Dear JCC Community,

By now many of you are busy finishing cleaning and perhaps now cooking for Pesach. Often we get so lost in the preparations that we are exhausted by the time we sit down for the Seder. Keep in mind that throughout Pesach, we have an opportunity for reflection about what all of this means in the context of our daily lives. Chol Ha-moed, the interim days of Pesach, are not intended to be completely chol - ordinary. Neither are they completely kodesh - holy. Rather, they are a bit of both. This is a perfect time to celebrate spring by taking a walk. Extend the joy of the chag by spending time with friends and family. Celebrate the blessings in your life. And remember those whose lives may feel less than blessed. Reach out. Connect after this cold, dreary winter. Breathe in the renewal of life and help extend this renewal to others - in whatever ways you can - because you can.

And, just in case you are looking to green your seder, take a look at the article below. The texts are beautiful and inspiring and the suggestions are great. Remember - you don't need to do it all - just pick and choose what speaks to you.

Warmest wishes for a sweet and liberating Pesach!
Rabbi Nina J. Mizrahi

The greening of Pesach, Harry R. Kissileff

Between Pesach and Shavuot it is customary to read Pirke Avot (the Ethics of the Fathers), which opens with: "The world stands on three 'things' [devarim], Torah [i.e., related to law or teaching], divine service [i.e., prayer], and good deeds." (Mishna Avot 1:2). Each of these "things" has an environmental counterpart that is reflected in a theme of Pesach.

"Observe the month of Aviv and make the Pesach offering to the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt" (Deut. 16:1). Why must Pesach be observed in the spring? Make this an additional question at your seder and see what responses you can elicit. Then see what your assembled guests think of the following ideas.

Getting out into nature and saying the appropriate prayers for phenomena such as the blossoming of trees connects the Pesach theme of "spring observance" to the "divine service" of the three things on which the world stands. In the Sephardic tradition, blessing the fruit trees in Nissan is a festive occasion. As the Rambam says, observe the world and you will come to love and fear the One Who spoke and it came to be (HIlchot Yesodai Ha Torah 2:2). According to Samson Raphael Hirsh, Pesach is observed in spring to remind us that "the God whose breath of spring awakens nature out of the stark death-like rigidity of winter is the same God who broke open the Egyption grave of our political existence" (Commentary on Deut. 16:1).

The main teaching of the three things on which the world stands ("Torah") connects with the Pesach theme of freedom. We have freedom to change the wasteful and unhealthy habits that threaten our environment. But instead of making the hard decisions necessary to alleviate the crisis, we often cleave like slaves to environmentally destructive habits and values. We thus "allow harmful habits to tyrannize over us" (The New Haggadah). But if all of us made the tough choices to drive less, eat less meat, and live more modestly, we could collectively eliminate air pollution, stop rainforest destruction, and lower the stress on our environment.

Action (i.e. doing good deeds) then, connects with the third theme of Pesach, eating matzoh and refraining from chametz. Matzoh was the bread of affliction our forebears baked in haste on their departure from Egypt. The fact that we eat it, i.e., not just study about it or say prayers but take action, is the most powerful lessons of our tradition. Great though the personal sacrifice of refraining from chametz may be, it reminds us of the simple life our ancestors led in the desert. We too can simplify our lives, change our diets, and reduce our reliance on automobiles.

As we conduct our seders, eart our matzoh, and participate in services this Pesach, let us resolve that actions begun at Pesach - walking when feasible instead of driving, refraining from certain kinds of food, and living with less - continue after the holiday is npast. Not only will our bodies benefit from the extra exercise and reduced fat consumption, but our planet will improve for goof of all Creation.

Suggest activities to 'green' Pesach

1. Add to your seder readings from Jewish sources such as "Judaism Eternal," (Samson Raphael Hirsch), "The Rhythms of Jewish Living" (Marc Angel), or "God in Search of Man" (Abraham Joshue Heschel), which serve to heighten awareness of the natural phenomena that return each spring to remind us of the oneness of the God of freedom and the God of nature.
2. Discuss how the changes in habits we make at Pesach can help us continue making changes in wasteful environmental habits throughout the year. Make a list of them.
3. Take a walk in your community and think about what Solomon might have been thinking as he "went down to the nut garden to look at the fresh plants by the stream, to see whether the vine has blossomed and if the pomegranates are in flower" (song of Songs 6:11). What would you look for in such a walk in your own community.
4. Take an "environmental inventory" of the chemicals in your home and synagogue as you clean out chametz, and determine whether any of them should also be removed in the proper manner.
5. Discuss whether or not the Jewish concept of freedom extends to rights for animals, plants, and even ecosystems. How far does freedom go? Is "ecojustice" compatible with jewish tradition?
6. Harry R. Kissileff is coordinator of Hug Tevah, the nature circle of Cong. Beth Shalom in Teaneck, where he lives.

For further information read "To Till and To Tend: A guide to Jewish Environmental Study and Action," available from the COEJL, 443 Park Ave. South, 11th Floor, New York, NY. 10016.