Passover is in eleven days.
Eleven days to clean.
Eleven days to pick up matzah, that pesky shank bone, and all your other Passover food needs.
Eleven days to cook.
Eleven days to dust off the family haggadot or to order new ones.
Eleven days to prepare our minds and souls so that we can arrive to the seder and experience the Maggid (the story). We should strive to raise up our obligation to see ourselves as if we are coming out of Egypt.
But this year we hold the harsh reality that we have brothers and sisters, who feel extra close to home in our hearts, who have not yet come out from the proverbial Egypt in which they are captive.
This year, add an additional empty chair to your seder table, for the hostage who won’t be joining their family. This year, add an extra setting of maror, for the bitterness we feel about the ongoing war. This year, don’t let the seder go by without going deep in conversation.
Don’t rush.
It is a privilege to be able to sit and engage in this sacred moment.
Passover is in eleven days.
May we all find the time to prepare.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rachael
