Friends we are within the season of Passover, the holiday of freedom. We will be in our homes, or those of dear family or friends, as we sing from the Haggadah. Words of freedom and miracles, words of God’s power and promise of bringing us into our homeland.
My following thoughts were inspired by an article by Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin. His commentary was on a small and powerful book, “Shiva, Poems of October 7th.
….”The protests in Korazim’s collection (from October 7th) extend from God to Jewish holidays. “Where is Moses?” by Astar Shamir addresses Passover 2024”.
…No, thanks. We’re not OK [b’seder], We‘re not continuing as usual….How is this Pesach different? [Mah nishtanah]He hasn’t yet delivered us from their hands…
Notice the deft punning here. In colloquial Hebrew, you say “Ani b’seder” to mean “I am in order, I am OK.” Not this year. No one is b’seder; no one is OK, and that challenges the very premise of the Passover Seder, the festive meal of redemption.
I was curiously charmed by the play and depth on word b’seder. ‘Anuchnu b’Seder’ – ‘we were at a Seder’ but were we b’seder (okay in Hebrew), as we sat (or shall sit) at our table this year. Hakol b’Seder –‘everything was just right’ for the Seder, the food, and Haggadot and the people. We felt safe opening the doors to the stranger because God was above us, a mezuzah on our door, reminiscent of the lamb’s blood on the doorways of the Israelites in Egypt. We welcomed the poor and hungry and those in need of spiritual uplift. But we were far from being ‘Kol b’seder ‘– being “all right”.
The world is far from having rebounded from the October 7th catastrophe. In fact, October 8th is equally troublesome, another day which will go down in infamy, the day when the vermin of Antisemitism crawled up from beneath the ground on college campuses and public places through the US and well beyond, to show its gruesome face.
I hope that everyone can soon declare L’Shana Habah b’Yerushalayim without consternation of truly doing so. May there be peace amongst all inhabitants while dwelling therewithin and may that miracle come quickly as a blessing to all.
Cantor Steven Stoehr has served as Senior Cantor of Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, IL for over 35 years. He is a past president of the Cantors Assembly of America and currently is president of the CA Foundation. In 2010 the CA presented him with the Samuel Rosenbaum Award for scholarship and creativity and in 2015 with the Moses Silverman Award for Service to the Assembly. In 2019 Steve traveled on a CA mission to Uganda to visit and study with the Abayudaya community. Cantor Stoehr is a prolific author and editor, including several guides on mourning, an original play, and a novel. In the broader community Cantor Stoehr has established a chevre kaddishe; Selah, a community choir for adults with special needs; and HUGS, which attends to ritual experiences for the special needs Jewish community. On Friday afternoons he volunteers at a local Memory Care facility presenting Shabbat services for the residents. He is blessed by his wife Susan, Jacob (Ilana), Talia, Alana, granddaughter Liv Hazel, and grandson Shai David.