Shavua Tov
As we approach this coming Wednesday night, we join Jews across Tucson, North America, Israel, and around the world as we gather around the Seder table to mark the beginning of Passover.
Together, we retell the story of our people’s exodus from Egypt, Mitzrayim, the narrow place. It is a story not only of liberation, but of transformation. As we leave that narrow place, we begin to see possibility unfolding before us. We are no longer simply escaping we are becoming. A nation is being formed, filled with promise, purpose, and hope.
The Torah reminds us: “You shall tell your child on that day, saying: It is because of what the Eternal did for me when I went out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). Each year, we don’t just remember and we relive. We see ourselves in that journey.
And when our ancestors reached the sea and crossed into freedom, their joy was so profound that words alone could not contain it. So they sang.
That spirit still lives within us today. Whether it’s the quiet gratitude of Irving Berlin’s beautiful Count your blessings the recognition that It’s a Small World that we are deeply interconnected or the powerful hope captured in When You Believe by Stephen Schwartz from The Prince of Egypt, music helps us express what words sometimes cannot: faith, resilience, and the possibility of redemption.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l taught:
Freedom is not won on the battlefield alone. It is won in the human imagination and the courage to build a different future.
Today, many of us still experience moments of Mitzrayim, narrow places of uncertainty, challenge, or isolation. But Passover reminds us that there is always a path forward. One of the widest, most life-giving spaces we can step into is community.
Here at The J and in organizations and synagogues throughout Tucson, community is where we expand beyond the narrow:
When we show up
When we volunteer
When we build friendships
When we support one another
It is here that we find joy, belonging, and meaning.
We are not alone. We are connected—to each other here in Tucson, across North America, in Israel, and to Jews around the world. That connection is our strength. It is our song.
As you gather at your Seder tables this year, may you feel that connection deeply. May you find joy in the telling, meaning in the rituals, and inspiration in the journey ahead.
Chag Pesach Sameach. Wishing you and your loved ones a Passover filled with freedom, hope, and community.
Cochenu b’Achduteynu | כחינו באחדותינו | Our strength is in our unity.
Am Yisrael Chai | עם ישראל חי
Todd Rockoff
President + CEO, Tucson J
