Office for prayer in connection with the Jewish people
Thursday 2 May 2024
Meditation
The Seder is God’s ‘command’ to move from spiritual slavery to spiritual freedom.
The Seder is a journey from darkness to light. The word Seder means ‘order’. The Seder defines what we do on the first night of Pesach (Passover in Judaism). We follow the command given by God, which indicates how to move from spiritual slavery to deliverance.
KADESH
The first stage of the Seder is called Kadesh. It involves the recitation of the Kiddush, a special blessing, over a cup of wine. There is an important principle that says that when it comes to spiritual reality, you only get what you want.
Consequently, the first step in spiritual growth is to want to live a life of holiness…
The first stage of the Seder is therefore Kadesh, because in order to advance towards the light we must commit ourselves to living a life of holiness. This requires that we separate ourselves from the negative and move towards God consciousness.
OUR’HATZ
The next stage of the Seder is called Our’hatz, which means ‘to wash’. It consists of pouring water over one’s hands twice from a cup, without reciting a blessing.
Washing the hands at this stage of the meal would seem to be a superfluous request.
What is being suggested here is that anyone who wants to achieve holiness must have clean hands. As the verse in Psalms says, ‘Lift up your hands in holiness and bless God’. What does this mean?
Holiness can only be revealed in you in accordance with what you actually do.
YA’HATZ
Ya’hatz consists of taking the matzah, the unleavened bread, from the Seder table and breaking it into two unequal pieces.
Ya’hatz shows us that, for us to make real progress towards redemption, certain aspects of ourselves must be broken.
As the verse in Psalms says, ‘God is near to those who are broken.’
The Seder: A spiritual journey by Rebbetsen Heller
.
Intercessions
To be adapted according to your location
R. Amen, amen, blessed be the God of Israel
Or another refrain
1. Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who mourned because of the violence between Cain and Abel,
we pray to you for peace in the Holy Land,
this land where you have chosen to come and join us in our humanity.
2. Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who made possible the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers,
for any contempt for your people Israel, forgive us (silence).
We pray to you, Father, to make fraternity grow between the Jewish people and the nations.
3. Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who brought Israel out of Egypt and made your people free,
give your joy to the Jewish people,
and keep them faithful to your covenant.
4. Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who united the twelve tribes of Israel around the Torah,
give peace to the Jews who believe in Jesus.
5. Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who sent your Son Jesus to save us,
pour out your blessing on Christians who are of Jewish descent.
6. Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Father of Jesus Christ,
bring all Christian churches together in unity.
7. Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
– you have given the Jewish people the promise of the coming of the Messiah,
– you have given the Church the expectation of your son’s return.
– in the Holy Spirit we say with the whole Church: “Maranatha, come Lord”.