The Passover Seder is the most celebrated Jewish ritual with something like 70% of Jews globally sitting at a seder table while only 60% light Hanukkah candles and probably even less fast on Yom Kippur. Obviously the nature, style, food and practices are utterly different on this different night among the families and communities who celebrate, but what is it about this holiday that calls the majority of Jews across the globe to observe it in some way?
The compelling nature of a ritualized feast with symbolic foods, powerful storytelling and lots of questions is part of the answer. The themes of the narrative have never lost their meaning and relevance throughout the generations and part of the obligation is to see ourselves and our own stories in the words and tears of the Haggadah.
B’chol dor vador chayav adam lirot et atzmo c’ilu hu yatza mimitzraim - in every generation a person is obligated to see themselves as if they personally left Egypt. This personal Exodus can mean something different every year for each of us and for our people. Another
b’chol dor vador (in every generation) in the Haggadah is the
v’hee she’amdah, which declares that enemies have risen up to destroy us in every generation, but we have been redeemed by God. These two passages together invite both personal and national identification with the narrative. This year, so many of us will be bringing rituals and prayers to mark the grim reality that seder night will be days 554 and 555 since October 7th 2023 and that there are still 59 hostages in Gaza either dead or in horrific captivity.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of slain hostage Hersh, has said the only question for this Passover is “why are they still there?” In a very powerful interview on the podcast
Call me Back with Dan Senor, Rachel talks so movingly about their seder last year when Hersh was in captivity, but still alive, and she courageously shares ideas how to bring consciousness this year, like having masking tape with day 554 and 556 taped to the seder plate. Some of the released hostages have shared that they got so little water each day in captivity and that it seemed like it was salt water. Rachel suggests rather than just dipping our karpas vegetable, we pass round a cup and actually drink salt water as a way to taste the tears and suffering that are still so present.
You can hear the full podcast here. For the families of those slain and still held hostage, it is impossible to imagine how they might enter the joy of this Festival of Freedom. Others of us are deeply concerned about what is happening much closer to home here in the US and the impact on so many, and there is considerable anxiety and stress haunting us. Yet the tradition clearly invites us to lean into this festival joyfully; not diminishing the suffering and anguish of so many in the world, but celebrating our survival and resilience.
The popular seder song
Dayenu, it would have been enough, is about the gratitude of each moment along the way in spite of it all. Yes the world is broken and chaotic and yet we are here and there have been redemptive miracles along the way.
Dayenu. I am grateful for our beautiful and brilliant calendar bringing us to this celebration of spring and the hope of renewal.
Dayenu. I am grateful for prayer, for song, for community, for abundance.
Dayenu. It can be a good ritual to have everyone at the seder table share a Dayenu moment of gratitude from the last year.
When seder is on a Saturday night as it is this year, there are some complicated differences and timing.
Searching and Burning The beautiful ritual of
bedikat hametz, searching for 10 bits of hametz with a candle and a feather, usually happens the night before Pesach, but this year it is on Thursday night and the selling and burning of the hametz happens on Friday morning, even though we do not actually nullify the remaining hametz until Shabbat morning. We will break our Shabbat morning service before the Torah service for a quick kiddush and motzi for those wanting to eat a last morsel of challah. The strictly observant among us will aim to have everything ready for seder before Shabbat begins and not do any preparations or beginning the seder while it is still shabbat. It's complicated and important to remember that hametz is both a material, external substance as well as an internal force of puffiness and pride, while matzah symbolizes us at our simplest and humblest.
The details of the laws and practices can get very confusing and complicated. While they are important to many of us, they can be a distraction from the themes and meaning of this festival including the ones already mentioned. However we show up and whatever our practices are, may we have meaningful and thoughtful celebrations, punctuated with great questions, seeing ourselves and our world in the story, gratitude for all the gifts and miracles; may the prayer and song lift us out of the narrowness of despair into the expansiveness of hope. May all the hostages be brought home. May our people and all people be free and may Next Year in Jerusalem mean a coming home in a redeemed future.
Hope to see you in services!
1st day Pesach, including the beautiful Prayer for Dew, is on Sunday at 9.30am and Hallel and Havruta, when we will sing the psalms of hallel and study together on the power of that prayer for due Sunday at 10am. The final services for 7th and 8th days are the following Shabbat and Sunday! Please see details here, including how to sell your hametz. Happy Festival of Freedom
Rabbi Marc
