Pre-Passover Letter from the Rabbi

Shalom Dear Friends, 
 
The first Passover was held in Egypt when we were actually slaves. During that first Passover, it appears in the Torah that each family ate their Passover meal individually in their own homes. Not unlike this year. 
 
Every year we ask ourselves the question: “What makes this night different from all the other nights?” This year, we have many answers to this. 
 
This year is a unique Passover and we need not hide from the emotional intensity of the moment. It is a time when we are truly worried for others and praying for their healing. It is a time when we may be feeling loneliness and are aware of the loneliness of others. It can also be a time of gratitude and opportunity to be able to have an intimate seder with those you love most, or to dive deeply into the text of the Passover seder. 
 
The experience of slavery is one that is remembered more times than practically any other in the Torah. We invoke our national experience as slaves to be the cornerstone of a religion rooted in compassion. This Passover, we can ask ourselves the question: how will this experience of living through a pandemic and social isolation change us? How will we become more compassionate? How will we become more connected? 
 
Since we shut the physical doors of our building, we have been opening our arms virtually to connect with our community on the internet and through phone calls. Please see below resources for the coming days. 
 
My family, the staff of Beth Shalom and the Board of Directors of Beth Shalom join me in wishing you and your family a meaningful and joyful Passover. 
 
B’shalom, 
 
Rabbi David M. Glickman

Passover 2020 | 5780