Haggadah Digital
Haggadah Digital
Haggadah Digital
Dr. Bronner's.
We'd also like to thank the many individuals who helped make this event what it is today
including Debra Hornbecker who helped with planning and to help secure our location
for tonight, Tia Vanich for the use of this stunning venue and for her generous hospitality,
Laura Berman, JD Kleinke, Tim Crespi and Steve Cohen for their beautiful music this
evening, Lindsay Goldner who helped lay out this very Haggadah and make it shine, Devil's
Food Catering for the delicious food we are enjoying tonight, and Sol Neeman for his exquisite
photography. We could not make this event what it is without your efforts so thank you!
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WELCOME! BRUCHIM HABAIM!
Welcome, kind and dear friends! We are honored that youve chosen to
explore one of Judaisms oldest traditions in a new light!
Social-justice Seders are a modern Jewish to answer questions. Some pieces will use the
Sincerely,
Roy and Claire Kaufmann
Co-founders of Le'Or
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WHY RITUAL?
All spiritual growth is internal based upon the Seder ritual as a call to begin working on
effective as reminders to think about reality Like the blind men trying to describe an
and lifes inner meaning. They also serve as an elephant, the best we can do is use a variety
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Professor Michelle Alexander,
The New Jim Crow
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KADESH
Blessing the First Cup of Wine,
The First Bowl of Cannabis
During the Seder, we traditionally fill, bless to all our forebears, those whose names we
and drink four cups of wine. At tonights Seder, know, and those whose names are lost to us.
Why wine and/or cannabis? For the same Isaac and Rebecca. We remember the people
reason we lean when we eat and drink: whose sacrifices and struggles made our
because as slaves we could not rest, not even lives possible. First we bless the wine. When
when sating our hunger and thirst. And we we raise our cup, let us each think of our
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May we consume our cannabis as free and responsible people,
as expressions of our joy and our freedoms.
Blessed are you, Adonay, Source of Life, Renowned drug policy advocates Adam Eidinger
and Amanda Reiman enjoy our first first annual
who gives us the fragrant herbs. cannabis seder in 2015.
GROUP SONG:
We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest (Ellas Song)
Lyrics and music by Bernice Johnson Reagon
became involved in political activism in the NAACP. In 1957, Baker joined the Southern
1930s. She organized the Young Negroes Christian Leadership Conference, whose
Cooperative League in New York City, and first president was Martin Luther King, Jr.
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THE SEDER PLATE
Ancient rituals, new traditions
liberty.
ritual of Urchatz.
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URCHATZ
Ritual hand-washing without blessing
KARPAS
Parsley
The fresh parsley reminds us of renewal As we dip these vegetables, the karpas, into
and rebirth. Plants are budding; flowers are salt water, a symbol of the tears of slavery,
blooming. The miracle of life is unfolding. we remember all those who still suffer under
We praise You, O God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who brings forth fruits from the earth.
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The afikomen from the first ever
LeOr Cannabis Seder in 2015.
YACHATZ
The breaking of the Afikomen
We break the matzah in half because the story We even have a nifty prize for the winner!
Tonight, keeping with tradition, we will hide are here. Next year in the land of Israel. Now
the Afikomen and all Seder guests are invited we are slaves. Next year we will be free.
Old pirates, yes, they rob I 'Cause none of them can stop the time
Sold I to the merchant ships How long shall they kill our prophets
Minutes after they took I While we stand aside and look? Ooh
From the bottomless pit Some say it's just a part of it
But my hand was made strong We've got to fulfill the Book
By the hand of the Almighty Won't you help to sing
We forward in this generation These songs of freedom?
Triumphantly 'Cause all I ever have
Won't you help to sing Redemption songs
These songs of freedom? Redemption songs
'Cause all I ever have Redemption songs
Redemption songs Emancipate yourselves from mental
Redemption songs slavery
Emancipate yourselves from mental None but
slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
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THE FOUR QUESTIONS
For more than 2,000 years the tradition has the world as well as in their own behavior.
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1 Why, on all other nights, do we eat 3 Why, on all other nights, do we eat our
leavened and unleavened breads, yet vegetables as part of the meal, yet tonight
tonight we eat only unleavened bread? we eat our parsley with salt water well
remember the hurriedness of the Exodus. As with the maror, where we taste the
was narrow; time was of the essence. of fresh greens and brackish water is a
The bread didnt have time to rise. The powerful symbol of contrast.
