All About Passover

This year Passover begins on April 24. The Passover seder (order) is probably one of the most famous Jewish meals filled with tradition, questions, wine and lots and lots of food! At the seder table, Jews around the world tell the Passover story. This year, many may wonder: “Do I have permission to celebrate the holidays as normal?” As we prepare to celebrate Passover, remembering the miracle of freedom from slavery, the ritual of the Passover seder has a comforting and empowering answer to these questions. The seder teaches us how to hold tragedy and joy, making space for both.

“Avadim Hayyinu” We Were Once Slaves in Egypt

So begins the central (and longest) part of the seder, known as the maggid section, the retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The retelling powerfully calls on each of us to imagine ourselves back as enslaved people under Pharaoh. At Passover tables around the world this year, this story will be told through plays, puppet shows, with song, and by recounting the texts of our shared heritage. And simultaneously, we will project our current fears of war and isolation onto the situation of the ancient Israelites. Jewish traditions often comfort us in moments of worry: they remind us that we have been here before and that we are not alone among our people. (continued on next page)

Jews have celebrated Passover even during the darkest moments of our history: facing the attacks of blood libels in Medieval Europe, in Nazi ghettos and concentration camps, and under the constant threat of expulsion, violence, war, and extinction. Too often in our history, Jews have had little difficulty imagining themselves as if they were still in Egypt, and the powerful ritual of the seder has allowed Jews to acknowledge the trauma of their present circumstances, link themselves to Jews across time and space, and celebrate the vision of a safer and freer future.

So, if you are celebrating Passover this year, I wish you a meaningful holiday. I hope you can make space for both sorrow and joy. Allow yourself to feel these extremes, as the seder intends, and as the Jewish people have done for millennia.