There are few things in our tradition as special, as memorable, as participatory as the Passover seder. No matter what age you are, what your learning style is, what types of foods you enjoy, there is something wonderful, delicious, and meaningful for everyone to experience.
Growing up, I loved hearing my dad lead our seder. At the time, I didn’t fully understand that his leading didn’t just mean telling the story of the Exodus or guiding us through the food rituals; his leadership mostly meant encouraging each of us—kids and adults alike—to participate. Everyone had a chance to read, everyone was nudged to sing along to songs (both traditional and parody), and everyone had an opportunity to ask questions or take a stab at answering those posed in the pages of the Haggadah. Over the years at our seders, I learned from my dad that leading is not about listening to yourself, but about making space for others to wonder and share.
Passover is a time to celebrate our freedom and the power of our communal voice. The songs are not the high cantorial solos of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur; instead, every melody is meant to be sung by each participant at the seder. I hope you’ll enjoy this playlist of seder songs, and I hope you’ll sing and encourage others to join in this year. I would love to hear from you what other favorite seder songs I might have missed so that I can add them to my list!
Seder Songs 2023 Playlist here, enjoy:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4GT2QFgSCf9ibrDmukaz5s?si=f2d06d8ad75944bc
Chag sameach!
—Cantor Emma Lutz