Passover in the Virtual World

To imagine the first Seder ever, we need to go back to Ancient Egypt some 3,200 years ago. The underlying theme was “doing everything in a rush”. Our ancestors were directed by Moses to prepare a lamb for the Pascal sacrifice, to bake bread (that had to be flat because there was no time to wait for the dough to rise), and to have everything ready for departure at any moment, with their backpacks on their backs and the carry-ons’ handles all the way up. It was not the most relaxing way to have a celebratory meal, but they didn’t care. The Israelites were sure that the following year they would celebrate their freedom in their own homes in their own land. 

But things didn’t work out as they had envisioned. The Second Passover was celebrated, though not in Egypt, but neither in Canaan, the Promised Land. Our forefathers and foremothers were still in the desert, and unbeknown to them at that time, would stay there for another 39 years. 

Passover was the first festival that we celebrated after the reality of the pandemic hit us. Not sure what to do and how to best help our congregation, we put a simple web camera in our home and, through Zoom, invited everyone to join our small family Seder. In the following days, we received feedback with some requests and suggestions of how to do it better next time. We wrote down all the comments, even though we had no doubt that there would not be a next time. Last month we opened the file titled “Passover 2020” in search of these notes to help us plan the second virtual Seder. 

The main difficulty people had with last year’s Seder was that it started at a time that was not convenient to all, and the recording became available only after the Seder was over, too late in the evening. Therefore, we decided to record our Seder earlier so that the recording will be available at any time after 4:00pm on Saturday, March 27. The words for all the prayers, songs, and readings will be displayed on the bottom of the screen the way they are for our Shabbat Services. This way, you will also have the ability to pause for your own discussions and family rituals and to fast forward, should you want to skip some parts.  (See page 8 for more information.)

For those of you who lead your own Seder but need some help, several days before Passover we will post on our website a collection of songs and blessings from the Haggadah performed by us. You could use them to practice or play them during the Seder for your guests to sing along (a Jewish version of karaoke). 

Since we are still in a metaphorical desert (don’t worry, we will not be stuck there for 40 years), I would like to give you one piece of advice. Enjoy the Seder and make the best out of it. Don’t try to celebrate the Seder the way you did pre-pandemic. It will only make you feel frustrated.  Instead, focus on the opportunities that the virtual world opens for us. Use videos (those that were done by us or others), connect with others through Zoom/Facebook live/Facetime, and don’t read the whole thing—focus on what you love and what awakens your Jewish soul. We, the professional staff and clergy at Temple Beth Am, are here to assist you in any way so you and your loved ones will have a happy and meaningful Passover. 

Happy Passover.