From the Yam Suph to the Blue Pacific:
A Seder Supplement
Honoring the Ancestors, Liberation and the Ocean
Created by Janet Weil, 2008 (ed. J Furst 2009)
Aka… “Let my people hang ten!”
Pesach April 12 2009 CE – 14 Nissan 5769
Psalm 104, verses 24 – 24-27
How many are the things You have made, O YHVH;
You have made them all with wisdom;
The earth is full of Your creations.
There is the sea, vast and wide,
With its creatures beyond number,
Living things, small and great.
There go the ships,
And Leviathan that You formed to sport with.
All of them look to You
To give them their food when it is due.
Note: this is not a complete haggadah, but a set of songs,
readings, and rituals to add to your Passover.
Songs, Poems & Prayers
The Ocean
The ocean is the beginning of the earth
The ocean is the beginning of the earth
All life comes from the sea
All life comes from the sea
- Delaney Johnson & Starhawk
From the Rime of the Ancient Mariner
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things, both great and small;
For the dear God, who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
- Samuel Coleridge
Shir HaShirim
Yishakeni, yishakeni, min'shikot pihu, yishakeni,
ki-tovim dodecha, dodecha miyayin (2x)
Give to me the kisses, the kisses of your mouth (2x)
For your love is finer than the sweetest wine (2x)
- Yofiyah, adapted from Song of Songs
Counting the Omer
FeminineG-d language: B'ruchah at YahEloheynu chay ha'olamimasher kideshatnu bemitzvoteha vetzivatnu al sefirat ha'omer.
Masculine G-d language: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheynu mekor chayim asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al sefirat ha'omer.
Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, source of all life, who has made us holy with your mitzvot, and given us the practice of the counting of the Omer.
Today is the___ day of the Omer, which is___ weeks and___ days of the Omer.
Introduction
When I think about honoring the ocean, I begin to realize that the “ocean” is much more than my usual images of the coastline of North Central California, and the waves of the Pacific.
“Ocean” includes: my home climate, the prevailing breeze, the stories of a beer-drinking surfer from Orange County, krill, two cans of tuna in my cupboard, the Golden Gate Bridge, the cries of unseen seagulls in downtown San Francisco, dolphins, books and CDs, seals, and the fish counter at Whole Foods.
What does “ocean” NOT include? For it surely also includes the sadness when I look at a billboard about 15,000 plastic bags taken from the Bay in one day, as well as the lift in my spirits when I first see the ocean from my car window, or the peace I feel lying on Stinson Beach, listening to the surf’s music for hours.
To honor something as vast and essential as the ocean means slowing down enough to reflect on its qualities, to remember moments from the past, and to consider what actions might carry our intentions of “honoring the ocean.”
I also feel the presence of the vast and essential when I think about honoring the ancestors who lived through the ordeals of slavery and their liberation from it. From another, very different culture’s tradition (the Greek symposium), they created a family-centered ritual to re-experience and remember those ordeals. What, in the course of the Jewish year, is NOT Passover? We sing the “Mi cha mocha”, the song of Miriam leading the women in a freedom dance after crossing the Red Sea, every Erev Shabbat. We discuss the meanings of bondage and redemption year round. Year after year, in Yiddish-speaking yeshivas and in cyberspace, in a deli or at a kitchen table, or more formally at a conference, we speak of Moses and Pharaoh, babies and midwives, slavery and privilege, God’s power and human courage, matzah and maror. Pesach guides us, challenges us, sings to us, comforts us and literally feeds us.
As does the ocean. For this, the fifth night of Pesach 5769, is different not only from all other nights but from other Seders, for as we observe the holy day feast and storytelling, we also give our grateful attention to the oceans of the world, with a particular focus on the saltiest sea, the Red Sea, and the largest ocean, the Pacific.
Baruch atah adonai, eloheynu melech ha’olam, who has created the oceans of the world as it says in the Torah: “Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area… and the gathering of waters He called Seas,” and given us the oceans for wonder and nourishment. Amen.
Let us each say one quality of the ocean that we honor.
The Ocean Plate
Before the seder, collect the following symbols and make a second plate for the seder.
Here are the symbols of the ocean for our seder:
The fishbone ~ sacrifice
Sand ~ gritty aspects of reality
Agar ~ mortar
Salt ~ tears
Seaweed ~ light and rebirth
Caviar ~ birth and life
Any who so desire may say something about one of the symbols, and their connection to the ocean.
The Red Sea
Take turns reading:
After the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt they camped at the "Red Sea". When the chariots of Pharaoh arrived the waters of the "Red Sea" were parted and the Israelites crossed over into safety on the other side.
The "Red Sea" is actually a misnomer from the translation of the Hebrew. The Hebrew is ףוס םי (yam suph). The Hebrew word םי (yam) means "sea" and when used alone refers to the Mediterranean Sea. Another Hebrew word is derived from this word; it is the word םוי (yom) meaning day. In the Hebrew reckoning of time, the day begins at sunset. At sunset the sun sets in the west and into the Mediterranean Sea.
