Jewish Holiday, Passover
Order in the Middle of Chaos: A Pesach (Passover) Resource Guide
What Is Passover?
Passover is coming! Despite the limited meal options, so many of us eagerly look forward to this annual festival and re-enactment of the exodus story, our tradition’s central narrative. There’s a particular magic around this holiday—it’s a time of endless possibilities, new beginnings, and miraculous tales of liberation! A time of matzo ball soup and whipping leeks and Mimouna celebrations. In the haggadah (the Seder ritual text), we read that we are obligated to see ourselves as if we were personally liberated from Egypt. Each of us has our own particular story of suffering and redemption, bringing this story to life in new and unique ways each year. This year, however, we have a shared global experience of plague, affliction, and confinement. COVID-19 has certainly forced us into a place of narrowness. We have experienced tremendous suffering and loss. We’ve been stuck in our homes, separated from our loved ones, and the luxuries we once took for granted feel like faraway memories now. Our redemption story is still unfolding. The sea is splitting ahead of us—with freedom, health, and togetherness waiting on the other side. For now, let’s cozy up in our homes, plan a Prince of Egypt movie night, and always remember that there can be miracles when you believe. Pesach 2021 starts at sundown on Saturday, March 27th, and ends at sundown on Sunday, April 4th.Why Now?
Passover is most well known for marking the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, which the Torah records as happening on the 15th of Nissan. However, there is also agricultural significance in nature’s cycles to the timing of Passover. Another name for Passover in the Torah is Hag Ha’Aviv (The Spring Festival), as this was when the barley harvest began in ancient Israel. On Passover, we begin counting the seven weeks of the omer, which marks the time between the barley harvest and the wheat harvest celebrated on Shavuot. In this way, Passover is a celebration both of the Exodus as well the onset of the spring harvest season.
How?
While the Passover Seder is generally a larger communal celebration, we know this is a different year than most. For safety reasons, many of us will be having much smaller gatherings, virtual seders, or solo seders. This can be difficult, and it can also be an opportunity to get creative and lean into the essence of the holiday. Check out these Moishe House resources and tips for virtual Passover programs, and explore these guides:- Sign up for Moishe House’s Virtual Learning Experience, What’s On Your Plate? Virtual Seder Prep 2021 (March 7th and 14th). Together, we will explore the ins and outs of the holiday, new content and perspectives that will enhance your Seder, and virtual facilitation techniques that will turn your Seder into an all-star virtual experience.
- Look into these powerful suggestions for a meaningful solo Passover Seder: dress up for the occasion, make your space beautiful with ritual objects and mood-setting decor, and sing sing sing!
- Seder as Salon: “Ask every participant to bring some art or poem or reading or reflection they’d like to share, and then have folks perform or do it during the seder itself.”
- Incorporate music into your Seder: create a playlist on your favorite music platform, divvy up the songs beforehand if you want to sing together over zoom, or embrace the cacophony that comes with singing together unmuted!
- Plan a virtual or at-home escape room for the Afikomen portion of your evening: have the group solve a series of riddles and puzzles!
