Passover Seder Supplement
TheNorthCarolina JewishClergyAssociation(NCJCA) has created this SederSupplement tobe used aroundyourholiday tables.NCJCA is an organizationof rabbis and cantors of various streamsserving congregations, agencies, organizations, and the broaderJewishcommunity of NorthCarolina. In itsgathering, it seeks topromotethe interestsof Judaism andthe Jewishpeople inNorthCarolina andthroughout the world and reflect themoraland religious voices of theJewishcommunity inNorthCarolina.
DEDICATION: Honoring and Celebrating Rabbi Lucy Dinner on the occasion of her upcoming retirement
The NCJCA is proud to dedicate this year’s Passover Seder Supplement to our dear colleague, Rabbi Lucy Dinner, who has dedicated her career to growing Jewish life in North Carolina. Teacher, mentor, and leader, Rabbi Lucy Dinner has served as Senior Rabbi of Temple Beth Or in Raleigh, North Carolina since 1993. In addition to serving Temple Beth Or’s vibrant congregation, she works with local and national organizations that promote social justice. She currently Co-Chairs the North Carolina Jewish Clergy Association.
Rabbi Dinner’s Soul Food “Kosher for Passover”
by Rabbi Lucy H.F. Dinner (Raleigh) Co-Chair NCJCA
Freedom, Oh Freedom, how glorious to be free.
Do you ever give freedom a second thought? Do you take it for granted, like the air we breathe and the water we drink, part of the foundation of your existence? Despite my familiarity with Jewish history, I have never felt that my own personal freedom hangs in the balance, like I do now.
Uncertainty makes the fragility in this Passover season all the more resonant. Rabbi Shoshana Cohen a senior faculty member at the Shalom Hartman Institute, a leading research and educational center serving Israel, world Jewry, and interfaith understanding, unpacks that juxtaposition between the Haggadah and the fractures to our own freedom:
“As we undertake the symbolic journey from slavery to freedom, and from degradation to exaltation, we pause during the seder to acknowledge the persistence of brokenness. Before recounting the story of the Exodus, we perform the ritual of yachatz, breaking the middle of three matzot. In stable times, yachatz reminds us that even if our lives feel whole, the world still holds brokenness. In times when we ourselves feel broken, yachatz forces us to confront the reality of despair and insists that we keep telling the story of redemption. Once we break the matzah, we place it between the top and bottom matzot, creating a “sandwich” that offers us a model for managing precarity. When we are whole, like the top and bottom matzot, we are responsible for repairing that which is broken; when we are broken, wholeness and hope remain…”
One of the things I love about this metaphor of brokenness, wholeness, repair, and hope, is that it acknowledges that when we are whole, we have an obligation to extend healing to the broken. When we are broken, we have resources around us for repair. And the “persistence of brokenness,” reminds us that all of us are broken and all of us have a part of the wholeness that another needs. Our community operates with the grace of movement between the broken and the whole. When one faces illness, time and again, community members offer a hand. When a fourth grader frets over Hebrew, one of our teens patiently brings them up to speed. When our county faces housing shortages, we get out our hammers and build with Habitat, and we join One Wake in working to make systemic changes to housing.
That is the message of the Haggadah: “let all who are hungry come and eat.” Around your Seder tables let us give thanks for the presence of family and community, where we bind one another’s wounds, celebrate one another’s simchas, and bring holiness to that which is broken.
In every generation and in our generation…
by Rabbi Judy Schindler (Charlotte)
B
chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et atzmo k’ilu hu yatza mimitzrayim. In every generation a person should see themselves as if they themselves had left Egypt.
Passover celebrates our interconnectedness with the past with the thousands of years of Jews who have retold our foundational liberation narrative and celebrated our freedom.
Passover celebrates our interconnectedness with the present with our family of 15.7 million Jews who live around the world, 7.2 of them in Israel. On this day, millions of Jews across the globe are engaged in this ritual celebrating our freedom. The October 7th massacre highlighted our oneness. What happens to Jews in one place affects us all.
Passover celebrates our interconnectedness with the future — as we reflect on the world we commit to creating for the generations who will sit around seder tables next year and in the decades to come.
Our struggles for liberation belong not just to the past. The metaphorical ancient mitrzayims (Egypts) we long to leave are many.
In 1897, Herzl convened the First World Zionist Congress. Jews globally were invested in creating a Jewish homeland - as a refuge, as a haven, as place of Jewish safety and self-sovereignty built on the values of freedom, justice and equality for which we desperately yearned.
