WELCOMING. ELEVATION. JOY. These are the cardinal directions at OneTable, and we need them now more than ever. Whether you're celebrating Passover with longtime friends or opening up your table to new guests, we invite you to read aloud the framing passages below as you begin your Seder. Whether this is your first Seder or your 30th, beginning with intention matters. And what better way to begin than by naming the values that make Jewish ritual meaningful and magical in our modern lives.
Hachnasat Orchim | The Art of Hospitality
ַוֲאַה ְב ֶּת ם ֶא ת־ַה ֵּגר ִּכ י־ֵגִר ים ֱה ִי יֶת ם ְּב ֶא ֶר ץ ִמ ְצ ָר ִי ם
Ve'ahavtem et-haggeir ki-gerim heyitem be'eretz mitzrayim. Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. — Deuteronomy 10:19 Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, you are welcome here. You have a place at this Seder table. Your presence matters.
Kedushah | Sacred Time
ְו ָה ָיה ַה ּיֹום ַה ֶּזה ָל ֶכ ם ְל ִז ָּכ רֹון ְו ַח ֹּג ֶת ם ֹא תֹו ַח ג ַל יהָוה ְל ֹד ֹר ֵת יֶכ ם ֻח ַּק ת עֹוָל ם ְּת ָח ֻּגהּו Vehoyoh hayyom hazzeh lochem lezikkoron vechaggosem oso chag ladonai ledoroseichem chukkas olom techogguhu This day will be one of remembrance for you: celebrate it as a festival throughout the ages and as an institution for all time. — Exodus 12:14 Celebrating Judaism in community is an opportunity to time travel, to mark the past in the present and invite the stories of our ancestors to inspire our future.
Oneg | Happiness Shared
ַוִּת ַּק ח ִמ ְר ָים ַה ְּנ ִב יָא ה ֲאחֹות ַא ֲה ֹר ן ֶא ת־ַה ֹּת ף ְּב ָיָד ּה ַוֵּת ֶצ אָן ָכ ל־ַה ָּנִׁש ים ַא ֲח ֶר יָה ְּב ֻת ִּפ ים ּוִב ְמ ֹח ֹלת Vattikkach miryom hannevi'oh achos aharon es-hattof beyodoh vatteitzeno cholhannoshim achareiho besuppim uvimcholos. Then Miriam the prophetess took a timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her dancing with timbrels. — Exodus 15:20 Embrace the joy in Judaism. If the Exodus can end with a dance party, so can your Seder. ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
A ONETABLE GUIDE On the other side of the Red Sea, we are transformed. We emerge a people united by slavery and redemption, connected by shared trauma and deliverance. Years into the pandemic, it is not hard to see parallels, to connect the grief embedded in the Passover story to the losses and limitations of COVID. But it is also possible to see an Exodus ahead: widespread vaccination, including an international commitment to make the vaccine available to poor and vulnerable populations around the world. In that spirit, coming together matters now more than ever. Celebrating Shabbat during Passover is an invitation to let go of the week and infuse the weekend with the energy of the Exodus. With light, wine, and matzah, we honor where we have come from, share where we are, and imagine true redemption — a better future for ourselves and others.
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
Lighting Shabbat candles symbolizes the last act of the work week and connects us to passages in the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, that remind us to keep and remember Shabbat.
ָּב רּוְך ַא ָּת ה ְי ָי ֱאֹלֵה ינּו ֶמ ֶל ְך ָה עֹוָל ם ֲאֶׁש ר ִק ְּד ָׁש נּו ְּב ִמ ְצ ֹוָת יו ְו ִצ ָּונּו ְל ַה ְד ִל יק ֵנר ֶׁש ל ַׁש ָּב ת Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat v’shel yom tov. Blessed is the One whose mitzvot sanctify our lives, and who commands us to kindle the light of Shabbat and this holy day.
Kiddush allows us to sanctify time. We bless wine, we bless the season, and we remember: We are partners with God in the ongoing miracle of creation and re-creation, building a better world week after week, year after year.
.ָּב רּוְך ַא ָּת ה ְי ָי ֱאֹלֵה ינּו ֶמ ֶל ְך ָה עֹוָל ם ּבֹוֵר א ְּפ ִר י ַה ָּגֶפ ן .ָּב רּוְך ַא ָּת ה ְי ָי ְמ ַק ֵּד ׁש ַה ַּׁש ָּב ת ְו ִי ְׂש ָר ֵא ל ְו ַה ְּז ַמ ִּנ ים Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen. Baruch Atah Adonai mikadesh ha’Shabbat v’Yisrael v’ha’zmanim. Blessed is the creator of the fruit of the vine. Blessed is the One who sanctifies Shabbat, the people Israel, and the festive seasons.
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
Blessing matzah (the unleavened bread that replaces challah this week) is a way to acknowledge our interconnectedness, our dependence on each other for the necessities that enrich our daily lives.
