Friday, April 07, 2006

On Wednesday, my mom took me and Hannah to a women's community seder at a temple in San Diego. It was a lovely three-generational experience, connecting with the heritage that we don't often enough acknowledge and celebrate. I really appreciated the feminist, social justice leanings of the haggadah. Here's an excerpt:

READER: If we speak truthfully about the pain, joys, and contraditions of our lives,
If we listen to others with sensitivity and compassion,
If we challenge the absence of women in traditional texts, chronicles of Jewish history, and in the leadership of many of our institutions, dayeinu.

ALL: If we continue to organize, march, and vote to affirm our values,
If we fight economic injustice, sexism, racism, and homophobia,
If we volunteer our time and money, dayeinu.

READER: If we break the silence about violence against women and children in the Jewish community and everywhere,
If we teach our students and children to pursure justice with all their strength,
If we care for the earth and its future as responsibly as we care for those we love,
If we create art, music, dance and literature, dayeinu.

ALL: If we realize our power to effect change,
If we bring holiness into our lives, homes and communities,
If we honor our visions more than our fears, dayeinu v'lo dayeinu.

ALL: It will and will not be enough.

(Note: Dayeinu means "it would have been enough")

No comments: