The Last Post

At least, the last post before Pesach.

Jewgle Perth would like to wish all its readers a Chag Kasher v’sameach, and insightful Seder/Sedarim.   

Let’s not lose sight of what Pesach is all about – the celebration of the experience of Jewish nationhood, the values of freedom, and the recognition of a higher source that controls what happens in our world.  We should be conscious that it is our reaction to the circumstances around us that make us what we are, but it is not ourselves who designs the circumstances around us.

This year Pesach falls on Saturday night. This is unusual, even though it has occured three times in the past decade. The next time we will have a Saturday night Seder, I”YH is 5781 (year 2021) and again in 5785 (year 2025).  It provides us the rare chance to do more Mitzvot and raise an extra consciousness of the halachot of Pesach, but balancing the needs of Shabbat with the needs of Yom Tov, without compromise.  This is great zchut.

Ari Brodsky writes a great essay about the calendar in which he says: 

Why is it so rare for the first day of Pesach to fall on Sunday?  In a sense, the basic answer is relatively simple:  We know that according to our fixed calendar system, Pesach cannot fall on Monday, Wednesday or Friday – in mnemonic form, “La BaDU Pesach”, where בדו (bet-dalet-vav) stands for Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  So what happens in years when Pesach should have been on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday?  In a certain sense, the calendar is adjusted so that Pesach is observed on the following day of the week.  (This adjustment is made by varying the lengths of the preceding and following Cheshvan and Kislev.)  For the purpose of this question, the important point is that Pesach falls on Tuesday whenever it “should have been” on either Monday or Tuesday; it falls on Thursday whenever it “should have been” on either Wednesday or Thursday; and it falls on Shabbat whenever it “should have been” on either Friday or Shabbat.  This explains why the first day of Pesach is twice as likely to fall on each of Tuesday, Thursday or Shabbat as it is to fall on Sunday.

We are privileged to live in times of great understanding, and access to science and wisdom.  We live in an age of instant communication, free speech, and social change.  Values are more important than ever, and Pesach is the best opportunity we have to examine and revisit those values. 

Jewgle Perth has had thousands of visitors to its blog over the past few months, and we are very appreciative of all the comments and contributions to our effort.  The Jewish community of Perth is a small community with a big heart, and we are very proud to be able to profile it, contribute to it, and on occasions help focus its attention on what we believe are matters of importance. 

We hope that the Seder tables of Perth will be filled with discussion and awareness of our unique role as a Jewish people, to represent ideas and values to our families and communities.  May we bond with Israel, work towards going from strength to strength, and hastening the end of exile through the rededication of Jerusalem. 

Sameach Vsamachta from the Jewgle Team.