I

It is documented that for at least nine hundred years it has been the custom of Jews to congregate in shul on the afternoon of the Shabbos before Pesach to hear the Rabbi speak.

But that is not why this Shabbos is called Shabbos Hagadol – The Great Shabbos. The Shulchan Aruch writes that this Shabbos is called Shabbos Hagadol because of the miracle that happened on it. Shabbos was four days before Pesach on the tenth of Nissan. On that day each Jewish family brought home a sheep and tied it to their bedpost. The miracle was that we had the confidence to do this and the miracle was that the Egyptians didn’t stop us. They worshiped sheep and they hated us, but somehow we managed to each go outside and choose our sheep for the Seder.

The truth is that any time you brought a sheep as a sacrifice, the sheep had to be procured a few days in advance. It had to observed and examined to make sure that it was healthy and kosher to bring as a gift to G-d. But the Pesach sheep was more stringent in an interesting way.

If I decided to bring a sheep as a sin offering or peace offering, I could go to the market and buy a few sheep. I could watch them and examine them for a few days and then – on the day of the sacrifice – I could choose one to use as my Korban. For Pesach, we are given no leeway. Four days before the Pesach Seder we had to know specifically with whom we would be eating the Seder and specifically which sheep we would be eating.

A lot of decisions were made on Shabbos Hagadol because whatever Seder plans we made were locked in and unchangeable.

I’d like to discuss why the Torah insisted on us becoming so decisive particularly about pesach, but first I’d like to discuss the Corona virus for a moment.

II

I am not wearing rose colored glasses. I can’t give a shiur on how great it is that we are all quarantined because people are lonely, people are suffering, and people are sick.

I can tell you that this has happened before. We have Responsa that address it. It happened during wars, during plagues, and during other dangerous times in our history. When it was anti-semites trying to close down our shuls and yeshivos, we’ve always fought to our last breath. But in a case where we ourselves shut down our shuls and yeshivos, we are simply following halacha in a very difficult way.

The Torah refers to Matza as “Ugos Matzos” – Cakes of Matza. The word Ugos is actually an acronym for Torah, Avoda, and Gemilus Chasadim. Torah, prayer, and kindness. These three items have always been the pillars of our existence as a people. Avraham embodied Kindness, opening his tent in the desert to anyone who wanted food or drink. Yitzchak embodied prayer, all the stories we know about him involve sacrifices, blessings, and prayer. And Yaacov was a dweller of tents – he embodied the study of Torah.

When it came time for the Jewish people to re-establish themselves in the land of Israel with the rebuilding of the Second Temple, there was a group of scholars and prophets known as the Anshei Knesses HaGedola.

Shimon Hatzadik was the last surviving member of this group and he reminded us of these three pillars, Torah, Avoda, and Gemilas Chasadim.

When Nechemia was given permission to rebuild to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem he brought a group of people to Jerusalem to reestablish a Jewish presence. The leader of Jewry at the time – Ezra Hasofer – was noticeably missing. This is very strange. He was the head of the Anshei Keneses Hagedola and he should have been the first to return to Zion. If he had, he would have been the ideal Kohein Gadol – the High Priest in the newly established Temple.

But Ezra stayed in Iraq because his teacher Baruch ben Neriah was too old to travel. Ezra understood that while Nechemiah went to Jerusalem to work on the Pillar of Prayer in rebuilding the Temple, he had to stay behind to work on the Pillar of Torah which would be equally as important. And when Ezra finally did join Nechemia in Israel, their first message to the people was one of Gemilus Chasadim, of kindness.

On that first Rosh Hashana back in Israel they encouraged everyone to give Mishloach Manos – gifts to one another. At that time, they also ordained that the Torah should be read together as a community three times a week. Synagogues and communities as we know them were formed. Because Ezra understood that by coming together to pray, to study Torah, and to help one another the Jewish people would survive.

That’s why these past few weeks have been so difficult. We are a socially connected people and we were designed that way. It’s been our survival through the ages, and it will be our key to survival once all this is over.

So where does that leave us right now?

