Apr 2nd 2010, 00:00

         The Passover Seder recreates a great Jewish historical event.  More than just telling the story as outsiders looking into a book, we place ourselves into the story by reliving the episode with all our senses.  Passover is the most enduring and (along with Chanukkah) the most observed Jewish holiday in America and around the world.  Why is this?  One reason is because it is celebrated in the home, what really should be the center of Jewish life.  Now, far be it from me, a Jewish professional, to downplay the importance and central role of the synagogue, but there can be no denying that the home also plays (or should play) a crucial role in shaping or lives as Jews.         

The Passover Seder is full of symbolism and meaning, both historic and personal.  It also can teach us some good lessons for life itself.  Life, as I often repeat, is a journey.  The goal of a Jewish life is not to reach the Promised Land, but to live a life of meaning and purpose.  The Israelites had to wander through the wilderness.  They also had to traverse a dangerous and challenging obstacle, that being the Sea of Reeds.  These are all metaphors for life.  Life is full of challenges and obstacles.  Sadly, some never acquire the ability or skills to overcome and persevere.  Some get stuck in the wilderness, never cross that great sea, and never make it to the next stage.         

Today’s kids in particular are very desirous of growing up fast.  Every message they receive from television, the Internet, music, popular culture, peers, and even from their parents, tells them to be mature, act, look, and dress older than they are, and to not act as children.  They are like the matzah that did not have time to rise.  In their haste to leave Egypt, the Israelites took the dough as was.  But children need time to rise and ferment, so to speak.  The process of maturation is one that takes time and guidance.  That is another lesson of Passover, especially meaningful for today.  While we eat the matzah to remind us of the actions of the Israelites, we who live in the lap of luxury and comfort, freedom and liberty, wealth and prosperity, cannot act or be like the matzah.

         The Seder meal is modeled after a Greco-Roman banquet where the upper-class of society would recline and relax when they dined.  This was a symbol of those who were free.  And so we do the same during our Seder meal.  We slow down, relax, recline, reflect, and relive the events of the past.  These are not just actions we should take on one or two nights of the year, but should really be a model for our lives throughout the year.         

Tonight at 7:30 PM is our Passover Family service with birthday and anniversary blessings for April.  As always, the service will be carried live over the Internet at www.templebethtikvah.com (click on Live Services).  Tomorrow, no religious school, but Torah Study at 9:00 AM and our Shabbat morning service at 10:00 AM as usual.  On Monday night we will have a Yizkor / Memorial Service for the last night of Passover at 7:00 PM.  It is customary to recite Yizkor on Yom Kippur and the last night of the three festivals.  Have a great weekend and a very safe Spring break.