Rabbi's Message

This Passover feels different from all other Passovers.  While we are four days away from the Festival of Freedom, we are also 194 days after October 7, and just 5 days after Iran’s attack on Israel.  In this moment, so many of the Seder’s words take on new meaning.  “Let my people go” becomes not only an ancient demand to leave Egypt but a contemporary plea to free the 134 Israeli hostages still in Gaza.  “In every generation they rise up against us…” suddenly speaks to us in more personal ways.  “L’shanah HaBa’ah B’Yerushalayim” – Next year in Jerusalem – takes on new urgency as we continue to pray and work for a safe and secure homeland.  The situation we find ourselves in on Passover this year has prompted many reflections and resources to consider how to plan for our seders.  In addition to our TBS Haggadat Sholom series, which are still available for purchase, we also have put together many resources on our website, including this year’s Haggadat Sholom supplement that contains reflections and writings from TBS and Israel especially for this Passover.  I hope you will go to www.tbsonline.org/passover2024 to find these resources and see how they can help you plan your seder.  In addition to our resources, there are many other thoughtful and interesting resources out there.  Here are a few that I am using to prepare for my seders this year:

Haggadah Supplements

• “In Every Generation” by the Shalom Hartman Institute
• “How is this Night Different” – A Seder Supplement in Light of the October War” by a partnership of Israeli Conservative/Masorti Movement Organizations    
• “Not a Haggadah” – Passover Reader 5784 from www.exploringjudaism.org 

Interesting Articles

• “Across the Divide: Tips for Hard Conversations at the Seder Table” by Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, Director of the Block/Koller Center for Sprirtual Arts at the Jewish Theological Seminary
• “What Lessons Can We Learn from the Haggadah this Pesah?” by Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin
• “To mark our brokenness this Passover, let’s scale back the matzah on our seder tables” – by Rabbi Elie Kaunfer

I hope that these resources help make your seder more meaningful this year.  Most of all, to paraphrase the Haggadah, may all of us and all of our brothers and sisters go from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to celebration, from darkness to great light, and from captivity to being redeemed.  Kein yehi ratzon – So may it be this year.

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Pesah Samaeh