Seder Sparks 2020-The Year of COVID19 Rabbi Barry Dov Katz

In addition to the other seder resources on the CSAIR website, this year we need ways to acknowledge all the ways that this night is different. But how different should this year’s seder be? Noam and Mishael Zion note:

How do we maintain some normality, some comfort, nostalgia, joy and hope, and yet make the seder relevant to our situation without avoiding the elephant in the isolated rooms of a zoom seder….On one hand, the 2020 seder is abnormal and radically different and it calls for relevance.... On the other hand, in a time of disrupted routines we need to go on living as normally as possible and to enjoy the family traditions and songs of the seder we love as best we can and to enjoy quality family time even by Zoom without a hug. Especially with two seders, there is no reason to let the corona crisis take over the whole seder and all our conversations.

That is the challenge for us this year. Whether you are an experienced seder leader, someone doing it for the first time, a participant, or will be alone for the seder, use these selections to make the seder relevant for this year. I would not do all of these! Choose a few so that people understand that it’s OK to talk about what is going on this year. But my suggestion is to also create space for the seder to be...the seder, a night to share the story of the Jewish people, to consider themes like being a stranger, faith, miracles, and hope. Tell the jokes you always tell, share the family stories, and sing the songs you love.

No matter how much or how little you speak about the situation this year, the experience of this year’s seder will be imprinted on people’s memories for a long time. I hope that, with everything that is hard, it can also be a time of sweetness.

This collection is arranged according to the order of the seder. After certain selections, I added questions for discussion in italics. Of course, you can come up with your own questions depending on the crowd. I made some edits to certain selections. These are credited as “Based on…” Choose selections that speak to you and will speak to your audience. Feel free to adapt or ask different questions than I asked.

Praying for healing to those who are sick, strength to those who heal and to all the caregivers, and redemption soon for all of us.

Barry Dov Katz Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of RIverdale, Bronx NY (For more general readings and discussion questions see “Seder Sparks” on the CSAIR website.) Hadlakat Nerot-Lighting Candles Light one candle for every child or family member, whether at your table or far away, and name them out loud so each one is symbolically present. In a zoom pre-Yom Tov seder light candles in each location and focus the camera on candles for 30 seconds of meditation as you move from one location to the next. Cover your eyes and meditate: on the powers of darkness in the world and the human ability to light a candle and spread light, then recite the blessing in Hebrew or English. Based on Noam and Mishael Zion, A Different Night-The Corona Seder

Passover Prayer in the Age of Coronavirus Why is this night different from all other nights? On this Passover, when a pandemic threatens our collective health on an unimaginable scale, we are called to respond with the power of our humanity, with the Divine spirit implanted within us, with our legacy of hope and determination to prevail. We pray for the at risk, the isolated, the stricken, the mourners. We pray for those who have dedicated their lives to keeping us healthy—doctors, nurses, researchers, health-care workers—and all who sustain our hospitals and health-care institutions— existing and makeshift—operating under trying circumstances. We pray for the first responders—police officers, fire fighters, military personnel who have been marshalled to the cause—all who are responsible for the safety of our communities. We pray for our elected officials, who can save lives with wise leadership. On this Passover, when so many are separated from one another at a traditional time of being together, we reach out to one another with renewed love and compassion. When someone is missing from our Seder table, we tell their story as if they are with us. When there is personal sadness, we respond with communal solidarity, empathy, and fortitude. On this Passover, not “all who are hungry can come and eat” and not “all who are in need can come and celebrate Passover.” In response, we commit all the days of our year to a heightened awareness of Passover’s values—to freeing the enslaved, to feeding the hungry, to sheltering the homeless, to supporting the poor. Dear God, “Spread over us Your canopy of peace . . . Shelter us in the shadow of Your wings . . .Guard us and deliver us. . . Guard our coming and our going, grant us life and peace, now and always.” “This year we are slaves, next year we will be free. Based on Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC https://www.ajc.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2020-03/AJC_Haggadah_Supplement_2020.pdf

