Tomorrow night, Saturday evening (after Shabat), begins the holiday of Passover. Other than Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur, this is the one holiday that most Jews celebrate. Oh, Chanuka comes close, but most folks still don’t light the menora.
Now, of course, last year, the holiday celebrations were interrupted. The Pandemic kept us all locked in our homes. My family elected to have a full blow Seder using Zoom-with a specially prepared hagada (the roster of prayers and songs of the holiday) to use, besides.
I am hoping that this year, my family will join me for the seder- in person. Especially since I will have been fully vaccinated by then. And, I will be roughly 22 weeks into my recuperation from a fatal illness.
Now, even those Jews that don’t keep kosher still gather with their families and friends to re-tell the story of our release from Egypt. The English name for this holiday reminds one that the Supreme Being passed over the houses of those that had the courage to place the blood of the paschal lamb on their doorpost. (This is the reason that Jewish homes have a mezuza on their doors- to remind us that we are willing to be counted, to ask Hashem to protect us from the vagaries of life.)
The lamb was one of the deities of the Egyptians. So, slaying the lamb and using it’s blood as a marker on the door clearly defied the common beliefs. Only those that were willing to do so were protected from the death of their first born.
It also should be obvious that the Pharoah must have killed his older brother to take control of the kingdom. Because he was not among those killed that night. (The power of the kingdom always transferred to the first-born, should they still be living.)
And, because of this tenth plague, the Egyptians allowed the Jews to leave, ostensibly on their three day holiday to praise Hashem. But, the Jews knew they would never return- instead returning to their land, the land of milk and honey…
And, as all of us will say tonight as we sing, pray, and learn (some of us until the crow reminds it is already the next morning)…
Next year in Jerusalem…
May you all celebrate this holiday of Spring, this holiday of Freedom, this holiday that we build anew…
One of my blog readers sent me (you tube video) the White House sponsored seder last night. One of the themes was “next year in person”. We can only hope that everyone can have their seder in person next year. I hope yours goes well.
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Yes, next year in person does, indeed, sound lovely.
Now you have me wondering, your fatal illness, was it covid or something else? Glad you are hear to talke about it! I hope you get to be with your family in person this year and Happy Pesach/ Passover to you and your family.
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You will have a chance to learn about this next week. I’ve been waiting until it was certain that I no longer have the fatal infection. Now, it’s just a matter of time (hopefully shorter than longer) before I fully heal.