As our Seder draws to an end, we take up our cups of wine one last time. The redemption is not yet complete. The fourth cup recalls us to our covenant with the Eternal One, to the tasks that still await us as a people called to the service of God, to a great purpose for which the people of Israel lives: the preservation and affirmation of hope. So we dedicate this fourth cup to all those who labor for the common good in large ways and small, regardless of their origin, station, or faith. And we take heart from the fact that there will yet come a day that all those who yearn for the good and who help sustain it will yet prevail. Each day, around the world and here at home, there are cries going unanswered by our fellow human beings. We must work to bring freedom to those still in the depths. It will not be easy. To truly address slavery, we cannot just free individual slaves but must also address the root causes of poverty, prejudice, and inequality that make slavery possible. Our eyes are now open: let us take action on what we see.

THE FOURTH CUP: LIBERATION FROM SLAVERY ALL OVER THE WORLD ("I will take you to be my people")

As we lift the fourth cup, we envision a world where no one is held in slavery or servitude… a world without sweatshop laborers, where all workers are able to make a fair wage, regardless of which country they are born into. We envision a world where all products are fairly traded, and no one country or financial institution can dictate trade policies (adapted from Article 4 of the Declaration of Human Rights).

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen.
We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine.


haggadah Section: Hallel
Source: HIAS/Rabbis for Human Rights