2. Dayenu – We’ve Had Enough, God!
3. God Does Not Bring Plagues.
4. Eliyahu Hanavi: Opening the Door for Elijah
6. Next Year! LeShanah HaBa-ah!
Let it Pass Over
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
On this sacred night as we start our Seder
We cry out to You, God,
Hear our Passover Prayer:
Let it Pass Over, God.
We pray for an end to war and terror all over the world.
Let there be peace in Israel,
Peace between Jews and Arabs,
Israelis and Palestinians,
Peace for the oppressed people of Iran seeking a new future,
Peace in Ukraine,
Peace all across the globe,
Let it Pass Over!
Help us to put an end to anti-Semitism,
To prejudice, racism, discrimination and to hate.
We are a people of immigrants
Who were strangers in the Land of Egypt,
Let us teach our society to love and protect the stranger.
Give our leaders the will to pass laws that will stem gun violence,
Help us prevent mass shootings,
Show us the way to protect every child in school in every city
All across Your world.
Let it Pass Over!
Let us find a way to reverse climate change,
Teach us how to eliminate poverty and inequality,
Help us create the housing and services necessary to end homelessness.
Let it Pass Over every nation, every people, the young and the old.
Give doctors and nurses the strength and wisdom to trust science
And heal the sick.
Teach us to see one another, to hear one another,
To overcome the polarization that is tearing us apart.
Let this night of Liberation mark the birth of a new day of freedom and rebirth.
Bless us, God, bless our people, bless all people
With new hope and new light.
On this Passover Night we pray to you, God,
Let it Pass Over us!
Hear us God,
Help us heal this world,
Amen.
Dayenu – We’ve Had Enough, God!
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
Let Israel live in peace, free from war with her neighbors – Dayenu
Let there be peace all over this world – Dayenu
Let us work night and day to heal our earth – Dayenu
Let the weak and the vulnerable be protected – Dayenu
Let us put an end to gun violence and mass shootings – Dayenu
Let all healers find paths to bring healing – Dayenu
Let every soul find justice and dignity – Dayenu
Let us overcome anti-Semitism and all bigotry, God – Dayenu
Fill our hearts with hope
And our souls with faith,
Our bodies with health,
And all homes with love.
Unite our world to bring on a time of freedom for all,
Let the seeds of rebirth take root tonight
And grow in blessings
In Your light, God,
Amen.
God Does Not Bring Plagues
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
The key to Passover is a belief in rebirth, a belief that tomorrow can be better
than today; a knowing that we each have a critical part to play
in the unfolding of hope.
Freedom begins with open eyes and ears and hearts.
Seas will part, answers will come, cures will emerge, a path to peace,
New ways of understanding will sprout up and take root,
A universal love that mirrors God’s love for every living creature
And for our world.
In the book of Exodus we are told that Pharaoh’s sorcerers were able to replicate
the plague of frogs. The only difference between Moses and the sorcerers was:
only Moses could remove the plague. When the sorcerers witnessed Moses
reverse the plague they cried out: “This is the hand of God.”
The truth is, it doesn’t take any great supernatural powers
to bring about a plague.
We all have the power to destroy life and to destroy the earth
and our atmosphere.
But it does take great holy powers to reverse a plague, to heal the sick,
to heal our planet, to heal hatred and war.
The Healing Hand of God acting through us is what will save us and lead us
from constriction to wide open spaces,
from fear to faith,
from darkness to light,
from worry to peace of mind,
from economic hardship to abundance,
from war to peace.
Let us raise a glass and drink a Cup of Praise to the Soul of Souls who fills us
with the power to end all of this world’s plagues.
And let us say, Amen.
Eliyahu Hanavi: Opening the Door for Elijah
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
Elijah the Prophet is the one who will herald in the Messiah.
Our tradition offers us many visions of what Messianic Days will look like.
Some say it will be a time of supernatural events and miracles.
But the prophetic text we recite just before Passover describes the great gift
Elijah will bring this way: “And he will restore the hearts of parents to their
children and the hearts of children to their parents.”
Restoring Love is the greatest miracle of all, it is a Messianic dream.
Elijah comes to every bris and baby naming to teach us this same lesson:
that every single soul has a sacred role to play
in the healing of hearts across this world.
Let that healing begin tonight in this home:
Come Elijah, bless us our hearts with love and forgiveness.
Come Elijah, remind us how precious life is, and how fragile.
Come Elijah, enter this home, enter every home
and drink from your honored cup.
Redeem us Elijah, free us from resentments, heal us from anger,
Bring an end to all war and bloodshed. Bring peace to Israel, peace to our world.
Let a new time of hope begin tonight.
Welcome Elijah, pull up a chair.
We seek your blessing tonight!
Come Now, Elijah,
Heal our world.
Amen.
The Bitter and the Sweet
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
Take a piece of matzah, place some Haroset and some Maror on it and recite this prayer as you eat.
We are always aware that there is a sweetness lying inside the bitter,
Just as there is a light forever shining for us in the darkness.
It is our mission each day to uncover the blessings that have been hiding inside
every challenge, even every curse.
Sitting here tonight, God, we are filled with Gratitude:
For the food on our table.
For those who prepared this delicious feast.
For the joy of family and friends singing together.
For the courage to speak out against hate.
For nature’s beauty.
For inner strength and for inner peace.
For meaningful conversations, for the holiness of our questions.
For gathering at home with those we love.
For the ability to celebrate and pray as Jews freely with pride!
Amen!
(Everyone at our Seder: Please share a blessing you have uncovered this year)
Next Year! LeShanah HaBa-ah!
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
We conclude our Seder with words of prayer, hope and uplift:
Next Year in Jerusalem!
Next Year with an end to anti-Semitism!
Next Year Israel at peace!
Next Year peace throughout the world!
Next Year in Health!
Next Year an end to racism!
Next Year an end to gun violence!
Next year an end to homelessness!
Next Year healing our environment!
Next Year Feasting!
Next Year Rejoicing!
Next Year in Laughter!
Next Year in Love!
Next Year filled with Song and Celebration!
Next Year in Abundance!
Next Year in Peace!
Next Year in Blessings! Amen!