Source of Mercy, the world feels different now. Since that dark day, grief and terror have settled into our bones. We have seen too much suffering, too much loss, too many hearts broken open by pain. Hold us in Your infinite compassion. Teach us how to breathe again in a world that feels forever changed.

We remember every life torn away, every family waiting for news, every soul still held captive in body or in spirit. Bring them home, Holy One. Bring healing to those who mourn, courage to those who despair, and rest to those whose hearts can no longer carry the weight of sorrow.

Plant in us the seeds of peace. Help us see the divine image even in one another’s tears. Spread Your shelter of safety over all who dwell in fear, in Israel and in Gaza, and in every place touched by violence. Oseh shalom bimromav, may the One who makes peace in the heavens make peace for us, for our neighbors, and for this fragile, aching world. Amen.

Kadesh U-Urchatz

Karpas and Yachatz

Magid and Rachatzah

Motzi matzah, motzi matzah

Maror Korech

Shulchan Orech

Tzafun, Ba-a-rech

Hallel Nirtzah… Hallel Nirtzah!

In the Haggadah, before the meal

We think about how things were

And the experience makes us feel

The miracles that occurred

Kadesh U-Urchatz

Karpas and Yachatz

Magid and Rachatzah

Motzi matzah, Motzi Matzah

Where’s my Haggadah…

Maror Korech

Shulchan Orech

Tzafun, Ba-a-rech

Hallel Nirtzah

Next: Chad Gadya

That’s the Haggadah

This is the first ritual washing of the seder. You do it whether your hands are clean or dirty, because you’re about to consume some food for the first time since you sat yourselves down for the meal/exploration of history. The act of washing prepares you for the enjoyment and exploration ahead. And this probably goes without saying, but be careful not to spill on any local witches — while scientists do not know if all bearers of magic have a water allergy, better safe than sorry. It’s also practical to protectively shield your characters at the beginning of the narrative, because if they melt no one learns anything.

For Elphaba, the “karpas” part of the seder — in which we remember both spring and the tears our people shed in Egypt when they were slaves — would be her happy place. [graf] In Karpasland, she’d be surrounded by greens, connecting and communing with nature while totally blending in. The presence of the salt water would remind her of her past sorrows, but in the symbols of spring — a stream, woodland creatures in a lush environment, shades of green everywhere — she would find hope. [graf] And of course, she could be among the poppies, mysterious flowers that thrive in sunshine, with some varieties holding the power to put people to sleep. 

Poppies, with their short life cycle, have for centuries been associated with death, especially the death of children — in Greek and Roman myth, the poppy is tied to Demeter, who created it to bring her sleep amid grief over the loss of her daughter Persephone to Hades, God of the Underworld. In more contemporary times, the flower has been a symbol of sacrifice for Americans since the first World War, present at ceremonies honoring fallen members of the military.  

[graf] In another recent example, a exhibit in the Israel Museum by artist Erez Israeli, 𝘍𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, strung together glass beads to create a field of poppies⁣⁣, in memory of murdered hostages Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, and Almog Sarusi. ⁣

[graf] Poppies are colorful and quite beautiful, but if you’re planning on dancing through life, you might want to steer clear of papaver somniferum — the variety that produces opium, a powerful narcotic whose derivatives include the dangerously addictive morphine, codeine, heroin, and oxycodone. 

[graf] So when it comes to karpas, stick to those leafy greens and leave the field of poppies for Elphaba — she’s going to need them later.