As we prepare to celebrate Passover together, beginning the evening of Saturday, April 12, we also note the start of the Hebrew month of Nisan. The trees and flowers are finally blooming in Terre Haute (and Cincinnati)! The Festival of Freedom will soon be upon us.
And yet, the transitional period from Winter to Spring, beautiful as it may be, comes with its challenges. Allergy season is here, for one! But seriously, as Winter fades and Summer is on the horizon, I am reminded of the wisdom of Rabbi Nachman of Brazlov: “The world is a narrow bridge; the most important thing is not to fear at all.”
Our tradition celebrates our journey from enslavement to freedom, also a time of great uncertainty. Moving from any profound period of change—from stability to uncertainty—can be frightening. This is true whether that change is economic, political, social, personal or spiritual.
Celebrate ‘The Great Shabbat’
On Friday evening, April 11, during my next visit to Terre Haute, we will celebrate Shabbat HaGadol (“The Great Shabbat”), which marks the Shabbat just before Passover each Hebrew calendar year.
Shabbat HaGadol marks the last Shabbat prior to celebrating our freedom from slavery.
There are many explanations for the name. One is that it marked the day when our ancestors, the ancient Israelites, were to accept the lambs that would be slaughtered to protect our homes from the Angel of Death on the eve of the plague of the killing of the first-born. Another explanation is that the name comes from the fact that we read a haftarah from Malachi which mentions Elijah the Prophet.
We reflect on ways we can set aside our ego for humility and empathy for those who continue to experience oppression in our world.
Whatever the rationale for its name, Shabbat HaGadol marks the last Shabbat prior to celebrating our freedom from slavery. On a practical basis, this Shabbat also marks the end of the period of preparing our homes (and our spiritual selves) for the occasion, symbolically ridding ourselves of chametz—bread, especially—which we refrain from eating on Pesakh. We prepare to eat matzot (the bread of affliction) for the week. We reflect on ways we can set aside our ego for humility and empathy for those who continue to experience oppression in our world.
We made a covenant with God
Passover is a peculiar and particular experience for each of us and for our Jewish community. At our UHC seder April 12, we will reflect on how our people transitioned from degradation to exultation. We will contemplate that time in our history when we began our path toward experiencing an encounter with God and making a covenant with God in the desert.
May the upcoming Shabbat HaGadol and celebration of Passover help us draw closer to our loved ones, our families, our community, and to our best selves this Spring.
Rabbi Jennifer Lewis will serve UHC Terre Haute during the 2024-25 academic year.