Wine

בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרָֽיִם

B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et-atzmo, k’ilu hu yatzav mimitzrayim.

In every generation, everyone is obligated to see themselves as though they personally left Egypt.

The seder reminds us that it was not only our ancestors whom God redeemed; God redeemed us too along with them. That’s why the Torah says “God brought us out from there in order to lead us to and give us the land promised to our ancestors.”

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We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who redeemed us and our ancestors from Egypt, enabling us to reach this night and eat matzah and bitter herbs. May we continue to reach future holidays in peace and happiness.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the second glass of wine!

Leader and group alternate:

Kiddush means “sanctification” or “separation”. We leave our day-to-day lives behind and rededicate ourselves to our values.

We take a moment to acknowledge our place in this world and find gratitude. We set aside daily work and allow ourselves days of rest.

We come together with family and friends and connect with our ancestors.

We create new memories to join with those of the past.

We appreciate the freedom to relax and enjoy the full measure of our time on Earth.

We are fortunate to have celebrations and days of rest. There are many others alive today and throughout history who have not been so lucky. And let us say, Amen.

Today we celebrate the Festival of Passover. We are privileged to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt as a reminder of our dedication to freedom.

Blessing over Wine

Traditional:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Humanist:

Barukh ha-or ba’olam, v’barukh ha-or ba’adam, borei peri hagafen. Let us bless the light in the world and the light in humanity that brings forth the fruit of the vine.

Shehecheyanu

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam,

she-hechiyanu v’key’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Who has kept us in life, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this festive season. Recline in comfort and drink the first cup of wine.

“I will redeem you”. Modern Feminists focus not just on rights but on experience. We create female experiences to fill the gap from the past. We redeem our heritage. Jewish feminists no longer reject the bible out of hand as patriarchal. Instead we write our own commentaries and midrashim to insert the voices of women. We create our own rituals, such as Simchat Bat and sederim such as these. Not to replicate men’s rituals but to create our own. The third cup of wine is dedicate to the creative and innovative women who are creating new Jewish expressions for all of us; who choose not to reject, but to redeem.