Rabbi’s Monthly Message

I enjoy cooking, even if I am not as good as the television chefs that we like to watch on
Food Network. Growing up my family made lots of traditional Jewish foods, but especially
loved preparing for the Passover seder. In particular during the years we were stationed
overseas during my father’s military service, it was a wonderful opportunity to welcome
people from many different countries and cultures to our home to celebrate this important
memory in our history. My mother loved the ritual of the seder, and she often talked about
three things that drew her attention:

– The foods of Passover begin with a lot of cleaning in the house followed by long
lists of things to purchase at the grocery store. The food is as important as the story
itself because the food is the vehicle through which we tell the story of our Exodus.
And not just Matzah that we hold up at the seder. Each item we eat during the seder
meal tells part of our journey; the egg, bone, bitter herbs, charoset, and now an
orange. Each dish tells a story of our history that becomes part of our story each
year when we retell our Exodus.

– The connections we make between the Hagaddah and the food we eat, the
connections we make with others sitting around our seder table, and the
connections we make with our current obligation to continue the work of liberation
are all critical to the Passover experience. Passover invites us to take a step outside
of our busy lives to simply rest and reflect on the gift of our freedom. Although we
welcome that freedom year after year, the meaning changes and invites us to
consider what new barriers to liberation exist within us and around the world.
– The story of Passover and its use of symbols and food are reminiscent of a Greek
festival meal. The moments we share – dipping bitter herbs into salt water or
removing drops of wine from our cups of joy in acknowledgement of the damage
caused by the plagues – invite us to learn and understand the Passover story in new
ways. We also include guests at our seder by asking questions and opening our door
to welcome strangers into our homes. These symbols invite us to learn from our
past experiences and ties us together in a unique way.

However you celebrate Passover this year, I hope that you are able to find meaning and joy
in the foods, the connections, and the stories that we tell around the holiday. And, I look
forward to seeing many of you at our Coalition Second Seder on April 13th.