|
March 24, 2023 (2 Nisan 5783) Jewish March Madness & Final Four Dear Friends, I hope this correspondence finds you well and in good health, as you are, no doubt, busily preparing for the upcoming Pesach festival. Please take a break from your busy schedule and join us this Saturday morning at 10:15am for Shabbat services, which will commence at 10:15am and be broadcast over our regular Zoom link. I would like to remind you of two programs that recently began and encourage you to join us for them. The first is Torah Study with Rabbi, which is in-person on Sundays at 11:00am. We are currently focusing on different aspects of Pesach to have a deeper preparation for the holiday. The second is Israel Update, which will take place on Monday evening at 8:00pm over Zoom. This Monday, we will be joined by Tamar Meltzer, who has spent years working with Palestinian and Israeli youth to build bridges, promote understanding, and propagate cultural tolerance. Her presentation should be both fascinating and thought-provoking. In addition to being busy with preparations for Pesach, many sports fans have also been busy with college basketball, watching it that is. March is the month of “Madness,” when 65 teams enter the annual tournament that will culminate with the crowning of the college basketball championship. This weekend marks the games of the “Sweet Sixteen,” which will result in invitations to the “Final Four.” The way I see it, college athletics do not have a monopoly on March Madness and the Final Four as there are the Jewish versions too. For anybody who gets ready for Passover in the traditional manner, Jewish March Madness involves punctilious and pious preparations. Sofas are moved, furniture is polished, floors are scoured, carpets are vacuumed, and after all of that, kitchens are flipped, which includes, but is not limited to, changing dishes, pots, pans, glassware, and cutlery. Next, counters and pantries are awkwardly covered by some combination of tin foil, contact paper or plastic matting. Fridges are emptied (in order to fill them again) and ovens burn for hours on self-clean mode. Oy, I need to take a rest, but that’s not all! Shopping involves scurrying about to ensure that all home products have Passover certification labels and have been blessed with the resounding voice of Rabbinic permissibility. We run from Shoprite to the vegetable store, to the butcher and then back again (at least twice). At the same time, we are pondering how to make our annual Seders engaging, participatory, joyous, and meaningful for participants of diverse age-groups, backgrounds, and text fluency (no easy task, for sure). Indeed, the gearing-up for Nisan’s Spring Festival, can best be described as Jewish March Madness, which leads to the Jewish Final Four. There are several forms of the Jewish Final Four, but here are just a few that you will experience during the Pesach holiday: Did you know that Pesach has four names which reference four different aspects of the Chag (holiday)? It is called Chag Hamatzot to highlight the Matza as both a poor man’s bread and a reminder of our speedy exit from Egypt. It is called Chag Hapesach to highlight the original sacrifice of the paschal lamb and remind us of the Hebrews’ marking of Jewish doorposts with animal’s blood. It is called Chag Haaviv, or the springtime festival, to remind us of the change of seasons. It is also called Z’man Cheiruteinu, the time of our freedom, to remind us of our newly acquired liberty. Did you know there are traditionally four intricate, nuanced steps to “getting rid” of your Chametz (foods forbidden to eat on Passover)? We perform Bedikat Chametz (the nighttime search for breadcrumbs oddly aided by a candle and feather), Biur Chametz (the Jewish bonfire of gleanings from the previous night’s search), Bitul Chametz (recitation of an Aramaic verbal declaration whereby we legally dispossess ourselves of ownership of any leavened products), and Mechirat Chametz (a fictitious sale of Chametz to a non-Jew, who in theory has the right to come and collect any Cheerios you have placed in your basement until after Yuntif (holiday). Did you know there are four prohibitions of Chametz during the holiday? The Torah teaches us that we are not allowed to eat Chametz, benefit from Chametz, have Chametz found on our property, or have Chametz seen on our premises. Did you know there are four reasons that the Shabbat before Pesach is called Shabbat HaGadol? It is a short form for calling it Shabbat Haggada, as during this Shabbat people typically reviewed the text before the holiday. Second, it is a reference to the lengthy sermon given by the Rabbi explaining to the congregation the laws of Pesach. Third, it is a reference to the great miracle of the generation of the liberation, who tied the paschal lamb to their bedposts for purposes of slaughtering. Last, it is a reference to the Haftara, which speaks of the great coming of Elijah, the Prophet to redeem all of humankind. Did you know there are four explanations of the four cups of wine? Come to Torah Study with Rabbi on Sunday morning at 11:00am at the synagogue to hear this one! Friends, as we prepare to enter Shabbat, I encourage you to share with me and others the fun aspects of your Seders and the most meaningful parts of your family’s Pesach. I pray that you find this holy time rejuvenating, restful, relaxing and refreshing (another four!). May you be blessed with a Chag Kasher V’Sameach and a Zissen Pesach (Kosher and happy holiday and a sweet Passover). Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
|