I distinctly remember cooking for seder a few years ago while watching my kids sled in the backyard. It was a strange experience for a holiday not only known as Chag Hamatzot (Festival of Matzah), but also as Chag HaAviv (Festival of the Spring). With a calendar that swings by as much as thirty days from year-to-year, the weather in New York does not always align with a given festival’s seasonal celebration. But this year, it is perfect.
Our guests walked into our home for the seder this year past blooming tulips and budding trees. Outside the windows, birds were singing their springtime songs. The afikomen hunt was in the backyard with kids climbing over everything, desperately searching for the Passover prize despite being a bit too big for swing sets at this point.
The Ancient Israelites left Egypt like a winter branch, full of potential but still leafless and bare. In the wilderness they blossomed like almond trees fed by clear, cool streams. We, too, live in a moment that feels raw and bare. But as much as we “strut and fret this hour upon the stage”, the cycles of nature continue and can remind us that there is, always, rebirth and rejuvenation.
Chag HaAviv Sameach
Wishing you a very Happy Festival of The Spring
