Sign In Forgot Password

Wonderings 26 When it All Changed?

There are moments when our lives change so drastically that life no longer feels familiar. Sometimes these are temporary changes, like if you get sick, and can't tend to your every-day tasks, but then you recuperate, and eventually you barely remember having to take "time off" (let alone how bad you felt). Sometimes there are anticipated major changes, like getting married, or having a baby, or starting a new job. Sometimes the changes were not at all expected - for me these have been things like the deaths of people I cared about, the pandemic, some physical impairments.

During the pandemic, the ability to "remember" the reality of the Exodus from Egypt became more real. When I was young I used to only think about how awesome it was to be freed from slavery. It was so great - we could even taste it (thanks to the flavors of the Seder). Now escaping Egypt puts me in the shoes of people escaping Ukraine. I think of people today, and I think of my family escaping Pogroms over a hundred years ago. I am amazed at how much life changes, and how difficult those changes can be - even if it was something we really wanted - like freedom or safety. The pandemic made me realize how the Jews did not expect to live in a totally different place in order to be free. We did not expect to be isolated, as we were. Those escaping the Ukraine did not expect to leave everything behind, and wonder what is next. 

Sometimes we do not get to go back to the way things were. When we have babies, or lose loved ones, or escape oppression we realize that life will never be the same as it was. 

I think back to when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. We were no longer able to worship the way we had before. It all changed. 

In the upcoming weeks we have holidays that remind us about the Shoah (Holocaust), Israel's Independence, mourning and celebrations. 

As part of the Jewish people we realize that we can move past difficult times - life changing times - and keep going. We learn new ways to cope - even though they may be totally different than the ways we knew so well. Sometimes just knowing I am not alone helps - others are either with me on the journey, or have been through similar things, or don't mind finding new solutions together. 

This week I am wondering: Do you have other examples of times when everything changed? Do you feel that thinking about the Passover story changes how you deal with those other changes? Do you see my examples in ways other than what I said? How do you cope? 

CLICK HERE to go to the B'nai Zion Passover page. I am updating the page frequently with new information for this year, but some things won't change. Watch for services, resources to learn the Hebrew, printable Haggadot for in-person or to share online, there are materials to learn the four questions, Yizkor list, Omer counters, and more. Thank you to the people who found things that needed fixing, or things they wanted me to add.


CLICK HERE to go to the Wonderings main page to see all Wonderings questions and replies.


Once again, I want to thank everyone who has responded to my  "Wonderings."  You are always welcome to respond to any of the questions I have asked by calling or emailing, no matter how long ago the question was originally posed. You can also choose to keep your replies totally private, and not be posted on the Responses page. I always try to remove personal / identifying details when I do post the replies. 

You may want to check back to see if more replies have been added since you last looked.

Responses:

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784