Dear Friends:
As we get ready for Pesach, besides preparing our homes for the holiday we also need to prepare our souls. For many of us this will be a very different Passover because of the ongoing fighting and suffering in Israel and Gaza. On top of that, I have spoken with a number of our members who are concerned about preserving harmony at the Seder table when there is a divide in the family, usually along generational lines, in our attitudes towards Israel and towards the conflict.
I want to provide you this morning with some links to resources that you might find helpful as you prepare for Pesach.
Exploring Judaism is a new website under the auspices of the Conservative Movement. Their Not A Haggadah supplement contains articles and readings that will help you prepare for Passover with new understandings:
The Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem has prepared a Haggadah supplement specifically for this year as we explore themes of brokenness, hunger, and the loss of people who should be at our Seder table:
Rabbi Jan Urbach of the Jewish Theological Seminary has prepared a guide to tough conversations across generational and political divides:
Here is a link to the form you will need to fill out for me to sell your chametz:
And a link to our Pesach schedule:
And finally my guide to keeping Kosher for Passover:
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. You do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment. I have been spending more time in the synagogue recently but if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian