Tonight marked Passover, also call Pesach; the traditional Jewish festival that commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Usually the Passover Seder is spent with a gathering of family and friends, a celebration of “the Divine gift of Jewish survival and community.” An Op-Ed posted on CNN.com today by Rabbi Shai Held is entitled “Celebrating Passover during a modern-day plague” With the pandemic and social distancing, this year’s Seder ritual took on new meaning. I heard from several friends today, and heard of their various Passover “celebrations”. One of my dear friends took a photo of her beautiful table, with the array of serving pieces and decorations passed down from generations. On one side of the table were their two place settings, and on the other side, the laptop computer open and ready to reach out to loved ones in other locations, via Zoom. (The photo today is a cartoon by Mort Gerberg in The New Yorker)
One friend had to take a trip from Northern California to Southern California; which these days can feel like a wilderness activity. His aging Father had surgery a few weeks back and needed more assistance. I can only imagine the fear of having my loved one returned to a hospital at this time. After a difficult day of arriving and tending to his beloved Father, he posted the age old wish tonight, “May the angel of death pass over your home” The reality of this festival comes to life, it seems… as friends of Jewish faith celebrate freedom, while not feeling free. My dear friend, Nina, lamented today about the grief of not gathering with loved ones this night… the loss of time gathering in a home, with songs and rituals and children and joy. I leave you this night with Nina’s Passover Wish:
“…for all of us is the freedom to re-think how we want our world to be and the freedom to try to make it a better place--a place where all people are free: free from hunger, free from economic insecurity, free from worries about how they'll pay for the healthcare they need, free from insane, narcissistic "leaders," free from poisoned water and air, free from those who would tell us what to do with our bodies, free from those who try to impose their religion on us, free from ignorance and free from indifference to the suffering of our fellow humans.”
May it be so…
Originally Published to Facebook on April 8th, 2020 at https://www.facebook.com/creativecarolcelebrant/photos/a.145438193613047/152122529611280
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