This Year: Just Like The First Seder Night

The Pesach seder is just hours away, and Israelis are drawing a fascinating parallel between this year and the very first seder. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu announced Monday night that citizens would not be able to leave their homes on Leil HaSeder, and that streets would be patrolled to ensure that this would be enforced.

As families sit in their home and recall the Bnei Yisroel in Mitzrayim, unable to leave their homes as the Mashchis moved throughout the land outside, the Haggadah will now be more relatable than ever.

For most, the restrictions mean stocking up on groceries and other essentials, and spending valuable time with spouses and children. For many, however, the increasingly strict rules are a threat to their very existence.

Right now, thousands of families in Israel are extremely poor, without income due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Hit especially hard are those who are already battling diseases like cancer. Many of these people are now also sick with the virus itself. These factors, combined with the coming holiday, mean that many families will be spending the seder night with very little food on their plates.

Though the restrictions are of course meant to protect the community, the lack of work threatens their lives in a different way.

Donations are being urgently accepted by charity organization Vaad HaRabbanim to help families suffering from illness during this time. Rav Chaim Kanievsky has given his blessing to all who help that they not be sick themselves. A letter on the campaign page from Rav Kanievsky and the Vizhnitzer Rebbe gives a blessing to donors “to see great salvation with whatever they need, and they and their family will be saved measure for measure from all illness, and they will merit to make simchos in their homes and to see nachas from all their descendants with health and parnassah.”

This is a highly sensitive time for everyone in the world. Those who are able to reach out and help those who are hungry can do so here for a limited time.