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MAGEED
THE TELLING OF THE STORY
Rabbi Menachem Schneerson said Passover brothers. Josephs family grew and multiplied.
brothers. One day, Josephs older brothers After more than two centuries in bondage, the
sold him into Egyptian slavery. Through ruling Pharaoh decreed that all male children
intelligence and intuition, Joseph became a should be killed at birth and only female
When Josephs brothers learned that their and Yocheved. The parents hid their newborn
youngest sibling had become a man of great son at home for three months, ignoring
power and influence, they sojourned to beg his the Pharaohs orders to drown their baby
forgiveness and assistance. boy. When the babys cries grew too loud to
daughter Miriam stayed close by to watch what the Israelites and have heard their cries. I am
would happen. When the Pharaohs daughter ready to take them out of Egypt and bring
came to the river to bathe, she discovered the them to a new land, flowing with milk and
Feeling pity for the helpless child, the princess God told Moses to return to Egypt to bring
decided to keep the baby and named him the message of freedom to the Israelites and
Moses, meaning drawn from the water. warn Pharaoh that God would bring plagues
Bravely, Miriam approached the princess on the Egyptian people if he did not let the
and asked her if she needed a nurse to help slaves go free. With his older brother Aaron
with the baby. The princess said yes, and so a spokesman, Moses went to the Pharaoh,
it happened that Yocheved, thanks to her Ramses II, asking him to free the Israelites.
became a shepherd.
We have filled our cups to remember the joy of being able to leave Egypt, where our people were
slaves for two hundred years. Yet our happiness is not complete, because the Egyptians, who are
also Gods children, suffered from the Pharaohs evil ways. Therefore we will spill a drop of wine
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As the pain of others diminishes our own joys, As we read each of these aloud and as a group,
let us once more diminish the wine of our we use our finger to place a drop of wine on
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MAGEED CONTINUED
The Escape
After God brought forward the plagues on Sea, with the armies of Pharaoh hot on their
Egypt and The Pharaoh, the Hebrews were heels, the water first refused to part.
While many imagine the waters parting as necks that the sea parted.
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DAYENU
It Would Have Been Enough
A Jewish philosopher was once asked, What from changing cruel sentencing laws, to
is the opposite of hopelessness? His answer allowing cannabis to be used as medicine, and
was, Dayenu, the ability to be thankful for opening it to commerce. When we sing the
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2ND CUP OF WINE /
2ND BOWL OF FLOWER
This second cup of wine (or bowl of flower) As we raise our second glass or bowl, let us be
we dedicate to willingness. It took great thankful for the power of will, and the ability
willpower to move forward from slavery that to strengthen our willpower. Lifting our wine
had become familiar into the unknown future. or cannabis into the air, we say:
Blessed are you, Adonay, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
RACHATZ
Washing of the Hands with Blessing
The first time we washed hands was ritual. Now we sing the blessing of washing our hands
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kidshanu bamitzvotav vtzivanu al ntilat
yadayim.
We praise You, O God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who hallows our lives with commandments,
Let's grow together, heal together, Let's grow together, heal together,
Find true strength from one another. Find true strength from one another.
Smiles be many tears are few Smiles be many tears are few
May all your dreams come back to you May all your dreams come back to you
It's a brand new day, a brand new way It's a brand new day, a brand new way
Sing like a bird brother fly away. Sing like a bird brother fly away.
Above the mountains up through the trees Above the mountains up through the trees
My dreams live forever. My dreams live forever.
Baba Mungu, Baba Mungu wa maisha We've been there ten thousand years,
Bwana, Bwana wa dunia bright shining as the sun.
Baba Mungu, Baba Mungu wa muanga We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Bwana, Bwana wa wote than when we've first begun.
Through many dangers, toils and snares, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
I have already come. That saved a wretch like me.
Tis Grace has brought me safe thus far, I once was lost but now I'm found,
and Grace will lead us home. Was blind, but now, I see.
Baba mungu, baba mungu wa maisha
bwana, bwana wa dunia Main Text: John Newton
Baba mungu, baba mungu wa muanga
bwana, bwana wa wote
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MOTZI MATZAH
The matzah, the clearest symbol of the We are fortunate to have the freedom to
Passover holiday, is as much the bread of eat this unleavened bread as we share in
Baruch atah Adonay elohaynu melech haolam, hamotzi lechem min haaretz.
