Jews around the world will be celebrating the glorious holiday of Pesach this week. It will take a lot of grit, strength of purpose and belief for most of us to sit back and joyfully go through the appointed prayers, rituals and feast that, for years, culminated with visiting families and friends hugging one another and promising to replicate the event the coming year. The “Mah nishtannah,” question will be highly relevant, not only to this night, but to this special horrific year, as well. Sadly, it is a year as no other in recent memory.
This year, Pesach, for millions of Jewish families around the world will be different. Many seder feasts will be held around tables with reduced numbers of four, two or even a solitary one. People of all faiths, in all nations are in virtual quarantine by either government order or self imposed. All to slow down the spread of the Hunan/covid-19 virus. For Jews who have practiced the traditions of Pesach for over a thousand years, a change is in order. It is now considered holy to practice social distancing; and that means, for this year only, to cancel most large seder gatherings. For preserving life takes precedence over everything.
It is ironic that the seder has always been held within our homes. During the original Pesach, we were warned to stay inside for it was unsafe to venture outside one’s door. We have come full circle, we are once again confined for our safety, but this year we must give special thought to see ourselves as part of a greater identity, to reach out beyond the confining and protecting walls of our residences and understand that we all are members of the broader family of Jews.
Although we are now isolated, we must consider us all responsible for one another. Just as in the days when we were slaves in Egypt, we were there for each other, always available to give each other strength and support during our tortuous labor. We never said to one another that we have our own problems and cannot be concerned for the other. We were one big united family; with the knowledge that Hashem would redeem us as He promised our forefather Abraham. Indeed, we were redeemed thousands of years ago and we know that Hashem will once again redeem us from this nightmarish exile.
As we each beseech Hashem for rachmanus, we beg that this horrific plague will cease and we will once again emerge as a stronger and more unified nation. Perhaps we will be more thoughtful of our brothers and sisters who live always under threat of bigotry and violence. We must reach out to them to give them support, moral, financial and physical to keep them out of harm’s way.
We must reshape our lives to cherish our loved ones, to give thanks for what we have been given, to value one another but most of all, to join ranks as Jews to support and even fight for one another. We are one. Let’s learn from the situation we are now in. When this is over, let’s stand as a united front, never again to be separated, to be victims. Now let us celebrate Pesach and pray for our safe deliverance.