 The Torah Speaks of Four Kinds of People Who Use Zoom: The Wise The Wicked The Simple The One Who Does Not Know How to “Mute”   The Wise Person says: “I’ll handle the Admin Feature Controls and Chat Rooms, and forward the Cloud Recording Transcript after the call.”   The Wicked Person says: “Since I have unlimited duration, I scheduled the meeting for six hours—as it says in the Haggadah, whoever prolongs the telling of the story, harei zeh m’shubach, is praiseworthy.”   The Simple Person says: “Hello? Am I on? I can hear you but I can’t see you.” [Jerusalem Talmud reads here: “I can see you, but I can’t hear you.”]   The One Who Does Not Know How to Mute says: “How should I know where you put the grape juice? I’m stuck on this Zoom call with people who just keep on talking and taking!”   To the Wise Person you should offer all of the Zoom Pro Optional Add‐On Plans. To the Wicked Person you should say: “Had you been in charge, we would still be in Egypt.” To the Simple Person you should say: “Try the call‐in number instead.” To the One Who Does Not Know How to Mute you should say: “Why should this night be different from all other nights?”Rabbi Richard Hirsch, Bryn Mawr PA

Kadesh-Sanctifying A Toast! The seder begins with a toast dedicating the evening to the memory of our oppression In Egypt and our historic night of liberation as well as hope for future redemption. Ask several participants to lift their cup and add a brief improvised toast for today’s meal before reciting in Hebrew or English the kiddush. In Exodus and Revolution, Michael Walzer writes,

The "door of hope" is still open; things are not what they might be- even when what they might be isn't totally different from what they are. We still believe, or many of us do, what the Exodus first taught: first, that wherever you live, it is probably Egypt; second, that there is a better place, a world more attractive, a promised land; and third, that "the way to the land is through the wilderness." There is no way to get from here to there except by joining together and marching.

What are the ways that people are joining together this year? In what ways will e need to join together in the days to come? Based on Noam and Mishael Zion, A Different Night-The Corona Seder Lean On Me Traditionally, people symbolically lean to the left as they drink the wine…. Maybe this is the year with a smaller group to recline/lean on couches and have the Seder in the living room!... Thinking of "leaning" brings to mind the song "Lean On Me" (see lyrics here ) Lean on me, when you're not strong And I'll be your friend I'll help you carry on For it won't be long 'Til I'm gonna need Somebody to lean on We are all experiencing the beauty of leaning on each other. Sometimes we are a resource for others and sometimes others lean on us. Family, friends, community are all virtually intertwined and leaning on each other. So this Pesach when we lean, let us imagine how we are all in a circle with each other, we are leaning on someone and someone is leaning on us. Based on Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Bronx, NY

Urchatz-Washing Washing Hands-Again?! Even though this is the first washing of the seder, we’ve all washed our hands many times today. In the past, we washed at this point in the seder as a way to stimulate questions. This year our washing is a way to save life. Like the Nile was for Moses, the water we use to wash our hands is a symbol of rebirth, purification and salvation. What do you think about as you wash our hands these days? Based on Rabbi Nat Ezray, Congregation Beth Jacob, Redwood City, CA Carpas-Dipping What’s your salt water? What’s your greens? Karpas synthesizes contrasting meanings. Salt water – symbolic of the sweat or tears of slaves reminds us of pain and sadness. Greens (parsley) remind us of renewal, spring and love. The message of renewal and rebirth mingling with pain and sadness speak to this year. In some Haggadot, there is a section from Song of Songs, which celebrates love. Where there is love, there is hope. The promise of karpas is that hope is both utterly implausible and inevitable. Karpas promises that the renewal will unfold in the world around us, and in our personal lives. Even in the darkest times and narrowest places, there is a song in our souls waiting to well up again. The Hasidic master, the Sefat Emet, teaches that there is a song in us that will always be there, and will always have the power of renewal. It is in our souls and “it can never be forgotten.” After the dipping, share your “Saltwater” and your “Greens” for this year, what makes you sad and what makes you hopeful? Excerpts from Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, Hebrew College Passover Companion 2020 Yachatz-Breaking What is Broken This Year? As we break the matza, we think of those whose lives have been split asunder; stricken with this terrible disease. We think of those who are sick; family members quarantined who cannot visit their hospitalized loved ones; the bereaved for whom there is less closure without a funeral, without normal shiva visitations. Rabbi Avi Weiss, Bronx, NY

