Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

I have always looked forward to celebrating Pesach. While the holiday is Torah-based, the seder is really a product of the Rabbinic and Geonic periods. Which is to say, it is ripe for good discussion and healthy argument — Machloket L’Shem Shamayim, Argument for the Sake of Heaven.

Yet I came into this year’s Passover feeling down, and concerned as to what was an appropriate way to celebrate — or even if it was appropriate to celebrate. The ongoing war in Gaza, the animosity that exists between Jews and Palestinians and also the deep divisions that exist within the Jewish community have left me conflicted at best as to whether we needed to write off the possibility of a Zissen Pesach, a sweet Passover, in this year of strife, 5784.

That is the feeling I had entering both our seder at home and the Kol Ami seder on the second night. Although I came into the holiday cognizant of whether or not I should present an upbeat seder or one of sadness, reflecting the state of the world, I never formulated a plan as to how I was going to balance these conflicting moods within the seder.  

As it turned out, while I came into both nights in a down mood, I found my mood shifting. It is the power of community in general and our Kol Ami family community in particular that can lift us up. Finding time to carve out moments of joy does not lessen our commitment to address the ills of our community and our world. I believe taking time to experience the joys of our holidays fortifies us for the hard work of seeking a more just world.

So I write this week’s blog with gratitude for how during my favorite holiday of Passover, you, the community, lifted my spirits. With that, I look forward to both the joyous moments we celebrate together as a community, and being together for the hard work of seeking justice and peace.