Opening our Doors: A Seder Memory that Will Never Fade

It was 1997, and I was having second night seder with some friends on the Upper West Side of New York City. Towards the beginning of our seder, we got to the verse, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Since our tradition demands that in response to this verse we open our doors and invite strangers into our home, my friends and I set out to invite some homeless people to our table.

I approached one man resting near the side of the street, explained to him the holiday of Passover, and asked if he wanted to sit at our table, or if he preferred that I bring out a plate of food when the meal was ready. He chose the latter. I returned with my friends to our seder, and we continued reading through the Hagaddah. When the time came for our festive meal, I filled a large plate of food and brought it to that cold soul. He was sleeping on boxes, with rats running around him. That image will never fade from my mind.

Even though each year I enjoy the seder and the story of our liberation, I know that there are many individuals in our community who are far from free. They are held captive by hunger and homelessness, by poverty, by discrimination, and by circumstances often beyond their control. I believe that if we do not open our doors to the lonely, needy, or hungry in our community, then we cannot expect at the end of our seders to open our doors and have Elijah pass through. We cannot sit back and wait for a messianic figure to enter our homes and heal our societal wounds; we need to work towards healing them ourselves.

This year, I ask you to open your doors in two ways. First I encourage you to take part in our seder exchange and welcome into your home an individual, a student, or a family who might be alone this Passover. Second I ask that you support Mazon, a Jewish organization that works around the country and around the globe to bring critical relief to millions of hungry families. Mazon even gives generous grants to food banks within Mecklenburg County. Last fall, this organization gave $8,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. Our donations enable us to fulfill the mandate of our hagaddah and of our faith. To support Mazon, simply send your donation to Temple Beth El, and we will pass it on.

“If a community lacked a synagogue and a shelter for the poor, it was first obligated to build a shelter for the poor.” -- Seder Hasidim

”This is the bread of affliction our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat; let all who are in need come share our Passover.” -- Passover Haggadah

OPEN YOUR DOORS BY INVITING A GUEST TO YOUR SEDER
Please join our Temple Beth El seder exchange. Open your home to those in our community who are new, who are just converting and learning how to lead a seder, or to those who do not have the ability to prepare a seder for themselves. Contact Stephanie DiPaolo in our Temple office.

OPEN YOUR DOORS BY GIVING TO MAZON
Millions of adults and children in our country are hungry. Our food pantry at Shalom Park alone hands out more than one thousand meals each year. The best way for us as Jews to respond to hunger is to give to Mazon, a Jewish response to hunger. Each year Mazon awards grants totaling over $3 million to hunger-relief organizations.Simply send your Mazon donation to Temple Beth El, and we will send it in.