by Dana Rubin‑Winkelman, MSW, CAPSW, Social Worker, Adult Day Services
I hope you and your family are well. I am thinking of you and sending my positive thoughts. I hope to bridge the distance through this electronic connection.
Passover begins at sundown on April 12 and offers an opportunity to look back at our past, reflect on our present, and think thoughtfully about our future. More than ever, we need an increased awareness of the work needed toward equity, social justice, and discrimination. While these issues are always important, they are especially poignant during Passover, as we remember the Jews’ enslavement and the mass Exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. Through our seders (the special home service and meal), we retell this story.
For more information about the holiday, click on these websites:
Judaism 101 | Pesach: Passover
Chabad.org | What Is Passover (Pesach)?
This Touch Points will focus on current topics, and how to meaningfully incorporate them into our Passover ritual. I hope the subjects will resonate with you and provide inspirational conversation. In addition, I hope the delicious food, entertaining music, and creative exercises add joyful layers to your holiday. Rabbi Rick Jacobs states that Passover is a time “we remember the struggle against oppression then and now, and we commit ourselves to continuing to pursue a more just and compassionate world together.” Ideally, my hope is that Passover becomes a catalyst for spiritual growth and a motivation toward Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).
“The Exodus from Egypt occurs in every human being, in every era, in every year, and in every day.” (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov)
FILLING PASSOVER WITH SOUL AND MEANING:
1. Add Meaning to Your Seder Plate and Table: The Passover seder is full of symbolism; each item on the seder plate symbolizes the Exodus story. This year, I would encourage you to augment your seder and infuse the holiday with social justice themes and reflective symbolism. Discovering the parallels between the Passover story and the present-day equivalent make the holiday message come alive. What will you add to your seder? Step out of your usual and try these additions and supplemental ideas:
- Miriam’s Cup: This ritual honors women and recognizes and honors Miriam’s contributions to the Exodus. During the seder, share a memory of a woman who made a monumental difference in your life. Reflect on those memories and impact. Click here to learn more and to add a supplemental reading.
- An “Emotional Well-Being” Seder Plate: The Blue Dove Foundation suggests that we not only reflect on the holiday of Passover but also our own mental health. Perhaps we are stuck in our own “metaphorical Egypt.” Pause and reflect on this concept. What would you include on your symbolic self-care/mental health seder plate to help achieve emotional well-being and calm? “Who in your life can be your outstretched arm?” Who is the person you can talk to or lean on for support?
- Remembering the Hostages: “We cannot celebrate with a full heart until every captive is returned home.” (Board of Deputies of British Jews) Let us bring every hostage and their families into our hearts by participating in the “Empty Chair” campaign- leaving an empty chair at the seder to represent the hostages still in captivity. In addition, the words we recite, “Let my people go,” echo the Passover story of the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and our modern-day cry for our hostages’ freedom.
2. Invite More Love Into Your Dining Room: To elevate the experience, add treasured family recipes or use ritual objects/dishes passed down. These special touches add meaning, love, and family history to your experience. I am quite sentimental and enjoy using dishes and flatware from people I love. For example, I set our table with my Grandma Dorothy’s (of blessed memory) China and my wonderful mother-in-law’s flatware. These are beautiful reminders of their presence and love. Also, objects can remind us of our legacy. For example, my Mom has the dish my Grandma Mildred served her homemade chrain (Yiddish for horseradish). Hearing my Mother share the memory of her Mother making this Passover delicacy fills me with profound gratitude for my family and our Jewish history. What recipe or dish will you put on your holiday table to add meaning? I would love to hear how and why this elevates your experience.
“The seder nights… tie me with the centuries before me.” (Ludwig Frank)
3. Mix It Up With These Passover Menu Ideas: Are you looking for something new this year? Trying new things can be fun, delicious, and good for your brain health! Check out the ideas below- Yum!
- Jaime Geller’s Vegan Passover Menu: Even if you are not vegan, Passover is a perfect time to add more veggies to your diet. Click here for the recipe.
