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Congregation Beth Sholom-A San Francisco Jewish Conservative Synagogue
Pesach/Passover

Pesach or Passover is the time when we celebrate our liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. Pesach is also the first of three harvest festivals celebrated in ancient Israel, at a time of year when crops are returning to the fields, orchards and vineyards are springing back to life, and sheep are lambing.

The highlight of Pesach is the seder meal, a family service and feast on the first and second nights, when we retell the story of the Exodus. Because we traditionally invite "all who are hungry" to join us, Pesach is also nothing less that a celebration of liberation and freedom for all of humanity.

Every year, hundreds of members turn to Beth Sholom as a resource for following the ancient traditions of Passover. Passover seems to be the holiday that our members want to spend the most time learning about, from cooking classes to study sessions. Our rabbis even arrange the communal sale of hametz for the duration of the festival.

 

 
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Sfat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter of Ger):

For "memory"
(or "mindfulness") is a point within, one where there is not forgetfulness. This point is regularly revealed on Shabbat, where it is kept ("shamor") and guarded ("zachor") from flowing into a place where there is no memory or mindfulness.

The same is true of the redemption from Egypt. On every Pesach you become like a new person, like the newborn child each of us was as we came forth from Egypt. The point (of memory or mindfulness) implanted in our hearts is renewed.

That point is called "lehem oni" because it is totally without expansion . . . Our task is really to expand that point, to draw all our deeds to follow it.

Paraphrase of the Sfat Emet:

The dough did not rise when we left Egypt -- that was the moment of divine emanation, the moment we were in touch with ourselves (our individual "inner points") and together as a community. So we eat matzah today at the seder and all week as a physical re-experience of that moment.

Eating matzah during the week of Passover with this in mind is a way to remember who we are -- and the rest of the year we can draw from this one week of remembering.

Passover Services


Monday, April 5
Passover Service, 9 a.m.,
Mincha, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, April 6
Passover Service with Yizkor, 9 a.m.

Please call the office for more information at 415.221.8736. ext. 101. 

The office is closed on the following days for Passover:
Monday, April 5
Tuesday, April 6
In the Haggadah it is written, "All who are hungry, let them come and eat!" Make a Passover Mitzvah by feeding the hungry.

Here is information on three ways you can make a difference during Passover

Feeding the Hungry Flyer

Pesach/Passover Terms

Hametz: Leavened foods -- items made with yeast such as bread or beer.
Lehem oni: Literally, "poor people's bread" or Matzah.
Seder: Literally, "order". The carefully scripted ritual with prescribed reading and story-telling has been worked out over thousands of years.