SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Jewish holiday of Passover begins Saturday.
In the Bible, Passover marks the exodus of the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, when God “passed over” the houses of the Israelites during the last of the 10 plagues.
Eight days of celebrations start at sunset Saturday beginning with a ritual dinner called Passover Seder.
“Years before the pandemic we had hundreds of people gathering in the Chabad centers with big seder meals, joyful they were amazing,” Rabbi Mendy Cohen, rector at Chabad for Greater Sacramento said.
Now, since so many are still in isolation this year and it’s still recommended that large gatherings are avoided, local rabbis are helping everyone in their community be able to celebrate at home with special seder-to-go kits along with online classes and services.
“Something very special happened in the last Passover and also this Passover even more,” Cohen said. “People are coming and picking up matzah to-go, like a full meal to go. They’re bringing it to their home and making their home a Chabad center, a synagogue. I myself have distributed more matzah than I ever, ever did.”
Also happening for the first time, local rabbis are making a user-friendly version of the most widely printed Jewish book called the Passover Haggadah which they say has been designed for a post-pandemic world.
The book lays out important steps for the seder, helping families focus on their spirituality.
“This is what’s happening throughout the pandemic,” Cohen said. “People are focusing on the real important things in life: the family, God, their purpose on earth. A little timeout God gave the world.”
Though this timeout could have seriously impacted the holy Passover time two years in a row, the Jewish Community has once again found a way to triumph.
Looking ahead to next year, Cohen has high hopes.
“When people tell me, ‘I can't wait for the pandemic to end and we'll get back to normal,' I hope that it's not just going to back to the old normal but a much better normal,” Cohen said. “Like we were promised by our prophets, true freedom, and true redemption.”
To find all of the Passover resources being offered and background on the holiday, click here.
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