First, I want to mention an idea attributed to Rav Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk who lived in Teveria during an outbreak of disease about two hundred years ago. They too were limited in their ability to gather together or even leave their homes in service of Hashem. His message was to quote the verse “I am Hashem who dwells among them – even in their impurity”. In other words, he didn’t try to idealize the situation. Instead, he chose to use it as an opportunity to remember that Hashem is with us in every situation – ideal or not.

My second point is to let you know how proud I am of the Jewish people and our community. Three thousand years of incubation in our shuls and yeshivos has worked. We know that, because when we all retreat to our homes, it is with the Torah, the Prayer, and the kindness that we have cultivated and made a part of our DNA. We haven’t stopped learning, we haven’t stopped davening, and – incredibly – we haven’t stopped thinking about and assisting each other. It’s not just because of Zoom and Whatsapp. It’s because we truly care.

III

But let’s talk about the challenges of quarantine. Many of us are exercising muscles that we didn’t know we had. They are muscles of patience, of kindness, of faith, and of perseverance. We are imbuing the walls of ours houses with unprecedented volumes of prayer and Torah study.

We are all growing, but at the same time we are limited. So many of our avenues of connection to Hashem are closed. I did not choose the Rabbinate as a career so that I could daven by my bookshelf at home and talk to a tape recorder twice a day. Since the day I moved to Norfolk, one of my priorities has been to make sure that the shul never missed a day with Shacharis, Mincha and Maariv. I thought that was a big part of my role in life, but – at least for the next few weeks – it isn’t.

I’ve been thinking about Rav Nachman of Breslov a lot. He writes some famous words in Likutei Moharan that are worth reading in their source:

וְדַע, שֶׁכָּל הַתְּנוּעוֹת וְהַהַעְתָּקוֹת, שֶׁאַתָּה נִתָּק וְנֶעְתָּק בְּכָל פַּעַם אֵיזֶה מְעַט מִן גַּשְׁמִיּוּת לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, כֻּלָּם מִתְקַבְּצִים וּמִתְחַבְּרִים וּמִתְקַשְּׁרִים וּבָאִים לְעֶזְרָתְךָ בְּעֵת הַצֹּרֶךְ, דְּהַיְנוּ כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֵיזֶה דֹּחַק וְעֵת צָרָה, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.

“You should know”, he writes, “that every move and every change that we make in our lives is preserved and collected and put into a special place. And when, Chas Veshalom, we are in a tight spot or under duress all of those actions and all of that work that we’ve done comes back to us to guide us and give us strength.”

וְדַע, שֶׁהָאָדָם צָרִיךְ לַעֲבֹר עַל גֶּשֶׁר צַר מְאֹד מְאֹד, וְהַכְּלָל וְהָעִקָּר – שֶׁלֹּא יִתְפַּחֵד כְּלָל:

“And you should further know” – he continues – “that a person needs to cross a very very narrow bridge. But the main thing, is not to be afraid.”

Many of us know the song, but let’s think about this seriously. We aren’t talking about a ‘bridge over troubled water’ that gives us a feeling of confidence and safety. We are talking about a bridge in Breslov in the Ukraine.

The ones we wouldn’t walk over if you gave us $1000. The ones that are so shaky and rickety that you need to balance on a beam while holding onto a rope and hope that either the beam or the rope stays intact long enough for you get across. It’s a very, very, narrow bridge.

And that’s where we are right now. We were all on paths to our future, our careers, our personal development and our relationship with Hashem, and suddenly that path got very narrow. The way we looked at Prayer, at Torah, and at helping others, isn’t really working. But it isn’t gone either. Our Torah opportunities became narrower, our outlets for prayer are more limited and our opportunities for kindness aren’t what they used to be.

Our job now is to use everything that we’ve worked on our entire lives to find the narrow path we’ve been given and to put one foot in front of the other and make it across.