- Loaded Baked Potato: I am always looking for a quick, easy idea. Here is one for lunch, dinner, or anytime. Click here for the recipe.
- 25 Super Easy Passover Recipes: From seder mains to quick desserts- they have it covered! Click here for the recipes.
- Passover Matzah Tiramisu: Truth be told, tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, so I am quite intrigued by this scrumptious idea! Give it a go, and let me know what you think. What is your favorite Passover dessert? Please share! Click here for the recipe.
“When you eat food with your family and friends, it always tastes better.” (author unknown)
4. Boost Your Brain Health and Wellness: Did you know that even healthy people need to work on strengthening brain health? Support health and wellness with the following thought-provoking Passover exercises:
- Reminisce: Close your eyes and think about what smell takes you back to your earliest memory of Passover. Do you remember what your favorite food was during the seder? Who did you sit next to at the seder? Who sang the Four Questions? This exercise supports positive feelings (like a sense of belonging, being loved, and feeling safe).
- Create a Story: Explore your creativity and think outside the box. Use the following Passover-themed words to create a story: Spring, holiday, retelling, liberation, slaves, eggs, matzah, wine, cleaning, Moses, seder, four sons, ten plagues, pharaoh, salt water, Egypt, songs, Miriam, Mt. Sinai.
- A Writing Exercise to Promote Mental Health and Wellness: Describe your personal Egypt. “This can be a challenge you have faced, a mental or physical health condition you overcame, or a difficult time in your life you didn’t think you’d make it through.” Then, describe the steps you took to escape Egypt. (Inspired by The Blue Dove Foundation)
5 – Music With a Passover Theme: I include music in Touch Points not only because we appreciate it but because music offers remarkable benefits.
“Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, block pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.” (John Hopkins)
So, feel good as you listen to the varied holiday selections below.
- “Matzah Mia- An ABBA Passover” by Six13: This is a fabulously joyful melody, especially for anyone who loves ABBA’s music. Sing along! Click here for the (3-minute) video.
- “Mah Nishtana” by Elana Jagoda- Get ready to rock your seder with this beautiful rendition. Click here for the (4-minute) audio.
- “20 Things You Can Do With Matzah” by Michelle Citrin: At the end of Passover, what will you do with that leftover matzah? This song provides a list of hysterical ideas! “…Crumble up some matzah and line your hamster cage, or you can use it as a bookmark to hold your page.” Click here for the (2-minute) audio.
- “Let My People Go” by Steven Bernstein’s Diaspora Soul: Steven Bernstein is a trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. This is the coolest, jazziest version I have ever heard. Get down and funky with this live video from the 2011 Tel Aviv Jazz Festival. Click here and listen to all or part of the (11-minute) video.
- “Matzoh Ball (Don’t Kick It)” by The Macaroons: Have fun with this unexpectedly creative rocking matzah ball story and animation. Click here for the (2-minute) clip.
6. Stand With Israel- Speak Out Against Anti-Israel and Jewish Hate: As we celebrate Passover and its themes of freedom, let us remember the hostages that are still in bondage. We continue to pray for their safe return, as we stand with Israel. Bring Israel into your thoughts with this prayer by The Maccabeats: Avinu Shebashamayim – A Prayer for the Welfare for the State of Israel. Actor David Schwimmer said, “You don’t have to say anything political; no one’s asking you to solve the conflict in the Middle East. Just say that you stand with your Jewish friends, colleagues, and neighbors against hatred and discrimination.”
“The message of Passover remains as powerful as ever.
Freedom is won not on the battlefield but in the classroom and the home.
Teach your children the history of freedom if you want them never to lose it.”
(Rabbi Shimon Raichik)
Happy Passover! Wishing you and your family a joyous, meaningful Passover. Do you have a question related to aging, memory loss, community resources, or caregiving? I am here and happy to assist! Please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thinking of you and sending all my positive energy, light, and love,
Dana
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