Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 10, 2020

Before Jewish women kindle the First Seder candles at sundown Wednesday, an overwhelming perception soaks the atmosphere that this Passover season will be different because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to theledger.com at https://www.theledger.com/subscribenow.

WINTER HAVEN Traditionally, four questions are asked at a Passover Seder pertaining to how different this particular night is from all others.

But this year, even before Jewish women kindle the First Seder candles at sundown Wednesday, an overwhelming perception soaks the atmosphere that this entire season is different because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

It is different this year, said Rabbi David Goldstein, 66, from Temple Emanuel, an 88-year-old synagogue in Lakeland. We are being reminded that freedom is something we must always strive for, and a lot of the freedoms we have taken for granted in previous years are not there this year, like the freedom to congregate.

This Passover, congregations throughout the world and locally were forced to cancel their community Seders, leaving families restricted to holding small gatherings around their tables at home.

We are obviously not in as bad a situation as others over the centuries, said Goldstein, who will hold two virtual Seders on Wednesday and Thursday. We are able to celebrate Passover in the relevant comfort of our own homes, unlike during the Holocaust. But at the same time, it is not the same as what we have grown accustomed to.

The Seder table will be smaller, and the groups around the table will be more immediate family than extended family and friends. I think if nothing else, COVID-19 has reminded us that we are more vulnerable than we think.

Rabbi Yossi Laster, 63, from Etz Chayim Messianic Synagogue in Lakeland, said there are similarities between the original Passover meal that took place 3,500 years ago in Goshen and this year.

I think today is similar because we are going through a plague like 3,500 years ago. That plague kept everyone in their homes back then, and this plague is keeping everyone in their homes now, he said.

In the Biblical account, enslaved Hebrews were merely hours away from a mass exodus to freedom while protected from the final and greatest of the 10 Plagues of Egypt which was death of the first born. The Hebrews were instructed to put lamb's blood above and on their doorposts and remain in their dwellings during the night.

I believe this year could actually be more impactful than the past home Seders because we are actually going through something that reminds us of our ancestors, said Laster, who will conduct a Seder on Facebook Live, open to the public on Saturday evening.

We are supposed to celebrate it to have continuity and union with our ancestors, and I think more than ever we are seeing that take place. As Messianic Jews, we have the blood of the Lamb on our doorposts so that no plague will enter our homes.

Etz Chayim canceled its annual community Seder, which dates to 2004 and is usually attended by more than 150 people. It will be replaced with the live stream. The congregation is handing out Messianic Passover Haggadahs at select locations and also instructions on how to hold a Seder at home. A Haggadah is an instructional step-by-step guide for holding a Seder.

The Chabad Jewish Center in Lakeland also canceled its annual community Seder this year but has been delivering Passover matzah, wine and grapefruit juice along with Haggadahs to quarantined homes in Polk County. Chabad also has run instructional videos on Zoom.

With Passover, there are so many families that have a synagogue that does everything for them, and they just go. As a result, a lot of people have never done it before. So this year a lot of people are staying at home and doing it for the first time. This year, they will learn hands-on how to run a Seder, said Rabbi Moshe Lazaros, 33, from Chabad.

Lazaros explained the term Mitzrayim, which is Hebrew for Egypt, can also mean limitations or boundaries, and Passover can be an excellent time to re-evaluate our own restrictions.

It's kind of interesting because, even before coronavirus, in some ways we all feel limited, even with our own feelings of inadequacy that are self-imposed limitations. The lesson from Passover is kind of to break out of those, he said.

Seders customarily end with singing and declaring, Lashanah Haba'ah, which means Next year in Jerusalem. This year, the declaration could also have special meaning.

It's hard to determine the state of the world for next year, but I am believing and anticipating that it will be one of the biggest Passover celebrations we've ever had, Laster said. We are going to see communities come together and families come together. I think it will be greater and more powerful than ever. It will be a time to be really thankful for what God has brought us through.

Bill Kemp can be reached at Bill.Kemp@theledger.com; follow him on Twitter @BillKempSports.

Excerpt from:

Synagogues, families adjust to hold Passover Seders - The Ledger

Category: Synagogue
Tags: