Yesterday afternoon just before 3:00 and the end of the school day, students and teachers alike may have heard raucous singing and sounds of jubilation coming from the lower elementary wing. Following our third opportunity of the week for our amazing Kindergarten class to learn songs from the haggadah with our 7th and 8th graders, a consensus was reached that what we really needed was a full-group singalong with musical accompaniment from yours truly . It was so heartwarming to see older and younger students learning and celebrating together and it was so much fun to sing and laugh and discuss our favorite songs together.
This is just one way that our students have been preparing for the upcoming Passover holiday. Our Ezra Supplement to the Haggadah contains work from our Garinim students all the way to our 8th graders. From math and science projects to writing and artistic contributions, it has been such a joy to see our students making the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt, their own.
With Passover and the seders approaching next week, this weekend marks Shabbat Ha-gadol, or the Big Shabbat, the final Shabbat leading up to the holiday. According to tradition, it marks the anniversary of the commandment and for the first celebration of what we now call Passover/Pesach and when the Israelites first received instructions for the pascal sacrifice. In many communities, this Shabbat is when the rabbi, or another scholar, gives a longer sermon or d’var Torah to the community which might include explanations of the holiday and its customs, discussion of the special Passover laws of kashrut, and other obligations. Another beautiful practice in some communities is the recitation of parts of the Haggadah in the afternoon for the sake of preparation and educating the children of the community. While our Ezra community won’t gather together this Shabbat, I am confident that our students are prepared and excited for the upcoming celebrations and I don’t feel the need for a more extensive d’var Torah!
Passover goes by (at least!) four different names. Chag Ha-Matzot (the Festival of Matzahs), Zman Cherutenu (the time of our freedom), Chag Ha-Aviv (the Springtime Festival) and of course Chag Ha-Pesach (the Festival of Passover). In moving forward into Shabbat Ha-Gadol, the next week, and then the holiday itself, I want to challenge and bless us all with the ability to connect to and reflect on each of these names and the various components of the holiday and to find opportunities for both personal and communal growth and meaning making.
The Seder traditionally ends with the singing of L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim or Next Year in Jerusalem. While for some this may be a literal hope and for some, it may be more of a messianic ideal, for our 8th graders, it may carry a different meaning as they may instead be signing L’Shavuah Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim - Next Week in Jerusalem! We are so excited to be taking this wonderful and talented group of students for the traditional capstone Ezra experience, joined by our Alliance Schools partners. We’ll be sharing pictures and updates from our travels and learning while in Israel and are looking forward to an amazing trip!
Wishing you all and your loved ones a Shabbat Shalom, and a Chag Pesach Sameach, and a very Happy Passover!
Tani Cohen-Fraade
Head of School