We are approaching Pesach, aka Passover, the holiday commemorating the ancient Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt-know in Hebrew as Mitzraim, “the narrow place,” the place of stuck-ness and limitation. It is the holiday where we recall how our ancestors left this slavery, after the series of plagues God visited upon Egypt-blood, beasts, hail, locusts, frogs, lice, cattle blight, darkness-finally, the death of the first-born of Egypt, from the highest to the lowest. It’s like that; powerful people refuse to recognize a problem and any crisis, unless it affects them personally.

In this time, we have a “president” who, like Pharaoh, refuses to do anything for his people, acting on self-interest and impulse, ignoring how it would injure his people; and the current plague of Coronavirus is affecting every person in every sector of society. It is in this time that congregations had to innovate, hold their services online so that, despite social distancing, we remain connected. We need that so sustain and support each other, so let’s continue to do that, and we’ll get through this.

In the spirit of Pesach-traditionally, the new year of the Jewish people-I present my resolutions for Pesach 2020:

I will conduct myself with self-love, self-esteem, and self-respect, thinking positively about myself and my life.

I will continue to improve my financial situation.

I will continue my education, by every medium available.

I will continue to be faithful to Jewish religion, history, culture, etc.

I will continue such spiritual practices as meditation, Torah study, prayer, affirmation, etc.

I will continue my participation in social and political causes, and my civic engagement.

Let us enjoy our Pesach, and stay close to each other.