“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 'This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.” (Exodus 12:1-4)
We honor the Shabbat before Pesah with the name “Hagadol” - the Great Sabbath. Though this title is a theological construct created by the rabbis, its roots lie in the bolded verse above. When ritual slaughter was the centerpiece of our liberation memory, each household or collection of households had to identify their personal lamb to slaughter 4 days before the sacrifice and care for it to make sure it remained suitable for sacrifice at the appointed time – on the 14th of Nisan at twilight. Once the Temple was destroyed, ridding our homes of Hametz (foods made with forbidden grains) became the ritual that is supposed to elevate us to a place of compassion and identification with those who suffer under oppression. Long before the printing press was invented, it was on Shabbat Hagadol that people would learn in synagogue from the local rabbinic expert what needed to be done to kasher their homes for Pesah (learn how here).
The road from animal slaughter to getting crumbs out of all our kitchen drawers and throwing away our open ketchup is long and winding, but the spirit remains the same. That lamb was about honoring a shared communal memory and meal that leveled the playing field between rich and poor, old and young, wise and simple. That lamb was divided for eating in such a way that people could not be greedy or glutenous. That lamb was about confronting our ultimate fear – that innocent people and animals might die because a human being (originally Pharaoh) thought s/he was better and more powerful than the Source of Creation. There have been countless Pharaohs throughout history and Lord knows that the Jews are not the only victims.
The seder is meant to remind us that until all people are free, we are all enslaved. This year we have the opportunity to focus less on having a massive dinner party (a great joy and burden that I will truly miss) and instead ponder how we might reduce the symbolic leaven (gluten=glutenous) in our lives. We each have habits and vices that hold us back from journeying toward true spiritual, psychological and emotional liberation that enables us to be our best selves.
I invite you to visit our Passover Resources 2020 page to access information about food, haggadot, music, on-line seders and more. If you are wondering how to “share your lamb” with another household, please join my family on Facebook Live, Wednesday night at 7pm PDT for our seder. The wisdom of Exodus 12:4 remains fabulously relevant!
Finally, it is customary to give charity in preparation for Passover. I invite you to join our efforts to support CityNet as their dedicated workers continue to serve those experiencing homelessness throughout Orange County. Click here to join the Collaborative's special campaign to purchase 15,000 disinfectant wipes for their workers and residents to remain COVID-19 free. Thank you!
May we all remember this Shabbat Hagadol as one that lived up to its life-altering potential!
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Marcia Tilchin
The Jewish Collaborative of Orange County innovates, supports and collaborates on community programming that enriches the landscape of OC Jewish life and encourages individuals, couples and families to connect their passions and purpose with Judaism.Your text goes here!
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