Shabbat Metzora/Hagadol
Torah:
Leviticus 14:1 - 15:33
Haftarah:
Malachi 3:4 - 3:24 | Shabbat HaGadol
“The Seder: A
Meal of Community and Partnership”
Dear Friends,
Next Friday evening, Jews around the world will
celebrate the evening of Passover by gathering around the Seder table, reading
the Haggadah, and sharing a festive meal. Yet, our Sages teach us that while
representing an evening of family and feasting, the Seder must also be an
evening of community—exactly like the very first Seder celebrated by the
Children of Israel in Egypt thousands of years ago.
From its very conception, the Paschal Lamb has
represented the idea of gathering together to celebrate community, for Moses
commanded the people to join together in small groups to share the sacrifice.
“And if the household be too little for a whole lamb, then shall he and his
neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls.”
(Exodus 12:4) This explains why we begin the Seder by declaring, “Let all who
are hungry come and eat.” On Passover, we discover the beauty, power and
majesty of shared community. This power began on Shabbat Hagadol—the day that
the ancient Israelites “set aside” their lamb for sacrifice. On that day, they
were obligated to connect with other families to become a larger group that
would share the Seder meal together. On that day, they began the process of
transformation from a band of individual slaves into a community of unity,
sharing and mutual care.
This notion of sharing and community encourages us
to ensure that we transform our Seder into an opportunity for community. Have
we reached out to the singles in our community to ensure that they have a place
for Seder? Have we ensured that those who may have been overlooked or missed
receive an invitation to share in the power of community this Pesach night? It
is not too late to ensure now that “everyone who wishes may come and partake.”
Shabbat Shalom,
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