A SECRET SEDER IN NEW YORK

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton

In 1941, New York State and several other jurisdictions established "Release Time for Religious Education" whereby public school students could be released from school, with their parents' permission, for one hour of religious studies per week. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Lubavitcher Rebbe at that time, seized the opportunity to enable Jewish public school children to receive Jewish instruction on a weekly basis. A cadre of Lubavitch Rabbinical student volunteers became the corps of Jewish Release Time teachers in the New York metro area. The National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education became the supervisors of the Jewish Release Time program. After the Previous Rebbe's passing, his son-in-law and successor, the Rebbe, encouraged NCFJE to expand its activities and this program has continued to run uninterruptedly until this day.

A friend of mine, who tragically passed away nearly two decades ago, Rabbi Azriel Wasserman, was one of the many Lubavitcher Rabbinical students who volunteered his time and energy to teach Jewish public school children during that one precious hour each week.

Rabbi Wasserman was a very gifted and devoted teacher. He loved teaching and his once-a-week pupils loved him.

One year, a few days before Passover, Rabbi Wasserman met with his class and made a "practice" Seder with them. The children really enjoyed it and so did he. The next time he met with his class was a few days later, in the "intermediate days" of the Passover holiday. It was the day after the Seders and Rabbi Wasserman noticed that two of his students, two little girls, kept falling asleep during the hour-long class.

Rabbi Wasserman was concerned and asked the girls several times if they were all right. Each time, as the girls nodded back into alertness, they replied that they felt just fine. As the class neared its completion, the two sisters whispered to Rabbi Wasserman that they wanted to speak with him privately after the class.

"Please don't tell anyone what we are telling you now," the older sister begged after all the other children left. "We have to tell you something, but do you promise that you won't tell?"

While she was speaking, her younger sister was watching. Rabbi Wasserman looked from girl to girl and saw the pleading look in their eyes.

He stared at them for a few seconds, then nodded and said, "I promise."

The girls looked at each other one more time and the older one began the story:

"Well...you remember that last week you made us a practice Passover Seder, right? My sister asked you why are we doing all this and eating all these different things.

"You told us that G-d wants us to make a Seder on Passover. And you said the Seder also reminds us that G-d is very, very good because He took us out of Egypt... Right?"

Rabbi Wasserman nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, that day we went home and told our Mom what you said, and that we want to make a Seder the night of Passover just like you showed us. Our Mom sort of liked the idea. But our Dad didn't. You see, our Dad isn't Jewish. We asked him and he got really upset and said 'no.'

"Then my sister asked him why we couldn't do it and he got really angry and said that if we even talk about it again he would really give us a spanking.

"Then my father went over to my mother and started really yelling because he thought that she had told us to ask. They started arguing and we got scared.

"But afterwards my sister and I talked alone, and we decided that if G-d wants us to make a Passover Seder we were going to do it. So we figured out a plan. We took money from our piggy bank and on the way back from school we went to the store. We bought two bottles of grape juice one day, and the next day we bought a box of matza, and the next day we took some lettuce from the refrigerator. And we hid everything in the basement.

"Then on the first night of Passover, instead of going to sleep, we just pretended to be asleep. After Mom and Dad were really asleep and it was already like one in the morning, we got out of bed and we went downstairs into the basement.

"We were really scared because the stairs are creaky, and we were afraid that Dad would wake up. And in the basement it's really dark and scary! But we made it down stairs and we took out the matza and the grape juice and everything.

"And then... we made a secret Passover Seder!

"We did everything just like you said, we ate the matza and drank the grape juice, everything. And then we snuck back upstairs and went to sleep.

"And nobody knew.

"Then, you know what we did the next night? We did the same thing over again! But the next night we weren't so scared, and we even laughed once because my sister made funny faces." They looked at each other and smiled a little.

"That is why we're so tired today," she continued. "But you won't tell anyone, will you? If Daddy finds out he'll be really angry with us!" They looked at each other and then back at their teacher.

Rabbi Wasserman promised once again that he wouldn't say anything to anyone. They said good-bye and after they left he closed the door, sat down in the teacher's chair and started to cry.

When Rabbi Wasserman recounted this story to me, he told me, "I don't know if would have had the courage to do the same thing that they did. I was really inspired by those two little girls."

May we all have the courage this Passover to break out of our own personal Egypts to experience true liberation and freedom.

Source:

[ www.ohrtmimim.org ]

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