Rabbi Hazzan Jeremy Lipton
Rabbi Jeremy Lipton
On Thursday evening, April 2, members and guests of PebbleCreek’s Shalom Club will come together in the Chianti Room to mark the Jewish holiday of Passover, as they participate in a Second Night Seder. PebbleCreek resident Rabbi Jeremy Lipton will facilitate a fully participatory and engaging event that brings together traditional and creative interactive experiences. This year members and guests will use a new Passover Haggadah as a framework to retell the remarkable story of the biblical Exodus from Egypt and provide opportunities for thought-provoking questions and illuminating discussions.
Passover is among the most universally celebrated (annual) Jewish holidays, perhaps, in part, because of the biblical commandment for individuals to share the dramatic story of the exodus with their children and their children’s children, as if they had personally left Egypt—from slavery to freedom. This holiday also serves as a call to action, that having experienced oppression, we must reject all forms of slavery and injustice, wherever and whenever they may appear. It compels us to protect the vulnerable, honor human dignity, and actively fight for the liberation of all people.
We might also attribute the popularity of this holiday because throughout the eight-day celebration, and especially during the ritual meals on the first two nights, traditional foods are consumed, each with symbolic significance. Unleavened bread (Matzah) represents the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt, without enough time for their bread to sufficiently rise. Bitter herbs (Maror) represent the embittered lives of the Israelite slaves. Greens (Karpas) are consumed to acknowledge springtime, the time of year in which Passover always occurs; they are also dipped in salt water, which symbolizes the tears of anguish shed by the people. A pasty mixture of nuts, honey, and wine (Charoset) represents the bricks and mortar that the slaves were forced to make and use. And finally, the roasted egg and the shank bone both represent the traditional Passover offering that was biblically commanded.
The Shalom Club’s intergenerational Second Night Seder welcomes individuals, couples, and families with children, all of whom will engage with each other throughout the evening. The level of enthusiastic participation promises to be palpable from beginning to end. For more information, please reach out to Kay Lipton at Kaylipton@gmail.com.