Joliet Jewish Congregation

Chag Sameach or Happy Holiday! I hope that your Pesach is off to a great start!

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It’s been a joy to celebrate the holiday with friends and family; including a Sunday School seder on April 6 and the JJC community-wide second night seder on April 13. Everyone did a great job with their roles in a Passover play carefully selected by Rabbi Jenny. 

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Thank you to everyone who helped with these holiday celebrations!

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One of the most famous songs associated with Passover is “Dayenu.” “It would have been enough…” had G-d taken us out of slavery, or if G-d had given us the Torah, or if G-d had given us Shabbat. But instead, we are blessed with all of these things. 

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At the congregational Seder, Rabbi asked us to share at each of our tables what would have been “Dayenu” for us: A career, or a spouse, or other family, a home at Joliet Jewish Congregation, or a home in a suburb or city we love. What is “dayenu” or enough for you?

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Maybe dayenu, in a very literal sense, is celebrating the holiday for eight days in the U.S. or seven in Israel, and with one or two Seders the first two nights of the holiday. After the second night, then the Festival of Matzah begins. I’ve always heard it referred to as “keeping Passover,” keeping Kosher for Pesach as another part of the holiday, but people observe the holiday in different ways, and some may do the seders but not participate in the Matzah Festival. This is another opportunity to figure out what works best for you and your families; may the spirit of the holiday be with you, regardless of which path you take.

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G-d took us out of Egypt because we are G-d’s people. Matzah baked on our ancestors’ backs as they fled Egypt, and we place three pieces of it on the seder plate. We combine charoset (apples, nuts, wine or grape juice) and maror (bitter herbs) in a Hillel sandwich to mix the sweet and crunchy with the bitter and soft. The charoset reminds us of the mortar Israelites used in ancient Egypt to build Pharoah’s pyramids, while the horseradish symbolizes the bitterness of slavery. 

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What does the egg on the Seder plate symbolize? The yolk protected by a shell is for newness, coming full circle from Pesach last year, and the spring season. How will this coming year be different or similar from last year?

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Karpas (parsley or other greens) are also for the spring. We dip them into salt water, as we think of this fresh season full of hope immersed in our salty tears for slavery. The zeroa or lamb shank bone reminds us of the Exodus from Egypt and the ancient Hebrew Temple sacrifices. 

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What about the orange? This comes from the comment by ancient rabbis that women were so unlikely to become rabbis, that it would only happen if something as egregious as an orange appeared on the Seder plate.

 

Breaking matzah together during the Sunday School seder and the congregational JJC seder is an opportunity for our community to come together. Thank you to everyone who helped with these events! Our community appreciates you!              

 

Next year in Joliet! ​​

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Warmly,

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​​​​​​Cantor Jessica