Rabbi Ashira's Reflections
April 2024
Dear chevre,
Spring is in the air!
The rabbis of the Mishnah considered the first of Nisan, the month we are about to enter, as the new year for kings and festivals. That is, the month of Nisan is the first month of the Jewish calendar even though the calendar year renews in the fall at Rosh HaShanah. I often think of the Jewish year cycle in two parts—the fall season and the spring season. In the fall, we celebrate the new Jewish year and the end of the harvest. In the spring, we have another new year, and we celebrate the beginning of the agricultural cycle.
Just as we have a flurry of holidays in the fall, so too we have much to celebrate and observe in the spring. Most of our holiday energy during Nisan will be directed toward preparing for and celebrating Pesach, Passover. Pesach is one of three pilgrimage festivals, Shavuot and Sukkot being the other two. When the ancient Temple still stood, Israelites were expected to travel to Jerusalem for each of these three festivals, where they would observe the rituals facilitated by the kohanim, the priests.
All three pilgrimage festivals have agricultural and historical connections, which we can explore in their own times. Pesach marks the beginning of the barley harvest in Israel, and it commemorates our liberation from slavery in Egypt. This year, as I considered these very different focal points of the holiday, I realized the agricultural and historical themes have something in common. Both the harvest and the liberation were accomplished through the combined effort of the Israelite community. In the Babylonian Talmud, the barley harvest involved a beit din (three knowledgeable Jewish adults), the emissaries who would travel to Jerusalem for the festival, and all the inhabitants of the town so that the barley would be harvested with great fanfare. In the story of the Exodus from Egypt, we read about how every household had to prepare to leave. Then God told Moses to speak to the whole community about how to commemorate the occasion in the future, including the command to share their Pesach lamb with their neighbors.
In our times, we continue to observe Pesach individually and as a whole community. Each of us individually prepares our homes in anticipation of the seders we will enjoy with our friends and family. Although Jewish law does not require a minyan, a group of ten people, for a seder, we are obligated to tell the story of what God did for each of us when God brought us out of Egypt. Storytelling requires at least more than one person, and preferably happens in a group. This year, Temple Emanu-El will host a community seder on Sunday April 21 at 5:00 pm. You might have noticed that our congregational seder happens on the day before Pesach actually begins. This date was chosen in part not to conflict with any plans you might have made for other nights of Pesach. Please consider bringing a favorite dairy or pareve Passover dish to share. This event is intended to be welcoming to all of our members and any friends and relations you would like to invite. To put it more plainly, come one and all, all ages and stages!
In addition to our community seder, I want to invite you to a few other events coming up this month.
On April 6 at 9:30 am, we will celebrate and offer our blessings to Cory Goldstein, son of Loren and Michelle, and Amy Aisenberg when they are called up to Torah in honor of their upcoming wedding. The Goldstein family will be hosting a kiddush luncheon after services. This aufruf is a joyful occasion to give well-wishes while also connecting with the community.
On April 12 at 6:30 pm, we will enjoy another Soup Shabbat. I look forward to continuing this Friday program throughout the year and would welcome your suggestions for a warm weather name and any feedback on the experience.
Finally, the congregational annual meeting will take place on Sunday April 28 at 12:00 pm. I encourage all members in good standing to attend the meeting to learn more about our congregation. Please reach out to Lisa Anthony with any questions about your membership.
On a final note, Pesach and spring bring to my mind the beautiful sacred text of Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs. This book is traditionally read at Pesach partly because of its nature imagery. Within its exquisite verses is the story of two lovers calling to each other and inviting each other to be together. Although the medieval commentators understood the poetry to be an allegory for the relationship between God and the people Israel, the words can be read through many lenses, including understanding the verses as an aspirational vision of any relationship.
In chapter four, we read:
Awake, north wind!
O south wind, come,
Breathe upon my garden,
Let its perfumes flow.
Let my lover come into his garden
And taste its luscious fruits!
As the weather starts to warm up and the flowers and trees begin to wake up after their winter slumber, I invite you to think of the Temple Emanu-El as a beautiful garden, rich with the delicious fruits of a loving spiritual community. Come into this garden to enjoy what it has to offer!
Bivracha, With blessing,
Rabbi Ashira