Dear Congregation Beth Israel community,

We prepared this month’s newsletter for release before the attack on Iran – which took place on Shabbat Zachor, the “Shabbat of Remembrance” right before Purim, when tradition asks us to remember Amalek, the nation that attacked us from behind on our way out of Egypt. At Soul Spa on Shabbat morning we dedicated our learning to healing and safety for all the people of the region.

Many of us have friends / family / beloveds in Israel now racing to bomb shelters. The sister of one of my friends in Tel Aviv narrowly escaped the destruction of her apartment building; she and her boyfriend happened to go to a different shelter that day. It is unsteadying and sobering and scary to read about or witness destruction when people we know and love are impacted.

I know that some of us also have friends / family / beloveds in Beirut and in Syria. Some of us may also have beloveds in Tehran. Some of us have already been praying for the people of Iran, especially in light of recent news about government crack-down on protesters there. Some of us may not be sure how to feel or what to hope for, except for safety, somehow, and peace.

Here’s what I can offer in this moment. Remember that we don’t have full knowledge of everything unfolding, even if we are news junkies. Remember that we do not help anyone who is suffering by consuming stories (or, especially, images) of war and bloodshed. Remember that our nervous systems didn’t evolve to live in constant anxiety, and that we need to be gentle with each other.

And remember that even in times of tragedy, anxiety, and fear, our people have sought hope and joy. Purim begins tonight at sundown. At Purim we celebrate – among other things – seeking hope and redemption even in a violent, scary, and topsy-turvy world. Together may we reach for light and gladness and uprightness, and for the comfort of community even in difficult times.

— Rabbi Rachel

Dear Congregation Beth Israel members and friends,

I’ve spent the last few weeks preparing to co-teach a class I’ve never taught before – three sessions of preparing ourselves intellectually and spiritually for Passover – and I am so excited to share it with all of you!

Passover has always been my favorite holiday, ever since I was a kid excited to travel to Dallas for seder at my Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Bill’s house. I love the prayers and the songs, I love the story of liberation from Egypt, I love the foods (even more now that I have my own favorite recipes for preparing them myself.) As an adult I’ve come to understand that the story of the Exodus is the Jewish people’s “Master Story,” the narrative that shapes how we understand ourselves as a people. We are the people who proclaim: we were slaves to a Pharaoh in Egypt and God brought us out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. We are the people who remind ourselves: this is because of what God did for me when God brought us out of Egypt. And we are the people who ask ourselves: what does this story ask us to be and to become?

I love the traditions of Pesah, both ancient and modern. I love the ancient symbols we still place on our tables and explain, and I love the contemporary items some of us add to our tables to spark conversation about what these ancient themes mean in our day. I love the haggadah in all of its forms. I love coming together in community to celebrate, to sing, to rejoice. (Maybe especially in challenging times, I love that Jewish tradition commands us to rejoice together.) And I love how the journey of Counting the Omer links Pesah with Shavuot, liberation with revelation.

There’s so much we can learn both about Passover and from Passover. It was a bit of a challenge to choose only a few favorite things to teach about during this Zoom class! But my friend and colleague R. David Markus and I did our best to winnow the million Passover-related subjects into three terrific class sessions. I hope you’ll join us on Zoom on three Tuesday nights between now and seder for Liberating Passover: Seders & Spirituality of Freedom.

For an extra treat: it turns out that R. David will also be able to be here for our Second Night Community Passover Seder! He and I have been singing together and “doing Jewish” together since we were undergraduates together at Williams College, so this is a special joy for me. Those of you who joined us on Zoom for seder during the early Covid years have participated in our shared seder sweetness before. I hope you’ll join us at CBI for this year’s (onsite only, no Zoom) seder adventure.

This year’s seder will be extra-full of harmony. We’ll bring joy to the traditional prayers we know and love, the creative innovations we’ve come to cherish, a live-action re-enactment of the Exodus featuring kids and anyone “young at heart” enough to put on a costume hat, deep questions, stirring poetry, and an opportunity to stick around and sing more seder songs at the end for anyone who wishes. Plus, of course, a seder meal catered by our own Jen Burt, featuring her homemade matzah balls and gefilte fish and all good things (and including vegetarian and gluten-free options for anyone who needs). Please RSVP by March 23.

Here’s to journeying into freedom together.

Blessings to all,

— Rabbi Rachel