|
Passover Greetings from Rabbi Perkins Dear Friends, Now I know how my fellow clergy in Needham feel every December … It is wonderful the way this country revolves around the Jewish calendar. Already a month ago, it was clear that Pesach was coming. As soon as Purim was over, the shops began to fill with kosher-for-Passover food. Moreover, although this is the Land of Israel -- where we have only one day of Yom Tov at the beginning and one at the end of the festival, and therefore (unlike in the States) the holiday technically lasts only seven days - in reality, Pesach lasts for two weeks! All the school kids are off on vacation during the week before as well as the week of Pesach, and many adults take a vacation then as well. One of my son's classmates is going to Egypt today! (I suppose it makes sense: going to Egypt and then leaving it before the holiday can, theoretically, enhance one's seder experience. On the other hand, vacating one's Sinai hotel room on the eve of Pesach … -- it isn't quite the same as being expelled from the country, is it?!) Speaking of hotel rooms, they are not easy to be had here at this time of year. The country is filling up with visitors from abroad who will soon occupy every hotel room and every apartment in Jerusalem. On the other hand, I had mixed reactions when I heard two advertising jingles this morning. One was for a local supermarket, promoting its specials. It was sung to the tune of "Dayeinu." (You can imagine the lyrics: "If only we offered you oranges at four shekels a kilo, … Dayeinu!" -- etc.) The second, which was to me at once both amusing and bizarre, was an advertisement for Volkswagen sung to the tune of the Mah Nishtanah! (Just imagine hearing, "Why is this car different from all other cars?") Oh, well. I suppose that this is the ultimate fulfillment of the Zionist dream of turning our nation into a people like all other peoples. All things considered, it is a positive thing that even so-called "secular" Israelis turn to traditional cultural references to express themselves. But it would be nice if the commercialization of the holiday were not quite as blatant. Other Israelis are also getting ready for the holiday. Everyone seems to be scrubbing and cleaning. (I learned yesterday that more cleaning products are sold during the two weeks before Pesach than during the entire rest of the year!) On bulletin boards all over Jerusalem this past week were placards advertising various drashot (rabbinic talks) in honor of Shabbat Ha-Gadol - the so-called "Great Shabbat" before Pesach -- on which it is traditional for rabbis to speak about the laws and customs of Pesach in order to help their followers prepare for the holiday. This year, because Pesach falls on Saturday night, most of the drashot were given a week earlier - i.e., yesterday afternoon and evening. I stopped by the Yeshurun synagogue last night and was one of several hundred who listened to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. Tonight, the radio will broadcast the drashah of Rabbi Mordecai Elon (the son of the late Justice Menachem Elon of the Israeli Supreme Court) to those unable to attend his standing-room-only talk at another local synagogue. Now, for some Israel-inspired reflections on the themes of the Seder … On the night of Pesach, we relive an amazing journey: mi-yagon l'simcha, me-evel l'yom tov - from grief to joy, from mourning to feasting. We re-enact the story of our people's resurrection. In that re-enactment, we remind ourselves that, as is the case with all liberations, this one did not come easily. There was bitterness, and wailing, and tears and suffering. Redemption always comes with a cost. The same is true of Israel today. Israel is a strong country. The country is so much more developed than I remember it being years ago. There are several million new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from Ethiopia, and from all over the world, who are helping to sustain this wonderful Jewish national homeland. And yet, the country has suffered greatly to reach its present state, and there may be more suffering ahead. Just the other day, I went on a hike to Mount Scopus and was reminded of an attack on Hadassah doctors and nurses exactly 57 years ago, on April 13th, 1948. Since, then, of course, there have been many such sad episodes. Fortunately, there has not been a successful terrorist attack here in Israel for many weeks. People are considerably less anxious (though I wouldn't say more relaxed) than they were last year. And yet the political struggle with the Palestinians, as well as with Israel's more bellicose Arab neighbor states, continues. Moreover, there is much domestic unrest and anguish. Prime Minister Sharon's decision unilaterally to disengage from Gaza and parts of Shomron remains controversial. There continues to be talk of civil (and not so civil) disobedience. (Just the other day, demonstrators disrupted an officer's graduation ceremony at an army base - a major embarrassment for the army - and undoubtedly more surprises lie ahead.) The residents of Gush Kattif (the Gaza settlement bloc) and their supporters are traumatized, and it remains unclear how resistant they will be this summer when the evacuation of the settlements is scheduled to take place. Clearly, we haven't yet achieved full ge'ulah (redemption). Nonetheless, there is much to be thankful for and there is much to celebrate. Let me put it as simply as possible: I feel enormously privileged to be here. (You would feel the same way if you were here - how soon is your next trip?) This is a vibrant, exciting country where Judaism and Jewish culture are flourishing and in which Jewish history is being made daily. What a blessing! What a miracle! I hope and pray that Israelis - all of us, for that matter -- will sing "Dayeinu" next week (with its original lyrics!) with the intention with which it was composed: to remind ourselves how far our nation, our people and our homeland has come on the road me-avdut l'herut -- from enslavement to freedom. Let me wish all of you a healthy and a happy Pesach. I hope and pray that during the holiday all of us will gain a greater appreciation of our identity as Jews and of the responsibilities that that identity implies. Good Yom Tov to everyone!
|