Today diaspora Jews continue to be invested in creating a Jewish home in Israel — built on egalitarian, pluralistic, democratic and peace advancing values and actions.
May we celebrate today and may we vote in the World Zionist Congress tomorrowso our vision for the strongest and safest Israel can move closer towards actualization.
To vote in the World Zionist Congress elections, visit zionistelection.org.
We invite you to research the 23 slates. Rabbi Schindler is part of Slate #3 “Vote Reform.”
"Hineni" יִנֵּנִה
Here I am:
A Prayer Before the Seder
by Rabbi Emily Ilana Losben-Ostrov (Wilmington)
Ready to fulfill the mitzvah of Pesach
Ready to relive the experiences of my ancestors
Ready to remember the pain and power and promise
Ready to bring hope and freedom to my soul and to the world
"Hineni" יִנֵּנִה
Here I am:
Ready to recall the plagues of the past
Ready to acknowledge the plagues of the present
Ready to commit to tikkun olam
Ready to repair the plagues we created
"Hineni" יִנֵּנִה
Here I am:
Ready to remember our slavery and the sins of Pharaohs of the past
Ready to acknowledge the slavery and Pharaohs that still exist
Ready to taste the bread of affliction
Ready to lessen the burden of pain for others
"Hineni" יִנֵּנִה
Here I am:
Ready to experience the sweet and the bitter
Ready to recall the suffering of both our enemies and our siblings
Ready to drink our symbol of joy
Ready to sing with hope
Tonight we remember, retell, and relax.
Tomorrow we work to continue the journey to freedom for us and all the world.
Candle Lighting
by Rabbi Robin Damsky (Efland)
From Ferocious Love: A Passover Supplement
Back in the 1980s I co-created my first haggadah, culled from three different haggadot. One of them was Arthur Waskow’s The Rainbow Seder. In it was a wonderful ceremony of inclusion for candle lighting. Here I expand that.
Purchase candles of yellow, green, blue, purple, red and orange. Let’s get wild and crazy this year and add in any other colors you can find. Place these candles across your seder table, and when you light them, bring in your recognition, love and appreciation for the many colors we embody: the LGBTQIA+ community, whom we often think of with rainbows, those of all skin colors, those of all ethnic backgrounds, those of all levels of ability, those of all ages, educational backgrounds, income levels. Let us include those we know of in bondage and those we presume are free. We light these candles bringing all people into our circle of holiness, honoring the beauty, possibility for good, and the Divine in each human.
Baruch Atah Havayah, Eloheinu Ruach Ha-olam asher kidshanu bemitz-votav vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel (Shabbat ve) Yom Tov.
Blessed are You, Source, the Breath of All Creation, that lifts us up through deeds and brings us forward to kindle the lights of (Shabbat) and Yom Tov (this holy day).
As we light these lights this Passover evening, may we be cognizant of our own light. May we bring light to the places inside of us that feel dark, bring the warmth of these candles to areas inside of us that may be cold with fear, frozen with rage. As we warm ourselves, may we radiate our light and warmth to others to heal the bound places.
As we light these lights this Passover evening, we light them to bring light to all peoples of all backgrounds, colors, lifestyles, genders, sexual orientations, faiths, and ages. We bring light to the ____________ [Eno and Occonneechee] peoples who lived on and tended this land before us. We pledge in our freedom to see the divine in each individual and to be a force for freedom for all people.
[Additional Passover and Omer materials by Rabbi Damsky (limitlessjudaism.com) are available for purchase here.]
Karpas – Stop! Consider the Tears and the Hope
by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker (Winston-Salem)
Incoming Co-Chair NCJCA
Before we partake of karpas (parsley or the green/root vegetable of your choice) I invite everyone at this table to stop going through the motions. Take a moment. The salt water represents tears – the tears of slavery, the tears of oppression. Tears from thousands of years, represented by a small cup.
This water will not cleanse or purify. This is the water of empathy.
Taste the tears of generations. Taste the tears of our brothers and sisters in this generation. Taste the tears of pain and suffering throughout our world.
[You may pause to name specific individuals or peoples]
Now into that cup of despair we bring a symbol of hope. We will not drown in tears. With karpas, we strive to bring new life, renewed commitment, and the potential for a new reality. Karpas is resilience.
The salty water must impact our karpas. We temper our hope and with honesty and humility, accepting our imperfect, broken world. And refuse to accept that it must remain so broken. We bring meaning and purpose to our lives and meaning and purpose to this ritual when we heal what we can by acting in our world with empathy and compassion.
