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Having just marked the one-year point of dealing with Covid here in Atlanta, our thoughts naturally turn to that significant point and how we have adapted over this past year. It should not be lost on us, however, that this weekend marks another significant turning point: the anniversary of our first Jewish holiday experienced exclusively in the days of Covid.

I recall our concerns last year: plans had to be changed, people who had never previously led the Seder were not attempting to learn to do so, people who had hosted Seder for years now needed to learn how to lead for guests connected via Zoom which, for many, was an unfamiliar and untested platform. We wondered how to abridge our Seder, which traditions would be set aside, due to the virtual nature of our gathering, and we wondered if we could create new traditions to mark the moment.

In short, one year ago, as we were dealing with insecurity and fear and upset and illness and isolation, we responded by ratcheting up the creativity.

Many incorporated videos and songs for the first time in their Seders, many created a whole new Haggadah, many made the Seder experience separate from the meal and many turned the meal into a cooking class as cupboards were ransacked for the one necessary ingredient that we didn’t have. We connected with friends and family that we hadn’t seen in years.

According to Facebook, which is of course fact-checked (and by “of course” I mean that I saw this on a meme and it is not grounded in provable fact but, come on, I’m pretty sure it is a true statement), more time was spent at our Seder tables talking about where to find toilet paper than talking about the Exodus from Egypt.

While last year we were united in our isolation, this year, though, we are not united in our practice. Some of us will gather with family and friends and some of us will observe Seder virtually while separated in physical proximity. However you choose to celebrate this year, the hope is that you will take a moment to count the many ways that you have been and presently are blessed. Blessing is a theme at Passover, for immediately after we start the Counting of the Omer, a period where it is customary to reflect with intentionality on the blessings we experience. 

Let me start by offering one pre-Omer blessing for us. Last year at this time, we were living amidst a growing pandemic with no end in sight and nightmarish days to follow. This year, with a vaccine (as of this week) being rolled out to all adults able to take it, we can see that we are so much closer than we thought to emerging from this scary time. Allow me to close with the translation of our Shehecheyanu prayer: Blessed are You, Adonai, Sovereign of the Universe, who has given us life, who has given us health, and who has enabled us to reach this most significant moment in time.

Wishing us all a Passover filled with meaning, filled with happiness, and filled with hope.

Shabbat Shalom,

Brad