Dear Congregation Beth Israel members and friends,

The seventh day of Pesach is coming soon. (It starts at sundown on Tuesday night.) When we think of Pesach we may think of the two seders. But the seventh day is also a festival day. The seventh day is considered the anniversary of the day when we crossed the sea and emerged into freedom (and uncertainty) on the other side. 

In Israel all Jews celebrate Pesach as a seven-day festival. In the Diaspora, Orthodox and Conservative Jews observe an eighth day. (In the CBI community some do one and some do the other.) On the last day of Pesach (whether for you that is Tuesday- night-into-Weds, or Wednesday-night-into-Thurs) it’s customary to say Yizkor prayers.

Here is a beautiful post from R. Pam Wax about the meaning of Yizkor. As she writes:

 “Yizkor, the memorial service, (meaning “Remember!” in a command form) is a foundational Jewish ritual that connects us to our ancestors, to community, and to our faith. As the Jewish calendar revolves from season to season, we are given the opportunity to reflect upon those who gave us life, both physically and spiritually.”

My teacher Reb Zalman z”l spoke of Yizkor as a “holy Skype call” — an opportunity to call up the memory of the person we have lost and to say whatever we need to say. In the last several years it has become clear that while the Yom Kippur Yizkor service remains meaningful, most of us don’t choose to experience Yizkor at other seasons.

In appreciation of that, I thought I’d try something new this year: giving us a way to remember loved ones with a short Yizkor remembrance at home. Although traditionally Yizkor is communal, this communal ritual clearly isn’t speaking to our community as we are now. But maybe a “DIY” version to do at home might speak to some of us.