This note is most definitely longer than usual, but with good reason.  Passover is the most celebrated holiday among American Jews, and for good reason – but as it is primarily celebrated at home, as a rabbi, I will miss not being able to connect with you in real time.  So, as a way to virtually bring you in to my Passover space, I share with you what we do at our seder.  I’m sure you have customs and cherished family traditions of your own.  My hope is that, by seeing some of what we do chez David, you may find a new way in to the seder and its ability to awaken a sense of curiosity, spiritual depth, and inspration. 

Below is a rough outline of the seder, going step by step.

Kiddush –  Drink good wine.  Yarden wines, from the Golan Heights, are available locally and are very nice.  Baron Herzog, from California, are also good.  Wine that is “not Mevushal,” generally translates into a more delicate taste and bouquet.

U’rchatz – The first hand washing, done without a blessing.  This is ceremonial.  To avoid everyone having to get up from the table and sit back down, try placing small water bowls around the table that folks can use to sprinkle some H2O on their hands.  For a more Middle Eastern experience, mix tap water with rose water (available locally), or even orange blossom water. 

Karpas – Time for parsley (spring) and salt water (tears).  But in the seder, the function of Karpas is as an appetizer.  Having made the blessing over vegetables, bring on the salad and crudités!  In addition to parsley and salt water, also try fennel and olive oil, peppers and matbucha, cucumbers and balsamic vinegar.  Also, as this ritual reminds us of springtime in the Land of Israel, feel free to sing some songs to match.  Our family favorite is Dodi Li, which joins the seder to the Song of Songs, but others, such as Eretz Zavat Chalav, also work.  

Yachatz – Breaking the middle matzah and hiding it as the Afikoman.  A mystical reflection is in order here.  Why break the middle, hidden matzah and make it more hidden?  Hide the Afikoman well, so that children (or the child within) will have to work hard to find it, thus emphasizing the sense of discovery.

Maggid – Telling the story.  This is the “meat” of the seder, no question about it, and contains everyone’s greatest hits.  Below are some ways to highlight portions of it.

1. Sing throughout.  Certainly, the oldies and goodies (Ha Lachma Anya, Avadim Hayeenu, Mah Nishtanah, Dayenu, etc.).  It’s worth it to go online, Google “Passover songs,” and get reacquainted with these melodies.  But sing other songs that touch on Passover themes – our family favorites are Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” gospel classics such as “By and By” and “Go Down Moses.”
2. Four Questions – A Hillel favorite is reciting them in as many languages as we know.  One can find the Yiddish version online, and probably others, too!
3. Four Children – Take some time to consider, “which child are you?”  Ask other questions - “Is the wicked child really so wicked?”  Is the “simple child” a spiritual master in disguise? 
4. Midrash on “My father was a wandering Aramean”  This is, perhaps, the hardest part of the seder to access, and for good reason.  It’s an ancient form, in which just a few biblical verses are fleshed out to provide the broad outlines of the story.  One way to simplify and probe this section is to engage with its three basic questions:  What is the “story” of the Israelites in Egypt? What constitutes oppression? How is God manifest in the world?  From here, the conversation can go in infinite directions!!
5. Plagues – Spilling 10 drops of wine, one for each plague, is a must!!  It recalls the famous statement from the midrash, “God does not rejoice over the downfall of our enemies, for at the Red Sea, when the angels desired to burst into song, the Holy One rebuked them, saying, “You want to celebrate while my creatures drown in the sea?”  This is a haunting and amazing moment.
6. Dayenu – Sing it with the verses, in Hebrew or English.  For some fun, try to squeeze every verse into the melody, which gets clumsy and impossible!  Try the Persian tradition in which each person has a green onion, and hits their neighbor with it when they sing “Dayenu,” recalling how our ancestors kvetched for the onions of Egypt.  Finally, ask what is the one thing we can depend upon.  This is where we sometimes sing, “All You Need is Love” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want!”
7. Explaining the Pesach sacrifice, Matzah, Maror (bitter herb)  – This is, unquestionably, a big deal and the penultimate moment of the seder.  Vegetarians feel free to substitute a red beet for a shankbone.  Read the whole passage together, beginning with Rabban Gamliel’s injunction.  And place special emphasis on the phrase, “this is what God did for ME when God took ME out of Egypt!”  And afterwards, don’t forget to sing – especially the Psalm “B’tzeit Yisrael. (which you can find online to learn it more).”  A couple of other songs to fit the moment – Bob Marley’s “Exodus” or the gospel classic “Oh, Mary, Don’t You Weep.”

