of slavery and liberation still resonate so deeply within us that we want to retell the story of Passover again and again each year? From our elaborate holiday preparations through the seder rituals and beyond, the timeless Jewish traditions of Passover have been transformed and enhanced by feminist contributions to Jewish ritual. Seder tables around the world feature new interpretations and practices that give life to the ancient, resonant themes of this powerful holiday. A rich palate of creative readings enlivens the ancient text of the haggadah. The orange on the seder plate, once solely a symbol of gay and lesbian liberation, is now often used to highlight the role of women in Jewish life as well. Miriam’s cup joins Elijah’s on our seder tables, reminding us of the importance of women’s leadership and initiative, of the power of song and dance, and of the living waters that—in Miriam’s honor—sustained us in our desert wanderings.

Latest Rituals

“The child / had suckled my breast, but / would call another mother.”
A woman sitting alone in the desert
“Imagine Moses / leading the slaves out of Egypt on Zoom…”
a seder plate
The text is taken completely from the source, but arranged as a found poem.
a plate of matzah and spring flowers
“1935, the girls are packing / for America. / Their parents will not wait for things to get worse.”
Passover Haggadah
“Standing at the shore Miriam faced the sea to watch the threats and the pain of a million moments prior…”
the parting of the sea
“G-d forbid we eat grocery store drek.”
clawfoot bathtub
“When we speak the truth to power – saying, this is who we are / We reach back to help those still stifled in Mitzrayim, or poised / Uncertain at the shore.”
bare feet on a rock in a stream
“…moons of freedom / blessing the nights.”
full moon over bushes in the night sky
“may each of us / remove the shackles of another”
May Each of Us: A Jewish Prayer for Juneteenth
“Pesakh’s blue plate, / a strange / and yet familiar / gathering of ingredients”
seder plate with greens, egg, shank bone, haroset, maror

The Reconstructionist Network

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