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Dear Chaveirim:
Pesach is almost upon us. Whether we are shul rabbanim preparing whole kehillos for the chag, talmidei chachamim, fielding sheilos and preparing yom tov shiurim, or just ovdei Hashem preparing for Pesach, we can feel the yom tov in every step we take.
Focus Groups and Convention ‘24
I have spent this week meeting with our chaveirim in Israel to get a sense of what the RCA means to them and what the RCA can do for them. It was most inspiring to meet with so many rabbanim with such a passion and love for Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael. Many thanks to our “RCA Rav in Israel,” Rabbi Reuven Tradburks, who organized parts of this trip and to our chaver Rabbi Shai Finkelstein for hosting a focus group at his shul in Baka. It was also a pleasure to sit with Rabbi Dratch and Rebbetzin Abby Lerner (GPS Program) to better understand the extensive work that the RCA does around the world.
Baruch Hashem, I’ve had the chance to run six focus groups in my first six weeks at the RCA. Iy”H, we hope to pick up soon after Pesach with many more. Please reach out to Rabbi Adam Dubin (adubin@rabbis.org) if you would like to participate in an upcoming focus group.
Please sign up for Convention ’24 Click Here and give generously towards our special dinner for Rabbi Mark Dratch Click Here. We hope to have a tentative schedule available early next week for those trying to make travel plans.
Anti-Israel Rallies and Community Safety
Thank you to our officer Rabbi Yaakov Trump for organizing a powerful zoom program Click Here this week featuring many of our chaveirim whose shuls have been targeted over the past month. While not a substitute the advice of security professionals, law enforcement representatives or public relations experts, this meeting allowed the rabbis to share what they have learned and offer chizuk to each other and to chaveirim who will inevitably face further disgusting displays of antisemitic hatred. Due to the sensitive nature of the conversation, those wishing to hear the recording should contact Rabbi Dubin directly at the email address above.
Over the weeks to come, I, along with our president Zvi Engel will be engaging in many conversations with the wider Jewish community regarding security and best practices for upcoming Yom Hazikaron commemorations and Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations. We will keep you informed of our progress.
In addition, please join FBI Director Christopher Wray for "Passover Without Fear." This program is sponsored by SCN, the Jewish Federations fo North America, the ADL, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. Click Here to download the flyer, and Here to register.
Chomer for Pesach – see two new recordings from rabban.org:
Pesach Programming Ideas: A Conversation with R’ Rael Blumenthal, R’ Dr. Mordechai Schiffman and R’ Yaakov Trump
Pesach Chomer Lidrush Recording 5784 – Featuring R’ Mordechai Willig, R’ Yaakov Glasser and R’ Zev Goldberg
Many thanks to Rabbi Naphtali Lavenda for all of his wonderful work.
Maos Chitim
1. *MAOS CHITIM OLAMI CAMPAIGN* Click Here - as we collect Maos Chitim funds this year from our kehillos, it is crucial that we remember our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael that are still affected by the war. We encourage all Rabbonim to send 10% (or more!) of your Maos Chitim funds to support these many families! Proceeds will be used to purchase gift cards that will be distributed before Chag to families still displaced from their homes.
Donations for this campaign will be processed through NCYI and YI Israel. To donate, please click on this link- https://youngisrael.org/donations/rca-riets-rabbis/ . If you have any questions, please reach out to Rabbi Yossi Goldin, Director of Young Israel in Israel, at yossigoldin@gmail.com or 052-727-9792 (phone/whatsapp)
2. Directed towards those affected by the war, Barkai is providing an opportunity to assist to those in need: families of fallen soldiers, reserve soldiers facing financial distress due to lost income, evacuees, and more. In nearly 100 Barkai communities led by our trained rabbis, many individuals are in dire need of assistance. Please support them in celebrating Pesach joyously. To contribute, visit: https://www.jgive.com/new/en/ils/donation-targets/124798.
The Matzav, the Hostages and Pesach
We fervently pray for the forthcoming weeks to bring us only auspicious tidings. Yet, amidst the prevailing atmosphere, anxiety and apprehension loom large. Addressing a gathering of rabbinical leaders here in Yerushalayim tonight, Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon emphasized the imperative of infusing our Seders with both concern and confidence.
Chief Rabbi Lau has issued a text Click Here to be recited before "והיא שעמדה," and Rav Rimon underscored the significance of praying for the welfare of the soldiers, the hostages, and our brethren, Bnei Yisrael, during the Seder. This can be accomplished through customary prayers for the soldiers and incorporating special texts like the aforementioned one. However, it is crucial to bear in mind that "והיא שעמדה," often recited subsequent to these prayers, symbolizes our unwavering trust in Hashem's protection over His people and His land, especially in these challenging times.
While the events of October 7th may seem unprecedented in our lifetime and that of our congregants, we must recall that throughout history, there have been those who sought our destruction, yet Hashem has always safeguarded us from their malevolent schemes.
As I reiterate each year at our Seder, the miracle of Jewish survival transcends any recounted in the Haggadah. I convey to the children (now grandchildren) that if Hashem were to ask me to choose between parting the Red Sea to save the Israelites or preserving the Jewish people for millennia as a persecuted nation, I would strive to accomplish the former. The splitting of the Red Sea was a remarkable feat, but the endurance of the Jewish people against all odds remains statistically and historically impossible.
This message of resilience—of past deliverance and prevailing in the present struggle, assured by Hashem's guidance, and the acknowledgement that no enemy, be it Arab or Persian, surpasses Hashem's might—must permeate every aspect of our Pesach observance and Seder narrative.
During a discussion with the esteemed officers of the RCA this week, the suggestion arose to leave an empty chair at the Seder table as a poignant reminder of those still held captive in Gaza. Others have proposed displaying photos of the hostages or incorporating their Jewish names into the table setting. Both Rav Rimon as well as Rav Willig affirmed that these gestures are fitting ways to symbolically include the hostages in our Seder if we choose to do so.
In a similar vein, Eimatai has designed a communal Yizkor document Click Here that includes a special Yizkor for the kedoshim killed since 10/7 as well as a list with all of their names. You can add your shul's logo at the top of the document.
If you plan to use the PDF, please complete this very simple form so that Ematai can send you any updates as we get closer to the end of Pesach and Yom Hazikaron. We hope and pray that no names will need to be added to the list. If you need help adding your shul logo, please email rachels@ematai.org.
You can certainly expect to hear from us at the RCA many times in the coming weeks to provide whatever guidance we can during these times. Most of all, may we hear besuros tovos in these special days of geulah.
Menachem Penner
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