Greening Pesah

This week I signed a letter, along with Marvin Szneler of Kansas City’s Jewish Community Relations Bureau, to Kansas’ two senators, encouraging them to support a bill (America’s Climate Security Act, S. 2191) that will help to establish America as a leader in responding the pressing issue of global climate change. This legislation, which we are supporting in cooperation with COEJL (the Jewish environmental organization) and other faith groups, would establish a firm cap on carbon emissions, the necessary first step toward reining in global warming. It would also provide resources to help mitigate the impact of global warming on developing nations, and the cost of the measures on the poor.

It seems appropriate that this letter was sent just before Pesah. Pesah is the holiday of Spring, the time when we see the earth renewing itself all around us. In fact, there are many elements of the seder that suggest a connection to springtime and nature. The egg, for instance, is a symbol of fecundity (and that is also the role it plays on Easter as well). The green vegetable, or karpas, is also a reminder of the greening of the earth that happens at this time of year.

One thing we do at our seder table, and that you might want to consider, is expanding the karpas section, both in terms of food and in terms of “programming.” By serving more substantial food, such as asparagus (the quintessential spring vegetable, available in its freshest state for only a couple of weeks a year), potato, sweet potato, and crudités vegetables such as carrots and celery, you can stave off hunger a bit, so your guess might possibly be more patient about doing the seder and not rushing to the meal! (I said, “possibly.”) It would also give us a moment to include some thoughts about our impact on the earth, such as this reading from the COEJL seder :

These greens are also the symbol of wildlife and forests. We are grateful for the splendor of Creation. Forests are the cathedrals where the Creator has demonstrated miraculous power. We accept the obligation to cherish and protect
the natural world. Unfortunately we are still enslaved by a society which is devouring the Earth. We should shed tears for the life that is destroyed needlessly. May we someday rejoice because we have been liberated from our destructive ways.

We could even drop a line to our senators, asking them to support S. 2191!

The reason Pesah resonates so much with us and with so many people is that it has a message that speaks to us now – a message of human freedom, a message of escape from oppression, and a message of renewal and love of the natural bounty we all hold dear. Take a moment at your seder table, perhaps as you dip the karpas, and remember that this year, it may be the earth itself that is most in need of liberation. And it may be up to each of us to be Moses.