Our Own Paths

This year, I don’t think it will be hard to connect with brokenness as I break the middle matza. It will be hard to celebrate Pesach without all those people around the table, without shul, knowing that our world is going through such a hard time. The Jews of Tunisia have a custom that gives me some perspective on this year’s breaking of the matza. After they break the middle matzah they say,

And this is how God split the sea into 12 paths when our ancestors were leaving the Land of Egypt. By the hand of our Master and Prophet, Moshé son of 'Amram, may he rest in peace

כך חצה הקדוש ברוך הוא את הים לשתים עשרה דרכים כשיצאו אבותינו ממצרים

על ידי אדוננו ונביאנו משה בן עמרם עליו השלום

When the Jews of Tunisia break the matza, they don’t focus on the brokenness in the crumbs, they bring our attention back to a midrash that says that when we crossed the sea, each tribe had its own path through the sea. Even though they were headed to the same place, to freedom, each one walked in their own path. This year, we’ll all be walking in, our own paths across the sea. We sit a different tables. But I hope that as we do, we remember that we are not alone. We are walking with everyone who celebrates Pesach, every Jew around the world, every person who yearns for health and peace. We are walking with everyone who ever sat around our table- or whose table we sat around. We are all on our own paths but we are not alone. And where are we walking? We are walking to the dry land on the other side. We are walking towards the time when we will be able to be together, davven in our shuls, hug and kiss. Miriam is waiting with her tambourine on the other side. Waiting to dance with every one of us and celebrate. As the Jews of Tunisia set part of broken matzah aside for the afikoman. they conclude:

Just as God saved our ancestors and liberated them from slavery, God will save us for God’s names sake.

Ken Yehi Ratzon. Looking forward to seeing all of you on the other side. Rabbi Barry Dov Katz, Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of RIverdale, Bronx NY

Magid-Telling Ha Lachma Anya-ALL! I especially love the repetition of the word ALL in the middle part of Ha Lachma Anya

All who are hungry let them come and eat All who are needy let them come and celebrate Passover with us.

There is something so generous about wanting to include everyone in our redemption. It’s a call to be alert to every need- and to try to address it. We want to make sure that everyone makes it from Egypt to Jerusalem. We don’t run out of Egypt worrying about ourselves- we go, as Moshe said to Pharaoh, with our young and our old, with our sons and daughters. All of us go together. Go around the table and make a list of the people who are working to ensure that people have access to healthcare, food, and basic needs this year. What could we do to show our appreciation? Rabbi Barry Dov Katz, Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of RIverdale, Bronx NY Ha Lachma Anya-Donate the Difference This year, I think the way to do Kol Dichfin - and maybe for all future years - is not (just) in inviting others to our tables, but to try to commit that all those who are hungry are provided for. I’m sorry if I am just a late adopter of what others have figured out before, but this year instead of adorning our seder to catch up to the past, I am going to #donatethedifference between what Pesach would have cost and what it will cost. I’m sure our family will still eat well, it will be delicious and inventive and I’ll tell you about it next week. But hopefully others will eat more as well; and this year’s night will be different than all other year’s night, a step in a necessary direction. What is an organization that you can donate to during Hol Hamoed? Why would you pick that organization? Based on Yehuda Kurtzer Four Questions-What Is Different Tonight? After asking how this night is different from all other nights, you might want to take this opportunity to go around the table and have people share: How am I different tonight and this year from previous years? What has changed this year? Based on Noam and Mishael Zion, A Different Night-The Corona Seder Four Questions-And What Is The Same? I had a thought while preparing for the seder this year. In addition to the normal four questions (“Why is this night different”), how about another question, “Why is this night the same as all other seder nights”? Mark Gotthelf, Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale, Bronx, NY

Four Questions-Corona Questions ● What are the responsibilities of local, national and international governments to contain an

epidemic? In what way have they failed us and in what ways have they adjusted to save their populations?

● What individuals and organization shave stepped forward to help? What can I do and what have those at this table done so far?

