New and Renew

by Audrey Lichter

Every Passover, a few days before the Seder, I find myself knee-deep in preparations and suddenly panicked. My husband leads the Seder; unlike me, he usually leaves the format and any last‑minute additions until the last moment. Despite my fretting, each year the telling of the story touches me in a new way. We cherish the familiar rituals and songs, and though the structure is the same, its repetition feels fresh and renewing as I reflect on the year gone by.

This year, Israel’s safety and security are never far from our thoughts, and we carry the added weight of rising antisemitic incidents around the world. I think of members of our community who are no longer with us. I am again grateful for the health of our family, and for the fortunate travels we enjoyed to Africa, India, and Portugal. Much of what I feel is familiar; still, the holiday invites me to see it anew.

Much of what I feel is familiar; still, the holiday invites me to see it anew.

I found a poem that speaks to me—I hope it speaks to you as well.

At My Seder Table

A Poem by Ellen Blum Barish

I learned that some stories need to be told more than once
to make us stop, gather together and tell it aloud
though we have heard it many times before
so we remember.
Every spring, we read the same story of our exodus from Egypt
but it is never the same twice.
Every spring, someone is missing for work, move, illness or death.
Every spring, there’s a new mood or geo-political incident.
The annual retelling is like the sharing of all hard stories,
never told the same way twice.
never heard the same way twice.

 

Audrey Lichter is the founding Executive Director of Chai Mitzvah.