The section ends with a longer blessing and a cup of wine – say the blessing, and enjoy the cup!

Rachtzah – The real ritual handwashing before eating matzah.  This can be a beautiful moment.  In our home, we have a small pitcher of water and a couple of bowls over which people can rinse their hands.  Again, consider offering a bit of rose or orange blossom water.  The tradition is not to speak between handwashing and eating the matzah.  To preserve the contemplative moment, try leading a niggun, a melody without words.

Motzi Matzah – The biggest deal at the seder!  Savor the matzah, eating not just a tiny piece, but a sizable portion, representing an “olive measure” of flour.  Taste the joy of Passover, of arriving at the height of the story’s liberation.

Maror (bitter herb) – Avoid pickled horseradish and use the raw, sinus-clearing stuff.  Grating the raw horseradish makes it especially powerful.  Take a big hunk of it (again, an olive’s worth), and feel the intensity.  That’s the point!

Korekh (Hillel sandwich) - At this point, when you also eat charoset, experiment with different recipes: Ashkenazi (apples, nuts, cinnamon, wine), Sephardi (dried prunes, figs, apricots) or Ugandan (pineapple, roasted nuts, avocado or mango).  Just Google “charoset” and you will find dozens of recipes!!

Shulchan Orekh (meal) – Enjoy your meal!!  Some thoughts – continue the conversations begun during the seder. 

Tzafun – getting the afikoman back – if there are children, be prepared to pay a good ransom!  Odd tchotchkes or candy are my favorite gifts to give.  Bubbles are always a hit.

Barekh – singing birkat ha-mazon, or offering an expression of gratitude for the meal is always warm, celebratory and meaningful.

Hallel – sing, sing, sing!!  We may not be as familiar with some of these melodies.  Again, go online to hear some.  You may find melodies you like, which you can sing without the words.

Do sing the favorites – Who knows one?  Adir hu, Chad Gadya.  Some tips – for Who Knows One, each person takes a line and makes a gesture out of it.  Also, our family loves “One is Hashem,” complete with the “Oohs” and “Ahhs.”  For Chad Gadya (an only kid), have different people make appropriate sounds after each character. 

Nirtzah – Finishing – we sing Hatikva, and then, “L’shana haba’ah b’Yerushalayi, Next Year in Jerusalem!” 

Remember, the seder is designed to arouse the curiosity, sense of discovery and playfulness in us all – explore, experiment, connect and enjoy!!

As a way in to these questions, check out the links below on Purim and inebriation - one is a series of texts from the Talmud and the literature of halakhah (Jewish law), and the another is an 18th Century hasidic reflection.  

Check them out and let me know what you think!

Tonight, tomorrow evening, Shabbat morning, and next Shabbat, we are happy to offer a number of opportunities to learn, grow, pray, spiritually explore.

Tonight – join us for the next 4-session installment of our Zohar study group, The World of the Zohar.  Beginning this evening, we will proceed through the Zohar from the beginning, working through its multiple meanings with the fantastic translation and illuminating commentary of Daniel Matt.  At each session, we read through the text, study it with a hevruta (study partner) and then review it as a group.  It is a lively and engaging experience – please join us!  All are welcome, and no experience is necessary!

Tomorrow, Friday evening, beginning at 6:00, join us as we are led by Rabbi David Seidenberg in prayer, Tu B’Shevat celebration and study as part of our Scholar-in-Residence series, Talking About God: Radical Frontiers.  In addition to Friday night, David will also present a teaching Saturday morning during Kiddush.  Both teachings will connect the worlds of Kabbalah and the environment, two of David’s areas of expertise.

Please don’t miss the opportunity to join us Friday night for a potluck after our services.  Childcare will be provided.

Shabbat morning – The splitting of the Red Sea presents a moral problem for us, namely, can we allow ourselves to rejoice when the price of freedom is the destruction of human life?  Join us for a Shabbat morning discussion on this question as we look at teachings that give some surprising answers!  After services, during Kiddush, please join us for a teaching with Rabbi David Seidenberg.

Next Shabbat, 2/11 – We are happy to welcome Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener to lead the Lev Chadash Minyan, beginning at 9:45.  Reb Andrea is a nationally known teacher and writer, and her contribution here at CBI is a rare opportunity. 

These are just a few of the opportunities to connect, explore and learn at CBI.  Please join us, and we can talk over Kiddush and share our questions, insights and stories.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Justin David

With the increased daylight, we also see a flourishing of opportunities to pray, learn and explore at CBI!  Please join us this Shabbat and over the next couple of weeks for these great opportunities:

Tonight:  Join us for Kol Shabbat, a Shabbat of rich singing with Felicia Sloin, joined by yours truly and David Weidenfeld at 6:00.  

