Memory at Pesah

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From the Haggadah to the Torah portions we read throughout Pesah, our celebration of the holiday is centered on remembering, remembering slavery and miracles, the Israelites’ suffering and their joy, the drama of the splitting of the sea and the intimacy of divine care and reassurance.  As we move toward the end of Passover, we turn toward another sort of remembering with the Yizkor service, sitting with the memory of those we have loved and lost, holding them close to our hearts even though their physical presence among us is no more.  But these two kinds of remembering can be connected.  When we remember the Exodus from Egypt, we remember both the high and low points of our people’s journey, and we recommit ourselves to seeking freedom in our own lives.  So, too, when we remember our loved ones, we remember both the hard times and the joyful ones, and, beyond that, we recommit ourselves to pursuing the values they were committed to in their lifetimes, which they pass down to us.  As we move into and through the last days of Pesah, may all our remembering be blessed.

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