.ָּב רּוְך ַא ָּת ה ְי ָי ֱאֹלֵה ינּו ֶמ ֶל ְך ָה עֹוָל ם ַה ּמֹוִצ יא ֶל ֶח ם ִמ ן ָה ָא ֶר ץ Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam ha’motzi lechem min ha’aretz. Blessed is the One who brings forth bread from the earth.
AT THE END OF THE MEAL
. ְו ָא ַכ ְל ָּת ְו ָׂש ָב ְע ָּת ּוֵב ַר ְכ ָּת
V’achalta v’savata u’varachta. When you have eaten and are satisfied, bless. — Deuteronomy 8:10
It’s a remarkable thing that Jewish tradition seeks to inspire us to be present before we eat, and all the more so that we are then directed to acknowledge our gratitude after we eat, not for the food itself, but for the incredible feeling of being full. At this time, perhaps more than any other, the notion of being sated is powerful. What does it mean to truly be fulfilled? In Hebrew, the root of the word for fulfillment — to be whole, to be complete — is shalom, the same as the word for peace. May we find peace, a whole and complete peace. May we be fulfilled, not only by our food, but by our family and friends no matter how far they feel, and by our actions and our words.
.ְּב ִר יְך ָר ֲח ַמ ָנא ַמ ְל ָכ א ְד ַע ְל ָמ א ַמ ֵר יה ְד ַה אי ִפ יָת א Brich rachamana malka d’alma marei d’hai pita. We are blessed with compassion by the One who sustains us with bread.
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
A ONETABLE GUIDE Three days after the United States entered WWI, the National Jewish Welfare Board was founded; among their first large scale projects was the Solo Seder kit. Containing a Haggadah, grape juice, soup mix, and matzah, the kit was shipped to overseas military personnel so that they could celebrate Passover alone. For many, the idea of Seder alone is anathema to everything Passover represents: performance, participation, peoplehood. After all, at the core of the practice is storytelling, ritual, and symbolic reenactment. Don’t these things require an IRL experience? This year, just like in 1917, the answer is no. Meaning can be made on your own, with the right intention and the right tools. It is with this in mind that we created the OneTale Solo Seder. This is not a Haggadah, rather a glossary, a real time supplement that offers first person introductions — poetry, lyrics, mindful reflections — for you to read before each section of the Seder. Choose the Haggadah that works for you, and use this resource to add meaning, set personal intention, and make your Seder of One a testament to the timeliness and power of ritual.
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
KADESH | SANCTIFYING TIME The Space Between Us Yes, the space between us is scary. It is odd and at odds, an area unoccupied where all things exist. But the space between us is also liminal, a threshold between old and new. And so, in this space anything is possible: to grow without gathering, to connect without congregating, to create without convening. Which means the space between is sacred. Yes, the space between us is scary. But scared and sacred are so close — and we need to make space for both. –RABBI JESSICA MINNEN
URCHATZ | HAND WASHING The beginning of the seder seems strange. I started with Kiddush as I normally would when I begin any festive meal. But now I am going to wash my hands without a blessing, dip vegetables in saltwater, and break matzah without eating it. What’s going on here? It seems that the beginning of the seder is kind of a false start. I act as if I am going to begin the meal but then I realize that I can’t. I can’t really eat this meal until I understand it until I tell the story of the exodus from Egypt. So we interrupt our meal preparations with karpas (vegetables), yachatz (breaking matzah), and maggid (storytelling). Only once I have told the story do I make Kiddush again, wash my hands again (this time with a blessing) and break matzah and eat it. The meaning is clear: In order to savor this meal, in order to appreciate the sweet taste of Passover, I must first understand it. — ADAPTED FROM RABBI RONA SHAPIRO ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
KARPAS | VEGETABLES Lines Written in Early Spring I heard a thousand blended notes, While in a grove I sate reclined, In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts Bring sad thoughts to the mind. Through primrose tufts, in that green bower, The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; And ’tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes. The budding twigs spread out their fan, To catch the breezy air; And I must think, do all I can, That there was pleasure there.
YACHATZ | BREAKING MATZAH
If this belief from heaven be sent, If such be Nature’s holy plan, Have I not reason to lament What man has made of man?
The birds they sang At the break of day Start again I heard them say Don't dwell on what Has passed away Or what is yet to be
–WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
Anthem
The wars they will Be fought again The holy dove She will be caught again Bought and sold And bought again The dove is never free Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in –LEONARD COHEN
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
MAGGID | STORYTELLING Four More Questions Why is it that people around the world still live under oppressive regimes that limit their intellectual, religious, and economic freedoms? Why is it that people in my own wealthy nation go hungry, with no bread, or matzah, or vegetables, or bitter herbs to eat? Why is it that so many people still fight against our right to choose whom to love and whom to marry? What I do, in my own way, to fight the scourge of oppression, the slavery of poverty, the limits imposed by prejudice and intolerance, and to empower more people to be free? –ADAPTED FROM THE GOOD MEN PROJECT
Before the Ten Plagues I am isolated, but as tempting as it is to lean into the imagery of the plagues, I do not want to do so. Because COVID-19 is a terrible pandemic, but not a plague. The most dangerous part of associating COVID-19 with the ten plagues is not about the malady’s origin, but about our response. When the Israelites sequestered in their homes and painted blood on their doorposts, they did it to distinguish themselves from the Egyptian households. When I stay home, it is instead a recognition that there are no distinctions to this disease; whatever I do is not primarily for me, but for my neighbors and coworkers and others I do not know. My house has no blood on the doorpost, neither for protection nor identification. I await not a personal salvation, but an all-clear for everyone. Unlike that midnight in Egypt — we, all of us, are in this together. —ADAPTED FROM PASSOVER AND THE PANDEMIC BY MICHAEL BERNSTEIN
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
RACHTZAH | HAND WASHING
It is reminding me that we are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, occupation, financial situation or how famous we are. If this disease treats us all equally, perhaps we should too. It is reminding me that we are all connected, that the false borders we have put up have little value — this virus does not need a passport.
MOTZI | BLESSING MATZAH I
It is reminding me that life is short. What is most important for me to do is to help others, especially the most vulnerable in my community. It is reminding me that my true work is not my job — that is what I do, not what I was created to do.
MATZAH | BLESSING MATZAH II
It is reminding me to keep my ego in check. No matter how accomplished I am or how much control I think I have, a virus can bring my world to a standstill. It is reminding me that the power of freewill is in my hands. I can choose to look only after myself, or I can choose to cooperate, share, and give.
MAROR | BITTER HERBS
It is reminding me, by oppressing me for a short time, of those in this world whose lives are spent in oppression.
KORECH | SANDWICH
It is reminding me that this can either be an end or a new beginning. This can be a time of reflection and understanding, where we as a global society, learn from our mistakes. It is reminding me that after every difficulty, there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. Gam zeh ya’avor — this too shall pass.
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
SHULCHAN ORECH | FESTIVE MEAL And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal! And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed. –KITTY O’MEARA
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TZAFUN | AFIKOMEN That Which Comes After The thing is, the Passover Seder is Hellenist, Modeled after the Greek symposium. Synagogue, afikomen: Greek words. We are indebted! Yet we talk about tradition as if it is singular, Judaism as if it is One Thing. In reality, it is Many. And so tonight, a symposium of One Among the Many. I cannot hide the afikomen from myself. Instead, I will seek to remember How much is borrowed, how much shared. Afikomen is a loan word, Greek for that which comes after. We inherit more than we know. –RABBI JESSICA MINNEN
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
BARECH | GRATITUDE
It’s a remarkable thing that Jewish tradition seeks to inspire me to be present before I eat, and all the more so that I am then directed to acknowledge my gratitude after I eat — gratitude not for the food itself, but for the incredible feeling of being full. What does it mean to truly be fulfilled? In Hebrew, the root of the word for fulfillment — to be whole, to be complete — is shalom, the same as the word for peace. May I find peace, a whole and complete peace. May I be fulfilled, not only by my food, but by my actions and my words.
HALLEL | SONG OF PRAISE Amen The betrayer who is betrayed. The deceiver deceived. Away! Away! What away? Away to where in the yellow air? To the meadow that was? To the lambs just birthed? To the falling birds? In our standing up, though a little bent — dayenu. With our eyes seeing though blurred — dayenu. With our ears almost hearing — dayenu. Upon our lying down and our rising — dayenu. On our remembering our beloved’s name — dayenu. On our kneeling down — dayenu. By the skin of our teeth — dayenu. In our heart that expands and contracts — dayenu. In our worried heart, fearful and afraid — dayenu. Amen – T U VIA REUBN E R Translated by Rachel Tzvia Black
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
Kiddush allows us to sanctify time. We bless wine, we bless the season, and we remember: We are partners with God in the ongoing miracle of creation and re-creation, building a better world week after week, year after year.
ָּב רּוְך ַא ָּת ה ְי ָי ֱאֹלֵה ינּו ֶמ ֶל ְך ָה עֹוָל ם ּבֹוֵר א ְּפ ִר י ַה ָּגֶפ ן .ָּב רּוְך ַא ָּת ה ְי ָי ְמ ַק ֵּד ׁש ַה ַּׁש ָּב ת ְו ִי ְׂש ָר ֵא ל ְו ַה ְּז ַמ ִּנ ים Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam borei p’ri ha’gafen. Amen. Baruch Atah Adonai mikadesh ha’Shabbat v’Yisrael v’ha’zmanim. Amen. Blessed is the creator of the fruit of the vine. Blessed is the One who sanctifies Shabbat, the people Israel, and the festive seasons.
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT
ONETABLE.ORG | @ONETABLESHABBAT