Seder Speed Learning

Passover Resources

Seder on Sefaria - A collection of virtual seder activities meant to educate, engage, and connect people around Passover prep and the seder.
DIY Haggadah - Step-by-step instructions for making your own Haggadah. Great for a class Haggadah.
The Ashkenazic Haggadah and the Edot HaMizrach Haggadah - with lots of commentaries.
Topics pages such as Seder, Passover, Haggadah.
Pictures Tell: The Passover Haggadah - Sheets that pair photographer Zion Ozeri’s images with key Haggadah texts to help illuminate both.
Paths to Freedom - Explore mystical perspectives on Passover with four email lessons from Rabbi Ami Silver, a scholar of Kabbalistic and Chasidic teachings.

Speed Learning Breakout Sessions

Session #1

כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעָה בָנִים דִּבְּרָה תוֹרָה: אֶחָד חָכָם, וְאֶחָד רָשָׁע, וְאֶחָד תָּם, וְאֶחָד שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לִשְׁאוֹל.

Corresponding to four sons did the Torah speak; one [who is] wise, one [who is] evil, one who is innocent and one who doesn't know to ask.

What do you like to discuss with your students when you teach about the four children?
Do you plan to teach about the four children this year?
What, if anything, do you struggle with in teaching this section? What ideas do you have to overcome this?
What successes have you had with teaching this section in the past?

Suggested sheets:

Session #2

בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם

In each and every generation, a person is obligated to see himself as if he left Egypt

How do you approach the idea of personally experiencing the exodus with your students?
Do you plan on teaching this section this year?
What, if anything, do you struggle with in teaching this section? What ideas do you have to overcome this?
What successes have you had with teaching this section in the past?

Suggested sheet:

Educator thoughts from webinar

Difficult to "command" children to be empathetic, even though kids are naturally quite empathetic.
Try assigning some students to embody the slaves and other students encircle them, enact not being free. Talk with the children about what it felt like to be in the middle, what it felt like to be the chain around the kids in the middle.
How do you get people to feel this truly?
Powerful rewording: "In every generation, you should see yourself as having emerged from Auschwitz."
Part of obligation as educators is to help impress upon children that experience is one that we have firsthand. This is unique about Jewish history: We place ourselves in the story.
It can be challenging to balance Ashkenazi and Sephardi backgrounds at seder. All of us, though, have been touched by some aspect of not being free.
We sometimes make the mistake of saying it was only Ashkenazi Jews who experienced the Holocaust.
Even after the "dayenu" following the Holocaust, persecution has reoccurred for Jews of various backgrounds, as well as people who aren't Jewish. Reminder of Jews who survived Holocaust and went to Mexico.
We also must remember persecution of various groups around the world, how the Exodus story can apply.
There is room for everybody's experience.

Session #3

אִלּוּ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת־הַיָּם וְלֹא הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה, דַּיֵּנוּ.

אִלּוּ הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת־הַמָּן וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַשַׁבָּת, דַּיֵּנוּ.

אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, וְלא נַתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה. דַּיֵּנוּ.

אִלּוּ נַתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה וְלֹא הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, דַּיֵּנוּ.

If He had split the Sea for us and had not taken us through it on dry land; [it would have been] enough for us.

If He had fed us the manna and had not given us the Shabbat; [it would have been] enough for us.

If He had brought us close to Mount Sinai and had not given us the Torah; [it would have been] enough for us.

If He had given us the Torah and had not brought us into the land of Israel; [it would have been] enough for us.

What concepts do you like to raise with your students when you teach Dayenu?
Do you plan on teaching Dayenu this year?
What, if anything, do you struggle with in teaching this section? What ideas do you have to overcome this?
What successes have you had with teaching this section in the past?

Suggested sheet:

Educator thoughts from webinar

Culmination of Exodus story is gift of Torah.
Common "dayenu" tune is so metronomic/predictable, it would be easy to write words that fit into it in English. Perhaps could write own words that speak to each person about what they personally are grateful for.
Could have each person add a line to "dayenu" in DIY Haggadah on Sefaria.

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