Passover Kavannah (Intention), 5784

The PassoverPassover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt. Its Hebrew name is Pesakh. Its name derives from the tenth plague, in which God "passed over" the homes of the Jewish firstborn, slaying only the Egyptian firstborn. Passover is celebrated for a week, and many diaspora Jews celebrate for eight days. The holiday begins at home at a seder meal and ritual the first (and sometimes second) night. Jews tell the story of the Exodus using a text called the haggadah, and eat specific food (matzah, maror, haroset, etc). sederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted following the haggadah, a book for this purpose. The mystics of Sefat also created a seder for Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees. includes two powerful rituals of grief: dipping a leafy green into salt water and removing ten drops of wine from our cups. With salt water we stop to imagine the tears of our enslaved ancestors. With red drops of wine we stop to have empathy for the sufferings of our enemies. This Passover we gather even as our fellow Jews remain unfree, held hostage in perilous conditions. This Passover we gather even as Gazan civilians mourn their dead and fear daily for their safety. May we be granted the opportunity to hold the teachings of Pesakh and the dissonances of the present moment in ways that help us become people of greater heart and hope, seeking liberation and safety for all.