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Introduction 2020
Contributed by Ray Sturner

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Introduction - 2020

Reconstructive Judaism is a movement that accepts our heritage with an obligation to interpret and add to that tradition in the most meaningful possible way. 

In 2020 we are particularly thrown to observe how cultures have evolved over the centuries that could possibly have been in service of survival of the group.  It is has never been more obvious that the survival of humans requires the coherence of group behavior like the flock of geese that fly in a consistent configuration.   As Dr. Kahnamen, Nobel price laureate noted this week that even he had trouble gauging appropriate behavior such as whether he should travel based on his usual intuition.  He notedthe decisions required are based on a higher order mathematical modeling that is not part of our usual human logic system.  Group behavior as a wise social organism depends on individuals deciding what instructions are valid.  It is clear that intuition and human hunches are not sufficient and we must depend on some higher truth such as through mathematics that must change our social behavior culture. 

Perhaps the Chinese culture of bowing with hands together may have had some survival value over handshaking.  On the other hand if they were following Jewish kosher laws in China we would not have the epidemic at all.  Of course it would have required that everyone believed in it and no one was interested in eating bats -- even if the current leader was not trustworthy.   Many cultures and religions have elements that we are rediscovering as essential for health and social cohesion such as mediation and gratefulness.   Our Jewish chain of ideas based on lay Talmudic discourse and rethinking of historic challenges, such as retelling the historic Passover story and discussing it as we will be doing is a heritage I treasure.  It certainly has track record for survival of the Jewish people over many centuries of challenges.  It is notable that our required recollection of the Passover challenges begins with the obligation and blessing to wash your hands.  It is not hard to imagine how those who adhere to this ritual may have a higher level of survival. 

The Jewish Reconstructionist tradition is to see “societal challenges as crises of values and meaning, rather than the random and impersonal havoc wreaked by a highly contagious molecule.”  It is the challenge of social isolation in a cohesive way.  Also the clash between being independent minded and realizing that survival depends on interdependence and conformity with some universal truth we can all believe in. 

There is nothing in my experience that makes it clear that we are all connected as much as now – the Chinese person in Wuhan spreading to us and to every remote island on the globe and the health of the poorest person to the wealthiest – the care of one affecting the other.  The need for all of humanity to act following a coherent manner and belief in a universal truth has never been more evident. 

This year we should note to be thankful to Ben and Kimberly for the mitzvah of empathy by rescuing Lenny from NYC.  He had to rush from his apartment and may not have taken everything like the Jewish who didn’t have time for bread to leaven and he was wondering in the basement for not 40 years but 14 days before his freedom to come upstairs and Becky’s welcoming Sam to San Diego may also have had some survival value.   We are ready to rescue Esther when the time is right.   
haggadah Section: Introduction

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