Doing What We Can Do This Passover
ALSO Perry Ferrel, Bill Graham Menorah, Passover Projects, Musical Havdallah LIVE! Ep. 50 and Mitzvacart at Dodger Stadium
Friends, I so wish that we were celebrating Passover - Pesach together as in previous years. However, God wanted us to learn something from this second Passover apart.
I was interviewed recently about the 10 Minute Seder Haggadah that I wrote more than a decade ago. Now the 10 Minute Seder Haggadah is used by people all over the world (link below). The original reason I wrote the 10 Minute Seder was for it to be used at music festivals that fell on Pesach. We were doing Shabbat Tents all over the country, and realized that Jews at music festivals also need a Seder! But they didn't have time for a long seder between bands, they needed the essentials.
Baruch Hashem, the 10 Minute Seder has been run dozens of times at music festivals for hundreds of people who otherwise would have missed out.
Since that time, the 10 Minute Seder has become a resource for Jews all over who want to celebrate Pesach with a seder, but don't have a haggadah, don't have time for a longer seder, or want to do just what is needed and no more. People write to me every year, and tell me about their seder, and tell stories I would never have imagined.
The donors who helped to sponsor that first seder at the festival now also have a part in bringing a kosher Passover seder to more people, because I would have never written the haggadah if we didn't have the funds to run seders at a music festival.
The volunteers, including our Rami Even-Esh, aka Kosha Dillz, who had the audacity of spirit to help organize our first seders at the festivals. Rami and all the volunteers also share a part of this mitzvah.
None of the original uses of the 10 Minute Seder are even happening this year - and people are still using it and it's helping them to have a kosher and enjoyable seder and Passover.
One Mitzvah creates another mitzvah creates another mitzvah.
Let us not worry about what we cannot do this year on Passover and focus on what we can do:
We can have an awesome seder, even a tiny one of 1 or 2 people.
We can give tzedakah to help other people have a seder.
We can clean our homes of chametz and fulfill a major mitzvah of having removed or sold away our chametz.
We can kosher our kitchens for Passover.
We can make delicious foods, maybe a grandmother's recipe.
We can join together in prayer outdoors!
We can share Passover wishes and greetings to all our friends and loved ones.
We can sing and dance Next Year in Jerusalem.
There is so much we CAN do. And when we do these things, let's do them for others as well.
May God be so happy with all our giving and doing for others and our Pesach seders that God calls an end to this spiritual exile and fixes all the brokenness and brings all His children home.
Perry Farrell, Jorma Kaukonen and More to Perform for ‘Rabbi Langer’s 75th Birthday Celebration,’ Benefitting Bill Graham Menorah Project
Rabbi Langer, the Grateful Yid, has been a trailblazer and this fundraiser is a massive tribute to him and the projects. Rabbi Langer built the first giant menorah in San Francisco with Bill Graham’s help. Over the years, many of Graham’s friends played the menorah lighting. I’m proud that my son Moshe Bookstein is helping produce it :-).
Check it out on YouTube on Sunday 1PM PT
Passover Projects
Help us distribute needed assistance for those in need this Passover.
We are starting regular outdoor services in LA. Sign up here
Passover Crash Course Part 1 on Kosher for Passover and 2 on running the seder: March 21 and March 22 register below.
Sell your Chametz online! Rabbi Yonah will be your agent for the sale.
Download Rabbi Yonah's Concise Guide to Making Your Home Kosher for Passover
Download Rabbi Yonah's 10 Minute Seder Hagaddah (for those short on time) and watch an instructional video on how to lead one.
Musical Havdallah Live! Ep. 50
Join us for our 50th Episode of Musical Havdallah Live on Saturday Night at 8:15pm PT. Live on Facebook!
Mitzvacart Delivering Food to Volunteers, Hospital Workers
The Covid crisis in Los Angeles has been very hard and first responders and volunteers are working nonstop. To help make their job easier in caring for others, we are caring for them by providing fresh meals from kosher restaurants to hospitals and vaccination sites. You can help by donating $18 for a pizza here.