● Have we been living in a typical modern illusion that humanity has rational control over our fates? How do we handle our heightened sense of vulnerability? Will we ever be so naïve again that plagues are a thing of the past?

● What can be done to rebuild our economy and social webs after containment of corona? Based on Noam and Mishael Zion, A Different Night-The Corona Seder Starting from the Narrow Place ‘The tradition says each of us is to see ourselves as though we ourselves had been brought out of Mitzrayim. I don't know about you, but the idea that we are living in Mitzrayim -- the Narrow Place; tight constriction; dire straits -- feels very real to me this year. If we are feeling constricted, anxious, afraid, uncertain, maybe newly-aware of some of our society's fundamental inequalities and the harm they cause to the most vulnerable... then we are exactly where the Pesach story calls us to be. When we left that Narrow Place, we didn't know where we were going. We didn't have time to fully prepare for our journey of transformation. We didn't know where we were going or how we would get there. We left the Narrow Place anyway...If we are feeling unready, unprepared, maybe thrust into a journey we don't know how to take... then we are exactly where the Pesach story calls us to be. In Talmud (Pesachim 116a) we read that מתחיל בגנות ומסיים בשבח - one should begin the recounting of the Exodus story with degradation, and one should end with praise. That's the spiritual journey encapsulated and recapitulated in the seder. The haggadah moves from the degradation of "we were slaves to a Pharaoh in Egypt" to the praise songs of Hallel on the far side of the sea. The haggadah takes us from despair to redemption, from constriction to freedom, from mourning to dancing. Right now we are at the beginning of the story of the covid-19 pandemic of 2020. We begin in "degradation" -- in this Narrow Place, in this fearful place, in this grief-stricken place. Our task is to trust that this is only where our story begins , not where it will end. Rabbi Rachel Barenblat

Being A Slave Girl "With the final plague, all of Egypt feels what it's like to be a slave girl, who has no control over her own fate. And with the death of every firstborn, every Egyptian family knows what it's like to be crushed like dry grain between millstones. Poor Egypt! That so many should suffer because of one man's hardened heart." -Ellen Frankel, The Five Books of Miriam , pg. 107 How do we cope with feelings of being out of control right now (having no control over our fate)? How do we deal with feelings of fragility, vulnerability (crushed like grain)? Rabbi Amy Bernstein, Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation, Pacific Palisades, CA

We Became a Great Nation (from Deuteronomy 26:5) A piece of our experience of slavery is how we hold onto our identity in difficult times. Tradition teaches that we continued to observe mitzvot, never engaged in unchastity or slander, did not change our names or language in Egypt and that is the reason we were saved. At a time when synagogues are closed, what do we need to do to hold onto our Jewish identity at this difficult time? God Saw Our Affliction (from Deuteronomy 26:7) As God saw our affliction, we are called upon to see the affliction of those in need Who do we need to see right now? Whose stories are not being seen? Plagues-How is this plague different? “An entire country, the most powerful one of its time, brought to its knees, its vast military and economic might no match for the plague that envelops it. It must have been utterly crushing to be an Egyptian back then.” How will the Coronavirus change the ways nations see themselves and act towards each other? In what ways are the plagues in Egypt similar to the Coronavirus and in what ways are they different? Based on Rabbi Shai Held Plagues-Uncertainty In 1921, shortly after the great flu pandemic of last century, the economist Frank Knight articulated the critical distinction between risk and uncertainty. Risk, Knight explained, is measurable. It can be estimated using data, provided similar situations have happened in the past. Uncertainty, on the other hand, deals with outcomes we can’t predict or never saw coming. Risk can be calculated and managed. Uncertainty is much more difficult to navigate because it seems impossible to weigh costs and benefits. This important distinction may be the key to understanding Choshekh . The plague of Darkness really is the plague of uncertainty. Sometimes, uncertainty can be so thick, so palpable, that it is paralyzing. This is how the Torah and Midrash describe the Egyptian experience during the plague of darkness. But the Children of Israel were miraculously able to move about during the plague of Darkness. How were the Israelites able to see light during the plague of Darkness? The Israelites in Egypt definitely understood that there was real risk, but their faith in God’s promises scattered the deep darkness of uncertainty. That faith allowed them not to be paralyzed. That faith was the bright light on the horizon. The light of hope. How are you managing uncertainty? Based on Rabbi Shmuel Hain, Young Israel Ohab Zedek, Bronx, NY

