TOGETHERNESS

As we come closer to the Yom Tov of Pesach it is well to think of the many messages of inspiration that this Yom Tov imparts to us.  

    The Holiday of Passover is replete with interesting and intriguing ceremonies. First and foremost is the Seder. The significance of the Seder is multifaceted--it bespeaks of the oppression of the Jewish people and it relates in detailed form what it means to be an oppressed nation. 
   The Seder, also, enjoins everyone to participate in the eating of the matzot, marror, and charoset.  In this way every Jew not only speaks of slavery, but symbolically, feels the pangs of slavery and oppression. Thus, the Seder is not just past history, but rather the past recreated. 

   Indeed, Passover is a perennial reminder of ·our freedom, but I believe its modern message speaks eloquently about another matter.

 The word, ‘Geirim’, ‘Strangers^’, is repeated extensively in the Hagaddah and at the Seder. ”We were strangers in Egypt"--- it speaks of the past. And yet, this statement is very contemporary. In my observation of the Jews in America, I sense that we are indeed  strangers to each other and especially within our own families.   Everyone has become individuals and families have lost their unique role of togetherness. The “Jewish Family" needs more interaction and a  greater dialogue with one another.

     It is no mere accident, then, that Passover is celebrated, through the Seder, in which we are enjoined to come together as families. Passover means that we are not to be strangers to each other, that we are not “loners” but rather a part of a larger group, the “Jewish Family”. We are trying to unite once again in bonds of love and affection. 

    Passover is truly a home holiday. For only through the family and the home can we truly have a sense of belonging. 

  This is the message of Passover - a message which bespeaks ‘A Unity of Togetherness.’ 

 I pray that as we approach the holiday of Passover, and sit at our Seder tables together, we may be inspired that this bond of unity, togetherness and love shall be carried over into the rest of the year.