[You may pause to share specific acts of hope]
The Meaning in the Matzah
by Rabbi Amy Hertz (Greensboro)
Matzah, a central symbol of our upcoming season of liberation, harkens back to the biblical story of the Israelites and their hurried journey out of enslavement in Egypt towards freedom and service of God. There was no time to let the dough rise to make bread so instead they made matzah.
In its simplest form, bread contains just two ingredients -- flour and water. When mixed together and baked immediately, this flour and water mixture produces matzah, the unleavened bread eaten during the festival of Passover. If the mixture is given time, however, these two ingredients interact chemically with leaven in the air and change in a radical way. The mixture rises and becomes the dough that bakes into what we know as leavened bread. A small difference in process produces a profound difference in product.
“Anyone can be changed by the themes of Passover,” writes Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, affectionately known by her online persona, the Velveteen Rabbi. “It can resonate if you are ready.” It is not lost on me that Passover comes roughly six months after Yom Kippur. It is our springtime semi-annual spiritual check-in, a chance to see how we are doing in our relationships and with ourselves. After six months, we are indeed ready and the time is right.
So, what can we learn about our relationships and ourselves from matzah, known as lechem oni, the bread of our affliction? What is the meaning in the matzah for us and our community?
Matzah symbolizes the removal of puffiness and haughtiness from our hearts. We literally search our homes and figuratively search ourselves for the chametz, the leavening, that has been left behind. In doing this, we prepare our homes and ourselves for true transformation from slavery to freedom.
We recognize that our environment matters. Matzah and bread are made of the same ingredients. They are different based on the circumstances in which they are produced. The same is true for us. Who we are and who we become is greatly impacted by that which happens around us. Passover is a time to commit ourselves to creating a world where we and all peoples can be our best selves.
Finally, matzah reminds us that there is beauty in the fragility of life. Activist and educator Tamara Cohen writes, “Some of us do not get the chance to rise like golden loaves of challah, filled with sweet raisins and crowned with shiny braids. Rushed, neglected, not kneaded by caring hands, we grow up afraid...there are some ingredients we never receive.”
We have “cracked surfaces” and “rough edges” like matzah. Passover is an opportunity to bless these parts of ourselves and each other and to be brave enough to see our matzahlike brittleness and beauty.
As we lift the matzah at our seder tables this season, may its message inspire us, may its meaning bring us comfort and courage, and may we be moved to better our world and ourselves.
Yahatz
by Rabbi Eric Solomon (Raleigh)
Before breaking the middle matzah:
A few years ago, I walked down from my office to our synagogue preschool to talk with the children about Pesah. The oldest class was busily preparing for the holiday by learning to chant the Four Questions, making seder table crafts (e.g. little frogs), and even cleaning off parsley cloves that were home-grown in our fertile North Carolina soil.
One little girl’s hand shot up when I entered the room.
“Rabbi,” she began to ask. “Why do we make such a big deal about a holiday that is so sad? Being slaves was terrible. Can’t we just forget about that part and move on to the happy parts?”
This little one was pointing to something profound. From time immemorial the Jewish people has endured suffering. Whether it was at the hands of Pharaoh, Haman, the Romans, the Crusaders, oppressive Kings and Queens, the Nazis, the KKK, and Hamas horrific suffering has been a part of the Jewish people’s story.
The pain is so intense, at times, it is reasonable to want to brush it to the side and focus on what is much more pleasant like our freedom and eventual arrival into the Promised Land.
But that is not what our tradition prescribes.
On Pesah, we go back into Jewish history to remember a time when our people was broken to the core so we can tap into our suffering and make it a motivator for something greater.
Brokenness keeps our heart supple so that it may be open to compassion. It is a bold practice less focused on dwelling on our sorrow, and more focused on transforming our agony into a commitment to working every day to alleviate the suffering of others.
As we break this middle matzah, let this broken piece symbolize our commitment to not skip past our people’s most painful moments. And, at the same time, build our resolve to feel the broken-hearts of all of God’s creatures.
The Hostages Should Be At Their Seders,
A Reflection on Echad Mi Yode
’a
And Ours
by Rabbi Andy Koren (Greensboro) Co-Chair NCJCA
February 1, 2025 was a day of celebration for the extended Siegel family and for our people as a whole. Keith, a North Carolinian Israeli and one of the more-than-250 people taken hostage by Hamas terrorists and their accomplices into Gaza on October 7, 2023, was back home in Israel, where he always belonged.
