Music

Passover Inspiration from Our Rabbis

Rabbi Michael Boino introduces us to new or less familiar music for Passover. This Dayenu is Rabbi Boino’s own composition.

This Ma Nishtana is a traditional tune in the Spanish-Portuguese tradition for the four questions.

Writings

SELLING HAMETZ

Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, who is handling the sale of hametz for the JTS community, has agreed to handle our sale as well. 
To sell your hametz, please use this online form no later than 6:00 PM EST Tuesday March 31.
This deadline is firm. The sale will take place on the morning of April 1, to be effective on the morning of Erev Pesah.
It is traditional to make a donation to the organization handling the sale of your hametz, either to JTS or to us at Gesher

GESHER SERVICE TIMES

Rabbis Uhrbach and Boino will be leading Pesach services only on Shabbat Chol HaMoed and the 7th day of Pesach:

  • Friday April 3 Shabbat Hol HaMoed Pesah 6:00 pm (ZOOM only)

  • Saturday April 4 Shabbat Hol HaMoed Pesah 10:00 am (ZOOM and livestreamed on our YouTube channel)

  • Wednesday April 8 7th Day Pesah (with Yizkor) 10:00 am (ZOOM and livestreamed on our YouTube channel)

Email us for Zoom link.

Poetry

This poem by Rabbi Michael Boino is appropriate for Yachatz,
the breaking of the matzah.

A bone when broken heals
in such a way that at first
it becomes stronger
more resilient
more resistant
to breaking again
but over time,
it returns
just as vulnerable as it once was

A heart when broken heals
in almost an opposite way
we feel weaker
less resilient
fragile
perhaps more likely to break again
more sensitive
more understanding,
more loving
but stronger than we may have ever thought
because the heart
more than a bone
more than a building or bridge
knows what it really means
to be strong

Rabbi Michael Boino

This poem by Rabbi Jan Uhrbach is a riff on
בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם
In every generation, a person is obligated to themselves as if they went out from Egypt”

The thing is 

to see yourself as 
if

as if you weren’t sure
as if you didn’t already know
as if what seems so solid is only 
not an illusion, exactly, but 
contingent
as if
if only
if not

as if anything could happen because 
it could
as if what seems 
so intractable inevitable impossible is only 
an if 

one of many 
not an end
but an and or a but
or perhaps just
perhaps

as if you were in the narrow straits 
(as if these weren’t?)
as if you were 
but you emerged from there
or maybe not
as if you didn’t know
weren’t sure 
which was which or maybe 

you chose not to go

as if you are Moses Miriam the-child-who-whines Nachshon-jumping-in

just not Pharaoh

who knows
who “no”s
who knows no ifs
can’t bear ifs
can’t see himself, ever

can’t seem himself          
as if

Rabbi Jan Uhrbach