Seder Intro 2020

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Let’s face it, the Passover Seder is weird. We’re supposed to be telling the story of the ancient Israelites journey from slavery to freedom- but instead of just telling a neat little story with a beginning, middle and end, we do a whole bunch of other seemingly random stuff. We sing songs, drink wine, wash our hands, eat parsley, break matzah, ask questions, talk about how we would tell the story to four imaginary kids, start the story, offer commentary, read the plagues, sing some more, drink more wine, wash our hands again, eat a Hillel sandwich, eat egg soup, eat gefilte fish, play hide and seek with matzah, drink even more wine, open the door for some dude who never comes, drink still more wine, sing about a goat, and then say “hey, let’s do the whole thing again next year in Jerusalem” which we’re pretty much sure is a metaphor but we’re just tipsy enough to believe it. Then we spend a week hungover eating matzah.

It seems like a lot. After all, if the commandment is to tell the story why not take turns telling the story start to finish and be done with it. The whole thing could be over in 20 minutes. We wouldn’t even have to get together. It’s easily one of those meetings that could be an email.

But, no, that’s not what we do. So why not? Well I’m sure people who are way wiser than me have had a lot of really smart things to say on the subject. I will offer simply this- we don’t tell the story from start to finish and done, because we can’t tell that story because we are still and forever living through and beyond it. I know, deep right?

Sure, we all know the beginning- the ancient Israelites went to Egypt to find a better life during a famine in Canaan. They grew and multiplied in Egypt, and were enslaved by the Egyptians. They cried out for freedom and God led them from Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm and with Moses as his prophet and Chief Israelite wrangler (and you thought herding cats was hard). God brought them safely through the Red Sea into the desert and then…what? Did they live happily ever after in peace and freedom in the plentiful land of Israel. Well…not exactly. If you’re curious about the details of the story, you can read the rest of the Tanach (Old Testament) and 3000 years of Jewish history. For the tl;dr version just look around. We are living the next chapter of the history of the Jewish people and perhaps of all people still journeying to freedom, and how it ends, well that’s up to all of us.

So maybe that’s the point of the Passover Seder. Maybe we’re not telling the story of our ancient past, but reminding ourselves of our part in the story. We eat matzah and marror to remind us where we came from. We recline cause, hey, at least we’re not slaves any more! We add an orange to the Seder plate as our hearts and minds expand,, and we open the door with the hope of a better tomorrow right outside.

So why do I say all this? Well, this is our third zoom Seder. What was born of necessity is now a choice. It is how we can come together from our distant corners of America in a manner that is safe, accessible, and available to all of us. Is it perfect? No. But while we keep the door open to future possibilities, let’s take a moment to enjoy this chapter of the story. Hey, we’re here, we’re alive, and we’ve got plenty of toilet paper. Can Elijah be far behind?

So if everyone is comfortable reclining at home by their screens, and has a glass of wine handy, let’s begin by saying She’hechiyanu as we celebrate the miracle of coming together.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶה

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam,
she’hecheyanu v'ki'manu v'higi-anu laz'man hazeh.

Praised are you, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe,
who has sustained us, maintained us and enabled us to reach this moment in life

haggadah Section: Introduction