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Storytelling is fundamental to the Jewish people. Perhaps that is why Passover is such a beloved holiday. To tell the Exodus story, the Haggadah insists that we must first tell the story of the Jewish people from the beginning.

Thus the act of storytelling becomes a vital tool for strengthening the Jewish community. Through an oral history of our ancestor's experiences, we transmit the meaning of their struggle and pass their narrative through the generations. Doing so allows modern Jews to maintain memories of events that we have not ourselves experienced. Indeed, the more we see ourselves as if we were there, the greater significance and relevance that the story has for us. This is how the Jewish people empower one another, and how Jewish communities make each individual member stronger.

At the Seder, each Jew is commanded to retell the Passover story as if they were personally enslaved by Pharaoh in Egypt and were freed by God's outstretched arm.

Thus, the (re)telling of the Exodus story requires us to rely on two different types of memories: communal and individual.

The Jewish collective memory is the history of our people: The Exodus from Egypt, the revelation at Mount Sinai, the settling of the Land of Israel, and in more recent history, the Shoah. These shared memories connect us together as Jews.

But we also maintain our individual memories, perhaps of attending various Sedarim with beloved relatives or the taste of our mother's Matzah ball soup. We know who made the best brisket and whose charoset recipe reigns supreme. We remember who we sit next to every year, and we also notice when, inevitably, that person is no longer around to fill their traditional spot at the Seder table.

Passover mandates that the Jewish people convey the Exodus story from one generation to the next. We will tell that collective story. But we will also share our individual story; that of our families and friends transmitted through the recipes we cook, the traditions we share, and jokes we tell. Even our treasured heirlooms - such as a family kiddush cup, seder plate, or a matzah cover - tell our story. The children will ask questions, and this is how we answer.

We hope that this will be a joyous Passover for all of you. May your Sedarim be filled with laughter and song, and comfort in the warm embrace of family and friends, and may we all merit to celebrate Pesach for many more years to come, but next year in Jerusalem!

×-×' פס×- כשר ושמ×-! Chag Pesach Kasher v'Sameach!