Tomorrow: Lev Chadash Minyan led by Rabbi Nancy Flam, beginning at 9:45.  As always, a beautiful and rich experience for all, and don’t miss the next Lev Chadash Minyan, to be led by Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener, on February 11.

Next Friday Night: A Shabbaton with Rabbi David Seidenberg as part of CBI Adult Series “Talking About God: Radical Frontiers.”  Join us for a service led by David at 6:00 incorporating traditional prayer, Hasidic chanting and movement, to be followed by a potluck and teaching.  David weaves together Kabbalah and the environment in an evocative celebration of Tu B’Shevat!

Thursday, February 2: Zohar Study Group continues!  After a vibrant 4-session introduction, our Zohar Study Group starts up again on February 2, 7:00.  Studying the Zohar is really a multilayered journey – through the texts and ideas of Jewish tradition, through degrees of self-awareness, and through visions of God.  This is accessible and engaging study for everyone – no experience necessary!!

"Our Rabbis taught: When Adam Ha-Rishon (the first human being) saw the day getting gradually shorter, he said, ‘Woe is me, perhaps because I have sinned, the world around me is being darkened and returning to its state of chaos and confusion; this then is the kind of death to which I have been sentenced from Heaven!’ So he began keeping an eight days’ fast. But as he observed the winter equinox and noted the day getting increasingly longer, he said, ‘This is the world's course’, and he set forth to keep an eight days’ festivity. In the following year he appointed both as festivals..."

Our Rabbis taught: When Adam, on the day of his creation, saw the setting of the sun he said! ‘Alas, it is because I have sinned that the world around me is becoming dark; the universe will now become again void and without form — this then is the death to which I have been sentenced from Heaven!’ So he sat up all night fasting and weeping and Eve was weeping opposite him. When however dawn broke, he said: ‘This is the usual course of the world!’ He then arose and offered up a bullock whose horns were developed before its hoofs, as it is said [by the Psalmist], “And it [my thanksgiving] shall please the Lord better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.”

The original story does feature a small band of freedom fighters, led by the Maccabees, against an authoritarian and cruel regime led by the Greek/Syrian King Antiochus.  But in just a couple hundred years after these original events, our Sages understood that a military victory was perhaps a thin and even dangerous precedent upon which to carry forth a holiday into the next generations.  So, out of whole cloth, they devised the “miracle” of Hanukkah.  According to the Talmud, when the Maccabees seized control of the Temple in Jerusalem, they found the last remaining canister of oil with the seal of the High Priest, insuring that is was still pure for ritual use.  There was enough for one day, but it lasted for eight, and so we have the “miracle” of Hanukkah. 

While the rabbinic story serves as an evocative symbol for the themes of the holiday, Later generations have wondered if the unexpected longevity of the ritual oil was such a great miracle, especially when compared to the splitting of the Red Sea.  And so, Hanukkah leaves us with a conundrum: do we celebrate a military victory that glorifies violence and a ruling family that eventually succumbed to the corruption of power, or do we celebrate an invented miracle that in and of itself leaves one asking for more?

            In a surprisingly contemporary vein, the great Hasidic master Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (19^th C.) points a way toward resolving our Hanukkah dilemma:

            “The formula of the blessing over candles is, “…who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days, at this time.”  All miracles were outside of time, such as the miracles in Egypt, the splitting of the Reed Sea and the Jordan River, and all these miracles were above nature.  However, such is not the case with the miracles of Hanukkah and Purim, which were in the midst of nature, for the Hasmoneans and their sons waged a war, and on Purim there was Queen Esther.  Thus, we bless on Hanukkah: “…who performed miracles…,” that is to say, in time, which is this world, in the midst of nature God performed miracles.”

            I love this teaching because it seems to speak to our contemporary inclination towards doubt.  Yes, Hanukkah is predicated on a military victory, with all of its inherent problems.  Yes, the “miracle” of Hanukkah is not such a miracle.  But, through the confluence of both these strands, we have the opportunity to think of the ways in which a feeling of the “miraculous” is inherent in everyday, natural processes.  The Maccabees experienced the “miraculous” through the work of their hands, and so do we, and not just through our work, but through the mere fact of being.  Levi Yitzchak has drawn on Hanukkah to teach a powerful, mystical idea, not altogether different from the words of Joni Mitchell, “We are stardust.”

