Dear friends,
Every Passover we identify ourselves with the suffering of the Israelites, their anxiety, fear, and distress, their worries for their families and their lives. After living through these years of pandemic, with war in the news every day, the feelings of the Israelites are very familiar to us. But as we approach Pesah this year, we have to remember that at the same time that the Israelites were experiencing all of these emotions, they were also living at a time of new beginnings that gave them hope for the future. We, too, are living at a time of new beginnings, as we come back to some of our treasured ways of celebrating, learning, and being together, even if they are not exactly the way they were before. The Israelites had to learn to balance their fears with their hopes; may we, too, learn how to balance fear with hope as we find new paths.
As I did the last two years, I want to provide some guidance about celebrating Pesah in these times. I hope you find this helpful, and please do reach out to me for any specific questions or concerns.
- Learning in advance
- How to Lead a Seder: In 2020, I taught an online class to help prepare those of us who may be leading our own seder to do so. We covered topics such as “How can we get meaning out of the haggadah this year?”, “What are the really essential parts of a seder?,” and “Is it really possible to lead a seder on Zoom?”
- Siyyum: Traditionally, firstborn children fast on erev Pesach, but morning Torah study exempts from that fast. Whether or not you are a firstborn, please join us for Torah study the morning before Passover begins. In this siyyum (celebration of the completion of study), we will join with Student Rabbi Maria Pulzetti as she completes her study of Mishnah Moed Katan, the ancient rabbis’ discussion of the intermediate days of a festival. How do we hold onto our sense of the festival even on days that are not yom tov (holidays)? What can this teach us about setting aside time in our own lives? All materials will be provided in Hebrew and English, and breakfast will be served after we study.
- The siyyum will be held as part of Morning Minyan on Friday, April 15 from 7-8:30 AM in-person and accessible via Zoom and live stream.
- Organizing a seder
- Guidance for guests: Although we are currently at a moment of low rates of COVID infection, it is important to be mindful of the different feelings that guests may have around risk, including requiring vaccination and/or masking. It is still true that smaller gatherings pose less risk and larger gatherings more risk. Having an open conversation about how you are going to handle risk is key to a safe and successful seder.
- Haggadot everywhere: There are wonderful haggadot that you can order online in amazing variety. In addition, there are websites like haggadot.com where you can create your own personalized haggadah to download or print.
- GJC Passover Supplement
- In 2021, GJC created a booklet with artwork, supplementary readings for each step of the seder, and suggestions for engaging children, all created by wonderful artists and teachers who are members of GJC! The Passover Supplement was distributed to all GJC member households last year, and new members will receive theirs prior to Pesah. If you would like to access the PDF online, click here.
- Cleaning our houses
- Don’t discard hametz: The Torah states that we should remove all leaven from our houses before Pesah, but throughout the ages Jews have been concerned about waste and worried about the availability of food. For that reason, the ancient rabbis came up with an alternative: setting our leavened goods aside and “selling” them for the duration of the holiday. I urge everyone to take advantage of this process of selling hametz this year.
- Don’t go overboard: The ancients taught that when we are searching for hametz in our houses we should use a candle because its light is poor (Tosefta Pesachim 1:1). They are encouraging us both to go easy on ourselves in our cleaning and to concentrate on the spiritual meaning of the holiday. Although many of us have the custom of deeply cleaning before Pesah, we need to remember that dirt is not hametz. We need to distinguish between what is law and what is custom in order to avoid feeling overwhelmed and unable to enjoy the holiday.
- Pesah foods
- We need fewer certified kosher for Pesah foods than we think: Whether because of cost or availability, we should remember that generations of Jews celebrated the holiday with only a few special foods. The 2022 Rabbinical Assembly Guide to Passover and its addendum have very good guidance about the many foods that can be bought without special certification, particularly prior to Pesah.
- Matzah is a Seder mitzvah: Although we typically eat a lot of matzah during Pesah, the positive mitzvah to eat matzah only actually applies at the seder. For the other days of Pesah, the central mitzvah is to refrain from eating hametz. So we can get by on much less matzah if necessary. If anyone has trouble finding some, let me know!
- Consider eating kitniyot: Although many follow the Ashkenazi custom of refraining from eating beans, peas, and rice (kitniyot in Hebrew) on Pesah, increasingly Jews in Israel and elsewhere are following the Sephardic custom of eating them. If you have not done so in the past, this might be the year to consider trying it, knowing that these items are not hametz (and will not treyf your Pesah dishes).
- Seder night
- Connect: Although we may be physically separated from those we love, consider using Zoom or other technology to bring them into your home. Depending on your personal practice, this might involve connecting with family before candlelighting or even holding an entire Zoom seder!
- GJC Online Seder: I warmly welcome you (virtually over Zoom!) to attend an upbeat, interactive, and accessible Seder for the first night of Passover. The Online Seder will take place at 6:00 PM on Friday, April 15.
- Services
- Holiday services for the first 2 days of Pesah, Hol ha-Mo’ed, and 7th and 8th-day service with Yizkor will be held in person at GJC, and they will also be streamed as usual via Zoom and our StreamSpot video and audio streaming service website.
- Pirkei Avot study
- A highlight of our yearly calendar is studying one chapter of Pirkei Avot, the Teachings of the Sages, each Shabbat afternoon between Pesah and Shavuot. We are returning to that practice this year, meeting outside under the tent at GJC so that everyone can feel comfortable.
A zissen Pesah! May we find our way through from slavery to freedom again this year, supported by everyone around us and by our wonderful community.
Hag sameah!
Rabbi Adam Zeff