Dear Shaare Family,
We bring in the month of Nissan, the month of hope and redemption, at the close of a difficult and tragic week in Israel, the bloodiest since 2016. On Shabbat, we will have our brethren in mind as we recite the Prayer for the State of Israel- please join us!
My Facebook feed showed me two memories from March 31, in successive years.
The first was from 2019, featuring a livestream video we took from the tent at that year’s Kosher Chili Cookoff. Of course, we had no idea then that it would be the last one for three years- if we had known, we would have savored our People’s Choice Award even more!
The second one was from exactly one year later. It was a letter signed by many of the Orthodox Rabbis in Dallas in the early days of the pandemic, expressing our Halachic opinion that no one should open their homes to others, or be a guest in anyone’s home, for the Seder. The letter outlined further guidelines for gathering virtually with family members and friends prior to the Seder, without violating Yom Tov at all. Reading this, I was transported back to that traumatizing time when everything was so uncertain, when we were rendering decisions with the best information available and all of us were profoundly scared.
Looking at these two videos, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of Hakarat HaTov (Corner). On Sunday, at the Chili Cookoff, Shelley Weiss told me he felt like making a Shehechiyanu- that we have arrived at the stage where it is safe to congregate at events like this and so many people felt comfortable doing so. While saying the name of Hashem is debatable in this context, I fully agree with the sentiment. It felt so wonderful to be back- seeing so many friends and to be able to cook with our fearless team, consisting of Austin Litoff, Mike Vidikan and Mordechai Weiss. The Cookoff is the event that brings our community together, from all geographic areas and everywhere on the denominational spectrum. That we didn’t win anything is a disappointment, but entirely besides the point- it was about being there after so long apart.
I am also grateful to hear that the large Sedarim so many of you conduct are back on. I hope that the forced isolation of two years ago spurs us to include others at our table for whom that isolation was nothing new.
Rabbi’s Recommendations
It’s that time of year again- enjoy my Pesach Playlist to help you prepare for Yom Tov!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
