Facebook Post by Rabbi Perlin in the Time of Coronavirus (4/9/2020)
Thursday Post 4/9/20: Our survey says…!
It was wonderful! Jonah led an amazing seder with guests from every part of the country and our lives. My little Miriam sang all four questions and she isn’t even five yet. It warms my heart when Jonah says, “And this is a Perlin tradition…” Kvelling! I had everything on my desk covered with a tablecloth – the big Jewish bowl and pitcher for handwashing, the seder plate with my homemade shredded onion for maror/bitter herbs (works as well as horseradish), boiled potatoes covered in parsley flakes for the vegetable (we still said the right blessing [borei p’ri ha’adamah] and it was still parsley), and all the different wine cups required for the seder service. We did the entire seder start to finish, because it would have been too hard to get the kids back and time everyone’s dinner to be able to do the seder in two parts, as we usually do. It worked really well. And the seder ended with the traditional “Next year in Jerusalem” and the new hope, “Next year in person!” Our survey says that this year was a success on every level. Passover happened and we showed ourselves and the world the resilience and creativity of the Jewish people.
In almost 44 years of marriage, we have never sat alone at our table for dinner. The food was spectacular as always. The matzah balls were absolute perfection. Gary really outdid himself. And my chicken was so moist – “a dollar a bite,” as we used to say. There were still dishes to do, but we have never gone for a walk after seder. How would that even be possible with a house full of company? We left everything on the table and went outside before it got dark, and walked half a mile as we marveled at how amazing it was to overcome this plague by keeping our traditions alive with the people we cherish.
Today will be a busy day. I am teaching a TBS class at 1 pm. I studied “Handwashing” in Jewish texts for days, more hours than I will admit here. Dr. Fauci would be proud. I am an expert now. I found it fascinating and I hope those who tune in will, as well. And then we have another seder to share together early tonight. We have lots of little kids AND old people who appreciate the 5 p.m. start time.
After slavery came freedom; after darkness came redemption. This will all pass. And when it does, we will have new stories, traditions, and memories to share at our seder tables. Let it be so.