| From the Rabbi: Pesach 2009 message |
 |
 |
 |
| Tuesday, 24 March 2009 19:37 |
|
The Jewish calendar is very interesting and full of variety. We have a different celebration nearly every month. Every household is aware of the fact that the menu has to be changed and that something new must be prepared each time. As a reminder, this includes latkes and doughnuts on Chanukah, fruit cake on Tu Bishvat, hamantashan on Purim and we are now exchanging recipes for Pesach kneidlach! Dear readers, we should engage ourselves not only with the importance of the food of each festival but with learning and teaching the message of the Holiday to ourselves, our family and our Community. One of the duties of the Exodus is for parents to tell the story every year to their children and this is the reason that we read the Haggadah. It is the parents' obligation to pass on this Jewish tradition to the next generation and we must make good use of the two Sedarim and the days before them to learn with our children about the Exodus story, the miracles and the mitzvot of the Holiday. One of the sentences that became very famous in the Exodus story is “Let my people go”. When Moses asked for Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, he meant that they shouldn't be idle, because in Jewish belief one must always be in a state of perpetual motion. This is because as we finish one goal we must think about the next one. Unlike an employer, we don't have the privilege of taking a holiday and having time out whenever we need it. We are in a state of Jewish awareness 24/7. We can't rest on our laurels or go and collect a pension. The verb to “go” could mean to walk, to advance, to come near to somebody or to walk in a different direction i.e. to distance oneself. As Abraham, our forefather was commanded Lech Lecha (to go forth) we are always moving from strength to strength. Wishing you all a “chag kasher ve sameach” and next year in Jerusalem. Rabbi Chaim Dovrat |