Plagues-Waiting in the Dark Parashat Bo challenges us to imagine God as a midwife, to embrace our night vision. The poet Theodore Roethke writes: “In a dark time, the eye begins to see.” In their Egyptian midnight, our terrified ancestors caught their first glimpse of freedom. In our own midnights, we, too, begin to see—but only if we find the faith to hold our ground despite our fear, to wait patiently in the shadows rather than running prematurely for the light. What things have you seen over the past few weeks that you did not expect to see? Rabbi Daniel Fink, Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel, Boise, Idaho Crises/Disaster

Hannah Arendt wrote in 1954, "The general crisis that has overtaken the modern world everywhere and in almost every sphere of life manifests itself differently in each country, involving different areas and taking on different forms … A crisis becomes a disaster only when we respond to it with preformed judgments, that is, with prejudices. Such an attitude not only sharpens the crisis but makes us forfeit the experience of reality and the opportunity for reflection it provides." What are the prejudices we need to avoid as we frame our response to the current crisis? In what ways

will we need to open our minds?

Dayenu-Gratitude With all our suffering and despite the fact that there is no redemption to be celebrated at this point, we do have so much to be thankful for. Ask each participant to add to the singing of Dayenu a phrase expressing gratitude to people, experiences, or moments during this stressful period. Examples: If only doctors, nurses, and EMT’s responded with compassion, Dayenu. If only my teacher found a way to make learning interesting on Zoom, Dayenu. Now share your own…. Dayenu-Paying it Forward In The Inversion of Gratefulness, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: Basic to human existence is a sense of indebtedness: of indebtedness to society, of indebtedness to God. What is emerging in our age is a strange inversion. Modern people believe that the world is indebted to them; that society is charged with duties toward them. Their standard and preoccupation: What will I get out of life? Suppressed is the question: What will life, what will society get out of me? What do you have to offer to society at this time? Based on Noam and Mishael Zion, A Different Night-The Corona Seder What’s on your seder plate? The seder plate has many edible souvenirs of the original seder in Egypt – maror, matza, haroset and so on. If you were going to make a seder plate to be used next year, in 2021, name some of the objects you would put on it to recall the year of the virus? How is the reason that each of these things are on the plate? Based on Noam and Mishael Zion, A Different Night-The Corona Seder

Rochtza-Washing What is a 20 second Pesach song you can sing as you wash your hands? Motzi-Matza I know that even as matzah is the bread of affliction, it is also the bread of redemption, for it holds out the promise that, like our ancestors, we can anticipate the exhilaration of spiritual freedom even in the midst of physical bondage. As we sit together each year at the seder table and recite these words which link us to every generation, we can draw strength from one another to relive the past, to be here in the present, and to make our way into the future. Somehow, this helps to turn the night of waiting into a time of gathering strength for whatever lies ahead. In one way or another, I know that I will be standing there at Sinai. -- Dr. Tamara Green Maror-Bittering I think you can figure out this one on your own! Korech-Sandwiching Less Than Ideal At this point in the Seder, we make our “Hillel Sandwich” of matzah, maror, and charoset. At our table, we have the Ashkenazi (apples and walnuts and wine) and the Syrian (mashed dates and cinnamon). Just as the charoset is a metaphor for holding the bricks of slavery together, it is also what pulls the flavors of the table together. It connects us to our grandparents who prepared the same dish. At this moment, we might not have access to those same ingredients; our mortar may be less than ideal for building. But if there is one thing I learn from the Israelites in the Pesach story, it's that we make use of what we are given and what the moment requires. This Pesach, let us use that less-than-ideal mortar and build the most beautiful thing we can. Dave Yedid-Jewish Theological Seminary Shulchan Orech-Eating As you eat your Passover meal, think about the meals you have had in the past and consider what do you want next Passover’s celebration to look like. Tzafun-Seeking On seder night, we hide and then seek the afikoman, reuniting the two parts separated at the beginning of the seder. May we learn to discover the lost parts of ourselves, to become reconciled with relatives who have become distant and to find wholeness in a Jewish tradition from which we have become alienated. (A Different Night, Haggadah by Shalom Hartman Institute) How will we differently appreciate people we've been separated from during this time? Rabbi Amy Bernstein, Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation, Pacific Palisades, CA

