This Passover, as many of us gather around the Seder table, may we remember that we are part of the story of liberation. And together, we can build a just, livable, and sustainable world for generations to come.
Our newly-expanded supplement contains rituals, songs, and reflections that connect the story of Exodus to the work of climate justice. It includes climate-themed rituals, discussion questions, and reflections that you can integrate into your Passover Seder, all in an easy-to-use, printable guide.
Sections include: Urhatz, Karpas, Four Children, 10 Climate Plagues, Dayenu!, Pesach (shank bone), Matzah, Maror (bitter herb), Afikomen, and B’chol Dor Vador (“In every generation…”).
Featuring moments to bring climate conversation, ritual, song to your table.
Passover (or Pesach), like many Jewish holidays, holds mythic-historic, agricultural, seasonal, and spiritual meanings. Historically, it celebrates the Exodus – the story of the ancient Israelites escaping oppression in Egypt and crossing into a wilderness that was uncertain but full of possibility. The Hebrew word for Egypt – מצרים mitzrayim – literally means “narrow places.” Agriculturally and seasonally, Passover marks the start of Spring (“Chag HaAviv” – the festival of Spring) and the barley harvest. And spiritually, it invites each of us, in every generation, to journey from constriction to freedom (“Chag Cheruteinu” – the festival of our freedom). At the Seder (Passover ritual meal), we tell the story of the Exodus and remember that the work of liberation is ongoing – and we each have a role to play in building a more liberated future.
Passover carries powerful teachings that resonate deeply in the era of climate change:
The climate crisis affects individuals and communities differently and often disproportionately. Passover reminds us that freedom is collective but the journey to freedom may look different for each of us. According to many interpretations of the crossing of the sea, though the people and animals had a wide range of abilities and needs, they all made it across because their varied needs were met with a variety of care: fresh fruits, drinkable water, mobility support, and company on the journey. Some of us feel the impacts of rising seas or heatwaves more acutely or have a greater or lesser ability to move or rebuild after a climate disaster. On the journey to a more just and livable future, we are leaving no one behind. We are responsible for one another. No one crossed the sea alone.
Jewish ancestors fled an oppressive but familiar world to cross the sea into the unknown – to do so, they needed to imagine a world beyond their exploitative status quo. Confronting the climate crisis requires us to reject business as usual and to imagine a thriving, resilient future.
The story of the exodus is a reminder that movements for liberation are built through courage (like the ancient midwives Shifra and Pu’ah); creative, collective action (like the Israelite women’s bold action in the face of Pharoah’s decree), strong leaders (like Moses, Aron, and Miriam), and faith in the possibility of change. Of course, a few good miracles don’t hurt!
In a time when climate wins can be scarce, the egg and the green vegetables on the seder plate are a few of the many reminders of this season’s abundance and joy. The barley harvest sustained the people’s everyday needs. Passover marks the start of the dry, sunnier season. Take some time to notice spring blossoms, lengthening days, and the renewal of the earth – and let it nourish and sustain you for the work ahead. Even as we know climate change is affecting the very timing of our seasons, Passover gives us permission to pause and give thanks for the emerging possibilities of Spring.
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