It’s a reminder that struggles for liberation aren’t won in a day. In the case of our ancestors, it wasn’t enough for them to get permission from Pharaoh to leave the country. That was only the start of the Exodus. They had to get across that treacherous sea before they could feel totally safe.
Even that accomplishment — as they soon learned -- wasn’t enough! Once they got to the far side of the Sea of Reeds, a wilderness lay before them. As we’ll read in the Torah tomorrow morning, after trekking through the wilderness for three days without fresh water, they began to feel desperate.
And so it is in every generation: people fleeing oppression often find new troubles arising even after they escape the old ones. It is therefore incumbent upon us to help others at every stage of their struggle.
Please join us tomorrow morning at 9:15am for Shabbat/YomTov services. Members of our congregation will be joining Cantor Gloth in chanting Hallel, and we’ll also chant the vibrant first half of the Song of Songs, which includes striking lines like,
You have captured my heart,
My beloved, my bride,
You have captured my heart
With one glance of your eyes ...
On Sunday, please join us for Eighth Day of Passover Yom Tov services, which again begin at 9:15 am.
As on Shabbat morning, members of the congregation will join Cantor Gloth in chanting Hallel.
Also, as is customary, we’ll recite Yizkor. This year, there have been many more losses than we’ve generally experienced. We will pause to acknowledge and memorialize all of our community’s losses during this difficult year. Please join us.
And, in case you were wondering, ...
Passover comes to a close at 7:56 pm on Sunday evening. If before Passover you arranged for me to sell your hametz, please don’t start eating any hametz in your possession until 9:00 pm. And let's all remember to count the Omer each evening. Please check our website for the Blog B'Omer that Kayla Reisman has set up.
Let me wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe conclusion to Passover. May it inspire us to help all those fleeing oppression and seeking freedom in the world today.
Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach,
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