The Haggadah includes a popular song Echad Mi Yode’a, asking who knows One? It counts up, as Jewish tradition always seems to do, letting us know the significance of each number from 1 through 13.
One is the number connected to God. On Passover, we are also reminded that 1 is each and every person, deserving to be free from tyranny, captivity, and oppression.
This year, two other numbers should be with us during the seder.
The first number is 59. 59 hostages currently remain in Gaza, held against their will in the most abhorrent conditions. We should not rest or consider ourselves free in any sense until those who are alive are back with their families and friends. What is true for the living hostages applies to those hostages who were killed, either in the initial Hamas onslaught or since then. They deserve to be returned and to be given a proper burial. Their loved ones are beyond-entitled to this next step in the grieving process.
Sadly, it appears that we will need to keep an empty chair for the hostages at our Seder tables again this year. Please do this. Profiles of the remaining 59 hostages can be found through the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and on the website of the Times of Israel Print out one of these lists and place it on the table. Read from that list at whatever time(s) you think is most fitting, for example, upon opening the door for Elijah.
The second number is 555. The start of Passover this year will coincide with the 555th day that the remaining hostages will have endured.
It is not too much to pray that this year’s Counting of the Omer, commencing on the second night of Passover, will not also include additional numbers connected to the longoverdue release of the hostages. But, if we find ourselves in that situation, we should say the traditional blessing for the day that we are counting and then keep going. The next words out of our mouths should be a number: the number of days that freedom has continued to be denied.
Echad Mi Yode’a is a reminder that numbers are just numbers, until and unless we add meaning to them. This year, those numbers are deeply connected to the hostages whose stories must be told. May centering them be a source of hope for their families, their friends, and our people. May they taste freedom soon and may the coming days bring peace for Israel, the Middle East, and the world as a whole.
Passover Playlist 5205/7875
by Cantor Shira Lissek (Charlotte)
As you gather around your seder tables this year or as you are preparing for your seder may this curated musical journey bring inspiration, nostalgia, meaning and joy to your Passover celebration. Chag Sameach!
1.Vehi She'amda
Sung by Hila Ben David & Chaim Stern (Cantor) written by Yonatan Razel
A stirring and emotional rendition of this powerful passage from the Haggadah, reminding us that in every generation, we have overcome adversity because G-d is with us. The phrase "Vehi Sheamda" refers to God's promise to Abraham. The song gained immense popularity thanks to the musical setting by Yonatan Razel and the performance by Yaakov Shwekey. The song has become an anthem for Passover in Israel, known for its uplifting melody and powerful message.
Vehi She'amda
7. Passover Medley
A joyful mix of traditional and familiar Passover favorites to get the whole family singing and smiling. Perfect for pre-seder vibes! Passover Medley
3. Adir Hu
Arranged by Marta Cohen
A beautiful version of this traditional song, praying for the rebuilding of the Temple and a world filled with compassion.
Adir Hu
4. One Step Closer
Julie Benko & Jason Yeager (Park Avenue Synagogue Premiere)
This newly composed Passover anthem is inspired by the bravery of Nachshon, who stepped into the sea with faith before it parted. A moving call to take courageous steps into the unknown.
One Step Closer recording
One Step Closer (Alternate Version)
One Step Closer Live
5. Six13 – Passover Song
A cappella meets pop culture with Six13’s high-energy, clever Passover parody. Great for teens and anyone who loves a good laugh with their matzah.
Six13
6. Chad Gadya
Sung by Shulem. A whimsical, nostalgic favorite storytelling song that wraps up the seder with mystery, melody, and fun.
Chad Gadya
2. Ha Lachma Anya
"This is the bread of affliction…" this heartfelt rendition invites us to remember the core message of the seder: empathy, openness, and remembrance. Ha Lachma Anya
0. Miriam’s Song
An empowering tribute to Miriam the Prophetess, celebrating women’s leadership, liberation, and the joyous dance of freedom. Miriam's Song
9. Min Hameitzar (Out of the Depths)
Cantor Shira Lissek
A soulful and deeply personal interpretation of Psalm 118, calling out from the narrow place toward expansive freedom. A beautiful way to conclude your seder or reflection.
Min Hameitzar
The NCJCA wishes to thank all contributors to this year’s Passover Seder Supplement. Special thanks goes to Michal Koren (Greensboro) for all graphics and formatting. Michal’s creative takes on Passover music can be found on YouTube.
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