February 2010

From Purim to Pesach and beyond.

It’s hard to believe but Purim is already here! Time to drag out the costume box and celebrate our freedom of religion, to rejoice in our victory over oppression, to drink, to dance to laugh.  Right on the heels of Purim comes Passover.

The name "Pesach" (PAY-sahch, with a "ch" as in the Scottish "loch") comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit , meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare.

It refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. "Pesach" is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv , (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot , (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z'man Cheiruteinu , (the Time of Our Freedom).  Again we celebrate our freedom, our redemption from slavery.

But unlike the Purim feast which celebrates a victory over our enemies Pesach free us from slavery but leaves us wandering in the desert.

This time of wandering is remembered through the counting of the Omer. According to the Torah (Lev. 23:15), we are obligated to count the days from Passover to Shavu'ot. This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure. On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple as an offering. This grain offering was referred to as the Omer.

Every night, from the second night of Passover to the night before Shavu'ot, we recite a blessing and state the count of the omer in both weeks and days. So on the 16th day, you would say "Today is sixteen days, which is two weeks and two days of the Omer. The counting is intended to remind us of the link between Passover, which commemorates the Exodus, and Shavu'ot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah. It reminds us that the redemption from slavery was not complete until we received the Torah.

From Purim to Shavuot we will celebrate, learn, count, dance and grow. Our students are planning and practicing for their Purim skits and pageants.

The 2nd and 3rd graders are learning the blessing to lead Shabbat and Pesach dinners. Our 5th grade class is busy learning about the holidays and preparing the prayers and blessing for Shabbat and Yom Tov morning services.

The 7th graders are gearing up for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Confirmation will continue to meet on Tuesdays this spring they will be learning and working on projects that deal with Anti-Semitism and religious tolerance, and working with Beit T’Shuva on addiction, prevention and Jewish living.

Our spring will be a busy and fun time for our students and families.