This year our Passover seder will be celebrated on Saturday, April 12, starting at 6 p.m. We will be led by our rabbi, Jennifer Lewis, and we will have a full seder meal. We will drink the wine; we will break the matzot and eat the bitter herbs.
We will celebrate while reclining (at least symbolically) the Exodus from Egypt and the miracles performed at that time, at that place.
We will celebrate while reclining (at least symbolically) the Exodus from Egypt and the miracles performed at that time, at that place. Those miracles are well retold in the seder, and the awesomeness of the Lord will be recounted.
Take some family time
But there is another miracle that arises from the seder that is not often considered. The miracle that I wish for us to consider is the sharing of a meal within our small community and, often, with the larger community. The miracle I speak of is the shared meal. The sharing of a meal has great power for all who attend.
The sharing of a meal has great power for all who attend.
Except in such rare circumstances, we no longer sit together for a family meal. Busy schedules, soccer matches, board meetings or any endless number of obligations limit our ability to sit with our families. Studies well document the benefits of sharing a family meal. We bond while spending time with one another and listening to each other.
We reduce stress by taking a “time out” from the other activities that occupy our attention. We can turn off the phones, televisions and any manner of “noise” that takes the attention away from the ones we love.
The Four Questions invite dialogue
But the seder is a family dinner of even greater significance. Our family is extended to guests, to our community at large. We form new bonds and reinforce older ones. We can educate our young and inspire learning opportunities for all.
When we include our non-Jewish neighbors, we make new connections that can lead to more interaction with our larger secular community.
We celebrate the Four Questions (the Mah Nishtanah) and engage in the dialogue that inspires the why and what of the seder. Beyond that, we connect in an experience that brings the power of a shared moment.
Our seders often include guests beyond our congregation. Many of those do not share our faith but yearn to experience what the Passover seder means within their own traditions. When we include our non-Jewish neighbors, we make new connections that can lead to more interaction with our larger secular community.
I anticipate the unknown of who will be there and discovering how this year’s seder will be different from past seders and how we will come together to make this year’s seder the best one ever.
Along with the Break the Fast on Yom Kippur, this is my favorite event at United Hebrew Congregation. I anticipate the unknown of who will be there and discovering how this year’s seder will be different from past seders and how we will come together to make this year’s seder the best one ever.
I look forward to seeing you all there.
Scott Skillman is president of United Hebrew Congregation.