APRIL 2024
ADAR II / NISSAN
SPRINGFIELD, OH

~ RABBI'S CORNER ~
Understanding an old saw in a new way
''They tried to kill us.
We won.
Let's eat.''

As Passover approaches and we begin preparing for seder, this phrase will no doubt be heard often in the coming day: a familiar and somewhat tongue-in-cheek explanation of what the seder is about. At least for some. In a time when some regrettably search for ways to abbreviate their Passover seder, this is ''abbreviation'' on steroids.
And yet, although the phrase by itself may lack depth and richness, it is in truth not inaccurate. At the seder, we begin by telling the story of Pharoah's enslaving us, and his ultimate plan to annihilate us and how we won by surviving...and then we eat.
Moreover, this phrase is often heard not just on Passover, but also other holidays that commemorate other episodes when the plans of our enemies were thwarted, with each holiday having its own ''commemorative'' food item:

--On Purim, we read the story of Esther, then eat hamantaschen.
--On Hannukah, we light candles, then eat latkes and sufganiyot/jelly donuts.
--On Yom Ha-atsmaut/Israel Independence Day, we remember the events of 1948, then enjoy hummus and falafel.

One could even argue that because the theme of redemption from Egypt is embedded in the Kiddish that also inaugurates Sukkot, Shavuot and Shabbat, it is also applicable to these festive days.
As I write this, we have just celebrated Purim and are now preparing for Passover (first seder is the evening of April 22). With the events of October 7 and its aftermath still at the forefront of our collective Jewish psyche, latkes on Hannukah and hamantaschen on Purim were consumed understandably with less gusto. Unless the situation in Israel dramatically improves in the next several weeks, the brisket and matzah ball soup may not be as enjoyable as in previous years.
Nevertheless, this familiar ''saw'' will be heard in conversations and certainly on social media, perhaps this year serving as a verbal ''comfort food'' for us in a time when our collective Jewish anxiety level is quite high.
But I would suggest that in the midst of our current period anxiety, we understand it as more than a familiar, tongue-in-cheek bromide. On the contrary, these three short sentences comprised of merely nine words succinctly summarize what it means to be a Jew.

They tried to kill us. From ancient Pharoah and his subjects who enslaved us and decreed that our male children be killed, to Amalek and Haman, to medieval Christendom and Islam, to Hitler and the Nazis, to modern day Hamas and its supporters, our enemies ''have arisen through the endless years...filled with a futile thought: to make an end of that which G-d has cherished (Gates of Repentance, p. 431).

We won. Despite centuries of persecutions and oppression (both physical and spiritual), wanton degradation and ruthless slaughter, we have refused to disappear. Refusing to exit the world's stage, refusing to wallow in victimhood, we've always remained resilient and committed to our ancient mandate to be ''a light unto the nations.''

Let's eat. The first two sentences remind us of our past. This last one invites us to respond in the present: Let's celebrate as Jews have always celebrated - by eating! But let our eating in the present not only be that which satisfies our appetite but also food to nourish our souls and prepare us spiritually and psychologically for whatever the future may hold for us.

''In every generation...''. This phrase appears twice in the Passover haggadah:
--In every generation, some rise up against us to destroy us, but the Holy One Blessed be He delivers us from their hands.
--In every generation a person should regard him/herself as personally having gone forth from Egypt.
In every generation...they tried to kill us.
In every generation....we won - thanks to Divine intervention.
In every generation...let us see ourselves as having been redeemed from both physical and spiritual bondage, now free to live as we Jews have been called to live.

Therefore, indeed ''LET'S EAT!'' And as we enthusiastically enjoy the traditional seder foods, may we also develop and nurture an appetite for Torah and Jewish learning - the ''food'' that has always nourished Jewish souls.

Adonai oz l'amo yetain; Adonai y'varekh et amo bashalom.
Hashem will give strength to His people. Hashem will bless His people with peace.

May the food we were given after we left Egypt, the food that has sustained us as a people and given us our unique purpose in the world, continue to strengthen us in this difficult time and prepare us for what history has in store for us.
Sheryl and I wish all of you a kosher and meaningful Pesach.
-Rabbi Cary Kozberg

~ CONTRIBUTIONS ~
SPECIAL
In memory of my husband Jeff from Inas Sisler

GOLD
In honor of the yahrzeit of Jay's father, Sam Friedman, from Jay and Kitty Friedman

~ PLAQUE HAS BEEN INSTALLED ~
A Hands in Friendship plaque has been installed in the Room of Remembrance in memory of Rabbi Lloyd R. Goldman

