Dear Friends,

At the Pesach (Passover) seder, the Talmud teaches us, "Even a poor person of Israel may not eat until he reclines" (BT Pesachim 108a). Our ancestors never had the chance to eat a leisurely meal. Enslaved by the Egyptians, meals were eaten quickly and rarely enjoyed. Then, they rushed out of Egypt so fast that their bread did not have time to rise. So, in creating the seder, our rabbis demand that we recline to the left to demonstrate our joy of being free (and because, they say, you’ll choke if you recline to the right). And, even the poorest Jew in the entire world—he too is required to recline and to enjoy one meal as if he were a king. (By the way, it is a mitzvah for all of us to invite guests to our homes for Passover, especially if they are poor!) We recline in honor of our ancestors, but, more importantly, as a reminder to ourselves that we, too, are free from earthly monarchs and serve only one Ruler.

Yet, how many of us are really free—even for one night? Moreover, how many of us are really free one day out of every week (for Shabbat)? We have cell phones clipped to our belts or purses. PDAs are beeping to tell us of the next appointment or we fumble regularly through our planners. The TV is always on. The radio is going in the car. Work phone calls and appointments come at all times during the week. Children’s schedules drag them from one place to another and force parents to put a "taxi cab" sign on the roof of their vehicles. Email and the internet guilt us into constant communication and information overload. When do we ever free ourselves to be present in the here and now; to truly listen to those we love, to spend uninterrupted time with friends and family, to learn more about our own faith’ to connect with God and our CST family?

This April, let me challenge you. On Passover, be sure to put a pillow under you and recline at the seder. How does it feel to be free? Don’t rush through the seder to get to the meal. Maybe you can even make a "no cell-phone policy" for the night! Enjoy the time with friends and family. Then, how can you bring that feeling of freedom into the other 51 weeks of the year? On Shabbat, take 5 minutes to light candles. If you do that already, carve out dedicated time for Friday night family dinner. Do that already? Try leaving the television off all Friday evening to read or play games. Do that already? Try coming to Shabbat services regularly on Friday night or Saturday morning. Do that already? Try leaving the computer off all day Saturday. Maybe keep the cell phone or house phone turned off for 24 hours (except, of course, for emergencies). Light the Havdallah candle Saturday night. Do you diet during the week? Then treat yourselves at Friday dinner or Saturday lunch. Drink some wine. Invite friends over weekly. Make Shabbat holy, special, sacred . . . different from every other day of the week.

On Passover we are commanded to celebrate our freedom. This Passover, let us be sure that we are actually free.

Chag Pesach Sameach (Happy Passover),
Rabbi Aaron