The Seder’s Call: Moving Beyond the Table

As you prepare for Passover, we invite you to explore The Seder’s Call: Moving Beyond the Table, a collection of thought-provoking essays to deepen your holiday experience. This year’s edition examines the Seder not just as a retelling of the Exodus, but as a call to reflection and action. How do its themes of liberation and responsibility shape our commitments today? What do we want to take away from this night of storytelling, memory, and ritual?

With fresh perspectives on the Haggadah and practical ideas for your Seder, this resource aims to enrich your celebration and spark meaningful conversations. We hope it elevates your Passover experience.

Click here for the PDF of The Seder’s Call: Moving Beyond the Table.

Support for the Passover supplement is made possible by Shelly and Larry Gross, in loving memory of their parents Lillian and Louis Konheim (z”l) and Joseph Gross (z”l).


Make a Donation


The Seder’s Call: Moving Beyond the Table
Online Edition

The Seder’s Call – An Introduction

The Seder’s Call – An Introduction

Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor, JTS

What to expect in the 5785 Passover Supplement

Read More
Passover and the Work of Redemption

Passover and the Work of Redemption

Dr. Arnold M. Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought

If God remains in hiding when redemption is needed, human beings must stand up and be counted.

Read More
The Beauty in the Broken

The Beauty in the Broken

Lara Rodin (RS ’25)

It makes perfect sense, then, that as we retell the story of our people’s freedom at Passover, we break the middle piece of matzah.

Read More
A Reflection on Ha Lahma Anya

A Reflection on Ha Lahma Anya

Rabbi Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, Henry R. And Miriam Ripps Schnitzer Librarian for Special Collections of the JTS Library

The Ha Lahma Anya passage comes to life with an extraordinary illustration that reflects Joel ben Simeon’s creativity.

Read More
The “Four Children” and Their Parent

The “Four Children” and Their Parent

Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement

Let’s explore the four children as one child and one parent going back and forth in dialogue.

Read More
A Reflection on the Four Sons

A Reflection on the Four Sons

Rabbi Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, Henry R. And Miriam Ripps Schnitzer Librarian for Special Collections of the JTS Library

A take on the Four Children from the Prato Haggadah, a 14th-century Spanish manuscript from The JTS Library, presents distinctive images of the Four Sons.

Read More
The Measure of Our Cups

The Measure of Our Cups

Clara Goldberg (List College, ’25)

By diminishing our metaphoric joy, we make the statement that our joy can never be complete while others suffer, even if those who suffer hurt us deeply.

Read More
Singing Appreciation: Dayyenu as a Gratitude Practice

Singing Appreciation: Dayyenu as a Gratitude Practice

Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, JTS

Dayyenu is an easy-tor-remember-and-recite gratitude practice, and as current research has shown, gratitude can improve overall well-being and deepen social connections and personal bonds.

Read More
Who Shall Cross?

Who Shall Cross?

Mar 21, 2025

Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, Director of the Block / Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts

Explore a Talmudic story that reflects key themes of Passover, raising profound questions about free will, obligation, and inclusion.

Read More
Opening Doors: So That Seder Might Be Transformative, Not Performative

Opening Doors: So That Seder Might Be Transformative, Not Performative

Rabbi Sharon Brous (RS ’01), Founding and Senior Rabbi, IKAR

A Reflection on Shefokh Hamatkha: How might opening our doors, both physically and spiritually, reshape our Passover experience?

Read More