No one should enter the Passover Seder empty handed. Even if you are the host. So, this year, allow me to suggest four things you should consider bringing to the Passover Seder that you will be celebrating.

1) Bring Curiosity.
We are taught that even if we are having the Seder by our lonesome, we still ask the 4 questions to ourselves. This underscores the value the Jewish people hold of exploring, unpacking, being inquisitive and better understanding any situation. If you are hosting the Seder, consider doing something that will evoke questions. For example, putting the place settings backwards or setting chairs upside down or perhaps adding some extra plates at the table. Brings some Passover trivia to the table and some potpourri Jewish trivia too. Ask questions. Lots of them. Way more than four. Curiosity is a critical ingredient to the Passover Seder.

2) Bring Empathy.
Our entire posture for this holiday, and practically every other day of the Jewish calendar, should be one of remembering that we were once slaves in Egypt and with the help of God we were set free. Thus, we should consider the afflicted, the stranger, the hungry and the naked in our midst on this holiday. Since we suffered and can remember the pain and embarrassment those feelings caused, we should do our utmost to ensure others to not have to endure the same. That is why we pour out from our cups to remember the suffering of the Egyptians during the plagues. This year, I would encourage us to pour more than drops from our cups to recognize the affliction of the Syrian people embroiled in a civil war. Show your empathy and pour out for the drought plagued countries that are thirsty and cannot have one cup of water, while we drink four cups. Bring a sense of empathy and compassion to your Seder. As you feast, others are hungry and not celebrating the same sense of freedom. Think of them this year. Perhaps some of the Afikomen prize gelt can go to helping any of these worthy causes.

3) Bring Old Traditions and Create New Customs.
Each family Seder has oodles of memories and traditions. Whether it is who sings a particular song or who leads one of the rituals, or even an inside joke that is re-told year after year, these moments make the holiday personal and meaningful for all. Those traditions, I would argue, are as sacred as the bitter herbs and Haroseth. But, all of these customs started somewhere and carried on over time. Think of a new custom you can try to start at your Seder. Make it something meaningful and memorable and that could be timeless. An example from the Kirshner house is that when we read the verse, “all who are hungry let them come and eat,” we open the door and announce it to the neighborhood. It makes more meaning and impact to broadcast the invitation with the community than to share it around a table full of people that will stuff themselves a few pages later in the Haggadah. Find any custom for you that fits. Make it a tradition that generations from now, others will continue to observe in some permutation. That will lend itself to meaning today and tomorrow at your Seder.

4) Bring Hope.
The Seder begins with a reminder: “This year we are here, next year may we be in Jerusalem. This year we are slaves, next year may we be free people.” This time travel experience is more than reenacting the Exodus. It is a time to remember that as Jews we are always oriented towards hope: Hope for a better tomorrow, to make what is good great, to raise things to a higher level. This is the reason we pray, we advocate, we argue and we, as a people, have an indomitable spirit. After all, the anthem of the Jewish people is Hatikvah, the Hope. The lyrics even say, after 2000 years, we never lost our hope. Do not lose yours either. As we begin this season of spring and re-birth, renew your hope in your personal, professional, familial and communal lives. Hope is a beautiful thing that keeps us moving forward and upward. That is what leads to our individual and collective growth.

Dori, our kids and I wish each of you a Passover that is filled with great questions, empathetic hearts, new and old customs and lots of hope.
Wishing you a Zissen Pesach, a Kosher Pesach and a happy and healthy holiday.

Chag Kasher VeSameach!

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner