Rabbi Howard Morrison

Tomorrow night, we will begin to celebrate Pesach. For some, the restrictions caused by the pandemic will continue to be in place and limit in person attendance.  For others, larger gatherings will take place this year than in the past two years. Either way, I wish everyone safety and good health as we celebrate Pesach 5782.

There are many topics to be discussed at our Seder tables beyond the contents found in the Haggadah. Some include - Recent acts of terror in Israel, Evil and atrocities being committed by the Russians in the Ukraine, The past year's surge of Anti-Semitism in Canada and around the world, Continued illness and death from the Corona virus, Assimilation, and much more. In all, we should ask ourselves what we can do proactively in order to be agents of help and support. 

The sequence of the Haggadah is based on four Talmudic words, "Matchil B'Gnut U'Mesayem B'Shevach - Begin with our people's history of degradation and end with praise and optimism. Whatever difficult topics we discuss at our Seders, I encourage us to find constructive means of dialogue and relationship so that our personal experience concludes authentically on a note of positive uplift.

I wish us all Chag Kasher V'Sameach and a Zisen Pesach,

Rabbi Howard Morrison