~ YAHRZEIT LIST ~
APRIL 5: Fannie Dagan, Ben Goldman, Cecile Leider Greenland (stepmother of Jay Greenland), Goldie Pommer, Louis A. Shatsky, Celia Roth Travis, Ida P. Zitsman, Ben Irwin (father of Stephanie Paugh), Jack Leventhal (father of Aaron Leventhal), Sylvia Harton Wolf (mother of Fran Rickenbach)

APRIL 12: Samuel Altschul, James R. Herron, Jonathan N. Irwin (brother of Stephanie Paugh), William Smith, Charles Sahl Stein, Yetta Miller Stein, Hattie Rachel Willens

APRIL 19: Nathan Ebner, Belle K. Freed, Sam Friedman (father of Jay Friedman), Harry L. Levy, Samuel Soble, Beverly Dollin (sister of Phyllis Nedelman), Alex Leventhal (father of Ed Leventhal)

APRIL 26: Joseph Block, Mona Freed, David S. Greenland (father of Jay Greenland), Jacob Holzberg, Robert Pommer, Dorothy Rosenfield, Gus M. Salzer, Marilyn Schneider (mother of Larry and Bruce Schneider), Wolf Zitsman, Pamela Embrey (mother of Faydra Embrey)

MAY 3: Rae Bernstein, Sharon Lee Broock, Benjamin Feldman, Robert M. Gold, Rose Heller, Irene Klaben, Simon Zoav Levine, Louis Rubinoff, Cecile Strauss, Jacob Weinfeld, Philip Friedman, Harry Lurie, Anne Rosenstein, Blanche Stillpass (mother of Phyllis Nedelman)



A ''Zoom'' Evening with Rich Orloff
April 25, 7:30 pm
For the last many months, thanks to our secretary Diane Smith, Temple Sholom has been fortunate to receive some of the poetry written by the poet and playwright Rich Orloff. Rich's poetry is sensitive and soulful and expresses the yearnings and concerns of a Jewish neshama truly connected to its Source.

Temple Sholom is fortunate to have him speak to us via Zoom on April 25 at 7:30 pm (the link is below). Significantly, Mr. Orloff's presentation will occur during Passover, and in the first week of the 7-week period of counting the omer leading up to Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Torah-- a time which beckons us to be more mindful of matters of the spirit.

About Rich Orloff:
A graduate of Oberlin College, Rich Orloff is a poet and playwright. Since Rich began writing poems in 2020, they've been published in numerous magazines including The Poet, Gashmius, T'ruah, and the Jewish Writers Project, and they've been presented at synagogues, churches, meditation and yoga groups, and other events both lofty and intimate. In April 2023, he began sending out emails with a ''spiritually infused poem of the week'', and to his amazement, they’re currently read by over 2400 people each week (including folks in Springfield!-RCK)

His comedy OY! has been produced at over two dozen theaters across the United States (and one in Bulgaria). His Purim-inspired musical comedy ESTHER IN THE SPOTLIGHT has been performed in New York, Miami, Toronto and Tel Aviv. The New York Times called his play BIG BOYS ''rip-roaringly funny'' and named FUNNY AS A CRUTCH a Critic's Pick. His other plays (mostly comedies, mostly award-winning) have earned him the label of ''the most popular unknown playwright in the country''.

Rich's short plays have received over 2000 productions on six continents - and a staged reading in Antarctica. His short comedies have been published six times in the annual Best Ten-Minute Plays anthology and seven times in the annual Best American Short Plays anthology. His educational children's play SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS FIGHT TUBERCULOSIS TOGETHER was a big hit in Kosovo.
You can learn more about Rich (and read many of his poems) at www.richorloff.com.

NOTE: Should you wish to invite anyone from outside the Temple community, please let me know and provide contact information so that they can be vetted in order to prevent any unwelcome ''Zoom-bombing''.
Call office for link
I hope you will take advantage of this very special opportunity to be edified and enriched during this sacred season.
-Rabbi Cary Kozberg


A Prayer for a Distant God

Let me heal you, says the Divine
I know I seem far away
I have not always lived up to your expectations
Especially at times of your greatest need

If it looks like I stand behind barriers
They are not my creation
But the result of your doing
And the actions of others

Dismantle them if you wish to get close to me
Admit your role in building them
And perpetuating them
And looking away when others fortify them

If you rush by, I cannot heal
If you put up walls, I cannot heal
If you block me, I cannot heal
If you deny your wounds, I cannot heal
With each step to dismantle the barriers
I will become closer to you
If you surrender your defenses
I will feel so close
That you will feel me inside you
Healing from within