"Let all who are hungry come and eat." A Passover Seder Discussion Guide

I share this discussion guide with grateful thanks to ChallahForHunger.org who originated it. 

https://donate.challahforhunger.org/Passover2021

INCORPORATING THE CAMPUS  HUNGER PROJECT INTO YOUR SEDER 

It might seem unusual that Challah for Hunger would provide a resource for Passover –  it’s the only Jewish holiday completely absent of even the slightest crumb of challah. 

However, the telling of the Passover story begins in most homes with the ambitious, heartfelt invitation  “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Words that serve as a direct reminder that our job at Passover,  and always, is to tell the story of hunger’s cruelty and act against the hardships it creates. 

The Campus Hunger Project, powered by Challah for Hunger, seeks to involve students, alumni, parents,  and partners to advocate for solutions that alleviate and ultimately end food insecurity on college  campuses. Over the last few years, several studies, including a report from the federal government, have  recognized that more than 3 million college students in America are food insecure. 

In order to tackle this issue, we must first raise awareness about it. You can help do that by talking about  campus hunger at your Seder. As you sit down with your family and friends at Passover this year, there  are three parts of the Seder where you can learn, reflect and discuss the issue. Plan to use one, two or all  three of these suggested activities and readings during your Passover celebration. 

YACHATZ 

RAISING UP & BREAKING THE MIDDLE MATZAH 

Yachatz means to break. While we are celebrating freedom with abundance, YACHATZ  

reminds us that it is not a complete freedom and parts of our world remain broken.  

Campus hunger exists because of a broken system that we need to repair together. 

Suggested Activity 

Go around the table and ask each person: What do you see as broken in the world that you  would like to help repair in the coming year? 

Suggested Reading 

There is a tradition to have three matzos at our Seder table. Two are there because we  always put out two “loaves” of bread for a festive meal. While it is difficult to determine the  exact origin of the custom for adding a third “loaf” to our Passover festival meal, some say it  is because Rabbi Jonathan of Lunel (13th century) wrote, "It is the way of the world that after  finishing eating, one breaks bits of bread for the sake of the poor from the bread, which is  left on the table. If he is a mean person, he only puts on the table the amount he needs for  his family and no more... But if he has leftovers on the table, then his eye isn't narrow and  he gives it to the poor." - from The Jewish Chronicle 

In the coming year, may we find ways to set aside resources in advance, so that those  

who are experiencing food insecurity on college campuses have enough to eat. 

Challah for Hunger

MAGGID 

THE TELLING OF THE EXODUS STORY 

The power of telling a story in our own personal way compels us to remember the injustice.  Sharing stories also helps to reduce shame and stigmatization of an issue, like food insecurity on campus. 

Suggested Activity 

Go around the table and ask each person: Share a story about a time you witnessed or experienced an injustice in your  own life and/or your own community. 

Suggested Reading 

During the Maggid section of the Seder, the Ha Lachma Anaya is traditionally read. It refers to matzah as the “bread  of affliction (sometimes translated as bread of poverty).” As we tell the Passover story, tradition commands the  Jewish people to eat the same bread eaten by their ancestors as they were led from slavery to freedom. Because  of its place in the story, matzah is simultaneously the bread of poverty and the bread of freedom. Eating it brings  awareness to the reality that not all people are free from injustices, such as hunger.  

In the coming year, may we tell stories about campus hunger to bring awareness to the issue and reduce the stigma  around food insecurity. 

TZAFUN 

FINDING AND EATING THE AFIKOMEN 

As we search for the Afikomen, we look for something that is hidden. It’s only when we find it that  we are permitted to continue the Seder. Campus hunger is often referred to as a hidden hunger. 

Suggested Activity 

Go around the table and ask each person: Can you think of a time where you recognized or  learned that something unjust had been hidden away? 

Suggested Reading 

Near the beginning of the Seder, we referred to the matza as the “bread of poverty.”  

We put a label on the matza and then hide it away. 

Campus hunger is a hidden form of hunger because food pantries are often tucked  

away in remote parts of campus. Also, information about how to access campus  

and community resources if someone is food insecure is not widely known and  

the majority of college administrations do not have comprehensive plans to  

address food insecurity on campus. 

In the coming year, may we uncover the hidden injustice of campus hunger  

and inspire ourselves and others to direct resources towards ending  

food insecurity. 

May your conversations, like ours, build a community educated and inspired to  

act against hunger. To learn more about the Campus Hunger Project, powered  

by Challah for Hunger, visit campushunger.org.