Rabbi Sharon Brous in Conversation with Abigail Pogrebin

Ezekiel’s prophecy, read on the Shabbat of Passover, challenges us to dream audaciously. You cannot tell a redemption story that leaves some behind. And that includes those amongst our own people who’ve gone terribly astray.

How do we think about mo’adim, the fixed times in our calendar when we are asked to show up for a meeting with God? Can we treat these occasions as moments of sacred recognition?

We Jews are obsessed with telling stories – as the core of the Passover Seder and beyond. The obsession to do so is woven into the fabric of Jewish life and practice. Through interpreting our people’s narrative, we become the story we tell about ourselves and we partner with God in completing creation.

As we approach Pesah, we often consume ourselves with cleaning our houses, but we neglect any spiritual preparation for the holiday. What would happen if we let the search for chametz in our houses lead to a search for something in ourselves? What might we find?