LEADER: As we come together in person for Passover – our ability to gather, feast and flourish restored – our journey through the desert has ended. Possibility and hope lie before us. But, as is always the case on Passover...

 

ALL: Sweetness has a bitter companion.

 

LEADER: Because even as we gather overjoyed and reunited around the Seder table...

 

ALL: Too many of our fellow Canadians go hungry.

 

LEADER: The unfortunate truth is this: Canada is currently in the middle of a desperate crisis of hunger – believe it or not, worse even than at the peak of the pandemic. This year, more than 5.8 million Canadians will go hungry. So, as we settle back into our "back to normal", let us remember what "normal" means for millions of our neighbours:

 

ALL: Barren cupboards, empty bellies, even in our land of plenty.

 

LEADER: Today, we dedicate this Seder to our millions of hungry neighbours by "inviting the hungry to our table." We invite them in word and deed: through this dedication, and through Tzedakah given to Mazon, the Jewish Response to Hunger. As we sit here today, this Tzedakah is feeding people of different ages, ethnicities, faith and abilities, all across the country. As the book of Isaiah teaches:

 

ALL: "If you give of yourself to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the poor, the Lord will guide you always."

 

LEADER: I am honoured to have given this Tzedakah on behalf of you, my dearest friends and loved ones.