Join us for an afternoon of learning in preparation for Pesach, as we explore the theme of questioning. Pesach is filled with themes of questioning, from the four questions to the strange practices of the seder which are "so that the children may ask". Sessions throughout the afternoon will help us prepare to be challenged, and find new ways of asking and reflecting in preparation for Pesach.  As Pesach approaches, it is traditional to delve into the haggadah and prepare for our Pesach seders. Our afternoon will culminate in a mincha (afternoon) service, followed by seudah shlishit (the third meal of shabbat) and a short havdalah service to close our time together.

The schedule below is a draft and is subject to change:

2.30pm-3.00pm: Registration and Arrivals

3.00pm-4.15pm:

• Questioned or questioner; finding our place at the Seder table with Naomi Soetendorp: This Seder will you be asking the questions or being expected to give answers? Perhaps both. In this session we’ll explore how the Seder ritual can support us as we develop identities as sources and seekers of wisdom.

• “Have you seen the one I love?” – Unpacking the poetic drama of the Song of Songs with Rabbi Markus A. Lange: The megillah for Pesach is Shir ha-Shirim, the Song of Songs. What appears to be a collection of love poems has prompted many questions since ancient times: Who is speaking to whom? Why has this openly erotic poetry made it in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible? How has this book comforted and inspired both individuals and Jewish communities throughout the centuries? 
  This session will help you hear the poetry of the Song of Songs in many different ways, from the spiritual and personal to the communal and political. We will also see how this old text in turn prompts questions addressing us and our reality today.

4.30pm-5:45pm:

• Questioning as Spiritual Practice with Yael Roberts: The Four Children in the Haggadah ask questions of their parents. At the time of the seder, we are meant to understand them each as facets of ourselves. How might we use this energy of questioning to enhance our seder experience? And how does questioning as a practice enhance our Jewish lives, as we uncover and turn over that which we held as truth or certainty? We will explore all of these questions through a close reading of the Kedushat Levi, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, the 18th century Hasidic master.

• Songs of Moses and Miriam with Danny Perez: At one of the most critical moments in the Exodus story – the parting of the Sea of Reeds – the Torah tells us how the Israelites celebrated in a spontaneous outburst of music, song and dance. In this session, we’ll look at the Song(s) of the Sea and ask - among other questions - what they mean, why we sing them at Passover (and in many communities, every day), and how their words have echoed down through history from the Torah to The Prince of Egypt.

6pm-7pm: 
​​​​​​​From Slavery to Kitchen: A Journey Through Hilchot Pesach with Rabbi Kamila:  Join me for a session where we explore the intricacies of Hilchot Pesach—the laws of Pesach. We will look at the “do’s and don’ts” and explore them as an opportunity to reflect on how these laws shape our experience of freedom, tradition, and community.  This will be a chance for everyone to reflect on the day and ask all your Pesach-related questions, big and small. 

7pm-7:30pm: Mincha

7.30pm-8.30pm: Seudah Shlishit (dinner)

8.30pm: Havdalah service to close