Baruch atah Adonay elohaynu melech haolam, asher kidishanu bemitvotav al achilat matzah.
Blessed are you, Adonay our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the Earth.
Blessed are you, Adonay our God, King of the Universe, who has made us holy with his
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MAROR
Bitter Herb
As we talked about in the Four Questions, Take a piece or scoop of horseradish, our
we eat the bitter herb to remind us of the maror, and place it on a small piece of matzah.
bitter taste of oppression our own and the We say the following blessing before eating.
oppressed.
Baruch atah Adonay, elohaynu melech haolam, asher kidishanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al
achilat maror.
Blessed are you, God, King of the Universe, who hallows our lives with commandments, and
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3RD CUP OF WINE /
3RD BOWL OF FLOWER
The first cup of wine was dedicated to our fight to make the world a better place.
This third cup of wine (or bowl of flower) is our senses to the hard and rewarding work
dedicated to all those who need our help, those ahead of us.
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KORAYCH
The Rabbi Hillel Sandwich
Now, we follow a practice of Hillel from the bitterness of slavery mixed with the sweetness
SHULCHAN ARUCH
The Meal
Discuss!
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TZAFUN
The Search for the Afikomen
Now we get the chance to get up, run around, schmooze and partake, while we search for the
hidden Afikomen.
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BARACH
Blessing After the Meal
Traditionally, your cup of wine is refilled, and Birkat Ha-mazon, the Grace after the Meal, is
recited. For those who wish to recite this blessing, go ahead and sing on your own. Others can
reflect on their gratitude for this lovely meal, and for this holy time together.
SONG:
Burn One Down
Ben Harper
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SILENT REFLECTION
The Jewish spiritual teachings concerning Peh). What is the connection between Pharoah
Passover focus on how through tapping into and neck? At the beginning of the Book of
the Infinite One, a person can emancipate Exodus, when Moses spoke to the Children
themselves from slavery both spiritually and of Israel about freedom, the Torah says that
physically. It says in the Passover Haggadah, they did not even understand what Moses
We were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt. The was saying because of shortness of breath
Hebrew word for Egypt is Mizrayim (). and hard work. During states of trauma
The Hebrew root of the word Mizrayim is and anxiety a person will hold their breath
mayzar (), which means constriction. in order to numb out, and under stress
Being a slave in Egypt means being stuck in the neck is often the seat of great muscular
constricted consciousness. Not free to be ones tension. The neck is the bridge between the
self, not free to live an authentic life. Mizrayim mind and the heart. Pharoah is the force that
is associated with living in fear, unconsciously, chokes our necks and stops us from breathing,
habitually, akin to mindlessly running on a from connecting our heads our hearts, from
gerbil wheel, lost in the narrow constricted thinking, and keeps us in a state of fight or
a slave.
The word Pharoah is also interesting.
connection between two concepts based on [excerpted from Passover: Love is Revolution, by Eitan
Press]
the letters they share, and this connection is
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ELIYAHU HANAVI AND
THE FOURTH CUP OF WINE
(OR FLOWER)
This is Elijahs cup. According to Jewish him a glass of wine to show our appreciation.
tradition, the Prophet Elijah was a brave man Tonight we also leave Elijah a little something
who denounced the slavery of his day. Legend greener as well. We think that Elijah deserves
teaches that he will return one day to lead not only a glass of wine, but a bowl to go
As we confront the injustice of this world, We dedicate this fourth cup of wine or bowl
in times of trouble, to promise relief and I have been to Mitzrayim. I have been to the
redemption, and to lift up the downtrodden. desert. I have learned of our struggle and story.
Eliyahu Hanavi, Eliyahu hatishbie, Eliyahu Eliyahu Eliyahu haGiladi; Bim Herah Veyamenu, Yavo
Elijah the prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah The Giladite May he come to us soon, the Mashiach, son
of David.
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Baruch Atah Adonay Eloheynu Melech haolam boreh peri hagefen.
Blessed are you, Adonay, our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
NIRTZAH
We now come to the conclusion of our Seder. an unredeemed world. He cannot concede that
We have fulfilled the mitzvah of retelling our redemption is an accomplished fact, for he
As the great Jewish philosopher Martin Buber but also a zman cheiruteihem, a time of
sagely wrote, The Jew carries the burden of freedom for everyone.
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The Le'Or Cannabis Passover Seder is a project of