Ha Lachma Anya

This is the bread of affliction our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt,

This is the bread of affliction, we too eat, in the land of America rife with rage, hatred, and discontent.

This is the bread of affliction that sustained our ancestors, through years of abuse and enslavement,

This is the bread of affliction, we too eat, incredulous, faced with anti-Semitism at home in this land.

This is the bread of affliction that filled the bellies of our ancestors when starved, afraid, and diminished,

This is the bread of affliction, we too eat, having watched, our brothers and sister in Israel, who were beaten, raped and taken hostage.

This is the bread of affliction once eaten when Pharaoh ruled as if a god, but just a despot, tyrant, and      authoritarian ruler,

This is the bread of affliction, we too eat, watching men aspire to rule this land who are despots, tyrants, and authoritarian.

This is the bread of affliction that became the symbol of liberation, rushing out of dark, moving toward the light,

This is the bread of affliction, we too eat, a symbol of our power to stand against the dark and moving toward the light.

This year we face so many suffering in war, lost and afraid, in Ukraine, Africa, and now in Israel our beloved homeland.

This year, we in America, face division, antagonism, and political chaos on the home-front and abroad.

Next year may we come to see and work towards harmony, security, safety, and peace at home and in the rest of the world.

Rabbi/Cantor Eva Robbins

April 2024