The Orange on the Plate: The Liberated Seder

By Ellen Deschatres and Lois Heckman

This is not your grandparent’s Haggadah.

The Orange on the Plate: A Liberated Seder is a reinterpretation of the Haggadah, offering a service that is not too long, yet full of all the great stories of Passover. It provides an opportunity for everyone at the table to participate as much or as little as they wish. Woman-centered, the service can include men, too. It is very appropriate for secular, spiritual and non-traditional people. It is not a worship service, but a celebration of the story, told in a friendly and fresh way, complete with ritual and discussion.

“A refreshing take on the traditional Passover Seder! This is a sensitively written, thoughtful Seder minus the dogma. It gets to the essence of what the Seder is all about - a celebration of those who have longed for and achieved liberation throughout the history of humankind.” - Andrea K. Ecke, Professor of World Religions, Misericordia University

“A lucid, highly accessible, but also deeply feminist version of the Passover ritual. This progressive — even radical — reading of the holiday's history is wonderfully imaginative and critical at the same time. Heckman has given us all a hopeful, inclusive, and empowering vision of the Passover experience.” - Janet Gyatso, Harvard Divinity School

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477103630

Ellen Deschatres

AUTHOR: Lois Heckman is a celebrant, writer, musician, and social activist, who lives and works in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. She describes this Seder as the one she always wished for, never found, and so decided to write it herself. www.LoisHeckman.com ILLUSTRATOR: Ellen Deschatres is a visual artist and celebrant who lives and works in Wildwood, Missouri. As an artist, she works in a variety of mediums, including textile/quilt, oil, watercolor, pen, graphite, pastels and charcoal. A sampling of her work can be found at ellendeschatres.com.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Lois Heckman. 596921

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without

permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

ISBN:  Softcover  978-1-4771-0362-3

            EBook      978-1-4771-0363-0

Rev. date: 12/15/2020

CONTENTS

Thoughts And Thanks

Instructions And Ideas For Conducting This Seder

Welcome

The Seder Plate

First Ritual Cup Of Wine – Miriam’s Cup

The Four Questions

Second Ritual Cup Of Wine

The Story Of The Exodus

The Third Cup Of Wine

Our Modern Plagues

Fourth Cup Of Wine: The Journey Continues

THOUGHTS AND THANKS

I have always been drawn to the story of Passover. I believe its because it relates to my progressive, political, feminist values, and is at its heart, the story of the struggle to freedom. I hoped to create a Seder that would be accessible to people of different faiths, and especially to atheists and agnostics. I did not want it to be a worship service, and I didn’t want it to be too long!

I thank my friend and celebrant colleague Dorry Bless for her contributions to this text, and all her help and support.

Big thanks goes to my husband Kent, who puts up with, and even encourages me in all I do; and for cooking more than one large Passover dinner because of all this!

And finally, thanks goes to Ellen Deschatres, for coming into this project at the perfect moment and contributing her time and talent to bring this book to life with her charming illustrations.

INSTRUCTIONS AND IDEAS FOR

CONDUCTING THIS SEDER

I suggest that