The word ףוס (suph) literally means "edge". This can be the edge of a country (border), the lips as the edge of the mouth, or an outline of something. In the Biblical text this word is used for "reeds" which line the banks, or edge, of rivers. Hence, the "yam suph" is the "Sea of Reeds" or "Reed Sea". Somewhere in time the "Reed Sea" became the "Red Sea".
This same word, "suph", is used in Jewish theology in the term "eyen soph" (with just a vowel change). The word "eyn" means "without" and "soph" means "edge" or "definition" (as an outline). The phrase "eyn soph" means "without definition" and is used for God, the one who has no definition, outline or form.
This is where the fleeing Israelites paused on the journey to liberation. The Yam Suph was an obstacle, a limit, and yet the only way forward. To people without boats, it must have seemed a mockery of all hope.
Discussion (groups of 2 or 3):
What is an obstacle or limit in your life that could be a passageway to freedom or understanding?
What/who can you call on to help you transform or open the obstacle?
Maggid: The Telling
From Shemot (Exodus) 7:26
And YHVH spake unto Moses, "go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him,
'Thus sayeth YHVH: Let my people go, that they may serve me.'"
When Israel was in Egypt's Land,
Let my people go,
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go.
Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt's Land.
Tell ol' Pharoah,
Let my people go.
Thus saith the YHVH, bold Moses said,
Let my people go,
If not, I'll smite your first-born dead,
Let my people go.
Go down, Moses…
No more shall they in bondage toil,
Let my people go,
Let them come out with Egypt's spoil,
Let my people go.
Go down, Moses…
The YHVH told Moses what to do,
Let my people go,
To lead the Hebrew children through,
Let my people go.
From Shemot (Exodus) 14:15 - 27
“Then the YHVH said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground. And I will stiffen the hearts of the Egyptians so that they go in after them; and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his warriors, his chariots and his horsemen.”
“The angel of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them, and it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon the night, so that the one could not come near the other all through the night.
Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and the YHVH drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split, and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
The Egyptians came in pursuit after them into the sea, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen. At the morning watch, the YHVH looked down upon the Egyptians army into panic. He locked the wheels of their chariots so that they moved forward with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the YHVH is fighting for them against Egypt.”
Then the YHVH said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians and upon their chariots and upon their horsemen.” Moses held out his arm over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state, and the Egyptians fled at its approach. But the YHVH hurled the Egyptians into the sea.”
From the Babylonian Talmud (Megillah 10b)
When the Eqyptians were drowning in the Reed Marsh, the angels started to sing and dance. But the Holy One restrained them saying, "My children are drowning in the sea, and you want to sing my praises?
A Midrash on Faith
…the Egyptians are thundering closer. The Jews are panicked. And then Nachshon, from the tribe of Yehuda, steps foot into the sea. But the sea still does not split. Nachshon continues as the water reaches his ankles, then up to his knees. Still no split. Nachshon forges deeper: Up to his waist, his chest. Still no split.
Nachshon's mind races: Maybe we should return to Egypt. We were slaves, but also somehow safe. By now the water has reached his neck. Nachshon is being challenged to his limit. Yet he continues into the sea. As the water reaches his nostrils, at this last possible moment... the Red Sea splits. The Jewish People all rush in after him.
Finally, freedom. - Adapted from a telling by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Destruction and Tikkun:
Repairing the Ocean Plagues
Go around the table, naming modern plagues that afflict the oceans.
As you say each plague, pour a drop of oil into the seawater. Feel free to say what's in your heart, or name a plague from the list below.
Ten Plagues Afflicting the Oceans Today:
Whaling
Overfishing
Plastics
Sewage
Nuclear dumping
Noise pollution
Coral Death & Habitat Destruction
Oil spills
Ice Melt & Rising Seas
The Global Climate Catastrophe
Modern Miracles: Restoring the Oceans
Discuss success stories and developing technologies for restoring ocean habitat.
An amazing example is at www.matteroftrust.org – human hair mats which clean up oil spills, as were used after the Cosco Busan crashed in San Francisco Bay (see next page).
Better yet, get yourself some hair mats from and demonstrate the miracle yourself – add more oil to the bowl of seawater, then use the mat to absorb and wring out the oil (have paper towels handy…).
Transformations / Discussussion:
What promising news and experiences can you shareabout the ocean's health and restoration?
Passover is a time for renewal and rebirth, moving past the afflictions of slavery. In what ways can/do humans work with HaShem and the planet to make tikkun and go beyond, fostering greater health and abundance than before humanity even arose?
Songs from the Sea
Men read:
(Moses and the men’s song of praise)
“Who is like You, O YHVH, among the mighty;
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in splendor, working wonders!”
Micha mocha, baelim Adonai / Mika mocha, nedar bakodesh / Norah tehilla, oseh feleh!
Women read:
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. And Miriam chanted for them:
"Sing to the YHVH, for He has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea!"
Shiru l'Adona / Ki ga-oah ga-ah / Sus v'rochvo / Ramah vayam!
All sing:
Miriam haNeviyah, Miriam haNeviyah, with timbrel and with song (2x)
We will dance with you, we will sing with, with timbrel and with song (2x)
The Fourth Cup: Redemption