            As with so much in our tradition, the “radical amazement” (to use one of Abraham Joshua Heschel’s favorite phrases) to which the great Levi Yitzchak calls is actually hardwired into our daily practice.  Three times a day, we are given the opportunity to meditate upon a prayer of Thanksgiving in the Amidah.  At the climax of this prayer, we give thanks, “for the miracles that attend us daily, evening, morning and afternoon.” 

            So let us be aware of these daily miracles, and utilize our creative spirituality to name them as such.  Through this naming, we, like our ancestors, transcend both the oppression of this world and the easy sentimentality that ignores what is truly miraculous: the daily pulse of creation that works itself through our individual lives.

I want to enthusiastically welcome you to join us this Shabbat to study with our friend Rabbi Nancy Flam teach as part of our ongoing scholars series, "Talking About God: Radical Frontiers."  Nancy's teaching is titled, "Embracing Imagination: God as You."  Nancy will lead her session after Kiddush this Saturday, around 12:30 or so.

As with everything Nancy leads or teaches, this session will invite and challenge us to think about the ways in which God can be a presence/reality in our lives.  To that end, she has made available two short essays that she would like us to read beforehand, so as to engage as meaningfully as possible.  Please click on this link to the CBI website to read the essays:  

 http://www.cbinorthampton.org 

One is a piece by Daniel Matt, a groundbreaking scholar of Kabbalah and translator of the Zohar, and the other is by Arthur Green, who one may claim has changed the spiritual face of American Judaism over the last 40+ through his scholarship and leadership. 

Of course, please join us for tefilah (prayer services) as well.  We begin at 9:30, with Shabbat Sing starting at 11:00.

All are welcome, and I look forward to seeing you there.

Shabbat Shalom,

Justin David

What’s happening at CBI this Shabbat?  Everything!!

At 7:00 tonight, join us for a Shira Chadasha Kabbalat Shabbat where I will be joined by David Weidenfeld on guitar to bring out our voices!  Following an Oneg after services, we share our first program in our series, “Thinking About God: Radical Frontiers,” by welcoming Aaron Lansky.  Aaron is the founder and president of the National Yiddish Book Center, and has received wide recognition for his visionary work.  His presentation tonight, which will include time for questions and answers, is titled, “Religion, Secularism and Other Extreme Forms of Modern Jewish Identity.” 

Tomorrow morning, please join us again for a Shabbat morning filled with vibrant prayer, meditation, study and song.  Our friend, Rabbi Nancy Flam, will lead the first Lev Chadash Minyan of the year, beginning at 9:45 in the Library.  For those who are new to Jewish prayer, as well as for those who pray regularly, Nancy draws us in to the spiritual core of the prayer experience by paring down the liturgy while simultaneously deepening our experience through singing, meditation and expert teaching.  But don’t rely on my opinion – experience Lev Chadash for yourself!

Our services in the Sanctuary begin at 9:30, where we will pray with familiar texts and melodies.  Given that we meet our matriarch Rebecca in this week’s Torah portion, I have prepared thoughts on how desire and love are central to spiritual life, and with these thoughts I hope to engage us in thoughtful reflection.

So, check out our overrunning cup this Shabbat!  On a final note, I just want to say that the response to my running in the Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage has been amazing!!  To join in, feel free to donate through my run through this link https://www.pledgereg.com/23229 or if you yourself are running, let me know, and we can gather as Team CBI!!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Justin David

Safe Passage is an amazing organization that is a pillar of our community.  Their work is quiet but profound, as they offer a safe house and an array of services to survivors of domestic violence and their families. 

Once a year, Safe Passage raises its voice to hold the Hot Chocolate Run.  It is not only a fundraising event – it is an event for education, awareness, and most palpably, celebration of a community that values the presence of Safe Passage.

This year, I will run in the Hot Chocolate Run, which takes place on Sunday, December 4.  There are a few ways we can all get involved.  Consider running (3 miles) or walking (2 miles) yourself – if you’re already signed up, let me know, and we can form Team CBI!  If you’re not participating, please consider sponsoring me – you can follow this link https://www.pledgereg.com/23229 - every bit counts!  Finally, consider volunteering for the event.  For more information, visit the webpage of Safe Passage.

I am so proud to be part of this event, as domestic violence touches the lives of so many of us.  I am even more proud of the work we have done as a community over the years to raise awareness of domestic violence and provide information about resources.  It’s a great mitzvah and a privilege to be involved.

In that spirit, let me remind us all that the synagogue is a safe space, and I and the rest of the synagogue staff are available to be helpful in any way we can if you or someone you know is experience domestic violence.  If there is any way we can help, even if just to listen, please let us know.

B’shalom,

Rabbi Justin David