Happy Purim, Y’all!
When Purim ends, we have 30 days until the holiday that sum-marizes the rest of the Jewish calendar--Passover!
Last year after Purim, the world came to a halt. While syna-gogues around the country scrambled to figure out how to handle Passover, my wife was not phased.
Emily and her Immah (Mother) Robin have been making their own Haggadot (Passover Seder guide books) for decades. Having attended Jaeger Seders for a decade myself, I can attest that no two Seders are the same. Each year the Haggadah is either rewritten or a new supplemental book has been put together to add new discussions, new jokes, new songs, and a nod to current events. The table is decorated with a glorious mess of plagues, the Constitution of the United States, and a school bus with flames, to name a few items. All of these items are meant to prompt guests into asking questions, remind repeat Seder diners of inside jokes from years past, and to serve as fidgets after, say, the third cup of wine.
And this was why Emily was not phased when the pandemic suddenly caused carefully made Passover plans to be obsolete. She had learned from her Immah how to make Passover new each year. She worked together with her Immah to craft Seders each year that would top the last year. She had written time and again her own Haggadah from scratch and thought of interactive activities to engage guests of all ages.
We see this echoed in this week’s Torah portion, Tetzaveh. Aaron and his sons are appointed as priests. Aaron learns about his special priestly outfit that he will wear while conducting his duties in the Tabernacle. He learns how to wear them, how to take care of them, and that at the end of his service, he is to pass on the garments to the next generation.
While Immah Jaeger is certainly nowhere near Seder retire-ment, Emily has been well instructed in how to “wear the garments,” so to speak. In about two weeks, she had compiled a One Hour Zoom Seder, complete with discussion questions, songs, poems, and pictures. We hosted a Zoom Seder that had close to one hundred people in Zoom attendance. For the first time in that long first month of isolation we felt connected.
This year on the first night of Passover, Rav Waxman will be leading the congregation’s Seder. The Zoom Haggadah is written by none other than Emily Jaeger (with only light suggestions from me). To get you in the head space for Passover, below is the list of discussion questions for the Seder, found on page three of the Haggadah. I encourage you all to put the first night BIC Seder on your calendar, to print out the Haggadah found in the Newsletter, and to intentionally prepare for Passover. Have fun with this holiday. Dress up like your favorite plague (mine is fiery hail). Decorate your table with DIY crafts or your finest china. Look at the Haggadah in advance and come to the Zoom with your own questions. Passover is our holiday of freedom. While we may not be free to do all that we wish at this point in the pandemic, I still encourage you to use the Passover Seder as a chance to embrace your freedom of expression in all its forms.
Shabbat Shalom and Hag Purim Sameah,
Rabbi Chaya Bender
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Discussion questions:
This year, we were very inspired by David Moss’s Siman Tov Seder, which assigns a Jewish value and relevant questions to each of the 13 sections of the seder. We have brought you some of these questions for discussion with those at your table and to share with all of us via the chat function of zoom! In case you want to get a head start on some of these or need some guided meditations to get you in the mood for the holiday of freedom, we’ve included all the questions together below:
- What are the most special, precious people, things and feelings to you?
- What renews and refreshes you? What would happen if someone pressed your reset button?
- What is inner growth? What do you want to grow into?
- What is our place in this “cracked-up” world? What is your role in putting it back together?
- When have you felt your world has crashed? What happened afterwards?
- How can we best internalize our people’s ancient tale of redemption now?
- Who tells you the best stories?
- When is preparation best? When is spontaneity (living in the moment) best?
- What does freedom mean to you?
- When do you feel the freest? Act out how it feels?
- How can we avoid becoming embittered?
- Who do you know who is best able to comfort others at bitter times?
- Think of two totally different things. Now imagine what surprising things you could get if you put them together.
