Last weekend was an incredible weekend of joy, warmth, and welcome. I am so grateful to all of you that joined in the installation celebrations. As I mentioned in my remarks, you turn strangers into friends. It’s a beautiful quality of this synagogue and one that Abe and I have come to deeply treasure.
As we approach the Pesach season, I’m realizing how relevant this quality is. In the Haggadah, we recite every year, “This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry, let them come and eat, anyone who is needy should come and make Pesach.” We hold up the matza and we declare that we know what it was like to be a stranger, so we will therefore include strangers, anyone who needs a place, at our Seder table. This beautiful sentiment expresses an ideal of inclusion and embrace, but it’s much easier said than done. Many of us have our own family traditions and expect to see the same people around the table every year.
Our tradition responds to this impulse with a beautiful midrash commenting on the Haggadah text I quoted above: Our tables should always be set for anyone who might come, and then it will be fitting for God’s presence to spread above it (Ben Sira). This text implies that it is the presence of the guests that actually elevates our Seder table. It is the openness to having others around our table, sharing their stories and bringing their experiences, that actually invites the presence of the Divine into our homes.
I hope this year you’ll consider inviting someone to your Seder who might not be in your inner circle. If you have an extra seat or two at your Seder table, please get in touch with me and let me know. And if you don’t yet have plans for Seder, please reach out to me. We are a community of people who take care of each other. I believe that each of our Seder tables will be places fit for the Divine to rest, and I hope you’ll join me in making that a reality.