Barech-Blessing “What does it mean to bless?” And why do we as human beings have the power to offering blessings? The Hebrew word for blessing, bracha, shares the same letters as the word for pool (b’raycha), giving power to the idea that a blessing links us to the Source Of All That Is. It also shares a root with the word for kneel (nivrachah), intimating that blessings have the capacity to focus on what is and what will be. This makes offering a blessing a very powerful action. The ability to bless is linked with the ability to be fully present in a given moment, to see the holiness of that which we have been given, to be grateful... The blessing is a connector, recognizing that each of us has the capacity, the potential of being a source of blessing to another person – being that each of us was created bezelem elohim, in the image of the Divine.

For the last number of weeks, we have been living in a new reality, one where the blessings we encounter are new or heightened. I invite you to take a moment and silently review the blessings of the last week – all that you are grateful for in ways you could not have imagined.

In the course of the seder what follows the Grace after Meals, the Birkat Hamzon, is the third cup of wine. The kavanah of the third cup speaks to the moment we are currently in, as we recall the promise of Divine redemption, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and extraordinary judgments. ” May our redemption be close at hand and may healing ensue. Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn, Congregation Tehilla, Bronx, NY Opening Door for Elijah Why do we open our doors at this point, or at all? Tradition says that we open the door because this night is leil shimurim , the night of being watched over (as shemurah matzah is watched over). Originally the door may have been open the whole night long. We are free and fearless to welcome those who come our way: pilgrims, Elijah and Miriam, refugees and wanderers (Elijah among them), the Messiah. Our history of being persecuted tells us that we also open a door to discover and unmask informers, enemies, conspirators, blood libelers lurking at our doors. We open the door in self-defense, not fearless but justly fearful. If we move outside the text, we recognize that our history of seeking refuge teaches us that we are as often outside the door as inside it. It is often we who ask that the door be opened. “I lift my lamp beside the golden door,” writes Emma Lazarus; this golden door must be, of course, not only illumined by the lamp but also opened by the hand to let us in, refugees as we were from pogroms and Nazis and poverty. Philip Halle’s account of how 3,000 Huguenot inhabitants of Le Chambon helped 5,000 Jews fleeing the Nazis to get to safety begins with such a hand. Magda Trocmé was at home, heard a knock, and opened the outer door. She saw a woman covered in snow. The woman asked to enter. Trocmé responded, “Naturally, come in and come in.” Let all who are in need, come and celebrate the festival of freedom. Who do we need to open the door for right now? How do we do this at a time when we cannot interact? Who do we lift up who has opened doors for ourselves and others in the past? Based on Lawrence Rosenwald, Hebrew College Passover Companion

Hallel-Praising There is a crack in everything… One of the Psalms of Praise we read here is Min ha-meitzar , from distress will come relief. During these difficult times, our communities have rallied and come closer. When it’s over, we pray, we will be stronger than ever. As Leonard Cohen wrote: “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” How have you felt the power of community? What would you like your community to do to support you or other people? Rabbi Avi Weiss Nirtzah-Ending This poem by John O’Donohue is a meditation on getting through challenging times, being generous with ourselves, and making it to the other side. This is the time to be slow, Lie low to the wall Until the bitter weather passes. Try, as best you can, not to let The wire brush of doubt Scrape from your heart All sense of yourself And your hesitant light. If you remain generous, Time will come good; And you will find your feet Again on fresh pastures of promise, Where the air will be kind And blushed with beginning. As you imagine yourself next year in Jerusalem (or wherever you hope to celebrate the seder), consider what you personally need to get through this time. And think about what you will do when you find yourself on the “fresh pastures of promise.” Rabbi Barry Dov Katz based on John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!