IV

Maybe that’s what our grandparents had to do in Egypt. On the one hand, we were going free. We were given those “Ugos Matzos” – the Torah, Prayer, and kindness that would help us survive for millennia. On the other hand, we were given a very narrow path. Pick the sheep you are going to use and that’s the only one you’ll have. Pick the people you are going to have the Seder with and don’t add anybody else, and when the night of that very first Seder came, we were told to choose a house and enter it and not leave until the plague was over and it was our turn to move on to better and more varied experiences.

We need to find our very narrow bridge this Pesach and embrace it, value it, and walk across it with confidence.

In this merit we will all emerge healthy and stronger to once again come together as a community devoted to Torah, Prayer, and caring for one another. If not here in Norfolk, then together in Jerusalem where the lamb we eat will be a lamb that was slaughtered in the courtyard of the Temple and roasted in our new homes in a world that is full of health, and holiness, and knowledge of Hashem.

Before closing, I’d like to address a few practical considerations for this Pesach:

Selling Chametz: With Hashem’s help, I will be selling Chametz this year and have a backup plan if one of the involved parties is unable to participate. You can appoint me as an agent in selling your Chametz by emailing or faxing the form or by dropping it off in my mailbox or at shul before Monday. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to sell Chametz. Rooms and closets that are sold do not need to be checked, saving a lot of energy in these stressful times. Products can be sold so that they will be immediately available after Pesach with out needing to rush to the store. Please don’t hesitate to call with any questions.

Burning Chametz: We will not be having a communal Chametz burning this year. I recommend you sell most of your Chametz and put the remainder in the garbage, which I will sell for you as well. Keep the ten pieces from
Bedikas Chametz and burn them in your home. If this isn’t practical, you can destroy the ten pieces of chametz by bringing them to your restroom and flushing them away.

Eggs and Milk: Many people have a custom to buy all of their eggs before Pesach. The truth is that the reasons for this custom no longer applies and therefore – particularly this year – it is ok to buy eggs on Chol Hamoed. Milk is a bit more of an issue. Halachically, milk does need to be bottled before Pesach and it is worthwhile to return to the store several times so that you can stay within the posted limits but also have enough milk. According to my research, milk from Pet Dairy is generally processed several days before it hits the stores so you can buy Pet Dairy milk on the Sunday of Chol Hamoed. Milk does not need special Kosher for Pesach supervision.

Siyum: If you are a first-born and required to fast, you can break your fast by making a siyum on a volume of Talmud or Tanach. Since not everyone can make a siyum and it is not responsible to attend one, I recommend – for this year only – that you attend a siyum by phone. I will be making a siyum at 8:30 am Wednesday morning on Zoom. If you are a first-born and would like to call in or are looking for a later siyum, please be in touch.

Tevilas Keilim: Our Mikvah is currently closed to dishes. If you have new metal or glassware that needs to be dipped in the Mikva, I recommend using either the ocean or a lake, like the lake at Mt. Trashmore. Another option is to have me sell the dishes when I sell your Chametz. That will allow you to borrow the dishes from the non-Jewish purchaser and use them over Pesach.

Prayers: On Shabbos, we have been reading the Parsha from a Chumash at home in lieu of the Torah Reading at shul. This is not necessary over Yom Tov, although it is certainly a nice thing to do.

Hallel: The custom of the shul is to say Hallel at Maariv on the first night of Pesach. This custom does not apply when davening at home. All other Hallels should be recited.

Yizkor: In a situation like this year, Yizkor can and should be said at home by anyone who would have said it in shul.

Guests: The most difficult part of the Seder this year will be when we raise our broken Matzah and invite everyone who is hungry or lonely to join us. Many of us will be saying this while feeling intense loneliness; those who aren’t lonely will have broken hearts thinking of those we uninvited or turned away. Let’s make a goal of lifting up that Matzah knowing that in the days leading up to Pesach we have taken a moment to lift up the phone to call at least one person who will be on their own.

The very word Mitzrayim means narrow and we are living in very narrow times. Our options are limited and our choices are few. But we left Egypt because we care about one another and with that merit we will once again join together with strength and health and happiness.

Please, have a beautiful Yom Tov and do your best to enjoy all the gifts that Hashem has given us.

Be well.