From the Rabbi

The Jewish People are, first and foremost, story tellers, and the story of Pesach has a long hold on our imaginations and our psyches. As I have taught many times, it is our Master Story.

With the help of the Haggadah, we retell the master story of Pesach every year at the seder, a long and highly ritualized meal where we delve deeply into the significance of every aspect of the plot and discover the long arm of history (hiSTORY) emerging from every detail. We tell about the role the women played, about the stubbornness of a Pharoah who does not seem to "get it," about plagues and about matzah and marror, we drink wine, we recline, we play "show and tell", we sing...all to help us relate and tell a story and to make the story as unforgettable as possible. 

It is fascinating to realize that the command to tell the story of our Egyptian servitude and ultimate liberation was given BEFORE the slaves were freed and left Egypt. Moses could have told them about the minute details we have all come to associate with Pesach observance. Indeed, it is the most legislated holiday on our calendar. Yet, in our Festival Torah readings, they about to be freed slaves were all asked to think about their experiences and, in the moment, in real time, compose the story that they would tell to the next generation...and to every generation after. 

What Pesach story will we tell this year? How can we NOT reflect on the effects that October 7^th 2023 and the two years since has had on us as Jews and as humans? War and death in Israel and Gaza. Antisemitism at every turn around the world. The Haggadah was right! It says, “bechol dor vador – in every generation there are those who rise up to destroy us.” It also says that we have survived as a People long after all those others have left the world stage. Our survival is a miracle for sure, but one that has been assured us by the One God Above. We are witnesses to that. May our seders reflect that. May they be filled with discussion about our history, our identity, our faith commitments, and our loyalty to community. May they urge us to strengthen and deepen our connection to each of those elements.

Chag Pesach Sameach v’Kasher…Am Yisrael Chai…and as always, see you in shul!  

Rabbi Yaakov Chaitovsky